NFL Rookie Watch

NFL Rookie Watch

Maurice Jones-Drew

Simon Bruty/SI

Last week: No. 2 <br><br>Every week SI.com will rank the rookies, evaluating their season-long impact and their future chances for success. This week, exciting Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew starts us off. Jones-Drew ranks eighth in the NFL in kick returning with a 25.9-yard average and is contributing in the regular offense. He's most effective catching the ball out of the backfield. Two of his nine catches have gone for scores, including a 51-yard touchdown against the Redskins last week.

Ernie Sims

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Last week: No. 7 <br><br>Sims is a bright spot on a terrible Lions defense. He ranks 11th in the NFL with 35 tackles, and he's a nasty hitter. Although Detroit's season has fallen apart, Sims' development is worth watching.

Jerious Norwood

Paul Abell/US PRESSWIRE

Last week: unranked <br><br>Norwood might be more explosive than Reggie Bush and every other rookie running back. He had a 78-yard touchdown against the Cardinals last week and has run for 217 yards on the season.

Marcus McNeill

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Last week: unranked <br><br>The second-round pick out of Auburn has protected Philip Rivers' left side particularly well this season. The Chargers hadn't allowed a sack all season until the final minutes of their loss to the Ravens, and McNeill, a starter since Day One, deserves a lot of credit. The Chargers rank No. 2 overall in rushing.

Reggie Bush

Thomas E. Witte/SI

Last week: No. 1 <br><br>Bush has yet to have a spectacular game -- or even one breathtaking play -- but the Saints are 3-1 and he is 10th in the NFL with 23 receptions. Expect him to break through in the next couple of weeks.

Joseph Addai

Damian Strohmeyer/SI

Last week: unranked <br><br>Addai had 20 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown in the Colts' win over the Jets last Sunday and has already reached a level of consistency that is making it easy for Indy fans to forget about the departed Edgerrin James.

Demeco Ryans

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Last week: No. 5 <br><br>With 38 tackles, Ryans would be a strong candidate for defensive rookie of the year, but he plays on the worst defense in the NFL. Still, he's a shining light in what has been a miserable season in Houston.

Greg Jennings

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Last week: No. 4 <br><br>Jennings has become a go-to guy for Brett Favre. Last week the rookie had five catches for 86 yards and missed out on a potential long touchdown when an Eagles defender grabbed his jersey, drawing a pass-interference penalty that gave the Packers the ball at the one.

Laurence Maroney

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Last week: No. 6 <br><br>Maroney rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns in New England's win over Cincinnati last Sunday. The former Minnesota Gopher has added an element of quickness to a Patriots offense that needed a spark plug.

Marques Colston

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Last week: No. 3 <br><br>Colston ranks sixth in the NFL with 336 yards receiving, and his three touchdown catches are tied with many for first. People are waiting for the seventh-round pick out of Hofstra to slow down, but he just keeps getting better. Colston had five catches for 132 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown, in a loss to Carolina.