I-AA Rookies Fare Well in NFL

By Matt Dougherty, The Sports Network

Philadelphia, PA - Quick, name the only rookie to make the NFL’s All-Pro team.

How about No. 1 draft choice Alex Smith? Or maybe running backs Carnell Williams or Ronnie Brown, or Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman.

No, No and No again. The only rookie to make the All-Pro team was Houston Texan, and Hampton product, Jerome Mathis. The speedy Mathis had an excellent season to earn an All-Pro nod as a kick returner, and was just one of many examples of I-AA alums shedding the "small-school" label and producing in their first NFL campaign.

Mathis’ exploits highlight a list of successful NFL rookies with I-AA pedigrees in the 2005 season. Mathis displayed his gamebreaking speed and etched his name in the Houston Texans’ record books in a rookie campaign that earned with a Pro Bowl berth and AP All-Pro honors as a kick returner.

Mathis had his breakout performance on Oct. 23 in a home loss to Indianapolis. He notched the Texans first kickoff return for a touchdown in team history with an 89-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. Mathis set the team record with a 38.0 avg on seven kick returns, and his 266-yard total on seven returns was the fifth-best effort in NFL history. He followed that performance up with a receiving touchdown and key late 63-yard kickoff return to set up the winning field goal in Houston’s 16-13 victory against Cleveland. An outstanding performance against Kansas City (99-yard KO return TD, 266 return yards) helped Mathis make the Pro Bowl and finish with a 28.6 average on kick returns.

Mathis was at the top of the I-AA draft boards after notching a 4.28 time in the 40 in the winter combines, but there were six players selected before he went with the 114th pick to Houston. While there aren’t any more Pro Bowlers on the list, the early I-AA selections lived up to their billing.

Eastern Washington product Michael Roos was the first I-AA player picked in 2005 (41st overall), and notched the rare feat of starting every game at right tackle as a rookie for the Tennessee Titans. A pair of secondary stars from the MEAC also performed well after being picked in the second round. Ronald Bartell (Howard, 50th pick) recorded 34 tackles and emerged as a starter at right cornerback for the St. Louis Rams, while Nick Collins (Bethune-Cookman, 51st) started at free safety for the Green Bay Packers while notching 84 tackles, one interception and seven pass breakups.

Vincent Jackson (Northern Colorado) and Jordan Beck (Cal Poly) were also picked on day one, but Jackson played sparingly for San Diego and Beck, the 2004 Buck Buchanan Winner, missed the 2005 campaign after a preseason foot injury with the Atlanta Falcons. However, both are expected to play bigger roles in the future.

While Mathis, Roos and Collins lived up to and exceeded expectations, a few lower and even undrafted I-AA rookies made a mark on the NFL season. Brandon Jacobs (Southern Illinois, 110th pick) only ran for 99 yards for the New York Giants, but he made his presence felt in short yardage situations with seven touchdowns and 19 carries for a first down. Boomer Grigsby (Illinois State, 138th) played in all 16 games for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Justin Green (Montana, Baltimore Ravens) and Nehemiah Broughton (The Citadel, Washington Redskins) both saw some action at running back.

But, in addition to Mathis, the final I-AA player in the draft and an unknown undrafted free agent gave I-AA rookies a prominent place in the 2005 season.

Harvard’s Ryan Fitzpatrick was picked late in the seventh round, and never expected to see action in his first season with the St. Louis Rams. However, injuries to Marc Bulger and Jaime Martin thrust Fitzpatrick into the quarterback role in the second quarter against the Houston Texans, and he didn’t disappoint. In his first NFL performance, Fitzpatrick was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week by throwing for three touchdown passes and 310 yards on 19-of-30 passing to lead the Rams back from a 24-3 deficit to a 33-27 victory in overtime at Houston. Fitzpatrick became just the fifth player in NFL history to throw for more than 300 yards in his debut (and first since Peyton Manning in 1998), and became the first player in NFL history to throw an overtime touchdown pass in his first game. Fitzpatrick made three starts, and threw for 777 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for two scores in his rookie campaign.

At the same time Fitzpatrick and Mathis were making waves, running back Sam Gado came out of oblivion to carry the load for the Green Bay Packers. Gado, who didn’t even run for 1,000 yards in his final season at Liberty, had a shocking breakout season. Gado wasn’t even with the Packers for the first five weeks of the season, but got his chance on the field when three running backs listed ahead of him on the depth chart went down. He made five starts and tallied 582 yards and six touchdowns for the season. Gado recorded at least 20 carries in all five of his starts, and had three 100-yard performances that included a 171-yard effort in a win against Detroit. Gado’s season came to an end with a knee injury against Baltimore, but he won’t be an unrecognized name anymore. Adam Bergen (Lehigh, Arizona Cardinals) and Otis Amey (Sacramento State, San Francisco 49ers) also made solid contributions as undrafted free agents.

The crop of I-AA rookies added to a long line of successful graduates active in the NFL. Established stars like Michael Strahan, Brian Westbrook and Steve McNair put up strong seasons again, and a few recent award winners showed the potential for long NFL careers. Rashean Mathis, the 2002 Buck Buchanan Award winner, notched 69 tackles and a team-high five interceptions for Jacksonville, and is establishing himself as a top NFL corner. Jared Allen follows Mathis in the lineage of Buchanan winners, and is beginning to copy Mathis’ NFL success as well after placing 10th in the league with 11 sacks for the Kansas City Chiefs.

At the end of the 2005 season, 227 former I-AA players were on NFL rosters, and more than 160 saw game action during the year. A pair of playoff teams, Jacksonville and the New York Giants, had 11 former I-AA players on their active rosters.

So sit back and watch the college All-Star games in January, follow the combines in March, and prepare for the draft in April. Despite the success, I- AA players will be still be branded as "small-school" talent that might not match up against top competition. And then watch the 2006 NFL season unfold, and see another crop of I-AA rookies make their mark and prove the doubters wrong.