The Redskins Blog

‘Rookie Watch’ Has Redskins Flavor

(Photo by ExtremeSkins)

Nine of the 10 selections for this week’s “Rookie Watch,” a weekly look by ESPN.com’s Matt Williamson into the best rookies of the 2012 NFL season, look like this: six first-round picks, two second-round picks and a third-round pick from April’s NFL Draft.

But who’s the one outlier of the group this week?

Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris, who was selected in the sixth round this year out of Florida Atlantic.

Morris — the league’s leading rookie rusher through three weeks of NFL action — comes in at No. 9 overall in this week’s “Rookie Watch,” while his quarterback, Robert Griffin III, is ranked second overall.

Here’s what Williamson had to say about Griffin III’s and Morris’ seasons thus far:

No. 2: Robert Griffin III
“Griffin was without his top target (Pierre Garçon) for all of Sunday’s game against the Bengals and his best blocker (Trent Williams) for the majority of it. It was very much a struggle early on for Washington. It was promising that Griffin did finally lean on Fred Davis, though, and the rookie quarterback continues to make a lot of plays. Shanahan better quit calling so much option if he wants to keep Griffin upright. That cannot be the foundation of Washington’s rushing attack.”

No. 9: Alfred Morris
“With the status of Washington’s decimated defense, the Redskins could be playing from behind quite a bit — which could really eat into Morris’ production. Still, Morris has been reliable and steady.”

The Redskins are the only NFC East team — and just one of two teams in the NFL — with two players in the top 10. Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks comes in at No. 6 as the only other NFC East representative; the Seattle Seahawks, meanwhile, are represented by both quarterback Russell Wilson (No. 8) and Bruce Irvin (No. 10).

To see the rest of the list click here, but you’ve got to have ESPN Insider access.