The youth movement dominated NFL storylines in 2012. The league's next generation of stud quarterbacks rose to power and defensive stars like J.J. Watt became household names. With so many young players making an impact, NFL.com's Elliot Harrison decided to take on the difficult task of assembling the best players under 25 at each position.
There are more than a few interesting calls on the list, and sometimes a decision likely comes down to a toss-up. Possibly the worst selection came with the structure of the teams. This mythical team, full of young stars, is running a two-back set with one tight end and two wide receivers for some reason. Not many NFL clubs line up in that look the majority of the time anymore.
It's worse on defense, where this team is also given the free reign to run a 4-4-4 defense. Why don't more clubs try that out?
The great quarterback debate
Young quarterbacks were all the rage this year. From the draft-day headliners Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, to pleasant surprises in Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick. The former three are young enough to qualify for the list, while the latter just misses the cut. Browns roookie Brandon Weeden also didn't qualify, which reportedly brought his grandkids to tears.
Luck, Griffin, and Wilson were already at the center of the Offensive Rookie of the Year debate. Griffin eventually got the nod, but he is given third-tier status on Harrison's list. His injury concerns are legitimate, but moreso because he has multiple major knee surgeries, not because of his style (pocket quarterbacks hurt their knees too -- just ask Tom Brady).
Based on Football Outsiders' DYAR quarterback statistic, Wilson contributed the most relative to his situation in 2012. He also had the best DVOA, meaning he was the most effective on a per-play basis.
There's an argument that Luck had to do more with less than his counterparts. Wilson and Griffin both had excellent run games in support, and weren't called upon to throw the ball in the air nearly as much in their rookie seasons. That is certainly accurate, as the Colts' offense was far more reliant on Luck to make plays throughout the year.
The opposite is true for Wilson. He wasn't allowed to do much of anything within the constraints of the offense for the first half of 2012. When Pete Carroll and his staff finally took the reigns off, Wilson exploded, and put up some of the best numbers in league.
So Harrison's selection of Wilson is a good one, especially considering the Seahawks' quarterback has a giant chip on his shoulder that propels him to work harder than just about anyone else in football. Luck and Griffin fans won't need to fret for too long. Wilson turns 25 this year, leaving the race wide open for either to land on this list in 2014.
With the quarterback taken care of, who is Wilson going to throw to?
Wide receivers (you only get two!)
Harrison went with the Bengals' A.J. Green and the Cowboys' Dez Bryant for his two wideout spots (no word yet if he has heard they legalized the forward pass in 1906). Both are excellent young receivers, but Harrison points out that it was difficult to leave Julio Jones off the list, and the decision ultimately came between him and Bryant.
Two things Harrison could have done: Add a 12th player as he did on defense, or kick LeSean McCoy off the team in favor of a third receiver. To his credit, the debate is far more interesting with just two slots.
The biggest question comes from his final decision. Why is Green an automatic, while Bryant and Jones are left to battle out for the last spot?
The raw numbers for the three look pretty similar, but this chart shows that Green's effectiveness is not what is seems:
Green is getting far more chances to make plays than Bryant and Jones, and converting the lowest percentage of his catch opportunities. That leads to Green having a less impressive yards per target (YPT) than the other two.
Bryant leads the way in YPT with 10.01 (meaning the Cowboys were getting a first down on average every time they throw his way). Jones is next, picking up 9.29 yards per opportunity, and Green falls behind at 8.23 YPT.
There is one big caveat with those numbers, and it is quarterback play. Tony Romo and Matt Ryan are better quarterbacks than Andy Dalton. However, the smaller disparity between their yards per attempt (Romo at 7.57, Ryan at 7.19, Dalton at 6.77) suggests that not all the blame for Green's inferior efficiency falls on Dalton's shoulders.
So, if this mythical under-25 team only gets two receivers, let it be Bryant and Jones.
Others worth mentioning (honorably)
RB Alfred Morris, WAS
LeSean McCoy and Doug Martin are both given the nob over Morris, who rushed for more than 1,600 yards his rookie year. McCoy and Martin are both more versatile and can catch balls out of the backfield. Suprisingly, Morris and McCoy are the same age.
K Blair Walsh, MIN
Justin Tucker gets the publicity for getting the chance at clutch playoff kicks, but Walsh had a better season overall. The Vikings placekicker knocked home all 10 of his opportunities from beyond 50 yards, and made 35 of 38 tries overall.
DT Michael Brockers, STL
Not really a disagreement with the selections of Gerald McCoy and Geno Atkins at tackle, but the 22-year-old Brockers was intregral in the Rams stout run defense up the middle this season. Brockers also chipped in four sacks and has a bright future on a St. Louis was among the league's best in 2012.
LB Bobby Wagner, SEA
There are already three Seahawks on the team, but that's what happens when on of the youngest squads in the league wins 11 games and comes just short of the conference title game. Wagner led Seattle in tackles and was all over the field in his first year out of Utah State. The second-round pick had a lot of GM's regretting their draft-day choices.
LB Luke Kuechly, CAR
Kuechly is literally as young as they come in the NFL. At just 21 years of age he lead the league in total tackles for the Panthers. He also chipped in two interceptions and a sack while manning the middle in Carolina.
S Kam Chancellor, SEA
Oh hey, another Seahawk! Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman both landed on the under-25 squad and get most of the press, but Chancellor is the driving force behind the Seattle secondary's nickname "Legion of Boom." Chancellor is a hard-hitter in the middle and was selected to the Pro Bowl last season.
Some of these players represent what may be the future of the NFL (read option quarterbacks, tall defensive backs), and some are just classic examples of what a team wants out of their position (power running backs, gap-clogging defensive tackles).
It should be fun to watch all these and more over the coming years and follow along as they develop into the best players in the league, not just the best young guys.