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Top: Tim Tebow (left), Rolando McClain.

Bottom: Eric Berry (left), Ryan Mathews.

Whenever a quarterback is chosen by a team with their first round draft pick, it’s a given that the team is counting on that player to have an impact, although not necessarily an immediate one. In Denver this season, look for a lot of Tim Tebow mania as the much ballyhooed rookie QB starts his career. He may not be the starter when the season begins or even by it’s conclusion, but coach Josh McDaniels will surely find ways to include him in the offense. Rookie receiver Eric Decker could find some playing time also, taking advantage of the departure of Brandon Marshall. The Oakland Raiders could be the surprise team in the AFC West this season, as they have brought in some rookie reinforcements for their porous run defense, the most significant being LB Rolando McClain. Another rookie Raider defender who looks like he will help immediately is defensive lineman Lamarr Houston, while Bruce Campbell should eventually work his way onto the field on the offensive line. Kansas City continues to build toward contending in the division also, with stud safety Eric Berry being added to the secondary, and Dexter McCluster supplying depth in the offensive backfield behind young Jamaal Charles. Ryan Mathews, San Diego’s rookie running back, is in the best position of any rookie in the NFL as far as making an immediate impact on his team is concerned. Mathews will step into the huge shoes of departed Charger legend LaDainian Tomlinson and the team is counting on him to carry the majority of the load in the running game. Fifth round pick Cam Thomas could be the Chargers’ starting nose tackle on opening day also, and undrafted free agent Seyi Ajirotutu could find a spot on the team’s wide receiver corps with Vincent Jackson still holding out.

Top: Sam Bradford (left), Dan Williams.

Bottom: Earl Thomas (left), Taylor Mays.

The NFC West is generally regarded as the weakest division in the NFL, and the retirement of Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner weakens it even further. The Cardinals have been the class team of the division but are now clearly just one of the pack. The addition of a couple of impact rookies to the roster could catapault any of the other teams to the top of the division. The St. Louis Rams, buried at the bottom of the division in recent years, drafted the player likely to have the most impact for his team, if not this season then in the next few years. That would be QB Sam Bradford, the top choice in the entire draft. Bradford looks like a keeper in his early outings, and may be starting sooner than expected. The Rams also drafted a major weapon who should develop along with Bradford in receiver Mardy Gilyard, who should be on the field making plays this year. Any team that has had as little success as the Rams is always looking to upgrade its’ roster, and another building block for the franchise is offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, who should be a starter on opening day. The Cardinals not only lost Warner but also some other major pieces in free agency, WR Anquan Boldin and LB Karlos Dansby being the biggest losses. The Cards already had enough depth at the receiver position to offset Boldin’s loss, and rookie Daryl Washington will get a great opportunity to play with Dansby gone. Top draft pick Dan Williams is expected to step in and help bolster the defensive line also. Pete Carroll’s new regime in Seattle starts this season and there will be major contributions expected from 3 big name rookies – Russell Okung on the offensive line, Earl Thomas at safety and Golden Tate as a downfield weapon for QB Matt Hasselback. Any time a new coach takes over there are always massive opportunities for new players to establish themselves and oust veterans on the roster. The best team in this division, on paper at least, has to be the San Francisco 49ers. They have improved steadily since Mike Singletary took over as coach and the only question with them now is whether they can handle the pressure now that there are expectations on them to succeed. The Niners could possibly have 2 rookies starting on their offensive line in Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati, and backup RB Glenn Coffee’s sudden retirement opens up an opportunity for rookie RB Anthony Dixon. The most intriguing Niner rookie is safety Taylor Mays, whose ball skills are supposedly lacking but who has the physical presence of Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. His style of play is right up coach Singletary’s alley and may get him significant playing time as the season progresses.

Top: Pat Angerer (left), Kareem Jackson.

Bottom: Derrick Morgan (left), Tyson Alualu.

Sizing up the AFC South each year is pretty easy. It goes something like this – The Indianapolis Colts will win 12 games and lock up the division title with a couple games left, and one other team will play well enough to contend for a wild card. Oh, and the Houston Texans will be somewhere around the .500 mark. Are there any rookies in this division who could have a big enough impact to shake up the mix in this division? Probably not, but I do think there’s a chance both Tennessee, based on their strong finish last year, and the Texans, who have steadily progressed each year, could give the Colts a run for their money. On the other hand, the Colts have a way of finding players in the draft every year that help their cause also. They drafted 2 players who will help shore up the defense, which is strong when healthy but has struggled with injuries the last couple of seasons. Linebacker Pat Angerer should be a starting linebacker at some point this year, and at the very least will help the Colts on special teams. Top pick Jerry Hughes will see plenty of playing time spelling both Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis on the defensive line, and both Freeney and Mathis have had injuries in the recent past, so Hughes could be a bigger factor. Tennessee lost Kyle Vanden Bosch to free agency, leaving a large hole in their defensive line, and drafted Derrick Morgan to try and fill that hole. Morgan is expected to be a big factor on defense, once he overcomes the nagging injuries that have slowed his progress in training camp. The passing game dominates NFL play so much these days that almost every team brings in rookie reinforcements for their secondary every season. The Titans are no exception to the rule, with rookie Alterraun Verner battling for a starting job at cornerback. The same situation exists in Houston, where Kareem Jackson will likely step into the lineup at cornerback replacing departed free agent Dunta Robinson. RB Ben Tate was drafted by the Texans to help their running game, but suffered a season-ending injury. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a history of finding stud run-stuffing defensive linemen like Marcus Stroud, John Henderson and recently Terrence Knighton, and drafted what they think will be an instant starter at DT in Tyson Alualu. The pick opened some eyes on draft day since it seemed to come out of left field, but you can’t argue with the Jags’ track record of finding players to man their defensive line.

Top: Gerald McCoy (left), Jimmy Clausen.

Bottom: Patrick Robinson (left), Sean Weatherspoon.

The New Orleans Saints shocked all the experts last season by winning the Super Bowl, but aren’t getting much love this season as far as their chances of repeating. There is a suspicion that they may be vulnerable on defense and won’t be able to count on getting turnovers at the rate they did last year. The Saints top draft pick, defensive back Patrick Robinson, will have a say in that as he surely will see lots of playing time, especially in nickel formations. The Saints also have added to their already potent offense with tackle Charles Brown and running back Chris Ivory, a diamond in the rough from Tiffin College. The Atlanta Falcons are considered the team within the NFC South that can challenge the Saints. Their defense will be a big key in accomplishing that, and rookie LB Sean Weatherspoon will eventually be a big part of that defense. The defensive secondary seems to be where rookies are able to find significant playing time in the NFL these days, and the Falcons’ 5th round choice, CB Dominique Franks, may be playing his way onto the field on passing downs. The Carolina Panthers drafted the biggest name rookie within the division in QB Jimmy Clausen, but it’s uncertain how much immediate impact he will have. Brandon LaFell has a chance to start opposite Steve Smith at wide receiver for the Panthers, and LB Eric Norwood could see playing time. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are loaded with potential impact rookies, starting with 2 behemoths who are being counted on to shore up the defensive line, Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy and Brian Price out of UCLA. The Bucs may also wind up with 2 rookie starters at wide receiver in Aurrelious Benn and Mike Williams. With young QB Josh Freeman taking control of the offense last season, it may be a wise decision to start the rookies and let them all grow up together.