Pro Football Reference Blog

As the name suggests, this will be the first in a series.

In keeping with my draft week theme, I'd like to be able to present a bunch of historical draft data. But I lack draft data. That's a situation that will be changing soon, but more on that later. For now, what I can do is examine rookie data.

I decided to run a quick check to see if rookie production was increasing, decreasing, or staying level at the various skill positions. Here is the summary data for running backs. The Teams column shows how many teams had a rookie as their leading rusher (most carries). The Elite column shows how many rookie running backs were in the top 10 in fantasy points (even if you're not a fantasy player, the rankings will generally match up pretty well with "real life" rankings). The PCT column shows what percentage of all rushing attempts by running backs came from rookie running backs leagewide.

Year      Teams   Elite       PCT

=================================

1978        2       1        10.1

1979        2       1        14.0

1980        5       3        16.6

1981        5       1        18.1

1982        2       1        12.3

1983        2       2        13.8

1984        4       0        15.2

1985        2       0        10.6

1986        3       2        18.0

1987        2       1        11.7

1988        4       1        14.5

1989        5       1        16.2

1990        2       1        15.8

1991        3       0        12.4

1992        3       1         9.2

1993        6       2        19.8

1994        3       1        16.1

1995        5       1        17.2

1996        3       2        11.6

1997        4       1        12.6

1998        3       2        13.1

1999        5       1        15.8

2000        5       1        17.9

2001        6       1        20.0

2002        4       1        15.5

2003        1       0         8.1

2004        2       0         9.2

2005        3       0        11.9

Here is a rundown of all teams that have had a rookie as their leading rusher. The data should be self-explanatory:

1978

====

buf   5-11-0  Terry Miller         (238-1060- 7, 22-246-0)

hou  10- 6-0  Earl Campbell        (302-1450-13, 12- 48-0)

1979

====

atl   6-10-0  William Andrews      (239-1023- 3, 39-309-2)

stl   5-11-0  Ottis Anderson       (331-1605- 8, 41-308-2)
1980

====

bal   7- 9-0  Curtis Dickey        (176- 800-11, 25-204-2)

buf  11- 5-0  Joe Cribbs           (306-1185-11, 52-415-1)

det   9- 7-0  Billy Sims           (313-1303-13, 51-621-3)

nwe  10- 6-0  Vagas Ferguson       (211- 818- 2, 22-173-0)

sfo   6-10-0  Earl Cooper          (171- 720- 5, 83-567-4)
1981

====

kan   9- 7-0  Joe Delaney          (234-1121- 3, 22-246-0)

mia  11- 4-1  Andra Franklin       (201- 711- 7,  3-  6-1)

nor   4-12-0  George Rogers        (378-1674-13, 16-126-0)

nwe   2-14-0  Tony Collins         (204- 873- 7, 26-232-0)

nyj  10- 5-1  Freeman McNeil       (137- 623- 2, 18-171-1)
1982

====

nyg   4- 5-0  Butch Woolfolk       (112- 439- 2, 23-224-2)

rai   8- 1-0  Marcus Allen         (160- 697-11, 38-401-3)
1983

====

ram   9- 7-0  Eric Dickerson       (390-1808-18, 51-404-2)

sea   9- 7-0  Curt Warner          (335-1449-13, 42-325-1)
1984

====

buf   2-14-0  Greg Bell            (262-1100- 7, 34-277-1)

kan   8- 8-0  Herman Heard         (165- 684- 4, 25-223-0)

min   3-13-0  Alfred Anderson      (201- 773- 2, 17-102-1)

nwe   9- 7-0  Craig James          (160- 790- 1, 22-159-0)
1985

====

hou   5-11-0  Mike Rozier          (133- 462- 8,  9- 96-0)

sdg   8- 8-0  Tim Spencer          (124- 478-10, 11-135-0)
1986

====

gnb   4-12-0  Kenneth Davis        (114- 519- 0, 21-142-1)

nor   7- 9-0  Rueben Mayes         (286-1353- 8, 17- 96-0)

phi   5-10-1  Keith Byars          (177- 577- 1, 11- 44-0)
1987

====

kan   4-11-0  Christian Okoye      (157- 660- 3, 24-169-0)

mia   8- 7-0  Troy Stradford       (145- 619- 6, 48-457-1)
1988

====

buf  12- 4-0  Thurman Thomas       (207- 881- 2, 18-208-0)

cin  12- 4-0  Ickey Woods          (203-1066-15, 21-199-0)

nwe   9- 7-0  John Stephens        (297-1168- 4, 14- 98-0)

tam   5-11-0  Lars Tate            (122- 467- 7,  5- 23-1)
1989

====

den  11- 5-0  Bobby Humphrey       (294-1151- 7, 22-156-1)

det   7- 9-0  Barry Sanders        (280-1470-14, 24-282-0)

mia   8- 8-0  Sammie Smith         (200- 659- 6,  7- 81-0)

pit   9- 7-0  Tim Worley           (195- 770- 5, 15-113-0)

sdg   6-10-0  Marion Butts         (170- 683- 9,  7- 21-0)
1990

====

dal   7- 9-0  Emmitt Smith         (241- 937-11, 24-228-0)

pho   5-11-0  Johnny Johnson       (234- 926- 5, 25-241-0)
1991

====

atl  10- 6-0  Erric Pegram         (101- 349- 1,  1- -1-0)

nwe   6-10-0  Leonard Russell      (266- 959- 4, 18- 81-0)

phi  10- 6-0  James Joseph         (135- 440- 0, 10- 64-0)
1992

====

atl   6-10-0  Tony Smith           ( 87- 329- 2,  2- 14-0)

nor  12- 4-0  Vaughn Dunbar        (154- 565- 3,  9- 62-0)

sfo  14- 2-0  Ricky Watters        (206-1013- 9, 43-405-2)
1993

====

ind   4-12-0  Roosevelt Potts      (179- 711- 0, 26-189-0)

nor   8- 8-0  Derek Brown          (180- 705- 2, 21-170-1)

pho   7- 9-0  Ronald Moore         (263-1018- 9,  3- 16-0)

rai  10- 6-0  Greg Robinson        (156- 591- 1, 15-142-0)

ram   5-11-0  Jerome Bettis        (294-1429- 7, 26-244-0)

was   4-12-0  Reggie Brooks        (223-1063- 3, 21-186-0)
1994

====

ind   8- 8-0  Marshall Faulk       (314-1282-11, 52-522-1)

nor   7- 9-0  Mario Bates          (151- 579- 6,  8- 62-0)

tam   6-10-0  Errict Rhett         (284-1011- 7, 22-119-0)
1995

====

chi   9- 7-0  Rashaan Salaam       (296-1074-10,  7- 56-0)

den   8- 8-0  Terrell Davis        (237-1117- 7, 49-367-1)

hou   7- 9-0  Rodney Thomas        (251- 947- 5, 39-204-2)

jax   4-12-0  James Stewart        (137- 525- 2, 21-190-1)

nwe   6-10-0  Curtis Martin        (368-1487-14, 30-261-1)
1996

====

hou   8- 8-0  Eddie George         (335-1368- 8, 23-182-0)

mia   8- 8-0  Karim Abdul-Jabbar   (307-1116-11, 23-139-0)

ram   6-10-0  Lawrence Phillips    (193- 632- 4,  8- 28-1)
1997

====

buf   6-10-0  Antowain Smith       (194- 840- 8, 28-177-0)

car   7- 9-0  Fred Lane            (182- 809- 7,  8- 27-0)

cin   7- 9-0  Corey Dillon         (233-1129-10, 27-259-0)

tam  10- 6-0  Warrick Dunn         (224- 978- 4, 39-462-3)
1998

====

jax  11- 5-0  Fred Taylor          (264-1223-14, 44-421-3)

nwe   9- 7-0  Robert Edwards       (291-1115- 9, 35-331-3)

ram   4-12-0  Robert Holcombe      ( 98- 230- 2,  6- 34-0)
1999

====

den   6-10-0  Olandis Gary         (276-1159- 7, 21-159-0)

ind  13- 3-0  Edgerrin James       (369-1553-13, 62-586-4)

mia   9- 7-0  J.J. Johnson         (164- 558- 4, 15-100-0)

nor   3-13-0  Ricky Williams       (253- 884- 2, 28-172-0)

nyg   7- 9-0  Joe Montgomery       (115- 348- 3,  0-  0-0)
2000

====

bal  12- 4-0  Jamal Lewis          (309-1364- 6, 27-296-0)

buf   8- 8-0  Shawn Bryson         (161- 591- 0, 32-271-2)

cle   3-13-0  Travis Prentice      (173- 512- 7, 37-191-1)

den  11- 5-0  Mike Anderson        (297-1487-15, 23-169-0)

nyg  12- 4-0  Ron Dayne            (228- 770- 5,  3- 11-0)
2001

====

buf   3-13-0  Travis Henry         (213- 729- 4, 22-179-0)

chi  13- 3-0  Anthony Thomas       (278-1183- 7, 22-178-0)

cle   7- 9-0  James Jackson        (195- 554- 2,  7- 56-0)

ind   6-10-0  Dominic Rhodes       (233-1104- 9, 34-224-0)

min   5-11-0  Michael Bennett      (172- 682- 2, 29-226-1)

sdg   5-11-0  LaDainian Tomlinson  (339-1236-10, 59-367-0)
2002

====

ari   5-11-0  Marcel Shipp         (188- 834- 6, 38-413-3)

cle   9- 7-0  William Green        (243- 887- 6, 16-113-0)

den   9- 7-0  Clinton Portis       (273-1508-15, 33-364-2)

hou   4-12-0  Jonathan Wells       (197- 529- 3,  9- 48-0)
2003

====

hou   5-11-0  Domanick Davis       (238-1031- 8, 47-351-0)
2004

====

dal   6-10-0  Julius Jones         (197- 819- 7, 17-109-0)

det   6-10-0  Kevin Jones          (241-1133- 5, 28-180-1)
2005

====

gnb   4-12-0  Samkon Gado          (143- 582- 6, 10- 77-1)

mia   9- 7-0  Ronnie Brown         (207- 907- 4, 32-232-1)

tam  11- 5-0  Cadillac Williams    (290-1178- 6, 20- 81-0)

I should note that the word "rookie" may not be technically correct in some cases. Samkon Gado, for example, was not officially a rookie last year. But I'm counting players who had no previous game experience.