The NFL playoffs are when superstars clash and become iconic figures along the way, but they don't succeed alone. And oftentimes first-year pros are key to teams getting hot at the right time en route to winning a Super Bowl. Just last year, the 49ers rode rookies Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel to the NFC title, and the Titans got huge playoff contributions from rookie receiver A.J. Brown in their long run.
Who are the most important rookies in this season's playoff picture? Let's dive into all the key members -- some central parts of their respective teams, others crucial role-players who could may be needed to take on more responsibilities in the postseason. We'll start with the AFC.
The fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech didn't have as much notoriety entering the draft as his teammate, Amik Robertson, but the former Bulldogs cornerback has had a much better rookie season and materialized as a godsend for the Chiefs defense. The 6-foot, 192-pound defensive back, blessed with 4.37 speed and 41-inch hops, has been a reliable boundary corner in Kansas City.
He's allowed an insignificant 7.6 yards-per-catch on the 45 passes thrown in his target area this season. In Steve Spanuolo's aggressive, blitz-happy defense, possessing corners who can lock down in man coverage when an extra defender or two is added to the pass rush is a must. And Sneed has the physical traits to stay with the fastest receivers in the game along with the awareness needed to get his hands on the football as it arrives.
There may be more alpha wideouts in the NFC side of the bracket, but Sneed has and will be a low-key critical piece to the Chiefs in the playoffs this January.
I nearly went with second-round selection A.J. Epenesa, who's seen his playing time increase of late and has rounded into form late in his rookie season on the edge of Buffalo's defensive line. But the Bills dynamic offense has been on fire over the past two months with Davis quietly scoring seven touchdowns in his first season in Western New York while averaging more than 15 yards per catch.
A large portion of Davis' scores have been gorgeously schemed open looks by offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, yet regardless of how he's been receiving the football from Josh Allen, Davis is clearly someone both his quarterback and coordinator like to feature on creative deep shots down the field. Adding that vertical component to Buffalo's offense to pair with the short and intermediate mastery of Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley is frightening for opposing defenses.
Davis isn't bound for high target volume contests, but a splash play here and there from the fourth-round rookie would be a major luxury for one of the league's most electric offenses.
Seems like an easy selection, but picking edge rusher Alex Highsmith would've been logical. He's become an important piece with Bud Dupree sidelined. But I went with Claypool for a specific reason. The Steelers need as much firepower as they can get to compete with the Chiefs and Bills in the AFC playoffs.
At 6-4 and 230-ish pounds, Claypool is a deep threat because of his sub 4.50 speed and rebounding capabilities on the outside. Claypool went for 101 yards on 10 grabs with a ridiculous contested-catch touchdown on fourth down in Week 17 against the Steelers and snagged nine touchdown grabs on the season. Diontae Johnson and Juju Smith-Schuster are the flashier Pittsburgh wideouts who align with today's separation-based trend at that position, but Claypool is the pass catcher who can actually flip the field most reliably and presents the largest matchup nightmare on the team.
The Ravens ran the football like a dominant high school team in their last five games to close the regular season -- they've averaged an unheard-of-in-the-NFL 267.4 yards per outing. The competition has to be considered -- they didn't face any stingy run defenses, but Baltimore has gotten back to its thunderous ground-game roots during its current five-game win streak. Lamar Jackson's been at the forefront of the rushing resurgence with 430 yards on 56 carries over that stretch -- 7.6 yards per.
As the reigning MVP, he's the obvious focal point. But Dobbins had the most under-the-radar 6.0 yards-per-rush average season from a first-year pro in a while and has rumbled to 425 yards on 62 carries (6.8 yards per) during Baltimore's five-game run. In the regular season, Dobbins led all qualifying rookies with 3.47 yards after contact per rush. Given Mark Ingram's age (31), mileage, and injury concerns this season, Dobbins finds himself as one of the top dogs in the Ravens backfield for the postseason.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans are the least rookie-reliant club in the playoffs -- Tart gets picked by default. But no disrespect to the big fella', he saw his first action in Week 9 and has seen 20 or more snaps in the trenches for Tennessee in all but one game. And while Tart hasn't been particularly effective, have you watched the Titans defense of late? It's been brutal. Mike Vrabel's a fine coach, but he needs any positive defensive contributions he can get against the Ravens in the first round.
Tart has registered five pressures on 80 pass-rushing snaps over the second half of the regular season for Tennessee.
The Browns offense boasts Jarvis Landry as its No. 1 wideout, and Baker Mayfield has actually been more efficient after Odell Beckham's injury -- whether there's a distinct correlation there or not is for another article -- and no Beckham has forced Mayfield to more evenly distribute the football. While doing that, Peoples-Jones, ultra-explosive but raw rookie wideout, has actually made some plays for Cleveland, including a 75-yard touchdown against the Titans and a solid five-grab, 74-yard outing against the Ravens.
He did suffer a concussion in the first half of Week 17's playoff-clinching win over the Steelers, so there's a possibility he won't be available for the rubber match against Pittsburgh on Wild-Card Weekend. If Peoples-Jones can go, he's an underrated complementary piece to Cleveland's passing attack. At 6-2 and 212 pounds with 4.48 speed and a phenomenal 44.5-inch vertical, there's no one on the Browns roster who can threaten downfield like DPJ.
Going against the grain with my pick here -- Jonathan Taylor was too obvious. Indianapolis wants to pound the rock with him, no doubt about it. The prolific collegiate runner has erupted of late and set the Colts franchise single-game rushing record with 253 yards on 30 carries -- with two touchdowns -- against the Jaguars to help clinch the final playoff spot.
But playing the Bills explosive offense, the Colts need to take it to the air on occasion, and T.Y. Hilton can't do it all. Pittman isn't short on talent -- he ran 4.52 and had a 36 1/2-inch vertical at 6-4 and 223 pounds at the combine after an illustrious career at USC --yet hasn't gotten into a rhythm with Philip Rivers. There was a 100-yard outing on seven grabs against the Titans in November, and a long catch-and-run score the following week against the Packers. Since then, the second-round selection has 14 catches for 173 yards in five games. He needs to become more of a threat for Indianapolis passing offense.
(all advanced stats courtesy of TruMedia unless otherwise noted)
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NFL Playoffs: Here's the most important rookie for every AFC team in the 2021 postseason - CBS Sports
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