After seeing eight Virginia Tech players taken in the 2008 NFL Draft, here's a reflection on how they fared in terms of immediate returns.
Biggest Impact - Eddie Royal
It took Royal just one game to flaunt his stuff to football and Broncos fans all over. Contributing to a 41-14 whipping of the Oakland Raiders on a Monday night, Royal caught nine passes for 146 yards and one touchdown. Lining up against Pro Bowl corner and former Hokie DeAngelo Hall, Royal was the catalyst for Denver in the absence of quarterback Jay Cutler's favorite target - Brandon Marshall. Royal showed his reliability again the next week, catching his second touchdown of the season with 24 seconds to play. Cutler subsequently went to Royal again on the two-point conversion to give the Broncos a dramatic 39-38 victory over San Diego. Royal's 91 receptions during the 2008 season are second most in NFL history for a rookie, behind only Anquan Boldin, who had 101 his rookie season in 2004.
It was also strong enough to place him seventh in the league among wide receivers in receptions, and he finished sixth in the league in total yards with 980. With the quarterback carousel currently underway in Denver, thanks to the departure of Cutler to Chicago, Royal's potential 2009 success is uncertain. However, rookie head coach Josh McDaniels will most certainly find ways to get the ball into the hands of Royal, who has quickly become of one of the league's most electrifying players.
Roughest Year - Duane Brown
Taken 26th overall by the Houston Texans, Brown failed to meet the expectations of a first round pick in his rookie season. He did start all 16 games for the Texans but let up 11.5 sacks - tied for the most by any NFL left tackle.
The Texans were criticized severely for taking Brown so early, as many considered him a second-rounder. At 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds with remarkable speed for a player of his stature, Brown has the size and athleticism to be a reliable, maybe even exceptional offensive lineman. However, he'll need to do much better than his 2008 campaign to reach that point. Houston is counting on Brown big time this year after letting valued backup Ephraim Salaam go, and expecting him to bounce back from a somewhat disappointing rookie start.
Biggest Return - Brandon Flowers
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