Rookies to watch in the NFL Playoffs

Dec 22, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy  Hill (32) runs with the ball in the second half against the Denver Broncos at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 37-28. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, football fans had the pleasure of witnessing star rookies in the playoffs like Giovani Bernard, Eric Reid, Keenan Allen, and Eddie Lacy, Kenny Vaccaro, and his teammate Kenny Stills in the playoffs. This year, there’s more rookie talent in the NFL in general, and more explosive, and prominent players are on teams that have made it to the postseason. Unfortunately the New York Giants ended at 6-10 and missed the playoffs, which means we won’t be seeing any more of Odell Beckham, Jr. (although the playoffs would be much more fun if we got to see him make some more one-handed catches).

Some teams that didn’t make the playoffs are loaded with rookie talent, like the Minnesota Vikings (Teddy Bridgewater and Anthony Barr) and the Rams (Greg Robinson and Tre Mason), and the latter is a solid quarterback away from being a contender. The Vikings already have their franchise guy in Bridgewater. This is what Sports Illustrated’s Doug Farrar says of Bridgewater:

"“Bridgewater…has moved ahead [of Derek Carr] with a great last month. In each of his last four games, the Vikings’ quarterback (selected with the last pick in Round 1) has completed over 70 percent of his passes, and while he still has issues with accuracy and ball placement, he’s tremendous under pressure, and he’s starting to look like the kind of quarterback who can lead a franchise to better things.” — Doug Farrar, SI"

All of football is looking forward to seeing Bridgewater in the postseason in the future. Anyway, here are six rookies to keep your eye on when watching this year’s NFL playoffs.

Click “next” to see the first two rookies.

Next: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix & Kelvin Benjamin