Solar7
Go Suns
I'll counter with:I assumed that QBs are excluded from this list.
Stephon Gilmore started 16 games and had 16 passes defensed his rookie season.
Melvin Gordon isn't "long-term dominant."
Patrick Peterson went to the Pro Bowl his first season.
Gilmore got a single pick his rookie year, then his sophomore season was unspectacular, he never made a Pro Bowl, only played in 16 games that one year, and the Bills didn't even bother to franchise him. Now he's one of the best in football.
Gordon I'll give to you, but he played some really great seasons.
Peterson went to the Pro Bowl as a returner, and we all know that. It's kinda like claiming Budda Baker was a smash hit as a rookie, when he went for special teams.
I'm not intending to move the goalposts on my own argument, so apologies if I am, but here's a better example of what I'm kinda getting at. Let's look at Da'ron Payne vs. Leighton Vander Esch in 2018.
NFL.com (I won't bother linking each profile because we know it doesn't work on the board) says: "Payne is a game-ready starter who immediately upgrades a defense's ability to slow the run."
and
"Vander Esch might benefit from a reduced role his rookie season while he improves his play strength and becomes more skilled at taking on blocks."
I think we'd all call Payne's short-term contributions negligible, while LVE is a second-team All-Pro already.