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Is Darren McFadden the next Adrian Peterson? Can 6-foot-6 James Hardy improve Buffalo's 30th-ranked passing offense? Will Jake Long be this year's Joe Thomas at left tackle? Can Chris Long follow in the footsteps of his legendary Dad? And how many double-teams will Glenn Dorsey face this year? These are the questions surrounding these new stars of the NFL and each has star potential written all over them. The one factor hanging over all of them however is the bust capability. Can all of them avoid it? We will see come September. Here is a list of the five rookies who will have the greatest impact on their respective teams come football time.

1. Darren McFadden- Oakland Raiders- RB
McFadden has already had an impact within the Raiders organization as Dominic Rhodes has been released, which he had to see coming as a result of Al Davis drafting McFadden two days ago. McFadden possesses all the game-breaking skills you want in a running back and the intangibles similar to the likes of former Raider greats Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson. As long as he stays out of trouble on and off the field, McFadden should impress every week. Oakland fans will be filled with excitement once he touches the ball and should see 15-20 carries a game. Some scouts have already compared him to Adrian Peterson of the Vikings and at 6-foot- 2, 205 pounds, McFadden has the breakaway speed to score six and run away from defenders every down. At times, he lined up at quarterback and running back at Arkansas, making him elusive and feared by defenders. Oh, by the way, he runs a 4.3 40. They don't call him RUN DMC for nothing. Catch him if you can.
Projection: 1,100 yds rushing, 8 TDs, 17 rec. 145 yds. 2 TDs.

2. Jake Long- Miami Dolphins- OT
Jamal Lewis rejuvenated his career last year in a big way, while finding a new friend in the process. His name? Joe Thomas, who as a rookie, went to the Pro Bowl replacing the injured Jason Peters at left tackle. The Browns' success last year had to do a ton with the fact that they protected Derek Anderson's blind side with the massive road grader in Thomas. This year, Jake Long has the chance to do the same protecting the likes of Josh McCown, John Beck or this year's second round pick Chad Henne. Long is a massive beast with a mean streak and at 6-foot-7, 315 pounds, look for him to make the same impact as Thomas did a year ago. The quarterback, whoever that may be should feel a whole lot better with Long plugged in at

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