The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a decent season by any metric. Yes, they lost in the Wild Card round to the Washington Commanders, but they came from a long way back in the playoff hunt.
A big reason for their surge in the second half of the season was the play of three rookies, Bucky Irving, Jalen McMillan, and Graham Barton.
Irving established himself as the No. 1 back, McMillan became a constant source of production in the passing game, and Barton was as solid as a rock for Baker Mayfield.
ESPN has ranked all 32 teams' rookie class, and the Buccaneers come in at No. 4, with their offensive trio leading the way.
"Fantasy football players know all about running back Bucky Irving," ESPN writes. "He took over more of the Buccaneers' running game as the season went on and finished with 207 carries for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns (plus 392 receiving yards). Wide receiver Jalen McMillan also blossomed late in the season, with 37 catches for 461 yards and eight touchdowns -- seven of which came in the final five games. Continuing on the offense, first-round pick Graham Barton was Tampa Bay's starting center all season."
Irving led the Buccaneers in rushing yards (1,122) and touchdowns (eight), while McMillan, after a slow start, came home in a blaze of glory to finish with 461 yards and a whopping eight touchdowns.
Now, McMillan's yards don't seem to crash hot, but in his last six games, Jalen had seven touchdowns and managed over 40 yards per game in that stretch. That'll do.
Barton proved to be the right pick in the first round, as he only allowed one sack and two quarterback hits in his rookie season per PFF.
With Liam Coen out as offensive coordinator, it will be interesting to see how this trio continues to improve under a new voice, but their first year in the NFL was exactly what you want.
