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It wasn’t too long ago that with the exception of top draft picks, rookie seasons in the NFL were viewed as developmental years. In the modern, less patient NFL, every rookie is expected to contend for immediate playing time—and potentially emerge as a gem for his team—in order to secure his status with the organization going forward.

This trend ratchets up the pressure on first-year players—many of whom are not yet ready to be successful at the professional level—to prove themselves immediately. The good side of that for rookies, however, is that they typically get opportunities to demonstrate their skills right away, even if they were late-round picks or undrafted free agents, so long as they make the regular-season roster.

Given that, rookies on every NFL team have a chance to be surprise standouts in 2015. While virtually all first- and second-round picks will be expected to get on the field and begin to make an impact in Year 1, there will also be plenty of other league newcomers who become positive contributors to their new organizations.

The following slides highlight one rookie on each roster who has a real chance to exceed expectations in 2015, taking into account both the player's skill set and where he is likely to slot in on the depth chart.

Players selected in Rounds 1 or 2 were not considered for inclusion, and the exclusion of other rookies not drafted in those rounds should not be viewed as an expectation that those rookies will not be productive, unless such is stated in the slide. The potential surprise rookie gem chosen for each team is one player—though not necessarily the only first-year player—in each team’s class who realistically projects to be productive but was drafted lower or might not be as noteworthy as some of the other rookies on his team.