First impressios: all indications are that players such as Houston's Andrea Johnson are destined to become stars

GAME-BREAKING PLAYS DEFINE FOOTBALL DIGEST'S 2003 All-Rookie Team. From wide receivers Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals and Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans to cornerback Charles Tillman of the Chicago Bears and defensive end/line-backer Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens, rookies made major contributions all season long.

And they didn't necessarily have to be high draft picks. While our All-Pro Team has eight first-rounders--Johnson, Suggs, Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark, Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich, Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams, Green Bay Packers linebacker Nick Barnett, and Dallas Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman--it also contains its share of lower selections.

Indianapolis guard Steve Sciullo was a fourth-round choice out of Marshall, taken 122nd overall. New England Patriots defensive tackle Dan Klecko went 117th overall from Temple, and teammate Dan Koppen, a center from Boston College, was a fifth-rounder (164th). Another fifth-rounder was defensive end Robert Mathis of Alabama A&M, who went to Indianapolis with the 138th choice.

In addition, Jacksonville kicker Seth Marler was an undrafted free agent, and Minnesota punter Eddie Johnson was selected in the sixth round. Both players, however, made our team by default and could be out of work in 2004 after mediocre campaigns.

There certainly was nothing mediocre about our rookie receiving corps, particularly our Offensive Rookie of the Year, Boldin, whom we profile beginning on page 56. After Arizona coach Dave McGinnis purposely held back Boldin in the preseason, the former Florida State quarterback caught 10 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns in the opener against the Lions at Detroit. Even though the Cardinals lost, it was the best debut ever for a rookie receiver. What's more, six of his catches came on third down.

Boldin, who dropped to 54th overall in the draft after running a disappointing 40 at the NFL combine and because of concern about his surgically repaired knee, never slowed down. He finished third in the NFL with 101 catches, tying the Cardinals' franchise record. He also surpassed the rookie mark of 90 catches by Terry Glenn in 1996, and had 1,377 yards receiving, the most by a rookie in 43 years.

"I just came in here expecting to succeed and help this offense go," Boldin says. "As far as the numbers go, I never expected to have this type of year."

One player who was expected to have a sensational rookie season was Houston's Johnson, the third overall choice last April out of Miami. While Johnson certainly had a solid rookie campaign, his production was affected by all the injuries the Texans had at quarterback. Still, he managed to catch 66 passes for 976 yards.

"It's been kind of crazy--I've never been through anything like this before," Johnson said during the season about catching balls from three different quarterbacks, including, David Carr, Dave Ragone, and Tony Banks. "You have one guy go down one weekend, and a couple of weeks later your backup guy goes down. So it's been crazy. But it's just something you have to go through."

Clark went through something worse: a season-ending broken leg suffered in Indy's 12th game. Before he went down, Clark had 29 receptions for 340 yards and one touchdown; he had become a prime target for Peyton Manning.

Perhaps the steadiest, if least dynamic, offensive rookies this year were linemen. Gross, the Cincinnati Bengals' Eric Steinbach, and Koppen made major contributions on teams in desperate need of stability up front. All should be fixtures for years to come.

Gross was fined $5,000 for a hit against the Atlanta Falcons early in the season, but he otherwise made few headlines, a sure sign a blocker is doing something right. When Steinbach was injured for a game against the Rams at St. Louis, the Bengals' line fell apart. Sciullo and Miami Dolphins tackle Wade Smith, the other offensive linemen on our team, had less of an impact, but each still showed a lot of promise.

Leftwich was an easy choice at quarterback, as were runners Domanick Davis and Onterrio Smith. For Leftwich, the seventh overall pick out of Marshall, the 2003 season was supposed to be a learning experience--from the sideline. Instead, when Mark Brunnell injured his elbow in September, first-year Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio handed the job to his prized rookie.

Although Leftwich struggled through much of the schedule, he progressed, which is about all anyone can expect from a rookie QB. His strong arm, willingness to learn, and resourcefulness bode well for the future in Jacksonville.

"My teammates look at me as the leader of this football team. That's how you have to go about it," says Leftwich, whose passer rating of 73.0 who was better than that of Peyton Manning as a rookie in 1998 (71.2).

Davis was a second-half sensation for Houston. The 101st overall draftee rushed for 1,031 yards despite not starting until the sixth week Smith was less dynamic for Minnesota--he didn't fully seize his opportunity when starter Michael Bennett was injured at the beginning of the season--but he came on down the stretch, finishing with 579 yards and a 5.4 per-carry average. Smith has more of an upside than Davis because of his breakaway speed.