NFL: 5 Players Who Could Have A Sophomore Slump

1. Bruce Irvin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4vtOiGZByU Seeing Bruce Irvin being selected number 15 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft was a shocker. Most people had him as a second round pick, but the Seattle Seahawks took a chance on him and he turned out to have a very good rookie season. Irvin ended his rookie campaign with 16 tackles, 8 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. He was mainly used on passing situations since his specialty is getting to the quarterback. Some people label wide receivers like DeSean as a one trick pony since all he can do is be a deep threat. Well I have to throw Bruce Irvin into that mix when all he can do is be a part time pass rusher. Irvin needs to prove that he can defend the run and not be just a pass specialist. The one stat that jumps out at me is not the 8 sacks he had, but the 16 tackles in just 16 regular season games. That shows that Irvin is really not around the ball that much, and the fact that he played in nearly half of the defensive snaps shows he needs to show the coaches he can be a full time starter in this league. Another reason why I think he'll drop off in production this year is because of his four game suspension. Irvin violated the substance abuse policy and is now no longer to play in the first four games of the season. Not only was he handed a suspension but in the off-season the Seahawks were able to grab Michael Bennett and Cliff Avirl who will be fighting for reps in training camp. I assume either one of these guys will take reps away from Irvin since Irvin can't play in the first four games. Bennett and Avirl are very solid pass rushers and can easily put Irvin at the bottom of the depth chart. Irvin can be a great player in this league, but he needs to be more a true defensive end and learn how to defend the run more if he is going to avoid a sophomore slump.