A side-by-side look at the 2014 draft cla ses of the and bares one striking similarity: neither will have its top pick from last year available.Seattle wide receiver , drafted in the second round (No. 45 overall), was earlier this month with a torn ACL in his left knee. The did not have a first-round pick after trading the 32nd overall selection to the . New England drafted defensive lineman of Florida in the first round at No. 29 overall, but he was to a knee injury,
Xavier Rhodes Jersey as well. Richardson was making more of an impact prior to his injury.His playing time spiked after the , and he recorded 15 of his 29 receptions over the last four weeks of the regular season. His next catch -- a 21-yard reception against Carolina in the playoffs -- was his last. Easley had played sparingly after spending the offseason rehabbing a torn ACL of his own.So which XLIX contender has been impacted most by its rookie cla s?You won't find any instant stars here, or much instant help of any kind, for that matter. The primary contribution for both teams has been, for each, a starter on the offensive line. New England fourth-round pick of Florida State has handled the center position for most of the season and is returning from injury for the . Seattle second-rounder , of Mi souri, is a regular starter at right tackle.Beyond that, things didn't start well for most of these rookies. Of the 17 draft picks between the teams, only two figure to start in the (Britt and Stork), while 11 were either cut, injured, or are otherwise not on the active roster.Here is a look at the rookie cla ses for each:SEATTLE SEAHAWKSActiveOT , 2nd round (No. 64 overall), from Mi souri Britt has started all season at right tackle, as the ' top-performing rookie.WR , 4th round (No. 123 overall), from Alabama The Alabama product has been a reliable backup but caught just nine pa ses on the year.LB , undrafted free agent from Montana The backup linebacker has made just 11 tackles on the season but at one point was a key substitute for an injured .OL , undrafted free agent from Penn State Along with being a versatile reserve this year, Gilliam caught the touchdown pa s on in the NFC title game.Injured reserveWR , 2nd round (No. 45 overall), from Colorado Richardson caught 29 pa ses for 271 yards and a score in 15 games before a .DE , 4th round (No. 108 overall), from UCLA A broken foot landed Marsh on injured reserve in October. He made five stops on the year as a backup.LB , 4th round (No. 132 overall), from Boston College A shoulder injury ended what was becoming a promising season for Pierre-Louis, who was seeing increased action as a reserve and special-teams player before his week 11 injury against the .Practice squadDL , 5th round (No. 172 overall), from Middle Tenne see State Staten has been bounced between the practice squad and being released
Jack Doyle Jersey by the club.Reserve/Non-football injuryOL , 6th round (No. 199 overall), from Marshall A compelled Seattle to release Scott shortly after he was drafted in May.DB , 6th round (No. 208 overall), from San Diego State Returned from his injury in Week 7, but has been unable to play his way onto the active roster.CutFB , 7th round (No. 227 overall), from ArkansasNEW ENGLAND PATRIOTSActiveQB , 2nd round (No. 62 overall), from Eastern Illinois Garoppolo has appeared in six games as a backup to , completing 19 of 27 pa ses.OL , 4th round (No. 105 overall), from Florida State Stork was New England's best option at center in the regular season and has returned from an injury for XLIX.RB , 4th round (No. 130 overall), from Wisconsin The former Badgers star has appeared in just three games, getting nine carries.OL , 4th round (No. 140 overall), from Stanford The right tackle actually started a game at guard at one point, but he has only appeared in seven games, most as a reserve.CB , undrafted free agent, from West Alabama The preseason roster longshot has appeared in 11 games and broken up three pa ses in a reserve role.DL , undrafted free agent, from Concordia Moore has appeared in eight games with one start, even getting an a sisted sack against Chicago on Oct. 26.Injured reserveDL , 1st round (No. 29 overall) from Florida Easley played in a reserve role before a to his rookie season.LB , undrafted free agent from Michigan Gordon was placed on injured reserve in August.LB , undrafted free agent from Iowa An ankle injury against the in New England's last preseason game landed Morris on injured reserve.CutOL , 6th round (No. 179 overall), from Florida (cut in preseason)DB , 6th round (No. 206 overall), from Georgia Tech (cut in preseason)WR , 7th round (No. 244 overall), from Michigan (cut in preseason)*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *
Seahawks Patriots each bring one rookie starter to Super Bowl
