Keanu Neal and Deion Jones were widely considered two of the best rookies in 2016. NFL.com’s Next Gen Stats, which capture “real-time location data, speed and acceleration for every player, every play on every square inch of the field,” provide some insight into why the two were so successful.
Per the Next Gen Stats, Neal made the biggest defensive impact – the difference between the yards conceded per play when a player is on the field and the yards conceded per play when that player is off the field – of any rookie last season.