Despite missing his entire rookie season thanks to a disastrous knee injury in his first rookie minicamp practice, expectations were high for defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. in 2016. Fair or not, Fowler carried the burden of being the 3rd overall pick in a rather loaded draft, and his performance in offseason practices indicated the violent edge rusher might make a big impact in his first season.
Instead, Fowler struggled to be a consistent pass rusher and was far outshined by 3rd round rookie Yannick Ngakoue. Some are already out on Fowler as a pure edge rusher and want to move him to SAM linebacker, but the young defender should get another shot to work on his craft this year.