In the NFL, fame and glory are generally reserved for the players at the so-called “skill positions:” quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. These positions don’t really require any more skill than the others on the football field, but these are the players who rack up the statistics. These are the players known to fantasy football addicts across America. These are the players who dominated the top of the 2005 NFL Draft.

With the first overall selection, San Francisco chose Utah quarterback Alex Smith and anointed him the savior of the franchise. Three running backs were chosen in the top five: Miami’s Ronnie Brown, Chicago’s Cedric Benson, and Tampa Bay’s Cadillac Williams. The first round also included six wide receivers – including three in the top 10 picks- and a tight end, Pittsburgh’s Heath Miller.

A few months later, fans are still waiting for most of these players to do something special. Smith and Chicago fourth round pick Kyle Orton have been the two worst passers in the league. While Brown and Williams will probably gain 1,000 yards, Brown has had to share time with veteran Ricky Williams, while Cadillac Williams has fought injuries and inconsistency. No other rookie has even 500 yards on the ground. Benson man aged just 237 before a knee injury cost him the season. J.J. Arrington, a second-round pick and preseason Rookie of the Year candidate, has just 305 yards in Arizona.

Both 2003 and 2004 saw rookies who broke the 1,000-yard mark in receiving, but this year’s rookies are led by Cleveland’s Braylon Edwards, who amassed just 512 yards through the air before tearing his ACL on December 4. Only one other rookie receiver, Philadelphia’s Reggie Brown, has more than 400 yards. Miller has been strong for Pittsburgh when used, but even he has just 376 yards.

Does this mean the rookie class of 2005 is a bust? Not in the slightest. Just as surprising as the underwhelming performances from offensive rookies is the number of defensive rookies playing vital roles, many on playoff contenders.

When San Diego ended Indianapolis’s perfect season on Sunday, for example, no player had more impact on the game than rookie linebacker Shawne Merriman. Merriman sacked Peyton Manning three times and tackled Edgerrin James for a loss twice. His ferocious pass rush forced an important intentional grounding call that took the Colts out of field goal range with three minutes left. It also forced Merriman into the discussion of which player should win Defensive Rookie of the Year.

But Merriman will have to compete for votes with Seattle’s Lofa Tatupu and Cincinnati’s Odell Thurman, who each went from college to the starting middle linebacker position for a division champion. Tatupu had his national coming out party against the Eagles on Monday Night Football three weeks ago when he returned an interception for a touchdown and created another interception by tipping a pass at the line of scrimmage. Less noticeable were his six tackles on running plays for a total of zero yards. Tatupu has also taken over the important role of calling out signals for the Seattle defense, a rare assignment for a rookie.

At 6-feet, 235 pounds, the undersized Thurman struggles in run coverage, but he’s been a major part of the improved pass defense that helped lead the Bengals to their first division title in 15 years. Thurman helps the Bengals defend passes to running backs better than any team in the league, and he leads NFL linebackers in both interceptions and forced fumbles. He is also tied for fourth in the league with 27 “defeats,” defined as plays that end in turnovers, lost yardage, or a failed third-down conversion.

Tatupu and Thurman are joined by a third rookie who also moved straight into the middle linebacker position: Oakland’s Kirk Morrison. Morrison’s achievement may be more impressive because he was a lower draft pick, a third-rounder. Like Tatupu and Thurman, Morrison is involved in a greater percentage of plays than anyone else on his defense.

Other impressive rookies in the front seven include: Chargers tackle Luis Castillo, another important part of the vastly improved San Diego pass rush; Vikings end Erasmus James, whose move into the starting lineup coincided with the beginning of Minnesota’s resurgence; end Marcus Spears and linebacker DeMarcus Ware, both starting for the Dallas Cowboys; and Kansas City linebacker Derrick Johnson, whose sure tackling is a major reason why the Chiefs have improved against the run.(If anybody had forgotten what it was like in past years when a runner could get into Kansas City’s secondary, Tiki Barber provided an excellent reminder on Sunday.)

There are even some impressive rookies at cornerback, a position where first-year players normally struggle. Three corner backs were the only defensive players among last year’s top 10 selections, but only one of those players – Washington’s Carlos Rogers – is playing an important role on a good team. But Denver is getting solid performances from second-rounder Darrant Williams (now injured) and third-rounder Karl Paymah, while the Patriots’ pass defense improved when third-round rookie Ellis Hobbs took over for struggling veteran Duane Starks.

In all likelihood, neither the high number of valuable defensive rookies nor the low number of valuable offensive rookies represents a major trend rather than a one-year event. But a number of general managers who have spent the last few drafts chasing after big-name “skill players” could learn a lesson from the way these defensive players are making an early impact.

Detroit has used four straight first-round picks on offensive skill players. Buffalo has used three straight, and so has Atlanta if you consider the 2003 first-rounder used to trade for receiver Peerless Price. Now Detroit and Buffalo are terrible, with their executives criticized for ignoring the players in the trenches. Atlanta is in the playoff race, but their offense is built around veteran runners, not the three wide receivers obtained with three straight first-round picks.

The moral of the story: fantasy football players can worry about nothing but yards and touchdowns, because they only have to start “skill players.” But real general managers have 22 positions to fill. Some of them draft like they know this. The rest should start doing so.

Mr. Schatz is the editor in chief of FootballOutsiders.com.