2008 saw Chris Johnson and Steve Slaton burst onto the scene with tremendous rookie seasons for the Titans and Texans, which followed the barnstorming debut of Adrian Peterson in Minnesota in 2007.

Running back has historically proven to be among the easiest positions for rookies to make their mark, and it's arguably the only position where the touted draftees are expected to become prime-time stars from Day One on the professional gridiron.

Well, that trend appears to be hitting the skids this season, as none of the first-year backs has taken the express lane to stardom. Furthermore, it can be argued that the most hyped rookie back, the Cardinals' Beanie Wells, has been the league's most disappointing rookie at any position. After fumbling twice against the Jaguars in Week Two, the college stud was relegated to the sideline for much of Arizona's blowout loss to the Colts. He received just two carries and was held to minus-two yards.

That being said, there are three backs who've shown glimpses that they could vault into league-wide prominence as the season matures — the Broncos' Knowshon Moreno, the Eagles' LeSean McCoy and the Colts' Donald Brown. The problem is that all are stuck in backfields with at least one other accomplished back, which will make it awfully tough for one to emerge as a serious Rookie of the Year contender.

1. QB Mark Sanchez, Jets (First round, fifth overall)
It's amazing to think that there were more than a few talking heads in and around the NFL who figured Kellen Clemens gave the Jets a better chance to win than Sanchez only a couple months ago. After an efficient, though unspectacular, outing on Sunday against the Titans, Sanchez is 3-0 and looking every bit the franchise passer Gang Green hoped he'd be.

2. OLB Rey Maualuga, Bengals (2, 38)
How often do you see a player carted off the field after suffering a knee injury only to return the very next series, as Maualuga did on Sunday? He was instrumental in the Bengals' upset of the Steelers, providing some much-needed attitude and violence to a defense that's starting to show some swagger.

3. OT Michael Oher, Ravens (1, 23)
Oher, the subject of Michael Lewis' bestseller "The Blind Side," who's coincidentally playing right tackle, has the Ravens believing they could have another superstar tackle in the making less than two years after Jonathan Ogden's retirement. Don't overlook Oher's significant contribution to an offense that's among the NFL's most improved.

4. WR Percy Harvin, Vikings (1, 22)
Three games, three touchdowns for the consummate open-field threat. On Sunday against the 49ers, Harvin split the kickoff coverage en route to a 101-yard TD that was overlooked due to the ridiculous late-game heroics of Brett Favre and Greg Lewis.

5. OLB Brian Cushing, Texans (1, 15)
Do we feel a little funny about ranking a starting outside linebacker from a downright sorry Texans defense this high? Sure we do. But while Mario Williams was largely neutralized by Jaguars rookie OT Eugene Monroe on Sunday, Cushing continued doing all he could to help the Texans' futile cause. Can't penalize the guy for his teammates' shortcomings.

6. RB Knowshon Moreno, Broncos (1, 12)
Moreno showed wiggle and power in the Broncos' domination of division rival Oakland, although it's hard to say he was any more impressive than Correll Buckhalter. Josh McDaniels has a preference for a RB-by-committee approach, which might hide Moreno's impact behind mediocre numbers.

7. OLB Aaron Curry, Seahawks (1, 4)
Boom! After a couple solid outings in Weeks One and Two, the player described as the draft's most polished prospect looked awesome in the Seahawks' tough loss to the Bears, which speaks volumes about his performance considering he was obligated to wear that radioactive puke-colored jersey.

8. WR Johnny Knox, Bears (5, 140)
Even though he only had one reception against Seattle, the fact that it was a seven-yard TD catch is enough to keep the young season's most revelatory rookie in the top 10.

9. MLB James Laurinaitis, Rams (2, 35)
Sunday wasn't Laurinaitis' finest hour as he was as guilty as any for the Rams' defensive folding vs. the Packers. Only the inertia from a standout first two weeks keeps him on the Meter.

10. RB LeSean McCoy, Eagles (2, 53)
Yeah, we know it was against the Chiefs. But that was still one heck of an outing for the former Pitt Panther as he stepped in for Brian Westbrook. When Westbrook regains his health, it looks like Philly should have its first multi-pronged RB punch since the Westbrook/Buckhalter/Duce Staley trio in the early part of the decade.

On the cusp (listed alphabetically)

WR Kenny Britt, Titans (1, 30)
RB Donald Brown, Colts (1, 27)
S Louis Delmas, Lions (2, 33)
OG Andy Levitre, Bills (2, 51)
OT Phil Loadholt, Vikings (2, 54)
OT Eugene Monroe, Jaguars (1, 8)
P Thomas Morstead, Saints (5, 164)
CB Sean Smith, Dolphins (2, 61)
QB Matt Stafford, Lions (1, 1)
WR Mike Wallace, Steelers (3, 84)