Duke in the NFL: Week 5-6

With the NFL season in full swing, a quartet of former Blue Devils have taken the league by storm and garnered recognition around the nation

Ross Cockrell, CB – After getting cut by the Bills earlier this season, it was surprising to some people to see Cockrell get so many reps with the Steelers this past month. But head coach Mike Tomlin's decision to give Cockrell a second chance has paid dividends for the Steelers secondary.  Cockrell—who recorded his first career interception Oct. 1 against the Ravens—has been Pittsburgh’s nickelback the past two weeks. He recorded seven solo tackles against the Chargers last Monday night, including this monster hit on Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen. This past weekend, Cockrell recorded four more tackles and two passes defended against the Arizona Cardinals in the Steelers 25-13 win.

Jamison Crowder, WR – Crowder worked hard enough in the offseason to earn his coaches’ trust, and has stepped into a key role as slot receiver for the Redskins. Crowder ranks second in receptions for rookies with 23 and receiving yards has racked up 204 receiving yards—trailing only Raiders first-round pick Amari Cooper. Against the Atlanta Falcons last week, Crowder led the team in receiving, picking up 8 receptions for 87 yards. This past week against the New York Jets, the former Blue Devil continued his impressive work with 4 receptions for 40 yards.

Vincent Rey, OLB – Rey has been a mainstay on the outside for the undefeated Bengals this season. Through the first five weeks of the season, Rey is third in the NFL with 49 total tackles. He had 13 tackles in the Bengals huge 27-24 overtime win against the defending-Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. Instrumental in the win, Rey had a pass deflection that forced the Seahawks to punt in overtime and allowed the Bengals to drive for the winning field goal. But Rey's momentum came to a screeching halt when he was carted off the field this past Saturday against the Bills with a possible knee injury. Although Rey did not return to the gridiron, he did return to sidelines and appears to be dealing with an ankle injury that may keep his out of action for a couple of weeks. . 

Laken Tomlinson, LG – The Lions first-round pick started his first game of the season this past Sunday in spite of veteran Manny Ramirez being healthy. Playing at left guard, Tomlinson played all 81 snaps for the Lions and helped the offense roll to 546 total yards in the squad's first win of the year in overtime against the Bears. Tomlinson graded positively in Pro Football Focus’ metrics, scored the top grade for any Lions offensive lineman. It remains to be seen whether Tomlinson will continue to serve as the starter going forward.