Rookie Watch: Blackmon emerging

Justin Blackmon and what looked like an emerging Jacksonville Jaguars passing game took a noticeable step backward in Week 13. The awful weather conditions in Buffalo could have had a lot to do with those problems, though.

Before traveling to Buffalo, Blackmon was emerging with Chad Henne as the Jaguars' signal-caller.

What changed for Blackmon with Henne behind center? A few things really. For starters, it appeared Blackmon had begun to mature. He started to realize what it takes to be successful at this level. His effort was clearly better on a snap-to-snap basis than it was earlier in the season. Having the aggressive Henne throwing to him, rather than the conservative Blaine Gabbert, very well could have had a lot to do with that as well.

To see the rest of Matt Williamson's rankings of the top NFL rookies, you must be an ESPN Insider.

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