Dec 6, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) carries the ball during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout the NFL season, we’re ranking the top 10 rookies in the league based on their progress. Here’s the breakdown following Week 14:

10. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Chase Claypool: It’s been a quiet few weeks for the Notre Dame product, but only nine NFL players have scored more touchdowns this season than Claypool (10).

9. Indianapolis Colts S Julian Blackmon: The third-rounder out of Utah has two picks, six passes defensed, and a forced fumble in 12 games, but that doesn’t do justice to his impact.

8. Washington Football Team RB Antonio Gibson: The third-rounder out of Memphis suffered a toe injury early in Week 13, but he’s still averaged 5.4 yards per carry with eight touchdowns in his last six games.

7. Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow: Five interceptions in 10 starts is pretty damn impressive when you consider Burrow’s lack of support in Cincinnati. It’s a shame we won’t see him again until 2021. We’ll keep him on the list until somebody shines enough to move ahead of him.

6. New England Patriots OT Michael Onwenu: The sixth-round pick from Michigan (sound familiar?) is the top-rated rookie offensive lineman at Pro Football Focus. He’s been responsible for just three sacks this season.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers OT Tristan Wirfs: The No. 13 overall pick out of Iowa has been responsible for just one sack on Tom Brady through 13 games.

4. Washington Football Team edge Chase Young: The No. 2 overall pick out of Ohio State had a sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery, and touchdown in a fourth consecutive win for the WFT. He’s up to 5.5 sacks now and has played a critical role on that winning streak.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars RB James Robinson: The Illinois State product has now set a record for scrimmage yards for an undrafted rookie with 1,361 — a mark that ranks behind only stars Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, and Alvin Kamara.

2. Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert: This is becoming quite the race after the No. 6 overall pick out of Oregon completed more than 80 percent of 44 passes in a Week 14 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

He’s likely to throw 30 touchdown passes under tough circumstances this season.

1. Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson: The first-round LSU product cooled off a fair bit in a Week 14 loss, but he’s tied for the league lead with 12.4 yards per target, and only five receivers in football have more yards.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com, a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at CBSSports.com, Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Comeback Media, but his day gig has him covering the NFL nationally for Bleacher Report.