Throughout the NFL season, we’re ranking the top 10 rookies in the league based on their progress. Here’s the breakdown following Week 7.
10. Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts: Rookie tight ends usually come along slowly, but after a good-not-amazing start to his season, the No. 4 overall pick out of Florida has exploded with 282 yards in the last two weeks alone.
9. Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle: That’s 153 yards and two touchdowns the last two weeks for the No. 6 overall selection out of Alabama. He seemed to have plenty of chemistry with college teammate Tua Tagovailoa.
8. Las Vegas Raiders CB Nate Hobbs: The surprising fifth-rounder has yet to surrender a touchdown in coverage and has a sub-90 opposing passer rating.
7. Denver Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II: The ninth overall selection has surrendered just 23 completions on 45 attempts and a 72.1 passer rating in coverage. He also has an interception.
6. New England Patriots QB Mac Jones: None of the rookie quarterbacks have performed particularly well, but Jones leads the AFC with a 70.4 completion rate, and he’s at least thrown more touchdown passes (nine) than interceptions (six).
5. Los Angeles Chargers OT Rashawn Slater: The No. 13 overall pick has the top pass-blocking grade among qualified rookies at Pro Football Focus. He’s given up just one quarterback hit thus far.
4. Dallas Cowboys LB Micah Parsons: The versatile first-rounder has shined with 2.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and 30 tackles. He’s a big reason the Cowboys defense has exceeded expectations this year.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers RB Najee Harris: Only five running backs have more yards from scrimmage than the first-round Alabama product. He also scored three touchdowns in a three-game span ahead of Pittsburgh’s Week 7 bye.
2. Kansas City Chiefs C Creed Humphrey: The second-rounder leads all qualified AFC centers with a PFF grade of 84.4. It’s been a tough season for the Chiefs, but that has nothing to do with this selection.
1. Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase: The No. 5 overall pick out of LSU leads the AFC with 754 receiving yards, six touchdowns, and 14.8 yards per target. Right now, he’s a first-team All-Pro and the runaway Offensive Rookie of the Year.
