Throughout the NFL season, we’re ranking the top 10 rookies in the league based on their progress. Here’s the breakdown following Week 8.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Chase Claypool: The Notre Dame second-rounder now has five touchdowns in seven games, and has looked like a superstar in the making.
9. New England Patriots G Michael Onwenu: The sixth-round pick has been a pleasant surprise for a Patriots team in trouble this season. He’s surrendered just one sack and six pressures in seven starts.
8. Washington Football Team edge Chase Young: It hasn’t been a great year for defensive rookies in general, but the second overall pick out of Ohio State leads the way with 2.5 sacks. He brought constant heat against the Cowboys ahead of a Week 8 bye.
7. Indianapolis Colts S Julian Blackmon: The third-round pick out of Utah has two picks, six passes defensed, 10 tackles, and only seven completions allowed into his coverage through six NFL games.
6. Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins: Since the start of October, the second-round Clemson product leads the entire AFC with 413 receiving yards.
5. Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson: The first-round LSU product has been quiet of late, but he still leads all qualified receivers with 14.1 yards per target.
4. Kansas City Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire: The first-round selection out from LSU had a quiet performance in Week 8 against the New York Jets, but he still ranks fourth in the league with 776 scrimmage yards.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars RB James Robinson: The undrafted Illinois State product went over 100 yards in a high-scoring loss to the Los Angeles Chargers before a Week 8 bye. He’s one of just seven players with more than 700 scrimmage yards this season.
2. Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow: In the last two weeks, the No. 1 overall pick out of LSU has posted five touchdown passes to one interception, and his Bengals have scored 65 points. He remains on track to become a superstar.
1. Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert: The No. 6 overall pick out of Oregon is coming off his first multi-pick game, but he remains one of the league’s 10 highest-rated passers. He still has a sizeable lead here.
