• QB Jayden Daniels is the highest-graded rookie in the NFL: Daniels had one of the lowest-graded games of his career so far in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he is still the third-highest-graded quarterback in the NFL.
• Edge defender Jared Verse is as advertised: Verse now has 44 total pressures on 236 pass-rushing snaps this season, along with an impressive 82.5 PFF pass-rushing grade.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
With another week in the books, the sample size for most rookies around the league continues to grow. That allows us to check in and see who the highest-graded first-year players are after the season’s first 10 weeks.
PFF Grade: 87.2
Daniels had one of the lowest-graded games of his career so far in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he is still the third-highest-graded quarterback in the NFL. The second overall pick has graded below 60.0 just once this year, and his 1.4% turnover-worthy play rate is tied with Lamar Jackson for the lowest in the NFL.
PFF Grade: 86.9
Rookie pass-rusher Jared Verse continues to live up to the hype, delivering another standout performance in the Rams’ Monday Night Football loss to the Miami Dolphins. In a highlight-reel play last night, he recorded a sack, forced a fumble and recovered the fumble himself. Verse now has 44 total pressures on 236 pass-rushing snaps this season, along with an impressive 82.5 PFF pass-rushing grade.
PFF Grade: 86.7
With the Raiders on the bye, we didn’t see Bowers in Week 10, but he remains the second-highest-graded tight end in the NFL behind George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers. The rookie tight end has racked up 580 receiving yards this season, the most at the position.
PFF Grade: 84.6
Phillips has earned the third-highest coverage grade in the NFL this season and is coming off a career-best performance in Munich against the Panthers. He allowed only three receptions across 22 coverage snaps, holding them to a total of 6 yards, and he recorded four defensive stops, too.
PFF Grade: 84.2
The Buccaneers gave Irving 13 carries in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and he rewarded them with 73 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He has earned an 81.9 PFF rushing grade so far this season and has forced 30 missed tackles from 96 carries.
PFF Grade: 83.6
DeJean doesn’t just lead all rookies in PFF coverage grade this season; he leads all players at the position in PFF coverage grade. He is allowing an average of just 6.4 yards per catch and has yet to allow a touchdown in coverage. The Iowa product has also broken up two passes this season.
PFF Grade: 80.9
Though he hasn’t quite matched the level of play he showed before his injury, Malik Nabers has been a steady presence for the Giants, averaging 2.03 yards per route run through the first 10 weeks. He’s also been a primary target, seeing 10 or more targets in six of his eight games this season.
PFF Grade: 79.4
Harrison saw five targets in the Cardinals’ big win over the Jets on Sunday, catching all five for 54 yards and a touchdown. He has averaged 1.90 yards per route run as a rookie and brought in 50% of the 22 contested targets that have come his way.
PFF Grade: 78.8
Puni, the NFL’s highest-graded rookie offensive lineman, has been a standout on the 49ers’ line. Over his 350 pass-blocking snaps, he’s allowed only 16 pressures without giving up a single sack or quarterback hit. Additionally, he’s earned a solid 76.5 PFF run-blocking grade through the season’s first 10 weeks.
PFF Grade: 78.4
Thomas is averaging 2.22 yards per route run as a rookie, though he has cooled off recently and is dealing with an injury. He still averages 16.4 yards per catch and has earned a 79.0 PFF receiving grade this season.
PFF Grade: 77.9
Frazier returned from injury and had his lowest-graded game of the season in Sunday’s win over the Commanders, but he remains one of the top rookies in the league. He has allowed just four pressures from 242 pass-blocking snaps and has earned a 79.8 PFF run-blocking grade from seven games.
PFF Grade: 77.3
McConkey saw just two targets on Sunday but turned them into 52 yards, giving him 492 yards through 10 weeks of the season. He averages 2.04 yards per route run and has forced eight missed tackles on receptions.
PFF Grade: 75.0
Alt had another impressive game in pass protection for the Chargers this week, allowing just one pressure from 268 pass-blocking snaps. From eight games in the NFL, he has earned a PFF pass-blocking grade above 70.0 in six of them.
PFF Grade: 73.0
Still has started five games for the Chargers so far this season, and while his performances have been a bit up and down, he has performed well overall. From 229 snaps in coverage, he has allowed 21 receptions for 206 yards. Tackling has been an issue for him, though, as he has missed 24.0% of the tackles he has attempted this season.
PFF Grade: 72.7
Smith missed this past week with a knee injury but has impressed as a rookie this season. From 262 coverage snaps, he has allowed 284 yards on 34 receptions, earning a 69.0 PFF coverage grade. He has also been stellar against the run, earning an 86.0 PFF run-defense grade in his debut season.
