• Bucky Irving takes the top spot: Irving totaled 1,514 yards from scrimmage, showcasing his ability to excel both as a runner and receiver. He averaged an impressive 4.03 yards after contact per carry on the ground and forced 57 missed tackles on 207 rushing attempts.
• Edgerrin Cooper continues to climb: Cooper was one of the league’s most in-form players down the stretch, earning PFF grades above 75.0 in each of the final four games of the season.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
After 18 weeks of NFL action, the regular season’s highest-graded rookies have emerged.
The list features a mix of early first-round picks living up to their draft pedigree and late-round gems who exceeded expectations, showcasing the NFL’s unpredictable talent pipeline.
PFF Grade: 90.6
The Buccaneers’ fourth-round rookie capped an outstanding debut season as the highest-graded rookie of 2024. He totaled 1,514 yards from scrimmage, showcasing his ability to excel both as a runner and receiver. He averaged an impressive 4.03 yards after contact per carry on the ground and forced 57 missed tackles on 207 rushing attempts.
PFF Grade: 89.6
Daniels narrowly missed out on the top spot to Bucky Irving in the final week of the season but still delivered an incredible debut campaign. He finished as the highest-graded quarterback in the NFC, showcasing remarkable ball security with a turnover-worthy play rate of just 1.7% in 2024.
PFF Grade: 86.7
Nabers delivered an impressive rookie season for the Giants, averaging 2.17 yards per route run and earning an 87.1 PFF receiving grade. Targeted 165 times, he hauled in 109 receptions for 1,204 yards.
PFF Grade: 86.2
Verse ended his rookie season as the NFL’s highest-graded defensive rookie, amassing 77 total pressures from 484 pass-rushing snaps and earning an impressive 83.7 pass-rushing grade. While missed tackles were a concern earlier in the year, he has shown significant improvement, as he has missed just one tackle over the past four games.
PFF Grade: 85.1
Bowers’ 112 receptions are the most by a rookie in NFL history, with the 13th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft already in contention to be the best tight end in football. He dropped just four passes all season and averaged 2.02 yards per route run.
PFF Grade: 84.0
Cooper was one of the league’s most in-form players down the stretch, earning PFF grades above 75.0 in each of the final four games of the season. He excelled as a pass-rusher, notching 11 pressures on 51 pass-rushing snaps, and showcased his versatility with PFF grades above 70.0 in both run defense and coverage.
PFF Grade: 82.7
DeJean was a revelation as a rookie, making an impact both in coverage and against the run. While he allowed 51 receptions in coverage, they went for an average of just 7.3 yards per catch, and the former Iowa standout earned a 79.3 PFF coverage grade.
PFF Grade: 82.0
Already one of the best deep threats in the NFL, Thomas averaged 14.7 yards per reception as a rookie. He averaged 2.45 yards per route run and earned an 83.4 PFF receiving grade, racking up 1,282 receiving yards in 2024.
PFF Grade: 80.5
McConkey almost instantly became Justin Herbert’s favorite target in his debut season. The Georgia product finished his rookie campaign with an 81.2 receiving grade, averaged 2.38 yards per route run, and he caught 13 of the 21 contested targets thrown his way.
PFF Grade: 80.5
The 49ers’ third-round draft pick faltered down the stretch, but his strong start to the year helped him finish the year with a top-10 grade among rookies. He was solid as a pass-blocker, allowing 35 pressures from 656 pass-blocking snaps, and he earned an 81.5 PFF run-blocking grade.
PFF Grade: 77.7
Harrison capped his rookie season with a strong performance, hauling in five receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown, earning a 76.2 PFF grade—his fourth-best mark of the year. Across the 2024 regular season, he averaged 1.63 yards per route run and secured 16 contested catches.
PFF Grade: 77.6
With Rashawn Slater out in Week 18, the Chargers kicked Alt over to left tackle, and he didn’t miss a beat as a pass-blocker, as he didn’t allow a single pressure from 41 pass-blocking snaps. He ended the 2024 regular season with a 71.6 PFF run-blocking grade and a 79.4 PFF pass-blocking grade.
PFF Grade: 77.5
Phillips was strong close to the line of scrimmage in his first season, earning a 78.1 run-defense grade for the Giants. He was solid in coverage, too, earning a 75.8 coverage grade and allowing just 373 yards from 335 snaps in coverage.
PFF Grade: 76.8
As he heads into the playoffs, one of the most encouraging aspects for Frazier is that he has improved as a pass-blocker as the season has gone on, earning pass-blocking grades of 70.0 or better in each of the past two weeks. He was at his best as a run blocker, though, as he earned a 79.7 run-blocking grade over the season.
PFF Grade: 76.4
Nix closed out the regular season with his best performance yet, completing 26-of-29 passes as the Broncos secured a playoff berth. He has demonstrated impressive poise in his rookie campaign, posting a 3.5% big-time throw rate and a turnover-worthy play rate of just 1.9%.
