Analysis
11/10/21
5 min read
Week 9 Rookie Report: The Real Justin Fields Just Stood Up
Whether they are high draft picks, late-round value picks or undrafted free agents, we’ll take a look each week of the NFL season at how NFL rookies are doing. Here’s this week’s report:
Stock Up Offensive Players
QB: Justin Fields - Fields played really well for the most part on Monday night in an exciting contest that came down the wire. He finished the night 17 of 29 with 291 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and a passer rating of 89.9.
RB: Rhamondre Stevenson - Stevenson has been in and out of the lineup all season but really impressed on Sunday with the few touches he got. He looked explosive running 10 times for 62 yards, and catching 2 balls for 44, earning him a grade of 78.9
RB: Javonte Williams - Williams has been one of the best offensive rookies and proved it again in Week 9. He was a workhorse, carrying the ball 17 times for 111 yards, good for a grade of 67.2.
WR: DeVonta Smith - Despite a poor performance last week, Smith showed off this week, catching 5 passes for 116 yards and a TD, good for a grade of 92.6.
WR: Elijah Moore - Moore has had a pretty slow start to his career but it seems as if he may have broken out. On Thursday night, he caught 7 balls for 84 yards and 2 TDs. He finished with a grade of 76.4.
OL: Rashawn Slater - Slater has been very solid and consistent all season. Sunday was no different, as he allowed 0 pressures, finishing with a grade of 83.7.
Stock Down Offensive Players
QB: Trevor Lawrence - Despite an impressive win over the Bills for the Jaguars, Lawrence was far from special. He did enough to win but was just 15 of 26 for 118 yards and 69.1 passer rating. He earned a PFF grade of 52.8.
RB: Elijah Mitchell - Mitchell has played well for most of the season but had very limited touches this week. He did not play poorly but rushed just 8 times for 36 yards, finishing with a grade of 67.0.
WR: Terrace Marshall - Marshall has yet to get it going and Sunday was no different. He had just one target, which he dropped. He finished with a grade of 43.4.
OL: Quinn Meinerz - Meinerz has only made a few appearances this year and has struggled a bit. On Sunday, he pass-blocked well but did not play as well in the run game, finishing with a grade of 35.2.
OL: Liam Eichenberg - Eichenberg seems to have struggled each week, specifically in pass protection. On Sunday, he allowed 10 pressures, earning himself a grade of just 45.0.
Stock Up Defensive Players
DL: Kwity Paye - Paye dominated the Jets OL on TNF, where he put together a performance of 9 pressures, 7 hurries, and a grade of 90.1.
DL: Jonathan Cooper - Cooper is showing why the Broncos felt comfortable dealing Von Miller. Cooper had 2 sacks, 2 TFLs, 2 QBH, and finished with a grade of 80.6.
LB: Micah Parsons - Parsons continues to play very well. He filled out the stat sheets with 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 TFLs, 3 QBH, earning himself a grade of 74.1.
DB: Jevon Holland - Holland made up for last week’s poor performance with a good game on Sunday. He had 2 tackles, a QBH, and a PD, finishing the day with a grade of 83.8.
DB: Camryn Bynum - Bynum was a fourth-round pick by the Vikings and has only appeared in a few games, playing especially well on Sunday. He flew around the field with 12 tackles, had 1 PD, and finished with a grade of 90.0.
Stock Down Defensive Players
DL: Adetokunbo Ogundeji - Ogundeji was a fifth-round selection by the Falcons and has been pretty solid. However, on Sunday he was very quiet in the pass rush and finished with a grade of just 43.0.
DL: Chauncey Gholston - Similarly, Gholston, who has played well, was very quiet on Sunday. He was not very disruptive and finished with a grade of just 36.9.
DB: Paulson Adebo - Adebo has had an up and down start to his career, but has played well overall. On Sunday he allowed 2 catches for 67 yards and a TD, finishing with a grade of 45.6.
DB: Talanoa Hufanga - Hufanga is coming off a very good week last week, but did not play great on Sunday. He did not play very well against the run and allowed 3 catches for 56 yards through the air, finishing with a grade of 47.0.
DB: Michael Carter II - Carter, who has been one of the best rookie defenders, had a hard time on Thursday night. He struggled in the run game and allowed 3 catches for 63 yards. He finished with a grade of just 28.6.
Week 10 Matchups
Going into Week 10, there are some noteworthy matchups of rookies that will be worth keeping an eye on.
Sam Cosmi vs Joe Tryon-Shoyinka - Cosmi has been one of the best rookie offensive linemen and will look to keep that up in Week 10. Tryon-Shoyinka has not played as well in the last few weeks despite a good start to his career, so he will be trying to get back to that.
Walker Little vs Kwity Paye - Little has only played in 2 games this season and has played pretty well, but he will have his hands full in his matchup with Paye. Paye has been one of the best rookie DL and is coming off a very disruptive week.
