NFL Analysis
10/4/24
13 min read
Grading Every First-Round Rookie at NFL's Quarter Mark
We're one month into the 2024 NFL season, and this crop of rookies is already starting to find its footing. Offensive players dominated the first round, and September's early results showed why teams were eager to add more firepower on that side of the ball. The rookie defensive class hasn't been nearly as impactful, in comparison.
The beauty of focusing on the draft and rookies is seeing the evolution of impact over time. Some of these rookies haven't caught on quite yet, and that's not a big concern. Others looked like Day 1 contributors and have proven to be even better.
We're putting early grades on all 32 2024 NFL Draft class first-rounders and are excited to see where this talent goes for the rest of this season.
Grading the 2024 NFL Draft First Round
From A to F, we're grading each player's performance through four games. Players who haven't seen the field much will be closer to average since all we have to work with is preseason action.
Earning an A is hard, as it should be, but it is a reflective sign of the rarity of rookies being great. All advanced stats are courtesy of PFF unless otherwise noted.
1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, QB
Grade: C+
Caleb Williams hasn't been the savior quite yet in Chicago, but he's played better than his numbers suggest. He sees the field relatively well for a rookie, but sacks and a scheme struggling to produce easy looks continue to hold the entire Bears offense back.
It's impossible to give Williams a higher grade when one of his peers has played better thus far, but Williams will be fine as the Bears address other issues plaguing the team.
JAYDEN TO MCLAURIN OMG 🤯🤯🤯#WASvsCIN | ABC, ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/hPLhIfki9B
— ESPN (@espn) September 24, 2024
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB
Grade: A+
Forget aiming for NFL Rookie of the Year; Jayden Daniels is making a case to be NFL MVP so far. His quick processing and accuracy have immediately translated from LSU, and Kliff Kingsbury has adjusted his scheme to elevate Daniels' abilities even more.
Completing 82.1 percent of passes for 897 yards and averaging 8.5 yards per attempt, there's not much Daniels could improve upon.
3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB
Grade: D
With only eight attempts on the season, we haven't seen enough of Drake Maye to say anything definitive about his future. His athleticism and arm talent are undeniable, but his accuracy and ability to mitigate pressure will better define his career.
For now, the pick is graded as below-average because New England isn't getting anything from Maye, but it's not a reprimand on Maye's future.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR
Grade: A
As soon as the Arizona Cardinals started to prioritize Marvin Harrison Jr. after Week 1, the world saw why the former Ohio State star was revered as the best prospect in the 2024 class.
Harrison has three straight games with a touchdown and ranks 18th in the league in yards despite only getting four yards in Week 1. He can do it all, and he's putting together a season that matches the hype.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Joe Alt, OT
Grade: B
Hailed as the best, most pro-ready blocker in the class, Joe Alt has been a key part of Jim Harbaugh's overhauled offensive in Los Angeles. Though he's allowed two sacks, the good has far outweighed the bad until a knee injury kept him out of Week 4.
Alt has been a fantastic run blocker, but his absence in Week 4 highlighted that he's also far better than other options in the passing game.
6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR
Grade: A+
Harrison Jr. has been awesome, but Malik Nabers has been even better. Nabers is the Giants' offense, leading the NFL by nine receptions and ranking second in yards.
His blend of explosiveness and consistency, plus giving Daniel Jones a huge catch radius, has allowed New York to at least be competitive in three of its four games. There's no question Nabers is already the next star playmaker at receiver.
>> READ MORE: Nabers Is Better Than You Think
JC Latham 🤠 pic.twitter.com/2eMvo3CoNR
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 2, 2024
7. Tennessee Titans: JC Latham, OT
Grade: B
The Titans desperately needed an anchor at left tackle, so adding the biggest piece of moldable athleticism in the 2024 draft made sense. JC Latham has been good for most of his first month, logging a 96.4 pass-blocking efficiency rating by PFF.
His run blocking hasn't graded out quite as consistently good, which is surprising, but Latham's early results are better than expected.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr., QB
Grade: D
The Falcons expected to sit Michael Penix Jr. this season, and that's how it's played out thus far.
Penix looked good in his one preseason game, but as with Maye, we can't grade him higher, considering his lack of time in the regular season.
9. Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze, WR
Grade: C
The biggest knock on Rome Odunze doesn't have anything to do with his play so far. The Bears should've taken a blocker here instead, as Williams and Odunze are suffering from a line that can't give the passing game time and an inadequate scheme.
Williams has sometimes missed an open Odunze, so meat has been left on the production bone.
10. Minnesota Vikings: J.J. McCarthy, QB
Grade: D
A torn right meniscus ended J.J. McCarthy's season before it really began. His preseason snaps were fun and promising, but McCarthy may not even be the starter in 2025 if Sam Darnold continues to play at his current level.
11. New York Jets: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT
Grade: D-
The sample size for Olu Fashanu is tiny, as he's played 14 snaps in one game and then every snap in Week 4.
Unfortunately, Fashanu's raw technique was massively exposed against Denver, and he allowed four quarterback hurries, one hit, and one penalty in 54 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF. The future should bring much better results, but the Jets won't be successful if Fashanu continues to play as poorly.
12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix, QB
Grade: D-
The good news for the early results on Bo Nix is that most rookie quarterbacks are bad, and it's not as if he was dropped into a situation with a terrific surrounding cast on offense.
The bad news is that Nix has played into his worst tendencies early on, including being a check-down Charlie and getting happy feet, which leads to erratic accuracy. He's not quite Bryce Young bad, but we need to see improvement soon.
Brock making it happen! #LVvsBAL | 📺 @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/kcKRRfwlfD
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 15, 2024
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Brock Bowers, TE
Grade: A
Brock Bowers has been fantastic thus far, already ranking in the top two among tight ends in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and target separation.
The Raiders have crafted their passing game around his speed and versatility, and it's given them a better start than expected. There's an argument to be made that Bowers is already the best pass-catching tight end in the NFL.
14. New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga, OT
Grade: B
While some other linemen have had ups and downs throughout the first month, Taliese Fuaga has been consistently solid.
Allowing five pressures in 118 pass block snaps thus far, the powerful left tackle has been a huge upgrade for the Saints' offense. He'd certainly be taken higher in an early redraft.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu, EDGE
Grade: B-
Brought in as a pass-rushing specialist with limited value as a run-defender, Laiatu Latu has delivered on fitting his scouting report.
He has only one sack in 86 pass-rush snaps but has logged seven hurries in the last two weeks alone. Latu is getting after the quarterback, even if he's a sieve in the run game, and has missed three tackle attempts already.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II, DT
Grade: C+
A hamstring injury has put Byron Murphy II on the shelf for some time, but his first two games displayed the level of disruption Seattle sought with their selection.
Murphy is finding the ball effectively with one sack, six quarterback hurries, and four run stops in just 90 snaps. He has to control his gap consistently better, though, as blockers have moved him out of their way on a few big runs.
17. Minnesota Vikings: Dallas Turner, EDGE
Grade: C-
Although the Minnesota Vikings appeared to need immediate pass-rush help from Dallas Turner, he's played only 64 snaps in three games this season.
Whether it's due to the learning curve, his knee injury, or the emergence of Andrew Van Ginkel, Turner hasn't made a big impact in his time on the field. He has three tackles, one sack, and two quarterback hurries.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Amarius Mims, OT
Grade: D
Just based on raw talent, Amarius Mims was the best pure athlete in this loaded tackle class. However, he had limited experience in Georgia, and he's been thrust into action earlier than expected in Cincinnati.
Mims has struggled with his technique and balance in two games, giving up one sack, three hurries, and four pressures. The best is yet to come with the gigantic blocker.
Jared Verse has been the best rookie edge so far. Great run defender and his bull rush is a problem. If he can start converting a few more of these sack opportunities 📈 pic.twitter.com/ncAamHKKRn
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) September 30, 2024
19. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Verse, EDGE
Grade: A-
The Rams drafted Jared Verse as an immediate plug-and-play contributor, and he's been the best defensive rookie thus far.
One of his best attributes out of Florida State was his NFL-ready frame, and that's proven critical as the Rams break in a new defensive coordinator without Aaron Donald. Verse has totaled 17 tackles, one sack, and 12 quarterback hurries but has missed a whopping 11 tackles.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Troy Fautanu, OT
Grade: C
Troy Fautanu is another rookie tackle that Denver has roughed up a bit. Fautanu has only played in one game in 2024 but held his own for the majority of the matchup. The right tackle allowed two quarterback pressures but looked capable of starting right now for the Steelers.
21. Miami Dolphins: Chop Robinson, EDGE
Grade: D+
Instead of bolstering one of the league's worst offensive lines or cornerback rooms, the Dolphins opted for Chop Robinson. The speedy pass-rusher figured to be a subpackage player early in his career while he improved at the point of attack.
Instead of getting an especially good sub-defender, Robinson has only five tackles and five quarterback hurries in 91 total snaps thus far.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, CB
Grade: B-
Philadelphia's zone-heavy scheme under Vic Fangio hasn't worked well so far because the team's pass rush has been disappointing.
They rank 27th in yards allowed, but it's not something that can be pinned on rookie Quinyon Mitchell. He's allowed 14 receptions on 23 targets with one penalty but has done well to limit yards after the catch and to break five passes up.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars: Brian Thomas Jr., WR
Grade: B+
The best-case scenario for Brian Thomas Jr. was that his effortless downfield speed would give Trevor Lawrence a more consistent and explosive option than he's ever had.
So far, despite Thomas being a raw route-runner at LSU, Thomas has delivered. Lawrence can't quite say the same, and Thomas has produced 17 receptions for 275 yards and two touchdowns despite his quarterback's inconsistency.
24. Detroit Lions: Terrion Arnold, CB
Grade: D-
While Terrion Arnold's ability to play cornerback and safety was a selling point for teams, his athleticism is best served at either nickel corner or safety.
Detroit has instead put him at right cornerback more than in the slot, and Arnold is struggling. He's allowed 64 percent of targets to be completed for 178 yards and one touchdown while committing eight penalties.
25. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Morgan, OG
Grade: C
The early results from two games that Jordan Morgan has participated in have a clear trend. In his first game at right guard against the Eagles, Morgan was in pass protection on 19 of 28 snaps and graded at an above-average level for PFF.
The script flipped in Week 2 for his 20 snaps against the Colts, and he graded poorly with 16 run-block snaps to only four pass-pro opportunities. Dealing with a reinjured shoulder, Morgan has been out since Week 2.
One of Graham Barton's (#62) biggest areas of opportunities through the first three weeks of the season was understanding when to look for and finding stunts/twists. Can't do it much better than this. pic.twitter.com/Cx0XvwqqM5
— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) September 30, 2024
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, C
Grade: C
There's a fascinating duality to watching Graham Barton play. His high-end moments are those of a potential All-Pro center, as his athleticism and raw strength dominate certain snaps.
But his lows include massive whiffs, including allowing a stunning nine pressures in pass protection already, which is the third-highest total for a center.
27. Arizona Cardinals: Darius Robinson, EDGE
Grade: F
Darius Robinson was placed on injured reserve before the season began due to a calf injury, so we have not seen him on the field yet. Hopefully, he'll make his debut soon.
28. Kansas City Chiefs: Xavier Worthy, WR
Grade: B
The Kansas City Chiefs wanted a fast, versatile playmaker to expand their offense with, and Xavier Worthy has delivered just that. Able to demand attention from the slot or wide, 78 of his 154 yards have come after the catch, but the Chiefs have only targeted him 14 times.
With Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown dealing with injuries, Worthy will quickly become a bigger part of the offense.
29. Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Guyton
Grade: C-
A raw, developmental tackle prospect out of Oklahoma, Tyler Guyton has struggled in Dallas' pass-heavy offense thus far.
His traits are phenomenal, but his hands and functional strength are not performing at a high level just yet. Guyton has already allowed four sacks and 11 pressures, producing a pass efficiency of only 95.4 percent.
30. Baltimore Ravens: Nate Wiggins, CB
Grade: B-
A neck injury from a car accident kept Nate Wiggins out of Week 2's matchup, but the rookie from Clemson has been great in two of his three starts.
Dallas torched him for 82 yards on four receptions, but he's given up only two catches for six yards in 68 snaps against Kansas City and Buffalo. There's been far more good than bad, and the future looks great for Wiggins.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Ricky Pearsall, WR
Grade: N/A
A gunshot wound put Ricky Pearsall on injured reserve for the first month of action, but the team is hopeful the former Florida receiver will make his season debut soon.
32. Carolina Panthers: Xavier Legette, WR
Grade: C
The switch from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton has allowed the Panthers offense to spread its wings a little bit.
Xavier Legette has benefitted, catching eight passes for 108 yards and one touchdown in the last two weeks. Considering his first two games were so disjointed, it's hard to overreact one way or another, but Legette looks like he belongs as a starter.
