• Three Chargers make the list: CB Tarheeb Still leads the way, with WR Ladd McConkey and T Joe Alt also in the top 15.
• Dominick Puni continues to rise: The 49ers‘ rookie guard has impressed down the stretch.
• 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
After 14 weeks of NFL action, the league's rookies are making their mark with standout performances. Among the top-graded first-year players are a mix of highly touted first-round picks and impressive Day 3 selections, showcasing talent from across the draft spectrum.
Here are the highest-graded first-year players after 14 weeks of action.
1. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
PFF Grade: 87.9
One of the most impressive aspects of Daniels’ rookie season has been his high floor. Since Week 2, he hasn’t recorded a single-game grade below 60.0. This consistency is aided by his ability to avoid mistakes, with a turnover-worthy play on just 1.7% of his dropbacks this season.
2. TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
PFF Grade: 86.2
Bowers has been an elite tight end as a rookie, earning an 89.2 PFF receiving grade. He has dropped just two of 89 catchable passes thrown his way and is averaging 2.12 yards per route run.
3. G Dominick Puni, San Francisco 49ers
PFF Grade: 85.2
Puni had the best game of his career in Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears, earning a 93.4 PFF grade. This season, he has allowed 23 pressures on 476 pass-blocking snaps and has an 85.4 PFF run-blocking grade.
4. EDGE Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
PFF Grade: 84.1
The highest-graded defensive rookie in the NFL this season, Verse has earned an 81.8 PFF pass-rushing grade. He has racked up 59 pressures, including 20 combined sacks and quarterback hits.
5. CB Andru Phillips, New York Giants
PFF Grade: 81.9
One of the best slot defenders in the NFL despite being a rookie, Phillips missed this week’s game against the New Orleans Saints. However, he has earned a 79.4 PFF coverage grade and a 77.8 PFF run-defense grade so far this season.
6. WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants
PFF Grade: 81.6
Nabers has been impressive as a rookie despite subpar quarterback play. He has averaged 1.91 yards per route run and earned an 82.6 PFF receiving grade, turning 121 targets into 80 receptions for 819 yards and three touchdowns.
7. WR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
PFF Grade: 80.8
McConkey recorded his third 100-yard receiving game in his past six appearances last Sunday against the Falcons, averaging 4.68 yards per route run as the Chargers’ leading receiver on the day. He and Justin Herbert have developed a strong connection early in his career, and his absence was felt in their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.
8. CB Tarheeb Still, Los Angeles Chargers
PFF Grade: 80.5
Still struggled this week after posting a career-high 94.0 PFF grade last week. He missed two tackles and allowed all four passes thrown into his coverage to be caught. However, he still holds an 80.7 PFF coverage grade for the season.
9. CB Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles
PFF Grade: 79.4
DeJean earned the second-lowest single-game grade of his career in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, missing two tackles to tie a season-high. He was targeted seven times in coverage and allowed six receptions for 61 yards.
10. CB Tykee Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PFF Grade: 78.5
Earning a career-high 90.9 PFF grade, Smith allowed just three receptions on 28 coverage snaps despite being targeted seven times. He also recorded a red-zone interception to end a promising Las Vegas Raiders drive and now holds a 76.5 PFF coverage grade for the season.
11. WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
PFF Grade: 78.4
Thomas recorded 75 or more receiving yards for the third straight game in Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans. He is averaging 15.8 yards per reception and 2.27 yards per route run, with an 80.2 PFF receiving grade through 14 weeks.
12. WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
PFF Grade: 77.5
Harrison has surpassed 65 receiving yards in just two games as a rookie, but he has topped 40 yards eight times and hasn’t dropped a pass since Week 1. He is averaging 1.68 yards per route run and holds a 77.3 PFF receiving grade.
13. T Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers
PFF Grade: 77.4
Alt has earned just two single-game grades below 60.0 and has looked comfortable in the NFL from Day 1. He has allowed only 16 total pressures on 434 pass-blocking snaps and holds PFF grades above 75.0 in both pass-blocking and run-blocking through 14 weeks.
14. C Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh Steelers
PFF Grade: 76.4
Pittsburgh's win over the Cleveland Browns marked just the third time this season that Frazier earned a PFF grade below 60.0, as he struggled again in pass protection. However, he has excelled as a run blocker, earning a 79.5 PFF run-blocking grade as a rookie.
15. CB Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles
PFF Grade: 74.8
Mitchell has been consistent down the stretch, earning a PFF coverage grade above 60.0 in every game since Week 8. In Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, he allowed fewer than 30 yards in coverage for the ninth straight game.
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