First-round rookies inspire hope in their respective NFL teams every year. Training camp and preseason offer glimpses of future potential, but regular-season action is where things finally start to take shape.
And now that Week 2 of the 2021 NFL regular season is in the books, it’s time to again check in on how the first-rounders are faring.
Note: Ranks are among all rookies at each position, and some grades are vulnerable to small sample sizes early in the season.
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PICK NO. 1: QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Overall Rookie Grade: 57.8 (Rank: 4/6)
Week 2 Grade: 40.1
The Trevor Lawrence experience is riding through some pretty significant turbulence after two weeks of action. It started well enough against Denver with a beautiful touchdown pass, but then the wheels fell off and he finished with an ugly 40.1 overall PFF grade. Lawrence is late on far too many throws, which is causing him to force the ball into dangerous situations. He now leads the league with six turnover-worthy plays in the first two weeks.
PICK NO. 2: QB Zach Wilson, New York Jets
Overall Rookie Grade: 58.5 (Rank: 2/6)
Week 2 Grade: 54.4
Wilson at one point had more interceptions than completions against the Patriots in Week 2. They weren’t all his fault, but it marked another week of struggles and ill-advised passes. Only Lawrence has more turnover-worthy plays than Wilson among all quarterbacks, and while everything looks hard for Wilson right now, he did at least keep swinging with a pair of big-time throws in the fourth quarter, hitting a couple of hole shots down the sideline.
PICK NO. 3: QB Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
Overall Rookie Grade: 47.7 (Rank: 5/6)
Week 2 Grade: N/A
After four snaps in Week 1 that got people excited, the 49ers didn’t put Lance on the field at all in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Opposing teams still have to prepare for him each week, but it was curious there wasn’t even a single snap from him this week.
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