- Will Johnson lived up to his first-round expectations: The second-rounder, thought to be a sure-fire Day 1 draft pick if not for injury concerns, earned an elite 90.3 PFF coverage grade in Week 1.
- Tyler Warren established himself as a day-one weapon for the Colts: He hauled in a team-high seven receptions, four of which went for first downs. The 14th overall pick even posted an outstanding 88.6 PFF run-blocking grade.
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Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
We're diving into the top rookies by PFF overall grade from Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. To qualify, players needed to log at least 25 snaps.
1. TE Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts (90.4)
Warren caught seven of his nine targets for 76 yards and four first downs against the Dolphins. He had two explosive gains on the day. The first was a 21-yard contested catch along the sideline on the game's opening drive to move Indianapolis inside the red zone. He later forced a missed tackle on a slide route late in the fourth quarter on his way to a 15-yard gain to keep the drive alive on third down.
The former Nittany Lion led the Colts in targets and catches and paced all tight ends in threat rate (37.5%). He averaged 5.3 yards after the catch per reception, gained 18 yards after contact and finished with a 101.9 passer rating when targeted.
2. CB Will Johnson, Arizona Cardinals (90.2)
Johnson was the most targeted rookie cornerback in Week 1 (seven). And he was outstanding. He limited receivers to four catches for 32 yards and finished with a 90.3 PFF coverage grade. Johnson forced three incompletions, making him the lone rookie cornerback with multiple forced incompletions in Week 1.
The former Wolverine allowed 4.6 yards per target (tied for 10th best) and held Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler to a 68.8 passer rating when targeted.
3. LB Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns (90.0)
Schwesinger graded out as the fifth-best linebacker in Week 1, making impact plays at every defensive phase. He stopped Chase Brown for a five-yard loss late in the fourth quarter, one of his three tackles across 20 run-defense snaps. He recorded a quarterback hit on four designed pass rushes. He also made a coverage stop, again against Brown, late in the third quarter, limiting a screen play to a one-yard gain.
In all, the former UCLA Bruin finished with six tackles, two assists and two stops in his regular-season debut.
4. T Armand Membou, New York Jets (89.1)
The seventh overall pick was a brick wall against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Membou earned an elite 90.3 PFF run-blocking grade, second best among all tackles, and a 91.9 mark on zone runs. His 24.3% impact block rate placed him fifth among tackles this week, while his 8.1% defeated rate was the second-lowest clip among rookies.
As a pass blocker, Membou was beaten only once across 25 snaps. He did not surrender any pressure. He was the only qualifying rookie tackle to not surrender any pressure in Week 1.
5. EDGE Shemar Stewart, Cincinnati Bengals (88.9)
Stewart earned the second-best PFF pass-rush grade (78.2) and recorded the top pass-rush win rate (26.1%) among rookie edge defenders. His stat line included three hurries across 23 pass-rush snaps. The first-rounder led all rookies in PFF run-defense grade (76.3) and graded out as Cincinnati’s second-best defensive player overall in his regular-season debut.
6. LB Jihaad Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles (88.3)
Campbell led all rookie linebackers in PFF run-defense grade in Week 1 (72.4), with his biggest play of the night coming late in the third quarter. He stopped Miles Sanders for a one-yard gain, with Dallas threatening from the red zone while down four, and forced a pivotal fumble.
Campbell also recorded a pass breakup in coverage earlier in the drive. He notched an 85.9 PFF coverage grade for the game (fourth best among linebackers).
7. EDGE Abdul Carter, New York Giants (81.5)
The third overall pick recorded a sack in his debut against Washington, getting the best of Laremy Tunsil on the play to force Jayden Daniels to redirect right into Kayvon Thibodeaux before helping finish the play. Carter recorded a 13.6% pass-rush win rate on the day and led all rookie edge defenders in PFF pass-rush grade (78.3).
8. WR Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers (78.9)
McMillan notched the sixth-best PFF receiving grade (77.6) among all receivers in Week 1, hauling in five of eight targets for 68 yards and four first downs. He recorded two explosive gains in the fourth quarter.
He gained separation across the middle on a first-and-10 play around the seven-minute mark for a 21-yard pickup. Later in the drive on third down, McMillan gained 15 yards on a hitch route to move the chains. The eighth overall pick averaged 12.8 depth yards per target against Jacksonville and led the Panthers in targets, catches, receiving yards and threat rate (22.9%).
9. T Will Campbell, New England Patriots (77.5)
Campbell ranked in the top three among rookie tackles in PFF pass-blocking grade (72.6) and PFF run-block grade (78.2) in Week 1. He played 53 pass-blocking snaps (tied for first), allowing three hurries and a sack, which came late in the fourth quarter. The sack resulted in a fumble, which he was able to fall on and recover to keep the drive alive.
The fourth overall pick performed better as a run blocker (78.2 PFF grade), and most of his snaps in that department came on gap plays (12).
10. CB Jacob Parrish, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (76.6)
The former Kansas State Wildcat recorded a 75.7 PFF coverage grade against New Orleans, allowing two catches for just two yards across three targets. He also made a run stop, limiting Bijan Robinson to a two-yard gain on an outside rush late in the first quarter. Parrish finished the game with a solid 70.7 PFF run-defense grade.
11. S Craig Woodson, New England Patriots (76.5)
The fourth-round pick out of California made plays at every level against Las Vegas. Woodson graded out as the second-best run-defending safety this weekend (82.3). He made two tackles, one for a loss, and two assisted tackles across 22 run snaps.
Woodson was able to bring pressure on a blitz late in the third quarter, one of two rushes from him on the day. He also recorded four tackles in coverage and held receivers to two catches for six yards.
12. G Donovan Jackson, Minnesota Vikings (74.3)
Jackson impressed on Monday Night Football against the Bears with an 88.1 PFF pass-blocking grade, second best among all Week 1 guards. He logged a 66.9 PFF run-blocking grade and split his snaps equally on zone- (11) and gap-scheme (12) runs. In all, Jackson finished with a 12.5% defeated rate, second best among rookie guards.
13. S Xavier Watts, Atlanta Falcons (72.8)
The third-round pick from Notre Dame showcased his ball-hawking ability against Tampa Bay. He was charged with a 30-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter, but he was right in position to pick off the pass, which went just over his hands and right to Emeka Egbuka.
Watts again nearly secured his first NFL interception midway through the third quarter, as he was able to jump in front of Sterling Shepard to break up the pass. He was targeted four times on the day, allowing two catches for 32 yards. He also recorded two tackles in run defense.
14. RB Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns (70.7)
Sampson’s receiving ability stood out in Week 1. His 92.4 PFF receiving grade paced all skill players, and he ran 15 routes against Cincinnati. The fourth-rounder was targeted eight times on those plays, and he brought in all of them for 64 yards and two first downs.
Sampson averaged 11.6 yards after the catch per reception (third among running backs), gained 41 yards after contact and forced three missed tackles, leading to a 100.0 passer rating when targeted. He also led the position in yards per route run (4.27).
15. EDGE Jordan Burch, Arizona Cardinals (70.2)
The former Oregon Duck earned an 81.6 PFF pass-rush grade on true pass sets, the best mark among rookie edge defenders. Burch recorded three hurries and a 50% pass-rush win rate across 14 pass-rush snaps against the Saints. He tied for the third-best win rate among all edge defenders in Week 1.
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