- Two Chargers secondary players show out: Nikko Reed and R.J. Mickens contributed to Los Angeles' primetime win over the Steelers.
- Jalon Walker was dominant against the Colts: The first-round pick posted a career-high 81.4 PFF run-defense grade, adding a stop.
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Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
We have completed 10 weeks of the 2025 NFL season. and things are starting to take shape, including the impact players of this year’s rookie class.
This week saw a lot of breakout performances, and we’re going to look at the best at each position. A reminder that in order to qualify for this list, a rookie must have played at least 10 snaps.
Quarterback: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints – 76.8
After a shaky start to his NFL career, Saints rookie Tyler Shough looked much more comfortable in Week 10 against the Panthers, leading the team to his first NFL win. The former second-rounder out of Louisville completed 19-of-27 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He added two big-time throws without registering a single turnover-worthy play for a 75.5 PFF passing grade.
Running Back: Woody Marks, Houston Texans – 86.5
Not only did Woody Marks post the highest PFF grade amongst rookie running backs this week, but that grade came on the most offensive snaps with 60 — so sample size isn’t an issue here. Marks carried the ball 15 times for 68 yards and a score to go along with a career-best 87.5 PFF rushing grade against the Jaguars while adding two receptions for 18 yards and a 73.4 PFF receiving grade.
Wide Receiver: Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans – 79.2
Another Texans rookie that came up big in the team’s win over the division-rival Jaguars, Higgins had by far the most productive game of his young career. He caught five of his eight targets for 42 yards and a touchdown, culminating in a 78.3 PFF receiving grade — all of which are career highs.
Wide Receiver: Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears – 78.9
Burden’s role in the Bears’ offense has been inconsistent in his rookie year, but he was a big part in their comeback win over the Giants. The second-round pick hauled in three passes for 51 yards, tied for his second-best output on the season. That performance trails only his breakout Week 3 game against the Cowboys, where he caught three passes for 101 yards and a score.
Wide Receiver: Jaylin Lane, Washington Commanders – 77.0
It was a tough showing for the Commanders in their 44-22 loss to the Lions, but Lane managed to make the most of his limited action — hauling in his only target for 41 yards with Brian Branch draped all over him. On the season, Lane has converted half of his receptions into first downs, making him one of the more intriguing deep threats in this rookie class.
Tight End: Jackson Hawes, Buffalo Bills – 83.7
Hawes continues to be one of the more intriguing rookies we’ve seen in recent seasons. As a receiving threat, he doesn’t have a lot of volume, as he only has eight receptions for 113 yards on the year. But, his value has come primarily as a blocker, carrying a 70.7 PFF run-blocking grade this season and an 80.2 grade in pass protection. That’s not to say he doesn’t have his moments as a receiver, though, as he caught a 26-yard touchdown in the Bills’ loss to the Dolphins.
Offensive Tackle: Josh Conerly Jr., Washington Commanders – 74.4
The 29th overall pick out of Oregon makes his debut on this list with his strongest showing of the season against an intense Lions defensive line. In pass protection, he only allowed one pressure on 28 such snaps while being stronger in the run game, carrying a 76.8 mark on Sunday.
Offensive Tackle: Aireontae Ersery, Houston Texans – 74.2
After a shaky start to his career, Ersery now has a grade hovering around 75.0 in two of his last three games, with his pass protection being the highlight. On 53 pass-blocking snaps, Ersery permitted just three pressures, none of which resulted in Davis Mills going to the ground. That was big in the Texans keeping their season alive with their win over the Jaguars.
Interior Offensive Line: Tate Ratledge, Detroit Lions – 73.7
It’s been trial by fire for Ratledge this season, as he was unexpectedly thrust into a starting role — but he’s been more consistently solid as the season has gone along. Sunday’s performance against the Commanders was the second-best of his career in terms of PFF grade, and his run blocking was where he shined brightest. Ratledge’s 76.5 grade in that field was the second-best of his career, performing best on outside zone blocks. Almost half of the Lions’ runs were outside zone, and Ratledge secured a strong 73.8 grade on such plays.
Interior Offensive Line: Donovan Jackson, Minnesota Vikings – 64.3
While Jackson did allow a career-high five pressures against the Ravens, it also came on 52 pass-blocking snaps — only the second time where he’s ever had a game with more than 40. In all, pass protection has been Jackson’s strength this season, as he carries a 65.1 mark that’s dragged down by one bad game against the Falcons all the way back in Week 2.
Interior Offensive Line: Grey Zabel, Seattle Seahawks – 46.0
While Zabel’s overall PFF grade isn’t anything to write home about, it may have been higher had the Seahawks needed to pass more in their win over the Cardinals. Zabel only saw 15 pass-blocking snaps, his fewest all season, but had a 68.6 grade on such plays. He only surrendered one pressure, which came on a bull rush by fellow first-rounder Walter Nolen — where Zabel was able to anchor down just before Nolen could get home.
Edge Defender: Jalon Walker, Atlanta Falcons – 87.5
Atlanta’s top draft pick was a bright spot in the team’s overtime loss to the Colts in Berlin. As a pass rusher, he recorded three pressures, including a sack. But, it was against the run where he shined brightest, posting a career-best 81.4 figure that included a stop. A quarter of his run-defense plays received a positive grade, with zero negatively-graded plays.
Edge Defender: Jordan Burch, Arizona Cardinals – 79.4
While the Cardinals had a tough go against the Seahawks, Jordan Burch played the best game of his young career. He was on the field for 25 snaps — 20 of which against the run — which was where he was at his best, compiling a 77.5 grade. Burch had no negatively-graded plays, while 20% of his run-defense snaps received positive grades.
Defensive Interior: Yahya Black, Pittsburgh Steelers – 91.0
As if the Steelers didn’t have enough impact defensive linemen, here comes rookie fifth-rounder Yahya Black out of Iowa. Until week 10 against the Chargers, Black had yet to record a PFF game grade over 60.0. Yet, he absolutely broke out on Sunday night with a 91.0 grade that included an 85.0 mark against the run and 79.0 as a pass rusher. Black tallied two stops in the run game with 41.7% of his snaps receiving a positive grade as opposed to zero negatives. As a pass rusher, he compiled a 25% pass-rush win rate, which is huge considering he only has one other game with a win rate at all — that being 5.6% against the Seahawks in Week 2.
Defensive Interior: Mason Graham, Cleveland Browns – 82.2
The top defensive tackle off the board, Graham had been maligned for much of his rookie year for not having a big impact as a pass rusher. Week 10 against the Jets was a different story, as Graham crushed his previous career-high PFF pass-rush grade of 76.9 with an 88.7 number on 14 such snaps. Graham nearly doubled his previous-best pass-rush win rate at 28.6%. While none of his three pressures resulted in sacks, two ended with Justin Fields on the turf.
Linebacker: Teddye Buchanan, Baltimore Ravens – 77.7
After having some struggles to open his rookie year in coverage, Buchanan now has a PFF coverage grade over 60.0 in three of his last four games, including a career-best 78.5 number against the Vikings on Sunday. Buchanan was only targeted twice on 22 coverage snaps and yielded just one reception for six yards for a 56.3 passer rating against.
Linebacker: Cody Simon, Arizona Cardinals – 55.5
The fourth-rounder out of Ohio State had logged just 23 defensive snaps in his career prior to the Cardinals’ Week 10 matchup with the Seahawks. Simon saw a significant increase in his role by playing 62 snaps in that game, with mixed results. While his 48.2 PFF run-defense grade is something he’ll want to improve, he was strong in coverage with a 71.4 grade. Simon allowed just one reception for 17 yards, but he also added a forced incompletion to the mix on 15 coverage snaps.
Cornerback: Nikko Reed, Los Angeles Chargers – 79.2
Like Simon in the previous entry, Nikko Reed had barely seen the field on defense prior to the Chargers’ Week 10 victory over the Steelers. He played 21 of his 36 career defensive snaps in that night’s contest, 20 of which came in coverage — where he put up a strong showing with a 79.8 grade. Playing exclusively in the slot, Reed gave up just one reception on four targets for eight yards and a forced incompletion.
Cornerback: Quincy Riley, New Orleans Saints – 64.0
While Riley has had better performances in recent weeks, his coverage skills against the Panthers played a big role in the team earning its first road win of the season. Riley collected a 63.2 PFF coverage grade, allowing a career-high four receptions but none that really burned him — he allowed just 48 yards. He also added a forced incompletion and hasn’t allowed a touchdown since Week 6.
Cornerback: Jacob Parrish, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 60.6
Despite the Buccaneers’ loss to the Patriots, Parrish was one of the team’s steadier performers on defense. He was at his best in coverage, surrendering just two catches on three targets for 17 yards and a 65.3 PFF coverage grade.
Safety: Malaki Starks, Baltimore Ravens – 91.1
Back-to-back elite performances for the first safety of the board in this year’s draft. Starks barely missed out on topping his 91.2 grade from Week 9, but he did edge his career-best 89.0 PFF coverage grade with an 89.9 figure against the Vikings. Starks allowed just one reception for five yards into his coverage while also recording an interception for the second straight week.
Safety: R.J. Mickens, Los Angeles Chargers – 84.4
After not seeing any playing time on defense until Week 6, Mickens has carved out a role in this Chargers’ defense. His showing on Sunday night against the Steelers was his best yet, setting career highs across the board in PFF grade, run-defense grade (63.8) and coverage grade (76.0). In coverage, Mickens permitted just one reception for two yards while also recording his second NFL interception. In fact, Mickens has as many interceptions on the season as catches allowed into his coverage.
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