- Walter Nolen looks like a star for the Cardinals: In Arizona's loss, Nolen generated a gaudy 37.5% pass-rush win rate.
- Colston Loveland is an engine for the Bears‘ success: The tight end snagged three of his four targets, including a late third-down conversion.
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Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
Week 11 is in the books. With the playoff picture looking clearer by the week, we have some impact playmakers making a big difference in just their debut NFL seasons.
This week, we’re going to look at the best rookies at each position. A reminder that in order to qualify for this list, a player must have played at least 10 snaps.
Quarterback: Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans – 57.2
It was an up-and-down performance for the former top pick in the draft, as Ward nearly led the Titans to an upset over the division rival Texans. Ward completed 24-of-39 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown while adding two big-time throws but also committed two turnover-worthy plays for a 53.8 PFF passing grade. However, Ward was much better with his legs, rushing for 33 yards on three attempts — two of which were converted into first downs — for a 70.6 PFF rushing grade.
Running Back: Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars – 78.1
The former fourth-round pick out of Virginia Tech makes his debut on this list as a big contributor to the Jaguars’ blowout win over the Chargers. Tuten set career highs across the board by carrying the ball 15 times for 57 yards, eight of which resulted in first downs. Tuten also forced five missed tackles while rushing for his third touchdown on the season and a 76.4 PFF rushing grade.
Wide Receiver: Jacoby Jones, Washington Commanders – 92.1
The undrafted rookie out of UCF barely played enough snaps (11) to qualify for this list, but he made them count. Jones caught his only target for 25 yards but was also stellar as a run blocker, carrying an 86.4 grade.
Wide Receiver: Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers – 77.2
Sunday’s overtime win over the Falcons was a career day for the former eighth overall pick, setting new watermarks by catching eight of 10 targets for 130 yards and two scores. Seven of McMillan’s eight receptions resulted in first downs, and he had a perfect receiver rating when targeted. A high first-down conversion rate continues to be a trend for McMillan, as 80% of his receptions have moved the sticks.
Wide Receiver: Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans – 76.8
This is now back-to-back weeks with Higgins posting PFF grades over 75.0 after no such instances in the first eight games of his career. In the Texans’ win over the Titans, Higgins caught four of his eight targets for 55 yards, three of which resulted in first downs.
Tight End: Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears – 80.0
Loveland has had some bad luck with making this list, as Sunday’s win over Minnesota was the third time he’s recorded a PFF game grade of at least 80.0 — yet this is the first time he’s been the highest-graded rookie tight end. Loveland was strong across the board in Minneapolis, catching three of his four targets for 40 yards — which included a clutch conversion on third-and-13 late in the fourth quarter. Loveland was also solid as a blocker, posting a 70.2 PFF pass-blocking and 68.2 run-blocking grades.
Offensive Tackle: Armand Membou, New York Jets – 77.8
Membou continues to be a bright spot for a Jets team that has struggled mightily this season. Despite the loss, he turned in another big performance against the Patriots on Thursday. Membou notched grades of at least 75.0 both in pass protection and as a run blocker, allowing just one pressure all night to go along with three positively-graded run blocks.
Offensive Tackle: Josh Conerly Jr., Washington Commanders – 74.3
Conerly has had some struggles in pass protection this year, as he carries a 51.3 grade in that regard on the season. At the same time, Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins was one of his better showings. Conerly compiled a 63.5 PFF pass-blocking grade, his third consecutive week with that number being over 60.0 while allowing just two pressures. He was much better as a run blocker, though, securing a 78.7 grade on inside zone runs and 82.2 on outside zone runs — the two of which comprised 56% of the team’s run concepts.
Interior Offensive Line: Jared Wilson, New England Patriots – 74.4
While TreVeyon Henderson may have been the Patriots rookie everyone was talking about after Thursday with his three-touchdown performance, he likely wouldn’t have gotten there without the performance of fellow Day 2 pick Jared Wilson. Wilson crushed his previous career-best 64.8 PFF grade, as his Week 11 efforts were aided by a career-high 67.1 PFF run-blocking grade and a stellar 84.5 PFF pass-blocking grade. Wilson didn’t surrender a single pressure and was only beaten once on 40 pass-blocking snaps.
Interior Offensive Line: Donovan Jackson, Minnesota Vikings – 73.7
Jackson continues to be a bright spot on the Vikings’ offensive line, particularly in pass protection: Sunday marked his third straight game with that grade being over 70.0. Week 11 was Jackson’s best appearance of the bunch, as he carried an 82.9 PFF pass-blocking grade — only giving up one pressure on 33 pass-blocking snaps.
Interior Offensive Line: Dylan Fairchild, Cincinnati Bengals – 57.3
Like the other two interior linemen on this list, Fairchild was at his best in pass protection this week, though he faced much stiffer competition in the vaunted Steelers defensive line. Fairchild allowed three pressures on 42 pass-blocking snaps for a 72.0 grade, making it back-to-back weeks with him going over 70.0.
Edge Defender: Danny Striggow, Jacksonville Jaguars – 70.7
Striggow only played 10 snaps in the Jaguars’ win over the Chargers, but the undrafted rookie out of Minnesota made the most of them. Striggow generated a 33.3% pass-rush win rate that included him registering his first NFL sack.
Edge Defender: Jalon Walker, Atlanta Falcons – 69.5
The Falcons’ top draft choice had another encouraging outing in their overtime loss to the Panthers, particularly in run defense — where he registered a 74.8 grade. In Week 11, 25% of his run-defense snaps received a positive grade, including a stop. As a pass rusher, Walker only recorded two pressures to go along with an additional pass-rush win, though one of those resulted in Bryce Young hitting the turf.
Defensive Interior: Walter Nolen, Arizona Cardinals – 90.3
After missing the first half of the season due to injury, Walter Nolen has been dominant in his limited action, with his best work coming in the Cardinals’ loss to the 49ers on Sunday. Nolen recorded a 37.5% pass-rush win rate, a ridiculous figure for a player that primarily lines up on the interior — including four pressures and three additional pass-rush victories. He was also stingy against the run, collecting a tackle for loss on just seven run-defense snaps and a 75.3 grade.
Defensive Interior: Deone Walker, Buffalo Bills – 84.6
After a disappointing showing against the Dolphins, the Bills needed a bounceback in the worst way against a tough Buccaneers team. Deone Walker’s performance was a big reason the team was able to answer the call. Walker was a brick wall in run defense, delivering a career-high 80.2 grade in that field on 23 snaps — 21.7% of which received positive grades, with zero negatives.
Linebacker: Teddye Buchanan, Baltimore Ravens – 80.2
After a shaky start to his career, particularly in coverage, Buchanan has racked up back-to-back strong performances — this time setting career highs in both PFF and coverage grade (79.7). Buchanan allowed just two receptions on three targets for 27 yards that also included his first career forced incompletion and a stop.
Linebacker: Demetrius Knight Jr., Cincinnati Bengals – 60.0
The former second-rounder out of South Carolina has been thrown to the wolves his rookie year on a Bengals defense that has struggled to stop anybody, but his Week 11 performance against the Steelers gave cause for some optimism. Knight was at his best defending the run, posting a career-high 64.0 grade on 15 such snaps. This is a big step forward for him considering his run-defense grade on the year is just 29.5.
Cornerback: Cobee Bryant, Atlanta Falcons – 78.7
The undrafted rookie out of Kansas saw his first action on defense in the Falcons’ overtime loss to the Panthers, but was excellent in coverage in his limited snap share. Bryant yielded just two receptions for eight yards, both of which resulted in stops. That was good for an 88.8 PFF coverage grade.
Cornerback: Nick Emmanwori, Seattle Seahawks – 78.2
We’ve had Emmanwori listed as a safety in the past, but considering the fact that 235 of his snaps have come at corner — as opposed to just six at safety — we figured the change was warranted. That being said, he continues to look like a major hit for this Seahawks draft class. Emmanwori had the best coverage day of his young career, recording an 85.2 grade while permitting just one reception for five yards.
Cornerback: Jason Marshall Jr., Miami Dolphins – 75.0
The former fifth-rounder out of Florida has been picked on quite a bit this season, as evidenced by his 41.0 PFF coverage grade. However, Marshall nearly doubled that number in the Dolphins’ win over the Commanders with an 81.0 figure on 11 coverage snaps. Marshall surrendered just one reception for three yards and added a forced incompletion for just a 56.3 passer rating against.
Safety: Malachi Moore, New York Jets – 69.2
As his playing time has gone up, Moore has rewarded the Jets’ faith in him by nearly playing his fourth 70.0-graded game in his last five contests. Against the Patriots on Thursday night, Moore set a career high with a 70.5 PFF coverage grade, allowing just one reception for five yards and adding a forced incompletion to the mix. Moore has also been a reliable tackler, only missing three attempts all season and none since Week 5 against the Cowboys.
Safety: Kevin Winston Jr., Tennessee Titans – 68.9
Winston was considered a potential first-round pick in the 2025 Draft until an ACL injury caused him to fall to the third round. The Titans seem to be reaping the rewards for their patience with him, as he put together a promising performance in his first game with significant playing time. Winston was at his best against the run, collecting a 73.8 grade on 22 such snaps — including two stops from his safety position.
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