- Tyler Shough led the Saints‘ upset over the Buccaneers: The 40th overall pick delivered an 83.7 overall PFF grade in New Orleans' victory.
- Josaiah Stewart flashed for the Rams: The Michigan product posted a 29.4% pass-rush win rate in LA's dominant outing.
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Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
We’ve reached the point in the NFL season where every team has hit its bye week, as everyone races for control of their playoff destinies. That also means that rookies can no longer really be considered newbies as they get their first taste of consistent December football.
We’re going to look at the best rookies by position from Week 14. A reminder that in order to qualify for this list, a player must have played at least 10 snaps.
Quarterback: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints – 83.7
The Buccaneers are fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive, but Tyler Shough and the Saints had other ideas as they pulled off the 24-20 upset. The rookie second-rounder out of Louisville had his best game as a pro and potentially has the organization rethinking the idea of taking a quarterback at the top of the first round of the 2026 draft.
Since being named the starter, Shough has posted a 70.0-plus PFF passing grade in four of the six starts, with another culminating in a 69.8 mark. Against Tampa Bay, Shough completed 15-of-22 passes for 157 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. However, the pick came on a miscommunication where the receiver ran a hitch route, while Shough threw a go.
Running Back: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders – 87.9
I almost made an executive decision here to give this spot to RJ Harvey, who posted an 86.5 PFF grade and played 40 more snaps than Croseky-Merritt. However, rules are rules, and the man they call “Bill” played enough snaps to qualify.
Croskey-Merritt carried the ball seven times for 32 yards and also forced two missed tackles. Moreover, 21 of his 32 yards came after contact.
Wide Receiver: Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears – 76.3
Despite the loss to the hated Packers, Burden had a solid showing. All four of his receptions resulted in first downs for 67 yards, his second-highest output of the season.
Wide Receiver: Tai Felton, Minnesota Vikings – 73.9
Sunday was just the third time all season the former third-rounder out of Maryland saw offensive snaps, but Felton was effective. He caught his only target for 10 yards and a first down, which came on a screen pass.
Wide Receiver: Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans – 65.2
In what ended up being a surprising shootout, Dike made his presence felt on the scoreboard. While he only totaled 24 receiving yards on five receptions, two of those went for a first down while also recording his third receiving touchdown on the season. Dike’s output helped the Titans win their second game of the year.
Tight End: Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns – 88.9
After David Njoku went down early due to injury, the onus fell on Fannin to step up — and step up he did. The rookie out of Bowling Green caught nine of his 11 targets for a career-high 122 yards and a touchdown while putting up an elite 90.3 PFF receiving grade.
Offensive Tackle: Kelvin Banks Jr., New Orleans Saints – 79.9
The Buccaneers have one of the toughest pass-rush units to face in terms of talent and scheme, yet Banks looked like a seasoned vet, allowing just two pressures on 26 pass-blocking snaps. He was even better as a run blocker with an 80.9 figure.
In fact, on inside zone runs, Banks carried a 90.5 grade. This isn’t a small sample size either, as 18 of the Saints’ 32 runs were inside zone.
Offensive Tackle: Armand Membou, New York Jets – 75.2
It was another tough outing for the Jets, but Membou continues to put up strong performances despite the team’s lack of success. In the blowout loss to the Dolphins, Membou compiled grades over 70.0 in both pass protection and as a run-blocker. Like Banks, Membou was dominant on inside zone plays, carrying a 94.9 PFF run-blocking grade on seven such runs.
Interior Offensive Line: Tate Ratledge, Detroit Lions – 79.3
In a Thursday night shootout with the Cowboys, Ratledge played one of his best games as a pro, posting grades over 76.0 both as a pass- and run-blocker. On 40 pass-blocking snaps, Ratledge was only beaten once, and it didn’t result in pressure. Like the tackles on this list, Ratledge was a force as an inside zone run-blocker, boasting an 87.3 grade on six such runs.
Interior Offensive Line: Dylan Fairchild, Cincinnati Bengals – 76.9
The Bills’ defensive line has given teams fits throughout the season, but Fairchild more than held his own. He allowed just one pressure on 42 pass-blocking snaps for a 77.9 grade in that field. The Georgia product was also a key contributor in the run game with a 73.0 grade.
Interior Offensive Line: Caleb Rogers, Las Vegas Raiders – 74.7
After making his season debut last week against the Chargers, Rogers saw a significant uptick in playing time, appearing on 51 snaps after having logged 17 all season prior to Week 14. Rogers was particularly good in pass protection, only losing two reps on 41 pass-blocking snaps with neither resulting in pressure.
Edge Defender: Josaiah Stewart, Los Angeles Rams – 83.5
After a shaky outing against the Panthers, the Rams got back on track with a big win over the Cardinals. Stewart was particularly dominant, especially as a pass rusher. He recorded three pressures with three additional pass-rush wins on 17 such snaps for a 29.4% win rate and a career-high 82.7 PFF pass-rush grade.
Edge Defender: JT Tuimoloau, Indianapolis Colts – 73.8
The Colts continued their recent struggles in Jacksonville, but Tuimoloau experienced the best game of his young career in the loss. A big part of his success was him shattering his previous career-best performance in run defense with a 78.9 grade.
Tuimoloau recorded stops on both of his run-defense tackles, with his average depth of tackle being a yard behind the line of scrimmage. Additionally, 28.6% of his 14 run-defense snaps received a positive grade.
Defensive Interior: Tyleik Williams, Detroit Lions – 79.6
Williams continues his steady improvement with a career-best performance in the Lions’ bounce-back victory over the Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. Williams recorded two pressures on 11 pass-rushing snaps for an 18.2% win rate, his highest figure of the year alongside an 83.2 PFF pass-rush grade.
Defensive Interior: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Minnesota Vikings – 76.7
A former fifth-rounder out of Georgia, Ingram-Dawkins makes his debut on this list after contributing to the Vikings’ shutout victory over the Commanders. Ingram-Dawkins’ presence was most felt as a run defender, recording a career-best 71.9 grade on eight such snaps. A quarter of those received a positive grade, and he also added a pressure as a pass rusher.
Linebacker: Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns – 81.7
Despite points being easy to come by in the Browns’ loss to the Titans, Schwesinger generated the second-highest PFF grade of his young career — thanks to a strong performance across the board in run defense (74.0 grade), as a pass rusher (77.1) and in coverage (69.4). His pass-rushing was particularly efficient, as Schwesinger recorded pressure on four of his seven rushes.
Linebacker: Danny Stutsman, New Orleans Saints – 71.8
Stutsman is a run-defense specialist, as reflected by 12 of his 14 defensive snaps coming against the run against the Buccaneers. However, it’s also what he’s best at. Stutsman carries a 79.4 PFF run-defense grade on the season, including a 71.5 figure against the Buccaneers.
Cornerback: Marcus Harris, Tennessee Titans – 74.1
Despite Shedeur Sanders carving up the Titans’ defense with over 300 passing yards, the damage did not come at the expense of Tennessee’s sixth-round rookie. Harris surrendered just one reception into his coverage on three targets for 14 yards and a 76.5 PFF coverage grade.
Cornerback: Nohl Williams, Kansas City Chiefs – 72.1
The Chiefs have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL this season, but they may have found a third-round gem in Williams. Despite limited playing time, Williams has experienced three games with PFF coverage grades over 90.0. His performance against the Texans wasn’t quite that stellar, but he still put up a solid 73.7 PFF coverage grade on 34 such snaps.
Cornerback: Jahdae Barron, Denver Broncos – 64.5
Despite being the first cornerback off the board not named Travis Hunter, it’s been an up-and-down rookie year for Jahdae Barron, as his role has more or less been as an extra defensive back in obvious passing situations. Indeed, 179 of his 255 snaps this year have been in coverage. Against the Raiders, Barron allowed a reception on all four of his targets — but he never got burned, giving up just 32 yards.
Safety: Kevin Winston Jr., Tennessee Titans – 85.9
Since Week 8, Winston has become a regular fixture on the Titans’ defense, and Sunday’s win over the Browns was his best outing yet. Despite being a defensive back, Winston has been elite in his few pass-rushing opportunities. On 19 pass rushes this season, he’s tallied six pressures, adding two more this past weekend.
He was also strong as a run defender, posting an 80.8 grade with both of his tackles resulting in a tackle for loss.
Safety: Jordan Hancock, Buffalo Bills – 69.1
Hancock has almost exclusively been used as an extra defensive back in clear passing situations, as he’s only had to defend the run on 13 of his 106 snaps this season. But, he’s been very steady in his role in coverage. That trend continued in the Bills’ win over the Bengals, as he allowed just one reception into his coverage for four yards.
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