Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels leads the offense, while the Rams’ Jared Verse shines on defense

QUARTERBACK

Jayden Daniels, Washington commanders

Daniels capped this off with a fantastic rookie season, right up there with the best we’ve ever seen. He finished fifth overall in our quarterback rankings and led the Commanders to a seemingly unlikely playoff spot.

RUN BACK

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Although Irving was the sixth back pick in the 2024 draft, he finished the year not only as the highest-rated rookie running back, but also fourth overall. He also made it into the top 5 with a receiving grade that was only surpassed by David Montgomery. The Bucs struck gold with Irving and he was instrumental in their push into the playoffs late in the season.

WIDE RECEIVER

Malik Nabers, New York Giants; Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars; And Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers

Of the three big receivers drafted, Nabers made the biggest impression despite some inconsistent quarterback play. With a top-10 finish, he had the highest grade of any rookie receiver. Although he was the clear No. 1, it was a three-way battle for the remaining two spots, and Marvin Harrison Jr. was the man to miss. Still, all signs point to this being a historic draft class.

Tight end

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Bowers set records for a rookie tight end by having a great debut season. His overall grade was third only among all tight ends Trey McBride And George Kittle. Not bad company at all.

TACKS

JC Latham, Tennessee Titans And Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers

On the left it was between Latham and Taliese Fuaga. Latham was a bit more consistent and showed long-term starter potential. The right side was an easier choice as Alt showed why such a high pick was invested in him. Getting into the top 20 in all tackles as a rookie is no easy task.

GUARDIAN

Jackson Powers Johnson, Las Vegas Raiders And Dominick Puni, San Francisco 49ers

In a disappointing year for the 49ers, Puni was a standout. He placed 11th overall in the run-blocking class, which was particularly impressive. On the left side, Powers-Johnson gets the nod almost by default, as no other rookie has played more than 350 snaps on the left side. He performed well enough for a rookie, earning a solid grade of 66.4.

CENTER

Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh Steelers

Aside from a few difficult games, Frazier was an instant hit for the Steelers, as his overall grade of 76.8 ranked sixth among all centers. That’s a pretty decent return for the 51st overall pick.

EDGE DEFENDER

Jared verse, Los Angeles Rams And Hack Robinson, Miami Dolphins

Because of his monstrous rookie year, it was easy for him to choose Verse, as 77 points of total pressure is a lot for any player, but a huge number for a rookie, helping him get his pass rush grade up to ninth Overall rank for edge defenders. Choose between Robinson and Laiatu Latu was more difficult, but a stronger second half of the season gave the Dolphin a lead.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

T’Vondre sweat, Tennessee Titans And Braden Fiske, Los Angeles Rams

We didn’t see any fireworks from the rookies here, but Sweat showed long-term starter potential due to some good work against the run. Fiske, on the other hand, struggled against the run, but his performance rushing the passer got him selected.

LINE BACKER

Edgerrin Cooper, Green Bay Packers And Payton Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

The rookie linebackers showed a lot of potential, but Cooper and Wilson were the standouts. No rookie linebacker was every down player every week of the season, but there was plenty to see. Cooper was particularly impressive as he was able to handle more and more loads as the season progressed.

CORNERBACKS

Jarrian Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars; Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles; And Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles

It’s hard to find a good corner in the draft, let alone two. DeJean starred in the slot, while Mitchell and Jones had standout seasons on our show Expanded coverage metric.

SECURITIES

Evan Williams, Green Bay Packers And Malik Mustapha, San Francisco 49ers

There was a lot to be excited about in this group, but the lack of consistency and playing time made this one of the more difficult selections. In the end, the players like it Dell Pettus And Dadrion Taylor Demerson miss out due to playing time as Williams and Mustapha do just enough.

KICKER

Cam Little, Jacksonville Jaguars

Little was a standout thanks to his 93.1% field goal percentage, including five of six from beyond 50 yards.

PLAYER

Ryan Rehkow, Cincinnati Bengals

Rekhow held back Tory Taylor due to his superior punting score.

RETURNS

Brandon Codrington, Buffalo Bills

No rookie would score a return touchdown that year, but we still saw enough from Codrington to give him that award despite some poor punts.

SPECIAL TEAMER

Sione Vaki, Detroit Lions

Vaki ranked fourth among special teamers with at least 200 total snaps, easily the best of all rookies.