NFL1000: Rookie Review from Week 15

When the Falcons selected safety Keanu Neal with the 17th pick in the 2016 NFL draft, the hope was that he would serve the same role in Atlanta’s defense that Kam Chancellor did in Seattle when Falcons head coach Dan Quinn was the defensive coordinator there.

So far, mission accomplished.

Neal, who's played at a high level all season, is our top-ranked rookie for Week 15 after his stellar game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Neal allowed five catches on nine targets for 68 yards and patrolled the short and intermediate area of the defense with authority, limiting his receivers to 17 yards after the catch and adding eight tackles. Between Neal and linebackers Deion Jones (ranked 15th overall among rookies this week) and De'Vondre Campbell (ranked 48th), there's no doubt that the Falcons have the beginnings of the kind of defense that could eventually match their explosive offense and put them in contention for years.

It's no surprise that the Falcons are getting younger and better on defense—we've been tracking their exploits all season—but recent upticks from rookies on the Indianapolis Colts roster have to be encouraging for fans of a team whose general manager, Ryan Grigson, has had more than his share of whiffs in the draft. Indianapolis has four rookies in this week's Top 50.

Center Ryan Kelly has become a crucial force on the inconsistent offensive line, safety T.J. Green has improved in underneath coverage (now, about that tackling...), right tackle Le'Raven Clark hasn't allowed a sack in 74 snaps this season and looked solid in his first NFL start against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and linebacker Antonio Morrison had a career-high three stops in his first NFL start against the Vikings. It's a step forward for a team that must do something to support the rare talents of Andrew Luck with roster balance.

Another team on the rise with young talent is the Tennessee Titans, who are competing with the Colts for the AFC South title one year after finishing 3-13. General manager Jon Robinson had the benefit of high draft slots over the past couple of years, but one still has to get things done with one's draft picks—and he is doing just that.

Fifth-round cornerback LeShaun Sims allowed just one catch for four yards on five targets against the Kansas City Chiefs last week, right tackle Jack Conklin (ranked fifth this week) has been this year's best rookie offensive lineman, and running back Derrick Henry (ranked 18th) gained 58 yards and scored two touchdowns in Tennessee's impressive win.

Robinson also has the Rams' first- and third-round picks in the 2017 draft as a result of the trade that netted Los Angeles the first overall pick in 2016, and he's proved that he understands what to do with draft capital.

It was a great week for many of the NFL's first-year players. Here's how we saw their performances.

Advanced stats provided by Pro Football Focus. Cornerback stats charted by B/R scouts.

Biggest Movers Heading into Week 16

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

How do you quantify the effect of the low-drafted or undrafted star? How do you chart the progress of those rookies who are struggling to make their way regardless of their draft position? With the weekly NFL1000 Rookie Review, we'll look to do both of those things while keeping track of the highly touted stars of the 2016 draft. Part of that process is to align players with their draft positions relative to their on-field performance. 

It's what NFL teams do, and it's what we'll do.

Our Week 15 Rookie Review reveals a number of players who have taken major steps forward in their professional development. 

1. LeShaun Sims, CB, Tennessee Titans

2016 Draft Position: 157 (fifth round, 20th pick)

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 3

What Happened: It's taken the fifth-rounder from Southern Utah a while to get serious reps in Tennessee's defense, but against the Chiefs last week Sims showed that he belongs in the big time. As Jason McCourty's replacement, he allowed one catch for four yards on five targets and picked off Alex Smith.

2. Jalen Ramsey, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars

2016 Draft Position: 5 (first round, fifth pick)

Rank Last Week: 82

Rank This Week: 6

What Happened: It's been an up-and-down season for the Florida State star, but Ramsey had perhaps his best career game against the Texans as Houston's quarterback situation imploded. Ramsey took on DeAndre Hopkins all day, allowing just three catches on 12 targets while adding four pass breakups and an interception.

3. Drew Kaser, P, San Diego Chargers

2016 Draft Position: 179 (sixth round, fourth pick)

Rank Last Week: 117

Rank This Week: 7

What Happened: Kaser had been struggling with inconsistency in recent weeks, but he was outstanding against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. He improved his hang time considerably, booming five punts for a 54.8-yard gross and a 48.6 net average. That got the rookie our highest ranking overall at his position.

4. Andrew Adams, FS, New York Giants

2016 Draft Position: UDFA

Rank Last Week: 83

Rank This Week: 14

What Happened: The rich get richer, as Big Blue's secondary takes step after step to becoming the best in the NFL. Cornerback Eli Apple has shown a lot of progress of late, but don't sleep on Adams, the undrafted rookie from Connecticut who's taken a ton of snaps this season (676 to date) and allowed two catches for 11 yards against the Detroit Lions' high-flying offense.

5. Brennan Scarlett, 3-4 OLB, Houston Texans

2016 Draft Position: UDFA

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 22

What Happened: The Texans were without Whitney Mercilus and John Simon for their game against the Jaguars, but they did have the undrafted Scarlett, who was activated off injured reserve and looked great against the run opposite Jadeveon Clowney. Scarlett amassed two tackles and two stops and gave Houston's coaching staff the impression that he's ready to help provide depth along the defensive line.

Top 50 Rookies Overall from Week 15

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Our Week 15 Top 50 rookie rankings are based on game-tape evaluation. We can now see how they shake out against preseason grades and expectations. Here's how things stand this week.

Top 50 Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	NFL1000 Score	LW	Moving
1	Keanu Neal	SS	ATL	17	81	9	↑
2	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	DAL	4	79	10	↑
3	LeShaun Sims	CB	TEN	157	76	33	↑
4	Jordan Howard	RB	CHI	150	76	16	↑
5	Jack Conklin	RT	TEN	8	76	12	↑
6	Jalen Ramsey	CB	JAX	5	76	NR	↑
7	Drew Kaser	P	SD	179	76	NR	↑
8	Ronnie Stanley	LT	BAL	6	75	6	↓
9	Ryan Kelly	C	IND	18	75	13	↑
10	Jatavis Brown	ILB	SD	175	75	NR	↑
11	Taylor Decker	LT	DET	16	75	11	↔
12	Dak Prescott	QB	DAL	135	74	NR	↑
13	Eli Apple	CB	NYG	10	74	NR	↑
14	Andrew Adams	FS	NYG	UDFA	73	NR	↑
15	Deion Jones	ILB	ATL	52	73	1	↓
16	Sean Davis	SS	PIT	58	73	NR	↑
17	Wil Lutz	K	NO	UDFA	73	18	↑
18	Derrick Henry	RB	TEN	45	72	26	↑
19	Dwayne Washington	RB	DET	236	72	31	↑
20	Joey Bosa	3-4 DE	SD	3	72	47	↑
21	DeAndre Washington	RB	OAK	UDFA	72	NR	↑
22	Brennan Scarlett	3-4 OLB	HOU	UDFA	71	NR	↑
23	T.J. Green	FS	IND	57	71	NR	↑
24	Le'Raven Clark	RT	IND	82	71	NR	↑
25	DeForest Buckner	3-4 DE	SF	7	71	20	↓
26	Paul Perkins	RB	NYG	149	71	43	↑
27	Roberto Aguayo	K	TB	59	71	19	↓
28	Michael Thomas	WR	NO	47	70	NR	↑
29	Cody Whitehair	C	CHI	56	70	17	↓
30	Antonio Morrison	ILB	IND	125	70	NR	↑
31	Deon Bush	SS	CHI	124	70	45	↑
32	Jalen Richard	RB	OAK	UDFA	70	24	↓
33	Artie Burns	CB	PIT	25	70	NR	↑
34	Joe Haeg	OG	IND	155	69	NR	↑
35	Noah Spence	4-3 DE	TB	39	69	7	↓
36	Sterling Shepard	WR	NYG	40	69	30	↓
37	Kenneth Dixon	RB	BAL	134	69	8	↓
38	Justin Simmons	FS	DEN	98	69	NR	↑
39	Will Parks	SS	DEN	219	69	NR	↑
40	Robby Anderson	WR	NYJ	UDFA	69	44	↑
41	Robert Kelley	RB	WAS	UDFA	69	22	↓
42	Joshua Garnett	OG	SF	28	68	36	↓
43	Shaq Lawson	3-4 OLB	BUF	19	68	NR	↑
44	Isaac Seumalo	RT	PHI	79	68	25	↓
45	Nick Vigil	ILB	CIN	87	68	NR	↑
46	Kenyan Drake	RB	MIA	73	68	NR	↑
47	Michael Pierce	DT	BAL	UDFA	67	NR	↑
48	De'Vondre Campbell	4-3 OLB	ATL	115	67	NR	↑
49	Romeo Okwara	4-3 DE	NYG	UDFA	67	NR	↑
50	Dean Lowry	3-4 DE	GB	137	67	28	↓

Quarterbacks

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Frustration with the Philadelphia Eagles' Carson Wentz has continued to grow since his fast start to the season.

Wentz hasn't changed much, but he's been asked to do more from the pocket while throwing the ball downfield. His flaws were exposed immediately against the Baltimore Ravens.

Wentz planted his feet and stared down a receiver as pressure came before reacting poorly to that pressure so the ball went straight to a linebacker. He had another bad interception on an underthrown ball targeting Eric Weddle's receiver, but it was erased by a penalty away from the play.

Wentz regularly overthrew passes and the final drive of the game was carried by pass interference penalties. His penchant for planting his feet and staring down his receivers is a major concern. 

The Rams' Jared Goff did a lot of good against the Seattle Seahawks last Thursday. The problem was all that good was negated by woeful accuracy.

Goff had a slight underthrow on a potential touchdown early and followed that by missing receivers wildly throughout. His worst miss came when he had a tight end wide open in the end zone, wasn't under pressure and was only 10 yards away.

Goff's feet were a disaster, which led to the ball being thrown behind and into the ground as his teammate made a fruitless dive backward.

Dak Prescott gave the Dallas Cowboys more reasons to be excited on Sunday night than he had over the past month. Prescott was more aggressive and more accurate pushing the ball downfield, especially later in the game, but he also showed off the same limitations when behind the down-and-distance for much of the game.

The Cowboys know the talent and ability are there, but they need Prescott to show it more consistently when put in difficult situations.

Grading Scale

• Acc: Accuracy (Graded out of 25)
• Arm: Arm Strength (Graded out of 25)
• Press: Pressure/Run Threat (Graded out of 20) (Pressure weighted at 15, run threat at 5)
• Dec: Decision-Making (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie QB Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Acc	Arm	Press	Dec	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Dak Prescott	DAL	16	19	15	14	10	74	2	↑
2	Jared Goff	LA	9	17	13	13	10	62	3	↑
3	Carson Wentz	PHI	11	17	11	10	10	59	1	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Dak Prescott

Week 15 stats: 32-of-36, 279 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions; 4 carries, 20 rushing yards, 1 TD

As the Cowboys put more and more on Prescott's plate, he continues to display an impressive understanding of the complexities of his position. Prescott has the potential to be among the NFL's better deep passers and is better under pressure than many anticipated. 

Carson Wentz

Week 15 stats: 22-of-42, 170 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception; 4 carries, 8 rushing yards, 1 TD

Wentz's regression has been just as puzzling as Prescott's ascent has been impressive. There was a time early in the season when it seemed that the two rookies were head-to-head in a developmental sense. But Wentz's relative inexperience and lack of reps against stronger collegiate defenses may be coming home to roost. Once opponents started to figure out head coach Doug Pederson's simple passing game plan, Wentz was forced to make things happen on his own and diagnose more complex concepts. To date, he's appeared unprepared to do so.

Running Backs

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Ezekiel Elliott was dominant against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night.

He ran by, around and through defenders all game. His explosive downhill quickness and power on contact are special attributes. If the Cowboys are going to make a run in the playoffs, they will need Elliott to duplicate performances like his on Sunday night. 

The Bears' Jordan Howard has separated himself as the second-best rookie running back in 2016. He was excellent down the stretch in a tight game against the Green Bay Packers, running hard and making plays. His play speed is great, and his ability to break tackles is impressive for a young player. He is easily the biggest bright spot on a bad Chicago team.

Tennessee's Derrick Henry had one of his most productive games of the season, helping to spell DeMarco Murray while averaging over six yards a carry. He looks much more comfortable in the offense and should help contribute as the Titans make a playoff push.

Both Raiders rookies were very good against the Chargers, with DeAndre Washington making his return from a knee injury. Washington proved Sunday that he has a role in this offense and should continue to get carries between the tackles. He is a solid inside runner for a smaller back, while Jalen Richard excels in the passing game. Both players should expect to see touches in the playoffs.

Fullbacks: Andy Janovich is on injured reserve, which has negatively affected the Broncos' running game. The Chargers fell behind early and never could get a consistent run game to make sure Derek Watt got enough offensive snaps to be evaluated.

Grading Scale

• In: Inside Running (Graded out of 25)
• Out: Outside Running (Graded out of 25)
• Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 20)
• Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie RB Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	In	Out	Rec	Blk	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	21	19	16	17	6	79	2	↑
2	Jordan Howard	CHI	19	18	17	16	6	76	3	↑
3	Derrick Henry	TEN	18	17	15	16	6	72	6	↑
4	Dwayne Washington	DET	18	16	16	16	6	72	8	↑
5	DeAndre Washington	OAK	18	16	16	16	6	72	NR	↑
6	Paul Perkins	NYG	18	16	16	15	6	71	10	↑
7	Jalen Richard	OAK	17	16	16	15	6	70	5	↓
8	Kenneth Dixon	BAL	17	16	15	15	6	69	1	↓
9	Robert Kelley	WAS	17	14	16	16	6	69	4	↓
10	Kenyan Drake	MIA	16	15	15	16	6	68	NR	↑
11	Byron Marshall	PHI	16	14	15	15	6	66	NR	↑
12	Josh Ferguson	IND	15	14	15	15	6	65	NR	↑
13	Jonathan Williams	BUF	15	14	15	15	6	65	NR	↑
14	Alex Collins	SEA	15	14	15	14	6	64	9	↓
15	Devontae Booker	DEN	15	13	15	14	6	63	11	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Wendell Smallwood—injury
• C.J. Prosise—injury
• Andy Janovich—injury
• Derek Watt—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Ezekiel Elliott

Week 15 stats: 23 carries, 159 yards, 1 TD; 3 receptions, 29 yards

Elliott had his most dominant game in weeks. He ran right through Tampa defenders all game, breaking tackles and running hard downhill. He made guys miss and even leaped over a defender. He's just a dynamic player.

Jordan Howard

Week 15 stats: 17 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD; 4 receptions, 23 yards

He was excellent against the Packers, especially in the second half. He ran hard between the tackles and broke tackles most of the game. He was also productive in the passing game.

Derrick Henry

Week 15 stats: 9 carries, 58 yards, 2 TDs

He had his most productive game in a long time. He was explosive, breaking big runs and lowering his shoulder on contact. He displayed the feet against the Chiefs that helped him become a high draft pick.

Wide Receivers

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Michael Thomas continues his fantastic rookie season for the New Orleans Saints after missing the previous week with an injury. Thomas caught a touchdown on a beautiful fade route as he tracked the ball perfectly and made the adjustment.

Like Thomas, the Giants' Sterling Shepard caught a touchdown on a corner route in the end zone. The ball was underthrown, but Shepard came back to the ball and reeled it in for the first score of the game. 

The Rams' Mike Thomas is starting to see more playing time with the first-team offense, but he dropped a sure touchdown on a gorgeous ball from Goff. Thomas beat his man but got nothing to show for it. Thomas will get more looks in the final two games because of his ability to separate down the field. 

Robby Anderson had another big game for the New York Jets, catching four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Tyreek Hill electrified the Arrowhead crowd early with a long touchdown run, when he lined up as a running back and took an inside handoff from quarterback Alex Smith. As a receiver this week, Hill struggled a bit and had a few drops.

Grading Scale

• Route: Route Running (Graded out of 25)
• Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)
• YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)
• Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie WR Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Michael Thomas	NO	18	18	13	12	9	70	NR	↑
2	Sterling Shepard	NYG	18	16	15	11	9	69	2	↔
3	Robby Anderson	NYJ	18	17	13	12	9	69	4	↑
4	Will Fuller V	HOU	17	18	11	12	9	67	6	↑
5	Pharoh Cooper	LA	16	16	13	10	9	64	9	↑
6	Tyler Boyd	CIN	16	15	11	12	9	63	3	↓
7	Malcolm Mitchell	NE	16	15	11	12	9	63	5	↓
8	Chester Rogers	IND	16	16	11	11	9	63	11	↑
9	Wendall Williams	HOU	16	15	11	12	9	63	NR	↑
10	Cody Core	CIN	16	15	11	12	9	63	13	↑
11	Corey Coleman	CLE	15	15	11	12	9	62	8	↓
12	Tajae Sharpe	TEN	15	15	11	11	9	61	14	↑
13	Mike Thomas	LA	17	14	11	10	9	61	7	↓
14	Tyreek Hill	KC	16	13	11	11	9	60	1	↓
15	Charone Peake	NYJ	15	14	11	11	9	60	12	↓
16	Leonte Carroo	MIA	14	14	11	12	9	60	NR	↑
17	Rashard Higgins	CLE	14	14	11	11	9	59	15	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Laquon Treadwell—injury
• Braxton Miller—injury
• Kalif Raymond—inactive
• Alex Erickson—insufficient snaps
• Johnny Holton—insufficient snaps
• Demarcus Robinson—insufficient snaps
• Chris Moore—insufficient snaps
• Ricardo Louis—insufficient snaps
• Jakeem Grant—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Michael Thomas

Week 15 stats: 7 receptions, 52 yards, 1 TD

Thomas has become Drew Brees' go-to target in the red zone. Thomas is proving to be a fantastic fit in the Saints offense.

Sterling Shepard

Week 15 stats: 4 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD

Outside of the touchdown, Shepard had a beautiful catch-and-run down the sideline where he tiptoed the line for 23 yards.

Mike Thomas

Week 15 stats: 1 reception, 6 yards

Thomas got behind the Seahawks defense but dropped an easy touchdown that would've put the Rams ahead early.

Robby Anderson

Week 15 stats: 4 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD

Anderson continued his recent run of success, catching four passes on Saturday night, including a well-executed post route for a 40-yard score. On the route, he was able to get inside leverage against a defender by using a stutter step at the top of his vertical stem.

Tight Ends

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

It was a quiet day for rookie tight ends in the NFC.

The Falcons' Austin Hooper was the only player to make any noise this week as he caught his only target of the game, a nine-yard fade route for a score. Hooper is a good athlete who knows how to track the ball in the air. He used his athleticism and height in the end zone for the score.

Giants rookie Jerell Adams caught three passes for 18 yards and made a nice play after the catch against the Lions. The Giants appear to be grooming him to be their future full-time starter at tight end.

In the AFC, the Chargers' Hunter Henry caught his seventh touchdown of the year against the Raiders. In addition to his work in the passing game, Henry continues to develop as a blocker.

With C.J. Fiedorowicz injured, Stephen Anderson saw more snaps for the Texans this week and had one catch for seven yards. 

Grading Scale

• Route: Route Running (Graded out of 20)
• Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)
• YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)
• Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 25)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie TE Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Hunter Henry	SD	14	16	11	19	6	66	1	↔
2	Jerell Adams	NYG	13	16	15	16	6	66	7	↑
3	Austin Hooper	ATL	14	17	11	17	6	65	3	↔
4	Stephen Anderson	HOU	12	14	11	16	6	59	5	↑
5	Seth DeValve	CLE	11	14	11	17	6	59	NR	↑
6	Alex Ellis	JAX	11	14	11	16	6	58	2	↓
7	Nick Vannett	SEA	11	12	10	17	6	56	4	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Thomas Duarte—inactive
• Temarrick Hemingway—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Austin Hooper

Week 15 stats: 1 reception, 9 yards, 1 TD

Hooper caught a fade route for a score in a blowout win against the 49ers.

Jerell Adams

Week 15 stats: 3 receptions, 18 yards

Adams was quiet against Detroit but made a nice play in the open field to gain 11 yards.

Hunter Henry

Week 15 stats: 3 receptions, 37 yards, 1 TD

Henry is making a name for himself as a player who simply catches touchdowns. The rookie caught his seventh on the season against the Raiders.

Offensive Tackles

Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

Taylor Decker of the Lions notched his 14th straight start, this one coming against a tough Giants defense. Decker was steady in his performance and never did waver from his technique.

The Ravens' Ronnie Stanley started his seventh consecutive game since returning from injury and was stout against the Eagles. Stanley showed competitive toughness and physicality finishing in pass protection and in the running game. 

Jack Conklin notched his 14th start as a pro, and for the second consecutive week it wasn't easy against the Chiefs. He matched up against Justin Houston and Dee Ford most of the contest, and Tennessee made sure Conklin had help. In the running game, Conklin was solid.

The Seahawks' George Fant started against Los Angeles, his eighth straight. Fant continues to show weekly improvement but was outmatched against the pass rush of the Rams. Fant has a lot of work to do to build his pass-protection skill set.

Le'Raven Clark of Indianapolis got his first career start. Clark showed flashes of what he can be, just as he did during his career at Texas Tech. As it was then and as it is now, consistency is a major issue for the rookie.

Philadelphia's Halapoulivaati Vaitai was inactive with a knee injury.

Grading Scale

• OT: Left or Right Tackle Designation
• Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)
• Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)
• Power: Power (Graded out of 20)
• Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie OT Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	OT	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Jack Conklin	TEN	RT	18	21	16	14	7	76	3	↑
2	Ronnie Stanley	BAL	LT	18	18	15	16	8	75	1	↓
3	Taylor Decker	DET	LT	18	18	15	16	8	75	2	↓
4	Le'Raven Clark	IND	RT	18	17	14	15	7	71	NR	↑
5	Isaac Seumalo	PHI	RT	16	17	14	14	7	68	NR	↑
6	George Fant	SEA	LT	14	16	13	14	8	65	4	↓
7	Brandon Shell	NYJ	RT	15	16	14	13	7	65	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Halapoulivaati Vaitai—injury

Notable Performances

Brandon Shell

Week 15 stats: 79 snaps, no sacks, hits or hurries allowed

The Jets have started four different right tackles in 2016. In Week 15, Shell was the man for the job. Shell had his struggles against the Miami Dolphins' explosive defenses and at times was no match for Cameron Wake, but he held up decently overall in his 79 snaps.

Isaac Seumalo

Week 15 stats: 87 snaps, no sacks or hits allowed, 3 hurries allowed

Seumalo started his first game at right tackle for the Eagles; he had started at right guard the week before. Due to injuries to fellow rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai and veteran Allen Barbre—and factoring in the suspension of Lane Johnson, who is set to return in Week 16—the Eagles were not in an ideal situation playing the rookie interior offensive lineman on the edge.

Offensive Guards

Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

It was largely a down week for the rookie guards, with nobody scoring over a 70 overall. Half of the group came in below 66.

Between tough matchups and lingering injuries, this is one of the worst performances we have had this year from what has been a pretty solid group. 

Grading Scale

• Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)
• Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)
• Power: Power (Graded out of 20)
• Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie OG Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Joe Haeg	IND	17	15	14	16	7	69	8	↑
2	Joshua Garnett	SF	15	16	17	13	7	68	3	↑
3	Joe Thuney	NE	11	17	15	16	7	66	7	↑
4	Laremy Tunsil	MIA	15	12	15	16	7	65	5	↑
5	Spencer Drango	CLE	12	14	15	14	7	62	4	↓
6	Germain Ifedi	SEA	13	13	15	13	7	61	6	↔

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Vadal Alexander—inactive

Notable Performances

Joe Thuney

While Thuney struggled in pass protection, he thrived in the quick-hitting run game deployed by Dion Lewis and the New England Patriots. His athletic ability is a natural fit for that type of running game.

Laremy Tunsil

It seems like Tunsil is still nursing an injury, as he struggled to hold blocks in the run game for the Dolphins against the Jets front.

Spencer Drango

The last few weeks have exposed Drango's struggles in pass protection. He has two more games to prove he deserves a shot going forward, and with the Cleveland Browns' injured guards likely returning next year, this may be his best shot at putting good tape out there.

Centers

Al Pereira/Getty Images

In this week's edition of which rookie center held up best, we were faced with three options. This week, Alabama alum Ryan Kelly took the crown by the largest margin we have seen in a few weeks. 

Grading Scale

• Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)
• Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)
• Power: Power (Graded out of 20)
• Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie C Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Ryan Kelly	IND	17	18	17	17	6	75	1	↔
2	Cody Whitehair	CHI	17	15	15	17	6	70	2	↔
3	Graham Glasgow	DET	17	11	13	15	6	62	3	↔

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Ryan Kelly

It was a dominant performance on the ground for the Colts (161 rushing yards), and Kelly helped lead the way for Frank Gore and Robert Turbin.

Cody Whitehair

Whitehair doesn't win with power, as he struggled to consistently clear the A-gap in a physical, cold-weather game against a divisional rival.

3-4 Defensive Ends

Bob Levey/Getty Images

There couldn't be a bigger difference between the rookie classes at 3-4 and 4-3 defensive ends.

On this side, the class is deep with pass-rushers and run defenders, guys who are some of the best at their position already and can win inside and outside. The 4-3 guys are coming along, but there's only a couple to write home about.

If your team needs an immediate impact on the defensive line, the play of the 2016 rookie class suggests the draft may be your way to go. We have a handful of stars from this class. 

Grading Scale

• Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 15)
• Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)
• Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 30)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie 3-4 DE Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Joey Bosa	SD	14	17	20	14	7	72	5	↑
2	DeForest Buckner	SF	11	17	21	15	7	71	1	↓
3	Dean Lowry	GB	10	16	20	14	7	67	2	↓
4	Emmanuel Ogbah	CLE	13	16	18	13	7	67	4	↔
5	Chris Jones	KC	12	15	19	14	7	67	3	↓
6	Ronald Blair	SF	10	16	19	14	7	66	7	↑
7	Robert Nkemdiche	ARI	11	15	18	14	7	65	NR	↑
8	Jonathan Bullard	CHI	10	16	18	14	7	65	6	↓
9	Adolphus Washington	BUF	11	12	19	13	7	62	9	↔
10	Carl Nassib	CLE	11	13	16	13	7	60	8	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Joey Bosa

Week 15 stats: 4 tackles, 1 sack

The Chargers' Bosa had a strong day against the run to go with a handful of QB pressures and a coverage sack to pad the stats. It was his usual impact in a great rookie season.

Emmanuel Ogbah

Week 15 stats: 1 tackle, 1 sack

Ogbah has been turning it up lately, and his sack against Buffalo was a nice display as he played the run fake well, used his length and then turned the corner with a rip move. I don't like when Cleveland kicks him inside as a 5-technique, but when he's a strong-side DE, Ogbah looks like a gem for a team that needs talent.

DeForest Buckner

Week 15 stats: 4 tackles

Buckner may not always show up on the stat sheet for his contributions, but he has made an impact in every game that he's suited up for the 49ers. With little to no help, Buckner is one of the few players with starting talent who play on a squad allowing 424.9 yards per game and 176.3 rushing yards per game, both the most in the NFL. He executed his job against Atlanta, which is why the ball didn't go to him often, but seldom does that mean much statistically when you're surrounded by low-level freelancers on the defensive side of the ball.

4-3 Defensive Ends

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Noah Spence is a rotational pass-rusher with the Buccaneers, while Romero Okwara subs in as a full-time player for the Giants in Jason Pierre-Paul's absence. Yannick Ngakoue of Jacksonville is the team's No. 1 defensive end this year.

Anthony Zettel of Detroit and Morgan Fox of Los Angeles continue to struggle to post entire games of consistent play, but the fact that they're getting on the field is still a significant nod to their talent relative to some other rookies in the league. 

Grading Scale

• Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)
• Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)
• Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 20)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie 4-3 DE Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Snap	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Noah Spence	TB	20	12	15	14	8	69	1	↔
2	Romeo Okwara	NYG	19	13	13	14	8	67	NR	↑
3	Yannick Ngakoue	JAX	20	12	14	12	8	66	2	↓
4	Anthony Zettel	DET	19	12	12	13	8	64	NR	↑
5	Morgan Fox	LA	17	13	13	13	8	64	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Noah Spence

Week 15 stats: 1 quarterback hurry, no tackles

Spence has shown a lot throughout his rookie season, but he got an education against Dallas' peerless offensive line. Spence was relatively stonewalled for his least impactful game in a long time. 

Defensive Tackles

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Ravens' Michael Pierce takes the top spot this week with a dominant showing against the run. Though it didn't show up in the box score as the Eagles used mostly outside runs to accumulate 169 rushing yards, center Jason Kelce had no answer for Pierce's overwhelming power on running plays.

Hassan Ridgeway took advantage of a weak Vikings offensive line. He was key in the Colts' ability to shut down Minnesota's rushing attack. 

Grading Scale

• Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 25)
• Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)
• Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie DT Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Michael Pierce	BAL	15	12	21	12	7	67	9	↑
2	Hassan Ridgeway	IND	16	16	16	11	7	66	3	↑
3	Maliek Collins	DAL	16	15	16	11	7	65	1	↓
4	Jarran Reed	SEA	15	14	18	11	7	65	5	↑
5	Javon Hargrave	PIT	16	14	17	11	7	65	NR	↑
6	Sheldon Rankins	NO	16	15	16	10	7	64	8	↑
7	Vernon Butler	CAR	15	13	17	11	7	63	2	↓
8	Kenny Clark	GB	16	14	15	11	7	63	7	↓
9	D.J. Reader	HOU	15	14	17	10	7	63	NR	↑
10	Sheldon Day	JAX	16	13	15	11	7	62	10	↔
11	Darius Latham	OAK	15	14	15	11	7	62	NR	↑
12	Vincent Valentine	NE	14	13	16	10	7	60	NR	↑
13	David Onyemata	NO	15	13	14	10	7	59	11	↓
14	Austin Johnson	TEN	13	13	15	10	7	58	6	↓
15	Destiny Vaeao	PHI	13	12	14	10	7	56	13	↓
16	Jihad Ward	OAK	13	12	13	10	7	55	14	↓
17	A'Shawn Robinson	DET	13	12	12	10	7	54	12	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Michael Pierce

Week 15 stats: 2 tackles

Pierce's dominant season as a run defender continued against the Eagles. His size (6'0", 339 pounds) and strength at the point of attack were overwhelming for Kelce. Pierce will never be a great pass-rusher, but his work against the run has been tremendous this season.

3-4 Outside Linebackers

Tim Warner/Getty Images

Week 15 wasn't the best showing for rookie 3-4 outside linebackers. Brennan Scarlett was an unexpected bright spot for the Texans, but the rest of the class—including Shaq Lawson, Matt Judon and Leonard Floyd—were mostly shut down.

Floyd, the superstar of this group, struggled in his battle with Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari. Scarlett, who was just activated from injured reserve, had disruptive moments while filling in for Whitney Mercilus and John Simon. 

Grading Scale

• Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)
• Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)
• Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 15)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie 3-4 OLB Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Cvg	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Brennan Scarlett	HOU	22	14	9	18	8	71	NR	↑
2	Shaq Lawson	BUF	22	11	9	18	8	68	5	↑
3	Matt Judon	BAL	18	12	9	17	8	64	2	↓
4	Chris Landrum	SD	18	13	9	16	8	64	3	↓
5	Leonard Floyd	CHI	18	10	10	16	8	62	1	↓
6	Aaron Wallace	TEN	18	10	9	16	8	61	4	↓
7	Joe Schobert	CLE	17	11	9	16	8	61	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kyler Fackrell—insufficient snaps
• Curt Maggitt—insufficient snaps
• Dadi Nicolas—insufficient snaps
• Kevin Dodd—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Brennan Scarlett

Week 15 Stats: 4 tackles

Activated off injured reserve Thursday, Scarlett found himself playing a big role during the Texans' win over the Jaguars. Without Mercilus and Simon, Houston had to lean on the undrafted free agent from Stanford to play opposite Jadeveon Clowney. Scarlett held up just fine, registering four tackles—including a pair of impressive run tackles—and drawing a holding penalty as a pass-rusher.

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

This week's rookie 4-3 outside linebacker report is about as vanilla as could be. Atlanta's De'Vondre Campbell played as well as he has for most of the year—until he was injured during Sunday's game, that is. The Jets' Jordan Jenkins had an on-par performance, and Jacksonville's Myles Jack had another solid game in which he proved he could play assignment football.

Darron Lee had the most notable week. Throughout the year, Lee has been wildly inconsistent for the Jets, having games that range from quite good to horrid. This week was closer to the former. Lee held his own in coverage, which is where he normally struggles, and had one of his best performances as a run defender.

It was the type of game that should be expected from Lee every week. He's a good player who warranted his draft position at 20th overall. Hopefully, Lee can build on these types of performances next year. 

Grading Scale

• Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)
• Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)
• Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie 4-3 OLB Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	De'Vondre Campbell	ATL	17	19	7	18	6	67	3	↑
2	Darron Lee	NYJ	16	19	7	19	6	67	4	↑
3	Jordan Jenkins	NYJ	16	18	9	18	6	67	2	↓
4	Myles Jack	JAX	15	17	7	17	6	62	1	↓
5	Cory Littleton	LA	14	16	7	17	6	60	5	↔

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jaylon Smith—injury
• Josh Forrest—injury

Notable Performances

De'Vondre Campbell

Week 15 Stats: 1 tackle

Campbell's stat line is lacking because he suffered a concussion. Prior to the injury, though, Campbell was having an impressive day in run defense and had a great effort on a reverse, a play that had been getting the best of him.

Darron Lee

Week 15 Stats: 4 tackles

Lee's play in the run game was encouraging. He trusted what he saw and fired out of his stance. He may just be scratching the surface.

Jordan Jenkins

Week 15 Stats: 5 tackles, 1 sack

Few players are as consistent as Jenkins. Week in and week out, he does his job in the run game and makes one or two plays elsewhere. This week, that extra play was a sack.

Myles Jack

Week 15 Stats: 1 tackle

Jack still is not making major impact plays, but now he's preventing the offense from creating some of its own. Hopefully, Jack becomes a more dynamic player next season.

Cory Littleton

Week 15 Stats: 1 tackle

Littleton isn't fit as a starting NFL linebacker. That said, he is doing a fine job as a backup. It's encouraging that he is not entirely imploding.

Inside Linebackers

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Deion Jones continued his strong push toward the Defensive Rookie of the Year award as the Atlanta Falcons beat the San Francisco 49ers, 41-13, at home. Atlanta often tasked Jones with serving as the backside run defender versus Chip Kelly's zone-read concepts. He had no trouble containing Colin Kaepernick and showed speed and instincts to make an impact on frontside runs as well.

Jones has come on strong lately and, with two more games to make his case, should garner plenty of attention in Rookie of the Year discussions. Regardless of the voting, the Falcons have found a legitimate leader. 

Antonio Morrison played the entire game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings and showed he may be something for the Indianapolis Colts to build around. When Morrison trusts his instincts, he's fast to fill gaps at the line of scrimmage and brings power upon contact. He doesn't have as many live snaps as the other top rookies and doesn't show solid mental processing skills yet, but he flashes more than enough athleticism to be coached into a starting role.

Top honors this week go to Jatavis Brown of the San Diego Chargers. After missing a few weeks due to injury, Brown has gained back the lion's share of snaps, and he didn’t disappoint against a difficult Raiders offense. We wrote about Brown earlier in the year, and he looks back to form.

Grading Scale

• Pass: Pass Defense (Graded out of 25)
• Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 35)
• Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie ILB Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Jatavis Brown	SD	20	28	10	11	6	75	3	↑
2	Deion Jones	ATL	20	27	9	11	6	73	1	↓
3	Antonio Morrison	IND	16	28	10	10	6	70	4	↑
4	Nick Vigil	CIN	18	25	9	10	6	68	NR	↑
5	Elandon Roberts	NE	17	26	8	10	6	67	NR	↑
6	Nick Kwiatkoski	CHI	17	22	10	9	6	64	2	↓
7	Blake Martinez	GB	17	21	9	10	6	63	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Su'a Cravens—injury
• Josh Forrest—insufficient snaps
• Cory James—insufficient snaps
• Tyler Matakevich—insufficient snaps
• Joshua Perry—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Nick Vigil

Week 15 Stats: 3 tackles

Nick Vigil played a handful of snaps Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers and, although he won't be saving the Bengals this season, he's worth looking at moving into 2017. He offers plenty of speed and athleticism.

Elandon Roberts

Week 15 Stats: 11 snaps, 0 tackles

Elandon Roberts hasn't seen much playing time lately despite what many assumed would be a busy end to the season. Once the Patriots traded Jamie Collins to the Browns, it seemed as though Roberts would be the new defensive diamond for coach Bill Belichick. Alas, the rookie struggled once given a full playing load and will have to earn more snaps with better on-field production. In the meantime, the Patriots have found other linebackers to be successful with.

Deion Jones

Week 15 Stats: 8 tackles, 1 forced fumble

Jones just keeps playing well and added another strong performance Sunday. Keep an eye on him in the playoffs as Atlanta faces more formidable opponents. Jones' play could dictate the success of the Atlanta defense in January.

Cornerbacks

Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

The variance for cornerbacks is high, but that tends to be the case especially for rookies. On a week-to-week basis, no rookie cornerback has found solid ground yet, but there are encouraging signs from a handful of players to varying degrees. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, we may see more consistency from the top crop. 

Four of the top-six grades were first-round picks, which is a dramatic change from the previous week. The AFC South owned the top two spots as Tennessee Titans rookie LeShaun Sims and Jacksonville Jaguars budding star Jalen Ramsey shared the highest grade. NFC first-round picks Eli Apple and Vernon Hargreaves also graded as average or better, as Apple continues to improve and Hargreaves has held steady.

Jalen Ramsey might've had his best game as a pro while shadowing DeAndre Hopkins for most of the day. As a perimeter cornerback, Ramsey gave up three catches on 12 targets, including four pass breakups and an interception. He was outstanding.

The Browns have gotten more than they ever could've hoped for from Briean Boddy-Calhoun. Sunday might have been the first time in over a month he looked out of his depth. Not that he was bad, but he had bad matchups. Sammy Watkins will make most corners look bad, and he had too much nuance in his routes for Boddy-Calhoun to hang with him.

Grading Scale

• Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)
• React: Reaction/Recovery (Graded out of 30)
• Slot: Slot (Graded out of 20)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie CB Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	React	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	LeShaun Sims	TEN	22	23	16	6	9	76	2	↑
2	Jalen Ramsey	JAX	22	24	15	6	9	76	8	↑
3	Eli Apple	NYG	22	20	18	5	9	74	12	↑
4	Xavien Howard	MIA	20	21	16	5	9	71	NR	↑
5	Artie Burns	PIT	19	21	16	5	9	70	11	↑
6	Daryl Worley	CAR	18	17	17	6	9	67	18	↑
7	Vernon Hargreaves	TB	17	17	16	6	9	65	6	↔
8	Tavon Young	BAL	16	18	15	5	9	63	7	↔
9	James Bradberry	CAR	16	18	15	5	9	63	16	↑
10	Briean Boddy-Calhoun	CLE	17	16	15	5	9	62	3	↓
11	Jalen Mills	PHI	17	15	16	5	9	62	15	↑
12	Anthony Brown	DAL	15	16	16	5	9	61	5	↓
13	Javien Elliott	TB	14	14	15	5	9	57	9	↓
14	Cre'von LeBlanc	CHI	14	13	14	6	9	56	1	↓
15	Rashard Robinson	SF	15	13	14	5	9	56	10	↓
16	Juston Burris	NYJ	14	13	14	5	9	55	4	↓
17	Brandon Williams	ARI	14	13	14	5	9	55	20	↑
18	Mike Jordan	LA	12	14	13	6	9	54	14	↓
19	Brian Poole	ATL	12	14	13	6	9	54	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kendall Fuller—insufficient snaps
• Deiondre' Hall—insufficient snaps
• Mackensie Alexander—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Eli Apple

In terms of process, no rookie cornerback has made more consistent strides from the start of the season until now than Eli Apple of the New York Giants. Apple allowed four of seven targets to be completed, but zero targets came via blown coverages, and on two of those completions he was in excellent position to disrupt the catch. He's mastering press coverage and becoming a dangerous asset.

Free Safeties

Rob Leiter/Getty Images

The Colts' T.J. Green did a good job maintaining discipline this week. He sat in his zone coverages and read underneath throws well, breaking on them quickly and making good tackles. On a 3rd-and-short in the first quarter, Green was the first to react to a throw to Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph in the flat, quickly breaking on it and making a tackle to prevent the first down and force a punt.

Later, he read a curl route from Cordarrelle Patterson, breaking on it from a deeper zone and making the tackle as soon as the ball arrived to erase any possibility of yards after the catch from a receiver who is dangerous with the ball in his hands. 

Green wasn't without his faults, however. In the fourth quarter, he drew a tough man-coverage assignment against Rudolph. Green attempted to jam him at the line of scrimmage but missed as Rudolph ran past up the seam. To his credit, Green did a solid job recovering to contest the throw, but the ball was excellently placed, and Green gave up a first down to Rudolph.

A few plays later, Green was sent on a blitz and got caught unaware of his surroundings. While he was rushing to get to the quarterback, the ball was thrown to the flat on a screen behind him and he failed to get back outside to it.

New Orleans' Vonn Bell struggled mightily in coverage against the Cardinals. He was at fault on two of Carson Palmer's touchdown passes. The first came toward the end of the first half. He lined up man-to-man in the red zone against J.J. Nelson. Bell played off and took inside leverage but was slow to react to the corner route from Nelson, who was wide-open in the back of the end zone for an easy touchdown.

Late in the fourth quarter, Bell had a deep half of the field in what appeared to be two-man coverage (two deep safeties with man coverage underneath). Bell was late to react to the go route down the sideline and failed to stay on top of it, resulting in another touchdown. He ended up fighting over who was responsible with the corner who was also beaten while the Cardinals celebrated their touchdown.

Bell also had issues in the run game. Larry Fitzgerald is one of the better blocking wide receivers in the NFL, and he took full advantage of the size differential between himself and Bell. The 6'3" Fitzgerald managed to pin the 5'11" Bell inside on a few outside runs early on.

When the Cardinals came back with an inside run later, Fitzgerald kicked out Bell and cleared a running lane behind him. On a touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Fitzgerald worked inside from the slot and pinned Bell inside as the running back ran past on his way to a touchdown.

Grading Scale

• Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)
• Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 30)
• Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 10)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie FS Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Andrew Adams	NYG	22	21	6	16	8	73	6	↑
2	T.J. Green	IND	20	22	6	15	8	71	5	↑
3	Justin Simmons	DEN	20	20	5	16	8	69	4	↑
4	Kevin Byard	TEN	18	19	5	15	8	65	2	↓
5	Vonn Bell	NO	18	19	5	14	8	64	1	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kentrell Brice—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

T.J. Green

Week 15 Stats: 7 tackles

Green had a solid week for the Colts. He was at his best breaking quickly on underneath routes and making sound tackles. Tackling has been an issue for Green at times this season, so it's good to see an improvement there. He did, however, miss one tackle late in the fourth quarter that cost his team a first down, so he hasn't completely resolved the issue, but there was noticeable progress this week.

Vonn Bell

Week 15 Stats: 9 tackles, 1 forced fumble

While Bell's stats might suggest a strong performance, he actually struggled this week against the Cardinals. In the run game, he was often caught on blocks from Fitzgerald. But most of his struggles came in the passing game.

In the second quarter, he matched up man-to-man in the red zone against Nelson, who ran a corner route from a tight stacked alignment. Bell was slow to react to the break outside and couldn't recover, giving up a touchdown. Later on, he was assigned with covering a deep half of the field and failed to stay on top of a go route down the sideline, which also resulted in a touchdown.

Strong Safeties

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

For the second time this season, Keanu Neal graded out as the top-ranked strong safety—not just top of the rookie class.

The Falcons allowed him to play in more underneath zone coverages against the 49ers, having previously asked him to play tough man-coverage assignments, such as against the Chiefs' Travis Kelce. By allowing him to play in those underneath zones, they got the best out of him.

The 49ers offense consists of a lot of short passes with the intent of receivers' picking up yards after the catch. But Neal read those short routes perfectly, breaking on them and making tackles almost instantly to prevent extra yards.

In the second quarter, Neal was the buzz defender in Cover 3 buzz. He spotted a crossing route from the opposite side of the field and instantly recognized that as the main threat. He broke on it and arrived just after the ball, making a strong tackle to stop any yards after the catch.

A few series later, Neal was playing slightly deeper but again spotted a crossing route and made an almost identical play. A large portion of his game consisted of these zone coverages, and he quickly identified the threat and broke on it before the receiver had a chance to pick up extra yards. 

Bears rookie Deon Bush had a solid game this week against the Packers. He nearly had a highlight play in the second quarter. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers felt pressure in the pocket and began to scramble, looking for his go-to receiver, Jordy Nelson. But Bush reacted well to the play and read the throw, undercutting the route and dropping what should have been an interception.

He was, however, partially at fault for the deep shot that set up the Packers' game-winning field goal. The Bears appeared to be in quarters coverage. Bush seemed to lock in on an underneath crossing route while Nelson ran past him on a post route. That left the outside cornerback one-on-one against Nelson, who had the whole field to run into. Rodgers found him for a 60-yard gain to put the Packers in field-goal range.

Grading Scale

• Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)
• Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 25)
• Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 20)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie SS Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Keanu Neal	ATL	22	21	16	16	6	81	1	↔
2	Sean Davis	PIT	18	19	14	16	6	73	3	↑
3	Deon Bush	CHI	17	18	14	15	6	70	2	↓
4	Will Parks	DEN	16	17	15	15	6	69	NR	↑
5	Miles Killebrew	DET	16	16	14	15	6	67	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Karl Joseph—inactive

Notable Performances

Keanu Neal

Week 15 Stats: 11 tackles, 2 pass breakups

Neal had a terrific week against the 49ers, as the Falcons allowed him to play in his best role. He played underneath zone coverage, which is where he excels. He was a force, reading the 49ers' short-range passing game well and breaking on just about every throw before anyone else. He made sound tackles and stopped the 49ers from picking up yards after the catch, which is what their passing attack relies on.

Deon Bush

Week 15 Stats: 5 tackles, 1 pass breakup

Bush put in a useful performance against the Packers. The Bears rookie had a positive game in coverage against a tricky offense, which is particularly so when Rodgers begins to scramble. In the second quarter, Rodgers did just that and looked to his favorite target, Nelson, to find an outlet. Bush identified the threat and broke down on it, staying on top of Nelson until he saw the throw. He undercut the route and got both hands on the ball but dropped what should have been an interception.

Bush did have one mishap, though. In quarters coverage late in the game, Bush was caught focusing on underneath routes while Nelson ran past him on the outside. Rodgers hit Nelson for a big gain to set up the game-winning field goal.

Special Teams

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Kickers

Since starting the year 4-of-7 on field goals, Wil Lutz has gone 19-of-22, showing tremendous improvement in his mechanics, which match what is showing up on the scoresheet. Lutz is far more consistent than anticipated, as it appeared his early struggles would continue throughout the season. He is building a strong base for 2017, even though the 6-8 Saints are likely out of playoff contention. 

Roberto Aguayo's struggles have been much more consistent, though he is riding a two-game streak of perfection. If he can carry it through until the end of the year and into the playoffs, it could give him a psychological boost heading into the offseason.

No one has had more eyes on him at the position than Aguayo, and if he can show well during the final two weeks and any playoff games he kicks in, it will say a lot about his ability to weather pressure. Give him a ton of credit for continuing to battle, even if the results have not always been there. He may be turning a corner.

Kicker Grading Scale

• Pwr: Kick Power (Graded out of 40)
• Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 40)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100
• LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie Kicker Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Pwr	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Wil Lutz	NO	31	34	5	3	73	1	↔
2	Roberto Aguayo	TB	31	32	5	3	71	2	↔

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Wil Lutz

Week 15 Stats: 2-of-2 FG, 6-of-6 XP

It was another perfect week for Lutz, who continues to get better. The prospect who put on the best tryout the Saints coaches have ever seen, per John DeShazier of the team's website, is turning into a capable rookie kicker.

Roberto Aguayo

Week 15 Stats: 2-of-2 FG, 2-of-2 XP

It's been two perfect weeks in a row for Aguayo, who may be building momentum. It would be great to see him get playoff experience.

Punters

San Diego's Drew Kaser put up the performance we all knew he was capable of. The rookie out of Texas A&M flashed in the preseason but had been an enigma throughout 2016, largely unable to put together a mistake-free effort.

This week represented the cleanest, most efficient game for him yet and is a major stepping stone as he heads into 2017. There are two more weeks to go for Kaser to build confidence.

Riley Dixon continues to chug along as a capable punter for the Broncos, this week seeing a slight regression in his directional game but picking up additional power against the Patriots. Dixon is not flashy, but he is the most consistent of the three rookies, and consistency can often be enough to hold a job in the NFL.

Lachlan Edwards had another below-average showing for the New York Jets, as he continues to battle for a spot heading into 2017. Edwards has been the weakest of the three rookies, and while he has a big leg, it does not show up often enough. His technique is still too raw to compete on a weekly basis.

He may be an NFL punter down the road, but it feels like it is too soon to hand him the job heading into next year.

Punter Grading Scale

• Dist: Kick Distance (Graded out of 20)
• Hang: Kick Hang Time (Graded out of 20)
• Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 45)
• Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 5)
• Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
• Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Rookie Punter Rankings Week 15

Rank	Player	Team	Dist	Hang	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Drew Kaser	SD	19	17	34	3	3	76	3	↑
2	Riley Dixon	DEN	18	13	29	3	3	66	2	↔
3	Lachlan Edwards	NYJ	13	12	30	3	3	61	1	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Drew Kaser

This is the performance that we have been looking for all year from Kaser. Now it's time for him to bear down and finish strong with two more top-notch efforts.

Riley Dixon

This was another competent effort from Dixon; however, his directional game struggled at times against the Patriots.

Lachlan Edwards

This was a below-average game for Edwards, with nothing that stands out either way, as he continues to try to adjust to the NFL game.