NFL Rookie Rankings: Malik Nabers, Top Performers After 2024 Week 3
Confidence tends to be the biggest factor when deciphering which rookies are performing well and those who aren't.
Players need to have confidence in themselves to fully understand they're capable of competing at the highest level. External trust is also necessary so everyone around those players are willing to give them a chance, even if they're not perfect.
Case in point, the New York Giants could have been shaken by Malik Nabers' big drop last week. They weren't.
"They're out there. You trust your players. They see it," Giants head coach Brian Daboll said. "You can look at a tablet, but they're right out there."
Said Nabers, "I mean I have a lot of great teammates behind my back pushing me for greatness. This last week they kept pushing and pushing, and I am thankful to those guys who kept pushing me to try and be great, and hopefully we can keep the momentum into the next game and have another strong performance for these guys."
Each week, this year's crop of rookies will get a chance to stack another performance, either positively or negatively. Confidence will tilt one way or the other. Either way, Bleacher Report will take stock of which players have performed the best so far, with a pair of wide receivers now charging to the forefront.
Who Missed the Cut
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Off the List
WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars: Thomas doesn't have much of a chance to be featured when his team gets down early in games. Against the Cleveland Browns, Thomas wasn't a major factor until late in the contest. On Monday night, no one showed up for the Jaguars, as the Buffalo Bills dominated the contest.
CB Kamari Lassiter, Houston Texans: A week ago, Lassiter posted the highest coverage grade by a rookie so far this season. But he's sandwiched that outing with two mid performances.
OG Dominick Puni, San Francisco 49ers: Much like Lassiter, one really good performance by Puni doesn't offset lesser efforts. Puni has allowed multiple pressures, even working inside of the Niners' friendly offensive scheme.
Names to Watch
Edge Laiatu Latu, Indianapolis Colts: Latu took advantage of a subpar Chicago Bears offensive line, with seven pressures and a 25 percent pressure rate. More importantly, his strip-sack in the fourth quarter led to the Colts' game-winning touchdown.
RB Carson Steele, Kansas City Chiefs: With Isiah Pacheco expected to miss a large portion of the season (if not all of it) with a fractured fibula, Steele entered the Chiefs' lineup as the offense's new hammer at running back. The undrafted free agent ran 17 times for 72 yards against the Atlanta Falcons.
WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears: The effort may have been too little, too late in the Bears' latest loss, but Odunze did get on track in the second half. This year's ninth overall pick finished the contest with six receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Caleb Williams is now looking to connect with his classmate.
CB Tykee Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Smith is doing the dirty work for the Buccaneers offense as the squad's primary nickel corner. He's been particularly good working through traffic and defending the run. His two tackles for loss are tied for the team lead.
DL Braden Fiske, Los Angeles Rams: Fiske needs to be better at the point of attack. Yet he showed some real flashes as an interior pass-rusher against the San Francisco 49ers, with seven total pressures. He also became the first Rams rookie to recover a fumble in back-to-back games.
10. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
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Admittedly, the Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels has been the best of a bad rookie quarterback crop so far. Despite all of the hype surrounding the incoming position class, none of the group really shined during the first two weeks of play. Daniels had been the most consistent as part of the Commanders' conservative approach.
Daniels looked like a star Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, though.
His 91.3 completion percentage is a new rookie single-game record. He even became the first player in NFL history to complete 80 percent of his passes and rush for 150 yards through his initial three appearances.
"We're just executing at a high level," Daniels said in a post-game interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters.
The Commanders spent the first two weeks primarily building Daniels confidence, with an offense that relied predominantly on throws at or behind the line of scrimmage. The rookie really started to push the ball downfield against the Cincinnati Bengals, including a 27-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown pass to wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
"Hey, that kid has poise. I think he grew up tonight," McLaurin said. "He's been doing a great job in camp making those throws, but to come out here and do it when you've got to have it with the game on the line—that's what great players are about."
9. OT JC Latham, Tennessee Titans
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The Tennessee Titans offensive line may still be an issue, but left tackle JC Latham becomes less of one with each passing week.
It's difficult to pinpoint an offensive lineman as a positive while others among the unit continue to struggle. For example, the Titans benched right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere this past weekend.
"There's an element of patience, there's an element of we got to get better fast," head coach Brian Callahan said of the Titans' pass blocking. "There's some urgency to get better. I think that's the most important point, is that the urgency to improve quickly is what makes teams in the NFL. If you can get better quickly—you can make improvements, corrections and not repeat mistakes—you're going to have a pretty good chance to improve at a rate that's going to give you a competitive advantage."
To Latham's credit, he's improved quickly. While making the transition from right to left tackle, the 21-year-old is making significant strides with his pass protection. He allowed only one pressure during Sunday's contest against the Green Bay Packers and posted the second-lowest pressure rate among rookie blockers, per Pro Football Focus.
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8. C Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Pittsburgh Steelers center Zach Frazier is the first rookie to find himself in B/R's rookie rankings, only to fall out of the top 10 and then reappear. He won't be the last to do so. But his current standing is also a testament to taking two steps forward after one step back.
Frazier's greatest strength is how physical he's been in the run game. He's become the tone-setter along the Steelers' offensive front.
B/R scout Brandon Thorn noted, "Frazier has an innate ability to move, displace and bury defenders. He's been an elite finisher already."
As a unit, Pittsburgh's offense is limited because of the uncertainty it has at quarterback. Justin Fields is doing enough for the Steelers to start 3-0. At the same time, he's not sitting back there picking apart opposing defenses. Pittsburgh's offense is built on what it can do at the point of attack.
The second-round rookie posted an elite grade during Sunday's contest against the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Pro Football Focus. As long as Frazier becomes more consistent with his pass protection, he'll ascend these rankings.
7. CB Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelpia Eagles
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Uncertainty existed within the cornerback class as the 2024 draft cycle commenced. Eventually, Quinyon Mitchell rose to the top of the position group, and the Philadelphia Eagles made him CB1 with the 22nd overall pick. He's assumed the role now that he's in the NFL.
Mitchell has transitioned well into a top cover corner. During Sunday's contest against the New Orleans Saints, the rookie allowed only 29 yards on five targets into his coverage. For the season, Mitchell is tied for the league lead with six forced incompletions and has allowed a 47 completion percentage.
"Lil bra go be special man," veteran teammate Darius Slay tweeted. "I'm telling ya."
Philadelphia desperately needed an infusion of youth and talent into its secondary this offseason. Mitchell has provided exactly what the Eagles required, creating long-term viability at a premium position instead of continually relying on aging veterans as the team's outside corners.
As the 33-year-old Slay ages out of his spot, Mitchell should step right in as the Eagles' CB1.
6. Edge Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
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The Los Angeles Rams' Jared Verse has been the league's best defensive rookie in the first three weeks.
Verse still needs to do a better job finishing. But he's proved himself as a consistent presence already. During the Rams' comeback victory over the the rival San Francisco 49ers, this year's 19th overall draft pick accumulated five pressures and a 26.7 percent pass rush win rate.
"He's been active," head coach Sean McVay told reporters last week. "He's really coachable. ... But you talk about a guy who played disruptive, I love the fumble that he forced [against the Arizona Cardinals] and it was unfortunate that they ended up recovering it for a touchdown, but you feel him. You guys have heard me mention that. I like the way this guy plays the game."
So far, Verse has only one sack despite his early success as creating pressure. However, he leads all rookies with four tackles for loss. His energy, motor and consistency have all been major positives as the Rams transition away from the retired Aaron Donald. Eventually, the sack total will rise.
5. TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
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After a record-setting first two weeks of Brock Bowers' career, the standout tight end was a little more quiet during the Las Vegas Raiders' embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Raiders quarterbacks targeted Bowers only four times. The rookie caught three of those passes for 41 yards.
Bowers' ranking shouldn't be entirely tanked because of a poor team effort. He's still only 12 yards behind Davante Adams for the Raiders' lead in receiving yards. Also, he's second among all tight ends, behind the Philadelphia Eagles' Dallas Goedert, in receiving yards. This year's 13th overall pick is a legitimate weapon and the Raiders know it.
"The day he walked in the door, we knew we were getting a blue-chipper," Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce told reporters last week. "He's a really good football player. He's tough. He loves the game. He doesn't care how he looks, how he talks. He just wants to play ball. That fits our mentality."
Whichever direction the Raiders ultimately go at quarterback after pulling Gardner Minshew II during Sunday's contest, Bowers should continue to be the position's security blanket while working the middle of the field.
4. OT Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers
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Los Angeles Chargers right tackle Joe Alt faced an unenviable and downright unfair task of handling the Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt in just his third professional start.
It didn't go well for the rookie. Ultimately, Alt surrendered a sack and received a holding call. Furthermore, the Chargers continually sent help to the right side in the forms of a tight end or running back chips.
The setup is less of an indictment regarding Alt's play and more about the supreme respect that Watt demands from opponents. Pretty much every offensive tackle struggles against Watt, who is in the conversation for best defensive player on the planet.
Prior to that point, the Chargers' offensive tackle duo ranked among league's best in true pass set grade. Alt has played well. He simply ran into a buzzsaw on Sunday. With the Chargers' inability to get the running game going, life became even harder on the offensive tackles when quarterback Justin Herbert dropped back to pass.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Alt suffered an MCL sprain against Pittsburgh. The Week 5 bye will come at a good time for the Chargers.
3. OT Taliese Fuaga, New Orleans Saints
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Taliese Fuaga started strongly. He deserved credit last week after being a game-time decision because of a stiff back. As the New Orleans Saints come out of Week 3, we're now seeing a slight decline in performance.
To be fair, Fuaga's status near or at the top this list was helped by the transition to left tackle without him being a liability. With that said, he's still a work-in-progress, especially as a true pass protector.
The Saints coaching staff has done a wonderful job with their blocking schemes. In certain instances, Fuaga's weaknesses are being hid. However, the offensive line didn't perform nearly as well against the Philadelphia Eagles' talented defensive front.
As ESPN's Seth Walder noted, Fuaga's pass-block win rate dipped down to 75 percent during Sunday's contest. The reason is simple: This year's 14th overall pick isn't ready to be on an island full-time and consistently win with his deep set.
However, Fuaga is powerful at the point of attack and a strong run-blocker. Overall, he's still growing into the left tackle role. When the Saints offense wasn't rolling like its first two performances, the rookie got exposed a little bit. Still, he's been impressive when considering everything.
2. WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
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A quarterback and wide receiver must build a rapport over time. It doesn't happen overnight.
Marvin Harrison Jr.'s disappointing debut, with only a single catch, is a prime example. Over the next two weeks, this year's fourth overall draft pick has nine receptions on 19 targets for 195 yards and three touchdowns.
"I think we see things the same way," Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said, per ESPN's Josh Weinfuss. "Obviously, we got to continue to get better together. There's some mishaps there that I think we both feel like we can be better on, especially myself, but personality, man, and just the love for the game. I think those are two components that really allow us to just kind of be seamless."
While misfires still occur, the Murray-to-Harrison connection continues to grow with each week. The rookie now leads the team in total targets. Sunday's touchdown grab showed Harrison's ascension to favored option.
"I think you're dealing with two highly intelligent individuals who have known and played the game very well at a high level for a long time," quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork said. "And I think that connection is only going to get stronger, and I think that the line of communication is great."
1. WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants
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Ten years ago, the New York Giants used a first-round pick on an LSU wide receiver who went on to become the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. History may very well be repeating itself.
Malik Nabers looked like the league's best rookie with Sunday's performance against the Cleveland Browns. This year's sixth overall draft pick caught eight passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns. His standing is not just about the numbers, though. It's the types of plays that he's making.
The rookie instills confidence in what the Giants plan to do.
"When you have confidence in your skill player offensively … you give them opportunities," head coach Brian Daboll told reporters.
Currently, Nabers ranks second overall with 23 receptions, fifth with 271 yards and first (tied) with three touchdown grabs. His six receptions of 20 or more yards is the most among all wide receivers, according to Pro Football Focus. He's also the first rookie wide receiver in NFL history with 20-plus receptions and three touchdowns in his first three contests.
A week ago, Nabers had an exceptional outing that was slightly marred by a key fourth-down drop late in the contest. The Giants won this past weekend and Nabers didn't let that previous mistake linger. Instead, he's only getting better.
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