NFL Week 11 Rookie Rankings: Surveying Rookie Class Post-Week 10

As playoff races are heating up down the stretch of the NFL season, more and more rookies—such as New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Chris Borland—are emerging as key players for their teams.

Players like Beckham, Borland and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant are unlikely to factor into Rookie of the Year award races because of their lack of play early in the season, but their recent breakout production has each of them moving quickly up the Bleacher Report Rookie Rankings.

Each week here at B/R, I rank the top 50 overall rookies and top first-year players at each position based upon each player’s cumulative performance this season.

The rookies who make up the top half of the top 50 are players who have been productive for their teams all year long. Further down the list, players who have recently made names for themselves have started to replace guys who played more early but have struggled, missed time or been benched in recent weeks.

Top 50 Overall

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St. Louis Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines has been making plays all year, especially on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

The top-ranked rookie in our rankings, Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Anthony Barr, had a Week 10 bye.

Hot on his heels for the top spot are the two standout guards of the rookie class. Zack Martin has continued to be excellent for a Dallas Cowboys offensive line that is arguably the NFL's best. Joel Bitonio and the Cleveland Browns offensive line had a couple rough games after Alex Mack went down for the season with a leg injury, but Bitonio and the entire unit played well Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The big riser into the top 10 this week is St. Louis Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines, who has looked like a real sixth-round steal all season. A surprise starter on the outside to begin the year, Gaines has been solid all season but was at his best on Sunday, recording three passes defensed and four tackles, including one for loss, while Pro Football Focus (subscription required) tagged him with only allowing three catches.

Top 50 Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Anthony Barr	OLB	Vikings	1.9	1	Same
2	Zack Martin	RG	Cowboys	1.16	4	Up
3	Joel Bitonio	LG	Browns	2.3	5	Up
4	Khalil Mack	OLB	Raiders	1.5	2	Down
5	C.J. Mosley	ILB	Ravens	1.17	3	Down
6	Aaron Donald	DT	Rams	1.13	6	Same
7	Corey Linsley	C	Packers	5.21	8	Up
8	Sammy Watkins	WR	Bills	1.4	7	Down
9	E.J. Gaines	CB	Rams	6.12	15	Up
10	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	Panthers	1.28	9	Down
11	Chandler Catanzaro	K	Cardinals	N/A	10	Down
12	Cody Parkey	K	Eagles	N/A	14	Up
13	Preston Brown	OLB	Bills	3.9	16	Up
14	Ja'Wuan James	RT	Dolphins	1.19	11	Down
15	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	S	Packers	1.21	13	Down
16	Kyle Fuller	CB	Bears	1.14	12	Down
17	Brandin Cooks	WR	Saints	1.20	18	Up
18	Mike Evans	WR	Buccaneers	1.7	20	Up
19	Bradley Roby	CB	Broncos	1.31	23	Up
20	Jason Verrett	CB	Chargers	1.25	17	Down
21	Allen Robinson	WR	Jaguars	2.29	19	Down
22	Aaron Lynch	OLB	49ers	5.10	27	Up
23	Jack Mewhort	LG	Colts	2.27	21	Down
24	Deone Bucannon	SS	Cardinals	1.27	24	Same
25	Jarvis Landry	WR	Dolphins	2.31	29	Up
26	Brandon Linder	RG	Jaguars	3.29	22	Down
27	Telvin Smith	LB	Jaguars	5.4	33	Up
28	Christian Kirksey	ILB	Browns	3.7	36	Up
29	Justin Ellis	NT	Raiders	4.7	28	Down
30	Weston Richburg	LG	Giants	2.11	31	Up
31	Avery Williamson	ILB	Titans	5.11	45	Up
32	Gabe Jackson	LG	Raiders	3.17	25	Down
33	Jerick McKinnon	RB	Vikings	3.32	35	Up
34	Bashaud Breeland	CB	Redskins	4.2	37	Up
35	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	Giants	1.12	48	Up
36	Russell Bodine	C	Bengals	4.11	26	Down
37	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Vikings	1.32	39	Up
38	Martavis Bryant	WR	Steelers	4.18	50	Up
39	Jordan Matthews	WR	Eagles	2.10	NR	Up
40	Chris Borland	ILB	49ers	3.13	NR	Up
41	Allen Hurns	WR	Jaguars	N/A	32	Down
42	Jeremy Hill	RB	Bengals	2.23	43	Up
43	Branden Oliver	RB	Chargers	N/A	40	Down
44	Zach Kerr	DL	Colts	N/A	41	Down
45	John Brown	WR	Cardinals	3.27	49	Up
46	Cairo Santos	K	Chiefs	N/A	NR	Up
47	Derek Carr	QB	Raiders	2.4	38	Down
48	Jace Amaro	TE	Jets	2.17	34	Down
49	Blake Bortles	QB	Jaguars	1.3	46	Down
50	Luke Bowanko	C	Jaguars	6.29	42	Down

Players to drop out from last week's top 50 are New York Jets safety Calvin Pryor (No. 30), Buffalo Bills right tackle Seantrel Henderson (No. 44) and Oakland Raiders cornerback T.J. Carrie (No. 47).

Quarterbacks

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Quarterback Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Vikings	1.32	2
2	Derek Carr	QB	Raiders	2.4	1
3	Blake Bortles	QB	Jaguars	1.3	3
4	Zach Mettenberger	QB	Titans	6.2	4
5	Jimmy Garoppolo	QB	Patriots	2.30	5

Teddy Bridgewater moves to the top of the rookie quarterback rankings after Week 10—even though his Minnesota Vikings didn't play this past week—because of a very poor performance by Derek Carr against the Denver Broncos.

It came as no surprise that the Oakland Raiders lost their ninth consecutive game to start the season Sunday—the Broncos outmatch them in just about every area—but Carr had his worst performance of the year so far. He threw just 192 yards on 47 passing attempts—an average of 4.1 yards per attempt—while he threw two touchdowns and two interceptions apiece.

Bridgewater has not been spectacular in five starts this season, but he's been the steadiest rookie quarterback and good enough for the Vikings to win some games. The latter cannot be said for Carr; though he's far from the only or primary reason the talent-short Raiders have been unable to win a game, he needs to play better for Oakland to start notching victories.

Bortles has shown the ability to do big things but has also thrown at least one interception in all eight of the games in which he has played. His 14 interceptions are the most in the NFL; if he's going to be the long-term answer for the Jacksonville Jaguars, he has to learn how to stop throwing the ball to the other team so frequently.

The only other rookie quarterback to play in Week 10, Zach Mettenberger completed 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards, with one touchdown and one interception apiece while he took five sacks, in the Tennessee Titans' loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Running Backs

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Running Back Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Jerick McKinnon	RB	Vikings	3.32	1
2	Jeremy Hill	RB	Bengals	2.23	3
3	Branden Oliver	RB	Chargers	N/A	2
4	Bishop Sankey	RB	Titans	2.22	4
5	Terrance West	RB	Browns	3.30	5

 

Starting his second consecutive game in place of injured feature back Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals rookie Jeremy Hill ran for 55 yards on 12 carries against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. 

He had his first fumble of the year in the game's second quarter, and he made some questionable comments following the game when he said that the Browns, even though they beat the Bengals, "didn't do anything special," according to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. Still, Hill has been impressive running the ball in recent weeks and currently ranks second among all rookie running backs, behind Jerick McKinnon, in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage.

On the other side Thursday, Terrance West ran 26 times for 94 yards, both most among rookies for Week 10. Playing time at the running back position has been inconsistent from week to week among West, fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell and Ben Tate, but West currently leads the team in carries and rushing yards.

McKinnon, who remains the Vikings' lead back, and Oliver, who is likely to lose some playing time as Ryan Mathews returns in Week 11 from injury, both had byes in Week 10. Bishop Sankey, who had 75 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, has yet to have a standout game but has been consistently solid since taking over as his team's No. 1 running back.

Wide Receivers

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Wide Receiver Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Sammy Watkins	WR	Bills	1.4	1
2	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	Panthers	1.28	2
3	Brandin Cooks	WR	Saints	1.20	3
4	Mike Evans	WR	Buccaneers	1.7	5
5	Allen Robinson	WR	Jaguars	2.29	4
6	Jarvis Landry	WR	Dolphins	2.31	6
7	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	Giants	1.12	8
8	Martavis Bryant	WR	Steelers	4.18	10
9	Jordan Matthews	WR	Eagles	2.10	NR
10	Allen Hurns	WR	Jaguars	N/A	7

 

The rookie class of wide receivers just keeps getting better. Week 10 was another phenomenal week for the position group of first-year players; four of them—Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr., Martavis Bryant and Jordan Matthews—each topped 100 receiving yards in their games and moved up in this week's rankings as a result.

With seven receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns in Week 9, followed by seven receptions for 125 yards and one score against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Evans has really started to show the past two weeks why he was the No. 7 overall pick. The big wideout has been making contested catches and is looking more comfortable running routes.

Selected just five picks after Evans, Beckham has also shown with back-to-back performances with triple-digit receiving yards why he was a high first-round draft pick. An explosive athlete with phenomenal hands, Beckham caught seven passes for 108 yards, including a 44-yard deep ball on which he burned All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman, against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Since being active for the first time in Week 7, Bryant has been on a roll. He has caught at least one touchdown in each of his four games, including one of the 80-yard catch-and-run variety on Sunday against the New York Jets, and already has six total scores, the second-most among all rookies. He had four receptions for 143 yards in Week 10.

As Mark Sanchez and the Philadelphia Eagles rolled to a blowout victory over the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football, Jordan Matthews emerged as the new starting quarterback's favorite target. After a semiproductive but quiet first half of the season, Matthews had his breakout game Monday as he caught seven passes for 138 yards, including two touchdowns.

Sammy Watkins, who was questionable until game day with a groin injury, caught only four passes for 27 yards in the Buffalo Bills' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but remains the top receiver in the rankings.

Kelvin Benjamin caught three passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles on Monday, but both of his scores came in garbage time of a blowout loss; he caught just one pass among his first five targets and had a dropped pass for the third consecutive game.

Brandin Cooks continued to play well against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday—he caught five passes for 90 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown. Allen Robinson continued to be consistent for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10, catching five passes for 60, but he was shut down for the season Tuesday due to a stress fracture in his foot.

Jarvis Landry, who caught seven passes for 53 yards while also accumulating 82 return yards against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, became the first rookie to accumulate 1,000 all-purpose yards this season as his year-to-date total moved to 1,101.

Tight Ends

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Tight End Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Jace Amaro	TE	Jets	2.17	1
2	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TE	Buccaneers	2.6	2
3	Richard Rodgers	TE	Packers	3.34	3
4	Crockett Gillmore	TE	Ravens	3.35	4
5	Eric Ebron	TE	Lions	1.10	5

 

The stark contrast between the production of the wide receivers and the lack thereof from the tight ends continued in Week 10.

Jace Amaro and Richard Rodgers each caught just two passes for six combined yards in their respective games, yet the only tight end to have more pass-catching success than them this past week was Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who caught five passes for 30 yards in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Amaro has been the most productive first-year player at his position, but his role has diminished for the New York Jets since Michael Vick took over the starting quarterback job and Percy Harvin was acquired in a trade. He dropped a pass and struggled as a blocker Sunday, and he was not targeted at all the previous week.

What Seferian-Jenkins did well was overshadowed by his mistakes; he incurred three penalties in the game, including an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for a celebration after a one-yard touchdown catch, and also had a drop.

The only other rookie tight ends to catch passes in Week 10 were Troy Niklas of the Arizona Cardinals and Nic Jacobs of the Jacksonville Jaguars; each of them have just two total receptions for the year.

Crockett Gillmore has six catches for the year and had zero on Sunday, but he's been the best run-blocking tight end of the rookie group thus far. Eric Ebron still ranks third among all rookie tight ends in catches and yards, but he missed his third straight game Sunday with a hamstring injury.

Offensive Tackles

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Offensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Ja'Wuan James	LT	Dolphins	1.19	1
2	Seantrel Henderson	RT	Bills	7.22	2
3	Taylor Lewan	LT	Titans	1.11	3
4	Justin Britt	RT	Seahawks	2.32	4
5	Jake Matthews	LT	Falcons	1.6	NR

 

Ja'Wuan James had his worst game to date against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He gave up five hurries according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and was also flagged for a holding penalty, but he should be cut some slack. He was forced to switch from his comfortable position of right tackle to a new role at left tackle after Branden Albert went down with a knee injury.

With Albert out for the season, James will take over as the Miami Dolphins' left tackle for the rest of the year. His struggles in his first significant playing time at the position are a cause of concern, but his play on the left side—where he never even played in college—can't really be evaluated until he plays a full game at his new position.

Seantrel Henderson also allowed five quarterback hurries Sunday and committed a false start. But, relatively speaking, he had a decent performance considering he did not give up any sacks while working against Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston, the NFL's leader in sacks, throughout the Buffalo Bills' game.

Taylor Lewan has played well since taking over the Tennessee Titans' starting left tackle job in Week 6. He allowed one sack and two total quarterback pressures on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, according to PFF, but he's more than held his own on a week-to-week basis in a challenging role.

Justin Britt has had some rough games in recent weeks, but was graded as PFF's best rookie tackle of Week 10 by a wide margin. The right tackle helped lead a dominant, 350-yard rushing effort for the Seattle Seahawks while he allowed just one quarterback pressure.

Currently jockeying to be the fifth-ranked rookie offensive tackle are Atlanta Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews and St. Louis Rams left tackle Greg Robinson, who were both top-six overall draft picks but have struggled so far in their NFL careers.

Offensive Guards

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Offensive Guard Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Zack Martin	RG	Cowboys	1.16	1
2	Joel Bitonio	LG	Browns	2.3	2
3	Jack Mewhort	LG	Colts	2.27	3
4	Brandon Linder	RG	Jaguars	3.29	4
5	Weston Richburg	LG	Giants	2.11	6
6	Gabe Jackson	LG	Raiders	3.17	5

 

As previously mentioned in the Top 50 slide, Zack Martin and Joel Bitonio continued to excel as their respective teams won their Week 10 games. The two guards, neither of whom has allowed a sack this season, are currently ranked by Pro Football Focus as the fourth- and fifth-best guards in the entire NFL.

The most surprising rookie to see on the field at all this week was New York Giants left guard Weston Richburg, who had to be carted off the field after suffering an ankle injury against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9, but ended up being able to play in Week 10 despite that scare. He wasn't at his best against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, however, as he picked up two holding penalties and received a minus-3.3 run-blocking grade from PFF.

The only other guard to play in Week 10 who has regularly started for his team this season was Zach Fulton, who has really been a liability on the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line at right guard.

Jack Mewhort's Indianapolis Colts had a Week 10 bye, while Brandon Linder sat out this week with a shoulder injury and Gabe Jackson was sidelined by a knee injury.

Centers

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Center Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Corey Linsley	C	Packers	5.21	1
2	Russell Bodine	C	Bengals	4.11	2
3	Luke Bowanko	C	Jaguars	6.29	3
4	Bryan Stork	C	Patriots	4.5	4
5	James Stone	C	Falcons	N/A	NR

Corey Linsley has been the most quietly excellent rookie in the NFL this season. He maintained his starting role at center for the Green Bay Packers offensive line in Week 10, despite the return from injury of originally projected starter JC Tretter, and he showed why he's keeping the gig until further notice by playing an excellent game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.

Linsley is currently ranked as the third-best center in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

On the other end of the spectrum, PFF ranks Russell Bodine as the third-worst center in the NFL this season. He's had some good performances and has started every game for the Cincinnati Bengals—which is why he's still second in these rookie center rankings—but he hasn't displayed much improvement and was beaten badly on multiple occasions during Thursday night's loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Luke Bowanko also performed poorly in Week 10. He's been a solid center for the Jacksonville Jaguars this year for the most part, but he struggled against the Dallas Cowboys as he was beaten for three quarterback pressures, including one sack, according to PFF.

James Stone has performed adequately in two starts for the Atlanta Falcons, especially considering he's an undrafted rookie in the middle of an offensive line that has been decimated by injuries. He's looked better so far than fellow undrafted rookie Jonotthan Harrison has through five starts for the Indianapolis Colts.

Bryan Stork's New England Patriots had a Week 10 bye.

Defensive Ends

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Defensive End Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Zach Kerr	DE/NT	Colts	N/A	1
2	Timmy Jernigan	DE	Ravens	2.16	3
3	Ed Stinson	DE	Cardinals	5.20	2
4	Kareem Martin	DE	Cardinals	3.20	NR
5	Dominique Easley	DE	Patriots	1.29	4

Since returning in Week 7 from a meniscus injury that cost him four games, Timmy Jernigan has emerged as a disruptive playmaker on the Baltimore Ravens' bench. The 3-4 defensive end recorded his first career sack, among four total tackles and three total quarterback pressures, against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Ed Stinson had been seeing more playing time than Kareem Martin on the Arizona Cardinals' defensive line in recent weeks, but it was Martin who came up big for the Cardinals on Sunday when he sacked St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis and simultaneously forced a fumble that Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie recovered and returned for a touchdown.

Zach Kerr's Indianapolis Colts and Dominique Easley's New England Patriots both had byes in Week 10.

Defensive Tackles

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Defensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Aaron Donald	DT	Rams	1.13	1
2	Justin Ellis	NT	Raiders	4.8	2
3	Ego Ferguson	DT	Bears	2.19	4
4	Will Sutton	DT	Bears	3.18	3
5	Shamar Stephen	DT	Vikings	7.5	5

 

Aaron Donald continue to be one of the NFL's best interior penetrators in Week 10 as he recorded three tackles, including one for a loss, and five quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Donald has been wreaking havoc on opposing offensive lines all year as both a pass-rusher and run-stopper, especially since becoming a starter in Week 6.

Justin Ellis has been a strong presence in the middle of the Oakland Raiders' defensive line since taking over as its nose tackle. He did not record any tackles against the Denver Broncos on Sunday but he was able to knock down one of Peyton Manning's passes.

Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton have seen consistent playing time but off the bench on a Chicago Bears defense that has struggled horribly in recent weeks. Ferguson was the more productive player of the duo on Sunday night, recording four tackles and one quarterback hurry, while Sutton had just one tackle.

Shamar Stephen's Minnesota Vikings had a Week 10 bye.

Linebackers

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Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Anthony Barr	OLB	Vikings	1.9	1
2	Khalil Mack	OLB	Raiders	1.5	2
3	C.J. Mosley	ILB	Ravens	1.17	3
4	Preston Brown	OLB	Bills	3.9	4
5	Aaron Lynch	OLB	49ers	5.10	5
6	Telvin Smith	ILB	Jaguars	5.4	6
7	Christian Kirksey	ILB	Browns	3.7	7
8	Avery Williamson	ILB	Titans	5.11	8
9	Chris Borland	ILB	49ers	3.13	NR
10	Anthony Hitchens	ILB	Cowboys	4.19	NR

The biggest standouts of Week 10 among rookie linebackers came in the San Francisco 49ers' win over the New Orleans Saints.

With 17 total tackles to follow up his 18 against the St. Louis Rams in Week 9, Chris Borland led all NFL players in tackles for a second consecutive week. Yet his biggest play of Sunday's game was not even a tackle, but a fumble recovery in overtime that set up a game-winning field goal for Phil Dawson. Borland has started only three games for the 49ers, but he'll be slated to start for the rest of the year now that inside linebacker Patrick Willis has been placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Aaron Lynch, meanwhile, received his first start Sunday after working mostly as a situational pass-rusher in previous weeks. He won't have the starting job for long, as Aldon Smith is set to return from suspension in Week 11, but he was impressive Sunday as he recorded six total tackles, had four quarterback hurries (according to Pro Football Focus) and deflected a pass away from Saints tight end Ben Watson.

Outstanding so far in their rookie seasons have been Khalil Mack and C.J. Mosley—both are prime candidates to be Defensive Rookie of the Year—but neither player performed to his usual standard in Week 10.

Mack batted down a Peyton Manning pass and hurried Manning twice, according to PFF, but he recorded only one tackle in the Oakland Raiders' loss to the Denver Broncos. Mosley had a season-low five tackles against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday—in part because he missed two tackles, according to PFF—while he was also charged with allowing six receptions for 72 yards in coverage, the most yards against him in any game this season, even though he was able to deflect one pass.

Preston Brown's far less likely to win a season award than Anthony Barr, Mack or Mosley, but he's developed into a very good starting linebacker for the Buffalo Bills. He led the Buffalo Bills in tackles for a second consecutive week by recording eight on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Avery Williamson, with 10 total tackles, and Anthony Hitchens with nine also led their teams in tackles this week. Telvin Smith and Christian Kirksey are not every-down players for their teams, so each recorded only three total tackles (one for loss each) in Week 10, but they also excelled with coverage responsibilities.

Cornerbacks

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Cornerback Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	E.J. Gaines	CB	Rams	6.12	2
2	Kyle Fuller	CB	Bears	1.14	1
3	Bradley Roby	CB	Broncos	1.31	4
4	Jason Verrett	CB	Chargers	1.25	3
5	Bashaud Breeland	CB	Redskins	4.2	5

 

E.J. Gaines has not gotten as much attention for his play as first-round picks Kyle Fuller, Jason Verrett and Bradley Roby, but while Fuller's play has dropped off in recent weeks, Verrett has missed time with injuries and Roby's play has been consistently up and down, Gaines has been the most reliable cornerback in coverage in the rookie class.

Gaines, the only rookie cornerback who has started all of his team's games this year, leads all rookie cornerbacks who have played at least 50 percent of their teams' snaps in yards per coverage snap, coverage snaps per target and coverage snaps per reception, according to Pro Football Focus. He is also tied with Roby for the lead among all rookie cornerbacks with 10 passes defensed.

Roby is a defender who makes big plays and also gives them up, but his play has been trending upward in recent weeks. He has recorded interceptions in each of his past two games and in total, he had two passes defensed and four tackles, including one for loss, against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

After an outstanding start to the season, Fuller has struggled—along with just about everyone else on the Chicago Bears defense—in recent weeks. He was beaten for four receptions and 36 yards on Sunday night, including a touchdown by Green Bay Packers tight end Brandon Bostick, while he recorded just one tackle in the game and was also flagged for defensive pass interference and personal foul penalties.

Verrett had been the best of the rookie cornerbacks earlier in the season, but it's uncertain when he will return from a torn labrum. Both his San Diego Chargers and Bashaud Breeland's Washington Redskins had Week 10 byes.

Safeties

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Safety Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	FS	Packers	1.21	1
2	Deone Bucannon	SS	Cardinals	1.27	2
3	Calvin Pryor	FS	Jets	1.18	3
4	Terrence Brooks	FS	Ravens	3.15	4
5	Brock Vereen	FS	Bears	4.31	5

 

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had an unspectacular performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 10: He recorded one pass deflection, but all four of his tackles came well downfield while he picked up a penalty for unnecessary roughness. That said, Clinton-Dix has stood out as the most consistent performer among the rookie safeties this year.

Deone Bucannon had one very bad moment against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday when he got burned by tight end Jared Cook for a 59-yard touchdown. Other than that, the rookie strong safety had a solid game in which he recorded five tackles, including one sack.

No player has plummeted faster down and out of our overall rankings than Calvin Pryor has in the past two weeks. Benched early in the New York Jets' Week 9 game in favor of Jaiquawn Jarrett, Pryor did not play a single snap against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10.

According to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini, Pryor might have been benched for being late to multiple team meetings this season. Jets coach Rex Ryan, who has previously criticized Pryor's on-field play, insisted that was not the reason for Pryor's benching, according to Cimini. Either way, it's clear that Pryor is in the Jets' doghouse.

Pryor still ranks third in our rookie safety rankings, but only because no other first-year safety has been a regular contributor to his team.

Specialists

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Specialist Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Chandler Catanzaro	K	Cardinals	N/A	1
2	Cody Parkey	K	Eagles	N/A	2
3	Cairo Santos	K	Chiefs	N/A	3
4	Pat O'Donnell	P	Bears	6.15	4

After starting his career with a record 17 consecutive field goals made, including a 43-yarder against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro suffered the first miss of his career on a kick from 53 yards out. The kick would have been a new long for Catanzaro this year, but he has nonetheless been outstanding; he was bound to miss eventually.

Cody Parkey also has just one miss this season. The Philadelphia Eagles kicker converted a 39-yard field-goal attempt against the Carolina Panthers on Monday to improve to 16-of-17 on the year.

Cairo Santos made a 36-yard field goal against the Buffalo Bills; the Kansas City Chiefs kicker is now 12-of-14 on the year.

The only active rookie specialist whose job should be in any jeopardy going forward is that of Chicago Bears punter Pat O'Donnell, who ranks 31st in the NFL in net punting average.

His struggles continued Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. He averaged just 42.8 yards per punt and none of his four official punts was downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He had one other punt attempt that was actually ruled a fumble because it was blocked by Jarrett Boykin—specifically by the foot of the leaping Boykin—before it even reached O'Donnell's foot.

Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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