NFL Week 12 Rookie Rankings: Surveying Rookie Class Post-Week 11

To be a candidate for the NFL Rookie of the Year award—and to hold a spot in the Bleacher Report Rookie Rankings—is becoming more difficult by the week. Stars continue to emerge among a group of first-year players that has lived up to its billing as one of the most talented rookie classes ever.

While the highest spots in these rankings are supposed to be reserved for players who have performed consistently well over the course of the season—and those at the top truly have—there are also rookies having a second-half emergence, such as Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, who cannot be ignored.

Each week, I rank the top 50 rookies and the best at each position based upon every player’s cumulative performance this season.

That means players are ranked based upon their contributions from all of their 2014 regular-season games, not simply their teams’ most recent outings. Players who didn’t see the field much early in the year are fighting an uphill battle to move up the rankings against rookies who have had steady roles from the beginning.

Nonetheless, that hasn’t stopped Evans and Borland—who have not only become starters but stars—from making big moves up the board, as the extent of their successes in recent weeks has pushed their bodies of work past others who have not been so spectacular.

Top 50 Overall

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Previously ranked as the No. 1 rookie from after Week 3 until dropping to the No. 5 spot going into Week 9, Cleveland Browns left guard Joel Bitonio has played his way back into the top spot in this week's rankings. The second-round pick had his worst two games of the season in the weeks following Browns center Alex Mack's season-ending leg injury, but Bitonio has since returned to his dominant ways, even as the players to his right on Cleveland's offensive line have struggled.

Following a strong performance against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Bitonio is now ranked by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) as the NFL's second-most effective guard this season. Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin, who retains the No. 2 spot in this week's rankings, is PFF's fourth-rated guard.

Dropping from the top spot after a three-week run is Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Anthony Barr. He has had an impressive rookie year in a multifaceted role for the Vikings defense, but he had his worst game of the season against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Although Barr recorded four tackles, including one for loss, he also had five missed tackles, according to PFF. He's made a big impact for the Vikings as a run defender, pass-rusher and even dropping back into coverage when necessary, but he does need to become a surer tackler, as his 19 misses for the year are the most among all NFL players this season, per PFF.

Top 50 Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Joel Bitonio	LG	Browns	2.3	3	Up
2	Zack Martin	RG	Cowboys	1.16	2	Same
3	Khalil Mack	OLB	Raiders	1.5	4	Up
4	Anthony Barr	OLB	Vikings	1.9	1	Down
5	C.J. Mosley	ILB	Ravens	1.17	5	Same
6	Aaron Donald	DT	Rams	1.13	6	Same
7	Corey Linsley	C	Packers	5.21	7	Same
8	Mike Evans	WR	Buccaneers	1.7	18	Up
9	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	Panthers	1.28	10	Up
10	Sammy Watkins	WR	Bills	1.4	8	Down
11	E.J. Gaines	CB	Rams	6.12	9	Down
12	Chandler Catanzaro	K	Cardinals	N/A	11	Down
13	Cody Parkey	K	Eagles	N/A	12	Down
14	Kyle Fuller	CB	Bears	1.14	16	Up
15	Preston Brown	OLB	Bills	3.9	13	Down
16	Ja'Wuan James	RT	Dolphins	1.19	14	Down
17	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	S	Packers	1.21	15	Down
18	Aaron Lynch	OLB	49ers	5.10	22	Up
19	Brandin Cooks	WR	Saints	1.20	17	Down
20	Bradley Roby	CB	Broncos	1.31	19	Down
21	Deone Bucannon	SS	Cardinals	1.27	24	Up
22	Avery Williamson	ILB	Titans	5.11	31	Up
23	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	Giants	1.12	35	Up
24	Jarvis Landry	WR	Dolphins	2.31	25	Up
25	Justin Ellis	NT	Raiders	4.7	29	Up
26	Chris Borland	ILB	49ers	3.13	40	Up
27	Jeremy Hill	RB	Bengals	2.23	42	Up
28	Jordan Matthews	WR	Eagles	2.10	39	Up
29	Allen Robinson	WR	Jaguars	2.29	21	Down
30	Brandon Linder	RG	Jaguars	3.29	26	Down
31	Russell Bodine	C	Bengals	4.11	36	Up
32	Jason Verrett	CB	Chargers	1.25	20	Down
33	Jack Mewhort	LG	Colts	2.27	23	Down
34	Telvin Smith	LB	Jaguars	5.4	27	Down
35	Christian Kirksey	ILB	Browns	3.7	28	Down
36	John Brown	WR	Cardinals	3.27	45	Up
37	Taylor Lewan	LT	Titans	1.11	NR	Up
38	Weston Richburg	LG	Giants	2.11	30	Down
39	Jerick McKinnon	RB	Vikings	3.32	33	Down
40	Bashaud Breeland	CB	Redskins	4.2	34	Down
41	Gabe Jackson	LG	Raiders	3.17	32	Down
42	Allen Hurns	WR	Jaguars	N/A	41	Down
43	Cairo Santos	K	Chiefs	N/A	46	Up
44	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Vikings	1.32	37	Down
45	Martavis Bryant	WR	Steelers	4.18	38	Down
46	Jace Amaro	TE	Jets	2.17	48	Up
47	Derek Carr	QB	Raiders	2.4	47	Same
48	Seantrel Henderson	RT	Bills	7.22	NR	Up
49	Zach Kerr	DL	Colts	N/A	44	Down
50	Blake Bortles	QB	Jaguars	1.3	49	Down

Players to drop out from last week's top 50 are San Diego Chargers running back Branden Oliver (No. 43) and Jacksonville Jaguars center Luke Bowanko (No. 50).

Quarterbacks

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Quarterback Rankings

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

Week 11 was another unspectacular week for the class of rookie quarterbacks, as all three who started a game finished on the losing end.

Teddy Bridgewater managed only 158 passing yards on 28 throws in the Minnesota Vikings' loss to the Chicago Bears, while Derek Carr threw for just 172 yards on 34 passing attempts in the Oakland Raiders' loss to the San Diego Chargers.

Those two quarterbacks have had impressive flashes but have struggled overall. Carr currently ranks 28th in the NFL in quarterback rating, while Bridgewater is 29th. Bridgewater has led his team to three wins in six starts, however, while Carr's Raiders have lost all 10 of their games.

Blake Bortles, who ranks 30th in the NFL in quarterback rating, had a Week 11 bye with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The strongest rookie quarterback performance of the week came from Zach Mettenberger, who made his third start—and first in prime time—for the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mettenberger's first pass was a horribly placed ball that resulted in a pick-six, but he recovered well for a solid game the rest of the night. The Titans lost, as they have each of their three games so far with the rookie leading the offense, but the sixth-round pick bounced back from his initial mistake to complete 15 of 24 passes, including two that went for touchdowns, for 263 yards.

Running Backs

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Running Back Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Jeremy Hill	RB	Bengals	2.23	2
2	Jerick McKinnon	RB	Vikings	3.32	1
3	Branden Oliver	RB	Chargers	N/A	3
4	Bishop Sankey	RB	Titans	2.22	4
5	Alfred Blue	RB	Texans	6.5	NR

 

For his second time in a three-week span, Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill topped 150 yards as he went for 152 on the ground, on 27 carries, in his team's 27-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. As Giovani Bernard has missed Cincinnati's past three games with a hip injury, Hill has taken advantage and validated his team's decision to draft him with a second-round pick.

Even when Bernard is back in the lineup, Hill should continue to see a share of the carries, considering how impressively he has run the ball the past three weeks. He has fumbled in each of his past two games, which could be a cause for concern, but he also leads all rookie running backs with 556 rushing yards and 715 yards from scrimmage. His five rushing touchdowns are also tied for the most with Cleveland Browns undrafted rookie Isaiah Crowell.

The leading rusher among rookies in Week 11 was Houston Texans running back Alfred Blue, who carried the ball a whopping 36 times for 156 yards against the Cleveland Browns, while regular starter Arian Foster sat out the game with a groin injury.

Jerick McKinnon, who came into the week as the rushing leader among rookie running backs, had just eight carries for 38 yards and four receptions for 20 yards in the Minnesota Vikings' loss to the Chicago Bears. He is having a good season, but his past two games have been fairly unspectacular.

Branden Oliver started splitting carries on Sunday as Ryan Mathews made his return to the San Diego Chargers backfield. He received 13 carries but only gained 36 yards; considering his uninspiring performances the past few weeks, the bulk of San Diego's carries going forward are likely to shift the way of Mathews, who had 70 rushing yards on 16 attempts against the Oakland Raiders.

Bishop Sankey broke three tackles on an impressive nine-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of the Tennessee Titans' Monday Night Football loss, but he finished the night with only 38 rushing yards on 11 carries. He has been a steady back, but he has yet to have a breakout performance. He gained 82 yards on three kickoff returns Monday in his first outing in that role.

Wide Receivers

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Wide Receiver Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Mike Evans	WR	Buccaneers	1.7	4
2	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	Panthers	1.28	2
3	Sammy Watkins	WR	Bills	1.4	1
4	Brandin Cooks	WR	Saints	1.20	3
5	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	Giants	1.12	7
6	Jarvis Landry	WR	Dolphins	2.31	6
7	Jordan Matthews	WR	Eagles	2.10	9
8	Allen Robinson	WR	Jaguars	2.29	5
9	John Brown	WR	Cardinals	3.27	11
10	Allen Hurns	WR	Jaguars	N/A	10

 

Over the past three weeks, No. 7 overall pick Mike Evans has emerged as the star of a rookie class of wide receivers that has had high-level production from all five of its first-round picks and a host of others.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver had a dominant performance against the Washington Redskins on Sunday. He caught seven passes for 209 yards—the most receiving yards for a rookie wideout in any single game this year. In the performance, which included catch-and-run touchdowns of 56 and 36 yards, the big wide receiver showed that he is more than just a jump-ball target, as he displayed that he can beat defenders deep and win with his athleticism in addition to his 6'5", 231-pound size.

After a five-game stretch in which he caught just four passes each week, Evans has seven receptions, with at least 124 yards and one touchdown, in each of his past three games. For the season, he now leads all rookie receivers with 794 receiving yards, while he ranks second only to Kelvin Benjamin with seven touchdowns.

Benjamin, who has eight receiving touchdowns and also ranks second among rookies with 52 receptions and 768 receiving yards, bounced back for a big day against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. After dropping passes in each of his three previous games, the Carolina Panthers wideout returned to early-season form in Week 11, catching nine passes for 108 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown.

The only other rookie receiver with triple-digit receiving yards in Week 11 was Jordan Matthews of the Philadelphia Eagles. The evidently favored target of new Eagles starting quarterback Mark Sanchez, Matthews has topped 100 receiving yards in each of his past two games and has scored at least one touchdown in each of his past three.

Sammy Watkins drops in the rankings this week after catching just three passes for 32 yards in the Buffalo Bills' loss to the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. He was missed while open on a deep ball by Bills quarterback Kyle Orton for what should have been a 53-yard touchdown. Even so, Watkins' performance has been quite inconsistent. While he has topped 100 receiving yards in three of his 10 games, he also has six games in which he has had no more than four receptions and 32 receiving yards.

Brandin Cooks caught five passes for 50 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday but suffered a thumb injury that required surgery and prompted the Saints to place him on injured reserve, ending his season. Allen Robinson, whose Jacksonville Jaguars had a Week 11 bye, is already on injured reserve after catching 48 passes for 548 yards in Jacksonville's first 10 games.

Odell Beckham Jr.'s recent run of outstanding performances continued in Week 11, as he caught six passes for 93 yards and returned three punts for 39 yards. Jarvis Landry had five receptions for 46 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown, and two kickoff returns for 47 yards against the Buffalo Bills, but he lost his third fumble of the year on a free kick following a Dolphins safety.

Dropping out of the top 10 receivers this week is Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Martavis Bryant, whose four-game touchdown streak came to an end as he caught just two passes for 11 yards on five targets on Monday night.

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	Eric Ebron	TE	Lions	1.10	5
5	Crockett Gillmore	TE	Ravens	3.35	4

 

The only rookie tight end to record multiple receptions in Week 11 was Eric Ebron, who returned to catch four passes for 22 yards after missing the Detroit Lions' previous three games with a hamstring injury. The first-round pick hasn't lived up to the hype yet, but the Lions will hope he can emerge as a standout in a weak class of rookies at his position now that he is healthy.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who has started eight games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but has yet to emerge as an impact player, caught one pass for seven yards against the Washington Redskins on Sunday. Richard Rodgers, who has had moderate success as a pass-catching target, had a 19-yard reception in the Green Bay Packers' rout of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jace Amaro, the leading receiver among all rookie tight ends this year, and Crockett Gillmore, the best run-blocker of the group, both had Week 11 byes.

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	Taylor Lewan	LT	Titans	1.11	3
3	Seantrel Henderson	RT	Bills	7.22	2
4	Justin Britt	RT	Seahawks	2.32	4
5	Jake Matthews	LT	Falcons	1.6	5

 

Ja'Wuan James received a coarse grade of minus-4.8 from Pro Football Focus for his first start at left tackle, but he deserves credit for holding his own against a tough pass-rusher, Jerry Hughes of the Buffalo Bills, in his first full game playing in a spot he never even played in college. He did not get beaten for any sacks but did allow five quarterback pressures.

Because he has started at either right or left tackle in every Miami Dolphins game so far this season and has easily been the most consistent tackle over the course of the year, he holds the top spot in these rankings. If he continues to struggle on the left side, however, he could be surpassed by Taylor Lewan, who impressed against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night in his fifth start for the Tennessee Titans.

Buffalo right tackle Seantrel Henderson has been overmatched by many of his opponents this season, but not by one of the NFL's best pass-rushers, Miami defensive end Cameron Wake, in two games against Wake this year. He did not yield a sack in either matchup between the division rivals and allowed just two quarterback pressures on Thursday night, according to PFF.

The other two rookies who have started more than four games at offensive tackle, Justin Britt and Jake Matthews, have each struggled significantly in pass protection throughout the year. Among 58 offensive tackles who have played at least 50 percent of their teams' snaps this year, Britt ranks 52nd and Matthews ranks 56th in pass-blocking efficiency, according to PFF.

Offensive Guards

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Offensive Guard Rankings

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

 

While Joel Bitonio reasserted himself as the top rookie performer thus far out of this year's NFL draft class with a great showing against the Houston Texans, the other guards who started games for their teams in Week 11 struggled.

The Indianapolis Colts got just four total yards on 14 carries from their running backs against the New England Patriots on Sunday night, and a lack of push from the front line was a big factor in the team's struggles. After a strong start to the season, left guard Jack Mewhort has been subpar as a run-blocker in recent weeks and has, according to Pro Football Focus, yielded six quarterback hurries in his past two games alone.

An up-and-down rookie season continued for New York Giants left guard Weston Richburg on Sunday, as he allowed three quarterback pressures and continued to struggle as a run-blocker in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Zack Martin and Brandon Linder have been among the NFL's best right guards this season, but both of their teams had Week 11 byes. Gabe Jackson has been a solid starting left guard for the Oakland Raiders but has missed the past two games with 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	Bryan Stork	C	Patriots	4.5	4
4	Luke Bowanko	C	Jaguars	6.29	3
5	Marcus Martin	C	49ers	3.6	5

Rated as the third-best center in the NFL this year by Pro Football Focus, Linsley continued to be a steady presence in the middle of the Green Bay Packers' offensive line in their 53-20 blowout of the Philadelphia Eagles. He allowed no quarterback pressures, according to PFF, and had a memorable pancake block of Eagles defensive lineman Cedric Thornton.

Russell Bodine has had more than his fair share of struggles as a rookie, but he's started every game at center for the Cincinnati Bengals this season and has had some good performances, too. He played well against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. He helped lead fellow rookie Jeremy Hill to 152 rushing yards and allowed no quarterback pressures.

The New England Patriots offensive line has come a long way this season, specifically since Bryan Stork became the starting center. His impact on the line was never clearer than it was Sunday night, as he led a dominant effort up front that enabled Patriots running back Jonas Gray to gain 201 yards on the ground.

Moving into the top five this week is San Francisco 49ers center Marcus Martin, who has pieced together two strong outings in a row after struggling in his first start. A replacement for injured former starter Daniel Kilgore since overcoming his own injury, Martin has gotten better by the week and received a positive grade of 0.9 from PFF for his game Sunday against the New York Giants.

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	2
3	Dominique Easley	DE	Patriots	1.29	5
4	Ed Stinson	DE	Cardinals	5.20	3
5	Kareem Martin	DE	Cardinals	3.20	4

The only rookie classified as a defensive end who has been impactful with any consistency this season has been hybrid 3-4 defensive lineman Zach Kerr of the Indianapolis Colts. He played his second-highest snap count of the season on Sunday—35, according to Pro Football Focus—but recorded just two assisted tackles in a game that the Colts got pushed around by the New England Patriots offensive line.

On the other side of Sunday night's game, New England rookie Dominique Easley had his most productive game yet. He recorded a tackle for loss and was credited with three quarterback pressures, and Easley really started to turn his explosiveness and strength into disruption on the field. Should he continue to play as he did Sunday, he could quickly vault to the top of the rookie defensive end rankings.

The only other rookie defensive end to make a significant impact in Week 11 was T.J. Fatinikun, who had a half-sack for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday but has only played 50 total snaps this season, according to PFF.

Timmy Jernigan's Baltimore Ravens had a Week 11 bye. Ed Stinson missed the Arizona Cardinals' game against the Detroit Lions with a toe injury, while Kareem Martin's impact over the course of six snaps was minimal.

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	3
4	Will Sutton	DT	Bears	3.18	4
5	Ra'Shede Hageman	DT/DE	Falcons	2.5	NR

 

Aaron Donald continued to assert himself as one of the best interior pass-rushing defensive tackles in the NFL when he recorded a sack against Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning in the St. Louis Rams' upset victory on Sunday. In total, Pro Football Focus' No. 2-rated defensive tackle in the NFL continued to play like one of the league's up-and-coming stars as he was disruptive and recorded three total tackles in Week 11.

A quiet bright spot this season on a very bad Oakland Raiders team has been rookie nose tackle Justin Ellis. He is a strong run-stopper who can also sometimes bring pressure up the middle as a pass-rusher. 

Ra'Shede Hageman hasn't seen the field much this year, but the Atlanta Falcons second-round pick took advantage of his opportunities on Sunday. The athletic interior defensive lineman was disruptive for his 15 defensive snaps, recording two tackles and blocking a potential game-winning field goal—his second block of the season—at the end of regulation to secure a win for the Falcons over the Carolina Panthers.

The playing time of Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton has waned in recent weeks. Both players made some impact on the Chicago Bears defense in the first half, but neither played more than eight snaps against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, according to PFF.

Linebackers

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Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Khalil Mack	OLB	Raiders	1.5	2
2	Anthony Barr	OLB	Vikings	1.9	1
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	Avery Williamson	ILB	Titans	5.11	8
7	Chris Borland	ILB	49ers	3.13	9
8	Telvin Smith	ILB	Jaguars	5.4	6
9	Christian Kirksey	ILB	Browns	3.7	7
10	Trent Murphy	OLB	Redskins	2.15	NR

As Anthony Barr missed more tackles than he made on Sunday and C.J. Mosley's Baltimore Ravens had a Week 11 bye, the door opened up for Oakland Raiders strong-side linebacker Khalil Mack—who had a good case already to be the top-ranked defensive rookie—to move to the top of this week's linebacker rankings.

Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers wasn't one of Mack's most disruptive games of the year, but he did record his first sack, along with a tackle for loss among five total tackles. Already the Oakland Raiders' best player as a rookie, Mack is currently Pro Football Focus' top-rated 3-4 outside linebacker.

Preston Brown was not as impressive against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night as he had been in some of his other recent starts. The Buffalo Bills linebacker recorded five total tackles but made no impact plays and allowed another rookie, Miami running back Damien Williams, to go by him on a short pass to gain 33 yards on a 3rd-and-24 situation early in the game.

The two best rookie linebacker performances of the week came from San Francisco 49ers rookies Aaron Lynch and Chris Borland, who have been outstanding in recent weeks and are becoming key players on the team's defense.

Lynch, who played the same number of snaps Sunday as Pro Bowl veterans Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks combined, recorded one sack, had a quarterback hit that caused an interception and finished the game with a whopping eight total quarterback pressures, according to PFF.

Borland, meanwhile, continued to make Patrick Willis look replaceable—an incredible feat for a rookie, considering Willis has made seven straight Pro Bowls—as he recorded 13 total tackles, including two tackles for loss, and two interceptions. The biggest question about Borland so far has been whether he can handle the coverage responsibilities Willis took on for the San Francisco defense; Borland started to show that he could with his plays on the ball Sunday.

Another standout performance from the rookie linebacker group came from Tennessee Titans inside linebacker Avery Williamson on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had a hand in three different sacks, including two on back-to-back plays (he was officially credited with two sacks for the game, as he had one solo sack and two half-sacks). A player who has quietly made himself a consistent starter on the Titans defense, Williamson had eight total tackles this week and was steady in coverage.

Cornerbacks

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Cornerback Rankings

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

 

Profiled last week as one of the 2014 draft's early steals, St. Louis Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines spent most of Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos playing in the slot. He had some issues with the new role, as he allowed seven receptions for 93 yards, according to Pro Football Focus, but he also broke up two passes and forced a Peyton Manning interception with a quarterback hit.

Against arguably the NFL's best passing offense, Gaines had an up-and-down performance that plenty of good can be taken away from.

Kyle Fuller only recorded one tackle against the Minnesota Vikings, but he was targeted just twice on 33 coverage snaps, according to PFF.

Bradley Roby and Bashaud Breeland each had rough Sundays. Roby got burned by Rams wide receiver Kenny Britt on a 63-yard touchdown; otherwise, he recorded just one tackle. Breeland got beaten by aforementioned Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Mike Evans on a 36-yard touchdown; in total, Tampa Bay completed five passes for 113 yards against Breeland's coverage, per PFF.

Verrett, who started out his debut season playing as well as any of the rookie cornerbacks, was placed on injured reserve Saturday due to a torn labrum in his shoulder. He was very impressive when he was on the field this year, but he only played in six games.

Two slot cornerbacks who garnered consideration for this week's rankings, and could have bodies of work that push them ahead of Verrett as the season continues, are T.J. Carrie of the Oakland Raiders and K'Waun Williams of the Cleveland Browns.

Carrie has been an impact player all season when healthy, on defense and as a return specialist. Williams, an undrafted rookie, has been a surprising revelation, and he had one of his best games yet Sunday. He recorded eight tackles, made a leaping pass deflection in the end zone, recorded a hit on Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett and, according to PFF, allowed just three receptions for 10 yards on five targets.

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	Dezmen Southward	FS	Falcons	3.4	NR

 

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix hasn't made many spectacular plays for the Green Bay Packers this season, but he's been a solid starter at the free safety position. That continued Sunday as he recorded eight tackles and was beaten just twice in coverage for 37 yards, according to Pro Football Focus.

Deone Bucannon's play has had more ups and downs than that of Clinton-Dix, but he's been improving his overall game. He allowed three receptions for 19 yards against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, according to PFF, but also had eight tackles, including one for loss.

They are the only two rookie safeties who have had key roles on their teams' defenses week in and week out.

Moving into the top five this week, replacing Chicago Bears backup safety Brock Vereen, is Atlanta Falcons free safety Dezmen Southward, who recorded a sack and a tackle and did not allow any receptions against his coverage Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

Calvin Pryor and Terrence Brooks have had inconsistent roles for their teams, both of which had Week 11 byes, in recent weeks.

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

The top spot for the specialist rankings could be considered a toss-up between Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro and Philadelphia Eagles kicker Cody Parkey, who have each missed just one field goal through 10 games.

Catanzaro, whose only miss of the year came on a 53-yard attempt in Week 10, did not have any field-goal attempts against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Parkey missed a 38-yard field goal attempt in Week 2 but has made 15 straight kicks since, including a pair of 33-yarders against the Green Bay Packers this week.

Cairo Santos is also starting to make a case to move up the rankings. The Kansas City Chiefs kicker has been equally reliable in recent weeks; with a made field goal from 23 yards out Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, he improved his personal streak to 11 in a row.

All three of the kickers will be in good shape to stick around with their teams for the long term if they continue to play as well as they have so far as rookies.

The same cannot be said for Chicago Bears punter Pat O'Donnell, whose season went from bad to worse Sunday. His first punt, from the opponent's 42-yard line where a team expects a punt be downed close to the goal line, was instead fair caught at the 16. His second punt, from Chicago's own territory, was a 33-yard shank out of bounds.

As O'Donnell ranks 31st in the NFL with 35.7 net yards per punt, it's likely the Bears are having some buyer's remorse about using a draft pick on him.

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

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