NFL Week 15 Rookie Rankings: Surveying Rookie Class Post Week 14

With just three weeks remaining in the 2014 NFL season, top candidates for the league’s Rookie of the Year awards are making their final pushes to prove they deserve the top spots in the NFL rookie rankings.

On the defensive side of the ball, St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald strengthened his case in his team’s Week 14 win over the Washington Redskins, as he recorded a sack for a fourth consecutive week. But Baltimore Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley and Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack kept themselves in the race as well with big games on Sunday.

Offensively, the best rookies all year have been the interior offensive line trio of Cleveland Browns left guard Joel Bitonio, Green Bay Packers center Corey Linsley and Dallas Cowboys right guard Zack Martin. But unless Offensive Rookie of the Year voters decide that this is the year the award finally goes to a lineman for the first time, the more likely candidates who have emerged for the trophy are Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

In the following slides, you can see how all of those players stack up in this week’s Bleacher Report Rookie Rankings. Players are ranked based on their cumulative production for the season; we take into account how they have impacted their teams, with both their positive and negative performances, from the beginning of the year through this past week.

Note: All players included in the Rookie Rankings were eligible for the 2014 NFL draft. First-year players who spent time on preseason rosters in previous years, such as Washington Redskins punter Tress Way, are not considered to be rookies.

Top 50 Overall

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Aaron Donald (No. 99) has been making big plays on a weekly basis.

No rookie has been playing at a higher level, especially in recent weeks, than Aaron Donald. As previously mentioned, he recorded a sack for a fourth consecutive game on Sunday against Washington. That sack was among five quarterback pressures he had in Sunday's game, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), while he had four total tackles.

Donald's move to the top spot is a result of his outstanding play, especially of late, and not a reflection on Cleveland Browns left guard Joel Bitonio, who continued his rock-solid play against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. He and Zack Martin, whose Dallas Cowboys offensive line dominated the Chicago Bears defensive front Thursday night in leading DeMarco Murray to 179 rushing yards, both deserve to be Pro Bowl selections.

C.J. Mosley continued to be a very active player on the Baltimore Ravens defense Sunday, as he recorded eight total tackles, including a sack, against the Miami Dolphins. He had some issues in coverage, but he's taking on as much responsibility as any defensive rookie in the NFL and has handled it well all year.

Khalil Mack had two sacks Sunday, among six total quarterback pressures, as his pass-rushing efforts helped lead the Oakland Raiders to their second win of the season in a game against their Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.

Top 50 Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Aaron Donald	DT	Rams	1.13	2	Up
2	Joel Bitonio	LG	Browns	2.3	1	Down
3	Zack Martin	RG	Cowboys	1.16	3	Same
4	C.J. Mosley	ILB	Ravens	1.17	4	Same
5	Khalil Mack	OLB	Raiders	1.5	5	Same
6	Corey Linsley	C	Packers	5.21	6	Same
7	Anthony Barr	OLB	Vikings	1.9	7	Same
8	Mike Evans	WR	Buccaneers	1.7	8	Same
9	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	Giants	1.12	9	Same
10	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	FS	Packers	1.21	10	Same
11	E.J. Gaines	CB	Rams	6.12	13	Up
12	Deone Bucannon	SS	Cardinals	1.27	16	Up
13	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	Panthers	1.28	11	Down
14	Ja'Wuan James	LT	Dolphins	1.19	12	Down
15	Cody Parkey	K	Eagles	N/A	14	Down
16	Jeremy Hill	RB	Bengals	2.23	17	Up
17	Preston Brown	OLB	Bills	3.9	17	Down
18	Jarvis Landry	WR	Dolphins	2.31	18	Same
19	Chris Borland	ILB	49ers	3.13	20	Up
20	Sammy Watkins	WR	Bills	1.4	24	Up
21	Brandon Linder	RG	Jaguars	3.29	27	Up
22	Avery Williamson	ILB	Titans	5.11	21	Down
23	Aaron Lynch	OLB	49ers	5.10	19	Down
24	Jordan Matthews	WR	Eagles	2.10	23	Down
25	Bradley Roby	CB	Broncos	1.31	26	Up
26	Kyle Fuller	CB	Bears	1.14	25	Down
27	Telvin Smith	LB	Jaguars	5.4	29	Up
28	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Vikings	1.32	33	Up
29	Jack Mewhort	LG	Colts	2.27	28	Down
30	Seantrel Henderson	RT	Bills	7.22	38	Up
31	Derek Carr	QB	Raiders	2.4	40	Up
32	Justin Ellis	NT	Raiders	4.7	34	Up
33	Russell Bodine	C	Bengals	4.11	31	Down
34	Christian Kirksey	ILB	Browns	3.7	30	Down
35	Cairo Santos	K	Chiefs	N/A	32	Down
36	Phillip Gaines	CB	Chiefs	3.23	42	Up
37	Bashaud Breeland	CB	Redskins	4.2	37	Same
38	Blake Bortles	QB	Jaguars	1.3	41	Up
39	Chandler Catanzaro	K	Cardinals	N/A	22	Down
40	John Brown	WR	Cardinals	3.27	35	Down
41	Brandin Cooks	WR	Saints	1.20	36	Down
42	Bryan Stork	C	Patriots	4.5	43	Up
43	Tre Mason	RB	Rams	3.11	45	Up
44	Allen Hurns	WR	Jaguars	N/A	47	Up
45	Trent Murphy	OLB	Redskins	2.15	48	Up
46	Martavis Bryant	WR	Steelers	4.18	NR	Up
47	Allen Robinson	WR	Jaguars	2.29	39	Down
48	Weston Richburg	LG	Giants	2.11	NR	Up
49	Gabe Jackson	LG	Raiders	3.17	NR	Up
50	Devon Kennard	OLB	Giants	5.34	NR	Up

Players who dropped out from last week's top 50 are San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (No. 44), Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon (No. 46), Cleveland Browns cornerback K'Waun Williams (No. 49) and Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan (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	Johnny Manziel	QB	Browns	1.22	5

Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr each had their best games yet of their young NFL careers in Week 14.

Bridgewater completed 19 of 27 passing attempts for 309 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, against the New York Jets on Sunday. He showed more downfield passing ability than he had in previous weeks, and in overtime, he showed his ability to read defenses as he audibled to a screen pass to wide receiver Jarius Wright that went for a 87-yard, game-winning touchdown.

Carr led the once winless Oakland Raiders to their second win in three weeks as he completed 22 of 28 passing attempts for 254 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, against the San Francisco 49ers. His 140.2 quarterback rating for Sunday's game stands as the best rating, by far, that any rookie quarterback has compiled in a game this year.

Blake Bortles' play continued to be underwhelming in Week 14, as he completed just 20 of 39 passing attempts for 205 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, in a loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Zach Mettenberger completed 14 of 24 passing attempts for 125 yards with one interception, before he was forced out of Sunday's game against the New York Giants after re-injuring the shoulder he previously hurt in Week 13. The injury is an AC joint separation, which will keep the Tennessee Titans quarterback out for the rest of the year, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.

Johnny Manziel didn't get any playing time in Week 14, but it was announced Tuesday that he will be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Running Backs

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Running Back Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Jeremy Hill	RB	Bengals	2.23	1
2	Tre Mason	RB	Rams	3.11	2
3	Isaiah Crowell	RB	Browns	N/A	4
4	Jerick McKinnon	RB	Vikings	3.32	3
5	Andre Williams	RB	Giants	4.13	NR

 

Jeremy Hill only got eight carries on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers but managed 46 rushing yards nonetheless. He also caught three passes for 21 yards and had a significantly better day than the other back in the Cincinnati Bengals' rotation, Giovani Bernard, who had just six carries for 17 yards and three catches for 19 yards in the loss.

Tre Mason, who moved up to second in rushing yards among rookies with a 117-yard game against the Oakland Raiders in Week 13, had a quieter showing against the Washington Redskins on Sunday, as he carried the ball 20 times but only gained 66 yards.

Isaiah Crowell split carries with fellow rookie Terrance West in the Cleveland Browns backfield on Sunday, and each of them went for 54 yards (Crowell on 14 carries, West on 15 carries). Significantly, however, Crowell ran for a nine-yard touchdown, which brought him to eight rushing scores on the year, the most among rookies.

Jerick McKinnon, who still ranks among rookie running backs in yards from scrimmage, was placed on injured reserve last week due to a back injury.

The best rookie rushing performance came from New York Giants fourth-round pick Andre Williams, who accumulated 131 yards on 24 carries in a blowout win over the Tennessee Titans. Williams' day was highlighted by a run on which he bobbled a pitch but then sped by two defenders en route to a 50-yard touchdown. The Boston College product also had three receptions for 16 yards Sunday.

Wide Receivers

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Wide Receiver Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Mike Evans	WR	Buccaneers	1.7	1
2	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	Giants	1.12	2
3	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	Panthers	1.28	3
4	Jarvis Landry	WR	Dolphins	2.31	4
5	Sammy Watkins	WR	Bills	1.4	6
6	Jordan Matthews	WR	Eagles	2.10	5
7	John Brown	WR	Cardinals	3.27	7
8	Brandin Cooks	WR	Saints	1.20	8
9	Allen Hurns	WR	Jaguars	N/A	10
10	Martavis Bryant	WR	Steelers	4.18	NR

 

With touchdown catches of 26 and five yards against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans became the first rookie in the NFL this year to reach 10 touchdowns scored. He only had four total receptions for 45 yards this week but still leads all rookies with 935 receiving yards for the season.

Catching up quickly, however, is New York Giants rookie sensation Odell Beckham Jr. With 11 receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, he became the first rookie in NFL history to post six consecutive games with at least 90 receiving yards. Beckham also had four punt returns for 49 yards on Sunday.

Carolina Panthers wideout Kelvin Benjamin caught his ninth touchdown of the year Sunday in a blowout win over the New Orleans Saints, but he only had two receptions in the game. 

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry muffed a punt Sunday, but he recovered his own fumble and played well overall in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He caught six passes for 56 yards and had 73 combined kickoff/punt return yards.

In an otherwise bad performance for the Buffalo Bills offense in a loss to the Denver Broncos, Sammy Watkins finally got his production going again after a quiet November, catching seven passes for 127 yards. He had one gaffe on the game's first possession, however, when he was stripped by fellow rookie Bradley Roby for a lost fumble on a catch-and-run.

A third rookie receiver to post a triple-digit yardage day on Sunday was Martavis Bryant of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nearly all of his 109 yards came when he torched Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall for a 94-yard touchdown. It was his seventh score of the season even though he has just 21 total receptions.

Two rookies who were quiet on Sunday were Jordan Matthews and John Brown. On a day that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for just 96 passing yards against a tough Seattle Seahawks, Matthews had just two receptions for 23 yards, though he also dropped a pass. Brown, on the other hand, did not have a single catch in the Arizona Cardinals' win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

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	Eric Ebron	TE	Lions	1.10	4
4	Richard Rodgers	TE	Packers	3.34	3
5	Crockett Gillmore	TE	Ravens	3.35	5

 

Eric Ebron moves up this week's rankings by virtue of being the only rookie tight end to record any receptions in Week 14.

After a slow start and then missing time with injury, Ebron has started to come along in recent weeks. He's still not playing nearly up to expectations as the No. 10 overall pick, but he caught three passes for 28 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and has 12 receptions for 96 yards over the past four weeks.

No other rookie tight end made a significant impact in Week 14. The only other one to even be targeted on a pass was Richard Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. 

Jace Amaro (concussion), Austin Seferian-Jenkins (back) and Crockett Gillmore (back) all missed Sunday's action with injuries.

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	Jake Matthews	LT	Falcons	1.6	5
4	Taylor Lewan	LT	Titans	1.11	3
5	Justin Britt	RT	Seahawks	2.32	4

 

Ja'Wuan James had a rough outing against Terrell Suggs and the Baltimore Ravens defense on Sunday. The Miami Dolphins left tackle received a minus-5.5 grade from Pro Football Focus. He was beaten by Suggs for a sack and struggled throughout the contest as a run-blocker.

Buffalo Bills right tackle Seantrel Henderson has started to find his groove and has seemingly had far less issues, especially in pass protection, in recent weeks. He's been graded positively by PFF for each of his past two contests.

In his well-publicized battle against the Green Bay Packers and his cousin Clay Matthews III on Monday night, Atlanta Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews held up impressively. Although Clay was able to get to Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan for one sack on a play that he lined up against Jake, it actually happened as a result of Ryan holding the ball much too long in the pocket, as the rookie's initial pass protection was very good. 

Matthews has received his two best PFF grades of the year in the past two weeks and looks like he is finally starting to play up to his ability after a rough start to his career.

Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan missed his second straight game in Week 14 with an ankle injury. Seattle Seahawks right tackle Justin Britt's struggles continued, as he gave up one sack among five total quarterback pressures, 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	1
2	Zack Martin	RG	Cowboys	1.16	2
3	Brandon Linder	RG	Jaguars	3.29	3
4	Jack Mewhort	LG	Colts	2.27	4
5	Weston Richburg	LG	Giants	2.11	5
6	Gabe Jackson	LG	Raiders	3.17	NR

 

As previously mentioned, Joel Bitonio and Zack Martin have been among the NFL's best rookies all season, week in and week out. Bitonio, along with Joe Thomas, has kept the Cleveland Browns' left side of the offensive line excellent, while the rest of the offensive line has had its issues. Martin has been the final piece of the puzzle for the Dallas Cowboys offensive line to regularly dominate the trenches.

As great as Bitonio and Martin have been, they've overshadowed another excellent rookie guard in Brandon Linder of the Jacksonville Jaguars. After a strong showing against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Linder moved up to sixth in Pro Football Focus' rankings of all NFL guards, just one spot behind fifth-ranked Martin and four spots behind second-ranked Bitonio.

Jack Mewhort had a rough day in pass protection against the Cleveland Browns in Week 14, as he allowed five quarterback pressures, according to PFF, but he still avoided a negative grade for the game because of his efforts in run blocking.

Weston Richburg moved back into the top 50 of the overall rankings this week as he put up a strong performance against Jurrell Casey against the Tennessee Titans in the New York Giants' victory. Also back in the top 50 this week is Gabe Jackson, who returned to the Oakland Raiders' starting lineup and gave up no quarterback pressures in his team's win over the San Francisco 49ers. 

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	3
4	Luke Bowanko	C	Jaguars	6.29	4
5	James Stone	C	Falcons	N/A	NR

Corey Linsley continued to excel, as the Green Bay Packers continued to look like the NFL's best team on Monday night. As a run-blocker, he was impressive getting downfield and picking up Atlanta Falcons defenders. He also allowed just one pressure on quarterback Aaron Rodgers, according to Pro Football Focus.

While Linsley has played like a Pro Bowler all year, it's been more of a mixed bag for the other rookie centers.

Russell Bodine, Bryan Stork and Luke Bowanko have each had games ranging from very good to very bad, but they have fully established themselves as starting centers for their teams.

Thanks to some veteran injuries, 25 percent of the league's current starting centers are rookies, but the other four—James Stone of the Atlanta Falcons, Jonotthan Harrison of the Indianapolis Colts (who left Sunday's game due to injury but probably shouldn't get his job back from A.Q. Shipley anyway), Marcus Martin of the San Francisco 49ers and Chris Watt of the San Diego Chargers—have looked in over their heads so far for the most part. 

Defensive Ends

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Defensive End Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	Timmy Jernigan	DE	Ravens	2.16	1
2	Zach Kerr	DE/NT	Colts	N/A	2
3	Dominique Easley	DE	Patriots	1.29	3
4	Kony Ealy	DE	Panthers	2.28	NR
5	Stephon Tuitt	DE	Steelers	2.14	NR

Timmy Jernigan has been the only rookie among those classified as defensive ends who has been productive to any degree on a regular basis in recent weeks. He only recorded one tackle against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, but he also had four quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

Zach Kerr brought solid play to the Indianapolis Colts defense off the bench in their first 10 games, but he has been a healthy inactive each of the past three weeks.

Dominique Easley recorded a quarterback hit on Philip Rivers in the New England Patriots' victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, but he otherwise made little impact as he played just 10 snaps in the game, according to PFF.

Kony Ealy's game remains raw, but he has been able to bring some pressure as a pass-rushing defensive end for the Carolina Panthers. He recorded three quarterback pressures, his most so far in a game this year, against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, per PFF.

With Brett Keisel out for the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned to second-round pick Stephon Tuitt to start his first game of the year Sunday, and he played well in the win. He recorded two tackles and two quarterback pressures, including one on which he laid a crushing hit on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.

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	Shamar Stephen	DT	Vikings	7.5	5
4	Will Sutton	DT	Bears	3.18	3
5	Ego Ferguson	DT	Bears	2.19	4

 

The aforementioned Aaron Donald has not only been one of the stars of the rookie class this year but among all players in the NFL. He's currently ranked as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, which makes him the only first-year player to lead one of PFF's position groups.

Beyond him, the most impactful rookie defensive tackle has been Oakland Raiders nose tackle Justin Ellis. Typically a player whose impact doesn't show up much on the box score, Ellis had a productive game Sunday as he recorded three tackles in the win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Seventh-round pick Shamar Stephen has been coming along in recent weeks, as he had the chance to start the Minnesota Vikings' past three games with Sharrif Floyd battling a knee injury. He had three assisted tackles and one quarterback hurry on Sunday against the New York Jets. 

Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson both got pushed around at the line of scrimmage, along with the rest of the Chicago Bears' defensive front, as they were dominated by the Dallas Cowboys' star-studded offensive line on Thursday night. Sutton and Ferguson each recorded one tackle, but both struggled to hold their ground against the run.

Linebackers

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Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	C.J. Mosley	ILB	Ravens	1.17	1
2	Khalil Mack	OLB	Raiders	1.5	2
3	Anthony Barr	OLB	Vikings	1.9	3
4	Preston Brown	OLB	Bills	3.9	4
5	Chris Borland	ILB	49ers	3.13	6
6	Avery Williamson	ILB	Titans	5.11	7
7	Aaron Lynch	OLB	49ers	5.10	5
8	Telvin Smith	ILB	Jaguars	5.4	8
9	Christian Kirksey	ILB	Browns	3.7	9
10	Trent Murphy	OLB	Redskins	2.15	10

While C.J. Mosley and Khalil Mack remain in the middle of the Defensive Rookie of the Year race, Anthony Barr has become a long shot to win the award. Having had a few disappointing games in a row, Barr was unable to redeem himself in Week 14, as he sat out the Minnesota Vikings' win over the New York Jets with a knee injury.

Continuing to move up the rankings this week is San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Chris Borland, who had another productive showing Sunday, despite his team's shocking loss, as he recorded 14 total tackles, including one for loss.

Aaron Lynch, on the other hand, made little impact in Sunday's defeat. The 49ers' other rookie linebacker recorded one quarterback hit but otherwise did nothing to get himself on the stat sheet in just 19 snaps played.

Telvin Smith recorded five total tackles, including two for loss, and a pass defensed in the Jacksonville Jaguars' loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. On the negative side, he picked up a personal foul penalty inside Jacksonville's own 10-yard line, which led to a touchdown two plays later.

Christian Kirksey struggled in pass coverage and only played about half the Cleveland Browns' defensive snaps Sunday despite the absence of starting inside linebacker Karlos Dansby. Even after a disappointing week, however, Kirksey remains ninth among rookie linebackers based on his body of work.

With three total tackles and a half-sack on Sunday, Trent Murphy did enough to keep himself inside the top 10 rookie linebackers despite the Washington Redskins' loss to the St. Louis Rams. That said, one rookie who has made a serious push to be ranked as a top-10 rookie linebacker—and has moved up in the top 50 overall rookies this week as a result—is New York Giants strong-side linebacker Devon Kennard.

Kennard didn't play much early in the season but has started the past four games and has recorded a pair of sacks in each of his past two games. He forced a fumble on his first sack Sunday, which set up a fumble recovery and 26-yard return touchdown by teammate Markus Kuhn. In total, Kennard had six tackles in New York's blowout victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Cornerbacks

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Cornerback Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW
1	E.J. Gaines	CB	Rams	6.12	1
2	Bradley Roby	CB	Broncos	1.31	3
3	Kyle Fuller	CB	Bears	1.14	2
4	Phillip Gaines	CB	Chiefs	3.23	5
5	Bashaud Breeland	CB	Redskins	4.2	4

 

E.J. Gaines didn't make a major impact in the St. Louis Rams' 24-0 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday, but he continues to be the most consistent rookie cornerback in the NFL. He was only charged with allowing two receptions for 27 yards on Sunday by Pro Football Focus, and he recorded two tackles.

First-round picks Bradley Roby and Kyle Fuller have both had seasons full of ups and downs; they have made big plays but have also given them up.

Roby made another big play on Sunday when he forced a fumble from Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins on the Denver Broncos' first defensive series. Over the course of the game as a whole, however, Roby was charged with allowing nine receptions for 121 yards on 12 targets.

Fuller had to battle Dez Bryant on Thursday night, one week after he was picked apart by Calvin Johnson; predictably, he once again looked overmatched in his battle against an elite receiver. Memorably stiff-armed to the ground by Bryant early in the game, Fuller allowed five catches for 66 yards on six targets, per PFF.

One cornerback who continued to ascend the rankings this week is Kansas City Chiefs third-round pick Phillip Gaines. Though he was beaten by Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd for a 45-yard catch, he otherwise played well in Week 14, recording two passes defensed while only allowing one other reception, per PFF.

While only five rookie cornerbacks made the top 50 this week, a couple of others made strong pushes to potentially break through by the end of the year.

Oakland Raiders seventh-round pick T.J. Carrie had a productive day Sunday, as he recorded seven tackles, including two for loss. He also had 72 return yards on six combined kickoff/punt returns.

Cleveland Browns rookie Justin Gilbert struggled badly early in the season and has been the No. 4 cornerback on the team's depth chart most of the year, but he got a chance for extended playing time Sunday—when fellow rookie K'Waun Williams went down with a hamstring injury—and took advantage. Gilbert picked off a pass for the first interception of his career and then returned it 23 yards for his first career touchdown.

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	Tre Boston	FS	Panthers	4.28	NR
5	Marqueston Huff	FS/CB	Titans	4.22	NR

 

First-round picks Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Deone Bucannon have been very solid players for their teams' secondaries all year as rookies.

Clinton-Dix didn't have one of his best games on Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons, but he still recorded seven total tackles while serving as a steady presence in deep coverage on the back end. Bucannon only recorded three tackles against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but he also forced a fumble from Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce that resulted in a key takeaway for his team.

Calvin Pryor returned to the New York Jets' starting lineup Sunday, in place of Dawan Landry, whom he shared snaps with over the course of the game. He did not record any tackles in New York's loss to the Minnesota Vikings but was able to force a third-down incompletion with a pressure on fellow rookie and former Louisville teammate Teddy Bridgewater.

Two rookies who had breakout performances in Week 14 were Tre Boston of the Carolina Panthers and Marqueston Huff of the Tennessee Titans.

Boston, in his second start of the season, recorded two passes defensed and three total tackles. Huff, who has seen playing time as both a safety and slot cornerback this year, made the first big play of his NFL career Sunday when he intercepted a pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown. 

Specialists

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Specialist Rankings

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

Neither Cody Parkey nor Cairo Santos attempted any field goals Sunday, yet they had the best weeks of any of the four active rookie specialists in Week 14.

Chandler Catanzaro made three field goals for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but he also missed two from just 36 and 34 yards out—his two shortest misses of the season to date. He started the year by making 16 consecutive field goals, the best streak ever to start an NFL career, but he has made only six of his 10 attempts since.

Pat O'Donnell, meanwhile, continues to rank among the NFL's worst active punters. He had four punts on Sunday; none of them traveled longer than 42 yards, and it wasn't as though he was punting on a short field. One of his punts was tipped and traveled just 21 yards, and another was returned for what would have been a 47-yard Dallas Cowboys touchdown had it not been nullified by a penalty. Only one of his punts was downed inside the 20-yard line.