NFL Week 6 Rookie Rankings: Surveying Rookie Class, Post-Week 5

The fifth week of the NFL season is in the books, which leaves us about one-third through the 17-week schedule. We’re starting to see who these rookies are and getting a feel for what to expect from them. Our weekly rookie rankings have undergone some changes after seeing these first-year players a few times.

What is happening in the midst of their first season is still a potential indicator of how the next half-decade or so will play out. Players who impact their teams right away generally stick around and continue their positive influence. That shouldn’t take away from those who need more time to develop into a solid player, though.

The first five weeks of the season has featured peaks and valleys for this rookie class. Regardless of draft position, we’ve seen impactful play around the league. Teams already benefiting from their draft class must be brimming with excitement.

For this week’s rankings, we take a look at which players have performed the best to this point. Consideration has been given to where each rookie stands on his team’s depth chart, but the rankings aim to reflect how each player has performed thus far compared to what the expectations are.

Our rankings from even last week are now outdated, as Week 5 featured several eye-popping performances. The volatile nature of the NFL must be considered as well. The players listed in the following slides, nonetheless, stood out the most during the first five weeks of football.

Top 50 Overall

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

As the season progresses, we will track which players are moving up or down the board after having good or bad games. For this week, the listed movement may be somewhat significant, based on playing time given to each rookie. The few rookies who really stood out will rise higher on the top-50 overall list.

Some high draft picks have yet to make their presence felt, which is holding them out of the top 50. Conversely, some late-round picks and even undrafted rookies stood out enough this week to be among the top first-year players. The ebbs and flows of an NFL rookie season can be as dramatic as any in all of professional sports.

Standout Week 5 performers such as running back Thomas Rawls and defensive tackle Arik Armstead are rising up the big board. Indianapolis Colts defensive end Henry Anderson continues to be a force in the trenches, so he maintains his high standing. He’s been even more disruptive than advertised.

Top 50 Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Amari Cooper	WR	Raiders	1.4	1	Same
2	Marcus Mariota	QB	Titans	1.2	2	Same
3	Henry Anderson	DE	Colts	1.4	3	Same
4	Ronald Darby	CB	Bills	2.18	4	Same
5	Todd Gurley	RB	Rams	1.10	10	Up
6	Marcus Peters	CB	Chiefs	1.18	6	Same
7	Vic Beasley	DE	Falcons	1.8	5	Down
8	Jameis Winston	QB	Buccaneers	1.1	9	Up
9	Leonard Williams	DE	Jets	1.6	7	Down
10	Kevin Johnson	CB	Texans	1.16	11	Up
11	Damarious Randall	CB	Packers	1.30	21	Up
12	Hau'oli Kikaha	LB	Saints	2.12	8	Down
13	Thomas Rawls	RB	Seahawks	UDFA	18	Up
14	T.J. Yeldon	RB	Jaguars	2.4	14	Same
15	T.J. Clemmings	OT	Vikings	4.11	15	Same
16	Eric Kendricks	LB	Vikings	2.13	29	Up
17	David Parry	DT	Colts	5.15	17	Same
18	Arik Armstead	DE	49ers	1.17	37	Up
19	Eddie Goldman	DT	Bears	2.7	24	Up
20	Melvin Gordon	RB	Chargers	1.15	20	Same
21	Brandon Scherff	OG	Redskins	1.5	23	Up
22	Tyler Lockett	WR	Seahawks	3.5	26	Up
23	Kyshoen Jarrett	SAF	Redskins	6.5	27	Up
24	Frank Clark	DE	Seahawks	2.31	35	Up
25	Ali Marpet	OG	Buccaneers	2.29	25	Same
26	Adrian Amos	SAF	Bears	5.6	34	Up
27	Tre' Jackson	OG	Patriots	4.12	N/A	Up
28	Shaquille Mason	OG	Patriots	4.34	28	Same
29	Karlos Williams	RB	Bills	5.29	29	Same
30	David Johnson	RB	Cardinals	3.22	30	Same
31	Preston Smith	LB	Redskins	2.6	31	Same
32	Bobby Richardson	DE	Saints	UDFA	32	Same
33	Jamison Crowder	WR	Redskins	4.6	N/A	Up
34	Phillip Dorsett	WR	Colts	1.29	31	Down
35	Rob Havenstein	OT	Rams	2.25	40	Up
36	DeVante Parker	WR	Dolphins	1.14	36	Same
37	Shaq Thompson	LB	Panthers	1.25	N/A	Up
38	Matt Jones	RB	Redskins	3.31	38	Same
39	James Sample	SAF	Jaguars	5.4	39	Same
40	Jamon Brown	OG	Rams	3.8	19	Down
41	Byron Jones	SAF	Cowboys	1.27	41	Same
42	Duke Johnson	RB	Browns	3.13	42	Same
43	Ryan Delaire	DE	Panthers	UDFA	43	Same
44	Stephone Anthony	LB	Saints	1.31	12	Down
45	Jordan Hicks	LB	Eagles	3.20	N/A	Up
46	Michael Bennett	DT	Jaguars	6.4	46	Same
47	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	Titans	2.8	47	Same
48	Jaquiski Tartt	SAF	49ers	2.14	48	Same
49	Maxx Williams	TE	Ravens	2.23	49	Same
50	Landon Collins	SAF	Giants	2.1	50	Same

Quarterbacks

James Kenney/Associated Press

The Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota debate continues to favor one player over the other in alternating fashion. Last week, Winston dropped to second because of his four-interception performance. He played better this week, throwing for 209 yards and one touchdown.

It’s not enough for him to surpass Mariota right now, though. Mariota has simply been more consistent this season. Winston’s high-variance play must start to even out for him to reach his immense upside.    

The raw numbers between the two would suggest that this race isn’t close. I don’t agree, since the two have greatly differing situations and play styles. Mariota has always been more conservative than Winston, which affects the plays he makes and what the Titans run for him. That’s not to say Mariota isn’t better right now, but we have to at least acknowledge that aspect.

What Winston must improve on is his quickness in getting the ball out. He shows great anticipation at times, but when he is late, the play goes awry rapidly. His elongated motion creates a limited window for him to get the pass out. This also comes at a time when his offensive line is as leaky as any across the NFL, so that combination is not ideal.

Quarterback Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Marcus Mariota	QB	Titans	1.2	1	Same
2	Jameis Winston	QB	Buccaneers	1.1	2	Same
3	Brett Hundley	QB	Packers	5.11	3	Same
4	Garrett Grayson	QB	Saints	3.11	4	Same
5	Bryce Petty	QB	Jets	4.4	5	Same

Running Backs

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Not only has Todd Gurley arrived, but he has posted two impressive performances in a row. His 159 yards against the Green Bay Packers was a demonstration that we won’t soon forget. Gurley is able to create extra yards consistently, which has been a staple of his collegiate and now NFL career.

Gurley wasn’t the back with the most yards in Week 5, though. That was Seattle’s Thomas Rawls. The Seahawks created massive running lanes for Rawls to gash, and he fully took advantage. He finished with 169 yards on 23 carries.

Rawls is unlikely to continue to see such high volume work with Marshawn Lynch returning to the lineup in the near future. But he earned recognition enough to rise again this week. The undrafted free agent certainly has teams asking how they missed on him.

The rest of the rookie pool was fairly pedestrian this week. Javorius Allen had 58 yards on eight carries, including one run for 44 yards. But he hadn’t seen the field much prior to this week, so he’s on the edge of the top five.

Running Back Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Todd Gurley	RB	Rams	1.10	N/A	Up
2	Thomas Rawls	RB	Seahawks	UDFA	3	Up
3	T.J. Yeldon	RB	Jaguars	2.4	2	Down
4	Melvin Gordon	RB	Chargers	1.15	5	Up
5	Karlos Williams	RB	Bills	5.19	N/A	Up

Wide Receivers

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Not too much has changed in the rookie receiver rankings. Amari Cooper continues to be the cream of the crop, and the rest of the class is still struggling to be consistent. Washington’s Jamison Crowder has emerged as a focal point in the Redskins offense. He now owns the second rookie position for the season.

The lack of production from receivers DeVante Parker, Phillip Dorsett and Nelson Agholor lowers their standing some. Green Bay rookie Ty Montgomery had a solid outing against the Rams, who allowed him to get wide-open several times. He logged 59 yards and one touchdown and debuts in the top five this week.

Another rookie who is starting to climb the ladder is Jaelen Strong. The Texans receiver has had a quiet year but scored two touchdowns last week off busted coverage. He’s on our watch list moving forward, and he may break into the top five soon.

Wide Receiver Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Amari Cooper	WR	Raiders	1.4	1	Same
2	Jamison Crowder	WR	Redskins	4.6	4	Up
3	Tyler Lockett	WR	Seahawks	3.5	3	Same
4	Ty Montgomery	WR	Packers	3.30	N/A	Up
5	Phillip Dorsett	WR	Colts	1.29	2	Down

Tight Ends

Elsa/Getty Images

We finally have some significant movement in the tight end rankings. A big debut from Will Tye on Sunday Night Football has him inside the top three tight ends. The Giants rookie had four receptions for 48 yards in prime time, which registers him as the third-most productive rookie this season.

Our top two tight ends didn’t see much action in Week 5. It’s perplexing how this group continues to struggle so much. We knew that it wasn’t an overly strong draft class for tight ends, but we’ve really only seen this group get blocking snaps instead of passing targets.

Other producers last week included Clive Walford and Nick Boyle. Walford moves into second place, while James O’Shaughnessy falls into fifth, as it seems his production in Week 1 was more of a fluke instead of a sustainable occurrence.

Tight End Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Maxx Williams	TE	Ravens	2.23	1	Same
2	Clive Walford	TE	Raiders	3.4	3	Up
3	Will Tye	TE	Giants	UDFA	N/A	Up
4	Nick Boyle	TE	Ravens	5.35	N/A	Up
5	James O'Shaughnessy	TE	Chiefs	5.37	2	Down

Offensive Tackles

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The rookie offensive tackle class has had a tough time adjusting to the NFL. The first five weeks haven’t been consistent at all. We’ve seen significant movement on this list each week.

Some of these struggles should be expected. Mid-round picks such as Minnesota’s T.J. Clemmings weren't even supposed to start, until an injury occurred. It often takes a year or two to see good play from young tackles as they transform their body and technique.

The positive news is that none of the rookie tackles on our top five allowed a sack in the past week. This is new and hasn’t happened all season. It is notable that Clemmings, a top tackle, did not play in Week 5 due to a bye week.  

Giants rookie Ereck Flowers continues to be terrible at left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed six hurries and two hits on Eli Manning in Week 5. His poor play continues to be a huge issue for the Giants offensive line.

Offensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Rob Havenstein	OT	Rams	2.25	1	Same
2	T.J. Clemmings	OT	Vikings	4.11	2	Same
3	Kendall Lamm	OT	Texans	UDFA	3	Same
4	Ty Sambrailo	OT	Broncos	2.27	5	Up
5	Donovan Smith	OT	Buccaneers	2.2	4	Same

Offensive Guards

Associated Press

The rookie offensive guards have arguably been the most productive and effective group of first-year players. We have some fluctuation in the top five, as two newcomers have burst into the top spots. This comes as one of our higher-rated rookies plummeted last week.

The positive play continued for three highly touted guards. Washington’s first-round pick, Brandon Scherff, held his own against a talented Atlanta Falcons front seven. He’s still struggling with pass-protection technique, but there has been progress since the preseason.

Other studs include St. Louis’ Jamon Brown and Tampa Bay's Ali Marpet. Again, you’re looking at better run-blockers at this time, but each has been respectable in the passing game as well. The Patriots’ duo of Tre’ Jackson and Shaquille Mason are another notable pair that has rotated into this list.

Offensive Guard Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Brandon Scherff	G	Redskins	1.5	2	Up
2	Ali Marpet	G	Buccaneers	2.29	3	Up
3	Jamon Brown	G	Rams	3.8	1	Down
4	Tre' Jackson	G	Patriots	4.12	N/A	Up
5	A.J. Cann	G	Jaguars	3.3	N/A	Up

Centers

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

One of the more nondescript positions in the NFL is the offensive center. Rarely do centers have to do the brunt work that a guard or tackle does, but the center is usually the brain of the unit. Centers must identify blitzers and the "Mike" linebacker. They’re incredibly important.

But the NFL has a lot of quality centers, and the rookie pool suggests that not many starters were needed. We saw a new starter in Week 5 for the Chicago Bears. Hroniss Grasu stepped in after injuries struck the Bears line. His performance was highly forgettable.

Each starter struggled in Week 5. Per Pro Football Focus, Andrews and Grasu allowed a sack, while Morse was credited with four quarterback hurries. Quite simply, that’s horrible for a center. Centers rarely take on defenders without help, so if they’re losing in limited opportunities, there is a big reason for concern.

Center Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Mitch Morse	OC	Chiefs	2.17	1	Same
2	David Andrews	OC	Patriots	UDFA	2	Same
3	Hroniss Grasu	OC	Bears	3.7	3	Same
4	Andy Gallik	OC	Titans	6.32	4	Same
5	Kristjan Sokoli	OC	Seahawks	6.38	5	Same

Defensive Ends

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Arguably the most talented and deepest position from the rookie class is the defensive end position. Whether playing in a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive front, you can find the top ends right here. The difficult part is actually ranking this talented group.

The big mover this week is San Francisco 49ers’ defensive end Arik Armstead. He has been excellent in limited snaps in a 3-4 front. The first-round pick is showing exactly why he was taken so highly, garnering four quarterback hurries in Week 5, per Pro Football Focus.

The former No. 1 overall player on our big board, Seahawks’ defensive end Frank Clark, is back into this positional top five as well. He’s seeing more snaps and has brought production to the field. He logged two quarterback hurries in just 27 snaps this past week, according to Pro Football Focus.

The rest of this group consists of familiar names. Vic Beasley continues to be a nightmare for tackles to account for. It’s only a matter of time before he ascends higher into the group of elite pass-rushers in the NFL.

Defensive End Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Henry Anderson	DE	Colts	3.29	1	Same
2	Vic Beasley	DE	Falcons	1.8	2	Same
3	Leonard Williams	DE	Jets	1.6	3	Same
4	Arik Armstead	DE	49ers	1.17	4	Same
5	Frank Clark	DE	Seahawks	2.31	N/A	Up

Defensive Tackles

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Not much has changed for the rookie defensive tackle class. We haven’t seen much overall production from any of the rookies in terms of stats. But the film for several of them has been encouraging.

The pure nose tackles have been the best of the bunch so far. Colts tackle David Parry has been a helpful presence while eating double-teams. We can say the same for Cardinals rookie Rodney Gunter. Especially in multiple-front defenses or purely 3-4 fronts, these nose tackles make everything else possible for their teammates.

Not much has changed in our rankings this week. Danny Shelton continues to struggle to make an impact for the Browns and drops out of our top five. Newcomer Malcom Brown of the New England Patriots steps in in his place. He at least has filled his run-lane responsibilities better than Shelton has all season long.  

Defensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	David Parry	DT	Colts	5.15	1	Same
2	Eddie Goldman	DT	Bears	2.7	2	Same
3	Rodney Gunter	DT	Cardinals	4.17	3	Same
4	Michael Bennett	DT	Jaguars	6.4	5	Up
5	Malcom Brown	DT	Patriots	1.32	N/A	Up

Linebackers

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Whether you’re looking for a 3-4 or 4-3 outside linebacker, you’ll find the top five right here. Luckily for this group, three 4-3 outside linebackers played significant snaps, while four 3-4 rush linebackers were able to see the field often. Teams that needed impactful play from these rookies continue to wait, though.

We have a new face entering the top five this week. Philadelphia Eagles rookie Jordan Hicks has taken Stephone Anthony’s place, as he’s been a much more consistent presence since entering the lineup. Hicks has shown pass-rushing talent, as well as coverage ability and decent run defense. His unexpected contributions have greatly helped the Eagles defense.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson rounds out the top five. Despite Thompson and Eric Kendricks having a bye week, they have been impact players for their respective defenses. This is one of the strongest positional groups of all the rookies.

Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Hau'oli Kikaha	LB	Saints	2.12	1	Same
2	Eric Kendricks	LB	Vikings	2.13	2	Same
3	Shaq Thompson	LB	Panthers	1.25	4	Up
4	Jordan Hicks	LB	Eagles	3.20	N/A	Up
5	Stephone Anthony	LB	Saints	1.31	3	Down

Cornerbacks

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

This rookie cornerback group is a lot of fun to watch. It’s hard to find quality rookie cornerbacks because of the sheer difficulty of the position, but we have a few standouts thus far. Their early success should have teams kicking themselves for passing over instant starters at such a valuable spot.

Trying to decide who is the best rookie cornerback is difficult. Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters has consistently played well against elite quarterbacks and wide receivers. Bills cornerback Ronald Darby has showed great ball skills and true coverage talent. Houston’s Kevin Johnson has quietly been a solid starter as well.

Our rankings stay the same as last week. Eric Rowe barely played, but he just doesn’t have much competition right now. With Byron Jones splitting time between corner and safety, we’ll keep Jones at his better position for these rankings, which is safety right now.

Cornerback Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Ronald Darby	CB	Bills	2.18	1	Same
2	Marcus Peters	CB	Chiefs	1.18	2	Same
3	Kevin Johnson	CB	Texans	1.16	3	Same
4	Damarious Randall	CB	Packers	1.30	4	Same
5	Eric Rowe	CB	Eagles	2.15	5	Same

Safeties

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Our top five safeties stay the same this week. With Kyshoen Jarrett and Adrian Amos clearly the best two safeties right now, this is a group showing some upside at the top. The bottom of the top five has struggled with consistency, though.  

The rest of the safety class continues to be mediocre, at best. Without impact pass defenders at the position, the rookie safeties have just been treading water. That’s not to say one of these young defenders won’t break out, but the early returns haven’t been notable.

There’s no other position like safety in the NFL. The disparity between bad starters and even starter-quality is steep, making the elites even that more obvious. Unfortunately for this rookie class, every safety simply struggled to make any type of impact. 

Safety Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Kyshoen Jarrett	SAF	Redskins	6.5	1	Same
2	Adrian Amos	SAF	Bears	5.6	2	Same
3	James Sample	SAF	Jaguars	4.5	3	Same
4	Landon Collins	SAF	Giants	2.1	4	Same
5	Byron Jones	SAF	Cowboys	1.27	5	Same

Specialists

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

With so many rookie playmakers contributing on returns instead of offense, we’re changing up the rankings this week. Although players such as David Johnson and Ameer Abdullah have shown some offensive promise, they’ve been primarily playing special teams. That earns a ranking here.

Another newcomer is Jacksonville’s Corey Grant, who has been electric on kick returns. He ranks third in rookie kick-return yards. He slots in at fifth on the rankings. Marcus Murphy is another scatback who has specialized on returns. He’s second among all rookies in terms of total return yards, which includes both punt and kick returns.

The lone punter now on the list is Miami’s Matt Darr. He leads all rookie punters in net yards and average punt distance. His consistency has been notable, and he’s locked down that spot in Miami for the foreseeable future.

Specialist Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	LW	Moving
1	Marcus Murphy	KR	Saints	7.13	3	Up
2	David Johnson	KR	Cardinals	3.22	N/A	Up
3	Ameer Abdullah	KR	Lions	2.22	N/A	Up
4	Matt Darr	P	Dolphins	UDFA	1	Down
5	Corey Grant	KR	Jaguars	UDFA	N/A	Up

All stats used are from Sports-Reference.com.

Ian Wharton is an NFL Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. 

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