NFL1000: Rookie Review from Week 12

It's not easy to be a first-year cornerback in the NFL.

Rookies at the position have to deal with receivers more gifted and developed than any they've faced, and offensive game plans that can be several chapters larger than anything they've ever studied. And quarterbacks practice the art of subtle deception. Most NFL cornerbacks take at least their first full professional season to develop into above-average starters.

This makes the performances of our top two rookie corners this week particularly exceptional.

The Cleveland Browns' Briean Boddy-Calhoun, an undrafted free agent from Minnesota, had a great game against the New York Giants, allowing four catches (one for a touchdown) on eight targets. The 5'9" Boddy-Calhoun showed great range when jumping routes and can play well both outside and in the slot. However, bigger receivers and those running quick comeback routes still give him fits.

And the San Diego Chargers' Trevor Williams, another undrafted free agent, comes in second at the position (and 13th overall) with his performance against the Houston Texans. Williams, who didn't even play until Week 6 and had amassed just 49 snaps total before Sunday's game, allowed just two catches on four targets and was outstanding in coverage all day.

More good news for San Diego's defense: Joey Bosa continued his torrid pace, mauling Houston's offensive line for a sack, two quarterback hits, five quarterback hurries, six tackles and four stops. 

Second overall on this week's list is Atlanta Falcons inside linebacker Deion Jones, an NFL1000 favorite all year who may have had his best game to date against the Arizona Cardinals. Not only was Jones exceptional against the run, making two key stops on David Johnson carries, but he showed a knack for coverage, as well as the range to do whatever he wants on the field. As his awareness catches up to his athleticism, Jones is looking like a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.

It was a great week for many of the NFL's first-year players. Here's how we saw their performances.

Advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Cornerback stats charted by B/R scouting.

Biggest Movers Heading into Week 13

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

How do you quantify the effect of the low-drafted or undrafted star? How do you chart the progress of those rookies who are struggling to make their way regardless of their draft position? With the weekly NFL1000 Rookie Review, we'll look to do both while keeping track of the stars of the 2016 draft. Part of that process is to align players with their draft positions relative to their on-field performance. 

It's what NFL teams do, and it's what we'll do.

Our Week 12 Rookie Review reveals a number of players who have taken major steps forward in their professional development. 

1. Briean Boddy-Calhoun, CB, Cleveland Browns

2016 Draft Position: Undrafted

Rank Last Week: 21

Rank This Week: 1

What Happened: The word has been out on Boddy-Calhoun, who's played a lot of snaps because of a dearth of talent on Cleveland's defense.

But he took a huge step forward against the Giants on Sunday. He did allow a touchdown to Dwayne Harris on a deep ball to the left side of the end zone and was beaten for an 18-yard completion to Roger Lewis on a quick comeback. But other than those two plays, he stuck to his targets like glue and refused to give ground. He looks like a hidden gem for a Browns team that will take all the good news it can get.

2. Justin Simmons, FS, Denver Broncos

2016 Draft Position: 98 (third round, 36th pick)

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 8

What Happened: Simmons has been on this list before because he's played well when asked. It's hard for any rookie to break into Denver's deep secondary, but Simmons got the second-most snaps of his career against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night and made the most of them. Targeted three times, he gave up just one pass for 10 yards, adding three tackles.

3. Trevor Williams, CB, San Diego Chargers

2016 Draft Position: Undrafted

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 13

What Happened: Injuries have so affected San Diego's secondary that Williams, who had barely played before Week 12's game against the Texans, was pressed into service. The Chargers got his best, as Williams allowed just two catches on four targets, according to our internal charting, following speed receiver Will Fuller on a number of deeper routes. The Penn State alum now has the opportunity to show he's more than a one-game wonder.

4. Noah Spence, 4-3 DE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2016 Draft Position: 39 (second round, eighth pick)

Rank Last Week: 46

Rank This Week: 19

What Happened: Spence got off to a slow start in his rookie campaign, with one sack and a handful of pressures in Tampa Bay's first five games. But he's come along in the second half of the season.

He was a major factor in the Bucs' win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Spence grabbed 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and three stops as he frustrated Seattle's undermanned and unprepared offensive line. Spence had his off-field issues in college, but he's validating the Bucs' faith in him with what he's doing on the field. 

5. De'Vondre Campbell, 4-3 OLB, Atlanta Falcons

2016 Draft Position: 115 (fourth round, 17th pick)

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 15

What Happened: While inside linebacker Deion Jones and safety Keanu Neal are the marquee players among Atlanta's rookie class, don't sleep on De'Vondre Campbell, who has made his share of splash plays in Dan Quinn's defense. Against the Cardinals on Sunday, Campbell had four tackles and two stops. He also picked off a pass (his first NFL interception) and allowed four catches on nine targets for 63 yards and an opponent passer rating of 28.7.

Things are looking up for Atlanta's defense. Campbell is a big reason why.

Top 50 Rookies Overall from Week 12

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Our Week 12 Top 50 rookie rankings are based on game-tape evaluation. We can now see how they shake out against preseason grades and expectations. Here's how things stand for the 2016 rookie class this week.

Top 50 Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	Pick	NFL1000 Score	LW	Moving
1	Briean Boddy-Calhoun	CB	CLE	UDFA	82	21	↑
2	Deion Jones	ILB	ATL	52	81	NR	↑
3	Joey Bosa	3-4 DE	SD	3	80	NR	↑
4	Taylor Decker	LT	DET	16	80	4	↔
5	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	DAL	4	79	1	↓
6	Michael Thomas	WR	NO	47	76	9	↑
7	Dak Prescott	QB	DAL	135	76	15	↑
8	Justin Simmons	FS	DEN	98	75	NR	↑
9	Ronnie Stanley	LT	BAL	6	75	6	↓
10	Jordan Howard	RB	CHI	150	75	12	↑
11	Keanu Neal	SS	ATL	17	75	NR	↑
12	Jack Conklin	RT	TEN	8	75	10	↓
13	Trevor Williams	CB	SD	UDFA	74	NR	↑
14	Javon Hargrave	DT	PIT	89	74	NR	↑
15	De'Vondre Campbell	4-3 OLB	ATL	115	73	NR	↑
16	Devontae Booker	RB	DEN	136	73	NR	↑
17	Wil Lutz	K	NO	UDFA	73	NR	↑
18	Kenneth Dixon	RB	BAL	134	73	30	↑
19	Noah Spence	4-3 DE	TB	39	72	46	↑
20	Andy Janovich	FB	DEN	176	72	NR	↑
21	Tyreek Hill	WR	KC	165	72	NR	↑
22	Jalen Richard	RB	OAK	UDFA	72	36	↑
23	Andrew Adams	FS	NYG	UDFA	71	47	↑
24	Sheldon Rankins	DT	NO	12	71	50	↑
25	Karl Joseph	SS	OAK	14	71	2	↓
26	Wendell Smallwood	RB	PHI	153	71	23	↓
27	Malcolm Mitchell	WR	NE	112	71	22	↓
28	Derrick Henry	RB	TEN	45	71	NR	↑
29	Joshua Garnett	OG	SF	28	70	49	↑
30	Kevin Byard	FS	TEN	64	70	18	↓
31	Clayton Fejedelem	SS	CIN	245	70	NR	↑
32	Artie Burns	CB	PIT	25	70	7	↓
33	Derek Watt	FB	SD	198	70	NR	↑
34	Miles Killebrew	SS	DET	111	70	34	↔
35	Eli Apple	CB	NYG	10	70	NR	↑
36	Sean Davis	SS	PIT	58	70	19	↓
37	Spencer Drango	OG	CLE	168	69	33	↓
38	Corey Coleman	WR	CLE	15	69	NR	↑
39	George Fant	LT	SEA	UDFA	69	NR	↑
40	Vonn Bell	FS	NO	61	69	16	↓
41	Kenyan Drake	RB	MIA	73	69	NR	↑
42	Kavon Frazier	SS	DAL	212	69	NR	↑
43	Riley Dixon	P	DEN	228	69	NR	↑
44	Joe Haeg	RT	IND	155	69	NR	↑
45	Ronald Blair	3-4 DE	SF	142	68	NR	↑
46	Will Fuller	WR	HOU	21	68	NR	↑
47	Isaac Seumalo	OG	PHI	79	68	NR	↑
48	Kevon Seymour	CB	BUF	218	68	NR	↑
49	T.J. Green	FS	IND	57	68	NR	↑
50	Tyler Boyd	WR	CIN	55	68	42	↓

Quarterbacks

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

It would be easy to overstate Jared Goff's performance for the Los Angeles Rams because he threw three touchdowns. Goff showed a lot more than he did during his debut, but the flaws were still clear.

He had a bad interception and a bad fumble while showing off inconsistent ball placement throughout the game. One of his touchdowns was a pick play after he took over on a short field thanks to Drew Brees' fumble for the New Orleans Saints. It was a much better display—the type the Rams needed to see compared to his debut, but Goff still struggled to match his peers. 

Doug Pederson's cautious scheme for the Philadelphia Eagles continues to protect Carson Wentz. The rookie had a couple of impressive plays when he adjusted to pressure, but his consistency from snap to snap wasn't where it needs to be. His interception was a wild overthrow where his intended receiver wouldn't have had a chance at the ball if he was waiting for it on a stepladder.

While there are still positives to take from Wentz's performances, his campaign as a whole hasn't lived up to the early-season hype. Even with the limited weapons, he should have been able to attack the Green Bay defense downfield with more consistency.

If you're still wishing the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo would replace Dak Prescott, you will have found reasons to be frustrated on Thanksgiving. Prescott missed a couple of huge play opportunities by not seeing the field. Many more positive plays offset those misses, though. Prescott tends to be overly cautious as a passer, but he showed more of his running ability to help keep the offense moving against Washington.

Grading Scale

Acc: Accuracy (Graded out of 25)

Arm: Arm Strength (Graded out of 25)

Press: Pressure/Run Threat (Graded out of 20) (Pressure weighted at 15, run threat at 5)

Dec: Decision-Making (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie QB Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Acc	Arm	Press	Dec	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Dak Prescott	DAL	15	20	16	15	10	76	1	↔
2	Carson Wentz	PHI	12	18	13	12	10	65	4	↑
3	Jared Goff	LA	15	18	10	11	10	64	2	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Cody Kessler—injury

Notable Performances

Dak Prescott

Week 12 Stats: 17-of-24, 195 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT

Rookies are supposed to be more volatile than Prescott has been. He is showing the week-to-week consistency of a player who has been in the league for five or more years. Prescott is still displaying obvious flaws, but his skill set as a whole keeps the Cowboys offense on track for a potential Super Bowl bid.

Carson Wentz

Week 12 Stats: 24-of-36, 254 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT

With Pederson's offense and no previous evidence of what Wentz can do, there is a chicken-and-egg situation in Philadelphia. Is Wentz so cautious because Pederson wants him to be, or is Pederson so cautious because he's scared of what will happen with Wentz in an expansive offense? Wentz's penchant for missing receivers high suggests he will only be exposed more often in a more expansive attack.

Jared Goff

Week 12 Stats: 20-of-32, 214 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

The three touchdowns were comforting for Rams fans. The first and third were promising because they came on downfield throws. At this point, it's hard to argue that Goff is much better than Case Keenum was, but he doesn't need to be great now. He just needs to show potential that he could be one day.

Running Backs

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Ezekiel Elliott leads the league in rushing by 156 yards over DeMarco Murray. He gets stronger and more powerful every week and might have the Rookie of the Year Award wrapped up already. Elliott also continues to be one of the better pass-blockers in the league, an uncommon trait for a first-year player. 

Jordan Howard has given the Chicago Bears, who are in the middle of a disastrous season, hope for the future. He was impressive against the Tennessee Titans, running by defenders with excellent play speed and downhill nature. He has also become a solid receiver. Even with a terrible drop, he was good Sunday out of the backfield.

Jalen Richard has developed a good niche in Oakland as a change-of-pace runner to pair with fellow Raider Latavius Murray. He also adds a much-needed dimension in the return game.

Kenneth Dixon is showing flashes of being a future starter for the Baltimore Ravens as a versatile back who displayed a physical side against a divisional rival in the Cincinnati Bengals.

While Denver's Devontae Booker didn't average over four yards per carry (3.3), he was productive against the Chiefs. He ran hard, held on to the football and helped keep the Broncos offense somewhat balanced. He has starter traits, and the Broncos will depend on him down the stretch with C.J. Anderson on injured reserve.

Grading Scale

In: Inside Running (Graded out of 25)

Out: Outside Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie RB Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	In	Out	Rec	Blk	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	20	19	16	18	6	79	1	↔
2	Jordan Howard	CHI	18	18	17	16	6	75	3	↑
3	Devontae Booker	DEN	18	17	16	16	6	73	NR	↑
4	Kenneth Dixon	BAL	18	16	17	16	6	73	6	↑
5	Jalen Richard	OAK	18	18	15	15	6	72	7	↑
6	Wendell Smallwood	PHI	18	16	16	15	6	71	5	↓
7	Derrick Henry	TEN	18	16	15	16	6	71	NR	↑
8	Kenyan Drake	MIA	16	17	15	15	6	69	10	↑
9	Paul Perkins	NYG	16	14	16	14	6	66	9	↔
10	Peyton Barber	TB	16	14	16	14	6	66	11	↑
11	Jonathan Williams	BUF	15	14	15	15	6	65	8	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Daniel Lasco—insufficient snaps
• Tyler Ervin—inactive
• DeAndre Washington—inactive

Notable Performances

Ezekiel Elliott

Week 12 Stats: 20 carries, 97 yards, 2 TD; 2 receptions, 23 yards

Elliott put together another dominant performance on Thanksgiving. He ran powerfully all day inside the tackles, continuing to run through defenders and make plays in the passing game. He was awesome.

Jordan Howard

Week 12 Stats: 18 carries, 84 yards; 3 receptions, 43 yards

Howard ran hard all day against the Titans and does so as hard as anyone in the NFL. He broke arm tackles and was excellent inside. He had a bad drop that would have resulted in a touchdown, though.

Devontae Booker

Week 12 Stats: 24 carries, 79 yards

Booker had a solid effort against a good Chiefs team Sunday night. He ran hard inside the tackles and did a good job holding on to the football. He helped keep the Chiefs honest and allowed the Broncos' passing game to hit some big plays.

Fullbacks

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

It was a low-key weekend for both rookie fullbacks from a stats perspective, but both guys helped their running backs gain yardage by clearing holes and locating defenders. However, Andy Janovich was placed on injured reserve this week, which thins the rookie fullback class to one starter moving forward, Derek Watt. 

Grading Scale

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 50)

Run: Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie FB Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Blk	Run	Rec	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Andy Janovich	DEN	44	15	9	4	72	NR	↑
2	Derek Watt	SD	43	15	8	4	70	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Andy Janovich

Week 12 Stats: 1 reception, -1 yards

He played fast and physical against one of the better teams in the league. While he didn't have any production, he was good locating defenders in space and adjusting on the fly.

Wide Receivers

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Minnesota Vikings receiver Laquon Treadwell got the first start of his career on Thanksgiving but failed to record a single stat. Treadwell did draw a pass interference call that helped the Vikings extend a drive.

Tyreek Hill was electric for the Chiefs on Sunday night, but his biggest play came on a kick return, which could not be fully reflected in his grade this week.

The New England Patriots' Malcolm Mitchell finds himself in a prestigious position at this point in his career: inside Tom Brady's circle of trust. This was on display early in the game as Brady looked for him on a third-down conversion on a hitch route and late in the first half on a vertical route in the red zone. Mitchell caught two touchdowns in a victory over the New York Jets. 

Grading Scale

Route: Route-Running (Graded out of 25)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie WR Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Michael Thomas	NO	21	21	14	11	9	76	1	↔
2	Tyreek Hill	KC	18	18	15	12	9	72	8	↑
3	Malcolm Mitchell	NE	18	20	11	13	9	71	2	↓
4	Corey Coleman	CLE	18	18	12	12	9	69	7	↑
5	Will Fuller V	HOU	17	19	11	12	9	68	9	↑
6	Tyler Boyd	CIN	18	17	12	12	9	68	5	↓
7	Braxton Miller	HOU	15	17	12	13	9	66	6	↓
8	Robby Anderson	NYJ	17	17	11	12	9	66	NR	↑
9	Tajae Sharpe	TEN	16	17	11	12	9	65	4	↓
10	Jalin Marshall	NYJ	17	16	11	12	9	65	NR	↑
11	Leonte Carroo	MIA	16	16	11	11	9	63	NR	↑
12	Rashard Higgins	CLE	15	15	11	12	9	62	12	↔
13	Alex Erickson	CIN	15	15	11	11	9	61	11	↓
14	Cody Core	CIN	14	14	11	12	9	60	NR	↑
15	Chester Rogers	IND	14	14	11	12	9	60	NR	↑
16	Laquon Treadwell	MIN	13	12	10	13	9	57	NR	↑
17	Sterling Shepard	NYG	14	12	10	11	9	56	3	↓
18	Aaron Burbridge	SF	11	12	10	11	9	53	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Josh Doctson—injury
• Mike Thomas—insufficient snaps
• Trevor Davis—insufficient snaps
• Ricardo Louis—insufficient snaps
• Johnny Holton—insufficient snaps
• Chris Moore—insufficient snaps
• Jakeem Grant—insufficient snaps
• Demarcus Robinson—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Michael Thomas

Week 12 Stats: 9 receptions, 108 yards, 2 TD

Once again, Thomas shined for the Saints as he scored twice and was the Saints' leading receiver. What's also interesting is that Thomas out-snapped every other Saints receiver, including Brandin Cooks, who never saw a target throughout the game. Thomas scored on a corner route in the end zone where he high-pointed the ball. It's safe to say that Thomas is at least 1B to Cooks' 1A.

Laquon Treadwell

Week 12 Stats: 0 receptions, 0 yards

Treadwell started the game for the Vikings but was targeted only once. Treadwell ran a sloppy route and the pass hit him in the chest and was eventually intercepted. There was a defensive holding call on the play that negated the interception, but Treadwell failed to see another target on Thanksgiving.

Malcolm Mitchell

Week 12 Stats: 5 receptions, 42 yards, 2 TD

Mitchell has become a weapon for Brady, catching two touchdowns in the Patriots' win over the Jets. Brady displayed his trust in the rookie on a third-down play early in the game when he threw to him on a hitch route against tight coverage.

Tight Ends

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

The Chargers' Hunter Henry continued his strong rookie campaign, catching his fifth touchdown pass of the season.

On the other sideline, Stephen Anderson saw an increased workload from last week and is becoming more involved in the Texans offense.

Seth DeValve saw an increased number of snaps as well for the Browns and was part of their two-minute drill late in the game as they tried to get back into the contest.

Austin Hooper caught two balls on Sunday for Atlanta, but his snaps have decreased in the past few weeks in favor of receivers Justin Hardy and Taylor Gabriel. 

Grading Scale

Route: Route-Running (Graded out of 20)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie TE Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Hunter Henry	SD	12	19	11	18	6	66	NR	↑
2	Seth DeValve	CLE	13	17	12	15	6	63	3	↑
3	Stephen Anderson	HOU	12	15	11	17	6	61	NR	↑
4	Jerell Adams	NYG	12	15	12	15	6	60	NR	↑
5	Alex Ellis	JAX	11	14	11	17	6	59	NR	↑
6	Austin Hooper	ATL	11	13	11	14	6	55	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Temarrick Hemingway—inactive
• Nick Vannett—insufficient snaps
• David Morgan—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Hunter Henry

Week 12 Stats: 2 receptions, 20 yards, 1 TD

Henry is an integral part of this Chargers offense at this point, catching his fifth touchdown of the year.

Austin Hooper

Week 12 Stats: 2 receptions, 8 yards

Hooper is Atlanta's second tight end, but his snaps have decreased in the past few weeks.

Offensive Tackles

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Taylor Decker of the Detroit Lions notched his 11th straight start and was outstanding versus Minnesota. Decker has improved weekly and has a bright future.

Ronnie Stanley of the Baltimore Ravens started his fourth consecutive game since returning from injury and played well against NFC North rival Cincinnati. Seattle's George Fant registered his fifth straight start. He continues to show weekly improvement.

Jack Conklin notched his 12th start, and as we've highlighted in previous weeks, he continues to be a mauler in the run game and showed improvement in pass protection against Chicago. Philadelphia's Halapoulivaati Vaitai was inactive with an injury. Indianapolis' Joe Haeg had previously started at right guard but bumped out to right tackle for the Colts against Pittsburgh. Haeg continues to have big-time struggles in pass protection. There seem to be moments when it looks as if the game is moving just a step faster than Haeg can process. 

Grading Scale

OT: Left or Right Tackle Designation

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week 

Rookie OT Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	OT	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Taylor Decker	DET	LT	20	20	16	16	8	80	1	↔
2	Ronnie Stanley	BAL	LT	20	19	14	14	8	75	2	↔
3	Jack Conklin	TEN	RT	18	20	15	15	7	75	3	↔
4	George Fant	SEA	LT	16	16	13	16	8	69	6	↑
5	Joe Haeg	IND	RT	17	19	13	13	7	69	7	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Halapoulivaati Vaitai—injury 

Notable Performers

Taylor Decker

Decker had another strong week as the league's top rookie offensive tackle. In 61 snaps, he didn't surrender a single quarterback hit or sack, which helped earn him a pass grade of 20/25.

Offensive Guards

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

It was a brutal week in rookie guard play, as three of the week's lowest-graded guards were rookies and only one first-year player had at least a 70 grade. The group remains healthy in size, but this was one of the worst weeks we have seen in rookie guard play this year. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie OG Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Joshua Garnett	SF	16	17	17	13	7	70	6	↑
2	Spencer Drango	CLE	16	15	17	14	7	69	3	↑
3	Isaac Seumalo	PHI	14	17	16	14	7	68	NR	↑
4	Joe Thuney	NE	15	14	14	17	7	67	4	↔
5	Jason Spriggs	GB	16	12	13	17	7	65	5	↔
6	Germain Ifedi	SEA	12	15	16	11	7	61	2	↓
7	Graham Glasgow	DET	11	14	14	14	7	60	7	↔

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Rees Odhiambo—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Joshua Garnett

Garnett is starting to put together some respectable tape after his early struggles. He held up against Ndamukong Suh this week. His power in the run game is evident, but he needs to get more consistent with his footwork to take the next step.

Jason Spriggs

Spriggs had the nightmare of matching up across from Fletcher Cox this week, and although he didn't fair too well overall, he showed flashes of good footwork as a pass protector. Spriggs is a much better fit at tackle than guard, though, as his lack of lower-body strength is a liability in the run game.

Graham Glasgow

Glasgow was so bad on Thanksgiving that he was benched in the first quarter after several ugly reps. He got another chance in the second half due to Laken Tomlinson's struggles. If this revolving door continues, the Lions may give a chance to someone else.

Centers

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

With an injury among our rookie center duo, we graded just one rookie this week. And it was not a good grade at that. Hopefully, the two first-year centers can return to the promising play they have demonstrated in the past. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie C Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Cody Whitehair	CHI	15	14	15	15	6	65	1	↔

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Ryan Kelly—injury

Notable Performances

Cody Whitehair

Whitehair had some issues snapping the ball this week, perhaps due to the Bears' having yet another new quarterback in Matt Barkley under center. I wouldn't be too worried about it, but it's something to keep an eye on going forward.

3-4 Defensive Ends

Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

Since Joey Bosa started playing for the San Diego Chargers, he's been the best rookie 3-4 defensive end in 2016, if not the best 3-4 defensive end league-wide. It's no surprise that he tops this list, but the players who come after him represent a reshuffling of names we've heard all season. 

Ronald Blair is getting his first real taste of rotational play with the San Francisco 49ers, while Chris Jones is getting hot for the Kansas City Chiefs as of late, looking like the young Muhammad Wilkerson we projected him to develop into. Emmanuel Ogbah and Jonathan Bullard, two Day 2 selections, have seen plenty of reps in recent weeks but aren't playing consistently enough to keep up with Bosa and Jones. 

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 15)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 30)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie 3-4 DE Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Joey Bosa	SD	14	18	24	17	7	80	NR	↑
2	Ronald Blair	SF	12	17	18	14	7	68	NR	↑
3	Chris Jones	KC	11	15	21	13	7	67	1	↓
4	Emmanuel Ogbah	CLE	12	15	20	12	7	66	4	↔
5	Jonathan Bullard	CHI	11	16	17	14	7	65	NR	↑
6	Carl Nassib	CLE	12	14	19	13	7	65	3	↓
7	Adolphus Washington	BUF	11	13	18	14	7	63	5	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Joey Bosa

Week 12 Stats: 7 tackles, 0.5 sacks

Bosa was back after the Chargers' bye week and looked as good as ever. I'm so impressed with his ability to bend the arc as a pass-rusher—a trait many didn't think he had before the draft.

Ronald Blair

Week 12 Stats: 2 tackles, 1 sack

In the last two weeks, Blair, who started the year as a nickel nose tackle, has made five of his 10 tackles for the season. With Arik Armstead out of the lineup, Blair has been in the rotation more as a true 3-4 defensive end, and he's catching on quickly.

4-3 Defensive Ends

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Against Seattle's poorly constructed and injury-plagued offensive line in Week 12, Noah Spence had a clear directive: Make the most of an opportunity against a weaker opponent. And in Tampa Bay's 14-5 win over the Seahawks, Spence did just that. In the first quarter, he lined up in a wide alignment and simply abused left tackle George Fant around the edge for a sack of Russell Wilson with his speed and angular awareness. At the start of the second quarter, Spence again careened around the edge for a sack—this time forcing a fumble that Wilson recovered. Easy pickings for Spence, who finished his day with 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and three stops, but it does embody an overall improvement in Spence that we've seen in the last month. 

Banished from Ohio State to Western Kentucky after failing a number of drug tests, Spence appears to have turned things around off the field, and it's showing up between the lines as well. 

Yannick Ngakoue, who's been impressive most of his rookie season in an under-the-radar fashion, continued to gain momentum against the Bills with his sixth sack of the season and four quarterback hurries, bringing his 2016 total to 23. The third-rounder from Maryland shows impressive speed around the edge and a great second gear when he's closing to the pocket. 

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie 4-3 DE Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Snap	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Noah Spence	TB	21	13	16	14	8	72	2	↑
2	Yannick Ngakoue	JAX	22	10	15	11	8	66	1	↓
3	Anthony Zettel	DET	18	12	14	13	8	65	NR	↑
4	Romeo Okwara	NYG	17	13	13	14	8	65	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Yannick Ngakoue

Week 12 Stats: 2 tackles, 1 sack

Ngakoue now has six sacks on the year. That's an impressive total for a rookie, and with five games remaining, perhaps this young pass-rusher will reach double digits.

Noah Spence

Week 12 Stats: 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks

Though he's still not a full-time starter, Spence is the Buccaneers' premier pass-rusher in 2016. With his performance against Seattle in an upset victory, Spence is a half-sack (5.5) behind the lead for his rookie class, and he has more sacks on the season than any Buccaneer other than All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (6.0).

Defensive Tackles

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

Javon Hargrave and Sheldon Rankins stole the show this week among rookie defensive tackles. Hargrave went up against a backup center and dominated him. He recorded a diving sack on Scott Tolzien and had a handful of plays where he displayed outstanding run defense on the interior.

Rankins recorded the first strip sack of his career on fellow rookie Jared Goff. Rankins bullied the Rams offensive line versus the run and flashed the athleticism that made him coveted early in the first round. 

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie DT Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Javon Hargrave	PIT	19	16	20	12	7	74	7	↑
2	Sheldon Rankins	NO	18	17	18	11	7	71	5	↑
3	Maliek Collins	DAL	17	14	16	12	7	66	11	↑
4	Darius Latham	OAK	16	15	16	12	7	66	10	↑
5	Michael Pierce	BAL	16	11	19	12	7	65	1	↓
6	Kenny Clark	GB	16	14	16	12	7	65	3	↓
7	D.J. Reader	HOU	15	14	16	11	7	63	6	↓
8	Vincent Valentine	NE	15	14	16	11	7	63	2	↓
9	Destiny Vaeao	PHI	15	14	16	11	7	63	16	↑
10	Jihad Ward	OAK	16	13	15	11	7	62	15	↑
11	A'Shawn Robinson	DET	15	14	13	10	7	59	14	↑
12	Austin Johnson	TEN	14	11	15	10	7	57	13	↑
13	Hassan Ridgeway	IND	14	13	12	10	7	56	8	↓
14	Sheldon Day	JAX	14	12	13	10	7	56	9	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Vernon Butler—inactive
• Adam Gotsis—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Javon Hargrave

Week 12 Stats: 5 tackles, 1 sack

Hargrave bullied the Colts offensive line to notch his second sack of the season and a handful of run stops. He is quietly becoming a force on the Steelers defensive front.

Sheldon Rankins

Week 12 Stats: 1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

Rankins recorded the first strip sack of his career against the Rams. He was effective rushing the passer and stout in run defense against Los Angeles. It was only his fourth game of the season, but his impact on the Saints defensive line was easy to see.

3-4 Outside Linebackers

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Injuries to Leonard Floyd (concussion) and Kyler Fackrell (hamstring) and the reduced roles of Kevin Dodd and Joe Schobert made for another quiet week among rookie 3-4 outside linebackers. Only three players saw enough snaps to be included in our grading, and none of the three stood out. Matt Judon earned the top grade after batting down two passes against Andy Dalton and the Bengals. 

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie 3-4 OLB Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Cvg	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Matt Judon	BAL	19	12	10	16	8	65	3	↑
2	Shaq Lawson	BUF	19	12	9	16	8	64	2	↔
3	Chris Landrum	SD	18	10	9	16	8	61	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Leonard Floyd—injury
• Kyler Fackrell—injury
• Joe Schobert—insufficient snaps
• Dadi Nicolas—insufficient snaps
• Aaron Wallace—insufficient snaps
• Curt Maggitt—inactive
• Kevin Dodd—inactive

Notable Performances

Matt Judon

Week 12 Stats: 1 tackle, 2 passes defended

Judon had just one tackle without a sack against the Bengals, but he did take part in the Ravens' block party of Andy Dalton. The rookie got his hands up to knock down two different Dalton passes late in the game. As all rushers are taught, if you can't beat your block and get to the quarterback, it's best to put your arms up and attempt to disrupt the passing lanes. Judon did just that late in Baltimore's win.

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The rookies are alive! The worst rookie performance of the week came from Jordan Jenkins of the Jets, though he did not post a performance that was any worse than what we have seen from him this season. Jenkins is a solid rotational player and was exactly that this week.

The best came from De'Vondre Campbell of the Falcons, who has taken that crown almost every week this season. 

Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack appears to be figuring things out. Slowly but surely, he has developed into a somewhat reliable player who can, if nothing else, track the ball down and finish tackles. In coverage, he looked competent this week, which is to be expected of a player who was revered for his athleticism and coverage ability coming out of UCLA. Similarly, Jets linebacker Darron Lee had another respectable week. Lee had some poor outings earlier in the year, but he seems to be leveling out as a solid rookie linebacker.

The surprise this week was Cory Littleton, who played in place of the injured Josh Forrest. The Rams, for whatever reason, used Littleton more this week than they had ever used Forrest, even though Littleton has been behind Forrest on the depth chart all season. Despite the wackiness of his playing time, Littleton looked fine when on the field, especially as a run defender out on the edge. He did a good job setting the edge in his first real NFL action.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie 4-3 OLB Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	De'Vondre Campbell	ATL	21	19	7	20	6	73	NR	↑
2	Darron Lee	NYJ	16	18	8	18	6	66	NR	↑
3	Myles Jack	JAX	17	15	9	18	6	65	1	↓
4	Cory Littleton	LA	15	17	7	18	6	63	NR	↑
5	Jordan Jenkins	NYJ	16	16	7	15	6	60	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jaylon Smith—injury

Notable Performances

De'Vondre Campbell

Week 12 Stats: 4 tackles, 3 passes defended, 1 interception

Campbell continues to establish himself as the best rookie of this group. Not only did he play the run fairly well versus the Cardinals, but he was also a stud in pass defense. He is coming along well.

Darron Lee

Week 12 Stats: 11 tackles, 1 pass defended

Lee was all around the field this weekend. He did give up a few plays, but he balanced out his performance by making some plays of his own.

Myles Jack

Week 12 Stats: 5 tackles, 0.5 sack

Jack needs to keep stringing games like this together. He didn't do anything for the first half of the season, but he has been developing as of late.

Cory Littleton

Week 12 Stats: 3 tackles

In his first extended NFL action, Littleton did a fine job of filling in for Josh Forrest by containing the edge in run defense.

Jordan Jenkins

Week 12 Stats: 4 tackles

Jenkins swarmed to tackles but didn't do much by himself. While he was not a liability, he did not make a major positive impact, either.

Inside Linebackers

Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

Cory James of the Raiders continues to make minor splash plays from time to time, but he needs to build on his consistency. While James has been better than expected, he is still a wild card from play to play, though more often than not, he does not have a positive impact. Sunday's performance was a small glimmer of hope for him, but he has a long way to go. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Defense (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 35)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie ILB Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Deion Jones	ATL	23	31	9	12	6	81	NR	↑
2	Nick Kwiatkoski	CHI	15	21	7	10	6	59	NR	↑
3	Cory James	OAK	15	20	7	10	6	58	NR	↑
4	Su'a Cravens	WAS	16	17	7	10	6	56	1	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Deion Jones

Week 12 Stats: 3 tackles (2 assists), 1 missed tackle, 2 stops

The stat sheet doesn't illustrate the excellence of Jones' performance against the Cardinals. He was a whirling dervish, making key run stops and looking great in coverage. He had another outstanding week in a stellar season.

Nick Kwiatkoski

Week 12 Stats: 3 tackles (2 assists)

Kwiatkoski has been asked to do a lot given the injuries and suspensions affecting the Bears linebacker corps. He's an aware player with some physical limitations (he gets blown off blocks too easily), but he's a high-effort guy.

Su'a Cravens

Week 12 Stats: 1 tackle, 2 QB hurries

Cravens has been great most of his rookie year, but Dallas' multifaceted run game perplexed him and the rest of Washington's inside linebackers. It might behoove defensive coordinator Joe Barry to move Cravens around more to take advantage of his versatility while avoiding his relative lack of power through gaps.

Cory James

Week 12 Stats: 4 tackles

The Raiders have massive issues at linebacker, but at the very least, James has been better than what preceded him. He needs to improve on this week's performance and continue to get better as a run defender.

Cornerbacks

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Our top-ranked rookie last week is not only this week's top-ranked rookie, but he is the top-ranked corner for NFL1000. Briean Boddy-Calhoun allowed four catches on eight targets for a measly 33 yards. He had his fair share of shutdown coverages where he virtually ran the receiver's route for him, not to mention two pass breakups and two run stops. The Browns have a gem in the undrafted free agent. 

The up-and-down season of Artie Burns had its highs Sunday. Burns gave up three of five targets but limited the receivers he guarded to 19 yards. He also had a nice run stop. He got beat a couple of times for first downs, but Burns continues to trend the right way, and that will be important for Pittsburgh down the stretch.

A rookie usually comes out of nowhere every week when we do this, and this week's example is San Diego’s Trevor Williams. The undrafted free agent has been forced onto the field by injury, but on Sunday he looked like a longtime starter.

He gave up catches on two of four targets for 13 yards, but that doesn’t tell half of the story. He was only beaten one time in coverage. Williams was shadowing fellow rookie Will Fuller and showed the speed to run stride for stride with him all afternoon. On one deep post route, he beat Fuller to the spot, only to drop the interception. It will be something to monitor if Williams can continue to play at that level, especially since the Chargers don’t have any other options.

New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple may have found his groove against the Cleveland Browns, as he pieced together arguably his strongest performance yet. In a mixture of press, off-man and slot coverage, Apple participated in 38 passing plays, allowing just two of five targets. Most impressive, he was in shut-down or good positioning in four of those targets. The bad moment was the blown-coverage touchdown he allowed.

Sticking in the NFC East, Washington Redskins slot corner Kendall Fuller had another rough week. He allowed five of six targets to be completed in just 21 slot snaps. His positioning was better than it was the previous week, but surrendering four first downs is unacceptable. Especially when lined up next to Josh Norman and Bashaud Breeland, Fuller stood out in a negative way again in Week 12.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

React: Reaction/Recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie CB Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	React	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Briean Boddy-Calhoun	CLE	24	26	16	7	9	82	2	↑
2	Trevor Williams	SD	22	23	15	5	9	74	NR	↑
3	Artie Burns	PIT	20	19	16	6	9	70	1	↓
4	Eli Apple	NYG	19	19	18	5	9	70	4	↔
5	Kevon Seymour	BUF	18	19	16	6	9	68	7	↑
6	Tavon Young	BAL	18	19	15	3	9	64	10	↑
7	Vernon Hargreaves	TB	15	17	16	6	9	63	3	↓
8	Jalen Ramsey	JAX	15	14	15	6	9	59	11	↑
9	Jalen Mills	PHI	14	16	14	4	9	57	13	↑
10	Rashard Robinson	SF	13	14	15	6	9	57	5	↓
11	James Bradberry	CAR	14	14	14	5	9	56	12	↑
12	Daryl Worley	CAR	13	14	14	6	9	56	9	↓
13	Kendall Fuller	WAS	12	13	12	4	9	50	6	↓
14	LeShaun Sims	TEN	11	11	13	5	9	49	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Mackensie Alexander—inactive

Notable Performances

Jalen Ramsey

Week 12 Stats: 3 targets, 2 receptions allowed for 74 yards

Ramsey wasn't involved much against the Bills. He had two run stops, including a tackle for loss, but will be remembered for giving up a 62-yard bomb to Sammy Watkins, which he was actually in good position for.

Tavon Young

Week 12 Stats: 10 targets, 5 receptions allowed for 47 yards

In coverage, Young was superb. He allowed five of ten targets to be completed for 47 yards; he also recorded two pass breakups and was only beaten twice in coverage all day. Three of those catches did go for first downs, though. Worst of all, he missed three tackles on the afternoon.

Free Safeties

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Broncos safety Justin Simmons had one of the best performances of his rookie season to date. He was particularly active in the fourth quarter and stood out in coverage. He did a good job of breaking down quickly on any underneath checkdowns when in deep zone coverages, but his most impressive reps came against Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. 

Simmons faced Kelce in man coverage a couple of times. On the first occasions, a 3rd-and-medium for the Chiefs, Simmons stuck tight to Kelce on a crossing route. The ball was thrown inaccurately and fell incomplete, but Simmons was in position to at least make the tackle and save the first down, if not contest the catch. Later on, he ran well down the sideline with Kelce on a deep shot. The ball was overthrown, but Simmons had strong positioning again on Kelce and would have likely contested a better throw.

Simmons was unfortunate not to get an interception. Late in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs took a shot in the end zone. Simmons worked from the middle of the field to the sideline, reading the flight of the ball perfectly and undercutting the route. He was in perfect position to make the interception, but the cornerback on the outside reached back and broke up the pass before it reached Simmons.

Vonn Bell had another up-and-down performance in line with how he has played so far this season. In the second quarter, he flashed well on a checkdown to the tight end in the flat. Bell read the play quickly, took a good angle and landed a hit as the ball arrived. His hit forced the ball to come out, and the pass was ruled incomplete.

However, Bell also had his poor moments for the Saints. He was on top of Rams right end Lance Kendricks in the end zone but took too many steps outside on a head fake, allowing Kendricks to break back inside across his face. Bell couldn't recover, and Kendricks caught the touchdown pass.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 10)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie FS Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Justin Simmons	DEN	22	23	6	16	8	75	NR	↑
2	Andrew Adams	NYG	22	20	5	16	8	71	4	↑
3	Kevin Byard	TEN	21	20	5	16	8	70	3	↔
4	Vonn Bell	NO	20	21	5	15	8	69	2	↓
5	T.J. Green	IND	20	20	5	15	8	68	5	↔

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kentrell Brice—insufficient snaps
• Cody Davis—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Justin Simmons

Week 12 Stats: 3 tackles, 1 pass defended

Simmons had a strong day in coverage. He stayed tight on Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on a number of occasions through various routes. He was also quick to break on any checkdowns underneath while in zone coverage, making two tackles in the fourth quarter that prevented first downs.

Kevin Byard

Week 12 Stats: 6 tackles, 1 pass defended

Kevin Byard continues to suffer from rookie inconsistencies. He struggled in coverage a couple of times against Bears tight ends, giving up separation and catches that led to first downs. He did, however, have one nice rep in the slot, running down the seam well with the receiver and sticking tight enough to disrupt the pass as it arrived. He made some nice plays against the run, including one play in the second quarter where he secured the edge and forced the running back to stop his feet and cut back inside toward Byard's help, who cleaned up and made the tackle for no gain.

Strong Safeties

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Keanu Neal had a tough assignment at times this week. The Falcons asked him to cover Cardinals running back David Johnson in the slot on occasion. Johnson is an accomplished receiver and proved to be a tough matchup for Neal. Johnson beat Neal on a slant inside near the goal line in the first quarter. Neal couldn't prevent the catch but did manage to make the tackle to save the touchdown. 

Later on, Neal faced Johnson in the slot again. The Cardinals ran a play designed to create some traffic for Neal to work around. He failed to work through the traffic and gave up the catch to Johnson again, who picked up a first down in the process.

Neal did, however, have a couple of good plays too. He broke quickly on a spot route from a Cardinals tight end, making a tackle instantly to stop any potential yards after the catch. In the fourth quarter, he worked over to tight end Jermaine Gresham in the end zone, landing a hit that forced the ball out and breaking up the pass.

We saw our first real glimpse of Bengals rookie Clayton Fejedelem this week. He stood out on one particular series in the third quarter, making a number of strong tackles. First, he filled in on the back side of a run, waiting patiently for the running back to cut back toward him. The back spotted him and attempted to bounce the run outside, but Fejedelem grabbed on and made the tackle for a loss.

A few plays later, he lined up deep but read an underneath crossing route on 3rd-and-short. He broke on it quickly, making up the ground and securing the tackle to prevent the first down.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 25)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie SS Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Keanu Neal	ATL	19	19	15	16	6	75	NR	↑
2	Karl Joseph	OAK	17	17	15	16	6	71	1	↓
3	Clayton Fejedelem	CIN	17	16	15	16	6	70	NR	↑
4	Miles Killebrew	DET	16	17	15	16	6	70	5	↑
5	Sean Davis	PIT	18	17	14	15	6	70	3	↓
6	Kavon Frazier	DAL	17	17	13	16	6	69	NR	↑
7	Deon Bush	CHI	16	17	14	15	6	68	4	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Will Parks—insufficient snaps

Notable Performances

Keanu Neal

Week 12 Stats: 6 tackles

Neal had a tougher assignment than he was used to this week. He struggled when matched up against Cardinals running back David Johnson in the slot, but he's far from the only player to struggle in that matchup this season. He had some strong plays to balance out the negative, especially when he was allowed to sit in underneath zones and break on checkdowns.

Miles Killebrew

Week 12 Stats: 5 tackles

Killebrew didn't have a lot of snaps, but he made two impact plays that might lead to more action for him next week. In the third quarter, he disrupted a tight end route going up the seam before peeling off that route to work to a checkdown in the flat. He made up ground quickly and made a strong tackle to save the first down and get his defense off the field. Later on, he matched up against a running back on an arrow route out of the backfield. He read the route perfectly, breaking on the throw and making a tackle short of the first-down marker again.

Special Teams

Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

Kickers

Wil Lutz had no trouble this week, attempting seven extra points and making every one of them. His form continues to show more consistency, and with his leg strength, he appears to be a reliable option for the Saints for the foreseeable future. I still have some questions regarding his technique, as he can take some funky angles to the ball occasionally, but he is much cleaner and relaxed on his attempts than earlier in the season. 

After three perfect weeks, Roberto Aguayo missed a 48-yard attempt wide right this week, ending his run. Aguayo had built some confidence on shorter kicks during that time, so this was the first real challenge for him in a month. While it was disappointing to see him miss, he does appear to have corrected the timing issue that was affecting his kicks earlier this year, and this may be a one-week event before he gets back on track.

Kicker Grading Scale

Pwr: Kick Power (Graded out of 40)

Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 40)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

LW: Rank Last Week

Rookie Kicker Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Pwr	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Wil Lutz	NO	31	34	5	3	73	2	↑
2	Roberto Aguayo	TB	32	21	5	3	61	1	↓

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Wil Lutz

Week 12 Stats: 7-of-7 XP

Easy kicks, easy makes this week for Lutz. He is showing much more consistency than expected at this point in his career, and with his leg strength, he could be a solid NFL kicker for a long time.

Roberto Aguayo

Week 12 Stats: 2-of-2 XP, 0-of-1 FG

Aguayo missed a 48-yarder wide right, but not with the same mechanical flaw that had affected him earlier this year. It was a disappointing result, but the process seems to be moving in the right direction.

Punters

Riley Dixon seems to be settling in as a capable NFL punter with a slightly above-average directional game. He may continue to add some power as he ages, but as it stands right now, he is likely close to his ceiling with this performance. He may flash some weeks, but the Broncos appear to have an adequate replacement for Britton Colquitt. Dixon does not have the long-term upside of Drew Kaser, but he appears to have found some consistency and is settling in nicely.

Kaser had another strong week from a distance and hang-time perspective, though he continues to struggle with ball placement. It is still encouraging to see him striking the ball more confidently after some significant issues in the first half of the year. Kaser has not realized his full potential, as he has the ability to place the ball wherever he chooses to when he is at his best. While this performance is another step in the right direction, there is another level for Kaser to elevate his game going forward.

Lachlan Edwards continues to turn in uneven performances from week to week, an issue that has plagued him since his college days. This week, he posted strong hang time and average directional placement but showed poor distance. Edwards has a big leg and can occasionally flash a good performance, but he turns in more below-average games than good ones. He may still tap his potential, but given how raw he is, it may take several years to get there, at which point he will no longer be on his affordable rookie deal.

Punter Grading Scale

Dist: Kick Distance (Graded out of 20)

Hang: Kick Hang Time (Graded out of 20)

Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 45)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 5)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Rookie Punter Rankings Week 12

Rank	Player	Team	Dist	Hang	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr	LW	Trend
1	Riley Dixon	DEN	14	15	34	3	3	69	NR	↑
2	Drew Kaser	SD	18	14	27	3	3	65	NR	↑
3	Lachlan Edwards	NYJ	12	16	30	3	3	64	NR	↑

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Notable Performances

Riley Dixon

Dixon put forth a competent performance, showing average power but the improved directional game that he has shown in recent weeks. If this is the punter the Broncos are getting for the next few years, they've done well for themselves, even after letting Colquitt go.

Drew Kaser

This was another building-block game for Kaser, who continues to demonstrate his big leg, although distance control and accuracy remain problematic.

Lachlan Edwards

More inconsistency from Edwards and week-to-week variations are likely the norm for him until he proves otherwise.