NFL1000: Rookie Review from Week 13

It’s generally tough for young quarterbacks to find consistency in the NFL. They’re facing defenses with bigger and stronger players and far more advanced coverages. While the players in their offenses are generally more talented, it takes a while for things to even out when you’re a rookie signal-caller. Coaches can do their best to make things easy, but if one or two things change, a quarterback can find himself heading down the charts in a big hurry.

That’s what has happened to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz recently. As I pointed out in this week’s NFL1000 Scouting Notebook, Wentz’s decline over the last month has been precipitous: After a great first two months of the season, he’s fallen off in efficiency and productivity at an alarming rate. Over his last four games, he’s completed 108 passes in 177 attempts for 1,011 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions. And against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Wentz was at his worst, throwing three interceptions and showing highly inconsistent mechanics.

Moreover, teams are adjusting as they often do against mobile quarterbacks with simple game plans. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson bolstered Wentz’s efforts early in the season with a passing game that featured short and intermediate throws and easy first reads. Recently, defenses have been pinching the pocket on either side, rushing Wentz up the middle and taking his first reads away in coverage. As a result, he’s finding it harder to get those quick completions necessary to get in a rhythm.

And Wentz, who was a mainstay near the top of the Rookie Review early in the season, now finds himself as the league’s lowest-rated quarterback in the Week 13 edition.

Not that it’s entirely his fault. If Wentz had the team around him that the Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott does, one wonders how well he’d be doing. That’s not to cast aspersions on Prescott in any way, as he has shown an amazing ability to not only run an offense adjusted to his abilities by offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, but also to modify and improvise the plan when necessary. That’s why he’s fifth overall in this week’s Rookie Review. But Prescott also has a great offensive line, favorable receivers and an unbelievable rookie running back in Ezekiel Elliot, who once again finds himself at the top of the Rookie Review rankings.

Meanwhile, Wentz has an offensive line affected by injuries and suspension, an average running game and receivers who at times seem averse to catching the ball.

Talent matters, yes. Young quarterbacks also need the right situations in which to succeed. There isn’t a lot of talent disparity between Wentz and Prescott, but the divide in environment is pretty severe at this point. Again, that’s not to take any credit away from Prescott; we’ve all seen young quarterbacks stink it up on teams optimized for their success. Before we all jump off the Wentz wagon, it would be good to remember that.

Biggest Movers Heading into Week 14

Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

How do you quantify the effect of the lower-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 13 Rookie Review reveals a number of players who have taken major steps forward in their professional development. 

1. Jalen Ramsey, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars

2016 Draft Position: 5 (First round, fifth pick)

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 2

What Happened: Ramsey has had a tumultuous season in Gus Bradley's Cover 3 defense, but his performance against the Denver Broncos on Sunday showed his great potential. Both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders found themselves limited by Ramsey's speed and aggressiveness, as the rookie gave up just two catches on eight targets for 23 yards and a 39.6 opponent passer rating. Yes, Ramsey was helped by the inefficiency of Denver quarterback Paxton Lynch, but he also displayed several of the attributes necessary for shutdown coverage at the highest level.

2. Tavon Young, CB, Baltimore Ravens

2016 Draft Position: 104 (Fourth round, sixth pick)

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 3

What Happened: The Ravens have one of the top defenses this season, and the rookie from Temple has become a bigger part of that as the season has gone along. At 5'9" and 183 pounds, Young was typecast by some as a predominantly slot cornerback, and though he's excelled in that role as well, he's just fine playing on the outside against anybody. Against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, he allowed two catches on three targets...for a total of four yards. 

3. DeForest Buckner, DE, San Francisco 49ers

2016 Draft Position: 7 (First round, seventh pick)

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 7

What Happened: Buckner wasn't just the top 3-4 defensive end among rookies in Week 13; he topped the chart for all players at his position, regardless of tenure. He's managed to stand out in a defense that has underperformed all season, and he was at his best against the Chicago Bears, registering two pressures and six stops. Buckner's combination of size, strength and gap agility makes him a tough out against any offensive line.

4. Germain Ifedi, OG, Seattle Seahawks

2016 Draft Position: 31 (First round, 31st pick)

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 13

What Happened: Ifedi has struggled in his rookie season, especially with the intricacies of pass protection. But there's no question about his raw strength when he's on point with his technique. Against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night, he allowed just one quarterback pressure in 71 snaps while routinely opening inside holes for running back Thomas Rawls. It was an impressive reversal of fortune for Ifedi after his disaster of a game in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he allowed three sacks and looked completely overwhelmed by simple stunts and line games. He could be an outstanding guard with the right coaching. 

5. Chris Jones, DE, Kansas City Chiefs

2016 Draft Position: 37 (Second round, sixth pick)

Rank Last Week: NR

Rank This Week: 48

What Happened: This guy is one to watch. There's been more and more buzz about Jones and his abilities of late, and he's been improving noticeably as a situational pass-rusher in the last month. He had five quarterback hurries against the Atlanta Falcons' outstanding offensive line on Sunday, and he shows a nice palette of pass-rush moves at both the end and tackle positions. Jones can blast through by timing the snap, he's got tremendous upper-body strength to move guards where he wants them to go, and he can take on double-teams. Jones is a perfect fit in Bob Sutton's varied defensive fronts.

Top 50 Rookies Overall from Week 13

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Our Week 13 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	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	DAL	4	78	5	↑
2	Jalen Ramsey	CB	JAX	5	78	NR	↑
3	Tavon Young	CB	BAL	104	77	NR	↑
4	Sean Davis	S	PIT	58	77	36	↑
5	Dak Prescott	QB	DAL	135	75	7	↑
6	Jordan Howard	RB	CHI	150	75	10	↑
7	DeForest Buckner	DE	SF	7	75	NR	↑
8	Taylor Decker	OT	DET	16	74	4	↓
9	Ronnie Stanley	OT	BAL	6	74	9	-
10	Nick Kwiatkoski	ILB	CHI	113	74	NR	↑
11	Eli Apple	CB	NYG	10	74	35	↑
12	Kenneth Dixon	RB	BAL	134	73	18	↑
13	Germain Ifedi	OG	SEA	31	73	NR	↑
14	Graham Glasgow	OG	DET	95	73	NR	↑
15	Artie Burns	CB	PIT	25	73	32	↑
16	Jalen Richard	RB	OAK	UDFA	72	22	↑
17	Joe Haeg	OG	IND	155	72	44	↑
18	Cody Whitehair	C	CHI	56	72	NR	↑
19	Leonard Floyd	OLB	CHI	9	72	NR	↑
20	Derek Watt	FB	SD	198	71	33	↑
21	Jason Spriggs	OG	GB	48	71	NR	↑
22	Noah Spence	DE	TB	39	71	19	↓
23	Shaq Lawson	OLB	BUF	19	71	NR	↑
24	T.J. Green	S	IND	57	71	49	↑
25	Karl Joseph	S	OAK	14	71	25	-
26	Ryan Kelly	C	IND	18	70	NR	↑
27	Sheldon Rankins	DT	NO	12	70	24	↓
28	Deon Bush	S	CHI	124	70	NR	↑
29	Wil Lutz	K	NO	UDFA	70	17	↓
30	Paul Perkins	RB	NYG	149	69	NR	↑
31	Dean Lowry	DE	GB	137	69	NR	↑
32	Matt Judon	OLB	BAL	146	69	NR	↑
33	Tyler Boyd	WR	CIN	55	68	50	↑
34	Michael Thomas	WR	NO	47	68	6	↓
35	Tyreek Hill	WR	KC	165	68	21	↓
36	George Fant	OT	SEA	UDFA	68	39	↑
37	Romeo Okwara	DE	NYG	UDFA	68	NR	↑
38	Su'a Cravens	ILB	WAS	53	68	NR	↑
39	Justin Simmons	S	DEN	98	68	8	↓
40	Riley Dixon	P	DEN	228	68	43	↑
41	Will Fuller V	WR	HOU	21	67	46	↑
42	Malcolm Mitchell	WR	NE	112	67	27	↓
43	Robby Anderson	WR	NYJ	UDFA	67	NR	↑
44	Paul Turner	WR	PHI	UDFA	67	NR	↑
45	Laremy Tunsil	OG	MIA	13	67	NR	↑
46	Isaac Seumalo	OG	PHI	79	67	47	↑
47	Joey Bosa	DE	SD	3	67	3	↓
48	Chris Jones	DE	KC	37	67	NR	↑
49	Jarran Reed	DT	SEA	49	67	NR	↑
50	Cyrus Jones	CB	NE	60	67	NR	↑

Quarterbacks

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

The Eagles' Wentz was the big story of this week. He was the lowest-ranked quarterback in NFL1000 as he imploded against the Bengals.

Wentz should have been intercepted on two of his first three attempts and had one more interception dropped when he stared down a crossing route to throw into double coverage. George Iloka dropped that interception before Wentz overthrew a seam route straight into Iloka's hands. Wentz finished the game with three interceptions. His accuracy was consistently wild, he showed poor footwork when he planted in the pocket, and his positive plays were washed away by the quality and quantity of his negative plays.

While Wentz's performance was overtly disastrous because of the turnovers, the Broncos' Paxton Lynch was almost as bad despite coming with more subtlety. Lynch's accuracy was horrifically bad. He cost his team two touchdowns by badly underthrowing open receivers despite not being under pressure. The first was a missed deep shot after play action to Demaryius Thomas down the right sideline. The second was a crossing route to the opposite side of the field when Emmanuel Sanders had created wide-open space running into the end zone. Despite his elevated status as a first-round pick, Lynch was a significant downgrade from Trevor Siemian.

Jared Goff showed more positives for the Los Angeles Rams to be optimistic about. Goff's overall performance against the New England Patriots was bad. He again reacted poorly to pressure on a couple occasions and his ball placement remains problematic. Goff had one interception go off his tight end's hands, but he also had an interceptable pass that was dropped by Malcolm Butler.

Prescott played to his typical standards, while Seahawks backup Trevone Boykin's stint on the field was limited. 

Grading Scale

Acc—Accuracy (Graded out of 25)
Arm—Arm Strength (Graded out of 25)
Press—Pressure/Run Threat (Graded out of 20)
Dec—Decision-Making (Graded out of 20)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie QB Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Acc	Arm	Press	Dec	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Dak Prescott	DAL	17	20	14	14	10	75	1	-
2	Jared Goff	LA	14	16	12	11	10	63	3	↑
3	Trevone Boykin	SEA	15	18	10	10	10	63	NR	↑
4	Paxton Lynch	DEN	9	16	11	12	10	58	NR	↑
5	Carson Wentz	PHI	10	16	9	9	10	54	2	↓

   

Notable Omissions

• Cody Kessler—bye 

    

Notable Performances

Dak Prescott

Week 13 stats: 12-of-18, 139 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT

Prescott had one signature drive against the Minnesota Vikings where he converted a 3rd-and-13 with his feet before he audibled to hit Dez Bryant for a huge gain that set up an Elliott touchdown. Besides that drive, his impact was limited. He again fumbled the ball against back-side pressure but avoided giving the Vikings opportunities for more turnovers.

    

Jared Goff

Week 13 stats: 14-of-32, 161 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT

The rookie struggles continued for Goff against the Patriots. Goff struggled to quickly get rid of the ball at times. Some of his better plays were ruined by drops from Kenny Britt and Lance Kendricks. Kendricks' drop led directly to an interception.

    

Paxton Lynch

Week 13 stats: 12-of-24, 104 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

Lynch has an elongated delivery and no awareness of what to do with his feet. He isn't ready to be on the field. Based on his tape to this point, it's hard to presume he ever will be. Lynch was drafted for his measurables more than his talent.

Running Backs

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Cowboys' Elliott was great against the Vikings in an old-school physical game. He was relentless between the tackles, lowering his shoulder on contact and making defenders pay when they attempted to tackle him. While he has had better games in terms of the box score, his effort and mindset as a runner were as impressive as all year. He also is improving as a receiver, giving Prescott a legitimate checkdown option when nothing is open down the field.

The Bears' Jordan Howard has passed the Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry as the second-best rookie running back. He destroyed a bad San Francisco 49ers defense, running for a career-high three touchdowns. He has established himself as one of the better short-yardage/goal-line runners in the NFL. His toughness and short-area burst are on full display every week. While the Bears have had an awful season, Howard has shined.

Kenneth Dixon has emerged as a potential future starter for the Baltimore Ravens. He is becoming a versatile player—emerging more as a playmaker for the Ravens every week.

Jalen Richard has established himself as the change-of-pace back for the Oakland Raiders. For a smaller back, he is a good inside runner. His elusiveness and change of direction are pretty special. He also ran hard on contact against the Buffalo Bills, helping the Raiders roll to a 14-point win. He is a major reason Oakland is scoring at such a rapid rate.

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)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie RB Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	In	Out	Rec	Blk	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	20	19	16	17	6	78	1	-
2	Jordan Howard	CHI	19	18	16	16	6	75	2	-
3	Kenneth Dixon	BAL	18	17	16	16	6	73	4	↑
4	Jalen Richard	OAK	18	17	16	15	6	72	5	↑
5	Paul Perkins	NYG	17	17	15	14	6	69	9	↑
6	Devontae Booker	DEN	16	14	15	15	6	66	3	↓
7	Josh Ferguson	IND	14	16	15	15	6	66	NR	↑
8	Peyton Barber	TB	15	15	14	15	6	65	10	↑
9	Wendell Smallwood	PHI	15	14	15	14	6	64	6	↓

    

Notable Omissions

• C.J. Prosise —injured
• Derrick Henry—bye
• DeAndre Washington—injured
• Alex Collins—inactive
• Kenyan Drake—insufficient snaps
• Tyler Ervin—insufficient snaps

    

Notable Performances

Jordan Howard

Week 13 stats: 32 carries, 117 yards, 3 TDs

Howard was excellent against the 49ers. He was an aggressive goal-line runner—scoring three touchdowns, breaking tackles all game and running with a purpose. He got faster as the game went on and wore out a bad defense.

    

Ezekiel Elliott

Week 13 stats: 20 carries, 86 yards, 1 TD; 4 receptions, 19 yards, 0 TD

It was not one of his more impressive stat games, but he was very good against a great front. Elliott was powerful between the tackles and is doing a better job of making guys miss in the hole. Just a powerful runner.

    

Jalen Richard

Week 13 stats: 9 carries, 53 yards, 0 TD

He has become the Raiders' No. 2 running back and helped give the offense multiple looks. He was great as an inside runner against Buffalo, making guys miss and playing fast.

Fullbacks

Tim Warner/Getty Images

Derek Watt was solid against the Houston Texans. He helped get Melvin Gordon back on track against a solid defense. Watt has had a good rookie season.  

Andy Janovich is out for the season after being placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

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)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie FB Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Blk	Run	Rec	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Derek Watt	SD	44	15	8	4	71	2	↑

    

Notable Omissions

• Andy Janovich - Injury

    

Notable Performances

None

Wide Receivers

John Grieshop/Getty Images

It was a quiet week for the NFC rookies as both the New York Giants' Sterling Shepard and New Orleans Saints' Michael Thomas posted moderate stats in their teams' losses.

The Vikings' Laquon Treadwell continues to disappoint after only playing 11 snaps on offense. Treadwell was targeted twice, but he wasn't able to connect on either pass as he created little to no separation on his routes.

On the AFC side, the Cincinnati Bengals' Tyler Boyd continues to develop with the absence of A.J. Green. The rookie caught four passes for 66 yards and ran some crisp routes, including a nice pivot route late in the first half.

Malcolm Mitchell saw the second-most snaps for Patriots receivers, catching eight passes for 82 yards and showing some athleticism after the catch. 

Grading Scale

Rte—Route-Running (Graded out of 25)
Hds—Hands (Graded out of 25)
YAC—Run-After-Catch Ability (Graded out of 20)
Blk—Blocking (Graded out of 20)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie WR Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Rte	Hds	YAC	Blk	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Tyler Boyd	CIN	18	19	11	11	9	68	6	↑
2	Michael Thomas	NO	17	17	13	12	9	68	1	↓
3	Tyreek Hill	KC	17	17	14	11	9	68	2	↓
4	Will Fuller V	HOU	16	17	12	13	9	67	5	↑
5	Malcolm Mitchell	NE	17	16	13	12	9	67	3	↓
6	Robby Anderson	NYJ	17	17	13	11	9	67	8	↑
7	Paul Turner	PHI	16	17	15	10	9	67	NR	↑
8	Cody Core	CIN	16	17	11	12	9	65	14	↑
9	Sterling Shepard	NYG	15	16	12	11	9	63	17	↑
10	Leonte Carroo	MIA	16	14	11	12	9	62	11	↑
11	Braxton Miller	HOU	15	14	11	13	9	62	7	↓
12	Alex Erickson	CIN	15	15	11	11	9	61	13	↑
13	Charone Peake	NYJ	15	14	11	11	9	60	NR	↑
14	Chris Moore	BAL	14	14	11	11	9	59	NR	↑
15	Laquon Treadwell	MIN	11	11	10	13	9	54	16	↑

    

Notable Omissions

• Mike Thomas—insufficient snaps
• Josh Doctson—injured reserve
• Trevor Davis—insufficient snaps
• Jakeem Grant—insufficient snaps
• Demarcus Robinson—insufficient snaps 

    

Notable Performances

Michael Thomas

Week 13 stats: 4 receptions, 42 yards, 0 TD

After a stellar Week 12, Thomas came back down to Earth with a modest stat line against the Detroit Lions. Thomas made two spectacular grabs on the sideline, but the Lions made it their priority to limit him in this matchup.

    

Laquon Treadwell

Week 13 stats: 0 receptions on two targets

Treadwell played only 11 snaps against Dallas but was targeted twice. On both targets, Treadwell ran a poor route that led to drives stalling out.

    

Sterling Shepard

Week 13 stats: 4 receptions, 21 yards, 1 TD

After not catching a pass last week, Shepard bounced back with four receptions on eight targets. Shepard got open numerous times, but Eli Manning was unable to find him due to pressure.

    

Malcolm Mitchell

Week 13 stats: 8 receptions, 82 yards, 0 TD

Mitchell continues to see a high number of snaps and targets for New England. The rookie has earned the trust of Tom Brady, seeing 10 targets on Sunday, second only to Julian Edelman.

    

Tyler Boyd

Week 13 stats: 4 receptions, 66 yards, 0 TD

Boyd is seeing more targets with the absence of Green. He showed impressive footwork on a pivot route late in the first half.

    

Robby Anderson

Week 13 stats: 4 receptions, 61 yards, 1 TD 

The New York Jets' Anderson saw a team-high 12 targets on Monday night, many from third-string quarterback Bryce Petty in the second half. The undrafted rookie ran some nice routes and has speed to burn, but some drops kept his grade down this week. 

Tight Ends

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

In the NFC, it was a quiet week as the Washington Redskins' Jordan Reed was inactive and the Cowboys' Jason Witten was held without a catch for the first time in 130 games.

Cameron Brate continued his breakout campaign as he caught six passes for 86 yards, including a nice catch in traffic that put Tampa Bay in the lead in the fourth quarter. Brate's ability to win in contested areas of the field is why he is becoming a favorite of quarterback Jameis Winston.

On the AFC side, three players enjoyed perhaps career games.

Ladarius Green caught six passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, with the score coming on a well-designed fake screen, where Green deked the safety well on his route with a fake block. Dwayne Allen caught three touchdown passes for the Colts in their big Monday night victory over the Jets, but the first two scoring plays came with him being left wide open by a seemingly confused New York secondary. Travis Kelce continued his great run, gaining over 100 yards for the third-straight game. Kelce caught all eight passes thrown his way, showing great route-running and ability after the catch. His subtle out-and-up move against rookie Keanu Neal early in the game set the tone for his big afternoon.  

Grading Scale

Rte—Route-Running (Graded out of 25)
Hds—Hands (Graded out of 25)
YAC—Run-After-Catch Ability (Graded out of 20)
Blk—Blocking (Graded out of 20)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week 

Rookie TE Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Rte	Hds	YAC	Blk	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Nick Vannett	SEA	14	16	14	16	6	66	NR	↑
2	Hunter Henry	SD	12	15	12	19	6	64	1	↓
3	Jerell Adams	NYG	15	16	12	15	6	64	4	↑
4	Alex Ellis	JAX	11	14	11	18	6	60	5	↑
5	Stephen Anderson	HOU	11	14	11	15	6	57	3	↓
6	Austin Hooper	ATL	10	12	10	17	6	55	6	↓

    

Notable Omissions

• None

   

Notable Performances

Nick Vannett

Week 13 stats: 2 receptions, 25 yards, 0 TD

Vannett made a beautiful catch-and-run down in the seam in Seattle's win over the Panthers. Vannett has a chance to pass Luke Willson as the team's No. 2 tight end.

Offensive Tackles

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

Taylor Decker of the Lions notched his 12th straight start and played a steady game against New Orleans. Decker is showing improvement weekly.

The Ravens' Ronnie Stanley started his fifth consecutive game since returning from injury and was great against Miami. Stanley continues to show great range in pass protection and an overall above-average skill set.

Seattle's George Fant registered his sixth straight start as the Seahawks played Carolina on Sunday Night Football. Fant still continues to show weekly improvement, especially in the running game, but he has a lot of work to do to build his pass protection skill set.

Jack Conklin and the Titans were on a bye. Prior to Week 13, the rookie out of Michigan State started 12 straight games.

Philadelphia's Halapoulivaati Vaitai was inactive with an injury. The Indianapolis Colts' Joe Haeg started at right tackle, but then moved to right guard in the second half.

Grading Scale

OT—Left or Right Tackle designation
Pass—Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)
Run—Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)
Pwr—Power (Graded out of 20)
Agl—Agility (Graded out of 20)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie OT Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	OT	Pass	Run	Pwr	Agl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Taylor Decker	DET	LT	19	18	14	15	8	74	1	-
2	Ronnie Stanley	BAL	LT	18	18	14	16	8	74	2	-
3	George Fant	SEA	LT	16	17	12	15	8	68	4	↑
4	Joe Haeg	IND	RT	16	18	13	12	7	66	5	↑

     

Notable Omissions

• Jack Conklin—bye

    

Notable Performances

None

Offensive Guards

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

The rookie guard group was volatile this week as it turned on its head, flipping almost 180 degrees from last week's rankings.

We saw good progression from two of our consistently lowest-graded rookies, while another saw old habits return after improvement last week. 

Grading Scale

Pass—Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)
Run—Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)
Pwr—Power (Graded out of 20)
Agl—Agility (Graded out of 20)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie OG Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Pwr	Agl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Germain Ifedi	SEA	15	19	18	14	7	73	6	↑
2	Graham Glasgow	DET	19	16	17	14	7	73	7	↑
3	Joe Haeg	IND	16	17	16	16	7	72	NR	↑
4	Jason Spriggs	GB	18	15	15	16	7	71	5	↑
5	Laremy Tunsil	MIA	16	15	15	14	7	67	NR	↑
6	Isaac Seumalo	PHI	14	15	17	14	7	67	3	↓
7	Joshua Garnett	SF	13	15	17	13	7	65	1	↓
8	Joe Thuney	NE	14	12	14	16	7	63	4	↓

    

Notable Omissions

• Ted Karras—insufficient snaps
• Cole Toner—insufficient snaps
• Parker Ehinger—insufficient snaps

   

Notable Performances

Joshua Garnett

Week 13 stats: 58 snaps, 0 sacks, 3 QB hurries allowed

After great progress the last few weeks, Garnett again looked apprehensive in his pass sets and gave up a lot of pressure against the Bears front. His whole team played horribly in the snow, though, so hopefully he can get back on the trajectory he was on before this forgettable game.

    

Jason Spriggs

Week 13 stats: 58 snaps, 0 sacks, 1 QB hurry allowed

While I'm still a little worried about Spriggs at guard from a strength prospective, he did a lot this week to show he can handle the leverage and upper-body strength of interior defensive linemen in pass protection. The Green Bay Packers have all but abandoned the run game, though, and I think Spriggs being in the lineup may be a part of that.

    

Graham Glasgow

Week 13 stats: 70 snaps, 0 sacks, 1 QB hurry allowed

Glasgow's inconsistency is maddening. This was one of his good performances, as he had almost a clean sheet in pass pro against an aggressive Saints front.

Centers

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Another week with the same two centers to look at.

That said, this was a good week for both rookies. Ryan Kelly looked solid coming back from an injury. 

Grading Scale

Pass—Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)
Run—Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)
Pwr—Power (Graded out of 20)
Agl—Agility (Graded out of 20)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie C Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Pwr	Agl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Cody Whitehair	CHI	16	17	16	17	6	72	1	-
2	Ryan Kelly	IND	16	16	15	17	6	70	NR	↑

    

Notable Omissions

• None

    

Notable Performances

Cody Whitehair

Week 13 stats: 61 snaps, 0 sacks, 0 QB hurries allowed

In what turned into a snow bowl, Whitehair and the Bears' interior OL led the way for running back Howard to have a three-touchdown performance. And there were no snapping issues this week either. 

    

Ryan Kelly

Week 13 stats: 73 snaps, 0 sacks, 2 QB hurries allowed

Kelly had a couple bad reps in pass protection this week, but he ultimately looked pretty healthy after suffering a shoulder injury against the Steelers in Week 12.

3-4 Defensive Ends

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

It's pretty amazing when a couple rookies can be considered top-five players at their positions in their first seasons in the NFL, but that's exactly how most will view Buckner and Joey Bosa.

Length, strength and surprising athleticism give these two a rare combo at the position. Then you have Chris Jones for the Chiefs. As if they needed another good pass-rusher, Jones adds an interior presence with a quick first step and length to disengage from blockers. He's rounding into shape as the season enters the final month. 

Grading Scale

Exp—Snap Explosion (Graded out of 15)
Pass—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)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie 3-4 DE Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Exp	Pass	Run	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	DeForest Buckner	SF	13	16	22	17	7	75	NR	↑
2	Dean Lowry	GB	12	18	17	15	7	69	NR	↑
3	Joey Bosa	SD	13	14	19	14	7	67	1	↓
4	Chris Jones	KC	13	16	18	13	7	67	3	↓
5	Ronald Blair	SF	12	15	19	13	7	66	2	↓

    

Notable Omissions

• Emmanuel Ogbah—bye
• Adolphus Washington—insufficient snaps

    

Notable Performances

Joey Bosa

Week 13 stats: 2 tackles, 1 sack

Bosa had a quiet day despite registering another sack. That play came on a tackle-end stunt. Most of the credit should go to teammate Corey Liuget as Bosa had a free rush.

4-3 Defensive Ends

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The rookie defensive ends this week all came from the NFC.

These are the usual names, with the Giants' Romeo Okwara and Detroit's Anthony Zettel being rotational players. But Noah Spence of Tampa Bay, the best rookie pass-rusher in his conference, made his first start in two months for the Buccaneers in their 28-21 win over the San Diego Chargers. 

Grading Scale

Pass—Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)
Run—Run Defense (Graded out of 25)
Exp—Snap Explosion (Graded out of 20)
Tkl—Tackling (Graded out of 20)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie 4-3 DE Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Exp	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Noah Spence	TB	20	13	16	14	8	71	1	-
2	Romeo Okwara	NYG	19	13	14	14	8	68	4	↑
3	Anthony Zettel	DET	18	13	14	12	8	65	3	↓

      

Notable Omissions

• Yannick Ngakoue—insufficient snaps

    

Notable Performances

Noah Spence

Week 13 stats: 0 sacks, 2 QB hits, 1 QB hurry

While Spence didn't show up on the stat sheet, the Chargers felt his impact as a pass-rusher. Somehow, Spence has zero sacks in his two starts this season, but 5.5 sacks—the second-best mark in the NFC—when he's coming off the bench in a rotational role. Spence is still the team's best pass-rusher on a down-to-down basis, no matter if he's able to turn those pressures into sacks on a given Sunday or not.

Defensive Tackles

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

The Saints' Sheldon Rankins stood out again this week with sound run defense and a sack as a defensive end.

The Patriots' Vincent Valentine and Panthers' Vernon Butler also had decent games, showing great technique and sound gap discipline. The Ravens' Michael Pierce had another strong game against the run, but his limitations as a pass-rusher were exposed. 

Grading Scale

Exp—Snap Explosion (Graded out of 15)
Pass—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)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie DT Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Exp	Pass	Run	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Sheldon Rankins	NO	16	16	18	13	7	70	2	↑
2	Jarran Reed	SEA	16	15	18	11	7	67	NR	↑
3	Vincent Valentine	NE	15	16	17	11	7	66	8	↑
4	Vernon Butler	CAR	15	15	17	12	7	66	NR	↑
5	Javon Hargrave	PIT	17	13	16	12	7	65	1	↓
6	Hassan Ridgeway	IND	15	14	16	12	7	64	13	↑
7	Maliek Collins	DAL	15	16	14	11	7	63	3	↓
8	Michael Pierce	BAL	16	11	17	12	7	63	5	↓
9	D.J. Reader	HOU	15	11	17	12	7	62	7	↓
10	Destiny Vaeao	PHI	14	12	15	12	7	60	9	↓
11	A'Shawn Robinson	DET	14	13	13	10	7	57	11	-
12	Jihad Ward	OAK	14	12	11	10	7	54	10	↓
13	Adam Gotsis	DEN	13	13	11	10	7	54	NR	↑

    

Notable Omissions

• Austin Johnson—bye
• Darius Latham—inactive
• Sheldon Day—insufficient snaps
• Kenny Clark—insufficient snaps

    

Notable Performances

Sheldon Rankins

Week 13 stats: 3 tackles, 1 sack

Rankins gets more comfortable with each week. He's already developing into a top-tier run defender as he adds to his repertoire of pass-rush moves. He has an impressive long arm against Taylor Decker this week on his way to a sack.

    

Vincent Valentine

Week 13 stats: 1 tackle

The tackle numbers don't accurately portray how well Valentine played against the Rams. He was gap sound along the line of scrimmage and didn't give up ground against Los Angeles' offensive line. 

3-4 Outside Linebackers

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Bears' Leonard Floyd, Bills' Shaq Lawson and Ravens' Matt Judon continue to be the top 3-4 outside linebackers in the rookie class.

Floyd returned from missing one game with a concussion to tally two sacks and a safety against the 49ers. Lawson didn't have a sack but was disruptive against the run in the Bills' loss to the Raiders. Judon made a splash play when he took down Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill for a sack.

The group also added Ufomba Kamalu, who filled in admirably for Jadeveon Clowney and John Simon at outside linebacker for the Texans. He had a few notable plays against the Packers, including a pair of pressures on Aaron Rodgers.  

Grading Scale

Pass—Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)
Run—Run Defense (Graded out of 25)
Cov—Coverage (Graded out of 15)
Tkl—Tackling (Graded out of 25)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie 3-4 OLB Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Cov	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Leonard Floyd	CHI	25	11	9	19	8	72	NR	↑
2	Shaq Lawson	BUF	20	15	9	19	8	71	2	-
3	Matt Judon	BAL	22	12	9	18	8	69	1	↓
4	Ufomba Kamalu	HOU	19	13	9	17	8	66	NR	↑
5	Chris Landrum	SD	20	12	9	16	8	65	3	↓
6	Curt Maggitt	IND	14	10	9	15	8	56	NR	↑

    

Notable Omissions

• Joe Schobert—bye
• Kyler Fackrell—injury
• Dadi Nicolas—injury
• Kevin Dodd—bye

    

Notable Performances

Leonard Floyd

Week 13 stats: 4 tackles, 2 sacks

In his first game back from a scary head injury, Floyd was able to produce a few big moments to help the Bears defense dominate the 49ers. He was in on a pair of early sacks of Colin Kaepernick, but his best play came late when he sacked Blaine Gabbert for a safety. Floyd used a fake move to the outside to beat his blocker inside and eventually throw down Gabbert in the end zone for two points. The setup to the countermove was a good sign for Floyd's development as an all-around pass-rusher.

    

Shaq Lawson

Week 13 stats: 3 tackles

Lawson didn't fill up the box score, but he still did a little bit of everything for the Bills. The rookie set the edge, shed blockers and worked down the line from the back side against the run. He chased down an end-around to help kill the play. And he also batted down a pass on a bootleg play. These are important plays that don't always show up in a stat line.   

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

The supposed cream of the crop did not play up to par this week. Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack put out another solid game tape, but it was nothing special. If nothing else, it is nice to see him finally in a groove.

Falcons linebacker De'Vondre Campbell had a handful of horrible plays that ruined his week. The Chiefs got Campbell on a few reverses his way. Campbell also got beat a couple times in coverage after being "rubbed" by a tight end or wide receiver.

Darron Lee of the Jets also had a subpar week, especially in coverage. He was abused by the Colts duo of quarterback Andrew Luck and tight end Dwayne Allen.  

Grading Scale

Cov—Coverage (Graded out of 25)
Run—Run Defense (Graded out of 25)
Pass—Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)
Tkl—Tackling (Graded out of 25)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie 4-3 OLB Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Cov	Run	Pass	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Myles Jack	JAX	17	17	7	18	6	65	3	↑
2	De'Vondre Campbell	ATL	14	17	7	19	6	63	1	↓
3	Cory Littleton	LA	15	16	7	19	6	63	4	↑
4	Antwione Williams	DET	16	15	7	17	6	61	NR	↑
5	Jordan Jenkins	NYJ	16	16	7	16	6	61	5	-
6	Darron Lee	NYJ	12	15	7	18	6	58	2	↓

    

Notable Omissions

• Jaylon Smith—injury
• Josh Forrest—injury

    

Notable Performances

Myles Jack

Week 13 stats: 1 tackle

Jack did the least on the stat sheet this week, but he was more often in the right place at the right time than his peers were. Jack did his best to not allow any big plays.

    

De'Vondre Campbell

Week 13 stats: 5 tackles

For as good as Campbell was on some snaps, he was abysmal on others. This surely was an anomaly for Campbell. Expect him to rebound against the Rams.

    

Cory Littleton

Week 13 stats: 8 tackles

Littleton was everywhere as a tackler, but part of that was because he was late with his run fits. Considering his lack of experience, it's no wonder Littleton was as late as he was on most plays.

Inside Linebackers

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The highest-graded rookie this week, landing in the top 10 of all inside linebackers, was Chicago Bears rookie Nick Kwiatkoski. Kwiatkoski saw time earlier this year as the Bears scrambled to cover the absence of Danny Trevathan. Now, with Trevathan placed on injured reserve and Jerrell Freeman suspended, Kwiatkoski will have plenty of opportunities in the final quarter of the season to build upon his rookie season.

Kwiatkoski faced a poor 49ers team that look disinterested and disorganized all Sunday afternoon. Kwiatkoski comfortably diagnosed Chip Kelly’s offense and helped secure a win for his team.

Antonio Morrison saw snaps against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football and should see even more after Colts starter D’Qwell Jackson was suspended for four weeks. Morrison has logged snaps this season but failed to demonstrate an ability to efficiently diagnose inside run plays and to attack downhill at the line of scrimmage. The Colts need those qualities to clean up in a hurry.

The Redskins' Su’a Cravens and Falcons' Deion Jones had their typical games. Jones, after leading all inside linebackers in Week 12, saw a significant drop at home against the Chiefs. These things are to be expected as teams capitalize on the overall lack of experience among these rookies. Jones has done enough to prove himself as the long-term starter inside for the Falcons, so the remaining four weeks of the season can be used to solidify his progress moving forward.

Cravens has reverted back into splitting time with Mason Foster, which is likely for the better. Cravens shows impressive athleticism and coverage ability, but squaring up interior offensive linemen at the line of scrimmage every week will always be difficult with his size. The Redskins are wise to keep aiding in his positive development by rotating him with Foster given the down and distance.  

Grading Scale

Cov—Coverage (Graded out of 25)
Run—Run Defense (Graded out of 35)
Pass—Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)
Tkl—Tackling (Graded out of 15)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie ILB Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Cov	Run	Pass	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Nick Kwiatkoski	CHI	18	28	11	11	6	74	2	↑
2	Su'a Cravens	WAS	16	26	10	10	6	68	4	↑
3	Antonio Morrison	IND	16	25	9	11	6	67	NR	↑
4	Deion Jones	ATL	17	24	9	10	6	66	1	↓

    

Notable Omissions

• Blake Martinez—injury
• Jatavis Brown—injury
• Cory James—insufficient snaps
• Joshua Perry—insufficient snaps

    

Notable Performances

Nick Kwiatkoski

Week 13 stats: 9 tackles

Kwiatkoski had the fortune of playing against a horrendous 49ers offense in the snow, but he managed to improve dramatically on his early-season struggles. Kwiatkoski had no trouble diagnosing the 49ers run game, an encouraging sign given how lost he looked earlier this season. If he can continue to progress mentally, he has the ability to find playing time as an inside 'backer.

    

Antonio Morrison

Week 13 stats: 2 tackles

Morrison saw snaps as the Colts blew out the Jets on Monday Night Football. Morrison is incredibly athletic and has the range to chase running backs to the edge. The Colts need him to become an effective leader of their defense quickly as they make a playoff push.

    

Deion Jones

Week 13 stats: 7 tackles

Jones has undeniable athleticism and speed that he brings into contact. Against the Chiefs, Jones looked a half-step late in every phase and was caught guessing against a solid backfield multiple times.   

Cornerbacks

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

It was a big week for the rookie cornerback crop in Week 13. For the first time this season, we had five rookies grade at a 67 or above, which helps illustrate the high level of play we saw across the rookie pool.

Three first-round picks were in the best four performances of the week, with Tavon Young of the Ravens breaking into the group. Our top overall corner last week, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, was on break, and others stepped up in his absence.

Jalen Ramsey's roller-coaster season trended upward this week, as he limited both Sanders and Thomas to mediocre days by their standards. Ramsey's aggressive nature has been an asset in matchups against premier receivers, which bodes well as he looks to finish the season strongly. The Jaguars haven't been able to give him nearly as much help over the top from safeties due to struggles elsewhere, so Ramsey will continue to be in the spotlight weekly. 

Week 13 also proved special for Giants rookie Eli Apple. The 10th overall pick in the 2016 class has been improving in recent weeks due to consistency with his positioning. He logged his first interception of his career against the Steelers when Ben Roethlisberger targeted Eli Rogers on a dig route to the middle of the field. Apple read the play while in Cover 3 and quickly pounced as soon as Roethlisberger telegraphed his intent to throw. Apple's been a good contributor and role player for the Giants, who play much better with their three best cornerbacks on the field.

Grading Scale

Cov—Coverage (Graded out of 30)
Rec—Reaction/Recovery (Graded out of 30)
Slot—Slot Performance (Graded out of 20)
Tkl—Tackling (Graded out of 10)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie CB Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Cov	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Jalen Ramsey	JAX	23	24	16	6	9	78	8	↑
2	Tavon Young	BAL	23	22	16	7	9	77	6	↑
3	Eli Apple	NYG	20	21	18	6	9	74	4	↑
4	Artie Burns	PIT	21	21	16	6	9	73	3	↓
5	Cyrus Jones	NE	18	20	15	5	9	67	NR	↑
6	Vernon Hargreaves	TB	15	15	16	6	9	61	7	↑
7	Kendall Fuller	WAS	15	16	16	5	9	61	13	↑
8	Daryl Worley	CAR	16	16	15	5	9	61	12	↑
9	James Bradberry	CAR	13	15	15	6	9	58	11	↑
10	Rashard Robinson	SF	14	14	13	7	9	57	10	-
11	Brian Poole	ATL	13	13	14	5	9	54	NR	↑
12	Mike Jordan	LA	12	14	13	5	9	53	NR	↑
13	Trevor Williams	SD	12	13	14	5	9	53	2	↓
14	Jalen Mills	PHI	12	13	13	4	9	51	9	↓
15	Kevon Seymour	BUF	12	11	13	5	9	50	5	↓

    

Notable Omissions

• Javien Elliott—insufficient snaps
• Mackensie Alexander—insufficient snaps
• Briean Boddy-Calhoun—bye

    

Notable Performances

Mike Jordan

Week 13 stats: 9 receptions allowed on 12 targets, 1 pass deflections

In his first extended NFL action, rookie Mike Jordan filled in as a boundary corner for E.J. Gaines. Jordan played 27 off-man snaps, allowing five of eight targets to be completed. In total, he played 54 snaps and allowed nine receptions. While that is not ideal, and Jordan must improve his efficiency working to the ball, he was in excellent position to force a difficult catch twice, and two more times he shut down any YAC opportunities.  

   

Brian Poole

Week 13 stats: 3 receptions allowed on 3 targets

Rookie cornerback Brian Poole continues to see his role increase with the Falcons. Poole primarily played in the nickel again for the Falcons this week, but he also logged two press snaps outside when Robert Alford shifted inside to the slot. Poole allowed all of his targets to be completed against the Chiefs. 

Free Safeties

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

With starting safety Clayton Geathers inactive, Colts safety T.J. Green was able to see a little more playing time than normal this week. He put in a solid performance, but he didn't make the most of his opportunity. In the first quarter, he broke down on a dig route from Brandon Marshall. Green got both hands on the ball but dropped the interception.  

In the fourth quarter, with the game effectively won already, Green was given a few more reps. He lost a route against a tight end, allowing the tight end to cross his face and get open over the middle. The tight end made the catch and got the first down before Green could chase him down to make the tackle. Green did redeem himself a few plays later, staying on top of a corner route to Marshall. The ball was well overthrown, but Green was in position to contest the catch on a more accurate pass.

Deon Bush had a similar chance to Green with Adrian Amos inactive. Bush had a similar game, solid but unspectacular. Given the conditions and the opposition, Bush wasn't challenged too much in coverage. The only mistake he made there was in the third quarter, where he failed to stay on top of a deep shot. Bush got away with it, though, as the pass was well underthrown.

Bush had a couple solid plays in the run game. He came from deep in the first quarter to make a tackle after the runner had burst through the first and second line of defense. A few plays later, he came down to force Kaepernick out of bounds after he kept the ball on a read-option run.

Grading Scale

Cov—Coverage (Graded out of 30)
Rec—Reaction/Recovery (Graded out of 30)
Slot—Slot Performance (Graded out of 10)
Tkl—Tackling (Graded out of 20)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie FS Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Cov	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	T.J. Green	IND	22	22	4	15	8	71	5	↑
2	Deon Bush	CHI	21	20	5	16	8	70	NR	↑
3	Justin Simmons	DEN	19	19	6	16	8	68	1	↓
4	Vonn Bell	NO	20	19	5	14	8	66	4	-
5	Andrew Adams	NYG	19	19	4	14	8	64	2	↓

    

Notable Omissions

• Kevin Byard—bye
• Kentrell Brice—insufficient snaps

    

Notable Performances

Justin Simmons

Week 13 stats: 4 tackles

Simmons played a bit closer to the line of scrimmage this week. He saw some snaps at dime linebacker, which kept him closer to the action. He made one nice play in the run game, finding his gap while working through traffic to make a tackle and save a first down. He did have one unlucky play in coverage. He was beaten inside by a tight end on a crossing route, but he began to work down to a checkdown route the quarterback was targeting. However, the ball was tipped and just happened to deflect straight into the path of the tight end. Simmons had to quickly get back to make the tackle but couldn't prevent a first down.

    

Vonn Bell

Week 13 stats: 6 tackles

Bell did all of the difficult work but fell at the final hurdle too often this week. He often got himself in the right position to make a play but just couldn't finish. He worked down on a slant to Golden Tate in the slot and was in position to make a tackle and save the first down. But Bell missed the tackle, and Tate managed to move the chains. Later on, Bell spotted a post route from the opposite side of the field and worked over to it, but again he missed the tackle and allowed the receiver to pick up extra yards. In the fourth quarter, Bell failed to stay on top of a deep shot to Tate, but he recovered and got back in position to save the touchdown. However, Bell allowed Tate to cut back inside and run past him on his way to the end zone.

Strong Safeties

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Steelers rookie Sean Davis appears to have taken over the strong safety position from Robert Golden on a permanent basis. Golden started off the season well, but injury opened the door for Davis. He played every snap this week, while Golden didn't see the field despite being active.

Davis' performance against the Giants was a good one, particularly in coverage. He came close to interceptions a couple times in the third quarter. On one play, he broke down on a slant to slot receiver Sterling Shepard. Davis was in good position to make a tackle, but the ball was inaccurate and he nearly had an interception, but the ball flew past him. Later on, he was assigned with a deep half of the field, but he spotted Odell Beckham Jr. running down the seam. He drove down on the throw and again nearly had an interception on the overthrow.

In the fourth quarter, Davis finally got the interception he had come so close to in the third. In a deep zone, he stayed on top of Shepard as Manning scrambled to his right before throwing back across his body. Davis jumped the route and got the interception. He had a solid return too, but that was wiped out thanks to a penalty.

The Falcons' Keanu Neal struggled this week. He was given a tough matchup against Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce beat him in the first quarter on an out-and-up route that Neal just couldn't stay with. Kelce made the catch but stumbled out of bounds after it, saving Neal from conceding a touchdown to go with the big catch.

Kelce got the better of Neal when it came to run blocking too. On a jet sweep, Kelce pinned Neal inside and blocked him into a teammate, effectively blocking two defenders. Neal appeared to be a little flustered from a rough start and tried to make a statement hit to impose himself on the game. On a screen to Kelce, Neal worked down to the big tight end and went for a big hit, but that only led to Neal missing the tackle.

Grading Scale

Cov—Coverage (Graded out of 25)
Rec—Reaction/Recovery (Graded out of 25)
Slot—Slot Performance (Graded out of 20)
Tkl—Tackling (Graded out of 20)
Pos—Positional Value (Graded out of 10)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie SS Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Cov	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Sean Davis	PIT	20	20	16	15	6	77	5	↑
2	Karl Joseph	OAK	17	17	15	16	6	71	2	-
3	Keanu Neal	ATL	16	16	14	15	6	67	1	↓
4	Will Parks	DEN	16	15	14	16	6	67	NR	↑
5	Miles Killebrew	DET	16	16	14	15	6	67	4	↑
6	Clayton Fejedelem	CIN	14	15	14	16	6	65	3	↓

    

Notable Omissions

• Derrick Kindred—bye

       

Notable Performances

Sean Davis

Week 13 stats: 7 tackles, 1 INT

Davis had a strong performance in coverage, constantly staying on top of routes and driving down on them. He nearly had a couple interceptions on overthrows, but he finally got one in the fourth quarter after Manning made a risky decision to throw back on himself after rolling to his right. Davis jumped the route and pulled in the interception, effectively sealing the game for the Steelers.

    

Miles Killebrew

Week 13 stats: 3 tackles, 1 INT

Killebrew gave up two tough catches to Saints tight end Coby Fleener. On both occasions, he ran up the seam well and stuck tight to Fleener, but he was beaten by perfect back-shoulder throws from quarterback Drew Brees. Killebrew had the last laugh, though, intercepting the last-second Hail Mary throw from Brees.

Special Teams

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Kickers

Wil Lutz continues to be the leader in the clubhouse for rookie kickers, turning in another solid performance with two made field goals and an extra point. Lutz did suffer from a low trajectory on one of his makes, as his form continues to have eccentricity from time to time, but the results have been strong since his opening-week struggles.

On the other hand, the Bucs' Roberto Aguayo has slipped back into bad habits with another miss this week, making it back-to-back games with a miss after appearing to build confidence during a three-week stretch of perfection.

Aguayo's technique is inconsistent, and he failed to properly account for a stiff wind that took his kick outside the right upright this weekend. The last four games of the season will be critical in determining the level of competition the Buccaneers will bring in during the offseason to challenge him.

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)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

Rookie Kicker Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Pwr	Acc	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Wil Lutz	NO	31	31	5	3	70	1	-
2	Roberto Aguayo	TB	31	23	5	3	62	2	-

      

Notable Omissions

• None

       

Notable Performances

Wil Lutz

Week 13 stats: 2-2 FG, 1-1 XP

He had another good week, but a low trajectory on one kick was slightly concerning.

    

Roberto Aguayo

Week 13 stats: 2-3 FG, 2-2 XP

He showed a lack of focus on a miss from 31 yards, as he didn't take wind into account. He was sloppy with his mechanics. 

       

Punters

Riley Dixon continues to settle in and show he is the most consistent rookie punter, though he lacks the top-end potential of Drew Kaser. Dixon has shown strong directional ability and an average leg for the NFL. Denver has him on the cheap through the 2019 season, so this appears to be a win for the Broncos, and Dixon might add leg strength as he matures.

Kaser suffered a setback this week after several strong performances, with the talented rookie regressing in his power stats, though his accuracy was stronger than in the past. Kaser's big issue continues to be generating a consistent contact point, and that re-emerged this week as he fell back into bad habits.

Lastly, the Jets' Lachlan Edwards continues to fade as the season goes on, as his talent is too raw for the NFL. Edwards has a big leg, but inconsistency was his issue in college and continues to plague him, as he graded out below average in all aspects of his game.

      

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)
Overall—Top Possible Score of 100
LW—Rank Last Week

       

Rookie Punter Rankings Week 13

Rank	Player	Team	Dist	Hang	Acc	Tkl	Pos	OVR	LW	Trend
1	Riley Dixon	DEN	15	15	32	3	3	68	1	-
2	Drew Kaser	SD	8	9	31	3	3	54	2	-
3	Lachlan Edwards	NYJ	12	11	21	3	3	50	3	-

       

Notable Omissions

• None

    

Notable Performances

Riley Dixon

He's nothing flashy, but Dixon gets the job done on a consistent basis and has the leg to be a capable NFL punter for years.

       

Drew Kaser

Last week was a step back for Kaser, but he did show better directional control than in previous outings. A strong final quarter of the season will be key for him to build on.

    

Lachlan Edwards

After one of the weakest performances of the year, he's shown he's not an NFL-caliber punter.