Stock Up, Stock Down on Notable 2021 NFL Rookies

We're about a quarter of the way into the 17-game NFL season, so it's safe to start submitting stock reports on notable rookies.

While it's a small sample size, it's enough to get a read on how top names have performed and what to expect the rest of the way. For stock risers, it's time to get hyped about what's next. For fallers, it's time to identify problem areas and how to swing things back the other way.

Keep in mind, for those with downward-trending stock, a quick rebound is possible if surrounding circumstances and the rookie's comfort level in the pros change for the better. And a fast-riser could quickly swing the other way once opponents adjust.

But right now? These are the most notable rookies trending in either direction.

Stock Up: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Emilee Chinn/Associated Press

One can't talk about the 2021 draft class and not bring up the first player drafted. 

On paper, Trevor Lawrence doesn't pass the eye test with his 57.0 completion percentage with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. However, he's looked progressively more comfortable each week and flashed some of that incredible upside that made him the first pick. 

Most recently, in a Week 4, 24-21 loss, he went 17-of-24 for his best completion percentage (70.8) yet and ran for a touchdown. More importantly, it was by far his best game on film, whether it was breaking free of the pocket for long bombs or dropping dimes into tight coverage along the sideline. 

The reality is Lawrence has to drag a brutal Jacksonville Jaguars roster along with him this year, never mind first-year head coach Urban Meyer. His team might be 0-4, but his near upset of the now 3-1 Bengals on the road in primetime with a short turnaround while posting his best game as a pro yet says it all—Lawrence is only going to keep getting better as this season progresses. 

Stock Down: Zach Wilson, QB, New York Jets

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

Zach Wilson, the quarterback drafted right after Lawrence, hasn't enjoyed the same rise-above-surroundings uptick over his first four games. 

He completed just 55.2 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and seven interceptions in his first three games, all of which he lost. Wilson struggled especially in Weeks 2 and 3, throwing zero touchdowns to six interceptions in two blowout defeats.

Things got marginally better in Week 4, as Wilson threw a pair of touchdowns in an overtime win against Tennessee. He also threw an interception and suffered a critical sack on the third down of their overtime drive that reached the Titan's one-yard line and would have ended the game if they had scored a touchdown. A missed Tennessee field goal with 15 seconds left was the only reason the game didn't tie. 

"I was beating myself up on that last drive," Wilson said, according to the Associated Press. "I've got to take advantage of my opportunities to end that game."

Much of this is on Wilson's surrounding pieces. His offensive line is bad (16 sacks), the ground game is ineffective, his weapons aren't getting separation and the play-calling isn't leaning into his strengths. The Jets don't use rollouts to feature his athleticism, a skill that made his college tape so exhilarating to watch. 

Wilson has the sheer talent to eventually overcome the problems around him, but he's a developmental prospect as expected, and his supporting cast hasn't helped him so far. 

Stock Up: Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Zach Bolinger/Associated Press

Cincinnati Bengals wideout and fifth-overall pick Ja'Marr Chase was maybe the biggest faller this summer—not just among rookies but among all NFL players. 

After being drafted so highly, Chase struggled with drops in preseason action. He dropped three targets, all of which came on third down, in his second preseason game, then dropped Joe Burrow's only attempt in the third game on an easy, high-percentage bubble screen. 

Through four real games, though, Chase has scored four times on 17 catches. He had touchdowns of 40-plus yards in each of his first two games, then scored twice during a Week 3 win over Pittsburgh. He's averaging 17.5 yards per catch and has picked up 11 first downs thus far. Chase is also the youngest player ever to have four scores over this first three games, a record previously held by Randy Moss. 

And on a team-based slant, without Chase, the Bengals aren't 3-1 or very competitive at all. 

Stock Down: Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears

Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated Press

Too obvious? 

Justin Fields was one of the biggest names in the draft, then became one of the biggest stories in the draft when the Chicago Bears traded up to No. 11 to get him. 

Those Bears failed Fields to date, though, continually playing Andy Dalton over him, then refusing to change the game plan when a quarterback with a different skill set had to get in the game. Week 3 was the best (worst) example of this as Fields suffered nine sacks while attempting 20 passes in a 26-6 loss to Cleveland. ESPN's Paul Hembekides noted Fields only received rollouts and quarterback run play calls four times all game. 

In Week 4, a three-touchdown day by the ground game helped lift the team to a 24-14 win over Detroit. Fields took just one sack, but the rookie passer attempted only 17 passes, threw an interception and turned three rushes into nine yards. 

Fields has simply been unable to rise above the poor coaching and line in front of him, so some of it falls on him. But an inept coaching staff that isn't using him to his strengths is a big part of the reason his stock continues to take a nosedive, too. 

Stock Up: Penei Sewell, OT, Detroit Lions

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

It's difficult for a rookie offensive lineman to exceed exceptions. In Penei Sewell's case, it was almost impossible because he was hyped as the draft's best lineman. 

Yet he's doing it. 

It helps that Sewell had some problems adjusting to the right side during the preseason. The draft's seventh pick was trying to learn right tackle and at the last second got thrown to the wolves by shifting over to the left edge because of an injury to starter Taylor Decker leading into Week 1. 

Over his first three games, Sewell didn't allow a sack, according to Pro Football Focus' metrics, which was all the more impressive considering he went up against Nick Bosa and San Francisco, Green Bay and Baltimore. In Week 4, he regressed slightly while dealing with Robert Quinn of Chicago off the edge, but not enough to diminish what he's accomplished.

After learning one side, then quickly flipping to the other on short notice and bouncing back from a poor preseason, Sewell's long-term arrow points up. 

Stock Down: Alex Leatherwood, OT, Las Vegas Raiders

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

There are a ton of things to love about the 3-0 start for the Las Vegas Raiders, but the performance of 17th overall pick Alex Leatherwood hasn't been one of them. 

Over his first three games, Leatherwood was all over the place en route to a brutal 34.6 PFF grade, well below the "backup" classification where the scale stops tracking, something quick film studies reinforced. 

To be fair to Leatherwood, his first pro game was a brutal matchup against a strong Baltimore Ravens defense, and he left his second game with an oblique injury.

It's hard to know if he's still fighting through the issue which muddies his season-long outlook, but the liability he's been on the edge of the offensive line in front of Derek Carr could hurt the Raiders eventually. 

Stock Up: Micah Parsons, LB, Dallas Cowboys

Ashley Landis/Associated Press

Micah Parsons fell out of the top 10 of the draft and doesn't primarily play a position considered to be "premium," such as pass-rusher or cornerback. 

But he's quickly looking like the best outright player from the draft class. 

Parsons spent his first three pro games drumming up an 87.6 PFF grade, placing him in the "Pro Bowler" bracket. According to Pro Football Reference, he had 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks over those three games, plus 10 pressures, four hurries and four quarterback knockdowns. He even played as a defensive end in two of those matchups because of injuries. 

He was at it again in Week 4, tallying four total tackles (the team-high was six) with one sack and a tackle for loss in a 36-28 dismissal of the Carolina Panthers. 

Parsons was the perfect draft choice for a Cowboys team that needed to revamp the defense—he's looking like a foundational building block for the next decade. 

Stock Down: Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

There's a certain measure of hype when a team like the Atlanta Falcons makes a player like Kyle Pitts the highest-drafted tight end ever. 

But over his first four games, Pitts has failed to reach the end zone and has recorded north of 50 yards in a game once. 

It's not for a lack of trying, either. Atlanta has moved Pitts all over the formation as a wideout and tight end, feeding him 26 targets. But he's caught just 15 of those for 189 yards. In Week 1, he caught four of his eight targets and in Week 4, four of his nine. 

Some of this is on Pitts' surrounding pieces on a 1-3 squad in which the offense hasn't found a rhythm. But he's second on the team in targets, yet five other players have caught at least one of Matt Ryan's eight touchdowns.