• Ladd McConkey rises: The Chargers’ rookie is now the NFL’s top freshman receiver.
• Overall, a tough week for newbies: Many of the players on the list had their lowest grades to date.
• Unleash your benefits with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our seasonal fantasy tools, including weekly ratings, WR/CB Matchup Schedules, weekly forecasts, Launch and squat optimizer and much more. Register now!
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
After 12 weeks of NFL action, the league’s rookies have achieved outstanding results. The top-rated freshman players range from highly touted first-round picks to impressive day-three picks, showcasing talent from across the draft spectrum.
Here are the top-rated freshman players after 12 weeks of play.
1. KB Jayden Daniels, Washington commanders
PFF assessment: 88.5
Daniels earned a PFF grade above 80.0 for the fifth time in his career in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys. He completed 25 of 38 passes for 275 yards and recorded two scores. However, Daniels also had a productive game for the second week in a row, and he is now posting a turnover-worthy game on just 1.6% of his dropbacks this season.
2. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
PFF assessment: 83.1
Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos marked the lowest-graded game of Brock Bowers’ career as he earned a PFF grade of just 46.2. He averaged just 0.75 yards per carry—the lowest single-game total of his career—turning nine targets into just 38 receiving yards on four receptions.
3. Central Bank Andru Phillips, New York Giants
PFF assessment: 82.1
Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers wasn’t Deonte Phillips’ best performance, nor was it the rest of the Giants’ roster. His PFF grade of 57.9 was the second-lowest single-game grade of his rookie season, and a pair of missed tackles contributed to the decline. Despite the struggles, Phillips continued to play and now has 24 defensive stops on the year.
4. EDGE Jared Wehrs, Los Angeles Rams
PFF assessment: 81.4
Like several players above him, Wehrs had the lowest-scoring game of his career this week. He earned a PFF grade of 40.8 and managed just one pressure per game. For context, Wehrs recorded at least three pressures in every game leading up to Week 12.
5. VR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
PFF assessment: 80.2
McConkey caught all six of his targets for 83 yards on Monday Night Football, averaging 1.89 yards per carry in the loss. McConkey, the NFL’s top rookie wide receiver this season, averaged an impressive 2.19 yards per carry during his rookie campaign.
6. VR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
PFF assessment: 79.6
Thomas and the Jaguars didn’t play this week, but he hopes to get Trevor Lawrence I will soon become a defender again. Thomas earned a PFF receiving grade of 81.1 this season and averaged 2.27 yards per run.
7. Central Bank Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles
PFF assessment: 79.6
DeJean continued to improve as the season progressed and raised his PFF grade above 70.0 for the sixth time in seven games during Sunday’s win over the Rams. Through the first 12 weeks of the season, he averaged just 6.8 yards per reception.
8. VR Malik Nabers, New York Giants
PFF assessment: 79.3
Nabers saw nine targets in the Giants’ loss to the Buccaneers, turning them into six receptions for 64 yards. He hasn’t found the end zone since Week 3, and the transition to Tommy DeVito as a quarterback led to his second-lowest single-game grade of the season.
9. T Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers
PFF assessment: 79.0
Alt had another strong showing in the Chargers’ Monday Night Football loss to the Ravens, earning a 72.8 PFF pass-blocking grade while allowing just one pressure. Alt has given up just 13 passes with 376 pass blocks this season.
10. G Dominic Puni, San Francisco 49ers
PFF assessment: 78.4
Puney had his lowest-graded game of the season last week, earning a PFF grade below 60.0 for just the third time since the loss to the Packers. Despite the setback, he maintained a 70.1 PFF pass-blocking grade and a 77.6 PFF run-blocking grade this season.
11. VR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
PFF assessment: 78.4
Harrison had a solid, if unspectacular, performance in the Cardinals’ loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, earning a 63.4 PFF receiving grade. He came close to making a sensational tackle on the left touchline but couldn’t get his other foot in bounds.
12. C Zach Fraser, Pittsburgh Steelers
PFF assessment: 77.4
Frazier had the worst game of his Thursday Night Football career, earning a 20.3 PFF pass-blocking grade and particularly struggling against the Browns’ defensive stunts. However, he remained a reliable run blocker and posted a PFF grade of 81.2 through the first 12 weeks of the season.
13. KB Quinion Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles
PFF assessment: 73.4
Mitchell had another impressive performance in the Eagles’ win over the Rams on Sunday Night Football, earning a 66.0 PFF coverage grade while allowing just 26 yards on three receptions. Over the last four weeks, he has just seven receptions for 63 yards on throws in his own coverage.
14. EDGE Layato Latu, Indianapolis Colts
PFF assessment: 73.1
The first defensive back taken in the 2024 NFL Draft had the best game of his young career as a pass rusher on Sunday against the Lions. With 27 rushing passes, he earned a sack, a pair of quarterback hits and a pair of quarterback hurries.
15. KB Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
PFF assessment: 72.8
Bo Nix has earned a PFF passing grade above 70.0 for three weeks in a row, continuing to impress in his rookie season. While he wasn’t the most dynamic passer (his completion rate was just 3.1%), he excelled at defending the football, posting a completion rate of just 1.4%.
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