We're now eight weeks into the season, and this year's first-round rookies have continued to make an impression across the NFL. Through the first half of the 2019 NFL season, here is how each of the 32 first-round picks has graded so far.
Pick No. 1: QB Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
2019 overall grade: 72.2
Murray completed 19 of his 33 pass attempts for 220 yards in Week 8 against New Orleans, and while he didn't manage to find the end zone, he did manage to add another three big-time throws (and one turnover-worthy play) to his NFL resume. He found much more success throwing downfield than he did last week, as he went 6-for-11 for 131 yards and a 93.5 passing grade on throws targeted 10 or more yards downfield in Week 8, just a week after going 1-for-5 for 12 yards and 43.5 grade on the very same throws.
Pick No. 2: EDGE Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
2019 overall grade: 86.3
In Week 8, Nick Bosa made yet another strong statement in his push to be named Defensive Rookie of the Year. He added another three sacks and a quarterback hurry against the Panthers, though it could have been more, as he managed an additional four pass-rush wins. Bosa won 26.7% of his matchups on the day and was fully deserving of an 84.3 pass-rush grade, the second-highest mark of his career so far.
Pick No. 3: DI Quinnen Williams, New York Jets
2019 overall grade: 66.6
Williams notched the first sack of his career in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, though it was the only quarterback pressure he recorded in the game. His best work came against the run in this one, where he produced two defensive stops across 19 run-defense snaps and ended the game with a career-high run-defense grade of 78.1.
Pick No. 4: EDGE Clelin Ferrell, Oakland Raiders
2019 overall grade: 46.5
Ferrell is still waiting for his big break in a Raiders uniform, as he ended yet another game with a grade below 60.0. He managed only two quarterback hurries from 27 pass-rush snaps and missed one of his three tackle attempts in Week 8 against the Texans. He now ranks 116th among 117 qualifying edge defenders in overall grade and last among all rookie edge defenders in pass-rush win rate.
Pick No. 5: LB Devin White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2019 overall grade: 39.0
White played 51 snaps in his Week 8 matchup against the Titans but earned a game grade of only 44.3 for his efforts. He seemed lost at times defending the run, he failed to record a pressure from his three snaps as a blitzer, and he allowed three catches for 49 yards on throws into his coverage, though he did break up a pass for what turned out to be the highlight of his performance.
Pick No. 6: QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants
2019 overall grade: 65.7
Week 8 saw another good-not-great game from Daniel Jones as a passer. He completed 28 of his 41 attempts for 322 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions, but the box score doesn't show the fact that he actually unleashed more turnover-worthy plays (3) than big-time throws (2). Through eight weeks, Jones has 17 turnover-worthy plays to just 12 big-time throws, so it goes without saying that he'll need more of the good and less of the bad if he's to see an improvement in his overall grade.
Pick No. 7: EDGE Josh Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars
2019 overall grade: 64.3
Allen's Week 8 efforts in the pass-rush earned a pass-rush grade of 70.7, his first 70.0-plus pass-rush grade since Week 2. He produced two sacks—one of which knocked the ball loose—and a quarterback hit across his 21 pass-rushing snaps, taking his pressure total up to 26 on the year, which is twice as many as Clelin Ferrell has so far.
Pick No. 8: TE T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
2019 overall grade: 60.6
The former Iowa tight end was targeted just once in his Week 8 game against the New York Giants, though he hauled that pass in for a 21-yard gain, with nine of those yards coming after the catch.
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