With another week of NFL action under our belts, it's time to check back in on the first-round rookies and see how they're faring in their first year in the league. Through nine weeks, 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: 70.6
Once again, we saw Kyler Murray operate an offense that asked him to do little in the way of pushing the ball downfield. His average depth of target for the game was just 4.2 yards past the line of scrimmage — which was almost a yard shorter than his previous career-best — and only five of his 24 attempts traveled 10 or more yards downfield. Be that as it may, Murray was still efficient from a clean pocket, where he completed 14 of his 19 attempts for 218 yards and two touchdowns, all good for a passer rating of 146.4 that was bested only by Jimmy Garoppolo this week.
Pick No. 2: EDGE Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
2019 overall grade: 86.9
Nick Bosa continued his tear through the NFL by adding another three pressures to his season total in Week 9, taking it up to 38 pressures on the year — which is tied for 13th among all edge defenders. Through nine weeks, only Myles Garrett (24.4%), J.J. Watt (25.3%) and Joey Bosa (25.8%) have won their pass-rush snaps at a higher rate than Nick Bosa (23.8%), who, by this point, already has one hand on the Defensive Rookie of the Year trophy.
Pick No. 3: DI Quinnen Williams, New York Jets
2019 overall grade: 67.3
Williams was active in all phases of the game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9, grading above 60.0 as both a run defender (65.3) and as a pass-rusher (61.1). He recorded a sack and two additional pass-rush wins across 31 pass-rushing snaps and also added a defensive stop against the run.
Pick No. 4: EDGE Clelin Ferrell, Oakland Raiders
2019 overall grade: 48.7
Ferrell ended his Week 9 game against the Detroit Lions with a career-high overall grade of 63.4, the first time in his young career that he's earned a grade above 60.0. He recorded a single-game-best four quarterback pressures — all them being hurries — and further added three defensive stops against the run. He's had a rough start to his NFL career, but Ferrell's Week 9 outing is assuredly a step in the right direction.
Pick No. 5: LB Devin White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2019 overall grade: 42.9
Devin White had by far the best game of his career in the Week 9 thriller against the Seahawks, leaving the field with a career-high 74.9 overall grade. His impact was truly felt against the run, where he earned an elite run-defense grade of 90.7 after he knocked the ball loose from Seattle running back Chris Carson on two separate occasions.
Pick No. 6: QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants
2019 overall grade: 64.5
Week 9 was another rough outing for the former Duke signal-caller, as he went 26-of-41 for 210 yards, a touchdown, an interception and two fumbles against the Cowboys. Jones failed to produce a big-time throw but added another two turnover-worthy plays to his record, and he averaged just 1.6 yards per attempt against pressure. His 57.8 overall grade for the game is his lowest single-game mark since Week 6.
Pick No. 7: EDGE Josh Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars
2019 overall grade: 64.3
Allen added another three total pressures to his season total in Week 9, but one of those pressures was charted as a clean-up/pursuit pressure and another came as a result of an unblocked path to Deshaun Watson. That said, through nine weeks, Nick Bosa is the only rookie edge defender who has more pressures to his name than Josh Allen (29), though Allen's pass-rush win rate (14.4%) ranks tied for fifth among qualifying first-year players.
Pick No. 8: TE T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
2019 overall grade: 61.4
The first-round tight end saw his fair share of targets, with seven coming his way, but only three of those were deemed to be catchable. He caught all three of those passes for 56 yards and three first downs, with his longest reception going 23 yards downfield. However, in what is becoming somewhat of a concern, Hockenson stumbled to his third straight sub-40.0 pass-blocking grade after he lost one of his three pass-blocking assignments in the game. Over the last three weeks, Hockenson has now lost four of his 11 pass-blocking snaps, with three of those losses resulting in pressure, which is something the Lions will hope he can improve upon moving forward.
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