• Tackles Joe Alt and Taliese Fuaga shine: Although both of their teams fell short in Week 15, the rookie tackles were solid blockers.
• Drake Maye was far better than the box score shows: The Patriots struggled to protect the rookie passer, who made the most of his few opportunities to produce.
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Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes
Edge rushers Jared Verse and Chop Robinson are the cream of the crop among the first-round defenders, and offensive tackles Joe Alt and Taliese Fuaga are becoming stalwarts 15 weeks into the season.
Here's how those two and the rest of the 2024 rookie first-rounders panned out this past week, with PFF grades, primary matchups, snap counts and analysis.
Pick No. 1: Chicago Bears: QB Caleb Williams
Overall Rookie Grade: 65.2 (Rank: 4/5)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 15 Snaps: 65
Week 15 Grade: 54.7
Williams hasn't thrown an interception since Week 6 but now has seven turnover-worthy plays over the past four weeks — tied for the third most in the NFL. He fared better under pressure this week, posting a 64.6 PFF overall grade against the Vikings to rank eighth among qualifying quarterbacks, but the Bears‘ offense remains a significant work in progress.
Pick No. 2: Washington Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels
Overall Rookie Grade: 88.3 (Rank: 1/5)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 15 Snaps: 78
Week 15 Grade: 74.7
Daniels mixed some spectacular playmaking with confounding sacks en route to a narrow victory over the Saints. He continues to be the Commanders’ best offensive player, though, as he led the team in rushing while committing zero turnover-worthy plays for the seventh time this season. Daniels is shining despite Washington's struggles in several other areas.