• Zay Flowers ignites Ravens with long touchdown catch: Flowers displayed his trademark explosiveness on a 75-yard touchdown reception that changed the momentum in Baltimore’s victory over Miami, earning an 84.7 overall grade for his efforts.
• Will Anderson punishes Titans on small workload: Anderson played only 12 snaps, all rushing the passer, but generated pressure on six of those reps and collected two sacks.
• It's never too early to gear up for the 2024 NFL Draft: PFF has you covered throughout the college football season. Click here for our 2024 big board.
Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes
The Houston Texans continue to be winners with their two first-round picks, and there were several other standouts this week on teams in playoff contention.
We continue to track every first-round rookie, as well as their principal opponents, as the 2023 NFL regular season comes to a close.
Pick No. 1: Carolina Panthers: QB Bryce Young
Overall Rookie Grade: 56.0 (Rank: 6/6)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 17 Snaps: 54
Week 17 Grade: 61.8
Young threw for a season-low 112 yards, and Carolina was shut out for the first time this season. He struggled with Jacksonville’s blitz packages, completing just three of his 13 blitzed passes for 18 yards. The Panthers have struggled to keep Young upright all year. As a result, his 49.4 passing grade against the blitz ranks ahead of only Gardner Minshew among quarterbacks who have faced at least 100 blitzes this year.
Pick No. 2: Houston Texans: QB C.J. Stroud
Overall Rookie Grade: 81.1 (Rank: 1/6)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 17 Snaps: 58
Week 17 Grade: 64.7
Stroud wasn’t flashy in Week 17, but he was good enough to win and put Houston in prime playoff position. His rapport with Nico Collins was fully intact after Stroud missed two games with a concussion. Stroud currently carries a 98.2 passing grade on deep throws, trailing only Brock Purdy, while Collins’ 99.5 deep receiving grade is tied for sixth best in the NFL.
Pick No. 3: Houston Texans: Edge Will Anderson Jr.
Overall Rookie Grade: 83.0 (Rank: 1/14)
Principal Opponent: Andre Dillard
Week 17 Snaps: 12
Week 17 Grade: 92.1
Anderson played only 12 snaps, all rushing the passer, but made an incredible impact. He generated pressure on six of those 12 reps and collected two sacks. His power and quickness were a nightmare for Tennessee’s tackles. Anderson is currently one of just eight edge players with at least a 77.0 grade in pass rushing and run defense.
Pick No. 4: Indianapolis Colts: QB Anthony Richardson
Overall Rookie Grade: 52.2 (Rank: N/A)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 17 Snaps: 0
Week 17 Grade: N/A
Richardson suffered a shoulder injury in Week 5 and is out for the season.
Pick No. 5: Seattle Seahawks: CB Devon Witherspoon
Overall Rookie Grade: 81.4 (Rank: 1/23)
Principal Opponent: Diontae Johnson
Week 17 Snaps: 35
Week 17 Grade: 49.8
Seattle struggled mightily to stop Pittsburgh’s run game, and nobody had a tougher day than Witherspoon. He finished the game with a 38.4 run-defense grade. He missed two tackles in the run game, one of which jumpstarted Jaylen Warren’s longest carry of the day. Witherspoon will need to be better in Week 18 against an Arizona team that just racked up 220 rushing yards versus Philadelphia.
Pick No. 6: Arizona Cardinals: OT Paris Johnson Jr.
Overall Rookie Grade: 59.0 (Rank: 4/9)
Principal Opponent: Haason Reddick
Week 17 Snaps: 76
Week 17 Grade: 70.3
Johnson was excellent in pass protection against a fierce Philadelphia defensive front. He finished the contest with a 79.1 pass-blocking grade and no pressures allowed. He also made a couple of nice blocks as a puller in the run game. Johnson is rounding into form as the season comes to an end. Since Week 10, he owns a 70.0 overall grade, which is a top-30 mark among qualified tackles.
Pick No. 7: Las Vegas Raiders: Edge Tyree Wilson
Overall Rookie Grade: 45.8 (Rank: 13/14)
Principal Opponent: Bernhard Raimann
Week 17 Snaps: 20
Week 17 Grade: 43.4
Wilson struggled against Indianapolis, earning his lowest overall grade since Week 6. He generated no pressure on 12 pass-rush snaps and lost the edge a couple of times in the run game. Wilson is currently the only rookie edge defender with sub-50.0 grades in both run defense and pass rushing despite playing the sixth-most snaps among the group.
Pick No. 8: Atlanta Falcons: RB Bijan Robinson
Overall Rookie Grade: 68.2 (Rank: 7/8)
Principal Opponent: Tremaine Edmunds
Week 17 Snaps: 45
Week 17 Grade: 53.4
Robinson racked up four explosive runs on a snowy day in Chicago but fumbled for the fourth time this season. He was also bottled up by the Bears’ linebackers, who allowed him little room after his three receptions. In total, Robinson finished with a mediocre 79 yards on 18 touches. He forced just one missed tackle on the day but still leads all rookies with 63 total for the season.
Pick No. 9: Philadelphia Eagles: DI Jalen Carter
Overall Rookie Grade: 86.2 (Rank: 1/12)
Principal Opponent: Will Hernandez
Week 17 Snaps: 36
Week 17 Grade: 76.7
Carter played well against Arizona despite Philadelphia’s other defensive shortcomings. He generated two pressures, including his seventh career sack, while also winning two other pass-rush reps. Heading into the final week of the regular season, Carter owns the sixth-best overall grade among all qualified defensive tackles.
Pick No. 10: Chicago Bears: OT Darnell Wright
Overall Rookie Grade: 61.4 (Rank: 3/9)
Principal Opponent: Bud Dupree
Week 17 Snaps: 74
Week 17 Grade: 67.1
Wright allowed two pressures against Atlanta, both hurries, en route to a 69.1 pass-blocking grade. It was a nice bounce-back performance after he struggled over the previous two weeks. He has also now played three straight games without committing a penalty. Wright has faced some obstacles this year, as evidenced by his 50 pressures allowed, but he has been a consistent presence on the Bears’ offensive line and still has room to develop.
Pick No. 11: Tennessee Titans: G Peter Skoronski
Overall Rookie Grade: 61.2 (Rank: 2/13)
Principal Opponent: Khalil Davis
Week 17 Snaps: 54
Week 17 Grade: 61.6
Skoronski posted his lowest pass-blocking grade, 32.1, of the season against the Texans. He allowed a sack to Sheldon Rankins and two hurries, one of which forced an errant Ryan Tannehill throw. Skoronski has struggled in pass protection as of late, as he’s allowed multiple pressures in five straight games.
Pick No. 12: Detroit Lions: RB Jahmyr Gibbs
Overall Rookie Grade: 76.7 (Rank: 3/8)
Principal Opponent: Jourdan Lewis
Week 17 Snaps: 43
Week 17 Grade: 68.7
Gibbs finished Week 17 with his lowest yardage output of the season. He gained just 43 yards on 15 carries. Twenty-eight of those yards came on his only two explosive runs of the night midway through the second quarter. Gibbs was targeted twice on Detroit’s first drive and just once the rest of the day as he tied a season-low with one reception.
Pick No. 13: Green Bay Packers: EDGE Lukas Van Ness
Overall Rookie Grade: 65.5 (Rank: 5/14)
Principal Opponent: Christian Darrisaw
Week 17 Snaps: 19
Week 17 Grade: 65.5
Van Ness collected his fourth career sack and a hurry among his 15 pass-rush reps against Minnesota. He continues to perform reasonably well in rotational work, posting 65.0-plus grades in four straight games. With Green Bay’s playoff hopes on the line, Van Ness is likely looking forward to facing the Bears, against whom he generated a season-high five pressures in Week 1.
Pick No. 14: Pittsburgh Steelers: OT Broderick Jones
Overall Rookie Grade: 62.5 (Rank: 2/9)
Principal Opponent: Boye Mafe
Week 17 Snaps: 72
Week 17 Grade: 70.9
Pittsburgh dominated on the ground this week, and Jones certainly contributed to the cause. His 70.7 run-blocking grade led all Steelers offensive linemen. He paved the way for Najee Harris’ first touchdown run and, on a different occasion, pancaked Julian Love as a puller in space. Jones is, at times, an imposing presence in the run game. The Steelers will likely continue to lean on him and the rest of their offensive line to keep their playoff hopes alive in Week 18.
Pick No. 15: New York Jets: Edge Will McDonald IV
Overall Rookie Grade: 70.0 (Rank: N/A)
Principal Opponent: James Hudson III
Week 17 Snaps: 10
Week 17 Grade: 58.8
McDonald was quiet on Thursday night, picking up no positively or negatively graded plays on 10 snaps. Despite New York being eliminated from playoff contention, McDonald has yet to eclipse the 20-snap mark in any game this season.
Pick No. 16: Washington Commanders: CB Emmanuel Forbes
Overall Rookie Grade: 51.5 (Rank: 18/23)
Principal Opponent: Brandon Aiyuk
Week 17 Snaps: 69
Week 17 Grade: 41.4
Forbes got his first start since Week 11 and struggled to contain San Francisco’s weapons. He allowed four receptions for 89 yards and a Brandon Aiyuk touchdown. Forbes has struggled all season in single coverage, outside of an excellent performance against New England. For the season, he owns a 47.1 coverage grade when in single coverage.
Pick No. 17: New England Patriots: CB Christian Gonzalez
Overall Rookie Grade: 80.8 (Rank: N/A)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 17 Snaps: 0
Week 17 Grade: N/A
Gonzalez suffered a torn labrum in Week 4 and is out for the season.
Pick No. 18: Detroit Lions: LB Jack Campbell
Overall Rookie Grade: 56.8 (Rank: 2/4)
Principal Opponent: Jake Ferguson
Week 17 Snaps: 40
Week 17 Grade: 58.2
Detroit continues to hide Campbell from coverage situations. He was targeted just once on 13 coverage snaps, though he was beaten up the seam by Jake Ferguson. Luckily, Kerby Joseph made an excellent play to break up the pass. His day in run defense was a mixed bag, as he earned three positive and three negative grades. Despite that, Campbell has earned at least a 64.0 run-defense grade in six straight weeks.
Pick No. 19: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DI Calijah Kancey
Overall Rookie Grade: 48.5 (Rank: 10/12)
Principal Opponent: James Hurst
Week 17 Snaps: 43
Week 17 Grade: 52.6
Kancey generated just one pressure across his team-high 22 pass-rush reps against New Orleans. It seems he has encountered a dry spell in that area, accruing just four pressures and a 52.0 pass-rush grade over his past four games. Luckily, he’ll face Carolina next week, against whom he collected five pressures in their first matchup.
Pick No. 20: Seattle Seahawks: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Overall Rookie Grade: 64.1 (Rank: 11/16)
Principal Opponent: James Pierre
Week 17 Snaps: 33
Week 17 Grade: 56.4
Smith-Njigba caught just one pass against Pittsburgh, but it was a 12-yard touchdown on a perfect throw up the seam from Geno Smith. He was targeted on just one other occasion, a jet sweep that he dropped. Those two targets represent a season low for Smith-Njigba as he struggles to find consistency. He has yet to eclipse 70 receiving yards in a game and has only 12 explosive (15-plus yards) receptions all season.
Pick No. 21: Los Angeles Chargers: WR Quentin Johnston
Overall Rookie Grade: 59.7 (Rank: 13/16)
Principal Opponent: Pat Surtain II
Week 17 Snaps: 59
Week 17 Grade: 64.2
Johnston finished his third straight game with less than 30 receiving yards despite Keenan Allen and Josh Palmer both being inactive. All three of his receptions came in the fourth quarter. The contest against Denver was the first game in which he made multiple contested catches, but teams have continued to challenge Johnston’s physicality with press coverage. He faced press coverage on 23 of his 37 routes, more than double any other Los Angeles receiver.
Pick No. 22: Baltimore Ravens: WR Zay Flowers
Overall Rookie Grade: 75.6 (Rank: 6/16)
Principal Opponent: Eli Apple
Week 17 Snaps: 32
Week 17 Grade: 84.7
Flowers displayed his trademark explosiveness on a 75-yard touchdown reception that changed the momentum in Baltimore’s victory over Miami. He also created an explosive play that set up the Ravens’ first touchdown. Flowers finished the day with a career-high 85.1 receiving grade and his first career 100-yard performance. His emergence could be the key to a Super Bowl run in Baltimore.
Pick No. 23: Minnesota Vikings: WR Jordan Addison
Overall Rookie Grade: 69.4 (Rank: 8/16)
Principal Opponent: Corey Ballentine
Week 17 Snaps: 49
Week 17 Grade: 57.8
Addison picked up 20 yards on a nice dig route early in the second quarter but made just two other catches totaling eight yards. That explosive play displays Addison’s excellence in the intermediate (10-20 yards) range. His 98.2 receiving grade on intermediate passes leads all rookies. Minnesota’s turbulent quarterback situation hasn’t helped Addison, as he has gained less than 40 yards in four of his past five games.
Pick No. 24: New York Giants: CB Deonte Banks
Overall Rookie Grade: 51.4 (Rank: 19/23)
Principal Opponent: N/A
Week 17 Snaps: 0
Week 17 Grade: N/A
Banks was inactive this week due to a shoulder injury.
Pick No. 25: Buffalo Bills: TE Dalton Kincaid
Overall Rookie Grade: 65.6 (Rank: 2/5)
Principal Opponent: Kyle Dugger
Week 17 Snaps: 38
Week 17 Grade: 73.4
Kincaid is gaining a reputation as a Patriot killer. His two best grades this year came against New England. This week, he hauled in four catches for 87 yards, more than doubling the yardage total of any other Buffalo receiver. Early in the third quarter, he beat Kyle Dugger up the seam for a 51-yard gain, easily his longest play of the season. Increased vertical usage for Kincaid could make the Bills’ offense nearly impossible to stop.
Pick No. 26: Dallas Cowboys: DI Mazi Smith
Overall Rookie Grade: 49.1 (Rank: 10/12)
Principal Opponent: Jonah Jackson
Week 17 Snaps: 17
Week 17 Grade: 37.8
Smith’s 37.8 overall grade was the lowest of any Dallas defender this week. He struggled in run defense against Detroit’s elite offensive line, which moved him out of his gap on multiple occasions. Smith's season-long 34.3 run-defense grade ranks ninth lowest out of 137 qualified defensive tackles.
Pick No. 27: Jacksonville Jaguars: OT Anton Harrison
Overall Rookie Grade: 53.0 (Rank: 6/9)
Principal Opponent: Yetur Gross-Matos
Week 17 Snaps: 63
Week 17 Grade: 52.6
For the second straight week, Harrison performed well in pass protection and poorly as a run blocker. He allowed no pressure on his 29-pass blocking snaps en route to a 75.3 pass-blocking grade. He also earned a negative grade on a whopping nine run plays. Harrison posted a sub-40.0 run-blocking grade for the second straight week.
Pick No. 28: Cincinnati Bengals: Edge Myles Murphy
Overall Rookie Grade: 57.3 (Rank: 11/14)
Principal Opponent: Wanya Morris
Week 17 Snaps: 16
Week 17 Grade: 52.1
Murphy generated two late hurries on Patrick Mahomes, beating fellow rookie Wanya Morris on both occasions. He also earned a negative grade on one of his six run-defense snaps. Murphy continues to get reasonable work in Cincinnati's edge rotation but hasn’t made many splash plays in the process.
Pick No. 29: New Orleans Saints: DI Bryan Bresee
Overall Rookie Grade: 45.5 (Rank: 11/12)
Principal Opponent: Cody Mauch
Week 17 Snaps: 30
Week 17 Grade: 55.1
Bresee picked up his fifth career sack as he blew by Aaron Stinnie to bottle up Baker Mayfield late in the third quarter against Tampa Bay. He would have had another, but he committed a face mask penalty as he was tackling Mayfield. Bresee continues to show flashes, especially as a pass rusher, but lacks the consistency to earn high grades thus far in his career. He’ll be looking for revenge next week against the Falcons after posting a season-low 29.0 grade in their first matchup.
Pick No. 30: Philadelphia Eagles: Edge Nolan Smith
Overall Rookie Grade: 49.8 (Rank: N/A)
Principal Opponent: D.J. Humphries
Week 17 Snaps: 17
Week 17 Grade: 57.7
Smith made a run stop by cleaning up a broken Rondale Moore jet sweep. He also missed an open-field tackle on Kyler Murray. This was his second straight game with a missed tackle after not missing any over his first 14 games.
Pick No. 31: Kansas City Chiefs: Edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Overall Rookie Grade: 52.4 (Rank: N/A)
Principal Opponent: Orlando Brown Jr.
Week 17 Snaps: 4
Week 17 Grade: 57.2
Anudike-Uzomah played just four snaps against Cincinnati. He didn’t generate any pressure on three pass-rush snaps.
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