• Evan Williams moves to the top: The Packers safety is now the highest-graded rookie in the NFL.
• Brock Bowers remains highest-graded on offense: The Raiders tight end continues to thrive in Year 1.
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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
With another week in the books, the sample size for most rookies around the league continues to grow. That allows us to check in and see who the highest-graded first-year players are after the season's first six weeks (120-snap minimum).
1. S Evan Williams, Green Bay Packers
PFF Grade: 91.4
After stepping into a larger role over the past two weeks, Williams is now the NFL's highest-graded safety, though on a smaller sample size than some of his counterparts. This past week, he earned a 93.3 PFF grade, allowing just nine yards in coverage and forcing a fumble.
2. TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
PFF Grade: 85.2
The debate around the eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year winner is centered on quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels right now, but the Raiders' first-year tight end should not be counted out. He leads all tight ends in both PFF grade and receiving yards and is one of only two at the position to have been on the field for 100 passing plays while averaging over 2.00 yards per route run.
3. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
PFF Grade: 83.3
The Commanders might have lost against the Ravens, but Jayden Daniels continues to prove that he belongs in the NFL. He earned an 80.9 PFF passing grade against the Ravens, going 24-for-35 for 269 yards with a pair of touchdowns, and he now ranks fifth among all quarterbacks in PFF grade and PFF passing grade.
4. C Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh Steelers
PFF Grade: 82.2
Frazier ranks fourth among all centers in PFF grade this season, largely due to his dominance as a run blocker. While he’s still refining his pass protection, he has posted a run-blocking grade above 65.0 in five of six games this season and has surpassed 70.0 in each of the past four weeks.
5. CB Andru Phillips, New York Giants
PFF Grade: 80.6
Phillips returned to the lineup for the Giants in their Sunday Night Football loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and was impressive once again. He finished the game with a 74.5 PFF grade, having allowed just 11 yards on two receptions on throws into his coverage.
6. WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants
PFF Grade: 80.4
Nabers has missed the past two weeks, and his absence has been evident in the struggling Giants offense, especially against the Bengals. In the first four weeks of the season, he earned an 82.0 PFF receiving grade and averaged 2.54 yards per route run.
7. CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Tennessee Titans
PFF Grade: 79.7
A fifth-round draft pick out of Louisville, Brownlee has started each of the past two games for the Titans and has thrived in doing so. Targeted 12 times in coverage over the past two weeks, he has allowed just six receptions for a total of 21 yards. He has also recorded five tackles that have resulted in defensive stops.
8. EDGE Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
PFF Grade: 79.1
The Rams didn’t play this week, but Verse retains his spot within the top 10 after a solid start to his career. He has registered 20 total pressures through five games in the NFL and has graded below 70.0 just once.
9. G Dominick Puni, San Francisco 49ers
PFF Grade: 78.3
Solid as a pass-blocker, Puni has earned a 67.9 PFF pass-blocking grade, allowing 11 total pressures and no sacks or hits from 228 pass-blocking snaps this season. However, his true value to the 49ers has been in the run game, where his 76.7 PFF run-blocking grade ranks eighth among all guards.
10. LB Jaylon Carlies, Indianapolis Colts
PFF Grade: 78.3
A role player for the Colts so far this season, Carlies has impressed in coverage over the past three weeks, earning PFF coverage grades above 80.0 in all three contests. From 34 snaps in coverage this season, he has allowed just 8 yards on throws into his coverage.
11. LB Edgerrin Cooper, Green Bay Packers
PFF Grade: 78.2
Setting a career-high in snaps for the second straight week, the second-round draft pick out of Texas A&M had another strong performance in the Packers' win over the Arizona Cardinals. He set a career-high with three defensive stops and earned PFF run-defense and coverage grades above 70.0.
12. EDGE Laiatu Latu, Indianapolis Colts
PFF Grade: 78.1
Latu continues to deliver solid performances for the Colts, even if he has yet to dominate a game. Through the season's first six weeks, he has earned PFF run-defense and pass-rushing grades above 70.0.
13. WR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
PFF Grade: 77.4
McConkey earned his lowest single-game PFF grade since entering the league in Sunday’s win over the Denver Broncos, but even that wasn’t too bad, coming in at 63.5. He has dropped just one of the 20 catchable passes thrown his way through six weeks.
14. HB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PFF Grade: 77.2
The fourth-round draft pick out of Oregon got the start for the Buccaneers this past week and set a career-high in snaps (49) and carries (14). Over the past two weeks, he has forced 10 missed tackles on just 23 rushing attempts, bringing his season total to 18 missed tackles on 58 carries.
15. WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
PFF Grade: 76.9
A concussion knocked Harrison out of the loss against the Packers after just two targets, though neither of which were catchable. The fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has been trending down again since that breakout game against the Rams in Week 2 and has seen his receiving yards drop each game since then.
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