• Evan Williams stays at the top: The Packers safety is now the fifth-highest-graded safety in the NFL.
• Brock Bowers remains the highest-graded on offense: The Raiders TE continues to thrive.
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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 (150-snap minimum).
1. S Evan Williams, Green Bay Packers
PFF Grade: 89.4
Williams set a career high with four defensive stops this past week despite not having his best game in coverage. Through seven weeks, he ranks fifth among all safeties in PFF grade (89.4).
2. TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
PFF Grade: 88.3
The highest-graded tight end in the NFL this season, Bowers leads all players at his position by over 100 receiving yards. He also ranks second among tight ends in yards per route run (2.26).
3. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
PFF Grade: 83.4
Daniels suffered an injury early in the Commanders' win over the Carolina Panthers, but his performance leading up to that point has positioned him as the third-highest-graded rookie in the league. The No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft boasts an 80.7% adjusted completion rate through seven weeks.
4. CB Andru Phillips, New York Giants
PFF Grade: 83.3
Phillips has been consistently good since arriving in the NFL as a third-round draft pick out of Kentucky. This past week, he allowed just one reception for -2 yards. Through six games, he has registered 13 defensive stops.
5. C Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh Steelers
PFF Grade: 82.2
Frazier is currently sidelined due to injury but has been one of the best centers in the NFL this season. He has earned a PFF run-blocking grade above 65.0 in five of his six games in 2024, and he has surpassed a 70.0 run-blocking in each of his last four games.
6. WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants
PFF Grade: 80.3
Nabers returned to the lineup for the Giants this week, and while he wasn't as dominant as in previous games, he remained productive. He has averaged 2.25 yards per route run this season, 13th among qualifying receivers.
7. Edge Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
PFF Grade: 79.6
Verse delivered his most productive day as a pass rusher in the NFL to date, recording five quarterback hits and two quarterback hurries from 38 pass-rushing snaps. However, he did miss another tackle, bringing his total to 12 missed tackles on the season.
8. WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
PFF Grade: 78.7
Thomas earned a career-high 92.1 PFF receiving grade during the Jaguars' win over the New England Patriots in London, solidifying his role as Trevor Lawrence’s favorite wide receiver target. He is currently averaging 2.60 yards per route run this season.
9. G Dominick Puni, San Francisco 49ers
PFF Grade: 76.8
Puni delivered another solid performance in pass protection during the 49ers' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, allowing just two pressures on 42 pass-blocking snaps. This season, he has given up 13 pressures, none of which have resulted in sacks or quarterback hits.
10. OT Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers
PFF Grade: 75.6
Alt had the second-highest graded performance of his career on Monday Night Football this week. In pass protection, he allowed just two hurries from 46 pass-blocking snaps. At 87.6, he was the highest-graded run blocker on the Chargers' roster this week.
11. CB Tykee Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PFF Grade: 74.4
Despite exiting Monday Night Football after 14 snaps, Smith retains his spot on this list thanks to stronger showings earlier in the season. So far this season, he has earned a 70.1 PFF coverage grade, recording an interception and three pass breakups.
12. WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
PFF Grade: 74.4
Harrison saw six targets in the Cardinals' win over the Chargers on Monday Night Football but turned them into just 21 yards on three receptions. He was unable to haul in either of the two catchable targets thrown his way, and averaged just 0.78 yards per route run.
13. Edge Laiatu Latu, Indianapolis Colts
PFF Grade: 72.5
The first defensive player off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft is coming off the lowest-graded performance of his career so far, earning a 48.8 PFF grade in the win over the Miami Dolphins. Through seven games in the NFL, he has racked up 15 pressures from 154 pass-rushing snaps.
14. S Tyler Nubin, New York Giants
PFF Grade: 71.2
Nubin is coming off the best game of his career to date, earning a 76.5 overall PFF grade in the Giants' loss to the Eagles. He allowed just one reception for five yards from 22 snaps in coverage, and has been a really solid tackler so far this season, missing just 4.2% of the tackles he has attempted.
15. DI T’Vondre Sweat, Tennessee Titans
PFF Grade: 70.3
Sweat produced another solid performance for the Titans on the defensive line despite the loss to the Buffalo Bills this week. He has recorded seven tackles resulting in a defensive stop so far this season, with all of them coming in his past four games.
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