• Brock Bowers continues his excellent rookie year: Bowers lost his title as the NFL's highest-graded tight end to George Kittle this past week but now holds the top grade among rookies. He has averaged 2.21 yards per route run this season and still leads all tight ends in receiving yards (535).
• Jayden Daniels‘ legend grows: Daniels has excelled at protecting the football, posting just a 1.8% turnover-worthy play rate through eight weeks.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
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 eight weeks.
1. TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
PFF Grade: 88.4
Bowers lost his title as the NFL's highest-graded tight end to George Kittle this past week but now holds the top grade among rookies. He has averaged 2.21 yards per route run this season and still leads all tight ends in receiving yards (535).
2. S Evan Williams, Green Bay Packers
PFF Grade: 87.4
Williams continues to excel in both coverage and run defense, earning a PFF grade of 80.0 or higher in both areas. While he’s coming off two games with PFF grades below 60.0, his standout performances from Weeks 4 to 6 keep him high on this list.
3. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
PFF Grade: 85.7
The wild Hail Mary to seal the win against the Chicago Bears has only added to Daniels' growing lore, but even without it, he delivered another impressive performance on Sunday. He has excelled at protecting the football, posting just a 1.8% turnover-worthy play rate through eight weeks.
4. EDGE Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
PFF Grade: 82.8
Verse had been threatening to have the breakout game he had on Thursday Night Football but hadn’t been able to consistently finish to increase his sack total. The win over the Vikings saw him avoid missing any tackles for only the third time in seven games, and he has now registered three sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 19 hurries.
5. C Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh Steelers
PFF Grade: 82.2
Frazier has missed the past two weeks with an ankle injury but currently ranks as the third-highest-graded center in the NFL this season. He’s been reliable in pass protection, allowing just four pressures on 206 pass-blocking snaps. He has been even better in the run game, as he has earned an 84.1 PFF run-blocking grade.
6. HB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PFF Grade: 81.7
Irving ranks 10th in the NFL with 25 missed tackles forced on rushing attempts this season, establishing himself as a key contributor in the Buccaneers' run game. He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 3.7 yards after contact per carry.
7. WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
PFF Grade: 81.7
Given the receivers selected ahead of him in the 2024 NFL Draft, Thomas leading all rookies in receiving yards (573) is a surprise. However, he has been the most impressive of the group so far, averaging 2.68 yards per route run — the only rookie above 2.50 in that category.
8. WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants
PFF Grade: 80.3
Though it didn’t match some of his earlier performances this season, Nabers again commanded a heavy target share in the Giants' loss to the Steelers on Monday Night Football. He is averaging 2.14 yards per route run this season.
9. WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
PFF Grade: 79.2
Easing any concerns about his performance in recent weeks, Harrison looked every bit the WR1 in the Cardinals' win over the Dolphins on Sunday. He totaled 111 yards on seven targets, marking the second-best game of his career in receiving yards, yards per route run and PFF receiving grade.
10. CB Andru Phillips, New York Giants
PFF Grade: 77.1
Phillips didn’t have his best outing against the Steelers on Monday Night Football, but he has been a key piece of the Giants' secondary throughout his rookie season. Through eight weeks, he has recorded 11 defensive stops in coverage.
11. T Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers
PFF Grade: 76.2
Alt delivered the best pass-blocking performance of his career in Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints. For the first time in his NFL tenure, he didn’t allow a sack, hit or hurry, earning an 81.9 PFF pass-blocking grade.
12. G Dominick Puni, San Francisco 49ers
PFF Grade: 76.1
In Sunday’s win over the Cowboys, Puni earned a PFF grade above 65.0 for the fifth time in his eight-game career. He is one of only seven guards to post a PFF grade above 70.0 in pass protection and run blocking this season.
13. WR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
PFF Grade: 75.7
The Chargers' second-round pick was arguably even more impressive than Alt this past week, as McConkey set career highs in PFF grade, receiving yards and yards per route run.
14. CB Tykee Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PFF Grade: 74.4
Smith missed the Buccaneers' Week 8 loss after suffering a concussion in Week 7 against the Ravens. This season, he has allowed just 8.4 yards per catch and earned a 70.1 PFF coverage grade.
15. CB Jarrian Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
PFF Grade: 73.0
The Jaguars' third-round pick impressed in his first career start on Sunday, earning a 78.5 PFF grade. Over 29 coverage snaps, he was targeted four times. He allowed just two receptions for 16 yards and secured an interception.
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