• Two Saints are turning heads: Derek Carr leads the NFL in PFF passing grade, while Carl Granderson has been a standout edge rusher.
• Young tackles living up to their draft grades: Seattle's Charles Cross and Arizona's Paris Johnson Jr. are performing as many projected in 2024.
• 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: 8 minutes
It’s somewhat hard to fathom, but almost a quarter of the 2024 NFL regular season has already passed. While four games are far from a representative sample size of team situations or player performance, it’s substantial enough to evaluate trends that are becoming undeniable.
These 10 players have verifiably ascended their games in 2024, going from backups to solidified quality starters — and potentially even altering their career trajectories.
CB Zyon McCollum, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers have flourished in the first four weeks of the season, and the team’s offense (eighth in EPA per play) has been a resounding reason why. But what also shouldn’t go unnoticed are contributions from unsung members of Tampa Bay’s defense — notably, McCollum.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a spectacular start to the 2024 campaign, ranking first in overall PFF overall grade (90.1) and coverage grade (90.2) among cornerbacks. McCollum has permitted only 57 yards in coverage despite being targeted 16 times and facing tough matchups with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Terry McLaurin and Courtland Sutton.
After being a fifth-round pick in 2022, McCollum struggled in his first two NFL seasons. Across 1,148 snaps, the cornerback didn’t finish either of his initial two years with a PFF overall grade above 50.4. Following two years of development in Todd Bowles’ system, it appears that the 6-foot-2 McCollum is thoroughly rounding into form — and elevating a Buccaneers defense that needed reliable contributors in the secondary.
T Charles Cross, Seattle Seahawks
The 2024 season felt like a make-or-break one for Cross, and it’s been almost entirely positive news so far. The former ninth-overall pick has made tremendous strides in his third professional campaign, where his 84.3 PFF overall grade ranks eighth among all offensive tackles. Cross has specifically refined his run blocking, improving it by more than 30 points to reach a league-leading 90.1 mark.
In his first two seasons in Seattle, Cross was shaky at best. His 13 sacks and 92 pressures allowed from 2022 through 2023 were both bottom-seven figures among all offensive linemen. This year, however, Cross has given up only one sack and 13 pressures.
If the 23-year-old maintains his unreal protection of Geno Smith, it would be a major boon to his odds of having his fifth-year option picked up by Seattle eventually cashing in at a lucrative position.
CB Kristian Fulton, Los Angeles Chargers
When Fulton signed a one-year, $3.125 million deal with the Chargers, few turned their heads. Following only four games in Los Angeles, though, Fulton appears to be playing well above his pay grade. The former Titan has collected an 82.5 PFF overall grade thus far, including a stingy 82.3 PFF coverage grade — both of which rank in the top seven among cornerbacks this season (minimum of 30 snaps).
Fulton was largely an average player during his four years in Tennessee. The LSU product relished his best year in 2021 at a 64.1 PFF overall grade but particularly declined last season, after which his 46.4 PFF overall grade sat 76th out of 78 qualifying cornerbacks.
Playing with Jim Harbaugh’s upstart bunch, Fulton has anchored a Chargers defense that has been much more tenacious in the early part of the year.
EDGE Keion White, New England Patriots
White put together a solid rookie season as a rotational edge rusher, but in 2024, he’s turned into a true force. His 86.2 PFF overall grade ranks 10th among edge rushers with 60 or more snaps, and he’s already amassed 17 pressures — just three fewer than he had in all of 2023.
Part of what’s assisted White’s development is the Patriots trading veteran Matthew Judon to Atlanta, but White also needs to be credited for advancing his own craft. The Georgia Tech product reduced his missed tackle rate from 12.5% to 6.3% and upped his pass-rush win rate from 6.2% to 19.8%.
The 1-3 Patriots still face an uphill battle in contending immediately, but head coach Jerod Mayo can take solace in knowing that he seems to have a long-term defensive cornerstone in White.
QB Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
The highest-graded quarterback in the NFL after four weeks isn’t Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen or Aaron Rodgers. Remarkably, it’s Carr, who has thrived in the early tenure of Klint Kubiak’s system. Carr’s 88.7 PFF overall grade and 89.1 PFF passing grade both pace the league and are better than his 2023 grades (77.2 overall, 77.0 passing).
What’s particularly encouraging is that Carr bounced back well after a letdown in Week 3 against the Eagles. The 33-year-old recorded an 85.0 PFF overall grade in a Week 4 loss to the Falcons, tossing two big-time throws with no turnover-worthy plays. Carr’s success can be attributed to sustaining his low rate of miscues while simultaneously completing more impressive throws down the field, as his big-time throw rate has augmented from 3.2% to 4.6%.
There were legitimate questions about Carr’s future in New Orleans before the season started, but if his early performance is any indication, the 11-year signal-caller isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it might be to the Pro Bowl.
WR Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams
With their current offense better resembling the preseason Rams rather than the high-voltage unit we’ve come to expect, Los Angeles has clamored for a reliable pass-catcher for Matthew Stafford. The unlikely Atwell has become just that: His 79.2 PFF receiving grade in 2024 ranks 12th among wideouts with 10 or more targets.
Primarily utilized as a slot receiver last year, the 5-foot-9 Atwell has still been effective inside, where he’s played 35.1% of passing snaps. But in getting more snaps on the perimeter, Atwell has taken his game to another level, bumping his yards per route run from 1.28 to 3.33.
With wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua sidelined for the foreseeable future, Sean McVay will need Atwell’s production to continue if the Rams want to keep their postseason hopes alive.
TE Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
Likely flashed growth in his second year, but his third pro season has cemented him as one of the more skilled tight ends in football. The 24-year-old has the highest PFF overall grade (85.9) at his position, with a sizeable advantage over Brock Bowers (78.6) in second place.
The Coastal Carolina product has turned into a reliable deep threat for Lamar Jackson, especially with Mark Andrews (six catches so far) yet to find his footing. Likely’s 9.4-yard average depth of target ranks third among all tight ends. Additionally, he has added additional yards after the catch to his toolkit, turning in 7.8 per reception this season. What’s also encouraging is that Likely has yet to drop one of his 18 targets after finishing both of his first two years with drop rates above 10%.
After his first two seasons saw him end with PFF overall grades below 66.0, Likely has improved his game and revived a position that has struggled league-wide in 2024.
G Will Fries, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts’ offensive line factory has another Grade-A product in Fries. The fourth-year pro has been one of the best guards in the NFL through four weeks, ranking second in PFF overall grade (84.8).
Fries’ biggest problem in 2023 was run blocking but he’s responding in a resounding way this season, ranking fourth among guards in PFF run-blocking grade (82.0). Likewise, Fries was solid in pass protection last season, but he’s found a way to improve even that by permitting only five pressures and one sack in four contests — against four solid defenses, no less.
Indianapolis’ offensive line boasts the second-highest grade in the NFL, and Fries’ maturation has been a significant catalyst alongside standouts Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith.
T Paris Johnson Jr., Arizona Cardinals
It was only a matter of time before Johnson burst onto the scene. Last year’s sixth overall pick has looked like a high-profile selection in 2024, posting an 83.5 PFF overall grade that ranks ninth among tackles.
Johnson has put his blue-chip traits on display across the board — especially in run blocking, where he boasts an 80.6 mark. A nice complement is his pass protection, where he has surrendered only five pressures on 129 opportunities.
Although the Cardinals are 1-3, the offense has been sound so far, sitting ninth in EPA per play. Johnson helping protect Kyler Murray and open rushing lanes for James Conner has been an asset.
Edge Carl Granderson, New Orleans Saints
Through four games, the revamped Saints haven’t just witnessed growth from Derek Carr. Indeed, Granderson has also become one of the foremost edge rushers in football. Among edge defenders with 60 or more snaps this season, his 88.0 PFF overall grade is tied for eighth and his 22 pressures collected are tied for second — ahead of names like Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa.
Granderson had been a solid player over the past two years, especially in defending the run. In 2024, though, the 27-year-old has fine-tuned his pass-rushing acumen: His 82.8 PFF pass-rushing grade is easily a career high, as is his 22.3% pass-rush win rate.
As New Orleans fields a defense that places seventh in EPA allowed per play, Granderson has arguably been the biggest difference-maker.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.