• Puka Nacua explodes in Week 13: Nacua earned the highest PFF grade of his career in Week 13 (92.0). Surprisingly, his work on the ground deserves a lot of credit, as he produced a pair of incredible rushes to earn an 87.8 rushing grade for the game.
• C.J. Stroud is locking up OROY: Stroud has emerged as one of the league’s premier passers just 12 games into his rookie campaign. His 3,540 passing yards leads the NFL. That total has been made possible by his aggressive approach, as 60.3% of that yardage has come through the air, the third-highest rate among qualifying passers.
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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Members of the 2023 draft class are primed and ready to face down the bright lights of the NFL stage. Whether they were drafted first or 259th, the best will rise to the top when the games are played.
These are the 15 highest-graded rookies after NFL Week 13.
1. DI Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles: 89.9
Carter has dominated this list, as he has earned seven single-game PFF grades above 73.0. The Eagles defensive lineman has totaled 39 pressures and an 18.2% pass-rush win rate, pacing all first-year interior defenders by a wide margin.
2. WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: 86.7
Nacua earned the highest PFF grade of his career in Week 13 (92.0). Surprisingly, his work on the ground deserves a lot of credit, as he produced a pair of incredible rushes to earn an 87.8 rushing grade for the game. While one of those runs was called back due to a penalty, expect the Rams to incorporate Nacua on the ground more moving forward.
3. QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: 84.6
Stroud has emerged as one of the league’s premier passers just 12 games into his rookie campaign. His 3,540 passing yards leads the NFL. That total has been made possible by his aggressive approach, as 60.3% of that yardage has come through the air, the third-highest rate among qualifying passers.
4. WR Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs: 84.2
The explosive Rice has been incredible with the ball in his hands this season. His 422 yards after the catch account for 71.4% of his total yardage, making him one of just three receivers to surpass 68%. That production has contributed to Rice’s 83.2 receiving grade this season, a top-16 mark among qualifying receivers.
5. WR Tank Dell, Houston Texans: 83.4
Dell suffered a brutal injury this past week that will unfortunately end his season. It is a tough blow to this Houston offense that will now be without one of the league’s highest-graded receivers.
The Texans will now look to fill the void left by Dell, who was targeted on 24% of his receiving snaps and averaged 2.41 yards per route run, the latter of which ranks 11th at the position through Week 13.
6. CB Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks: 82.2
Witherspoon hasn't just done his job in coverage, but he has also earned a 91.4 pass-rush grade this season, the second-highest at the position. He has tallied seven total pressures — including a pair of sacks — and two batted passes at the line of scrimmage.
7. S Jordan Battle, Cincinnati Bengals: 81.4
Since Week 11, Battle has notched six run stops, including a tackle for loss, all without missing a tackle. His 8.3% positively graded play rate against the run stands as the sixth-highest at the position through Week 13.
8. CB Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots: 80.8
In his limited time on the field, Gonzalez proved to be one of the most promising defenders to come out of this class. He earned a 71.0-plus grade in all three major grading facets, highlighted by a 79.3 coverage grade. His 67.5 passer rating allowed also ranks 10th out of 128 qualifying corners.
9. EDGE Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans: 80.7
Anderson had a fantastic outing this past week, earning his highest single-game grade of the season (86.3). The dynamic pass-rusher had a career day, piling up eight total pressures, including a pair of sacks and a batted pass. That pushed his pressure total for the season up to 47, 18th out of 120 qualifying edge defenders.
10. S Ji’Ayir Brown, San Francisco 49ers: 79.4
Brown makes his debut on this list after being thrust into the starting lineup following Talanoa Hufanga’s unfortunate season-ending injury. The third-rounder out of Penn State has played well over that span both in coverage and run defense, accumulating an interception, two forced incompletions and a tackle for loss.
11. WR Demario Douglas, New England Patriots: 78.8
Douglas suffered a serious injury in Week 12 and was absent from the lineup this past week. The first-year pro is the only Pats receiver to surpass a 70.0-plus grade this season (78.3). His production after the catch is among the league’s best, as his 7.4 yards after catch per reception ranks fourth at the position.
12. CB Mekhi Blackmon, Minnesota Vikings: 77.3
While the Vikings were on a bye this past week, Blackmon managed to retain his spot on this list. He’s allowed just 0.90 yards per coverage snap, to go along with eight coverage stops, six forced incompletions and an interception.
13. DI Keeanu Benton, Pittsburgh Steelers: 75.3
Benton finds his way back into this top 15 because of his fantastic ability as a run defender over the past three games. Over that span, he’s earned an impressive 81.7 run-defense grade, the sixth-highest at the position, and is one of just seven first-year defenders to earn a positive grade on more than 20% of their run-defense snaps.
14. WR Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens: 74.9
Even with the Ravens on bye in Week 13, Flowers retained his spot in the top 15. Flowers is the most elusive receiver in the class and has racked up 17 forced missed tackles, helping him to a 73.1 receiving grade.
15. TE Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions: 74.7
This past week, LaPorta erupted to the tune of nine receptions for 140 yards and his sixth score of the year. He averaged 7.0 yards per route run and earned his first 90.0-plus receiving grade (91.2), which ranked behind only Tyreek Hill in Week 13.
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