• Carter proving his value: Jalen Carter now stands as the highest-graded defensive rookie over the first three weeks, beating out Jerron McMillian (all defensive players) and Aaron Donald (interior defensive lineman).
• Welcome to the NFL, De’Von Achane: The third-round pick out of Texas A&M had just 9 yards across five total snaps this season before his outburst in Week 3 when he piled up 233 total yards and four touchdowns on 22 touches.
• Dig into the numbers for yourself: PFF's Premium Stats is the most in-depth collection of NFL and NCAA player performance data. Subscribe today to get full access!
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 3.
1. RB De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins: 94.4
After an incredible Week 3 of NFL action, a new name stands atop this list.
With the Broncos in full rout early in the second half, the Dolphins gave their depth players significant snaps this past week, paving the way for Achane’s outstanding performance. The third-round pick out of Texas A&M had just 9 yards across five total snaps this season before his outburst in Week 3 when he piled up 233 total yards and four touchdowns on 22 touches. Achane proved difficult to bring down every time he touched the ball, forcing nine missed tackles and averaging 11.3 yards per carry.
2. DI Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles: 93.2
Carter has finally toppled from his spot as the top-graded rookie in the NFL, but he dropped just one place and even improved his season grade after a monster performance on Monday night. His 31.3% pass-rush win rate this past week marked a season-high for him and bumped his season win rate into the top five of all interior defenders.
Carter now stands as the highest-graded defensive rookie ever over the first three weeks, beating out Jerron McMillian (all defensive players) and Aaron Donald (interior defensive lineman).
3. RB Chris Brooks, Miami Dolphins: 91.2
Another beneficiary of the Dolphins' record-breaking performance this past week, Brooks is the second undrafted rookie to make this list this season. The former Cal and BYU back saw his first taste of NFL action and did not disappoint, totaling 69 yards on 10 carries.
If the 6.9 yards per carry average wasn’t impressive enough, 6.6 yards of that came after contact. Like Achane, Brooks also made life tough on the Broncos defense, forcing six missed tackles. Along with Raheem Mostert, the Dolphins have an embarrassment of riches in the backfield.
4. LB Noah Sewell, Chicago Bears: 90.8
The Bears also found themselves in a lopsided game that allowed them the opportunity to play their younger players, albeit not in the circumstances they would have hoped. Sewell may have played only 13 snaps this season, but he’s proving to be a quality run-fitting linebacker, as he’s earned a positive grade on over 18% of his run snaps, all without earning a single negative grade.
5. TE Will Mallory, Indianapolis Colts: 88.3
The former Miami Hurricanes TE was among the Colts' inactives this past week but still finds himself among the league’s top-graded rookies for his performance in Week 2. Mallory’s impressive 7.0 yards per route run ranks in the top two among all rookies and all tight ends. While his performance sample size is small, it’s a promising indication of his effectiveness once on the field.
6. CB JuJu Brents, Indianapolis Colts: 87.6
The second Colts rookie to make this list, Brents had a fantastic performance in his NFL debut, highlighted by an 89.3 coverage grade. This past week, the Ravens tested Brents in coverage with five targets, and he allowed just 18 yards and forced an incompletion. That amounts to just 0.53 yards allowed per coverage snap, which ranks top-three for qualifying corners in this rookie class.
7. LB Ivan Pace Jr., Minnesota Vikings: 84.9
For the third straight week, the undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati is listed among the league’s best first-year players. Pace’s calling card thus far in the season has been his ability to rush the passer, where he’s earned a 35.5% pass-rush win rate that ranks first in the NFL among all linebackers. This week, he made strides in his run defense metrics, earning his best marks in positively (27.3%) and negatively (9.1%) graded run snaps.
8. CB Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots: 84.4
After another solid week, the former Oregon corner continues his stay in the top-10 graded rookies. Gonzalez’s presence on the outside fits perfectly with this Pats defense, where he plays sound technique and rarely makes mistakes. Through three games, he has produced a forced incompletion in each — tied for eighth-most by any corner this season — while allowing a passer rating of just 68.0 when targeted in coverage.
9. WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: 83.8
One of just four players to be included on this list each week of the season so far, Nacua has had a phenomenal start to his pro career. While he didn’t accumulate any more rookie records this past week, Nacua has put his name among the game’s best this season, ranking top-five in receiving yardage, receptions and targets.
The question surrounding Nacua remains centered around what his usage will look like once Cooper Kupp returns to the lineup, as he now ranks seventh among qualifying receivers in the threat percentage — the measure of how often a player is targeted per receiving snap — which would presumably come down once Kupp is healthy.
10. CB Sydney Brown, Philadelphia Eagles: 82.1
On Monday night, Brown saw his biggest workload of the season — albeit just 12 snaps — and produced as well as anyone could have hoped. The Bucs tried to take advantage of his inexperience by occasionally matching up Mike Evans against him in the slot. Brown answered the call, though, breaking up a pass after an impressive recovery that may have been a missed push-off at the top of the route.
11. G Peter Skoronski, Tennessee Titans: 81.3
Skoronski again found himself inactive this week due to a lingering illness, which was unfortunate for a Titans offense that could have used his presence in the run game.
As we’ve established in previous iterations of this piece, the former first-rounder out of Northwestern has immense ability as a road-grading run-blocker, where he’s earned a positive grade once every four snaps compared to just a 5% negatively graded run-block percentage. That will surely be an asset to this Titans offense once he does return to the field with a clean bill of health.
12. WR Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos: 81.1
Although the Broncos offense has looked disjointed through the first three games, Mims has emerged as a dangerous deep threat that defenses have to account for. This season, Mims has produced four plays of over 15 yards on just nine targets, with an average depth of target of 22.7 yards, sixth-highest in the NFL. His 85.7 receiving grade ranks seventh among all receivers through the first three weeks of play.
13. WR Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs: 81.0
One of the few remaining players on this list to qualify as a top-15 graded rookie each week since the season began, Rice has looked to be a poised and consistent producer coming off the bench for this Chiefs offense. This past week, he saw an extended workload late in the blowout over the Bears, where he saw a season-high in receptions, yards, and first downs. In addition, Rice leads the Chiefs in receptions for first-downs (7), above even Travis Kelce.
14. TE Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions: 80.7
If defenses weren’t scheming to stop LaPorta already, they are now after his performance in Week 3. This season, the Lions have utilized LaPorta in various ways — running him on screens, double-moves, over the middle and from the outside.
LaPorta’s awareness and body control make him a tough cover for linebackers and safeties, allowing him to rack up nine first-down receptions and an 80% contested catch rate, the former of which ranks second among all tight ends.
15. EDGE Keion White, New England Patriots: 77.6
After rebounding from a mediocre performance in Week 2, White again finds himself ranked among the league’s highest-graded rookies, producing his best grades so far in all facets. In Week 3, The Georgia Tech product graded above 74.5 as a pass-rusher and against the run, a consistency seldom seen from a first-year player. White’s 88.2 overall grade last week ranked second among Pats defenders and fourth among rookies.
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