The first full week of the NFL regular season schedule is complete, giving us our first real look at this year’s first-round rookies. While some of the 32 first-rounders saw plenty of action, others did not qualify for a grade either based on small snap counts or not playing altogether. Through Week 1 of the 2019 season, here are how each of the 32 first-round rookies from the 2019 NFL Draft has graded in their first professional action.
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Pick No. 1: QB Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
2019 overall grade: 53.4
The first overall pick got off to an incredibly underwhelming start, completing just six of his 16 first-half attempts for 41 yards, two turnover-worthy plays and one painfully bad interception. Things did get better, though, as the Heisman winner went on to complete 18 of his 28 pass attempts as a part of his side's second-half comeback attempt, recording 183 passing yards, two big-time throws and two touchdowns in the process. The first half is definitely something to forget from Murray's perspective, but at least the second half showed his ability to make the kind of high-end, downfield throws that few from this class can make. His ended the game by going 5-for-10 on throws targeted 10 or more yards downfield in this one, generating a passer rating of 124.2 while doing so.
Pick No. 2: EDGE Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
2019 overall grade: 80.5
No practice? No problem. After missing a large part of the team's offseason program, Bosa suited up and made an instant impact in Week 1. Working mostly from the right side of the defensive line — 92.0% of his pass-rush snaps to be exact — the No. 2 pick racked up two sacks, two hits, two hurries and one additional pass-rush “win,” leaving the game the with a pass-rush win rate of 28.0% — the third-best mark among all defensive players who rushed the passer at least 25 times in Week 1.
Pick No. 3: DI Quinnen Williams, New York Jets
2019 overall grade: 64.7
It was an uncharacteristically quiet game for the Alabama product, who played only 23 snaps in Week 1 before leaving the game with an ankle injury. He failed to make an impact on the stat sheet on the day, as he didn't record a tackle, a stop or a pressure, but he did record a pass-rush win against Quinton Spain early in the first quarter, so there was at least one positive.
Pick No. 4: EDGE Clelin Ferrell, Oakland Raiders
2019 overall grade: 53.8
Having passed on the likes of Josh Allen and Brian Burns, the Raiders' decision to take Ferrell — our 35th-ranked player of the class — at No. 4 will be under a microscope all season long. He took a half-step toward proving the doubters wrong in this one, especially in the pass-rush, where he tallied one sack, one hit, one hurry and one batted pass from his 29 pass-rushing snaps. However, the former Clemson edge defender's work against the run wasn't quite as good; he was regularly overpowered at the point of attack and he missed one of his two run-tackle attempts on the night.
Pick No. 5: LB Devin White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2019 overall grade: 43.1
White got off to a rocky start against the pass in this one. He allowed completions on all six of the throws into his primary coverage — giving up 65 total yards and 55 yards after the catch in the process — and he was held pressureless on his eight snaps as a pass-rusher. There were a few positives, however, as his three coverage stops this week led all first-year defenders.
Pick No. 6: QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants
2019 overall grade: 27.0
Daniel Jones made his regular-season debut this week, albeit under sad circumstances. With the game all but over, the Giants trotted Jones out to play five snaps late in the fourth quarter, and he started well enough, going three-for-four for 17 yards and a first down. However, on what would be his last play of the game, Jones scrambled from the pocket and failed to run out of bounds, and that gave Leighton Vander Esch the opportunity to record the game-ending forced fumble that has ultimately tanked Jones' grade.
Pick No. 7: EDGE Josh Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars
2019 overall grade: 52.4
Allen was as productive as ever as a pass-rusher, where he recorded a quarterback hit and three hurries from 34 snaps, but his two missed tackles — one against the run and one in against the pass — ultimately cost him the chance of recording a solid grade in this one.
Pick No. 8: TE T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
2019 overall grade: 83.0
It definitely wasn't the result the team wanted, but aside from that, Hockenson should be very happy about his first regular-season game. He caught all six of his catchable targets in Week 1 against the Cardinals and churned out 131 receiving yards, 50 yards after the catch, four first-down conversions and one touchdown. Since 2006, when PFF started grading games, there have been 189 instances where a rookie tight end has run at least 25 routes in a single-game; among those, Hockenson's 131 receiving yards in this one ranks first, while his average of 3.54 yards per route run ranks fourth.
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