Donovan Ezeiruaku shines in the Cowboys' loss: The second-round pick won on 20% of his pass-rushing snaps.
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It’s hard to believe that we’re already a third of the way through the NFL season, but the way some of these rookies have developed in such a short period of time, one could be forgiven for thinking we were even later into the season.
Here are the rookies that shined the brightest in Week 6. A reminder that a player must have played at least 10 snaps in order to qualify for this list.
Quarterback:Jaxson Dart,New York Giants – 89.8
The last few days must have been quite the whiplash for Giants fans. They go from losing to the previously winless Saints to defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles by three scores in what proved to be a coming out party for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Dart may not be the first quarterback from Ole Miss to shine for the Giants, but he was about as good as it gets on Thursday Night Football, completing 17-of-27 passes for 195 yards and a score along with a big-time throw. He also did damage with his legs, adding another 58 yards and a score on the ground in the upset win.
Running Back: Cam Skattebo, New York Giants – 70.5
Not to be outdone by his fellow rookie counterpart, Skattebo was also a major factor for the Giants in their victory. Skattebo carried the ball 19 times for 98 yards, with nine of those carries resulting in first downs while adding three scores and forcing four missed tackles. Altogether, Skattebo earned an 80.7 PFF rushing grade.
Wide Receiver:Matthew Golden,Green Bay Packers – 90.4
Packers fans waited over 20 years for the team to take a wide receiver in the first round — and based on his Week 6 performance against the Bengals, Matthew Golden may well have been worth the wait. Golden caught three of his five targets, all of which resulted in first downs, for 86 yards and a 90.0 PFF receiving grade.
Wide Receiver:Jimmy Horn Jr.,Carolina Panthers – 73.7
A former sixth-round pick out of Colorado, Horn appeared in just his second game on offense this season against the Cowboys, catching both of his targets for 36 yards and a first down. He also carried the ball once for 11 yards while also forcing a missed tackle on the play.
Wide Receiver:Tetairoa McMillan,Carolina Panthers – 70.8
Tetairoa McMillan has been arguably the most consistent rookie receiver this season, but it took until Week 6 for him to put a dent on the scoreboard. He caught each of his first two career NFL touchdown passes in Carolina’s upset win over the Cowboys. While McMillan didn’t light up the stat sheet — he finished with just three receptions for 29 yards — he made each catch count, as all three either went for first downs or touchdowns.
Tight End:Mitchell Evans,Carolina Panthers – 89.7
Another Panthers rookie, Mitchell Evans has seen his role steadily increase as the season has gone along, playing a career-high 38 snaps against the Cowboys. While he only caught one pass for 21 yards in the game, it was as a run blocker where his presence was really felt, recording an 84.9 grade.
Offensive Tackle:WillCampbell,New England Patriots – 77.0
Campbell once again makes this list with his third consecutive game with a 70.0-plus PFF grade. He did allow a career-high five pressures on 35 pass-blocking snaps against the Saints, but he had one of his best games as a run blocker — making five positively-graded blocks as opposed to one negative block for a 77.2 grade.
Offensive Tackle:Kelvin Banks Jr.,New Orleans Saints – 69.8
Campbell’s counterpart in the Patriots vs. Saints game, Banks proved up to the challenge against a much-improved Patriots front. He allowed just three pressures on 33 pass-blocking snaps for a 78.4 PFF pass-blocking grade, a career-high.
Interior Offensive Line:Tate Ratledge,Detroit Lions – 65.0
The Lions had their struggles in their Sunday Night Football loss to the Chiefs, but Ratledge showed further promise — particularly as a run blocker. On 22 run-blocking snaps, Ratledge carried a 75.1 grade that included a 76.4 mark on outside zone blocks, which the Lions ran on just under two-thirds of their runs.
Interior Offensive Line:Jonah Monheim,JacksonvilleJaguars – 61.6
A versatile lineman at USC, Monheim saw his first significant playing time in Week 6 against the Seahawks and was up to the task. He surrendered just four pressures on 54 pass-blocking snaps while carrying himself well on outside zone runs for a 68.4 mark.
Interior Offensive Line:Connor Colby,San Francisco49ers – 57.9
Considering he was one of the last picks in the entire draft, the 49ers have to be thrilled with what they’ve gotten out of Colby in such a short period of time. He had some struggles in pass protection, allowing a sack to Haason Reddick, but he was much better as a run blocker. Like Ratledge and Monheim, Colby was at his best on outside zone runs with a 70.4 PFF run-blocking grade.
EDGE:Donovan Ezeiruaku,Dallas Cowboys – 92.1
Despite the upset loss against the Panthers, Donovan Ezeiruaku put on a career performance in just his sixth NFL game. Ezieruaku was dominant as a pass rusher. Despite not recording any sacks, he won 20% of his pass-rushing snaps, which included two quarterback hits for a 75.1 PFF pass-rushing grade.
EDGE:Josaiah Stewart,Los Angeles Rams – 88.4
The former Michigan product was all over the field for the Rams in their victory over the Ravens, posting high marks both as a run defender (80.8 grade) and as a pass rusher (77.9). Four of Stewart’s nine run-defense snaps were graded positively while adding two stops to the mix. The third-round pick also recorded a 42.9% win rate as a pass rusher.
Defensive Interior:Warren Brinson,Green Bay Packers – 84.8
Against the Bengals, 19 of Brinson’s 21 snaps came as a pass rusher — but that was where he shined brightest, posting an 80.6 grade. A big factor in that number being so high despite no sacks or quarterback hits was his 21.1% pass-rush win rate, not too shabby for a guy who had to wait until Pick 200 to be selected.
Defensive Interior:JordanPhillips,Miami Dolphins – 75.0
While Brinson made this list primarily as a pass rusher, Phillips was the stronger run defender, compiling a career-high 71.6 grade in that field — though his 63.3 PFF pass-rush grade in the Dolphins’ loss to the Chargers was also a career-best. In Week 6, 18.8% of his run-defense snaps were positively-graded, and he also contributed a pressure on just 10 pass-rushing snaps.
Linebacker:Francisco Mauigoa,New York Jets – 86.4
While the Jets struggled overseas against the Broncos, rookie fifth-rounder Francisco Mauigoa was not part of the problem, as he put up a 70.0-plus grade as a run defender (78.3), pass rusher (79.1) and in coverage (71.0). Mauigoa allowed just one catch into his coverage for four yards while recording three run stops and a 28.6% pass-rush win rate. Not bad for just his third game of significant playing time.
Linebacker:Shaun Dolac,Los Angeles Rams – 84.2
It took until Week 6, but we finally have a Rookie of the Week list that doesn’t feature JihaadCampbell. This game against the Ravens was actually Dolac’s first seeing any defensive snaps, as he was exclusively a special teamer up until this point — but what a debut it was. The undrafted rookie out of Buffalo was at his best stopping the run, recording two stops and an 81.4 grade in that field.
Cornerback:Jacob Parrish,TampaBay Buccaneers – 85.5
Jacob Parrish has been a revelation for the Buccaneers, and Week 6 against the 49ers may be the best we’ve seen out of him yet. Parrish was strong both as a run defender — with an 82.8 grade and three stops — while also stout in coverage, posting an 82.6 grade while allowing just four receptions for 30 yards.
Cornerback:Jahdae Barron,DenverBroncos – 64.7
The Broncos’ first-round pick out of Texas has struggled to see consistent playing time on defense, as he has yet to play more than 21 snaps in a game, but he’s been productive when he has been on the field. The Jets avoided him in coverage, not targeting him a single time on six coverage snaps. That marked his third game this season not allowing a catch.
Cornerback: Will Johnson , Arizona Cardinals – 55.9
This is Johnson’s third appearance on this list in four career games, though this entry is by far his weakest — as he received a career-low 55.9 PFF grade against the Colts. That being said, he was solid on 20 run-defense snaps to the tune of a 63.8 grade. However, he did allow a touchdown into his coverage for the first time in his NFL career, though it was one of just three receptions he surrendered all game.
Safety:Nick Emmanwori,SeattleSeahawks – 78.2
Two weeks back from injury, and two appearances on this list for Emmanwori. The second-round pick was about as well-rounded as you can ask for from a safety, posting a grade of at least 70.0 as a run defender, pass rusher and in coverage. While Emmanwori was credited for allowing eight receptions into his coverage, none of them really burned him, as he permitted just 38 yards for 4.8 yards per reception.
Safety:Craig Woodson,New England Patriots – 77.1
The former fourth-rounder out of California has been a fixture in the Patriots’ secondary from the very start, having yet to play fewer than 50 snaps in a game. His 71.4 PFF coverage grade against the Saints was a career high, as he gave up just one catch for five yards on 33 coverage snaps.