Midterm-ish report cards for rookies
Though we're not yet at the halfway point of the 2025 season, we've seen enough from 32 teams to have a sense of things. Like, 40 is the new 30, or something like that (go rewatch what Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco did last Thursday night). Personnel is paramount: just see Detroit's offense and defense firing on all cylinders after esteemed coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn took head coach positions. The defending champion Eagles are, well, distinguished as that for a good reason – or multiple.
And there isn't a gimme game left on Minnesota's schedule.
There's a boatload of other things that aren't disputable, or exactly certain, however, after seven weeks.
The performance of rookies definitely falls into that latter category of it's too early to know really.
Nevertheless, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports on Tuesday tried his hand at grading all 32 2025 first-round draft picks. Each player, aside from Bills CB Maxwell Hairston and Cardinals DT Walter Nolen (neither has debuted yet), has made some caliber of impact. Edwards touted the class as "really impressive thus far."
Our eyes immediately scanned to the 24th overall selection, guard Donovan Jackson.
Here’s what Edwards wrote of the college national champion and Vikings rookie, who returned from wrist surgery this past Sunday, to start his fourth career game, after playing through the injury in Week 3.
Edwards handed Jackson a "C" grade, which is the equivalent of Bears TE Colston Loveland (No. 10), Bengals EDGE Shemar Stewart (17), Ravens S Malaki Starks (27) and Commanders T Josh Conerly, Jr. (29).
Of course it's way, way, way too soon to actually put a label on Jackson – beyond descriptors such as "tough," "team player" and "improving" – because he's inexperienced (228 offensive snaps), and he hasn't had stability next to him, aligning between two different left tackles and three different centers.
That said, Jackson is considered by Pro Football Focus as one of the premier guards in this rookie class. His 61.8 grade in pass blocking is tops among rookie interior linemen (guards plus centers), and his 55.1 run-blocking mark ranks fourth out of nine IOL with 200-plus snaps under their belts. In total, Jackson has allowed a sack and seven pressures through four games per PFF. And he's only been penalized once.
If you peep Edwards' article, keep in mind that grades are subjective and will fluctuate.