What does one do, how does one function when there’s no NFL football being played? Easy. Reading rankings from the season to see where your team stacks up against the rest of the league. It’s all we got right now.
Well, that is, until the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency, and the draft in late April.
Here, let’s rank the rookie classes for all 32 teams.
The “hits” are ranked in order of how well they performed as rookies, and that ranking is based relative to when they were drafted. The higher the pick, the higher the expectation.
Year 1 hits: None
The first-year returns on the Browns’ 2024 draft class were brutal. Second-round pick Michael Hall Jr. served a suspension for off-field conduct and provided a few minor glimmers of his pass-rush capability later in the season. That was essentially it. No one else contributed in a positive way.
Year 1 hits: None
The Lions’ roster was stacked entering the 2024 season, so there wasn’t much room for rookie-year playing time. At cornerback, that wasn’t the case, however. First-rounder Terrion Arnold had his splashy moments yet also allowed a 100.4 quarterback rating in his coverage area. Can’t consider him a Year 1 hit. The rest of the class hardly played, even in a season riddled with injuries in Detroit.
Year 1 hits: None
Dallas Turner’s burst-and-bend combination was useful for defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Yet the rookie took a clear back seat to veterans as a young, first-round pick. Minnesota’s kicker draft pick, Will Reichard, only hit on 80% of his field goals in Year 1.
Year 1 hits: None
Rough go of it in Year 1 for the Bengals’ 2024 draft class, outside of offensive tackle Amarius Mims. Third-round wideout Jermaine Burton, perceived by many as a sleeper who’d thrive with Joe Burrow’s downfield mastery, disappointed, as did second-round pick Kris Jenkins along the defensive line.
Year 1 hits: None
Offensive tackle Olu Fashanu provided moments of his immense promise in Year 1. He didn’t dominate by any stretch of the imagination. Early in the year, Braelon Allen looked like a future touchdown machine then tapered off as the season progressed. Remember, though, Fashanu and Allen were two of the youngest prospects in the 2024 class. They’re primed to progress in Year 2.
Year 1 hits: None
The Cowboys made progress — albeit small progress — from the past few draft classes with their 2024 collection of first-year pros. Left tackle Tyler Guyton held his own for most of the season despite some rough patches in pass protection. Linebacker Marist Liufau played with his hair on fire — much like he did at Notre Dame — countering misses with splashy plays near the line of scrimmage.
Year 1 hits: None
Xavier Legette wasn’t completely unusable in Year 1, yet he hardly played up to first-round pick expectations. Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders flashed. They weren’t what I’d categorize as hits, and the Panthers didn’t get other notable contributions from their rookie class.
Year 1 hits: None
Had Michael Penix Jr. started earlier in the season, I have a feeling he’d be widely considered a hit, although his wayward throws were at times drastically off target. The rest of the Falcons’ 2024 class didn’t amount to much at all.
Year 1 hit: LB Tyrice Knight
New head coach Mike Macdonald essentially got nothing from his initial rookie class in 2024 in the Pacific Northwest. First-round pick Byron Murphy gave the defense 21 pressures on 211 pass-rush snaps but didn’t even manage to play 500 total snaps on the season. Tight end AJ Barner looked like a future TE No. 2 for short stretches. Clearly, the rookie who made the fastest transition to the NFL was fifth-round pick linebacker Tyrice Knight, who looks like a future three-down starter.
Year 1 hit: OT Taliese Fuaga
Rock-solid rookie season for Fuaga — he logged over 1,000 snaps and surrendered fewer than 40 pressures — along an offensive line protecting a litany of young quarterbacks after Derek Carr was lost for the season with injury. Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry looked like a future reliable starter at boundary corner, and for a fifth-round rookie, Spencer Rattler didn’t look ridiculously overwhelmed during his auditions.
Year 1 hit: WR Xavier Worthy
In one of the most glaring reminders that speed doesn’t correlate directly to yards per reception, Worthy only averaged 10.8 yards per snag in Year 1 yet did catch 59 passes for more than 600 yards and had a productive performance in the playoffs.
Year 1 hits: EDGE Laiatu Latu, LB Jaylon Carlies
In terms of headlines or highlights, it was a quiet debut NFL campaign for Latu. He did finish with 38 pressures on 375 pass-rushing snaps. Carlies was the best value selection Indianapolis made, as the safety-turned-linebacker drafted in Round 1 had 36 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a pass breakup on just under 21% of the defensive snaps. The former Missouri star really flashed when healthy.
Year 1 hits: RB Ray Davis
The biggest Bills draft class in terms of number of selections did not feature an instant star, yet Buffalo got valuable contributions from a few first-year players, most namely Davis, who turned in a 100-yards-from-scrimmage performance in a road win against the Jets early in the season and carved a nice niche as the team’s backup runner to James Cook.
Year 1 hits: CB Kamari Lassiter
Lassiter was the ideal cornerback across from All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. He played in-your-face man coverage at a high level without many hiccups all season. The longtime Georgia star logged 10 pass breakups and three picks in the regular season.
Year 1 hit: QB Drake Maye
Beyond Maye, the Patriots’ draft class was average at its very best. Yet the flashes from Maye are buoying this ranking. There’s room to grow for this talented passer. When he was in rhythm as a rookie, he played like a future franchise quarterback.
Year 1 hit: QB Caleb Williams
Yes, I’m calling Williams a hit. Did he meet expectations? Absolutely not. But through all the hits and woeful offensive stretches for the Bears offense, Williams made a plethora of spectacular plays from the pocket and especially when getting creative with his legs. And 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions represents a fine rookie campaign from the classic stats perspective.
Year 1 hits: C Zach Frazier
Frazier was magnificent for an otherwise shoddy Steelers offensive line in 2024. The rookie anchored the interior of Pittsburgh’s front and was equally as steady in pass protection as he was paving lanes for the ground game.
Year 1 hit: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison Jr. didn’t quite reach 1,000 yards receiving, and it was such a bizarre year for the Cardinals rookie. He entered the NFL with immense hype, which dissipated quickly. Yet 62 grabs for nearly 900 yards and eight scores will always be considered a strong first year in the NFL for a receiver.
Year 1 hits: CB Nate Wiggins, OT Roger Rosengarten
Wiggins integrated perfectly into Baltimore’s defense. He played stingy man coverage and tackled well all year despite his spindly frame. He had an interception and 13 pass breakups to go along with 33 tackles in the regular season. While Rosengarten’s rookie season won’t ever be confused with Johnathan Odgen’s, he played over 1,000 snaps, wasn’t a weak link for the run blocking and only allowed 36 pressures in pass pro.
Year 1 hit: LB Edgerrin Cooper
Cooper might become one of the best linebackers in the league. Very soon. He was dynamite as a three-down defender for the Packers as a rookie. He anchors this Green Bay group.
Year 1 hit: EDGE Chop Robinson
Robinson surged as the season progressed, with 46 of his 56 pressures after Week 9. Running back Jaylen Wright demonstrated promise as a sizable yet explosive back too.
Year 1 hits: C JC Latham, NT T’Vondre Sweat
Neither Latham nor Sweat were outstanding. But two hits are better than one in these rankings, and Sweat gave us one of the highlights of the season with his interception return late in the year.
Year 1 hits: TE Brock Bowers, OL Jackson Powers-Johnson
Bowers rewrote the record books for rookie tight ends in 2024 and even after Davante Adams was traded, the added defensive attention didn’t slow his production. JPJ played nearly 1,000 snaps at left guard, center, and right guard and looked like a future Pro Bowler most of his first season.
Year 1 hits: CB Renardo Green, OG Dominick Puni, S Malik Mustapha
Green, the last pick in the second round, enjoyed one of the most underrated cornerback seasons in the NFC, with 61 tackles, a pick, and 13 pass breakups in San Francisco’s defense. Puni has an argument as the sturdiest rookie blocker, and Mustapha asserted his will as a tackler often on the way to 72 takedowns in Year 1.
Year 1 hits: OT Joe Alt, WR Ladd McConkey, CB Tarheeb Still
Alt and McConkey look like future franchise building blocks for the Chargers. I won’t be surprised if All-Pro distinctions are on the horizon for those two. Still felt like an obscure fifth-round cornerback yet was far from that label with 10 pass breakups and four interceptions.
Year 1 hits: QB Bo Nix, WR Devaughn Vele
Nix played like he’d been operating Sean Payton’s system for the last decade as a rookie. Smart, prudent decision-making — for the most part — and flashes of what made him an enormous recruit in the state of Alabama years ago. Vele gave the Broncos much more than your average seventh-round pick in ROI, with 41 catches for 475 yards and three scores in the regular season.
Year 1 hits: RB Bucky Irving, CB Tykee Smith, C Graham Barton
A shorter, fourth-round pick was the only running back in the 2024 class to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, and he had 47 catches, quickly supplanting veteran Rachaad White as Tampa Bay’s top ball carrier. Smith began the season as strongly as any rookie defensive back, and Barton was a reasonably steady force inside at center, although there’s room for his game to improve in Year 2.
Year 1 hits: WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jarrian Jones CB
Thomas Jr. anchors the Jaguars’ ranking here, as I genuinely believe he’s the prototypical No. 1 receiver. Big, fast, sharp routes, vertical speed, ball-tracking brilliance, and YAC mastery. It was an amazing Year 1 for the former LSU standout. And he was the fourth receiver picked, at No. 23 overall. Jones did it all as a member of the Jaguars secondary as a rookie. He’s a sizable slot who reliably tackled and routinely made plays on the football.
Year 1 hits: EDGE Jared Verse, DT Braden Fiske, S Kamren Kinchens
GM Les Snead knows what he’s doing on draft weekend. Back-to-back magnificent classes, and in one fell swoop, he retooled the defensive line — along with 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Kobie Turner, of course.
Year 1 hits: CB Quinyon Mitchell, CB Cooper DeJean, EDGE Jalyx Hunt
GM Howie Roseman hit three home runs with his first three swings at the plate in the 2024 draft. Mitchell played like a 10-year veteran in man coverage on the boundary, DeJean was tremendous as a do-everything slot corner/safety, and Hunt settled in as a disruptive pass-rushing specialist down the stretch and during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run, donning Trent Cole’s old No. 58.
Year 1 hits: WR Malik Nabers, CB Andru Phillips, RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
GM Joe Schoen and Co. pieced together a fine 2024 class despite what ultimately was a disastrous season. Nabers might be the best receiver in the NFL someday (soon), and Phillips and Tracy were outstanding finds later in the draft. Tracy is a strong contender for second-best rookie back behind Irving in Tampa Bay.
Year 1 hits: QB Jayden Daniels, CB Mike Sainristil, OT Brandon Coleman
Daniels concluding his rookie season as the runaway Offensive Rookie of the Year pushes the Commanders over two of their NFC East rivals here. Sainristil was otherworldly at times — particularly in the playoffs — as a former slot cornerback playing on the perimeter, and Coleman held it down at left tackle as a rookie.
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Author: Chris Trapasso
February 19, 2025 | 11:50 am
