Midway through the 2024 season, almost 250 rookies have stepped foot on an NFL field -- many of of whom have made substantial impacts for their respective teams.
Several positions had no-brainer choices for the top rookie so far, like quarterback and edge rusher. Others (cornerback ...) were much tougher to discern. At the halfway mark, here is the 2024 NFL All-Rookie team:
Unsurprisingly, Daniels remains the favorite for offensive rookie of the year. He leads rookie QBs in passing yards (1,945), completion percentage (71.5 percent) and total touchdowns (13), and he hasn't turned the ball over in a month. Just three other quarterbacks with more than two starts (Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff and Brock Purdy) have a higher yards per attempt than Daniels (8.5).
Daniels also has the Commanders at 7-2 and tied for the most wins in the NFC -- not bad for a team listed with a preseason wins line of 6.5. Washington has seven wins through its first nine games for the first time in almost 30 years.
The production between Nix and Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams has been fairly similar, and there is an argument for either in terms of who's looked better on tape (especially over the last few weeks). But the main difference has been Nix's ability to create explosive plays in the air and with his legs. He is responsible for 33 plays of 20-plus yards, second in the NFL to only Jackson; Williams has 20 plays of 20-plus yards.
This runner-up spot should be a fun competition between Nix, Williams and New England Patriots QB Drake Maye over the second half of the season. Maye got a late start, but he certainly looks like he belongs.
At the season's midway point, Tracy is leading all rookie running backs in rushing -- which is impressive, considering he had just 12 carries in September. But once Devin Singletary went down with an injury, Tracy stepped into the Giants' lead role. He now has 442 rushing yards (5.0 yards per carry) and a pair of touchdown runs.
A former receiver in college, Tracy has also been productive as a pass catcher and has yet to fumble. What separates him among this class is the explosive plays -- he leads all rookie backs in carries of 20- and 10-plus yards (four and 11, respectively).
Irving has been a dependable member of the Bucs' backfield committee, leading the team in rushing yards (419) and rushing touchdowns (three). He also leads all rookie backs in first downs (21) and receptions (23).
Honorable mentions: Ray Davis (Buffalo Bills), Isaac Guerendo (San Francisco 49ers), Jaylen Wright (Miami Dolphins), Braelon Allen (New York Jets), Carson Steele (Kansas City Chiefs), Trey Benson (Arizona Cardinals)
Before the draft, the buzz among teams was that Thomas wouldn't fall out of the top 15 picks and that he would have been a WR1 candidate in most other drafts (including the upcoming 2025 class). But he slid further than expected, which made his selection feel like a steal for the Jaguars on draft night -- and definitely looks like one now.
Thomas leads all rookies in receiving yards (595) and is tied for the rookie lead with five touchdown receptions. He has been a big-play weapon with three catches of 50-plus yards, tied for the NFL lead, and is the only rookie wide receiver with more than 200 yards after the catch.
Despite missing two games due to a concussion, Nabers is tied for second in the NFL with 84 targets (behind only Garrett Wilson). Among rookie wide receivers, he is first in catches (55) and first-down grabs (31) and second in receiving yards (557). As long as he stays on the field, Nabers will be at the forefront of any conversation about this year's most valuable rookies.
Honorable mentions: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals), Ladd McConkey (Los Angeles Chargers), Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs), Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills), Rome Odunze (Chicago Bears), Xavier Legette (Carolina Panthers), Jalen Coker (Carolina Panthers), Jordan Whittington (Los Angeles Rams)
After averaging eight catches per game in October, Bowers now leads all rookies with 57 receptions, second most in the NFL across all players, behind only Wilson (60). Bowers' run blocking has been a roller coaster, but when targeted, good things have happened (81.4 percent reception rate).
Bowers also has been a weapon with the ball in his hands. Just five receivers and tight ends in the NFL have eclipsed 300 yards after the catch this season: Ja'Marr Chase, Khalil Shakir, Chris Godwin, Zay Flowers and ... Bowers. Regardless of who is under center for the Raiders, they need to continue targeting No. 89.
Maybe this is recency bias, but Sanders' career-best 87 yards (21.8 yards per catch) in Sunday's win over the Saints earned him this spot. After making just five catches in September, Sanders is now up to 24 receptions and 245 receiving yards on the season -- both rank second among rookie tight ends. He is still searching for his first touchdown, but his receiving production is encouraging, especially considering the Panthers' inconsistency at quarterback.
Honorable mentions: Theo Johnson (New York Giants), Erick All Jr. (Cincinnati Bengals), Tip Reiman (Arizona Cardinals), AJ Barner (Seattle Seahawks)
In an historic offensive tackle class (six selected in the top 20), Alt was clearly the best of the group pre-draft, and that's held up midway through his first season.
Despite a few rocky reps versus Myles Garrett on Sunday, Alt has played at a high level since returning from an MCL sprain that held him out for two weeks. The Notre Dame product was a left tackle only in South Bend, but he has adapted quickly to right tackle in the NFL, allowing only 10 pressures through seven games. Though it was tough to pass on Nabers (in the moment and in hindsight), the Chargers have to be thrilled having Alt as a cornerstone of the franchise.
I expected there to be more competition for the top two spots at offensive tackle. Halfway through the season, though, there has been a clear top OT (Alt) and a clear No. 2 (Latham), followed by a gap.
While Alt switched from left to right tackle, Latham has made the transition to left tackle after playing on the right side at Alabama. I expected him to be more consistent in the run game, but his positive reps show a player who will compete for Pro Bowls in the next few seasons.
Honorable mentions: Taliese Fuaga (New Orleans Saints), Amarius Mims (Cincinnati Bengals), Tyler Guyton (Dallas Cowboys), DJ Glaze (Las Vegas Raiders), Brandon Coleman (Washington Commanders), Roger Rosengarten (Baltimore Ravens)
Frazier has missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury, but he put enough on tape to deserve this top spot. There are 29 NFL centers who have started at least six games in 2024, but only three have allowed fewer than five pressures: Creed Humphrey, Aaron Brewer and Frazier.
There also have been 14 rookie offensive linemen with more than 300 snaps this season, but only Frazier has yet to be flagged. If he finishes the season healthy, and playing at the same level he started, Frazier could be a Pro Bowl alternate behind Humphrey and Tyler Linderbaum.
Tampa Bay's Graham Barton has played well for stretches, and Dallas' Cooper Beebe belongs in the conversation as well, but Puni has been such a valuable part of the 49ers' offensive line this season. Before the draft, former Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki (now at Penn State) told me that Puni's versatility would be what separates him -- and he wasn't wrong. Puni started games at left tackle, right tackle and left guard in college, but he's looked terrific starting all eight games at right guard for San Francisco.
Honorable mentions: Beebe, Barton, Layden Robinson (New England Patriots), Beaux Limmer (Los Angeles Rams), Mason McCormick (Pittsburgh Steelers), Jackson Powers-Johnson (Las Vegas Raiders), Dalton Tucker (Indianapolis Colts), Tanor Bortolini (Indianapolis Colts)
There have been a couple slam-dunk picks in this exercise (Daniels, Bowers), and I would also include Verse, too.
With 39 pressures in eight games, Verse has almost doubled the number of pressures produced by Laiatu Latu (20, on almost the same number of pass-rush snaps). He also leads all rookies with 9.0 tackles for loss, which ranks top 10 in the NFL.
Reading through my draft scouting report for Verse, he has translated a lot of the qualities that made him so appealing as a prospect: "Verse can win with speed or power and flashes violence in his hands." This shows up on almost every pass-rush snap. He consistently punches above his weight class, because of his high-pace, physical rushing style.
"He is always around the football, because of his awareness, effort and fierce play personality." Verse is unrelenting in his pursuit of the football. You want players who hate to be blocked, and that absolutely sums up the Florida State alum. His relentless play style leads to too many missed tackles, but he still leads all rookie defensive linemen with 33 tackles (same number as T.J. Watt).
Latu certainly has his moments when his polished rush sequencing leads to disruption, although he disappears for too many stretches. Despite having higher expectations as the first defensive player drafted, Latu has done enough to suggest his impact will continue to grow as he makes adjustments.
Honorable mentions: Jonah Elliss (Denver Broncos), Chop Robinson (Miami Dolphins), Marshawn Kneeland (Dallas Cowboys), Chris Braswell (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Dallas Turner (Minnesota Vikings), Austin Booker (Chicago Bears), Javon Solomon (Buffalo Bills)
Just like at edge rusher, a Rams rookie from Florida State is running away with the top spot. Fiske passes the eye test -- you can't watch the Rams' defense without noticing No. 55 chasing the football. He also shows up in the stat sheet, with 26 pressures through eight games (no other rookie DT has more than 12).
Fiske is coming off arguably his best game as a pro, with a pair of sacks against the Seattle Seahawks. The same explosive hands and revving motor that he showed for the Seminoles last season are leading to production against NFL blocking this season.
The player drafted one spot ahead of Fiske, Sweat won't put up gaudy pressure or sack numbers, but his run defense has been outstanding. He was a very polarizing player leading up to last year's draft -- several teams didn't even include him on their boards because of his weight and off-field concerns. The Titans rolled the dice, however, and thus far, Sweat has delivered.
Honorable mentions: Byron Murphy II (Seattle Seahawks), Mekhi Wingo (Detroit Lions), Elijah Chatman (New York Giants), Jer'Zhan Newton (Washington Commanders), DeWayne Carter (Buffalo Bills), Leonard Taylor III (New York Jets), Kris Jenkins (Cincinnati Bengals)
Despite coming off the bench as a rotational player, Cooper has found ways to make his mark, both on defense and special teams. His diverse production is an accurate reflection of the ways he can impact the game. He leads all rookie linebackers with 44 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2 1/2 sacks and a pair of pass breakups.
Based on his progress, Cooper might separate himself as the Packers' best linebacker before the end of the season.
Despite an absence of high-end talent on their roster (and having just two wins), the Panthers have received quality play from their 2024 draft class. Since Wallace became a starter in Week 5, he is averaging 69.6 defensive snaps per game. He is second among rookie linebackers in tackles (43) and has the same number of missed tackles as forced fumbles (two).
With 22 rookie cornerbacks having played at least 100 defensive snaps this season, this spot was extremely competitive but without an obvious top choice. You could make an easy argument for Kamari Lassiter, Beanie Bishop, Dru Phillips, Tykee Smith, Cooper DeJean and a few others. But I'm giving Mitchell the edge, because of his consistency in all eight starts.
Over the last four games, Mitchell has allowed just seven receptions -- none of them went for more than than 15 yards. He is still searching for his first NFL interception (and the dropped interception chances have been frustrating), but he gets his hands on the football (six passes defended to two penalties).
The nickel corners from this rookie class have been outstanding. DeJean is playing out of his mind but has half the sample size of the other cornerbacks; Phillips and Smith will be playing making plays for the next decade. Bishop, however, leads all rookie corners with three interceptions and has been terrific in run support. His impact pops on film.
It'll be fun sorting through all these corners over the second half of the season.
Honorable mentions: Phillips, Smith, Lassiter, Nate Wiggins (Baltimore Ravens), Terrion Arnold (Detroit Lions), Mike Sainristil (Washington Commanders), Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (Tennessee Titans), Jarrian Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars), Max Melton (Arizona Cardinals), Tarheeb Still (Los Angeles Chargers), Kool-Aid McKinstry (New Orleans Saints)
A few weeks ago, I expected this spot to go to Javon Bullard. But the more Packers tape I watched, the more evident it was that Williams has been the more consistent and impactful Green Bay safety. He missed last week's game against Detroit, and his absence was obvious.
I put a fifth-round grade on Williams before the draft, because of his quick-trigger and field presence -- although I was worried about his deep-field instincts (his coverage lapse allowed Michael Penix Jr. to throw the game-winning touchdown in last year's Oregon-Washington game). But Williams has surpassed my (and most) expectations.
Nubin has been far from perfect this season, but the Giants have asked a lot of him and he has responded well. Halfway through the season, Nubin leads all defensive rookies in snaps played (553) and tackles (57), although he needs to play with better consistency to call his rookie season a success.
Honorable mentions: Kinchens, McCollough, Bullard, Calen Bullock (Houston Texans), Malik Mustapha (San Francisco 49ers), Demani Richardson (Carolina Panthers), Dell Pettus (New England Patriots), Jaden Hicks (Kansas City Chiefs), Cole Bishop (Buffalo Bills)