The NFL’s 5 Best Rookies Heading into Week 6

Five weeks of NFL football are in the books, with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings setting the pace as the only teams with unblemished records at 6-0.

The NFL’s 5 Best Rookies Heading into Week 6

Along the way, several rookies have performed marvelously, scattered throughout the business and regardless of draft round.

The following five players represent the league’s top five rookies through the end of Week 5,  ranked in ascending order, according to Pro Football Focus.

5. Malik Nabers (WR)

Team: New York Giants
PFF Grade: 80.4

Nabers didn’t play during the Giants’ surprising road win over the Seattle Seahawks.

But through four games, he serves as a top bright spot in the Giants’ offense, even making onlookers wonder how much better he could be if he partnered with a superstar quarterback. Maybe someday.

He’s on pace for 1,312 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. We shall see if he returns for Sunday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6.

4. Jayden Daniels (QB)

Team: Washington Commanders
PFF Grade: 81.1

Daniels is the heavy frontrunner to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, which is great — but he’s also the NFL MVP through five games. Per MVP odds, he’s fifth in line right now, trailing Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and C.J. Stroud. But he should be leading the pack.

Here’s Daniels’ statistical pace:

• 3,859 Passing Yards
• 1,020 Rushing Yards
• 28 TDs
• 7 INTs

Washington drafted a man with a Pro Bowl quarterback’s production and a man with an RB1’s stat line. Unreal.

3. Evan Williams (S)

Team: Green Bay Packers
PFF Grade: 81.3

Williams isn’t a starter in Green Bay yet, but he’s on his way. He’s played 112 snaps through five games, slightly over one-third of the time. PFF just loves him.

The 4th-Rounder has logged 13 total tackles, an interception, and a nifty 29.7 passer-rating-against.

2. Zach Frazier (C)

Team: Pittsburgh Steelers 
PFF Grade: 81.8

This Day One starter has played cover to cover for the Steelers, not leaving the field for a single offensive play. He’s a run-blocking savant with room to grow via pass protection, but he’ll get there. Pittsburgh loves to run the rock anyway.

On 331 total snaps, Frazier has allowed zero sacks, 4 total pressures, and 2 QB hits. It won’t happen in 2024, but Frazier is on his way to Pro Bowl and All-Pro consideration later in his career at this pace.

1. Brock Bowers (TE)

Team: Las Vegas Raiders
PFF Grade: 82.7

On an underwhelming team, Bowers is on pace for 1,064 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s also set to catch passes from a new quarterback, Aidan O’Connell, though it’s unclear if that will help or hurt.

Bowers was drafted with lofty expectations, and he hasn’t disappointed despite status on a team that won’t reach the postseason. The aforementioned Daniels is close to putting a stranglehold on OROY, but voters should at least ponder Bowers momentarily.

---

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the Minnesota Vikings, with 4-7 episodes per week. His NFL obsession dates back to 1989. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.