• The Chiefs and Payments ought to look to get their rookie wideouts extra concerned: Xavier Worthy’s velocity and Keon Coleman’s game-breaking potential might propel the Chiefs and Payments, respectively.
• Mike Sainristil might assist the Commanders upset the Lions: He has proven that he has lockdown potential, and if he can carry that out in opposition to the Lions, it might go a great distance towards Washington attaining the win.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is right here: Strive PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and study 2025’s prime prospects whereas buying and selling and drafting on your favourite NFL workforce.
Estimated Studying Time: 7 minutes
With the wild-card spherical of the NFL playoffs within the books, the margin for error turns into even slimmer as we inch ever nearer to crowning a Tremendous Bowl champion for the 2024 season. This can be a time when unsung gamers make a reputation for themselves, and right here we’re going to focus on a rookie on every remaining workforce who might just do that.
Kansas Metropolis Chiefs: WR Xavier Worthy
This choice comes nearly as a default as a result of the Chiefs have hardly relied on any rookies through the 2024 season. Nonetheless, Worthy’s resume just isn’t with out advantage. The twenty eighth total choose from this yr’s draft caught 59 passes for 638 yards and 6 scores, all of which had been tops amongst Chiefs vast receivers.
Whereas the receiving room is getting more healthy, as they’re anticipated to get Marquise Brown again totally wholesome, Worthy and his elite velocity ought to nonetheless be a risk that opposing defenses have to take severely.
Buffalo Payments: WR Keon Coleman
Because the Payments’ prime draft choose this season, Coleman hasn’t seen lots of quantity. Regardless of enjoying in 14 video games this season (together with playoffs), he has caught one or no passes in half of them. Nonetheless, when Coleman has been featured, he’s put up large numbers, as his common reception goes for nearly 19 yards and he has had 5 video games of averaging greater than 20 yards per reception.
Whereas Coleman’s manufacturing is unpredictable, his knack for giant performs when he’s focused might be the distinction between the Payments hoisting their first-ever Lombardi Trophy and one other disappointing playoff exit.
Baltimore Ravens: T Roger Rosengarten
A late second-round select of Washington, Rosengarten took over because the Ravens’ beginning proper deal with in Week 4 and has held onto the function ever since, with blended outcomes. As a run blocker, Rosengarten owns a 62.2 PFF grade, that includes 4 video games with a 70.0-plus mark in that regard. Nonetheless, he additionally has the identical variety of video games with a sub-50.0 grade.
His go blocking has been just a little higher, evidenced by a season-long 68.5 PFF pass-blocking grade whereas surrendering 34 pressures on 515 pass-blocking snaps. 4 of these had been sacks, however none have are available his previous 5 video games, together with playoffs. Whereas Rosengarten does have 4 pass-blocking grades below 50.0 this season, he’s had way more video games over 70.0, surpassing that quantity eight instances — together with a stretch of 5 straight such video games between Weeks 10 and 15.
Houston Texans: CB Kamari Lassiter
Lassiter has gone below the radar this season amongst rookies, however that shall be to the remainder of the league’s detriment, as he has firmly solidified his function as CB2 throughout from Derek Stingley Jr. Lassiter presently boasts a 74.3 PFF total grade with a 77.6 PFF protection grade, the latter of which ranks first amongst all rookie cornerbacks.
Arguably Lassiter’s finest efficiency got here within the wild-card spherical in opposition to the Chargers, the place he put up an 89.5 PFF total grade and a 90.5 PFF protection grade whereas permitting zero receptions into his protection and recording an interception and a go breakup. Lassiter maintaining this efficiency shall be essential if the Texans hope to proceed their unlikely run and make additional noise within the playoffs.
Detroit Lions: CB Terrion Arnold
With all of the accidents the Lions have handled on protection, Terrion Arnold was thrown into the hearth just a little ahead of the workforce could have hoped. Whereas he has endured his struggles this season, as opponents have accomplished greater than 60% of their passes into his protection for 728 yards and 4 touchdowns, Arnold had by far his finest efficiency of the season with the division and a first-round bye on the road. He put up a 74.1 PFF total grade with a 71.8 PFF protection grade in Week 18 in opposition to the Vikings, all whereas not permitting a reception into his protection on 4 targets.
He was additionally stout in opposition to the run, as his 74.4 PFF run-defense grade can attest to, main the Lions’ protection in preserving the Vikings out of the tip zone as they secured the NFC North and home-field benefit all through the NFC playoffs. The Lions might want to see extra of that model of Arnold in the event that they hope to succeed in the franchise’s first-ever Tremendous Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles: CB Quinyon Mitchell
Maybe no rookie cornerback has been extra constantly dependable than Quinyon Mitchell, a formidable feat contemplating he needed to transition to the NFL after primarily going through MAC receivers all through his school profession. Mitchell didn’t enable a landing into his protection till Week 16 and has but to earn a PFF protection grade beneath 50.0 this season whereas boasting seven video games above 70.0, together with the Eagles’ wild-card spherical win over the Packers. In that recreation, Mitchell allowed simply two catches for 10 yards and a 2.8 passer score (for reference, if the quarterback threw the ball into the grime on each play, they’d have a 39.6 passer score).
Regardless of it being his rookie season, Mitchell already appears like a seasoned veteran. He has been an enormous a part of the Eagles’ defensive resurgence.
Los Angeles Rams: EDGE Jared Verse
PFF’s Defensive Rookie of the 12 months, Jared Verse has been a menace in opposition to opposing offensive strains this season. Whereas he has solely six sacks, none of which have come after Week 10, Verse has registered a number of pressures in all however one recreation this season, culminating in 77 regular-season pressures — far and away essentially the most amongst rookie edge rushers and fourth most amongst all edge rushers within the league. He trailed solely Trey Hendrickson, Myles Garrett and Jonathan Greenard, all of whom registered not less than 11 sacks.
Verse was significantly disruptive within the Rams’ wild-card spherical victory over the Vikings, tying his career-high with seven pressures and recovering a fumble for a landing. Verse could have a troublesome activity in opposition to this Eagles’ offensive line, which PFF voted the most effective within the league. His earlier matchup with Philadelphia was additionally the aforementioned recreation the place he didn’t report a number of pressures this season. But when previous efficiency is any indicator, he shall be greater than as much as the problem.
Washington Commanders: CB Mike Sainristil
The straightforward alternative for the Commanders is quarterback Jayden Daniels, because the possible Offensive Rookie of the 12 months has been nothing in need of sensational. Nonetheless, contemplating Detroit’s damage woes on protection, a productive recreation by the younger signal-caller ought to be anticipated. Detroit is far more healthy on offense, particularly with the information that they’re anticipated to have David Montgomery again. With the Lions’ offense trying nearly as good as ever, the Commanders want somebody to step up — and the onus could fall on rookie second-rounder Mike Sainristil.
The Lions don’t have any scarcity of weapons to select from at receiver, whether or not that be their star Amon-Ra St. Brown or explosive deep risk Jameson Williams (who sneakily recorded a 1000-yard receiving season). Sainristil will doubtless be drawing one or each of those assignments. Whereas he’s had his inconsistencies this yr (63.6 PFF protection grade), his highs have been extraordinarily excessive. Sainristil has 4 video games with protection grades above 75.0, together with a 90.0 exhibiting in opposition to the Eagles in Week 11. He has proven that he has lockdown potential, and if he can carry that out in opposition to the Lions, it might go a great distance towards Washington attaining the upset.
