Quarterbacks lead all rookies and have three players making week 12’s top 10. While they benefitted the most, wide receivers fell off and collectively had the worst performance of any position. With six weeks left in the regular season, it is crunch time, and these rookies will stop at nothing to lead their team into the postseason.

Dropped Out 

Edgerrin Cooper – Edgerrin Cooper has contributed to the Green Bay Packers going 8-3 through week 12. He has recorded 52 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five TFLs, two pass defensed, and a forced fumble. But missing week 12 due to a hamstring injury puts him on the outside looking in.

Missed the Cut 

Joe Alt – It is rare for an offensive tackle to have perfect weeks when lining up against the defensive talent scattered across the league. The Los Angeles Chargers tackle has gifted Justin Herbert a secure pocket and J.K. Dobbins gaps for explosive plays. Despite creating space for Dobbins to pick up a 12 and 17-yard gain, Joe Alt contributed to two of Herbert’s four sacks and is on the outside looking in.

Braden Fiske was able to apply pressure and break through a top three offensive line against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle leads all rookies in sacks, with six, and his position in pressure rate.

He had the lone sack against Jalen Hurts in the Rams defeat and half a stuff. Despite seeing double teams, Fiske still breaks through, getting his defense off the field. He had a game-best 3.32 yards of separation from the quarterback on passing plays.

9. Ladd McConkey – WR

Week 12’s best wide receiver was Ladd McConkey, Herbert’s desired target in the past few weeks. Against the Ravens, he had a perfect completion percentage, catching all six targets.

He had a game-high six receptions and a game-high 83 receiving yards. McConkey is the leading rookie wide receiver with 698 yards and is projected to have a 1,000-yard receiving season.

The number one overall pick in the 2024 draft finally appears in the top 10. Caleb Williams led all quarterbacks last week with 340 passing yards in the Chicago Bears overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

He completed 68.1% of his attempts and went 32 for 47. A touchdown drive in overtime would have capped off his outstanding week 12 performance, but throwing for two touchdowns and his third 300-yard passing game earned him a spot in these rankings.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers followed up his best single-game performance with his second-worst of the season. He had four receptions on 10 targets for 38 yards, the fewest yards receiving since week four against the Cleveland Browns, where he had 19.

His teammates Jakobi Meyers had 121 yards receiving, and Tre Tucker had 82 yards receiving. The Raiders collectively had 328 receiving yards, and Bowers having only 38 is the cause for his decline from the previous week. 

Bucky Irving and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came out of their bye week ready to fight for the NFC South. He benefitted from rushing against a New York Giants team that has had problems defending the run all year. 

Irving had career-highs in rushing yards, receiving yards, receptions, and yards per carry and had his furthest rush all season. In addition to his single explosive run for 56 yards, he had 87 rushing yards, averaged 7.3 yards per carry, had 64 receiving yards, was four yards shy of a game-high, and had a perfect completion percentage for the seventh straight game.

5. Bo Nix – QB

Bo Nix has been a top quarterback since week 10. In the past three weeks, the Denver Broncos quarterback has had a passing grade of 83.5, ranking fourth, 85.3% adjusted completion percentage, ranking second, 118.6 passer rating, ranking second, and eight passing touchdowns, tied for the most in that span, per Pro Football Focus.

Nix threw for two touchdowns and his third-most yards this season against the Raiders, earning 273 passing yards despite his 59.5% completion rate. He is not only competing to be the best rookie quarterback this season but has entered the rookie MVP conversation.

The rising cornerback has consistently shown his worth weekly. Without a doubt, the Eagles have a top cornerback core. They allow a league-best 6.1 yards per completion, and only the Tennessee Titans have allowed fewer yards through 12 weeks.

Cooper DeJean tied his career-best with six tackles (four solo) against the Rams, and the only Eagle to have more tackles was Nakobe Dean. He also had two pass defensed and two critical stops in two separate Rams possessions when facing third down. 

Jared Verse falls a few spots after being at the top for two weeks. He was the team’s second-leading tackler from their loss to Philadelphia but did not seem to have a game-changing impact.

Verse has become a better edge against the pass than defending the run, and with Saquon Barkley rushing for 255 yards, the Eagles had 22 pass attempts compared with their 45 carries. He was well-contained against Philadelphia’s offensive line, and a breakout game against the New Orleans Saints could be on the horizon.

2. Quinyon Mitchell – CB

In a matchup between the two heavily favored defensive rookie of the year candidates, Quinyon Mitchell had a better performance than Verse. While the offensive power of his teammate Barkley has helped drive the offense to success, Mitchell has led the secondary in the defensive effort of the Eagle’s seven-game-winning streak.

Philadelphia has allowed 20 or more points on two occasions in their past seven games, and against the Rams, Mitchell allowed his first touchdown on the Rams’ final possession. Despite allowing his first touchdown, he has not allowed more than 30 yards during the Eagles’ winning streak.

Jayden Daniels returns to the top after a three-week stint, producing results that were below average for his standard. However, the Washington Commanders are looking to bounce back next week after they lost their third straight against the Dallas Cowboys in dramatic fashion.

Against his division rival, Daniels threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns. The Commanders quarterback also ran for 74 yards, the most since week five, reminding the league he can make plays in the air and on the ground. He threw two interceptions, but the second was on the Hail Mary attempt at the end of the game.