We’re eight weeks in to the 2022 season, let’s check in on the top rookies at the midpoint of the season with a projected All-Rookie Team.
Offense
Quarterback: Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
Honorable mention: Bailey Zappe, New England
This is one of those seasons where the rookie QB will just be by default. Pickett will likely end the season with most games played, but has not been good at all. He has a 2:8 TD/Int ratio through five games and four starts, and is second in the league in interceptions, and at this rate he’ll lead the league.
Bailey Zappe gets an honorable mention for his solid performances in place of last year’s All-Rookie QB Mac Jones, but I don’t expect him to get any extended playing time the rest of the season. The only other rookies to get playing time is seventh-rounder Skylar Thompson, who filled in in place of Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater for Miami and Malik Willis, who started Week 8 for Ryan Tannehill.
Running back: Kenneth Walker, Seattle
Running back: Dameon Pierce, Houston
Honorable mention: Breece Hall, NY Jets
After a slow start to the season, the rookie running backs are lighting it up. The battle for top three would’ve been tougher, but a season-ending torn ACL for Breece Hall gives the honors to Dameon Pierce and Kenneth Walker. Pierce currently leads all rookies in yards and attempts, and has started every game. Walker didn’t get going until Week 5 after an injury to Rashaad Penny. Tyler Allgeier and Brian Robinson are primed to challenge for these spots by the end of the year. But barring injury, I don’t see anyone overthrowing Pierce or Walker.
Wide receiver: Chris Olave, New Orleans
Wide receiver: Garrett Wilson, NY Jets
Honorable mention: Drake London, Atlanta; George Pickens, Pittsburgh
The top four rookie receivers are pretty set, who will be named the final two is up to debate, but based on numbers, I gotta go with Olave and Wilson. Both are leading their respective teams and are flashing their great potential. London is a close third, with Pickens slowly emerging, despite poor QB play. A lot of the other rookies have been dealing with injuries (Jameson Williams, Treylon Burks, Christian Watson, among many other)
Tight end: Greg Dulcich, Denver
Honorable mention: Jelani Woods, Indianapolis; Daniel Bellinger, NY Giants; Isaiah Likely, Baltimore
This is almost as tough as quarterback, because no one has stood out. Jelani Woods leads with three touchdowns but only has 77 yards. Cade Otton and Daniel Bellinger are becoming starters for their teams, but are average right now. I really like Bellinger, but he just had eye surgery and could be out and while and hurt his chances. But the honors right now goes to Greg Dulcich, who leads all rookie tight ends despite only playing three games coming off of injured reserve. He looks the best off all rookies, and could be a future star.
Center: Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore
Guard: Zion Johnson, LA Chargers
Guard: Cole Strange, New England
Tackle: Charles Cross, Seattle
Tackle: Abraham Lucas, Seattle
Honorable mention: Ed Ingram, Minnesota; Ikem Ekwonu, Carolina; Cordell Volson, Cincinnati; Braxton Jones, Chicago
Offensive line is always the toughest midseason, so you really just have to go off number of games started and PFF grades.
The only rookie starting centers are Linderbaum and Luke Fortner, the Jaguars third-round pick and third center taken in the draft.
Guard is a big trickier. I’m giving it to Johnson and Strange, but Vikings second-round RG Ed Ingram has started every game and is the top run blocker. Third-rounder Dylan Parham is also graded well, and has started all interior line positions for the Raiders, but isn’t getting a ton of recognition. The top guard selected this year, Kenyon Green, is not grading well, was named the starting left guard in Week 2, but because he’s on the Texans, no one cares. Cordell Volson has also played every snap at left guard for the Bengals, so he deserves some recognition.
There are a lot of options at tackle, but I’m going double Seahawks with Cross and Lucas. Lucas is the top pass blocker as the third-round right tackle, and Cross is middle of the pack as the first-round left tackle. After a rough start to the year, top tackle Ikem Ekwonu has looked great for the Panthers, and so has the next pick of that draft, Evan Neal at right tackle for the Giants. Neal is at the bottom of the PFF rankings, but right now, at the top of the rookie PFF tackle rankings, is sixth-rounder Jamaree Salyer, who has played every snap since taking over at left tackle in place of All-Pro, and last year’s All-Rookie tackle, Rashawn Slater. The Chargers could end up having back-to-back All-Rookie left tackles, but we shall see. Braxton Jones and Tyler Smith have also played every snap at left tackle for their teams.
Defense
Defensive line: Travon Walker, Jacksonville
Defensive line: Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit
Defensive line: Kayvon Thibodeaux, NY Giants
Defensive line: Jordan Davis, Philadelphia
Honorable mention: Micheal Clemons, NY Jets
Despite a ton of draft hype, the rookie defensive linemen haven’t been studs. Based on pedigree and limited stats, I’m giving three spots to Walker, Hutchinson, and Thibodeaux, the top three pass rushers in the draft. Hutchinson leads rookies with 4.5 sacks and is all over the highlight reel. Walker is third with 2.5 sacks, and Thibodeaux only has one sack, but it was a key game-winning forced fumble, so that’ll get you some style points.
Jordan Davis has been graded very well by PFF as the #9 overall interior defensive lineman. He was just placed on injured reserve, but I think he’s built up a nice résumé in the meantime.
I want to give a shoutout to a guy I doubt anyone outside of New York and New Jersey know, and that’s fourth-rounder Micheal Clemons of the Jets. He is the highest-graded rookie edge defender , and has an elite run defense grade. He’s only played 24% of snaps, but has established himself into that grade Jet defensive rotation. A couple other names to know are Packers fifth-rounder Kingsley Enagbare, Bears fifth-rounder Dominique Robinson, and Falcons second-rounder Arnold Ebiketie.
Linebacker: Malcolm Rodriguez, Detroit
Linebacker: Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville
Linebacker: Quay Walker, Green Bay
Honorable mention: Troy Anderson, Atlanta
You can’t have an All-Rookie list and not have Hard Knocks star “Rodrigo” on the list, and his HBO hype has been real. The sixth-round pick leads the Lions in solo tackles, tackles for loss, and all rookies in solo tackles. The combined tackles rookie leader is Devin Lloyd, the Jaguars first-rounder. He also has two interceptions. The top linebacker in the draft from the stud Georgia defense is Quay Walker, who hasn’t been great, but there’s not much competition.
The only other qualifying rookie linebacker is Falcons second-rounder Troy Anderson. The Giants got a couple rookie linebackers too that are getting playing time in undrafted Tomon Fox and fifth-rounder Micah McFadden.
Cornerback: Sauce Gardner, NY Jets
Cornerback: Tariq Woolen, Seattle
Honorable mention: Jack Jones, New England; Derek Stingley, Houston; Martin Emerson, Cleveland; Kaiir Elam, Buffalo; Coby Bryant, Seattle; Kyler Gordon, Chicago
A LOT of good rookie cornerbacks this year. This is the by far the top talent from this year’s class. While the top two corners are basically set, if there was an All-Rookie second team, that’d be fun, but the glory goes to Gardner and Woolen. Sauce has been as advertised as the fourth overall pick, locking everybody down, leading the league in passes defensed, and playing with swagger. On the opposite end of the hype spectrum, 6′-4″ Tariq Woolen came out of nowhere to win the Week 1 starting job, and has been ELITE. He ties the league-lead with four interceptions, is highly graded, and was a fifth-round pick on a team no one expected to be good again. Him and Coby Bryant, an honorable mention, are building a new legion of boom.
Special shoutout to Jack Jones, who is PFF’s highest-graded OVERALL cornerback, not rookie, the whole league. He quickly became a starter in New England after a ton of training camp hype and is locking it down as a fourth-round pick. The top CB picked in the draft, Derek Stingley, is also playing very well, as are Kaiir Elam, Martin Emerson, and Kyler Gordon, all playing nearly 100% of snaps.
Safety: Jaquan Brisker, Chicago
Safety: Jalen Pitre, Houston
Honorable mention: Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore; Rodney Thomas, Indianapolis; Kerby Joseph, Detroit
Brisker and Pitre lead rookie safeties in snaps and are graded decently. The Bears second-round safety has been a day one starter alongside Kyler Gordon at cornerback, so they got something building there. The Texans second-round safety as also been a day one starter, and also has a fellow rookie in cornerback Derek Stingley with him in the secondary.
Rodney Thomas, the Colts seventh-round rookie, has excelled alongside veteran Rodney McLeod in place of the injured Julian Blackmon, who may have lost his starting job to the rookie. Kyle Hamilton, a top prospect, hasn’t had a ton of opportunities behind Chuck Clark and Marcus Williams, but in time the Ravens will properly utilize the rookie. Lions third-rounder Kerby Joseph has been the everyday starter since Tracy Walker was injured early on and has played well enough for recognition.
Special Teams
Placekicker: Cade York, Cleveland
Punter: Ryan Stonehouse, Tennessee
Kick returner: Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City
Punt returner: KaVontae Turpin, Dallas
Special teamer: Brendan Schooler, New England
Cade York is the only regular rookie kicker, and is playing very well, so I don’t expect there to be any competition the rest of the season.
Ryan Stonehouse has a massive leg, leading all punters in yards per punt. There are five rookie starting punters, so it’s hard to tell, but Stonehouse has an eye-popping stat, so he gets the edge over Jake Camarda, Jordan Stout, Ryan Wright, and Trenton Gill.
The returners you really just have to look at the stats. Isiah Pacheco leads the NFL in kick return yards and total returns, but Marcus Jones of New England is a close second with the most yards per return among rookies.
This guy could be the punt or kick returner for the rookies, but KaVontae Turpin, he of the IFL, FCF, TSL, ELF, and USFL, will get the nod at one of these, most likely punt returner with Montrell Washington of the Broncos on his tail.
The second coming of Matthew Slater is here in New England with undrafted Brendan Schooler. He gets the nod for his fumble recovery that he was pranked into handing to Bill Belichick on the sidelines.
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