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Best rookie performances of Week 10: Trubisky shows promise; Kamara stars

Here's a closer look at how some of the top rookies fared in Week 10:

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky

Round drafted: 1
Statistics: 21-of-35, 297 yards, TD

Analysis: Trubisky had the best statistical game of his young career. The rookie's accuracy improved Sunday -- especially against pressure. Trubisky was 10-of-15 for 157 yards and one touchdown when Green Bay blitzed, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Trubisky's best throw came on his 46-yard touchdown pass to Josh Bellamy. Trubisky lofted the ball over the top of the Packers' defense and hit Bellamy in stride for an easy score. The negatives: Trubisky still holds onto the ball too long. The second overall pick was sacked five times, but not all of them were the offensive line's fault. Trubisky also struggled when Green Bay sent only four rushers. On the season, Trubisky has zero touchdowns, two interceptions and seven sacks taken against four or fewer pass rushers, per ESPN Stats & Info. -- Jeff Dickerson

New York Giants TE Evan Engram

Round drafted: 1
Statistics: Six catches on nine targets, 31 yards, TD

Analysis: Make it four consecutive weeks with a touchdown. Engram has scored in every game since Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall were injured and lost for the season. This time he made a contested catch in the back of the end zone late in the second quarter. Engram limped off the field at one point before returning. He continues to be among quarterback Eli Manning's favorite weapons. Manning even tried to hit Engram on one play deep down the sideline when he was matched against a cornerback. That's the kind of trust the veteran quarterback has in his rookie tight end. -- Jordan Raanan

Jacksonville Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette

Round drafted: 1
Statistics: 17 carries, 33 yards; two catches, 13 yards

Analysis: Fournette was playing in his first game since Oct. 15 and had his worst output of the season. He averaged just 2.4 yards per touch and failed to score a touchdown for the first time. Fournette wasn't helped by the fact the offensive line was down two starters and a third is hampered by a triceps injury. RT Jermey Parnell (knee) wasn't active and LG Patrick Omameh aggravated a knee injury that had him listed as questionable for the game, too. The Chargers were no different than any other team the Jaguars faced -- they loaded the box to stop Fournette -- but Fournette didn't have much room to maneuver and had trouble getting to the edge because the Chargers' ends got into the backfield quickly. -- Michael DiRocco

Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey

Round drafted: 1

Monday's stats: 5 rushes, 23 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 27 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: The highlight for McCaffrey wasn’t his touchdown run in the second quarter against the Dolphins on Monday night. It was a third-and-8 catch that he turned into a 19-yard gain when he faked out the defender with one of his patented one-on-one moves. It was the third-and-10 block he put on two Miami defenders as the slot receiver that cleared the path for a 28-yard Devin Funchess touchdown catch in the third quarter. You can say this about every week, but much of what the eighth pick of the draft does doesn’t show up in the stat sheet. -- David Newton

Cleveland Browns QB DeShone Kizer

Round drafted: 2
Statistics: 21-of-37, 232 yards, TD, INT

Analysis: Kizer had his best game as a Browns quarterback Sunday. He looked calm and confident in the pocket. He threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt when he correctly read a blitz and found the "hot" receiver. He threw a lovely 35-yard completion to Seth DeValve that set up another touchdown. He also opened the game with a 38-yard completion to Sammie Coates down the sideline. Five of his completions were of 18 yards or more. This was a significant step for the rookie, one his coach acknowledged. There is room to grow -- Kizer did mistakenly call for a quarterback sneak at the end of the first half that cost the Browns points -- but that Kizer has his best game in the first one after the Browns tried to trade for AJ McCarron says something. So, too, does the reality that Kizer returned after missing a little more than 10 minutes because of a rib injury that required X-rays. Kizer also overcame the end-of-the-half disappointment to have the Browns ahead 24-17 in the fourth quarter and guide the Browns to touchdowns on each of their first two second-half drives. Kizer is not a complete product by any means, but he showed significant growth in this loss, especially considering how poorly he played in the second half of the loss to the Vikings. -- Pat McManamon

Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon

Round drafted: 2
Statistics: Nine carries, 37 yards, TD; one reception on three targets for 3 yards

Analysis: With Jeremy Hill on IR, Mixon was expected to take on a much bigger role, but he had fewer carries than he did the previous two weeks. He did reach the end zone for the second time this season and second consecutive week, but the Bengals managed only 53 yards on the ground as the offensive line continues to struggle. -- ESPN

New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara

Round drafted: 3
Statistics: 12 carries, 106 yards, TD; five receptions, 32 yards

Analysis: Kamara continues to be one of the NFL's dynamic dual threats. He had his first career 100-yard rushing game as the Saints ran for a total of 298 yards in a stunning annihilation of the Bills' defense. Kamara was already leading the NFL with 6.0 yards per carry before he enhanced that number Sunday. He now has at least 75 total yards from scrimmage in six consecutive games. And he is on pace for a total of 1,404 yards from scrimmage (741 rushing, 663 receiving) and 11 touchdowns this year. -- Mike Triplett

Detroit Lions receiver Kenny Golladay

Round drafted: 3
Statistics: Two catches, 64 yards on three targets.

Analysis: Golladay hasn't played since September, but he showed on a 50-yard deep route along the sideline why he's a potential difference-maker for Detroit. His catch radius created the necessary separation for Matthew Stafford to hit him in stride, and then he ran past receivers into Cleveland's red zone. The Lions have found ways to move the ball and take deeper chances over the past three weeks and the reintroduction of Golladay into the offense can only continue that over the past seven weeks of the season. -- Michael Rothstein

Detroit Lions punt returner Jamal Agnew

Round drafted: 4
Statistics: Four returns, 56 yards, 14.0 yard average

Analysis: Agnew has become one of Detroit's most electrifying players and is putting himself in line for a Pro Bowl berth as a rookie. He entered the weekend as the only player in the league with two punt returns for touchdowns and he almost had a third in the second half, but he got caught inside the Cleveland 20-yard line (there was also a flag that negated the entire return). It knocked out a 49-yard return that showed why whenever he touches the ball, he's a threat to score. The Lions don't have many other players who can do that right now. He has been a draft steal for his special-teams work. -- Michael Rothstein

Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler

Round drafted: Undrafted
Statistics: Five receptions, 77 yards, two TD; 10 rushes, 42 yards

Analysis: Out of Western State in Colorado, Ekeler has taken over the role held in previous years by Danny Woodhead for the Chargers as the pass-catching running back. Not wanting to test Jacksonville's talented secondary, Philip Rivers checked down to Ekeler out in the flat, and he made the Jaguars pay with two touchdown catches -- one from 28 yards and the other for 22. Ekeler played the air guitar for his celebration afterward. With Melvin Gordon struggling to get things going in the ground game, Ekeler helped to jump-start the Bolts' offense. However, the rookie running back did have a costly fumble at the end of the game. "He was big," Rivers said. "Those catches and runs were huge plays to get us into the end zone twice." -- Eric D. Williams

San Francisco 49ers LB Reuben Foster

Round drafted: 1
Statistics: 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit

Analysis: Getting Foster back in the lineup has been a boon to the 49ers' defense. He has proved capable of being the sideline-to-sideline linebacker they have been lacking. Foster has bounced between middle and weakside linebacker the past two weeks, and though he's not yet ready to handle the communication that goes with playing in the middle, he has been effective. This was only the second full game Foster has played this season but as he gets more snaps, the expectation remains that he will be one of the 49ers' primary building blocks for the future. -- Nick Wagoner

San Francisco 49ers QB C.J. Beathard

Round drafted: 3
Statistics: 19-of-25, 288 yards, two TDs, INT, passer rating of 123.4, QBR of 92.5; also rushed for an 11-yard TD.

Analysis: Beathard's time as the starter probably won't last much longer and it's possible that he will cede the job to Jimmy Garoppolo when the 49ers return from their bye against Seattle on Nov. 26. But if this was his final start before Garoppolo takes over, he made the most of it. Playing with a clean pocket for the first time (and against a woeful opponent in the Giants), Beathard had what was easily the best game of his young career, highlighted by a perfect strike for an 83-yard touchdown to receiver Marquise Goodwin. Beathard did suffer a right thumb injury on his touchdown run, and though coach Kyle Shanahan wasn't ready to name Garoppolo his starter on Sunday night, that injury could make the decision an easy one. -- Nick Wagoner

Los Angeles Rams OLB Samson Ebukam

Round drafted: 4
Statistics: 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

Analysis: Ebukam saw additional snaps because Robert Quinn sat out the game because of an undisclosed illness, and the rookie made his presence felt in the final minutes of the third quarter. Ebukam went untouched on Tom Savage's right side and pulverized the Texans' quarterback. It caused a fumble that was picked up by Tyrunn Walker near Houston's 10-yard line, a play that basically put the game away. -- Alden Gonzalez

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