Best 2024 NFL rookies: Jayden Daniels, top-10 rankings

The 2024 NFL draft class has continued to surprise through Week 10 of the 2024 regular season. 

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is still in the running for MVP, while the Patriots' Drake Maye is making his case as the second-best rookie signal-caller after only five starts. Elsewhere, two offensive linemen have become staples for AFC playoff contenders, and two NFC teams have multiple defensive standouts. But how do the top first-year players stack up against each other?

We polled five NFL analysts and reporters -- Matt Bowen, Kalyn Kahler, Jeff Legwold, Matt Miller and Jordan Reid -- to form a consensus ranking of the top 10 rookies. Who cracked the list after missing our Week 5 ranking? Is No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, who has struggled the past three games for the Bears, still in the top 10? Our experts also picked which team has the best rookie class and named an overperforming late-rounder and underperforming first-rounder. 

Let's begin with Daniels, who repeated as the unanimous top selection. 

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Top 10 | Just missed
Big questions

1. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders

Stats: 2,147 passing yards, 9 TDs, 2 INT; 464 rushing yards, 4 TDs
Drafted: No. 2 
Ranking after Week 5: No. 1

Daniels has not only been the best of the rookie quarterbacks, but he's making a strong argument as a top-five player at the position this season.

Through 10 games, he has quickly become one of the NFL's most dangerous dual-threat signal-callers. His 71.4 Total QBR ranks fourth, and the Commanders now have a surprising 7-3 record (they have a 90% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN's FPI projections). Nothing has changed to weaken his hold on this ranking over the past five weeks. -- Reid

2. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

Stats: ​57 receptions, 580 yards, 2 TDs
Drafted: No. 13 
Ranking after Week 5: No. 3

Bowers ranks seventh in the league in receptions among all pass catchers, despite playing in an offense that has used three different quarterbacks. The only tight end with more catches than him is Travis Kelce, who has 80 fewer receiving yards.

Bowers has 18 more receptions and 150 more receiving yards than the next-best Raiders player, along with the team's longest touchdown reception: 57 yards against the Broncos in Week 5. -- Legwold

3. Jared Verse, Edge, Los Angeles Rams

Stats: ​37 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
Drafted: No. 19 
Ranking after Week 5: No. 5

Verse leads all rookies in sacks and has created the eighth-most pressures in the league (28). He is at the forefront of the Rams' committee approach on the defensive line, filling the big shoes of Aaron Donald after the future Hall of Famer's retirement.

Verse is in the top five of our rankings because he's getting a win on 18.4% of his pass rushes, which ranks 16th out of 118 qualified defenders. The Rams are locked in a fight in the NFC West, and Verse and fellow rookie and former Florida State teammate Braden Fiske have the talent to help them push toward the playoffs. -- Miller

4. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants

Stats: ​61 receptions, 607 receiving yards, 3 TDs
Drafted: No. 6 
Ranking after Week 5: No. 2

Despite being held back by the below-average play of quarterback Daniel Jones, Nabers is one of the league's top receivers. He leads all rookies in catches and yards per game (75.9).

Nabers accounts for 29.2% of his team's targets, which ranks second only to Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson. It still doesn't feel like enough for a team that has the best chance at the No. 1 draft pick, per our FPI projections. -- Kahler

5. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals

Stats: ​33 receptions, 499 receiving yards, 6 TDs
Drafted: No. 4 
Ranking after Week 5: No. 4

Harrison's six touchdown receptions are tied for fourth in the NFL, despite logging only one game this season with double-digit targets (Week 8). He is averaging 15.1 yards per catch and is a detailed route runner who can create separation to the ball and work the middle of the field.

In a Cardinals passing game leaning more on rhythm throws from Kyler Murray than previous seasons, Harrison should continue to play a defined role on the perimeter with upside in the red zone. -- Miller

6. Zach Frazier, C, Pittsburgh Steelers

Stats: ​7 starts, 94.1% pass block win rate, 73.4% run block win rate
Drafted: No. 51 
Ranking after Week 5: No. 6

Considering the strong lineage of Steelers offensive linemen, the second-round pick entered his rookie season with high expectations. It didn't take Frazier long to adjust to the NFL, as he was named the Day 1 starter at center. He has a 94.1% pass block win rate (15th among centers) and hasn't surrendered a sack this season. His run block win rate ranks 12th among all centers, and he's growing into one of the league's top young interior linemen. -- Reid

7. Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Philadelphia Eagles

Stats: 30 tackles, 9 passes defended, 9 pass breakups
Drafted: No. 22 
Ranking after Week 5: No. 10

Mitchell has shown more of a comfort level in man-to-man coverage than some expected, simply because of how often he played off the ball at Toledo. He has played well enough that opposing quarterbacks don't spend a lot of time looking his way despite his inexperience.

Mitchell has played 96% of the Eagles' defensive snaps and has not surrendered a touchdown as the nearest defender in coverage. Among all corners who have been targeted at least 40 times in coverage, Mitchell ranks eighth in completion percentage allowed (52.3%). -- Legwold

8. Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Stats: ​37 receptions, 607 receiving yards, 5 TDs
Drafted: No. 23 
Ranking after Week 5: No. 9

Thomas quickly proved his big-play value in Jacksonville, developing chemistry and trust with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in touchdowns and has a rookie-best 16.4 yards per reception (a number that shows how well his explosive ability at LSU has translated to the pros).

With Lawrence's status for the rest of this season in question because of injury, Thomas might see his numbers drop. But he's the Jaguars' future WR1. -- Miller

9. Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Stats: ​954 passing yards, 7 TDs, 5 INTs; 233 rushing yards, 1 TD
Drafted: No. 3 
Ranking after Week 5: Not ranked

Maye is fresh off an important narrative win, outplaying No. 1 pick Caleb Williams on Sunday. His numbers weren't amazing, but he was the one who finished with a touchdown pass and more than 200 passing yards, not Williams. 

The last time we ranked rookies, Maye wasn't an option because he hadn't earned the starting job. Since then, he has reenergized a Patriots team with two wins and an insane scrambling touchdown pass that sent the Patriots to overtime in Week 9. Despite some bad interceptions, Maye is demonstrating growth in each game. -- Kahler 

10. Joe Alt, OT, Los Angeles Chargers

Stats: ​8 starts, 91.0% pass block win rate, 75.6% run block win rate
Drafted: No. 5 
Ranking after Week 5: Just missed

Alt has been playing his best football over the past four weeks. From Weeks 7 through 10, he posted a pass block win rate of 95.2%, including a 100% figure on 29 snaps in the Week 8 win over the Saints. With his 6-foot-8 frame, Alt has shown the ability to knock edge rushers off their tracks. He fits the Chargers' offensive identity under Jim Harbaugh as a run blocker at the point of attack. -- Bowen

Just missed

• Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos: 1,968 passing yards, 10 TDs, 6 INTs; 290 rushing yards, 4 TDs

• Cooper DeJean, CB, Philadelphia Eagles: 19 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery

• Braden Fiske, DT, Los Angeles Rams: 26 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries

• Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 492 rushing yards, 188 receiving yards, 4 total TDs

• Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: 37 receptions, 492 receiving yards, 4 TDs

Also received top-15 votes from our panelists: Caleb Williams, QB, Bears; Dominick Puni, OG, 49ers; Tykee Smith, S, Buccaneers; Calen Bullock, S, Texans: Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Packers; Dru Phillips, CB, Giants.

Which team has the best rookie class so far?

The Rams might have to print new T-shirts because they used "them picks" and used them well. First-round edge rusher Jared Verse is on the inside lane for the Defensive Rookie of the Year, while second-round defensive tackle Braden Fiske is continuing to fill out the stat sheet. Safety Kamren Kinchens, a third-round pick, has two interceptions while playing 30.3% of the team's defensive snaps. Undrafted rookie safety Jaylen McCollough has four interceptions this season -- all coming in a four-game span, including two against the Raiders.

They've had multiple sixth-rounders contribute as well. Kicker Joshua Karty is 16-of-19 on field goal attempts. Beaux Limmer is a starter at center. And wide receiver Jordan Whittington has 201 receiving yards on 18 receptions. Overall, the Rams have 16 rookies on their roster who are doing work. -- Legwold

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Which first-rounder is underperforming?

Dallas Turner, LB, Minnesota Vikings. Turner, the No. 17 pick in the draft, was expected to boost a Minnesota edge rush that sorely needed help. And the team made an expensive draft-day trade to get him, which pointed to a clearly identified early role. But he has barely played this season.

Week 10 was Turner's best performance to date, with six pressures on 24 snaps, but his role is in flux moving forward. The Minnesota defense has been one of the best units in the NFL this season, but Turner's lack of a consistent role is concerning. -- Miller

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Which late-rounder is overperforming?

Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants. It's rare to see fifth-round rookies step into a pivotal role, but Tracy has done just that with 545 rushing yards and three touchdowns this season. A former receiver turned running back at Iowa and Purdue, Tracy's versatility has shone through as a runner and pass catcher.

He was slated as a backup to Devin Singletary, but his role has continued to increase after breaking out with 129 rushing yards in Week 6. Tracy, who went No. 166 in the draft, is one of the few bright spots on the New York offense. -- Reid