Analysis
10/20/21
5 min read
Week 6 Rookie Report: Penei Sewell is No Bust
Whether they are high draft picks, late-round value picks or undrafted free agents, we’ll take a look each week of the NFL season at how NFL rookies are doing. Here’s this week’s report:
Stock Up Offensive Players
QB: Mac Jones - Jones had another very solid week against the Cowboys on Sunday. He went 15 of 21 for 229 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT on 10.9 YPA with a 119 passer rating. He also posted a very high PFF grade of 92.5.
RB: Khalil Herbert - Herbert got the start this week and filled in that very nicely. He had 19 carries for 97 yards and a score, good for 5.1 YPC. He finished the day with a PFF grade of 70.7.
WR: Ja’Marr Chase - Chase had another solid game, pulling in another big-time deep catch from Joe Burrow. He totaled 4 catches for 97 yards and also made a huge block, finishing with a grade of 65.2.
WR: Jaylen Waddle - Waddle proved to be a reliable target in London, as he pulled in 10 catches for 70 yards. He added two scores and had a PFF grade of 70.6.
OL: Penei Sewell - After a couple of tough weeks, Sewell played well in the run and pass game, earning a PFF grade of 74.8.
OL: Jackson Carman - Similarly to Sewell, Carman had struggled in his first few NFL games, but played very well on Sunday, particularly in the run game. He finished with a grade of 87.2.
Stock Down Offensive Players
QB: Davis Mills - Mills is continuing his roller coaster start in the NFL, as he had a great week last week before playing poorly on Sunday. Mills went 29 of 43, averaging 5.7 YPA while tossing 2 interceptions and posting a 62.5 passer rating and a 66.8 PFF grade.
RB: Chuba Hubbard - Hubbard rushed the ball well, carrying it 16 times for 61 yards. He did not do as well in the pass game, where he caught just one pass and had two meaningful drops. He finished the game with a grade of 60.4.
WR: Rondale Moore - Moore has been used as more than just a gadget guy all season long, but did not do anything particularly special in either facet of the game on Sunday. He carried the ball 3 times for 10 yards and caught just 3 passes for only 16 yards. He finished with a grade of 65.4.
OL: Liam Eichenberg - Eichenberg struggled in pass protection on Sunday, adding to his inconsistent season thus far. He allowed six total pressures and finished with a grade of 32.2.
OL: James Hudson - Hudson, who was the Browns’ fourth-round draft selection, made his debut on Sunday. He struggled a bit as a run blocker, had a penalty, and gave up three pressures in pass protection, totaling a grade of 51.5.
Stock Up Defensive Players
DL: Odafe Oweh - Oweh did not light up the box score, but he did put together another productive week of play. He had two pressures and recorded a pass rush win rate of 18.8%. He earned a PFF grade of 62.1
LB: Derek Barnes - Despite struggling the majority of his rookie season thus far, he played really well on Sunday. Barnes had 9 tackles, 1 pass deflection, and a 90.5 grade for his performance.
LB: Nick Bolton - Bolton has not been great to start his career, but played well on Sunday. He had 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and finished with a 63.7 PFF grade.
DB: Trevon Moehrig - Moehrig played well yet again, as he was stellar in coverage. He allowed no catches on two targets and had an Int. He finished with a grade of 66.9.
DB: Jevon Holland - Holland played well in London against both the run and pass. He had six tackles and allowed just one catch in coverage and had a PD. He finished with a grade of 71.9.
Stock Down Defensive Players
DL: Osa Odighizuwa - Despite having a dominant stretch to start his career prior to Sunday, Odighizuwa cooled off a bit. He had just two tackles and did not get after the QB with much success compared to the past few weeks, finishing with a grade of 32.7.
DL: Jaelan Phillips - Phillips had looked like he turned a corner following a slow start to his career. Despite generating three pressures on Sunday, he had just a 6.1% pass rush win percentage, finishing with a grade of 40.8.
LB: Micah Parsons - Parsons has been productive all week long but did not play very well on Sunday. He had 5 tackles and allowed 4 catches for 31 yards in coverage, finishing with a 39.8 PFF grade.
LB: Ernest Jones - Jones made just his third appearance on Sunday and did not play great. He did not record a tackle and allowed two first downs in coverage. He finished with a PFF grade of 50.5.
DB: Keith Taylor - Taylor has sneakily played really well this season, despite being a fifth-round pick. That said, this week he was picked on, as he was targeted 11 times, allowing 8 catches for 65 yards and a TD. However, he did finish with a solid PFF grade of 75.0.
Week 7 Matchups
Going into Week 7, there are some noteworthy matchups of rookies that will be worth keeping an eye on.
Zach Wilson vs Mac Jones - We highlighted this matchup going into Week 2, which resulted in a rough game for Wilson and a solid game for Jones. In Week 7, the two will match up again, as Wilson and the Jets will be looking for a different result.
Kyle Pitts vs Jevon Holland - Pitts broke out in Week 5 and will look to build off that play in his matchup against the Dolphins. Holland, who has also played well of late, will have his hands full in dealing with Pitts.
