Analysis
12/1/21
5 min read
Week 12 Rookie Report: Jaelan Phillips Is Starting to Cook
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 great performance, as he seems to out-do himself every week. On Sunday, he went 23-for-32 with 310 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs. He finished with a passer rating of 123.2 and a PFF grade of 51.9.
RB: Elijah Mitchell - Mitchell has been a workhorse over the past weeks and was again on Sunday. He had 27 carries for 133 yards and a TD, as well as 5 catches for 35 yards, earning a grade of 70.5.
RB: Javonte Williams - Williams has been consistently impressive in the touches he has gotten this year and Sunday was no different. He rushed 14 times for 54 yards and a TD, as well as catching 3 passes for 57 yards. He finished with a grade of 68.0.
WR: Jaylen Waddle - Waddle has become the number one target in Miami and is making the most of it, as he has thrived with the ball in his hand. He had 9 catches for 137 yards and a TD, finishing with a grade of 87.5.
OL: Rashawn Slater - Slater has been one of the most consistent rookies and players in all of football. On Sunday, he was solid in the run game and allowed just one pressure in the pass, good for a grade of 68.0.
OL: Penei Sewell - Sewell is stacking great weeks together here, as he was very good on Thanksgiving. He allowed just three pressures and was great in the run game. He had a grade of 78.6.
Stock Down Offensive PlayersÂ
QB: Zach Wilson - Wilson made his return to the lineup this week and earned a win. While he did not play poorly, he did not play very well. He went 14 of 24 for 145 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, and had a passer rating of 58.5, good for a grade of 44.1.
RB: Najee Harris - Harris has been great all season long, but no one on the Steelers could get it going on Sunday. He had just 8 carries for 23 yards, finishing with a grade of 50.9.
TE: Tommy Tremble - Tremble has played well this year, but much like the rest of the Panthers' offense, he struggled on Sunday. He had just 1 catch for 4 yards despite seeing 4 targets, as he finished with a grade of just 42.8.
OL: Jimmy Morrissey - Morrissey, who appeared here last week, finds himself coming off another tough performance. He struggled mightily in pass protection, where he allowed 2 sacks. He finished with a grade of 37.4.
OL: Royce Newman - Newman, a fourth-round pick by the team, has played alright but struggled on Sunday. He did not run block well and allowed 6 pressures in pass protection, good for a grade of 51.5.
Stock Up Defensive Players
DL: Jaelan Phillips - Phillips has started to stack together a couple of very good weeks. On Sunday, he was very dominant in the pass rush, as he had 8 total pressures and 3 sacks. He finished with a grade of 90.0.
LB: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah - After a strong start to the season followed by a brief absence due to injury, Owusu-Koramoah had a great performance on Monday night. He was solid in coverage and had 10 tackles, including a TFL, earning a grade of 88.1.
DB: Eric Stokes - Stokes has been very solid in the past few weeks, showing that off on Sunday. He allowed just 3 catches for 20 yards, despite being targeted 10 times. He had 2 pass breakups, finishing with a grade of 70.8.
DB: Tyson Campbell - Stokes’ Georgia teammate also had a great Week 12. On 6 targets, he allowed just 3 catches for 33 yards and came up with an INT, as well as 2 forced incompletions. He finished with a grade of 90.5.Â
DB: Patrick Surtain II - Surtain has been really good the last few weeks and capped it off with a great one this week. He was targeted 9 times and allowed just 3 catches for 25 yards. In the process, he had 2 INTs, including a pick-six. He earned a grade of 62.6.
Stock Down Defensive Players
DL: Osa Odighizuwa - Odighizuwa started the season very strong but has cooled off. On Thursday, he had just 1 pressure as he finished with a grade of 39.2.
DL: Ta’Quon Graham - Graham, a fifth-round pick by the Falcons, struggled in both the run and pass games on Sunday, finishing with a grade of just 30.5.
LB: Derek Barnes - Barnes finds himself on this list again after struggling on Thursday. He did not play very well against the run and allowed a TD in coverage, finishing with a grade of 36.9.Â
DB: Michael Carter II - Carter has been one of the better rookie DBs, but did not play so well on Sunday. He allowed 5 catches for 47 yards, good for a grade of just 36.2.Â
DB: Paulson Adebo - Adebo has been very inconsistent this season, as this week he finds himself coming off a down performance. He was targeted 4 times and allowed 4 catches for 68 yards on those targets, finishing with a grade of 47.2.
Week 13 Matchups
Going into Week 13, there are some noteworthy matchups of rookies that will be worth keeping an eye on.Â
Ja’Marr Chase vs Asante Samuel Jr - Despite a couple of down weeks for Chase, he has still been very good in his rookie season. After a great start, Samuel Jr. has slowed down but is still playing well overall, and will have his hands full in his matchup with Chase.
Liam Eichenberg vs Azeez Ojulari - Eichenberg has played very well over the last two weeks and will look to keep it up when he faces the Giants. Ojulari has slowed down after his fast start but will look to get back on track in his matchup with Eichenberg.
