Analysis

9/21/21

7 min read

Week 2 Rookie Report

By Charlie Parkinson

Here's the rookie report following Week 2's game:

Stock Up: Offensive Players

QB: Mac Jones: Jones made his second appearance in consecutive weeks to start his career. Jones did not play as well as he did in Week 1, but was accurate and took care of the football, outperforming every other rookie QB. He was 22/30 for 186 yards, with a PFF grade of 58.8. 

RB: Javonte Williams: Williams, who was relatively quiet in Week 1, showed out in all facets of the game during the Broncos’ victory in Jacksonville. He had 13 carries for 64 yards, five of which were first downs, broke seven tackles, and also contributed as a pass catcher and blocker. He finished with an overall grade of 81.1

WR: Rondale Moore: Moore had a great game on Sunday, building off of his solid debut. He showed off his explosiveness, going 7/114/1, including a 77 yard TD bomb. His PFF grade for the week was 71.5.

TE: Kyle Pitts: Pitts performed well in Week 1 but was relatively quiet. He was much more active on Sunday, where he was the Falcons leading receiver, going 5/73, and finishing with a PFF grade of 68.4. 

OL: Trey Smith: For the second straight week, a Kansas City Chiefs rookie IOL makes the list, only this time it is sixth-round pick, Trey Smith. He excelled in the run game and finished with a grade of 73.1.

OL: Samuel Cosmi: Cosmi was on the stock down list in Week 1 but recovered on Thursday night football, where he, again, dominated in the run game. With much improvement from Week 1, he finished with a 77.1 overall grade.

Stock Down: Offensive Players 

QB: Zach Wilson: Wilson had a very rough day on Sunday facing Bill Belichick and the Patriots defense. He never really got settled in and struggled to take care of the football. On the day, he finished 19/33, 210 yards, with zero TDs and four INTs. All four picks came in balls thrown 10 or more yards down the field, in which he was 1-6 on. He finished with a PFF grade of 54.4

RB: Elijah Mitchell: We had Mitchell as our best RB from last week. However, this week proved to be a different story. He still got touches but was only able to turn 17 carries into 42 yards, good for 2.5 YPC. He finished with a PFF grade of 58.0.

WR: Kadarius Toney: Unfortunately for Toney, he had another tough day on Thursday night. He increased his snap count to 20, but got zero targets and finished with a PFF grade of 54.5.

WR: Dyami Brown: Another member of Thursday’s night's roller-coaster game, Brown caught three balls for 34 yards, on six targets, good for a PFF grade of just 55.0. 

OL: Alex Leatherwood: After a very tough Week 1 performance, Leatherwood struggled again, specifically in pass protection. For the second week in a row, he finished with a grade below 40, with a 32.4 grade this week. 

OL: Jalen Mayfield: Mayfield was the third-round pick of the Falcons and has been tasked with starting at guard for the team. He had a very difficult game in Week 1 and did not play very well this week either. He improved in pass blocking but was worse in the run game finishing with a measly grade of 28.5.

Stock Up Defensive Players

DL: Payton Turner: In Turner’s NFL debut, he dominated the Panthers up front and was one of the few bright spots for the Saints. He finished the day with five tackles, three TFLs, a QB hit, and his first career sack. He finished with a PFF grade of 72.1.

DL: Gregory Rousseau: Rousseau did not do much in week one, but had a dominant performance in week two. He had two QB hits, and five tackles, two of which were sacks, and two others that were TFLs. He finished with a PFF grade of just 59.5 but had a pass-rush grade of 72.9

DL: Odafe Oweh: Oweh checks in on this list for the second consecutive week, and is the third DL to appear, as it was a great day for pass rushers. Oweh was disruptive all day, forcing a key fumble. He finished with a very impressive 86.3 grade.

LB: Micah Parsons: Like Oweh and Jones, Parsons will be appearing for the second week in a row. Parsons made the move to DE this week and played very well. He had a sack, a TFL, and four hits on the QB. He was simply too productive to leave off of this list. His pass-rush win rate was very high at 36 percent and finished with a PFF grade of 89.9

LB: Jamin Davis: Like his teammate Samuel Cosmi, Davis was on the stock down list in Week 1 before flipping the script in week two. He finished with just four tackles but was, again, very good in coverage, which helped him earn an 89.0 defensive grade.

DB: Asante Samuel Jr.: Samuel was solid in week one, and followed that up with an even more impressive week two performance. He looked comfortable all day, breaking up three passes and getting his first career INT. He finished with a PFF grade of 72.6.

DB: Patrick Surtain II: We highlighted Surtain in his matchup against Trevor Lawrence, and it is safe to say he won that one. He did not play very much in week one but impressed this week, with a pass breakup and his first career INT. He finished with a PFF grade of 77.7.

Stock Down Defensive Players

DL: Christian Barmore: Barmore was impressive in the preseason, especially against the pass. He has found similar success against the pass in the regular season but has struggled against the run. He finished with a 51.9 PFF grade for the week. 

LB: Zaven Collins: Collins played well in Week 1, but had a harder time in Week 2. He played well in coverage but only finished the day with one tackle. He finished with a 32.4 PFF grade. 

LB: Nick Bolton: Similar to Collins, Bolton had a solid debut, but did not have the same success in Week 2. Bolton specifically had a hard time in coverage and finished with a 51.1 overall grade. 

DB: Paulson Adebo: After a very impressive Week 1, Adebo had a tougher time in Week 2. He was targeted 11 times for nine completions and a TD, six of which were for first downs. He had a 43.8 grade for the day.

DB: Elijah Molden: The Titans' third-round pick has had a rough go of things to start his NFL career. He played just 18 snaps on Sunday, but allowed two catches and a TD on as many targets, and had a PFF grade of 29.8.

Week 3 Matchups

Going into Week 3, there are some noteworthy matchups of rookies that will be worth keeping an eye on. 

Penei Sewell vs. Odafe Oweh - Both of these guys performed really well in Week 1, as they made it into the stock-up section of our rookie report. Oweh made it for the second consecutive week and will be looking to put together another great game. Sewell had another good week, after a strong Week 1 performance. In Week 2, he excelled in pass protection and had an overall grade of 67.6. He will continue to look comfortable over there at the LT spot, where he will get the chance to face off with Oweh.

Zach Wilson vs. Patrick Surtain II - All eyes will once again be on Zach Wilson to see how he recovers against a very tough Broncos defense. Surtain, whose matchup with Trevor Lawrence was highlighted last week, a matchup which he won, will look to have another great week against a fellow rookie QB. 

Jaelan Phillips vs. Alex Leatherwood - Both of these players have now been members of the stock-down list to start the season. Leatherwood has had a tough time in his pass protection and will be looking to improve. Phillips has not been bad but has been quiet, so he will be looking to make a difference in Week 3when the two face-off.

Charlie Parkinson

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