- Jayden Daniels put together an incredible rookie season: The Commanders‘ first-round pick led all rookie quarterbacks in PFF overall grade (89.6).
- Bucky Irving was the highest-graded player of the 2024 NFL Draft: The Tampa Bay running back led the draft class with a 90.6 PFF overall grade.
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Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
The 2025 NFL Draft came and went, and as the excitement and tension surrounding the spectacle continues to wane, we look forward to when the players take the field in earnest.
For now, we’re looking back at the 2024 NFL Draft and examining the highest-graded player at every position.
QB: Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (89.6)
Daniels was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and enjoyed nothing short of one of the greatest rookie quarterback seasons in NFL history, and arguably the best. His 89.6 PFF overall grade ranked first among all quarterbacks drafted in 2024 and fifth at the position overall in the regular season. Daniels completed 69.0% of his passes for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while leading the Commanders to their best record since 1991.
Even in the playoffs, the rookie never looked out of his depth. His 82.5 PFF overall grade in the postseason ranked fourth among quarterbacks, and his coolness in the pocket, as well as his rushing ability and decision-making skills, have already vaulted him into the conversation of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Highest-Graded Quarterbacks in the 2024 Regular Season
RB: Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (90.6)
The 2024 running back class didn’t have a true standout talent heading into the 2024 season, but the Buccaneers’ fourth-round pick, Bucky Irving, emerged as the best running back in the class, earning a 90.6 PFF overall grade in his rookie season. Irving carried the ball 207 times for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging an excellent 5.4 yards per carry.
Irving was a real home-run hitter for the Buccaneers in his rookie season, too. He had 14 designed runs of 15 yards or more, the seventh most among running backs, and his 4.03 yards after contact per attempt average led all running backs.
WR: Malik Nabers, New York Giants (86.7)
Unlike at the running back position, the 2024 wide receiver class was full of hype. Malik Nabers was the second receiver off the board and the No. 6 pick in the draft, and his 86.7 PFF overall grade was the best among wide receivers in the class. Nabers caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season, setting the record for the most catches by a rookie wide receiver in NFL history.
He was electric with the ball in his hands, too: His 19 missed tackles forced were the most in the class and tied for the fifth most among all receivers. At just 21 years old, Nabers is becoming one of the best receivers in the league. And the sky looks to be the limit.
TE: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders (85.1)
The 2024 season was one of rookies breaking records. Though Malik Nabers set the record for the most catches by a rookie wide receiver in a season, Raiders tight end Brock Bowers went one step further, setting the record for all rookie pass catchers with 112 catches.
No other tight end in the 2024 class came remotely close to matching Bowers’ production, with the No. 13 pick hauling in 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns on his way to an 85.1 PFF overall grade — the third-highest mark among all tight ends. It likely won’t be long before we’re calling Bowers the best tight end in the NFL.
T: Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers (77.6)
The son of a former Pro-Bowl tackle, Joe Alt was always destined for the NFL, and the 2024 first-round pick delivered in his rookie season. Alt allowed the lowest pressure rate of all rookie tackles in 2024, at 4.0% (20 pressures on 602 pass-blocking snaps).
Alt just turned 22 years old and has shown that an All-Pro ceiling isn’t far away. He’s already one of the better tackles in the NFL.
G: Dominick Puni, San Francisco 49ers (80.5)
The 49ers didn’t have a lot to wax lyrical about in 2024, especially when it came to their offensive line. However, rookie third-round pick Dominick Puni was a bright spot at right guard, and his 80.5 PFF overall grade led rookie guards and ranked 11th among all guards.
Puni is an average pass blocker, as his 5.6% pressure rate allowed in 2024 placed him 23rd among guards. However, he flashed as a run blocker, earning an 81.5 PFF run-blocking grade — a top-10 mark.
C: Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh Steelers (76.8)
Frazier was projected to be a Day 1 starting center in the NFL, and when the Steelers selected him with the No. 51 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it became even easier to predict Frazier’s path to starting. Just one season into his career, he has already impressed, and his 76.8 PFF overall grade led all rookie centers.
The former West Virginia Mountaineer showed his potential as a pass blocker and a run blocker. He allowed the fifth-lowest pressure rate among all centers, and his 79.7 PFF run-blocking grade ranked sixth at the position.
DI: T’Vondre Sweat, Tennessee Titans (76.2)
It’s hard to look past Sweat’s size, mainly because it’s hard to look past Sweat in general. The 6-foot-4, 342-pound defensive tackle places in the 83rd percentile in height, the 99th percentile in weight, the 77th percentile in wingspan and the 98th percentile in hand size. He is nothing short of one of the biggest players to ever step foot on a football field.
That massive frame didn’t stop Sweat from being a productive player in his rookie season. He earned a 76.2 PFF overall grade in Year 1 and showed more pass-rushing juice than expected, registering 24 pressures. He was also one of the most consistent tacklers at the position, as his 3.7% missed tackle rate ranked ninth lowest out of 142 defensive tackles.
EDGE: Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams (86.2)
Verse logged just six sacks in his rookie season, but his down-to-down impact was much more significant. His 77 pressures in the regular season were the fourth most at the position and the most by a rookie since Nick Bosa in 2019, and his 28 stops against the run were also the fourth most. Whether playing the run or rushing the passer, Verse is an every-down threat.
Verse was a worthy winner of the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first Ram to win it since Aaron Donald in 2014.
LB: Edgerrin Cooper, Green Bay Packers (84.0)
Cooper was the Packers’ second-round pick in 2024, tasked with helping improve a linebacker unit that struggled in 2023. And he did so with aplomb. His 84.0 PFF overall grade placed him fourth among linebackers, and he notched 87 total tackles in 14 games in his rookie season.
It wasn’t just as a tackler that Cooper flashed. His 90.1 PFF pass-rushing grade ranked second among linebackers, while his 73.5 PFF coverage grade placed 11th. Having a multi-tooled talent linebacker who can do almost everything is incredibly valuable in modern football, and having someone show they can do it in their rookie year is impressive.
CB: Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles (82.7)
Even before DeJean’s pick-six in Super Bowl 59, he had already made a name for himself as one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL. His 82.7 PFF overall grade was the highest in the 2024 cornerback class and the third highest among all cornerbacks. His 79.3 PFF coverage grade ranked sixth.
DeJean was one of the best run-defending cornerbacks in the NFL, boasting a 90.8 PFF grade in that facet — the second-highest mark among cornerbacks. He’s the full package.
Highest-Graded Cornerbacks in the 2024 Regular Season
S: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Arizona Cardinals (75.5)
Taylor-Demerson didn’t feature much in his rookie season, but the fourth-round pick out of Texas Tech impressed all the same when he was on the field. His 75.5 PFF overall grade led all rookie safeties and ranked 17th at the position overall.
He flashed as a run defender in the box, earning an 80.6 PFF grade, while his 70.0 PFF coverage was also in the top 20 at the position. Taylor-Demerson performed well in a rotational role, and his efforts could lead to a bigger role in Year 2.
This news was originally published on this post .
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