- Tetairoa McMillan bounced back in an important game for the Panthers: He notched six catches for 73 yards against the Buccaneers — all in the first three quarters — including a 22-yard touchdown. He earned the seventh-best PFF receiving grade for the week (84.2).
- Omarion Hampton crafted his best showing of the season: His 84.9 PFF overall grade against the Cowboys ranked second among running backs in Week 16, powered by seven forced missed tackles.
- Get PFF+ for 30% off: Use promo code HOLIDAY30 to unlock the PFF Player Prop Tool, Premium Stats, fantasy dashboards, the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, industry-leading fantasy rankings and much more — everything you need to win your season.
Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
We’re diving into the top rookies by PFF overall grade through Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. To qualify, players needed to have logged at least 100 snaps. Changes may occur once Monday Night Football grades are released.
1. TE Jackson Hawes, Buffalo Bills (86.6)
Hawes retains the top spot after notching an 87.6 PFF overall grade against the Browns (second highest for the week). He led the position with a 91.9 PFF receiving grade after securing both of his targets for 26 yards. His longest catch came late in the first quarter after he broke through two tackles for an 18-yard gain.
Hawes did have a tough day in blocking, earning a 45.4 PFF pass-blocking grade across three snaps, as well as a 62.2 PFF run-blocking grade. His 25% negatively graded play rate against the run was the highest among rookie tight ends in Week 16 (minimum of 25 snaps).
Despite the off day, the Georgia Tech product remains ranked in the top five in both blocking phases entering Week 17. He still has not surrendered any pressure in pass protection, while his 14.4% negatively graded run-play rate ranks third best among rookie tight ends.
As a receiver, Hawes owns the third-best PFF receiving grade among tight ends with at least 15 targets (87.2). He has caught 15 of 18 passes for 187 yards with 13 first downs, including six grabs of 15-plus yards.
2. RB Cam Skattebo, New York Giants (80.5)
Skattebo is out for the season with a leg injury.
3. TE Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears (79.4)
Loveland caught three passes for 30 yards in the Bears’ wild overtime win over the Packers. He recorded two catches of 10-plus yards, including a 10-yard gain to extend a drive late in the fourth quarter with Chicago trailing by seven. His longest reception of the night was a 14-yard gain near the end of the first half. Loveland finished the outing with a 67.6 PFF receiving grade and sub-60.0 PFF grades in both blocking facets.
Chicago’s first-round pick is up to 42 catches for 528 yards with 27 first downs, and he remains in the top 10 among tight ends in PFF receiving grade (80.7).
Both of Loveland’s first-down catches against the Packers came in two-minute drills, where he has now caught nine of 12 targets for 143 yards and a touchdown. He has moved the chains six times and has made two catches of 15-plus yards. His 74.2 PFF receiving grade in two-minute situations ranks third best among all tight ends.
4. WR Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers (79.2)
There is no better time to break out of a slump than against a division rival for a playoff spot late in the season. The eighth overall pick rose to the occasion in Week 16, with six catches for 73 yards against the Buccaneers — all in the first three quarters. He had two explosive gains, including a 22-yard touchdown over Jamel Dean to close out the first half. McMillan made four catches of 10-plus yards and finished with the seventh-best PFF receiving grade for the week (84.2).
McMillan leads all rookie receivers in catches (65) heading into Week 17, and he is a top-15 wide receiver overall in receiving yards (924). He’s also the second-most targeted rookie receiver, behind Emeka Egbuka (110). They are the only two first-year receivers with more than 100 targets this season. McMillan currently sits in the top 10 in touchdowns (seven), first downs (51), explosive plays (28) and catches of 20-plus yards (16).
The 22-year-old continues to shine downfield (passes of 10-plus yards), where he now ranks 10th in PFF receiving grade (93.2). He has caught 31 of 62 such targets for 644 yards, while five of his seven scores have come on 10-plus-yard throws.
5. RB Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers (78.3)
The former North Carolina Tar Heel moves up to fifth on this list after a second-ranked 84.9 PFF overall grade against the Cowboys in Week 16. Hampton handled 16 carries for 85 yards, including a five-yard touchdown with under five minutes remaining in the game to increase the Chargers’ lead to 16. He forced seven missed tackles, recorded three rushes of 10-plus yards and averaged 3.9 yards after contact per attempt.
The 22nd overall pick missed eight weeks this season with an ankle injury before returning against the Eagles in Week 14. Since then, he ranks ninth among running backs in PFF rushing grade (81.3).
For the season, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound back has gained 516 yards rushing on 110 carries and ranks sixth in PFF rushing grade (88.3). He has rushed for three touchdowns and 30 first downs while ranking in the top 10 in yards after contact per attempt (3.5), missed tackles forced per attempt (0.27) and first-down-plus-touchdown rate (27.3%).
Hampton owns the sixth-best PFF rushing grade in zone concepts (81.3), with 48 carries for 165 yards. He has picked up 12 first downs, forced 12 missed tackles and produced four runs over 10 yards on those plays.
Meanwhile, he has the 15th-best PFF rushing grade in gap schemes (77.9), with 42 rushes for 231 yards. All of his touchdowns have come on gap runs, and he has forced 12 missed tackles, gained 11 first downs and recorded five explosive runs in those schemes.
6. EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Dallas Cowboys (77.7)
Ezeiruaku earned a 72.6 PFF overall grade against the Chargers. He recorded a run stop and an additional tackle across 15 run snaps, earning a 70.9 PFF run-defense grade. Meanwhile, Ezeiruaku added three pressures as a pass rusher, finishing with a 25.0% pass-rush win rate and a 64.0 PFF pass-rushing grade.
The second-round pick remains ranked in the top 15 at the position in run stops (18) and in the top five in tackles for loss or no gain (10). His 19.1% positively graded play rate in run defense is the top mark among rookie edge defenders, helping him hold a 65.3 PFF run-defense grade. He places in the top five among rookies in pass-rush win rate (14.0%) and PFF pass-rush grade (69.4), as he now has 33 pressures on the season.
7. LB Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns (76.5)
Schwesinger continues to fly to ball-carriers, as he recorded his sixth consecutive game with double-digit tackles (14) in the Browns’ defeat to the Bills. It was his eighth double-digit tackling game of the season.
The second-round pick logged eight tackles and two stops in run defense while also securing his first career sack midway through the fourth quarter. Although he allowed a 14-yard catch to Ray Davis on his only coverage target, Schwesinger still finished the day with a 71.5 PFF overall grade.
Schwesinger is now the 11th-ranked linebacker by PFF grading entering Week 17. He ranks in the top five in total tackles (100) and defensive stops (52). Schwesinger remains at his best in run defense, where he places in the top 10 in stop rate (9.4%) and positively graded play rate (17.3%) to boost his PFF run-defense grade to 82.8.
8. WR Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears (76.0)
Burden did not play in Week 16 after suffering an ankle injury in Week 15 against the Browns.
9. EDGE Josaiah Stewart, Los Angeles Rams (76.0)
Stewart had a quiet night (64.7 PFF overall grade) on a limited workload (10 snaps) in Thursday’s overtime loss to the Seahawks. He recorded a tackle in run defense and a hurry as a pass rusher, and he was not targeted in coverage.
The third-round pick from Michigan is tied for the 10th-best negatively graded run-play rate among rookie edge defenders (7.7%). He also remains third among the class in pass-rush win rate (13.2%) and fourth in pressure rate (12.5%).
10. LB Jihaad Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles (75.9)
Campbell saw his most defensive action since Week 10, playing 36 snaps against the Commanders after Nakobe Dean left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. He recorded three tackles and two stops across 17 run snaps, limiting running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt to one yard on both plays, while also adding a pressure on his lone pass-rushing snap. He was not targeted in coverage and finished the night with a 67.9 PFF overall grade.
The 31st pick in the 2025 NFL Draft now has 10 run stops on the season, along with a 21.7% pass-rush win rate. His grading profile remains strongest in coverage (78.0), although he has not been targeted since Week 12 against the Cowboys. Campbell also remains a strong tackler (79.0 PFF tackling grade), with 46 tackles, 13 assists and 15 total stops. He has missed only four tackles this season at a rate of 6.3% — both top-10 figures among linebackers.
11. T Armand Membou, New York Jets (75.8)
Membou posted a 57.3 PFF overall grade against the Saints in Week 16. He was beaten four times in pass protection, although he did not yield any pressure, finishing with a 70.1 PFF pass-blocking grade. Meanwhile, he recorded a 42.1% defeated rate in run blocking (third highest among starting tackles) on his way to a position-worst 42.3 PFF run-blocking grade.
Despite the rough outing, the seventh overall pick remains the 12th-ranked starting right tackle by PFF grading heading into Week 17. He ranks 10th among the group in pass protection (73.1 PFF pass-blocking grade) while retaining a strong 71.7 PFF run-blocking grade.
12. T Will Campbell, New England Patriots (75.5)
Campbell remains on injured reserve with a knee injury.
13. QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (75.3)
Shough completed 32 of 49 passes for 308 yards in the Saints’ victory over the Jets. He found an open Chris Olave for a 23-yard touchdown near the end of the third quarter — his seventh touchdown pass of the season. He also notched his eighth big-time throw as he delivered a perfect pass to Juwan Johnson over two defenders for a 31-yard gain near halftime. Shough accounted for 16 first downs and rushed twice for eight yards.
The 26-year-old’s touchdown pass and big-time throw both came on third-down plays, where he ranks 10th in PFF passing grade on conversion downs (73.2) and seventh in completion rate (63.9%). Shough has completed 46 passes on third or fourth down plays for 604 yards and four touchdowns, with four big-time throws. While he has thrown three interceptions, he has also racked up 28 first downs.
The second-round pick from Louisville now ranks 17th in PFF passing grade this season (73.2). He is the only rookie signal-caller with a PFF passing grade above 70.0.
14. T Kelvin Banks Jr., New Orleans Saints (75.1)
Banks earned a 63.2 PFF overall grade against the Jets. While he recorded the 11th-best defeated rate among starting left tackles (9.1%), he also logged the sixth-worst impact-block rate (4.5%), resulting in a 66.0 PFF run-blocking grade. Banks also surrendered four pressures at a rate of 7.3% on his way to a 56.2 mark in pass protection.
Pressure continues to be an issue for ninth overall pick, who has allowed the most pressures (43) among left tackles for the seventh-highest pressure rate (7.1%). Run blocking remains the Texas product’s strength, as he ranks in the top 15 among left tackles in impact-block rate (10.8%) and defeated rate (14.0%), fueling a 71.6 PFF run-blocking grade.
15. TE Mitchell Evans, Carolina Panthers (74.6)
Tetairoa McMillan wasn’t the only Panthers rookie with a bounce-back game, as Evans’ 91.1 PFF overall grade in Week 16 led all tight ends. He caught all three of his targets for 23 yards, with a long of 10 yards midway through the third quarter. He also forced a missed tackle, finishing with a 91.2 PFF receiving grade. Evans did not surrender any pressure across three pass-blocking snaps (75.2 PFF pass-blocking grade) and earned a 68.4 PFF run-blocking grade across seven snaps.
Evans fell into a slump in the second half of the season, holding a 46.2 PFF overall grade from Weeks 9-15 (fifth worst). Still, the fifth-round pick from Notre Dame owns a 74.9 PFF receiving grade this season and has caught 17 of 18 targets for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Evans has gained nine first downs with three explosive gains.
He has surrendered only one pressure across 19 pass-blocking snaps this season and is tied for eighth at the position in zone PFF run-blocking grade (77.2), helping him earn a 69.3 mark as a run blocker (tied for 12th best).
This news was originally published on this post .
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