There's always a lot of excitement after the NFL draft. There are high expectations for the incoming rookies, and fans are optimistic thinking that their favorite team has filled several holes with promising young players. It's not that simple, of course. Some rookies will get injured. Some rookies will struggle once they get on the field. And some rookies won't even be good enough to get playing time in their first year.
On the other hand, some become impact players as rookies and some even exceed expectations set on draft day.
Below, Aaron Schatz from and Alex Vigderman from take a look at all 32 rookie classes in the NFL and rank the value of their contributions in 2022. This list is based only on how much production teams got out of these players in their first season. There might be great future contributions from injured rookies such as Jameson Williams and Phidarian Mathis, but those players didn't count for much in 2022.
To rank the rookie classes, we started with Sports Info Solutions' total points metric. Based on game charting, total points takes every element of a play and uses all of that data to evaluate each player on a scale that allows you to compare between positions: How many points do we estimate that this player either earned for his offense or saved for his defense? You can . We then adjusted some teams up or down based on the importance of certain positions or how well players did in ESPN tracking metrics and Football Outsiders' DVOA.Our list is headed up by a team that had very low expectations going into the 2022 season but made a surprise playoff appearance thanks in large part to the play of its rookie class.Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LV | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
1. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks came out of the 2022 draft with four starters and some useful depth on top of that. Their best rookie was fifth-round pick Tariq Woolen, who tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions. He finished with 16 passes defended and allowed a completion rate of just 47% in coverage. Left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abraham Lucas started 17 and 16 games, respectively. Cross was eighth at his position in SIS total points, while Lucas ranked 13th at his position.
The fourth starter was running back Kenneth Walker III. Walker had over 1,000 rushing yards with 10 rushing touchdowns, but advanced stats were less impressed by his performance because he combined a few highlight runs with a lot of runs where he got stuffed for minimal gains. He finished in success rate and also had very little receiving value.
If you count nickelback as a starter -- and you should in the modern NFL -- the Seahawks also got a lot of value out of fourth-round pick Coby Bryant, who allowed a moderate 7.5 yards per target. In addition, edge rusher Boye Mafe started three games and racked up three sacks.
2. New York Jets
Let's start with Sauce Gardner, who likely will win Defensive Rookie of the Year and led all rookies in SIS metrics with 64 total points saved. SIS charting lists Gardner with just 5.1 yards allowed per target and a 44% completion rate allowed in coverage. He also led the NFL with 20 passes defended. The Jets also could end up with the Offensive Rookie of the Year, as wide receiver Garrett Wilson is a strong candidate. Wilson finished with 1,103 yards and five touchdowns, and he ranked in the top 20 of ESPN Analytics' .
Breece Hall might have been a candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year if he had just stayed healthy. In half a season, Hall averaged 5.8 yards per carry and 11.5 yards per reception. Undrafted rookie Zonovan Knight eventually got some playing time as one of the players who tried to replace Hall. Defensive ends Jermaine Johnson and Micheal Clemons combined for five sacks and 21 pressures in part-time work. And backup safety Tony Adams had 16 total tackles in fewer than 75 total defensive snaps.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
Despite originally picking near the bottom of each round, the Chiefs came out of the 2022 draft with an excellent group of useful players. The Chiefs and Tennessee Titans were the only teams this year to have at least six rookies worth 10 or more total points, according to SIS charting metrics. (The Jets and Seahawks had five such rookies, with no other team above four.)
The Kansas City draft class starts at cornerback, with three rookies getting significant playing time. First-round pick Trent McDuffie, chosen with a pick acquired in trade from the Patriots, played just 11 games because of injury but started each one and allowed just 5.0 yards per target. McDuffie was one of the players whose injuries forced fourth-round pick Joshua Williams into the lineup, and he had a strong 53% completion rate, allowed although a couple of big plays given up meant he allowed a poor 8.7 yards per target. Seventh-round pick Jaylen Watson also started six games; he had a higher completion rate allowed than Williams (60%) but a lower yards-per-target figure (7.2).
With their own first-round pick, the Chiefs took edge rusher George Karlaftis. He started every game and had six sacks and 40 pressures. Running back Isiah Pacheco took over the starting job around midseason and averaged 4.9 yards per carry with five touchdowns. The Chiefs also got small contributions from backup safety Bryan Cook and wide receiver Skyy Moore.
4. Tennessee Titans
Tennessee's most valuable rookie might have been a player they didn't even draft. Punter Ryan Stonehouse broke an NFL record of over 80 years old by leading the league with a 53.1-yard gross punting average. Or perhaps the Titans' most valuable rookie was second-round cornerback Roger McCreary. He didn't break any records, but he did start all 17 games, albeit without impressive charting stats. (He allowed 8.8 yards per target, although he was also very strong against the run.) There were also defensive contributions from linebacker Jack Gibbens and cornerback Tre Avery.
On offense, the star was tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, who broke out with some big catches in the second half of the season. But first-round pick Treylon Burks made some waves when healthy, and third-rounder Nicholas Petit-Frere started the entire year at right tackle. The Titans also got three starts out of quarterback Malik Willis, but that didn't go so well, with a miserable 12.6 QBR.
5. Houston Texans
By the end of the year, the Texans were starting six rookies. First-round cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. had a strong season when healthy, with 6.6 yards allowed per target in nine starts. But he didn't make anywhere near as many plays as second-round safety Jalen Pitre. If we add together tackles, assists, passes defended and turnovers, Pitre led all NFL safeties with 155 plays made as a rookie. The Texans also got 11 games started from linebacker Christian Harris, who had issues with broken tackles but was good in pass coverage.
On offense, Dameon Pierce was the starting running back for most of the season, with a fairly average season of 4.3 yards per carry. Kenyon Green started most of the season at left guard but doesn't earn many total points because he finished near the top of the league in blown blocks. And Teagan Quitoriano was the starting tight end for the last third of the season, although he ended with just 113 receiving yards. The Texans should get even more out of this rookie class in the future if John Metchie III can regain his health after a cancer diagnosis cost him his rookie campaign.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker had all the attention, but he was not the Jaguars' most valuable rookie. Instead, third-round pick Luke Fortner went directly into the starting lineup at center, played all 17 games and finished second among offensive linemen in SIS total points. He had a low 1.8% blown block rate and just one sack allowed. Walker did start 14 games and had a total of 33 pressures with 3.5 sacks. The Jaguars also got plenty of value from two off-ball linebackers. Either Devin Lloyd or Chad Muma started each game this season, and Lloyd was second among rookie defenders in total defensive plays behind Jalen Pitre of the Texans.
7. Detroit Lions
The Lions' rookie class primarily made waves on the defensive side of the ball. Second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson led rookies with 9.5 sacks and 53 pressures. He also tied the record for interceptions by a defensive lineman -- rookie or otherwise -- with three. Yet Hutchinson was not the most valuable rookie on the Lions, according to SIS total points. That title goes to safety Kerby Joseph, a 14-game starter who allowed a 55% completion rate in coverage and famously picked off Aaron Rodgers three times. The Lions also got 15 starts at linebacker from sixth-round pick Malcolm Rodriguez, who had a surprisingly low 11% broken tackle rate. And edge rusher James Houston had eight sacks and 15 pressures in part-time work.
On offense, the Lions expected to get very little from WR Jameson Williams this season since he was still recovering from a torn ACL, and that's what they got: just one 41-yard touchdown. But a couple of plays nullified by penalties brought glimpses of the talent he'll bring to the table with a full season in 2023.
8. Chicago Bears
The Bears used two second-round picks on defensive backs in the 2022 draft, and those were their major rookie contributors. But the Bears also had a lot of minor contributions from useful rookies, with six different players falling between three and 10 total points on the season.Kyler Gordon started 14 games at cornerback, but his charting metrics were problematic; SIS has him with 11.1 yards allowed per target. Safety Jaquan Brisker came out much better, with just 6.2 yards allowed per target plus four sacks as a blitzer. Undrafted cornerback Jaylon Jones was also a contributor, starting four games and allowing 7.5 yards per target.
Fifth-round pick Braxton Jones started the entire season at left tackle and did about as well as you would expect for a fifth-round rookie, near the bottom of the league with a 3.6% blown block rate and 12 sacks allowed. Velus Jones Jr. spent much of the season returning kickoffs and also had 100 yards with a touchdown in both rushing and receiving. Punter Trenton Gill was slightly below average by Football Outsiders metrics.
9. New England Patriots
The most notable Patriots rookie was three-way third-round pick Marcus Jones, who won the Week 11 game against the Jets with a last-minute punt return touchdown but also scored touchdowns on an offensive reception and a defensive interception. However, the most valuable rookie, according to SIS total points, was the other cornerback Jones, fourth-rounder Jack. He allowed just a 45% completion rate in coverage and had two picks in 13 games.
New England's offensive rookie class was highlighted by Cole Strange, who started all 17 games at left guard. Strange ranked 14th among qualifying guards in pass block win rate (PBWR) but a dismal 63rd in run block win rate (RBWR). Quarterback Bailey Zappe started two Patriots wins with surprisingly good stats and spurred a bit of a quarterback controversy. The Patriots also got small contributions on offense from wide receiver Tyquan Thornton and running backs Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers fans will spend the next few years celebrating the Pickett-to-Pickens connection. Quarterback Kenny Pickett started for most of the season and put up a moderate 51.4 QBR. Wide receiver George Pickens was more impressive, leading all wide receivers in and finishing in the top 20 of ESPN's new advanced receiver tracking metrics. The young offensive talent went further with undrafted running back Jaylen Warren, who gained 4.9 yards per carry on 77 carries, and tight end Connor Heyward, who caught 12 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. The only rookie to have a regular role on defense was interior defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal, who played 11 games and started two.
11. Dallas Cowboys
First-round pick Tyler Smith was supposed to begin as the left guard, but an injury to veteran Tyron Smith forced the rookie out to left tackle and he started all 17 games there. Tyler was particularly good in the running game, with only five blown blocks all year by SIS charting. He was not so good in the passing game, ranking 62nd out of 64 qualifying tackles in PBWR.
Nickelback DaRon Bland, a fifth-round pick, was a bit more of a surprise as a major contributor. He started eight games and allowed 6.9 yards per target. Other rookies who had an impact included defensive end Sam Williams, with four sacks and 20 pressures off the edge, and tight ends Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot, who combined for 30 catches, 277 yards and four touchdowns behind veteran Dalton Schultz.
12. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers didn't have a first-round pick last year. Second-round edge rusher Drake Jackson was a part-timer with three sacks and did not start a game. The 49ers had two third-round picks, Tyrion Davis-Price and Danny Gray, and got almost nothing from them.
Instead, their rookie class was saved by Mr. Irrelevant. Brock Purdy led the 49ers to six straight wins, one replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and then five as the starter. He had a 65.6 QBR and led all offensive players with 46 total points.
It wasn't all Purdy (and Jackson), however. Fourth-round pick Spencer Burford started almost the entire year at right guard, although he ended up last among qualifying guards in RBWR and 55th in PBWR. The 49ers also got useful playing time from fifth-round cornerback Samuel Womack III and undrafted running back Jordan Mason.
13. Atlanta Falcons
Fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier was arguably the most valuable running back from the entire 2022 rookie class. He finished with over 1,000 yards on the ground and ranked fifth in Football Outsiders' . First-round wide receiver Drake London played in all 17 games and finished the year with 72 catches for 866 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Desmond Ridder started the last four games with a reasonable 49.8 QBR.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Falcons got 2.5 sacks and 31 pressures from edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie, while undrafted defensive tackle Timmy Horne started five of the final six games of the season.
14. Green Bay Packers
First-round linebacker Quay Walker had an excellent year, one of just 11 rookies to earn 40 or more total points in that SIS metric. Walker had 121 total tackles with a 10% broken tackle rate, outstanding for a rookie linebacker, and allowed just 2.4 yards per target in coverage. Green Bay's other defensive first-round pick, tackle Devonte Wyatt, played a much smaller role, seeing 22% of defensive snaps.
Wide receiver Christian Watson really came on in the second half of the season, starting every game from Week 8 onward and catching 41 passes for 611 yards and seven touchdowns in a little more than half a season. He finished 20th out of 85 qualifying wide receivers in Football Outsiders' receiving DVOA rating. The Packers also got valuable contributions from edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare, who started seven games and had three sacks with 23 pressures, and offensive lineman Zach Tom, who had five starts at both left tackle and left guard.
15. New York Giants
The Giants' draft haul was headlined by two first-round picks; each player had a large role in 2022 but their stories diverge there. Kayvon Thibodeaux had four sacks, but SIS counted him with 42 pressures in 14 games, ranking him sixth among defensive ends in total points from the pass rush. On the other hand, right tackle Evan Neal was near the bottom of ESPN's blocking metrics: 58th in PBWR, 56th in RBWR. The good news for Giants fans is that left tackle Andrew Thomas also struggled as a rookie, and he's now one of the top tackles in the game. It takes time for players to grow.
Those first-round picks weren't the only important rookies for New York. Daniel Bellinger started most of the season at tight end, catching 30 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson was limited by injuries but did catch 23 passes for 27 yards and a touchdown in the six games he was on the field. On defense, linebacker Micah McFadden started seven games, cornerback Cor'Dale Flott started six and safety Dane Belton started five.
16. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers' rookie class primarily made itself known on the offensive line, with Zion Johnson starting the entire season at right guard and Jamaree Salyer taking over for the injured Rashawn Slater early in the season at left tackle. SIS total points ranked Johnson 13th among guards and Slater 24th among tackles this season. Otherwise, the main Chargers rookie of note was kicker Cameron Dicker, who was on three other rosters earlier this season (appearing in a game for Philadelphia) and eventually became the Chargers' kicker around midseason. Dicker's only missed field goal (or extra point) all year was a 52-yarder in Las Vegas in Week 13.
17. Cleveland Browns
The Browns had a surprisingly strong draft class considering the absence of a first- or second-round pick. The star is third-round cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., who played 72% of Cleveland's defensive snaps as the third corner. Emerson allowed just 5.3 yards per target and a 47% completion rate in coverage. The Browns also got a lot of playing time out of edge rusher Alex Wright (50% of snaps) and defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey (31% of snaps). Wide receiver David Bell played less than expected but still racked up 24 catches for 214 yards. Kicker Cade York was above average on kickoffs but below average on field goals. He finished the year 24-for-32, including three misses from inside 40 yards.
18. New Orleans Saints
The Saints had only five picks in last year's draft, and one of their first-round picks, offensive tackle Trevor Penning, was healthy enough to play only six games this season. But the Saints still had a good rookie class with major contributions from one draftee on each side of the ball plus an undrafted surprise.
Wide receiver Chris Olave finished the season with 1,042 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Olave was the highest rookie wide receiver in . Cornerback Alontae Taylor played in only 11 games but was outstanding in coverage, with just 4.3 yards per target allowed. And undrafted wide receiver Rashid Shaheed didn't play until Week 6 but was a starter by the final five games of the season and ended the year with 488 yards and two touchdowns on 17.4 yards per reception.
19. Baltimore Ravens
Tyler Linderbaum started from Week 1 and led all rookie offensive linemen in SIS metrics with 43 Points Earned. He also led all centers in Run Block Win Rate and was 12th in Pass Block Win Rate. Baltimore's other first-round pick, safety Kyle Hamilton, was primarily a part-time player who didn't start until the final four games. Although he had 62 total tackles, two sacks, and five passes defended, and is well-regarded by many film experts, SIS ranks him just 76th in total points at the safety position this season.
The Ravens also got value out of tight end Isaiah Likely, who had 36 receptions for 373 yards and three touchdowns as the second option behind Mark Andrews. Rookie punter Jordan Stout was almost exactly average in Football Outsiders' gross punt value metric. Second-round pick David Ojabo played just two games after missing most of the season with an Achilles tear he suffered preparing for last year's draft. Defensive tackle Travis Jones started three games and played 30% of Baltimore's defensive snaps this season.
20. Denver Broncos
If you follow fantasy football, you might recognize the star of the Denver rookie class as tight end Greg Dulcich. Dulcich constantly threatened to break out with a couple of 80-yard receiving games. But he also dealt with injuries, and at the end of the year, he had only 33 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games.
However, the real star of the Denver rookie class was actually cornerback Damarri Mathis, who moved into the starting lineup opposite Pat Surtain II in Week 6. Mathis allowed a high completion rate in coverage, 63%, but was rarely burned and therefore allowed just 5.4 yards per target.
Denver's top pick, second-round edge rusher Nik Bonitto, started only one game and had 1.5 sacks and 17 total pressures on the season. Defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike played primarily from Week 12 on and had 17 total tackles.
21. Indianapolis Colts
Before the season, nobody would have expected seventh-round pick Rodney Thomas II to be the Colts' most valuable rookie of 2022. However, the former linebacker grabbed the free safety position early in the season, eventually starting 10 games and garnering four interceptions. Bernhard Raimann started 11 games at left tackle, finishing 40th in RBWR but a poor 60th in PBWR. Wide receiver Alec Pierce started 12 games and finished with 41 catches for 593 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Jelani Woods came on late in the season with 18 catches for 233 yards just in the Colts' final six games.
22. Buffalo Bills
The Bills came into the year knowing their star cornerback Tre'Davious White wouldn't be back until midseason, so it's good that their most valuable rookies came at the cornerback position. The surprise is that sixth-round pick Christian Benford out of Villanova was more valuable than first-round pick Kaiir Elam out of Florida. Benford started five games and allowed 8.5 yards per target in coverage. Elam started six games and allowed 9.0 yards per target in coverage.
The other major rookie for the Bills was backup running back James Cook, who carried the ball 89 times for 507 yards (a 5.7-yard average) and two touchdowns. Linebacker Terrel Bernard did start one game against the Jets at midseason but otherwise played primarily on special teams.
23. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins had only four selections in last year's draft, so you wouldn't expect them to have many rookies of note. But they did have one: undrafted free agent cornerback Kader Kohou out of Texas A&M-Commerce. Kohou eventually started 13 games, and you will be shocked to find out that he finished the season second among all rookies with 62 total points, according to SIS charting. The reason is that Kohou was lights out in the most important situation: fourth down. He allowed one catch for zero yards on six targets on fourth down. That means that six times this year, Kohou's coverage led directly to a turnover on downs. This is worth 19 total points, which would put Kohou among the top 40 cornerbacks in the league in pass coverage even if he had not played another down all season! Kohou's total stats are also impressive, with 5.9 yards allowed per target and a 49% completion rate allowed in coverage.
Miami's second-most valuable rookie was also an undrafted free agent, safety Verone McKinley III, but he played only 22% of defensive snaps. Among drafted players, the top rookie was seventh-round quarterback Skylar Thompson and his unimpressive 27.3 QBR. Linebacker Channing Tindall played primarily on special teams. Miami's other two draftees combined to play one game. Frankly, this ranking for the Dolphins is entirely Kohou.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers got contributions from multiple rookies, but none of them really wowed when it came to on-field production. Based on SIS total points, the most valuable Buccaneers rookie was punter Jake Camarda, who was 10th in gross punt value by Football Outsiders metrics and also handled kickoffs. Defensive lineman Logan Hall was a bit of a disappointment, playing just 36% of defensive snaps, but he's still got plenty of time to grow into a larger role.
On offense, running back Rachaad White started the second half of the season but averaged less than 3.7 yards per carry and a poor 5.8 yards per reception. A poor broken tackle rate also costs him in the SIS total points metric. Cade Otton started 11 games at tight end with 42 catches for 391 yards and two touchdowns but finished near the bottom of DVOA at the position. Luke Goedeke had to step right into the starting left guard role after an injury to veteran Aaron Stinnie, then got injured himself after seven games and couldn't win the starting role back from Nick Leverett when he returned in December.
25. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings lost their top two picks to injury for most of the season, as first-round safety Lewis Cine played only three games and second-round cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. played only six. So their most valuable rookie was their next player selected, offensive lineman Ed Ingram. He started all 17 games at right guard but had disappointing numbers in ESPN's tracking stats: 44th in RBWR and 62nd out of 63 qualifying guards in PBWR.
There were also small contributions from a handful of other rookies. Wide receiver Jalen Nailor had seven catches for 151 yards and a touchdown in the final two games of the regular season. Undrafted punter Ryan Wright was slightly below average in both gross and net punt value. Cornerback Akayleb Evans earned two starts at midyear but allowed 12.3 yards per target (in a small sample of 20 targets). Linebacker Brian Asamoah II primarily played special teams but finally started getting defensive snaps in December and had 14 combined tackles between Week 15 and Week 17.
26. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders had no pick until the third round, so not too much was expected from this group. The class was highlighted by two offensive linemen. Dylan Parham started all 17 games at left guard but was below average in both PBWR and RBWR. Thayer Munford Jr. had to start three games at right tackle in relief of Jermaine Eluemunor. (He also had a fourth "start" when the Raiders ran six linemen on the first play of the game.) Sam Webb played nine games at cornerback and allowed just 5.8 yards per target. But running back Zamir White had only 17 carries all season, while defensive tackles Neil Farrell Jr. and Matthew Butler played just 14% and 5% of Raiders defensive snaps, respectively.
27. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles selected only five rookies in last year's draft and most of them are set up to be more important in the future than they were in 2022. Philadelphia's most important rookie, by far, was an undrafted player, safety Reed Blankenship. He came on late in the year, playing an average of 77% of defensive snaps in his final six games of the regular season. Despite five starts, defensive tackle Jordan Davis wasn't on the field as much as expected; he played between 30% and 40% of snaps in each of the first six weeks, then never played 30% of snaps in a game once he returned from injury in Week 13.
Otherwise, the Eagles' rookies mostly sat on the sidelines. Center Cam Jurgens, a second-round pick, spent the entire year behind Jason Kelce. Third-round pick Nakobe Dean was a regular on special teams but played more than three defensive snaps in only two games. Sixth-round pick Grant Calcaterra was the third tight end behind Dallas Goedert and Jack Stoll.
28. Washington Commanders
The Commanders' rookie class was laid low by injury. First-round wide receiver Jahan Dotson missed five games with a hamstring injury and had only four total targets in the three games he played after returning (Weeks 10-12). Overall, Dotson finished with 35 catches for 523 yards and seven touchdowns; his 12.5% receiving DVOA was second among qualifying rookie receivers behind Pickens. Second-round defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis went down with a knee injury in Week 1. Of course, you know about the gunshot wound that cost running back Brian Robinson Jr. the early part of the season, although he did return by October. He started nine games and gained 797 yards on 205 carries (a pedestrian 3.9 yards per carry).
The Commanders do get some credit for defensive tackle John Ridgeway, originally a fifth-round pick of the Cowboys. He played over 30% of defensive snaps for Washington after the Commanders picked him up off waivers in mid-September. Defensive backs Percy Butler and Christian Holmes primarily saw the field on special teams.
29. Arizona Cardinals
Arizona's top pick, tight end Trey McBride, finally started to come on in the second half of the season. He had just three catches through Week 9 but snagged 26 catches for 241 yards since and scored his first touchdown in Week 17. The Cardinals also got contributions from a pair of edge rushers, Myjai Sanders and Cameron Thomas. Sanders started four games and Thomas none, but they combined for six sacks and 31 pressures. Cornerback Christian Matthew didn't play much but allowed a reasonable 6.5 yards per target when on the field.
30. Cincinnati Bengals
First-round safety Dax Hill mostly took a redshirt year, with only two games in which he played more than six defensive snaps. Second-round cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was the nickelback for the second half of the season but does not do well in SIS charting, with 8.5 yards allowed per target. Fourth-rounder Cordell Volson went right into the lineup at left guard and has started for the entire season but ranks just 58th out of 64 qualifying guards in pass rush win rate.
31. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams didn't pick until the third round of last year's draft and then saw that player, guard Logan Bruss, go down with an ACL tear in the preseason. Instead, their most active rookie was cornerback Cobie Durant, who started playing the nickel at midseason. Durant has allowed just 5.3 yards per target with three interceptions. Another cornerback, sixth-rounder Derion Kendrick, started early in the season but allowed a frightening 10.0 yards per target and eventually got benched. Safety Russ Yeast was active in the run game when he was on the field, but he wasn't on the field very much, just 12% of defensive snaps in games he was active.
32. Carolina Panthers
It's not good for a rebuilding team to come in last when we list the value of the rookie classes in 2022, but here we are. It didn't help that the Panthers had no second-round pick, sending that to the Jets in the Sam Darnold trade. Almost all of Carolina's rookie value came from one man, first-round pick and starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu. He was unspectacular (46th out of 63 qualifying tackles in PBWR, for example) but started every game and still has plenty of promise for growth. The only other rookie worth more than two total points in SIS metrics was undrafted running back Raheem Blackshear, who was useful as a receiver with 10 catches for 93 yards. Third-round quarterback Matt Corral was injured all season, and fourth-round linebacker Brandon Smith played only 5% of defensive snaps.