The best NFL rookies after seven weeks: We ranked the top 10 and answered five big questions — SkimNews
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- Jalon Daniels was the only rookie quarterback to start through Week 7, with three starts—the fewest at that point since 2007—while rookie QBs had 308 snaps, also their fewest since 2007; no passer made the consensus top 10, and Daniels returned the Buccaneers’ starting job to Baker Mayfield.
- Arvell Reese was co-ranked No. 1 with Sonny Styles by a five-analyst panel, recording 56 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception while generating 10 pass-rush wins and two pass breakups on 93 blitz attempts.
- Sonny Styles matched Reese at No. 1 with 46 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble; in Washington’s only win, he stripped Eric Saubert at the goal line before Saubert recovered the ball for a touchdown, and he posted 13 tackles over his last two games.
- Denzel Boston ranked third with 20 receptions, 372 yards and three touchdowns; his 16.1 air yards per target rank second, while his 20% target share trails only fellow rookie KC Concepcion among Cleveland’s playmakers.
- Olaivavega Ioane ranked fifth after seven starts, with 196 snaps at center and 182 at right guard as injuries put three Ravens centers on IR; his 94.5% center pass-block win rate ranks third in the league, and coach Jesse Minter said he deserves Offensive Rookie of the Year consideration. He then suffered a Week 7 MCL sprain.
- David Bailey ranked eighth while leading all rookies with 5.5 sacks; his 24 pressures rank sixth in the NFL and his 23.8% pass-rush win rate is third among qualified rookies.
- Fernando Mendoza was the subject of a split verdict on an immediate start: Ben Solak said the Raiders could keep starting Kirk Cousins while insulating and developing Mendoza if that remained the 2026 goal, but Cousins’ limited mobility constrains Klint Kubiak’s preferred rollout offense.
Why it matters: Jesse Minter’s support for Olaivavega Ioane gives Baltimore a concrete Offensive Rookie of the Year case: seven starts, snaps at both center and right guard, and a 94.5% pass-block rate at center. The Week 7 MCL sprain was considered short-term, while three Ravens centers on IR had already forced Ioane into that expanded role.
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