By breaking their 10-game losing streak on Sunday, the Raiders knocked themselves down from No. 1 to No. 6 in the current draft order. However, they will be hard-pressed to get as much from their next first-round pick as they’ve gotten from tight end Brock Bowers, the 13th overall pick this year.
Bowers has become just the fourth player ever to reach 100 receptions as a rookie, and with two games left to play, he’s only four behind the NFL rookie record of 105 catches. With 1,067 receiving yards, he needs just 10 more to catch Hall of Famer Mike Ditka’s rookie tight end record of 1,076, a mark that has stood since 1961.
Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is also closing in on another prolific rookie record. He’s already at 154 targets, putting him on pace to break the rookie record of 167, set by New England’s Terry Glenn in 1996. Both Bowers and Nabers are on course to finish in the top 10 all-time for receiving yards by a rookie.
Rookie quarterbacks continue to put up incredible numbers. Jayden Daniels has all but locked up NFL Rookie of the Year honors, but from a historical perspective, he can’t match the achievements of some of his peers. He’s already thrown five touchdown passes, which matches the NFL rookie record, a feat previously achieved by seven other players, including five in the past 15 years.
Meanwhile, Commanders rookie receiver Luke McCaffrey, the brother of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, has taken on a new role as kickoff returner and has made a name for himself in the process. He had six returns for 184 yards in his second game handling returns, the fifth-highest game total for any player this season.
Tennessee rookie linebacker Cedric Gray, limited by a shoulder injury, stepped in and made 11 tackles on defense and four on special teams in his first significant action of the season. Fan favorite Cedric is on a roll, with a team-high 15 total tackles in the past two weeks.
Finally, in the end, the last big rookie quarterback showdown takes place on Sunday night, as Michael Penix Jr. and Jayden Daniels face off in a battle of rookies trying to get their teams into the playoffs. Can Penix lead the Falcons to an upset victory, just like his predecessor Kirk Cousins did for the Washington Commanders in 2012?