Jayden Daniels, Rams’ NFL-best class highlight midseason All-Rookie Team

We’ve passed the halfway point of the 2024 season, so this week’s Rookie Report is a chance to roll out a midseason All-Rookie Team, but we’ll start with an appreciation of the team with the best rookie class this season.

The sheer volume of the Los Angeles Rams’ rookie class was clear. The Rams have had as many as 18 rookies on their 53-man roster, with the number now at 16, still easily an NFL high. General manager Les Snead, who once proudly wore a shirt that said “f— them picks,” has shifted fully to “develop and rely upon them picks.”

First-round pick Jared Verse, the edge rusher from FSU, is the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, with 3.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss, and second-rounder Braden Fiske, also from FSU, is close behind with three sacks. The Rams have a sixth-round pick starting at guard in Arkansas’ Beaux Limmer, and two backup rookie defensive backs have combined for six interceptions. Undrafted rookie safety Jaylen McCollough has four, leading all rookies, and safety Kamren Kinchens, a third-rounder from Miami, has two.

Don’t forget kicker Joshua Karty, a sixth-round pick from Stanford, and a slew of others whose contributions have been mostly on special teams. If a deep, talented rookie class can help the Rams reach the playoffs, it’ll be one of the league’s more surprising rookie storylines of the season.

Now onto our midseason All-Rookie Team.

QUARTERBACK: Jayden Daniels, Commanders

For the second year in a row, the best rookie is the No. 2 overall pick, with Daniels doing what the Texans’ C.J. Stroud did a year ago. Like Stroud last season, Daniels is an electric playmaker who has guided his team to a surprising start. He has the fifth-highest passer rating in the entire league, and he’s rushed for another 459 yards and four scores.

Runner-up: Bo Nix, Broncos

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RUNNING BACK: Bucky Irving, Bucs

Despite sharing the carries in Tampa, Irving has rushed for 419 yards and three touchdowns while catching 23 passes and making an impact on kickoff returns as well — all this from a fourth-round pick out of Oregon. He has given a spark to a run game that was the NFL’s worst in yards and yards per carry the past two seasons.

Runner-up: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Giants

WIDE RECEIVERS: Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars; Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals; Malik Nabers, Giants

All three were drafted in the first round, leading a deep class of impact rookie receivers. Thomas, a steal at No. 23 out of LSU, is tied with Harrison, the No. 4 pick out of Ohio State, to lead the class with five touchdown receptions, and Nabers, picked sixth out of LSU, leads all rookie receivers with 55 catches. All three are immediate No. 1 receivers for their teams.

Runners-up: Ladd McConkey, Chargers; Keon Coleman, Bills; Xavier Worthy, Chiefs

TIGHT END: Brock Bowers, Raiders

Despite a bad quarterback situation, Bowers is challenging for the best rookie season ever by a tight end, on pace to top 1,000 receiving yards and 100 catches. Next to Daniels, Bowers is probably the rookie most likely to earn Pro Bowl honors this season, a rare tight end who can and will be his team’s No. 1 passing target.

Runner-up: AJ Barner, Seahawks

OFFENSIVE LINE: LT Taliese Fuaga, Saints; LG Jackson Powers-Johnson, Raiders; C Graham Barton, Bucs; RG Dominick Puni, 49ers; RT Joe Alt, Chargers

There are 14 rookies who have stepped in as immediate starters on offensive lines across the league, led by Alt and Fuaga in a deep group of first-round linemen taken this year. Seven rookies are starting at tackle, but the depth is just as strong at center, where Barton leads four rookie starters. There are only three multi-game rookie starters at guard, but Puni has been a constant on the 49ers’ line as a third-round pick out of Kansas.

Runners-up: LT JC Latham, Titans; LG Jordan Morgan, Packers; C Zach Frazier, Steelers; RG Mason McCormick, Steelers; RT Roger Rosengarten, Ravens

EDGE RUSHERS: Jared Verse, Rams; Laiatu Latu, Colts

With no defensive players in the top 14 picks, this was a low-key class, but Verse, taken 19th overall, continues to emerge as the best of the group, with 2.5 sacks in his past two games. Latu, the first defensive player taken at No. 15, has two sacks and has graded out well, even with limited production.

Runners-up: Jonah Elliss, Broncos; Chop Robinson, Dolphins

Matthew Stafford on Rams’ defense in 26-20 win over Seahawks

INTERIOR LINEMEN: Braden Fiske, Rams; T’Vondre Sweat, Titans

Fiske has been a great 1-2 rookie punch with Verse, and Sweat has been productive with Tennessee, already with 23 tackles and two tackles for loss. This can be a difficult position to make an immediate impact at in the NFL.

Runners-up: Byron Murphy, Seahawks; Johnny Newton, Commanders

LINEBACKERS: Edgerrin Cooper, Packers; Trevin Wallace, Panthers

There’s no first-round splash player here, but Cooper, a second-round pick from Texas A&M, has stepped right in for Green Bay, piling up 44 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Wallace, a third-round pick from Kentucky, has 43 tackles and two forced fumbles in the middle of a struggling Panthers defense.

Runners-up: Payton Wilson, Steelers; Tyrice Knight, Seahawks

CORNERBACKS: Quinyon Mitchell, Eagles; Kamari Lassiter, Texans

Mitchell doesn’t have any interceptions, but he’s stepped in as part of a revamped Eagles secondary and has yet to give up a touchdown. Lassiter has a pick and has graded out close to Mitchell as another reliable rookie starter.

Runners-up: Tarheeb Still, Chargers; Nate Wiggins, Ravens

SAFETIES: Javon Bullard, Packers; Malik Mustapha, 49ers

There’s a bunch of rookies to consider here, and you’re torn between splash plays like the Rams have gotten from McCollough and overall impact without takeaways. Bullard has been all over the back end for Green Bay, on pace for 96 tackles, and Mustapha, pressed into a larger role, has done the same for San Francisco.

Runners-up: Calen Bullock, Texans; Tyler Nubin, Giants

NICKEL: Tykee Smith, Bucs

This is a tough call — Pittsburgh’s Beanie Bishop Jr. has had three picks as an undrafted rookie, but Smith has been a force for Tampa Bay, already with three forced fumbles and an interception. The third to consider is Washington’s Mike Sainristil, already with 44 tackles.

Runner-up: Bishop

KICKER: Will Reichard, Vikings

The sixth-round pick from Alabama hasn’t missed an extra point and is 14-for-16 on field goals, including a 4-for-5 mark from 50 yards and longer. He’ll be sidelined with a quadriceps injury but edges out good competition here.

Runner-up: Cam Little, Jaguars

PUNTER: Ryan Rehkow, Bengals

Undrafted and already cut by the Chiefs, Rehkow is fifth in the league in overall punting and third in net punting in a position where gems can be found even off waivers.

Runner-up: Tory Taylor, Bears

RETURNER: Brandon Codrington, Bills

We could split this to punts and kickoffs, but Codrington has been solid on both. After being acquired from the Jets in a preseason pick swap, he ranks among the league leaders in return average.

Runners-up: Cooper DeJean, Eagles; Bucky Irving, Bucs

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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