Kyle Pitts has some competition as the NFL’s best rookie tight end
4 min read
There were several big performances from rookies again in Week 13, and some of them altered things in our newest Rookie Power Rankings.
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is ascending, as he helped the Lions secure their first win of the season with a last second touchdown reception from Jared Goff.
Broncos fans were unhappy with Patrick Surtain II’s exclusion from our rankings, but it was warranted. He had another interception against Kansas City, but it was on a play where Surtain was beat and the ball went off Tyreek Hill’s hands. The rookie has been loose carrying his routes to the field. He gets a bit handsy in routes up the boundary but is not being flagged so that is just good play. Surtain is not flashing to the flat to make plays because that is not necessarily his role in Vic Fangio’s defense. Coming into the 2021 NFL Draft, Surtain was a top five pick for me and a player that I listed as the top rookie coming into the regular season. Perhaps my expectations for him are elevated for that reason, but he has a lot to clean up. He has improved as the season has progressed, but it still looks like he is overthinking out there.
We will be tracking rookie performers each week and identifying those who stood out. These rankings are not based on statistical performance but rather overall play. Without further ado, the cumulative regular season rookie rankings as we head into Week 14:
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