By snapping their 10-game losing streak on Sunday, the Raiders dropped from No. 1 to No. But regardless of where they finish, they’ll have trouble getting as much from their first-round pick as they did from Brock Bowers, the 13th pick this year.
Washington’s Jayden Daniels has swept all NFL Rookie of the Year honors, but historically, he can’t make the same claim as Bowers: the best rookie season ever at his position.
On Sunday, Bowers became just the fourth player ever — at any position — to reach 100 receptions as a rookie. And with two games left to play, he’s one behind the NFL rookie record of 105 catches, set by Rams receiver Puka Nacua last season. With 1,067 receiving yards, Bowers needs just 10 more to catch Hall of Famer Mike Ditka’s record of 1,076, a mark that has stood since 1961.
It’s also possible that Bowers could hold the rookie reception record for only a few minutes. Just four points behind Nacua’s record, Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers is only four catches behind Bowers. Both rookies put up their numbers despite catching passes from three different quarterbacks, so their second-year production could increase from a potential QB upgrade.
Nabers is about to tie another rookie scoring record: Nacua has 160 points, but Nabers is already at 154, putting him in a position to break the rookie record of 167, set by New England’s Terry Glenn in 1996. Nabers (1,088) is on pace to finish in the top 10 all-time for receiving yards by a rookie.
Rookie QBs continue at a rapid pace
Remember back in Week 6 when this year’s quarterbacks combined to throw 12 passes, the most of any week in NFL history? They nearly pulled it off again in Week 16, when Jayden Daniels had five touchdowns and three other rookies had two apiece for 11 total.
Daniels’ five touchdown passes are an NFL rookie record. He is the seventh player to do so, with five others dating back to the past 15 years: CJ Stroud in 2023, Daniel Jones in 2019, Deshaun Watson in 2017, Jameis Winston in 2015 and Matthew Stafford in 2009. Another one? It dates back to 1937, when the Bears’ Ray Buivid had five against the Chicago Cardinals, adding a touchdown reception. Buivid would finish his career with just 11 passes, as he retired after two seasons to join the Navy and fight in World War II.
Another McCaffrey who has made a name for himself
It’s been a quiet rookie year for Commander rookie receiver Luke McCaffrey, Rice’s third-round pick who is the brother of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and the son of longtime Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey.
Luke’s receiving numbers were modest — 18 catches for 168 yards and no touchdowns — but he’s taken on a new role in the past two weeks. As Washington’s kickoff returner, he played a key role in the Commanders’ upset of the Eagles on Sunday. McCaffrey had six punt returns for 184 yards – the fourth-highest single-game total by any rookie in the last decade. His returns included a 47-yarder to the Eagles’ 43 and three other returns to start drives at the 35-yard line or better.
The 184 yards are the fifth-highest total by any NFL player this season, and a promising number in his second game return. McCaffrey, a linebacker in his first three college seasons at Nebraska and Rice, had never returned a kickoff even in college, with only two returns of 35 yards on his college resume.
Titans the rookie is just coming up
Tennessee quarterback Cedric Gray, limited by a shoulder injury for much of the year, had just three total tackles entering Sunday’s game against the Colts. The fourth-round pick out of North Carolina has been a special teams player, but when starter Kenneth Murray injured his wrist Sunday, Gray stepped in and took full advantage.
The Colts won the game, but Gray finished with a team-high 11 tackles on defense, and a team-leading four on special teams, giving him 15 total. His 11 defensive starts came on just 35 snaps. Another rookie, seventh-round pick James Williams of Miami, has 14 games in the past two weeks as he’s also been pressed into a bigger role.
One last contest
Sunday night gives us one last big quarterback showdown, as Falcons new starter Michael Penix Jr. to Washington to face Daniels in a battle of rookies trying to get their teams into the playoffs.
[RELATED: After ‘nearly flawless’ first start, can Michael Penix Jr. lead Falcons to playoffs?]
Daniels has already been a part of two exciting games against other rookie QBs. A 52-yard Hail Mary to Noah Brown as time expired gave the Commanders an 18-15 victory over the Bears and Caleb Williams in Week 10. Then in week 15, Daniels & Co. they escaped with a 20-19 victory over the Saints Spencer Rattler’s two-point conversion attempt failed on the final play of the game.
Can Penix remove irritation? His only catch in his first NFL start wasn’t his fault, he was hit by Kyle Pitts, and he finished 18-for-27 for 202 yards. He is just the third player in league history to throw for as many yards and a high completion percentage in his first NFL start. One of these is the quarterback he replaced, Kirk Cousins, who did the same with Washington in 2012, as did his teammate Robert Griffin III in the same season.
Greg Auman is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent ten years covering the The Buccaneers Of course Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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