Four defensive players land in the top 10 of our initial rankings.
By Josh Edwards
• 4 min read
It feels as though the NFL regular season is officially upon us as the rookie power rankings return. In an attempt to project role and production while following the direction the wind is blowing, CBSSports.com has rookie power rankings entering Week 1 of the regular season.
These rankings are not based on statistical performance but rather overall play. Without further ado, here are the cumulative regular season rookie rankings entering Week 1 action:
Pre-season Rookie Rankings
| 1 | Aidan Hutchinson Detroit Lions DE |
| Hutchinson is more prepared to make an early impact than other edge rushers in this class. He is relentless as a player and should be respected opposite a healthy Romeo Okwara. Kayvon Thibodeaux is absent from this list because there is a chance he does not play in Week 1. If he does play and plays well, then he will have a spot on the entirely renovated Week 2 rankings. | |
| 2 | Sauce Gardner New York Jets CB |
| Gardner is the figurehead of the phrase "stats do not tell the whole story." As a Bearcat and early in his professional career, the No. 4 overall selection has been lightly tested. The respect other teams have for him outweighs what the statistics may suggest. | |
| 3 | Zion Johnson Los Angeles Chargers OG |
| It may seem high for the offensive lineman, but Los Angeles is excited about what the rookie has showcased thus far. The Chargers have done a nice job fortifying Justin Herbert's protection, and now the Boston College product has the fortune of playing next to veteran Corey Linsley. | |
| 4 | Breece Hall New York Jets RB |
| Michael Carter is a good running back, but his lack of ideal size prevents him from being an every down player. Hall is the three-down running back the Jets have been wanting. The Iowa State product should excel in a wide-zone blocking scheme that allows him to use vision and balance to find the gaps. | |
| 5 | Jordan Davis Philadelphia Eagles DT |
| Davis is going to be a rotational player for Philadelphia with Javon Hargrave and Fletcher Cox starting. The viral moment from training camp was a bit overblown, but that is not to ignore the combination of size and speed that the former national champion brings to the table. | |
| 6 | Drake London Atlanta Falcons WR |
| London looked good in the limited exposure he had during the preseason. An injury meant a bit of a setback for the rookie, but he returned to practice this week. The reality is that Marcus Mariota does not have many promising outlets in that offense, and London is going to have an inherent advantage with his size. | |
| 7 | Garrett Wilson New York Jets WR |
| Wilson's production is closely tied to second-year quarterback Zach Wilson. If the latter has taken a step forward and can stay healthy, the Wilson-to-Wilson connection could be fruitful. The Jets have more mouths to feed in this offense after adding C.J. Uzomah, Jeremy Ruckert, Wilson and others. He is the third Jet to make the list. | |
| 8 | Jahan Dotson Washington Commanders WR |
| Dotson's selection felt like a reach on draft night, as the team reacted to multiple wide receivers being taken earlier. There has been some training camp buzz suggesting the Penn State product could be a good fit for Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz. Dotson, despite being smaller, was used vertically on deep overs and skinny posts by the Nittany Lions and that should continue with Wentz. | |
| 9 | Jalen Pitre Houston Texans SAF |
| Pitre was higher on my personal board relative to the consensus, so perhaps there is some bias built into this placement. Pitre is a really versatile player who should be in a position to get his hands on the football. There was a strong secondary presence in the rookie rankings each week a year ago; that could continue with another talented group. | |
| 10 | Wan'Dale Robinson New York Giants WR |
| New York does not seem to like Kenny Golladay or Darius Slayton. They can not rely upon Kadarius Toney, and Collin Johnson has already suffered an injury. That leaves them with Robinson, who was drafted much earlier than talent evaluators anticipated. The Giants have a plan for the rookie out of Kentucky and are about to reveal it. | |
| 11 | George Karlaftis Kansas City Chiefs DE |
| Chris Jones and Frank Clark should draw some eyes off the rookie until he establishes himself in the league. During the preseason, Karlaftis showed an ability to win with strength and quickness off the snap. | |
| 12 | Jaquan Brisker Chicago Bears SAF |
| Brisker made some splash plays during the preseason. Chicago may be in for their share of struggles as a team in 2022, but the secondary is intriguing with Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Brisker. The Bears open the season at home Sunday against the 49ers. | |
| 13 | Travon Walker Jacksonville Jaguars LB |
| Walker is going to win some pass rush reps with pure strength, but those opportunities are much more limited in the NFL. It will take some time for him to develop his pass rush plan, but Jacksonville was willing to gamble on the potential. | |
| 14 | George Pickens Pittsburgh Steelers WR |
| Pickens was impactful as a blocker in addition to making some dazzling catches during training camp. The biggest deterrent to his production is the number of mouths to feed in that offense with Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth and others. | |
| 15 | Daxton Hill Cincinnati Bengals DB |
| Hill will probably open the season in some packages for the Bengals, but his projected playing time certainly declined when Jessie Bates signed his franchise tag. It could take some time for his impact to be felt on the field, but there were several positive takeaways from the preseason. | |
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