2024 NFL season rookies to watch: How are they getting on through three weeks?

The first three weeks of the NFL season has seen an up and down start for some NFL rookies, with some hitting the ground running, and others taking some time to adapt to the more physical, faster version of football you play in the NFL. Let's take a look at the rookies we've chosen to highlight for the 2024 season and see how they're getting on.

Caleb Williams has struggled so far, but it's difficult to blame the player for the issues. Through two weeks, the Bears offensive line ranked 30th in pass-rush win rate against, per Pro Football Network. Williams has been surrounded by talented playmakers, but if he has defenders in his face at every drop back, there's not much he can do. We are hoping the o-line can settle down and Williams can showcase why he was the number one overall selection.

Pre-draft, we described Barton as the "offensive lineman’s offensive lineman" and so far through three weeks, he has shown to be exactly that. Baker Mayfield described him as, "a really smart player," and claimed, "Graham played really well and handled the communication well. That’s not easy to do for your second career game at center in the NFL," following the Bucs' week two win over the Lions. This was a home run selection by Tampa Bay.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

As good as advertised. He really is that good. Nabers has transformed the Giants' passing attack almost single-handedly, catching two TDs against the Browns in week three. If he can stay healthy, there's no reason why he can't be among the top players at his position in the league for the next decade. It's been a long time since Giants fans had something to be truly excited about, but Nabers should be getting them hyped.

An injury in week three cut his game short, but Byron Murphy has been quietly excellent during his nascent NFL career. Before the season, ESPN wrote, "his quickness, rare movement ability and strength combination will make him an immediate impact in the pass and run games," about Murphy recently, and we couldn’t really sum it up much better, and all those attributes have been on full display through three weeks.

Per Football Database, Terrion Arnold is the most penalized defensive player in football so far. Like Murphy, Arnold also had to exit his team's week three game with an injury. Other than that, he has looked solid, even with a Pro Football Focus grade of 45.5. Mitchell, on the other hand, looks like a number one corner already, with the Eagles leaving him on an island regularly and the former Toledo man holding his own in those scenarios.

Brooks has been injured so far, so we'll leave what we wrote in the preseason, "Brooks could be a slow-burner, but we think he’s got a chance to make an impact when he returns from the PUP list. Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders are solid NFL players, but Brooks should earn touches, and if he does, it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on."

Booker has recorded one tackle for loss through three games with limited playing time, so like Brooks, we will leave in our preview as not much has changed. "Booker was a fifth-round pick by the Bears in this year’s draft, but by all accounts, he has impressed during training camp and the preseason. Head coach Matt Eberflus recently said, "We feel really good where he is, in terms of a pass rusher, we've seen that in the preseason," per Bears Wire, which intrigued us enough to keep an eye on the young pass rusher."

Xavier Worthy has shown why the Kansas City Chiefs took him in the first round but also showcased why, despite his 4.21 speed, he wasn't seen as an elite prospect. Andy Reid told reporters after week three, "He’s (Xavier Worthy) doing a great job with that (learning the playbook). I pulled off on a couple of the routes just with some of what they were doing," before adding, "he had a number of routes there in the first 15. I just chose to pull off him because of what they were doing. So, he’s doing a nice job for us." That confidence hasn't been showcased in stats yet, but he only needs one play to change a game.

The Jags have stunk so far this season, but Thomas hasn't been the cause. His 11 receptions have gone for 189 yards and a TD showcased his talent. There's only so much a rookie wideout can do in scenarios like this, but Thomas is playing at a high level so far.

Bo Nix has not lived up to our high expectations of him so far this season, but his most recent game, a 216-yard passing, plus 35-yard rushing (with a TD) was a proof of concept game for the young Broncos QB. He has plenty to work on, and four interceptions through three games isn't sustainable, still, there has been enough for us to be cautiously optimistic about his future.

There are, of course, numerous rookies we aren’t spotlighting here, but if you have a specific player you think we should be watching, let us know, and we’ll try to incorporate them into our coverage!

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!