Misses or Hits? Grading each top 15 pick in the NFL season so far

Judging rookie players by their first four games in the league is probably a little early but often you get a sense of what’s to come. We are going to take a look at how the top 15 picks have gotten on so far, and what we can expect from them moving forward.

The Panthers traded a lot to move up for Young, and so far that could be looking like a hasty decision as the first-year signal-caller has looked a little out of his depth. So far Young is averaging under 5 yards per attempt, a low bar to clear. We’ll give Young a C-.

Stroud has so far had one of the best starts for a rookie QB of all time, making a mockery of the low expectations for him and his team this season, lighting up his opponents for a collective 1,212 yards and six TDs with no picks. The Texans had Stroud fall into their laps and they couldn’t be happier, this is an easy A+.

In a bold move, the Texans traded back up to three right after selecting Stroud to grab the best EDGE in the draft. Anderson has been amazing so far, which was the expectation, but so far he has taken to the NFL like a duck to water. He is very much in contention for DROY and possibly further honors in the future, another A+ here.

Colts fans must be loving Richardson so far, with his huge size, great athleticism, and crazy arm talent, he has all the tools needed to succeed in the NFL, and he’s putting them to use. The only knock so far has been his willingness to take big hits, leading to a couple of avoidable injuries. If can iron this out and keep developing, the Colts have a stud. This pick is an A so far.

In a draft loaded with cornerbacks, the Seahawks committed to their guy early and took Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick. What a decision that has been, this guy has been playing lights out. He put on a clinic on MNF against the Giants, capping his display with a 97-yard pick-six. Another A in what is looking like a great draft class.

When you take an offensive lineman this high in the draft, you are hoping for immediate impact, which is exactly what Johnson is offering. The ex-Buckeye is playing high-level football whilst learning a whole new position at right tackle. The Cardinals are playing much better than expected so far and a big part is due to the solidity he offers, another A.

Wilson was always seen as somewhat of a project by many in the draft community. He was a late riser in the draft with his size and potential proving too good to pass on at number seven overall. He hasn’t made much of an impact yet, and given how good the picks around him have been, this is looking bad already, this can’t be anything more than a D+.

Robinson is looking as good as advertised so far. Many were questioning the value of taking a running back this high, and that is still a question mark given the Falcons’ up-and-down start to the season, but if you are taking a RB this high, they better be elite. So far, Robinson has been, but positional value is still important so this can’t be higher than a B+.

What a player. Carter looks like an elite defensive tackle already, despite this usually being a position that takes time to develop. The Eagles are loaded at DT allowing Carter to take some well-deserved breathers but when he’s on the field it’s impossible to take your eyes off him. If he stays on this trajectory, he’s a potential Hall of Famer, another A+ here.

Bears fans must be having mixed feelings here given Wright has looked like a solid right tackle through four games, putting in his best performance of the year against the Broncos in week four. However, they could’ve had Jalen Carter if they stayed put at nine, a transformative piece on defense. Wright is looking good though, so we’ll give it a B.

Skoronski was seen by many as the best guard prospect in the draft if he slid inside from his tackle spot in college. So far it has been nearly impossible to tell how he has been getting on as he needed emergency appendix surgery after his week one debut. Given how much we liked him pre-draft and this was a position of need, we’ll give this a B (for now…)

Gibbs was probably taken too early at number 12, despite reports the Lions saw him as a generational prospect, this wasn’t a view shared by many draft experts. His speed and elusiveness have been on display so, however, he is yet to score a TD as the Lions seem to trust David Montgomery more in short-yardage situations. This is a B-.

It does look more and more like the Packers could have grabbed one of Jordan Addison or Zay Flowers here and built a truly explosive offense around Jordan Love. Van Ness has looked OK, earning his first sack against Justin Fields in week one but nothing since. This is a C+ so far, with plenty of work to do to justify this pick.

Jones has only seen a small amount of action so far, filling in for the injured Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle. Moore is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines meaning the job is Jones’ for now. Hopefully having a full week to prepare as a starter will mean he does better than his brief spell against the Texans where he was a turnstil in pass-pro. This is a C for the moment.

McDonald has been very quiet so far in his rookie season. Despite positive murmurings around his freakish athleticism in training camp, so far he hasn’t made an impact on the field. It makes you wonder if defensive end was the right position to choose for the Jets given the talent they already have there. We’ll give this a C-.

Forbes had his ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment in week four against the Eagles as AJ Brown picked on the rookie for nine catches, 175 yards, and a couple of scores. Brown is about as good as they come so there is no shame here for the rookie corner who has looked good for the most part in a tough-to-beat Commanders team. This is a B.