2024 NFL season: Rookies to watch

This season is shaping up to be a great one in the NFL, no less due to the sheer quantity of talented rookies who look to be inline for significant game time this year. We have selected a number of these players and will be spotlighting their performances throughout the 2024 season.

Don’t worry, this won’t just be a list of the rookie QBs, but Caleb Williams has a chance to be special from week one, and we want to be along for the ride. The new Bears singal-caller is surrounded by elite talents, so should be well set up for success early. He also seems to have the intelligence and poise to transition quickly into life in the NFL.

Per NBC Sports, Barton has been named the starting center for the Bucs after impressing during training camp. Pre-draft, we described Barton as the “offensive lineman’s offensive lineman” and we’re standing by that. He’s technically smooth, with good size and a neck that most off-the-rack collared shirts won’t fit around, he could make a big difference to the Bucs’ OL this year.

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Nabers was some analyst's WR1 by draft night, and while we disagreed at the time, we understood the hype. He’s a natural wide receiver with big play potential, and if the Giants have any hope of winning enough games to be in playoff contention, Nabers will need to be a big part of it.

The Seahawks may have found one of the next great defensive tackles in Byron Murphy II, especially under new head coach Mike Macdonald. 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.

We’re combining the top to cornerbacks in the draft, as the storyline is too interesting to ignore for us. The Philadelphia Eagles took Mitchell as the first CB drafted, leaving the Lions to select Arnold. We liked both players during the pre-draft process, but it’s always fun to have a direct comparison from one player to another.

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 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.

The fastest man in the NFL has joined the back-to-back NFL champions, and we are excited to watch it. As a rookie, he may need some help from Andy Reid’s scheme to get him open in the more physical NFL, but if he gets behind defenses, expect Mahomes to target him early and often.

The Jags look fairly well-equipped in their receiving corps this year, with Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, and Brian Thomas Jr. If Thomas hits the ground running, it could be transformational for Trevor Lawrence, who has had a mixed-bag of offensive weaponry during his time in the NFL.

Nix was a player we liked all offseason given his smarts, athleticism, and ability to make quick, repeatable reads. If Sean Payton has found his fast ball again in Denver, this could be a match made in heaven. There is also a chance that we’re completely off-base and Nix struggles to adjust to NFL football, either way, we’re intrigued to watch!

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!

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