NFL News & Analysis

Top 10 Rookie of the Year candidates entering Week 11

Buffalo Bills cornerback Ronald Darby defends against the New York Giants during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)

Last week, we saw Todd Gurley close the gap on weekly clubhouse leader Ronald Darby in our race for Rookie of the Year. But as the Rams struggled against the Bears, could Gurley do enough to keep applying pressure on Darby? Or would the Bills standout cornerback widen the gap?

Let’s find out in the PFF race for Rookie of the Year.

1. Ronald Darby, CB, Bills (90.5)

It was another excellent effort from Darby on Thursday Night Football against the Jets. Thrown at five times, he broke up two passes and allowed just the one catch—for a loss of 2 yards.

2. Leonard Williams, DE, Jets (84.6)

Williams was better against the Bills than he has been in recent weeks, with a strong showing against Buffalo’s rushing attack, pushing him up to the second spot.

3. Todd Gurley, RB, Rams (81.9)

Somewhat of a lackluster display against the Bears drops Gurley down to third. The freakish galloping back couldn’t get anything going and didn’t break a single tackle.

4. Damarious Randall, CB, Packers (81.2)

We saw an up-and-down day for Randall as the Packers lost, again, their third straight defeat. The first-round pick allowed 80 percent of balls thrown his way to be complete, but nothing longer than 15 yards. He did end up snaring a pass defense to take him to eight on the year.

5. Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders (79.6)

Cooper has added another dimension to the Raiders' passing attack, and the feeling is he’s only going to get better when he irons out some of the inconsistencies.

6. Stefon Diggs, WR, Vikings (84.8)

Questions are being raised about whether Diggs peaked too soon following a relatively quiet afternoon against Oakland with just two catches.

7. Jamison Crowder, WR, Redskins (80.9)

Crowder is becoming a weapon with the ball in his hands, but also showed up more surprisingly with some nice blocks against the Saints. Not exactly what you expected out of him.

8. Adrian Amos, S, Bears (79.7)

Amos didn’t make much of an impact against the Rams, and the result is less him falling behind others, and more them just leaping ahead of him.

9. T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jaguars (80.6)

His numbers didn’t look all that pretty against Baltimore, but Yeldon really squeezed more out of his line than it indicates. The strong running keeps him in the top 10.

10. Karlos Williams, RB, Bills (79.8)

Williams is barely staying in the pack, and he can blame teammate LeSean McCoy for that. Though he is struggling for playing time (just 13 snaps this week) Williams is making his opportunities count when he’s on the turf.

 

Dropping out

Mitch Morse, C, Chiefs: He didn’t play poorly by any stretch of the imagination against the Broncos, but in a good week for rookies, he wasn’t quite good enough.

Five to watch

Rob Havenstein, RT, Rams: If he keeps blocking in the run game like he has been, he’ll crack the list.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Titans: Two games in a row with a +1.0 grade or higher. If Mariota can make it a third, he won’t just be one we’re watching.

Jameis Winston, QB, Buccaneers: There’s a lot to like about Winston. There’s also a lot to be frustrated with.

Mario Edwards, DE, Raiders: Has been on fire the last two weeks with some excellent efforts. Can he keep it up?

Markus Golden, OLB, Cardinals: His playing time was cut this week, but if Golden can find the field more, he’s been the most productive rookie edge rusher.

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