2022 NFL Rookie Report — Charger Press

Ranking the best rookies from the 2022-23 NFL Season

Rishi Kothinti

The 2022 NFL rookie class was one of the most interesting we have seen in the past 10 years. The most talked about rookies every year tend to be quarterbacks as they are the most marketable and important position on the football field. However, the 2022 draft had the worst selection of draft eligible quarterbacks since 2013. Because of this, focus shifted towards the defensive rookies and some of the other skill positions such as running backs and wide receivers. Several rookie running backs were able to reach 1,000 rushing yards, and a couple of receivers hit the 1,000 receiving yard mark. Additionally, a number of first-year defenders have made significant contributions, with five having recorded three or more sacks, four with three or more interceptions, and the class as a whole accumulating over 70 sacks and 40 interceptions.

With the season coming to a close, let's take a look at the top 10 rookies from this past year. This ranking was compiled using a blend of statistics, film, and analyst opinions. The player’s grade is ranked on a scale of 1-10: 1 being a player who will be out of the league in less than a year and 10 being a player who played at an MVP level in his rookie year. This grade is calculated based on their statistics and their performance from this year, along with the potential they showed for the future. Let’s start with one of the best rookies I have seen in my entire life.

1. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, New York Jets

Best Game: vs Packers (Week 6)

Worst Game: vs Browns (Week 2)

Sauce Gardner stepped into the NFL and immediately became the best corner in the league. He has been dominant from the start and did an incredible job locking down some of the league’s best receivers. Offensive Player of the Year candidates Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill struggled against Sauce and QBs eventually learned to stop throwing the ball his way all together. Gardner, without a doubt, had a standout rookie season, and it is clear that he should already be considered among the elite cornerbacks in the NFL. Most of the time, rookie cornerbacks have a hard time adjusting to the NFL and usually take some time before they can get settled in and start to become good players. Sauce didn’t seem to get the memo. His incredible season, highlighted by his NFL-leading 20 pass breakups, would be the best defensive rookie season in the past 20 years if it wasn’t for Micah Parsons’ incredible year last year. He also played a significant role in the improvement of the New York defense as a whole allowing them to compete for a playoff spot despite the horrendous play of the Jets’ offense. Hailing from Cincinnati, it can be safely said that Gardner has enjoyed a flawless transition to the NFL and has proven to be one of the most crucial and valuable assets in the league.

Grade: 9.87 → A+

2. Tariq Woolen, CB, Seattle Seahawks

Best Game: vs Lions (Week 4)

Worst Game: vs 49ers (Week 2)

Tariq Woolen might be the most athletically gifted player I have ever seen. Scoring a 10.0/10.0 on his RAS (raw athletic score) testing during the pre draft process, Woolen is probably the most physically gifted cornerback of all time. His arms are super long, and he stands at 6 '4”, 210 lbs, has a 42 inch vertical jump, and runs a 4.26 second 40-yard dash. For a frame of reference, the record for the 40 yard dash is 4.22 seconds by John Ross who was 5’10”, 190 lbs. As someone who does scouting reports during draft time every year, when I heard of a corner that played at UTSA and ran a 4.26 40-yard dash, I was intrigued to say the least. However, while watching his tape I was unimpressed as his technique was very bad and he wasn’t great as a player overall. I thought that he would struggle in the NFL despite his physical prowess. Boy was I wrong. Woolen transformed a Seahawks defense that had a bad season a year earlier and was projected to be terrible this year into a serviceable unit to win them games. Woolen secured 6 interceptions, leading the league and had 14 pass break ups which was fourth in the NFL. While his counting stats might not have been as good as a player like Aiden Hutchinson, Tariq Woolen flashed potential this year to become one of the best cornerbacks of all time which is why his score is higher, earning him the number two spot on this list.

Grade: 9.73 → A+

3. Kenneth Walker, HB, Seattle Seahawks

Best Game: vs Chargers (Week 7)

Worst Game: vs Buccaneers (Week 10)

The third best rookie in the league this year wasn’t even the best rookie on his own team. The combination of Kenneth Walker’s explosive second half of the season with the Tariq Woolen-led defense is what allowed the Seahawks to outdo their expectations as well as they did. Starting the season as the 2nd string running back, Kenneth Walker was stuck behind Rashaad Penny who had high expectations himself after dominating the second half of the year before. This, coupled with the fact that Walker dealt with a sports hernia, led him to be basically nonexistent for the first 5 games of the season. However in Week 5, Walker got healthy and got a chance to play despite still being the backup. He took advantage and had 88 yards and a touchdown on just 8 carries. The following week, Rashaad Penny broke his ankle and was ruled out for the remainder of the year. Kenneth Walker took on the role of the RB1 and made the most of it. He had a historic debut as a starter with 167 yards and 2 touchdowns on just over 20 carries. He proceeded to dominate the rest of the games on his schedule and racked up over 1,000 rushing yards on the season with 9 touchdowns. He ended the year as one of the league’s most efficient runners and showed just why he should have been worthy of being a Heisman finalist a year before. Walker is now primed to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and has a bright future ahead of him as long as he can stay healthy.

Grade: 9.58 → A

4. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

Best Game: vs Browns (Week 2)

Worst Game: vs Packers (Week 6)

It’s crazy to think that not everyone had Garrett Wilson as their number one receiver in the 2022 NFL draft. Coming off a year at Ohio State where he made some of the best catches I’ve ever seen, Wilson was primed to be an instant impact playmaker for the Jets this year. With a young gunslinger like Zach Wilson it felt like the Jets offense could be incredible this year. The opposite was true. Zach Wilson started the year sidelined with an injury, promoting a 37 year old Joe Flacco to starting QB. When Zach Wilson returned he played atrociously and eventually got benched. Rookie running back Breece Hall started the year hot but tore his ACL early in the season leaving the Jets offense as a hot mess. The one bright spot in this horrendous situation was Garrett Wilson. He shined regardless of who was under the center and showed flashes of becoming an All-Pro caliber player one day. He was inconsistent at times but it is difficult to expect anyone, especially a rookie, to be able to maintain a rhythm when your quarterback is constantly switching from someone who should be retired to someone who shouldn’t even be in the NFL. Despite all of this, Garrett Wilson still managed to be one of only two rookie receivers to put up over 1,000 yards this year and his film was incredible. Hopefully with a quarterback change in the future, Garrett Wilson can start to get into a rhythm and he can show just how good he really is.

Grade: 9.48 → A

5. Tyler Smith, OT, Dallas Cowboys

Best Game: vs Bears (Week 8)

Worst Game: vs Titans (Week 17)

A guy that I was pretty unfamiliar with last year during the draft process, Tyler Smith has become one of the best offensive lineman in the league and has been a big part of why the Cowboys were able to be so effective offensively this year. Early in the season, the Cowboys starting tackle, Tyron Smith, tore his hamstring and Tyler Smith was forced to step in. It looked like the Cowboys might be in danger as Tyron is one of the best OT in the league and one of the main reasons the Cowboys’ offense functions. However, Tyler Smith stepped in and played just as well and eventually, when Tyron came back, stayed in the starting lineup as the opposite tackle. Tyler Smith has very impressive film for a lineman. You can see his dominance and impact on every play as he opens lanes for both Zeke and Tony Pollard along with keeping Dak Prescott protected. Seeing him play in these playoffs will allow me to see if he can truly keep up with some of the league’s best edge rushers as the competition gets tougher. I don’t want to jinx it, but it looks like the Cowboys have yet another Hall of Fame-caliber lineman in their hands.

Grade: 9.41 → A-

6. Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Detroit Lions

Best Game: vs Commanders (Week 2)

Worst Game: vs Patriots (Week 5)

I grew up as an Ohio State fan so naturally I hate Michigan. So no matter how true it is, it pains me to say that Aidan Hutchinson has been incredible this season. While he hasn’t transformed his defense like Sauce Gardner has, Hutchinson has been good on a very sub-par Lions defense. His tape was a little underwhelming, especially considering the fact that he was the number two overall pick in the draft last year. However his stats are incredible. He has put up nearly 10 sacks and 3 interceptions in his rookie season. The sacks are good but nothing amazing; the interceptions are what stands out. Coming off the edge, it can be really difficult to get even one interception so getting three is very impressive. Throughout the season, Hutchinson has shown continual improvement and had some impressive pass rush wins against the Packers in Week 18. If he continues to build his pass rush repertoire he could grow into a really nice player one day.

Grade: 9.25 → A-

7. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

Best Game: vs Rams (Week 11)

Worst Game: vs Buccaneers (Week 2)

Chris Olave looks like a seasoned veteran when he plays. Despite being only 22 years old, he plays with the savvy and confidence of someone who has tons of experience in the NFL. In just his third week he exploded onto the scene with 9 receptions for nearly 150 yards. Fantasy football players fell in love with him and he quickly became the betting favorite to win Rookie of the Year. However, throughout the year, Olave took multiple hard blows to the head and was out due to a concussion. This coupled with his inconsistent quarterback play led to some inconsistent play from him. He really tapered off towards the end of the season but fans shouldn’t worry. His film was very impressive as he is a savvy route runner and creates separation with ease. He also makes extremely tough, contested catches which is an area of difficulty for most young receivers. If the Saints can get a serviceable quarterback and Michael Thomas can get healthy next year to take some of the offensive load off of him, I believe Olave can take another step and become a really reliable option for whoever is under center for the Saints.

Grade: 9.21 → A-

8. Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers

Best Game: vs Cowboys (Week 10)

Worst Game: vs Vikings (Week 1)

Christian Watson had a crazy amount of pressure coming into this season. Fans expected him to be the guy that transformed this offense and allowed Aaron Rodgers to get one more Super Bowl. Furthermore, following the loss of Davante Adams for the Packers, they were desperate to find his replacement. By Week 9 he was already declared a bust. He had spent the majority of the season out because of injuries or benched because of a drop problem. Then, when no one expected it, he broke out against the Cowboys. Despite a terrible start to the game, Watson heated up and racked up 107 yards and 3 touchdowns. He gained some momentum and turned into an electric player. He would have 7 touchdowns over a four game stretch and help the Packers get back into a fighting position for a playoff spot. He eventually did cool down which is why he is so low on this list but he has still shown an ability to get open and make big plays. He proved that he could be a spark for a Packers offense that was lacking some explosive threats. If he can build on this season next year, become more consistent, and fix some of his drop issues, Watson can become the player that everyone thought he could be when he got drafted.

Grade: 8.95 → B+

9. George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Best Game: vs Jets (Week 4)

Worst Game: vs Philadelphia (Week 8)

The offensive coordinator for the Steelers, Matt Canada, has stars at his disposal on his offense. Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris, and George Pickens to name a few. But for some reason he is unable to take advantage of their talent. While watching Pickens’ film, I was amazed. It felt like he didn’t drop a single contested or deep ball that was thrown to him all year. This was later confirmed when I saw that he had the highest contested catch rate of any wide receiver in the league this year with over 70%. This is incredible as it means that he catches contested passes 70% of the time which is much higher than the next highest player in the league. The only issue is that Matt Canada doesn’t let him go deep often and doesn’t take advantage of his freakish abilities at the receiver position. Pickens blew up on social media when he was drafted because of a viral video of him watching himself get drafted from home. He then became super popular again during the season because of his unreal one handed catches reminiscent of Odell Beckham Jr. If the Steelers fire Canada or he learns how to call plays properly, I think that Pickens can evolve into a generational receiver. Outside of Garrett Wilson, I believe he has the highest upside of any wide receiver in this draft.

Grade: 8.88 → B+

10. Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Best Game: vs Buccaneers (Week 14)

Worst Game: vs Chiefs (Week 8)

A month ago I would’ve raised an eyebrow if someone told me a quarterback would be on this list. If you told me that quarterback would have been Mr. Irrelevant, I would have called you crazy. I actually scouted Brock Purdy when he played at Iowa State and I thought he was a subpar prospect at best. Even when he played his first couple games this year, I thought that he was being overrated by the public. I thought his situation was nearly perfect, so it would be easy for him to succeed. As I looked at the stats I was unimpressed for the most part as he was decent but none of his numbers blew me away. The film told a different story though. Purdy plays with a sort of swagger in his game and it felt like the team believed in him and rallied around him in a way different from how they rallied around either Trey Lance or Jimmy G. Despite no one believing in him, Brock Purdy has stepped in and been a very good quarterback. He has led the 49ers to six straight wins and they seem primed to make a deep playoff run. I took a risk by putting Purdy on this list because I expect him to prove me right in these playoffs. If he is able to make a run in the playoffs or even win the superbowl, I believe Brock Purdy will be the 49ers’ future quarterback and people will start to view him as more than just a cool story.

Grade: 8.74 → B