Every year, when the NFL draft season rolls around, we get hit with the hype machine in full force. There are endless player comps, scouting reports, and promises of ‘the next big thing.’ But once the season rolls around and it is time actually to deliver on the field, that is a different story! A seemingly infinite number of variables can alter how an NFL rookie shows up in Year 1!
And 2024 is no different. Some of these young guns are already living up to the buzz, making huge waves on the field… while others? Eh, let’s just say the early returns aren’t looking too hot.
It is time to take a look around the NFL and dive in!
Which current NFL rookies are on their way to stardom, and which ones look like busts?
Star: Malik Nabers, WR, NY Giants
You don’t have to squint to see the talent in Malik Nabers. You could see it at LSU, and now you’re seeing it every time he steps on the field for the Giants.
The kid’s only four games into his rookie season, and he already leads the league in both targets and catches—on a team that can barely get out of its own way offensively and has Daniel Jones at quarterback, which says a heck of a lot.
He was drafted in the first round, No. 6 overall, but somehow has managed to massively outperform that slot, even in a terrible Giants offense.
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When the Giants took Nabers 6th overall, people were skeptical. Everyone thought Marvin Harrison Jr. was the clear top wide receiver in the draft. But the folks in Harrison’s camp have been awfully quiet lately.
Because it isn’t just the impressive counting numbers, which are very impressive considering a month into the 2024 campaign, Nabers leads the league in targets with 52 and catches 35, as the single source of fuel for the Giants offense.
And if he didn’t have to miss Week 5 due to injury, well, the case would be even better!
But as I was saying… it isn’t just the counting numbers. Nabers plays with the kind of poise and toughness that makes fans love him and should instill fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators for years to come.
Bust: Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
The Bears offense has been stuck in neutral to start the season, the coaching staff feels like it’s guessing most of the time, and the quarterback situation is a work-in-progress mark. But when you’re a top-10 pick, people expect you to make an impact no matter the circumstances. And so far, Odunze hasn’t done that, as the Bears ninth overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
On July 16, 2024, Odunze signed his four-year rookie contract with the Bears worth $22.7 million, but there has been a little bit of choppy waters since, as the Bears offense hasn’t been the high-powered machine that many in the media were expecting it to be heading into the season.
Yes, he had a nice game against the Colts—a 112-yard outing with a touchdown. But if you strip that away, his production has been… underwhelming. Just 94 yards in the other three games combined. And the bigger issue? He’s not creating separation. NFL corners are smothering him, and he looks like he’s still adjusting to the speed of the pro game.
This is a massive concern because he just hasn’t looked super comfortable in the system, and he’s struggling to run routes against legit NFL corners.
It would be one thing if he was just a by-product of the Bears offensive inconsistencies, but this is starting to look sketchy for Chicago.
Star: Jared Verse, DE, Los Angeles Rams
Though the Rams season hasn’t gone to plan thus far, in part because of the massive slew of injuries that they’ve endured on offense, Jared Verse, their rare first-round pick as an organization in 2024, has been a pleasant surprise.
They took the 6’ 4” pass rusher 19th overall out of Florida State, and he has continued to deliver ever since. Verse has hit the ground running. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Month for September, racking up 19 tackles, five tackles for loss, and a sack across four games. Even more impressive? Verse is a pressure machine, leading the Rams in QB hits and helping them rank first in QB pressure rate at 41.3%.
His knack for pressuring quarterbacks has garnered league-wide recognition.
And the crazy thing is—he’s still raw and developing.
The kid has 11 missed tackles already, which is way too many. But that’s part of the learning curve. What’s clear is this: Verse has the kind of relentless motor that you just can’t teach. If he can clean up the fundamentals, the Rams might have found their next defensive superstar.
With his motor and athleticism, it’s only a matter of time before he tightens things up and really takes that next step.
Bust: Jordan Morgan, OG, Green Bay Packers
This year’s offensive line draft class boasts plenty of high-end talent. Notre Dame’s Joe Alt and Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga are among the headliners, so maybe the Packers just got ahead of themselves when they pulled the trigger on the 6’ 5”, 311-pound guard out of Arizona, Jordan Morgan.
The Packers had high hopes when they drafted Jordan Morgan, but so far, those hopes have been met with frustration. Morgan’s been sidelined since Week 2 with a shoulder injury, and even before that, his play wasn’t exactly inspiring.
A 57.6 grade from Pro Football Focus isn’t what you want to see from a guy you were counting on to shore up the offensive line. The real issue is that, even when he was healthy, Morgan looked like he was struggling to handle the strength and speed of NFL defenders.
So far he has played just 48 snaps for Green Bay and really struggled to hold his own in his first two outing prior to the injury he sustained Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts.
It is a small sample size, but Morgan needs to get stronger, regardless of where on the offensive line, likely tackle or guard, he ends up. The former Wildcat has a lot going for him with his athleticism… fast hands and feet that bolster his potential to be a legit contributor, but it has not gotten off to a promising start.
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Star: Byron Murphy II, DT, Seattle Seahawks
Byron Murphy didn’t come into the NFL season with a lot of fanfare, but it hasn’t taken him long to make people notice. In just three games, Murphy has shown flashes of being the kind of interior lineman that every team wants to feature—strong, quick, and disruptive.
In his first three NFL games, Murphy has been solid in the middle for the Seahawks rotating in behind starters Williams and Jarran Reed, registering six tackles, a pressure, and his first career sack… Well a half sack.
In any case, Murphy has been a major force in the middle of that d-line for Mike Macdonald out in Seattle.
Unfortunately, shortly after, he went down with a hamstring injury during their Week 3 matchup with the Miami Dolphins… and wouldn’t you know—the Seahawks defense has looked considerably worse since!
If he can stay healthy, it looks like he will develop into a true star and a force to be reckoned with on that line for a long time to come.
Bust: Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers
Okay… We are going to have to put asterisks on this one because Xavier Legette was no doubt put into the worst situation of anyone on the list, as he was slotted into one of the worst offenses on one of the worst organizations in the league.
Not to mention that their quarterback room has been in complete disarray all season, with the team seemingly moving on from Bryce Young, their first overall pick just a year earlier.
So far, the 6’ 1” receiver has just 13 catches for 151 yards and one lonely touchdown.
A far cry from the game-breaker that Carolina wanted and desperately needed him to be when they took him 32nd overall out of South Carolina.
Star: Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
Malik Nabers was getting A LOT of attention in recent weeks—and understandably so with how he was carrying the Giants…
But it is no surprise that his former LSU quarterback has snagged the spotlight with a couple of ridiculous performances since. During that torrid stretch, including the Monday Night Football barnburner against the Cincinnati Bengals in which he outdueled Joe Burrow, he threw just six interceptions!
Jayden Daniels isn’t just playing well—he’s thriving! And looking like a star.
He is taking that team down the field over and over again and converting drives into not just points but touchdowns. Over the last two games, Daniels has led 13 scoring drives—10 of them ending in touchdowns.
Those are the kinds of numbers that get you noticed fast.
After some rough decades for this franchise, it is finally a good time to be a Commanders fan, as it looks like hope has been restored!
Daniels is the real deal in D.C., man. The Commanders are fortunate they had the second overall pick and didn’t end up on the Caleb Williams train instead!
Bust: Chop Robinson, DE, Miami Dolphins
Chop Robinson was one of the most polarizing prospects coming out of this year’s draft…
He was billed as a high-risk, high-reward prospect, and so far, the risk is showing more than the reward. The Dolphins took him 21st overall, hoping he’d bring some juice to their pass rush. But through five games, Robinson has just seven tackles and no sacks.
Yes, he has the elite speed and athleticism to hack it at the NFL level—and it convinced Miami to draft him 21st overall, but unfortunately, he has had a hard time getting anything going this season, as the 21-year-old has just seven total tackles as a pro and zero sacks.
Granted, things are a bit of a mess down in Miami, but we were expecting more out of him than this!
The one thing in Robinson’s favor is that Robinson’s early NFL performances echo his time at Penn State, where he was frequently lauded for his ability to disrupt plays, even when it didn’t always show up in the stat sheet.
Robinson had a similar issue at Penn State—he could create pressure but struggled to convert it into sacks. The Dolphins are starting to see that same pattern, and it’s a problem. The talent is there, but Miami needs more than flashes—they need production.
So… maybe the Dolphins are getting what they expected? I don’t know—the whole situation is puzzling.
It will be interesting to see how Robinson’s professional development continues, as transitioning from college to the NFL is challenging, particularly for pass rushers, who face more technically sound offensive linemen, who also happened to be absolute mountains of humans!
Star: Zach Frazier, C, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have looked surprisingly impressive thus far in 2024, rattling off a few nice wins to start the season and having remained competitive since.
And you know what? Their second-round pick, 51st overall, Zach Frazier, has actually been a pretty big part of it.
It looks like the Steelers have found their next great center since Maurkice Pouncey retired in Zach Frazier. Taken 51st overall, Frazier has stepped in and immediately stabilized the interior of the Steelers offensive line in a way that the organization hasn’t seen in some time.
He plays with toughness, intelligence, and the kind of steady presence that coaches love. Frazier’s already making life easier for his teammates, and if he keeps this up, Pittsburgh’s center position is in good hands for a long time.
He seems like a perfect fit for this team and this city.
Bust: Darius Robinson, DE, Arizona Cardinals
Look, maybe Darius Robinson blossoms down the road. He’s got raw athleticism and the tools to be an impact player, but that’s all hypothetical until he actually gets on the field. Right now? The Cardinals needed more, and they needed it faster.
Robinson has been sidelined with a calf injury since the preseason and hasn’t made his regular-season debut yet. Injuries happen, sure. But the problem isn’t just the bad luck—it’s that this pick felt like a reach when they made it.
With Kyler Murray resigned, the Cardinals wanted to be in contention this year… Whether that was realistic or not—spending a first-round pick on a developmental pass rusher who was already seen as a project? That’s a risky move.
And now that he’s missed so much time, it looks like it is sure to backfire.
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