10 NFL rookies we can’t wait to watch in 2024, ranked

Every NFL season features top rookies to watch, especially those who come out of the gate firing. CJ Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., and Jalen Carter all shined during their initial NFL campaigns a year ago. Now, the likes of Caleb Williams, Malik Nabers, and Jared Verse hope to do the same as first-round rookies.

However, not every top rookie during the 2024 NFL season will have been a first-round pick. Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua went from the final fifth-round selection to a record-setting wideout. Teammate Kobie Turner, the 89th overall pick, tallied nine sacks on a surprising Rams team. Which rookies will find the same success as first-year players in 2024?

NFL rookies to watch in 2024

Who are the best rookies to watch during the 2024 NFL season? We’ve identified 10 who you should keep an eye on, from first-round picks to third-round gems. We’ve ranked players based on where they were selected in April’s draft, so keep reading to see if your favorite team’s later-round picks cracked our list! 

1. Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears (1st overall pick)

The Chicago Bears have sought a franchise quarterback for decades, with recent contenders Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields failing to make it past their rookie contracts. (And the less said about Jay Cutler’s Windy City tenure, the better.) Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner at Southern California, is the latest to try his hand at making it long-term in Chicago. 

Asking NFL rookies to win MVP borders on the impossible; as of 2024, that hasn’t happened since Jim Brown in 1957. However, Williams is an immensely talented player on a team with no shortage of offensive playmakers. 

We’ll see if the Bears’ risky decision to retain head coach Matt Eberflus holds Williams back in his rookie campaign. Luckily for Williams, the 2022 All-American will be throwing to veteran D.J. Moore, who tallied a career-high 96 catches and 1,364 yards in 2023, and fellow rookie Rome Odunze. 

2. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants (6th overall pick)

Speaking of rookie receivers, Nabers is already impressing in New York, where he hopes to become the Giants’ first legitimate No. 1 wideout since Odell Beckham Jr. Nabers, who will play his entire rookie season at 21 years old, departed Baton Rouge as the Tigers’ all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,003. 

The Giants need immediate results from Nabers, especially with quarterback Daniel Jones potentially on the hot seat again. If all goes to plan, Nabers will be a star in New York, and Big Blue will be back in the playoffs. If not? Well, let’s try to keep things positive … for now. 

3. Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos (12th overall pick)

Much like the Bears, the Broncos have spent much of the last decade in quarterback purgatory. Long gone are the likes of Paxton Lynch, Case Keenum, Russell Wilson, and even Kendall Hinton. Next up to the plate is Bo Nix, the ex-Auburn and Oregon standout who parlayed a stellar final collegiate season into a first-round selection. 

Nix arrives in Denver needing to beat out veteran journeyman Jarrett Stidham and former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson for the Broncos’ starting quarterback job. Head coach Sean Payton may want patience, but don’t expect Broncos fans to listen if Nix opens Week 1 holding a clipboard. 

4. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders (13th overall pick)

Brock Bowers dominated opposing defenses at Georgia, becoming the first two-time John Mackey Award winner during his time in Athens. Despite his versatility and a proven track record, Bowers fell to the 13th overall pick, where new Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce happily added the 21-year-old to an offense desperately needing additional playmakers.

We feel for opposing defenses who will need to gameplan against Bowers and perennial All-Pro receiver Davante Adams. It’s too bad that the Raiders still seek a franchise quarterback—unless Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew plans on staking their claim on the title.

5. Jared Verse, DE, Los Angeles Rams (19th overall pick)

After years of speculation, legendary Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald retired following the 2023 campaign. It’d be unfair—and likely inaccurate—to suggest Verse, who began his career at Albany before transferring to Florida State, is Donald’s replacement, let alone capable of filling the eight-time All-Pro-sized hole in the Rams’ trenches.

Nonetheless, Verse arrives in L.A. with monumental expectations as the Rams’ first first-round selection since 2016. Sean McVay’s squad will have an excellent chance at reaching the playoffs for the fourth time in five years if Verse contributes in his rookie year. 

6. Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers (31st overall pick)

Few, if any, had Pearsall—who began his college career at Arizona State before transferring to Florida ahead of the 2022 season—going in the first round. Shows what we know! Pearsall recorded 65 catches, 965 yards, and four touchdowns in his final collegiate campaign, proving himself to be a reliable option on a mediocre Gators team. 

With Brandon Aiyuk’s long-term future uncertain amid a contract dispute, the 49ers may need Pearsall to make his name heard earlier than intended. Good news for the reigning NFC champions: Pearsall earned rave reviews throughout the pre-draft process for his hands. 

7. Cooper DeJean, CB, Philadelphia Eagles (40th overall pick)

The Eagles went all-in on cornerbacks during the 2024 draft, using their first-round pick on Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell before adding Cooper DeJean less than 20 selections later. A unanimous All-American selection in 2023, DeJean dazzled at corner and punt returner during his time in Iowa.

We’ll see how and where the Eagles intend on using DeJean, who doesn’t turn 22 until February 9. Could he celebrate his birthday with a Super Bowl victory in New Orleans?

8. Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals (66th overall pick)

Benson wasn’t the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL Draft—that honor went to ex-Texas Longhorn standout Jonathon Brooks, the 46th overall pick by the Carolina Panthers—but we’re nonetheless keeping our eyes on the former Florida State Seminole. The 6-foot, 216-pound Benson rushed for 1,918 yards and 24 touchdowns over two seasons in Tallahassee.

Although James Conner registered a career-high 1,040 rushing yards in 2023, the two-time Pro Bowler is earning his age-29 campaign and has never played a full season. Don’t be surprised to see Benson earning significant carries by midseason, especially if a healthy Kyler Murray and the Cardinals are in the playoff push. 

9. Junior Colson, LB, Los Angeles Chargers (69th overall pick)

Despite moving from Michigan to California, Junior Colson should feel right at home in his rookie year. The two-time All-Big Ten linebacker is reunited with Jim Harbaugh, his former college head coach who returned to the NFL and took over the Chargers earlier this year. 

“Colson is a tough guy with good stopping power and can handle himself in coverage. He projects as a good three-down linebacker, but improving block recognition and taking a few more chances could elevate him into the next tier at the position,” NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein wrote during a pre-draft scouting report.

That worked for Harbaugh at Michigan, and it should work for him yet again, this time at the sport’s highest level. First, though, Colson will need to make it back to the field after undergoing an appendectomy early in training camp. 

10. Luke McCaffrey, WR, Washington Commanders (100th overall pick)

49ers superstar and Madden NFL 25 cover athlete Christian McCaffrey has some familiar company in the pros now, albeit across the country. The Washington Commanders used a fourth-round selection on CMC’s younger brother, Luke, a quarterback-turned-receiver who finished his college career at Rice. 

McCaffrey ended his college career in excellent fashion, hauling in 71 catches, 992 yards, and 13 touchdowns on a 6-7 Rice team. Now, the 6-foot-2, 198-pound receiver takes his talents to Washington, where he and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels look to turn around a longtime moribund franchise. Good luck! 

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