Time for an update of my ranking of the top rookies in the NFL. Before we get to the list that features one rookie quarterback vaulting toward the top, let's get to another rookie QB who will make his NFL debut in Week 5.
Mitchell Trubisky is raw. He started 13 games at North Carolina. The Bears don't have a lot of weapons around him. But just watch -- Trubisky is going to make plays. He's more mobile than Mike Glennon, and he needs to keep turnovers to a minimum, unlike Glennon, who had eight in his four starts. I'm excited to see him in regular-season action.
Back to the Rookie Big Board. I'm also including the rankings of where each player landed on my final top 300 prospects list before the 2017 draft. There are 13 first-round picks in the 30 listed below.
Here are the parameters (same as always):
This is a measure for all games played this season, not just last week.
Total snap count matters. Staying on the field is a measure of value.
Positional value matters, but overall performance and impact on the team matter more.
Relative value matters. I ask: Would this player be a starter on most teams or on a good team?
1. Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Previously ranked: 1 | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 82
Did you expect someone else at No. 1? Hunt might be the league MVP through the first quarter of the season. He's the NFL's leading rusher (502 yards) -- by 140 yards. He's averaging 7.4 yards per carry. And he has six total touchdowns. What I liked about the third-round pick from Toledo is that he was involved in the passing game in college; he had 41 catches for 403 yards in 2016. He already has 13 catches for 157 yards and two TDs in Kansas City, and he's a big reason why the Chiefs are undefeated.
