Patriots Sunday: The Early NFL All-Rookie Team

It is still early in the 2024 NFL season. However, there are already some trends with the rookie class after two weeks. The New England Patriots rookies have yet to impress but are far from alone. The three starting rookie quarterbacks are all struggling early, which should surprise nobody at this stage. Drake Maye has played only one drive and is tied for the most touchdown passes with zero.

On offense, some first-round wide receivers, offensive tackles, and a tight end are off to impressive starts. The defense is ahead of the offense at this stage. Nobody should draw major conclusions about any of the rookies yet, but of course, that hasn’t stopped people from doing so.

Below are the 28 members of the NFL All-Rookie Team through two weeks based on their grades from Pro Football Focus. These will be updated at mid-season and again at the end of the year. No New England Patriots players are on the list in this first edition, though there is plenty of time for that to change. The New York Giants lead the way with four selections.

Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter are the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year through Week 2.

All-Rookie Offense

QB – Jayden Daniels (WAS)
RB – Braelon Allen (NYJ)
WR – Malik Nabers (NYG), Marvin Harrison Jr. (ARI), Brian Thomas Jr. (JAX)
TE – Brock Bowers (LV)
LT – Taliese Fuaga (NO)
LG – None
C – Zach Frazier (PIT)
RG – Dominic Puni (SF)
RT – Joe Alt (LAC)

Brock making it happen! #LVvsBAL | 📺 @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/kcKRRfwlfD

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 15, 2024

All-Rookie Defense

DE – Chop Robinson (MIA), Laiatu Latu (IND)
DT – T’Vondre Sweat (TEN)
OLB – Jared Verse (LAR), Chris Braswell (TB)
LB – Darius Muassau (NYG)
CB – Kamari Lassiter (HOU), Andru Phillips (NYG), Kool-Aid McKinstry (NO)
S – Calen Bullock (HOU), Tyler Nubin (NYG)

All-Rookie Special Teams

K – Will Reichard (MIN)
P – Tory Taylor (CHI)
LS – Hogan Hatten (DET)
ST – Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (PHI)
KR – Anthony Gould (IND)
PR – Jha’Quan Jackson (TEN)

LOCKSMITH ON LOCK 🔐

📺: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/ac2b2Vprzu

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 16, 2024

New England has 11 rookies on their 53-man roster. Perhaps a few will work their way onto this roster before the year is over.

Also in Patriots Sunday:

Patriots Fact/Trivia of the Day

The NFL began announcing All-Rookie Teams in 1974. There have been five seasons when the New England Patriots had three or more representatives on the team:

Four selections:
1996 – Terry Glenn (WR), Devin Wyman (DT), Lawyer Milloy (S), Adam Vinatieri (K)

Three selections:
1988 – John Stephens (RB), Tim Goad (DT), Jeff Feagles (P)
1995 – Curtis Martin (RB), Dave Wohlabaugh (C), Ted Johnson (LB)
2003 – Dan Koppen (C), Eugene Wilson (S), Bethel Johnson (KR)
2010 – Rob Gronkowski (TE), Devin McCourty (CB), Zoltan Mesko (P)

Ironically, 1996 was the year Bill Parcells complained about not being able to “shop for the groceries” in New England. It was his last season with the Patriots, who would go on to win the AFC Championship.

Post of the Day

Kirk Herbsteit pulls no punches on his thoughts about players faking injuries to slow down the opposing offense, in this case, the Oklahoma Sooners doing so against the Tennessee Volunteers (courtesy of Awful Announcing):

Kirk Herbstreit had some tough words for players faking injuries after it looked like Oklahoma did that against Tennessee.

"It drives me crazy…It’s not necessarily against the rules but it’s unethical as hell." pic.twitter.com/TSZ0onC4ug

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 22, 2024

Patriots Coverage

Time for the Patriots to Add a Practice Squad Quarterback? – Jacoby Brissett is taking a beat so far. New England seems hesitant to play rookie Drake Maye behind this offensive line. Why not bring in another veteran QB, such as P.J. Walker?

PFF’s Week 3 Patriots Grades Are Unsurprisingly Unfavorable – When a team gets blown out 24-3 there aren’t going to be many honor roll grades. Joshua Uche was one positive for New England but there weren’t enough. So many players scored so poorly that there wasn’t enough time to write up all of them.

Ten Takeaways From the Patriots Thursday Night Football Loss – Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets offense couldn’t be stopped. The New England Patriots offense couldn’t be started. That is not a winning combination.

NFL Coverage

2025 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: DE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee – New England Patriots fans are looking for a left tackle in April’s draft. But if they want to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks,

Bill Belichick Coaching Rumors Have Begun: Jaguars in 2025? – Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence said, “We suck,” after they started 0-2. If the losing continues, could the Jaguars be looking for a new head coach next season? If so, Bill Belichick is likely at the top of their preferred options.

Dan Kelley’s Week 3 Winners and Survivor Pool Picks – Why is an 0-2 team (the Cincinnati Bengals) my lock of the week? And why am I offering advice after going 6-10 in Week 2? Looking for a strong bounce back by picking the winners of all 16 games.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame Nominees Include 21 Patriots – The 167 Modern Era candidates for the Class of 2025 have been announced. The list includes plenty of former New England Patriots. Will any of them get the call to Canton this year? Adam Vinatieri, Rodney Harrison, and Vince Wilfork are among the strongest candidates.

Robert Kraft Belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame – ESPN published a report claiming reasons Kraft has yet to become a Hall of Famer. Those alleged reasons do not compare to all the ways he is deserved. The New England Patriots ten AFC Championships and six Super Bowls under his ownership is just the start.