New for the 2025 NFL season, PFSN is grading players at every position with our series of Impact Grades. These metrics are tailored to each position and aim to measure the impact of a player’s individual contributions on the game.
Using a traditional grading system scale, players are ranked at their position based on a weighted average of a series of position-specific metrics. An exactly average performance will get a 75 overall grade, which translates to a C on the grading scale.
Each week, PFSN will present the highest-graded rookie at each position with analysis on why that player excelled. Below, we take a look at the first-year players who led the way in Week 3.
QB: Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
(69.9, D+)
On the bright side, the first overall pick has shown improvement in every game so far. Cam Ward’s QB Impact grades have risen from 63.7 in Week 1 to 69.7 in Week 2 and 69.9 in Week 3. His EPA per dropback figures have followed a similar ascending trend, rising from -0.41 to -0.21 and -0.19 this week.
Cam Ward is a GIFTED playmaker.
If you think he’s gonna stop make these throws, you’re simply wrong.
AND HE SHOULDN’T. #TitanUp pic.twitter.com/5AEZHEp5XT
— TicTacTitans (@TicTacTitans) September 24, 2025
Of course, none of those are particularly strong figures, and Ward’s propensity to hold the ball (fourth-longest average time to throw at 2.89 seconds) and problems handling pressure (29th in pressured EPA/dropback with -0.58) have been a toxic combination to date. With Jaxson Dart getting the starting call for the Giants, this will be the last week Ward earns Rookie QB of the Week by default.
RB: Cam Skattebo, New York Giants
(89.3, B+)
Cam Skattebo was actually the top-ranked running back after Sunday’s games, and finished second overall after David Montgomery’s outburst on Monday Night Football. Skattebo’s 89.3 RBi grade is the second-highest by a Giants RB over the last decade. Saquon Barkley recorded a 91.6 in the 2019 season-opener vs the Cowboys.
The fourth-rounder was effectively New York’s entire offense in compiling 121 scrimmage yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. Skattebo’s bruising style led to a league-leading 90% elusive rate in Week 3 (meaning percentage of carries that 4+ yards before contact or 5+ yards after contact). And his contributions in the receiving game resulted in the second-highest yards per route run among running backs, trailing only D’Andre Swift (who had a 41-yard catch to inflate his total).
WR: Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(80.6, B-)
The early Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite had another stellar game for the 3-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Emeka Egbuka didn’t reach the end zone after scoring three times in the first two games, but garnered a massive 34.8% on-field target share (third-highest among WRs in Week 3) and maintained his efficiency with 3.7 yards per route run (sixth-best).
That combination of volume and productivity has led Egbuka to rank sixth in receiving EPA this season. With Mike Evans (hamstring) out multiple weeks and Chris Godwin working his way back from last year’s devastating ankle injury, a player who seemed like a luxury pick in April has suddenly become Tampa Bay’s WR1.
TE: Jackson Hawes, Buffalo Bills
(76.7, C)
The third-string Buffalo Bills tight end finished just ahead of Tyler Warren (76.4) for top rookie tight end honors this week. Warren is the highest-graded tight end for the entire season and comes with a much flashier receiving profile than Hawes, who gets this honor despite recording just one catch for five yards (albeit a touchdown).
Hawes has benefited from Buffalo using 13 personnel at the fourth-highest rate (9.2%) this season. His receiving efficiency is skewed by catching a touchdown on his only target, but he also posted a superior run-blocking grade to Warren while not allowing a pressure in pass protection, giving the fifth-rounder the slightest of edges.
OL: Tate Ratledge, Detroit Lions
(86.2, B)
Tate Ratledge was not only the highest-graded rookie offensive lineman this week, but ranked third overall among all OL behind Penei Sewell (88.8) and O’Cyrus Torrence (86.7). The Lions right guard earned the sixth-highest run-blocking grade among all offensive linemen this week, paving the way for Detroit’s 224-yard night on the ground.
Ratledge also allowed only one pressure on 30 dropbacks, his best pass protection performance in three games. Right guard felt like a potential weakness in Detroit after steady veteran Kevin Zeitler departed in free agency, but Ratledge has looked like a worthy successor early in his career.
EDGE: Nic Scourton, Carolina Panthers
(78.0, C+)
It wasn’t exactly a standout week for rookie edge rushers, with none ranking in the top 30. So after the Carolina Panthers’ best defensive game in years, it’s fitting that one of their Day 2 draft picks gets the spotlight.
Nic Scourton didn’t have a sack, but recorded a pair of pressures and a batted pass in the Panthers’ 30-0 shutout over the Atlanta Falcons. It’s progress for the second-rounder, who played more snaps in Week 3 (56) than he did the first two weeks combined (36).
DT: Mason Graham, Cleveland Browns
(84.1, B)
Mason Graham was the fourth-highest graded defensive tackle this week, behind only Daron Payne, Cameron Heyward, and Quinnen Williams. The Cleveland Browns rookie was one of several defenders who shined in the team’s stunning upset over the Green Bay Packers.
Graham’s four pressures were tied for seventh-most at the position, and his overall 16.7% pressure rate ranked top 15. However, Graham gets extra points because three of his pressures were tracked as quick pressures (within 2.75 seconds), which are typically more impactful and reflective of the pass rusher’s individual contribution. He also held Green Bay to 1.5 yards per carry on his two run tackles.
LB: Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns
(77.8, C+)
Each of the Browns’ first two draft picks from April made this week’s All-Rookie Team. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger was the 23rd-ranked linebacker overall in Week 3, finishing with an above-average C+ grade in the Browns’ first win.
Schwesinger struggled a bit in coverage (117.7 passer rating on four targets), but had a sack and a pair of pressures as a blitzer. In addition, he contributed six tackles in the run game, holding Green Bay to 2.7 yards per carry on his run tackles.
CB: Trey Amos, Washington Commanders
(88.0, B+)
Trey Amos is the top-graded rookie cornerback for a second straight week. The Washington Commanders’ second-rounder is sixth among all CBs early on, as he’s building a case for more playing time.
Amos had a pass break-up on his only target in 18 coverage snaps. For the season, the Ole Miss product has the same number of forced incompletions (four) as receptions allowed (four). He’s played only 63.6% of the snaps to date, and could eventually be in line for more given that Marshon Lattimore has missed at least seven games each of the past three seasons.
S: Malachi Moore, New York Jets
(76.7, C)
A fourth-round safety, Malachi Moore got his first career start in Week 3 and delivered with a solid performance. Moore did have a missed tackle, but deterred targets and didn’t allow a catch on his only target as the primary defender in coverage.
It was a significant step forward from his 66.2 Safety Impact grade in Week 2, which was the third-lowest grade that week. With Tony Adams dealing with a hip injury, Moore could get a chance to build on his positive step forward in a favorable matchup against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
