The ranking from my 2019 NFL Draft Big Board is listed in parenthesis.

 

Josh Allen, Jaguars DE (1)

Last week (v HOU)

2 tackles

Season stats

25 tackles, 7.0 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 2 forced fumbles

Allen was unable to get to Deshaun Watson for a sack last week in London, but he recorded a pressure that would have brought down an ordinary quarterback, and Houston threw it a season-low 28 times. Also, the rookie threw down DeAndre Hopkins in space for one of his tackles to help prevent a scoring drive at the end of the first half before the Texans pulled away in the final 30 minutes. Allen heads into the bye with 7.0 sacks in nine games.

 

Christian Wilkins, Dolphins DL (3)

Last week (v NYJ)

5 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 tackle for loss

Season stats

28 tackles, 1.0 sack, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass defended

The Dolphins won their first game of the season last week, and Wilkins was a big reason why—including an early sack (the first of his career) on third down that pushed a field goal back and resulted in a miss on an attempt that would have put the Jets up 10-0. The protection wasn’t great by New York on the play, but Wilkins shed two blockers and showed great pursuit by getting to Sam Darnold. Overall, Miami should be very excited about their first-round pick, and it was fitting that he poured Gatorade on head coach Brian Flores in his first career win.

 

Deandre Baker, Giants CB (6)

Last week (v DAL)

5 tackles, 1 pass defended

Season stats

37 tackles, 3 passes defended

A big mistake for Baker on Monday night came when he allowed Amari Cooper to get loose on a busted coverage and score, but besides that, he played a lot better than people think. Two penalties on the Georgia product were both phantom calls, and Baker continues to show good effort by ranking eighth among all rookies in tackles.

 

Dexter Lawrence, Giants DL (7)

Last week (v DAL)

2 tackles, 1 tackle for loss

Season stats

24 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 blocked kick

The new-look defensive line for New York (with Leonard Williams on the team) wasn’t able to stop Ezekiel Elliott in Week 9, but that had more to do with weakness at inside linebacker than it did ineffectiveness of the “hog mollies” up front. If the Giants are able to get a stud for the middle of their defense, things could turn around quickly for them.

 

A.J. Brown, Titans WR (9)

Last week (@ CAR)

4 receptions, 81 yards

Season stats

26 receptions, 429 yards, 3 touchdowns // 1 rush, -2 yards

Brown has seen at least seven targets in two-of-three games since Ryan Tannehill took over at quarterback, and he showed his all-around game last week by getting deep for an over-the-shoulder catch and showing his elusiveness on a screen pass. I would have liked to see the offense opened up when Marcus Mariota was under center, but we’ll see if the Tannehill-to-Brown connection can carry Tennessee to an unlikely victory over Kansas City this weekend.

 

Brian Burns, Panthers OLB (10)

Last week (v TEN)

No statistics recorded

Season stats

15 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 touchdown

Despite playing the second-highest snap rate of the season (71%), Burns was held out of the box score for the second week in a row, but I think the wrist injury is impacting him more than a “rookie wall” might be. Green Bay had some breakdowns in pass protection last week against the Chargers, so we’ll see if Burns can get back on track with a takedown of Aaron Rodgers in Week 10.

 

Daniel Jones, Giants QB (18)

Last week (v DAL)

26/41 (63.4%), 210 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT // 6 attempts, 54 yards

Season stats

62.6%, 1,676 yards, 11 TD, 8 INT // 29 attempts, 188 yards, 2 TD

I said last week that the Giants offense would be a full strength with Sterling Shepard (concussion) cleared to return, but he unfortunately had a setback, so Jones continued to operate with less than a full supporting cast—and it’s even thinner now with Evan Engram (foot) injured. Still, the No. 6 overall pick had a quality game against Dallas on Monday night, and Jones will continue to improve if the offensive line comes together and he learns to get rid of the ball quicker. I’m expecting a big game against the Jets on Sunday.

 

Justin Layne, Steelers CB (19)

Last week (v IND)

No statistics recorded

Season stats

1 tackle

Layne was again a healthy inactive in Week 9, and he will have a difficult time getting on the field with everyone in the secondary playing so well since the team acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick.

 

Jaquan Johnson, Bills S (23)

Last week (v WAS)

No statistics recorded

Season stats

2 tackles

Johnson continues to play the bulk of special teams snaps for the Bills, and it’s only a matter of time before he makes an impact play. The Miami kid will need to get used to the cold/snow in Buffalo, but it was funny to see him bundled up for an indoor practice this week.

 

Chase Winovich, Patriots DE (32)

Last week (@ BAL)

1 tackle

Season stats

11 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 touchdown

The two biggest games of the season for New England (@ BUF, @ BAL) were spots where Winovich barely played, so the rookie clearly has to make more progress to be a bigger factor off the edge by January. Following the Week 10 bye, Winovich will get a string of tough matchups against Jason Peters, Tyron Smith, and Laremy Tunsil.