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Oct 22, 2024

Grading NFL rookie QBs, other young signal-callers after Week 7: Bo Nix, Anthony Richardson struggle - CBSSports.com

Bo Nix is completing under 62% of his passes in a Sean Payton quick-throw heavy offense, but the Broncos are winning football games. The Colts have an identical 4-3 record to that of the Broncos, but

Bo Nix is completing under 62% of his passes in a Sean Payton quick-throw heavy offense, but the Broncos are winning football games. The Colts have an identical 4-3 record to that of the Broncos, but their young passer, Anthony Richardson, is having even more problems placing the football accuracy to all levels of the field.

On the flip side, in Week 7, C.J. Stroud looked to have one of his worst performances to date in the NFL. But despite not throwing for 100 yards in the close loss to the Packers, individually, the second-year passer was very sharp and combating a relentless Green Bay pass rush reasonably well.

There were seven quarterbacks selected in the past two NFL Draft classes who saw considerable playing time during a tightly contested Week 7. Let's dive deep into the individual efforts of each quarterback and assign a grade on a per-snap basis, taking every individual aspect of their performance into account.

(At least 10 attempts were needed to qualify for this piece, which comes out weekly on Tuesdays.)

Week 7 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: The Broncos absolutely trounced the Saints in New Orleans, but this was not a stellar game from Nix by any stretch of the imagination. He is eluding pressure reasonably well, but the accuracy and decision-making are still not to requisite levels. Sean Payton is doing a lot of heavy lifting to keep this offense afloat.

Grade: DSeason Grade: C-

Week 7 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: While there were more impressive throws than negative ones, this wasn't a spectacular performance from the rookie in London. He did a fine job executing the easy plays, and there were a few glimpses of his premier talent.

Grade: C-Season Grade: C-

Week 7 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: This is one of those games when the isolated quarterback performance was clearly better than the statistics. Stroud was under duress all game, as the Packers were super-aggressive dialing up blitz after blitz and usually getting home. But the Texans quarterback performed at a reasonably high level for most of his narrow defeat.

Grade: B+Season Grade: B-

Week 7 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Richardson had severe accuracy problems in this game. The misses were well off target. And the connections were few and far between. But he mostly kept the ball out of harm's way. But the ball-placement struggles are the main reason Richardson gets a low grade for this performance.

Grade: D+Season Grade: C-

Week 7 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Only 10 attempts for O'Connell in this one before his injury flared. Not much impressive from the outing, and he missed on two throws.

Grade: C-Season Grade: C

Week 7 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: This game got out of hand in a hurry for Rattler and the Saints. And the second throw that was nearly picked foreshadowed a very challenging game, at home, for the rookie. His offensive line did him no favors, neither did a rag-tag group of receivers that had problems separating all evening.

Grade: DSeason Grade: D+

Week 6 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: The fact that Thompson-Robinson was thrown into the middle of this game is the only thing keeping this grade from sinking into the "F" range. He had problems with easy layups underneath, took hits in the pocket, and was inaccurate down the field in the few instances he attempted to stretch the defense vertically.

Grade: DSeason Grade: D

Who's the favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after seven weeks? It seems to be a two-man race between Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. Check out the latest odds over at FanDuel sportsbook.