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.
2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Previously ranked: 4 | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 35
I'm moving Cook here knowing that this is the last time he'll make my Rookie Big Board. He tore his ACL in Week 4, prematurely ending a really solid season in which he was averaging 4.8 yards per carry, ranked No. 3 in the league in rushing yards (354) and had two touchdowns. The Vikings were using him as their workhorse and he was coming along in the passing game, too. Hopefully he'll heal up and we can see him at full strength in 2018. He was my preseason pick to be Offensive Rookie of the Year.
3. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans
Previously ranked: NR | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 34
What, exactly, did Texans coach Bill O'Brien see in Tom Savage to start him Week 1? Watson has been electric since taking over for Savage at halftime of the opener. He had one of the best games of any quarterback this season in Houston's 57-14 win over the Titans in Week 4, with five total touchdowns (four passing) while completing 73.5 percent of his passes. He was constantly evading pressure, too. Watson did have one interception when he tried to force a throw into the end zone at the end of the first half, but he's young, and he's going to make some mistakes. I had a second-round grade on Watson because he could be erratic at times -- he has four picks in three starts -- and I actually had him going to the Texans at pick No. 57 in my two-round mock draft in April (he ended up the 12th overall pick). He has the potential to be a superstar.
4. T.J. Watt, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Previously ranked: 2 | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 48
The younger Watt brother missed most of the Steelers' Week 2 victory over the Vikings and all of the Week 3 loss to the Bears, but he was healthy and disruptive in his return from a groin injury last weekend. He didn't match his season-opening total -- two sacks and an interception vs. the Browns -- but he was active. I noted before the draft that Watt likely would start out as a situational pass-rusher in a 3-4 defense, but he's proving tough to keep off the field.
5. Tre'Davious White, CB, Buffalo Bills
Previously ranked: 5 | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 32
A four-year starter at LSU, White was one of the most consistent prospects I graded in the Class of 2017. He became Buffalo's No. 1 corner after Ronald Darby was traded to the Eagles and has played 98.8 percent of the Bills' defensive snaps so far. White has an interception, a fumble return for a touchdown that helped Buffalo upset Atlanta, and he's broken up six passes. It's been a great start for the No. 27 overall pick.
6. Deatrich Wise, DE, New England Patriots
Previously ranked: 6 | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 189
Wise has been on the field less than Watt -- he's played only 38.4 percent of the Patriots' defensive snaps so far -- but he has two sacks and has held up against the run. The fourth-round pick is tied for third in the league with nine quarterback knockdowns, too. The New England defense has been awful overall, but Wise looks like an early steal. He had 8.5 sacks as a junior at Arkansas before having a down 2016 season with 3.5 sacks.
7. Marshon Lattimore, CB, New Orleans Saints
Previously ranked: 3 | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 9
After dealing with hamstring issues in college and in training camp, Lattimore missed the Saints' third game with a concussion. But he's been outstanding in coverage in his three starts. He was beaten on one over-the-top throw in the Week 2 loss to the Patriots, but every other completion he's allowed has been short. He returned in Week 4 and had five tackles and a forced fumble. Lattimore is a ridiculous athlete. He ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash and had a 38 1/2-inch vertical and 11-foot broad jump at the combine. He also has a really high ceiling. Remember: He started only one season at Ohio State.
8. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Previously ranked: 12 | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 83
Kupp was one of the most physically ready receivers in the 2017 draft. He had an NFL skill set in the slot coming out of Eastern Washington, where he had 428 catches and a whopping 73 receiving touchdowns in his college career. Kupp leads all rookie receivers with 14 catches and 186 receiving yards, and he has two touchdowns.
9. Carl Lawson, DE, Cincinnati Bengals
Previously ranked: NR | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 52
Lawson had a fantastic game against the Packers in Week 3 with 2.5 sacks. The Packers couldn't block him off the edge. The only reason he's this low is because he doesn't have a sack in his other three games, and he's still playing part-time duty. He started last week, but before that he was a pass-rusher in the nickel. Lawson, a former five-star recruit, missed a season and a half at Auburn with injuries, returning as a senior in 2016 with nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. He could be a 10-sack-a-season guy if he stays healthy. And please, Carl, wear a mouthpiece from now on.
10. Kendell Beckwith, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Previously ranked: NR | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 77
The third-round pick out of LSU won a starting job in training camp and hasn't missed a single defensive snap through three games. He leads the team in tackles with 22. Beckwith was a three-year starter for the Tigers, who dropped in the draft because he tore his ACL last November. He looks great so far. The Bucs' defense has been in the middle of the pack, but Tampa has a keeper in Beckwith.
11. Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, New York Giants
Previously ranked: 14 | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 107
Tomlinson has been a reliable presence in the middle of the Giants' defense, playing next to Damon "Snacks" Harrison. What he does isn't going to show up on the stat sheet -- he's more of a plugger than a pass-rusher. But the second-round pick has 14 tackles. He's contributing.
12. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Previously ranked: 13 | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 7
Fournette looked like a first-round pick from the minute he stepped on the field as a freshman at LSU, and he's been heavily involved in the Jaguars' early-season game plan; his 81 carries rank third in the league. The No. 4 overall pick hasn't found many holes behind the offensive line -- he's averaging only 3.5 yards per carry -- but he's an explosive athlete and big runs will come in time (his longest run so far is just 17 yards). Fournette is also showing flashes of potential in the passing game, which he didn't do much of in college. He had his first receiving touchdown in Week 4 and 59 receiving yards.
13. Solomon Thomas, DE, San Francisco 49ers
Previously ranked: NR | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 4
With Tank Carradine on injured reserve, I expect Thomas to climb this list in the coming weeks. Thomas didn't start until Carradine's injury, but he had a great game in Week 4 with a sack and five tackles and he's up to five quarterback knockdowns on the season. Thomas played like a veteran at Stanford in 2016, causing disruptions in both the running and passing games. He's also big enough that he can move to tackle in passing situations and get after quarterbacks.
14. Jourdan Lewis, CB, Dallas Cowboys
Previously ranked: NR | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 49
Lewis had a slow start getting on the field because of a hamstring injury, but I like what I've seen since he missed the season opener. The Cowboys have had injury issues, thrusting Lewis into a role quickly. But he's sticky in coverage and doesn't allow many yards after the catch. He has an interception and 15 tackles so far. Lewis is undersized at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, but he plays bigger. He was my sixth-ranked cornerback in the class.
15. Jonathan Allen, DL, Washington Redskins
Previously ranked: NR | Final 2017 Big Board rank: 2
Like Thomas, I could see Allen rising up this list soon. He's only played 52.1 percent of Washington's defensive snaps so far, some at tackle and some at end, and he has a sack and 10 tackles. The Redskins will find more ways to use him. Allen is a versatile disruptor who will make plays against the run and pass. Take it from his coach, Jay Gruden, who said this last week: "He just hasn't scratched the surface of his own potential yet."
Best of the rest
16. Zach Cunningham, ILB, Houston Texans: Cunningham has notched 18 total tackles while starting in place of the suspended Brian Cushing.
17. Pat Elflein, C, Minnesota Vikings: Elflein has played 100 percent of the snaps at center for an improved offensive line.
18. Jamal Adams, S, New York Jets: Adams has 16 tackles and one sack for the surprising 2-2 Jets.
19. Garett Bolles, OT, Denver Broncos: Bolles was plugged into the Broncos' starting lineup at left tackle on Day 1.
20. Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears: Cohen leads the team in targets with 29 -- nine more than tight end Zach Miller -- while averaging 6.0 yards per carry on his 30 rushes. He's also returning punts.
21. Marcus Williams, S, New Orleans Saints: Williams has one interception and 17 tackles for a recently improved Saints defense.
22. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers: McCaffrey has 22 catches for 206 yards, but he's averaging only 2.9 yards per carry on 31 rushes.
23. Malik Hooker, S, Indianapolis Colts: Hooker has three interceptions in three starts, but he has to get more physical as a tackler.
24. Ryan Ramczyk, OT, New Orleans Saints: Ramczyk hasn't missed a snap while filling in at left tackle for the injured Terron Armstead.
25. Cam Robinson, OT, Jacksonville Jaguars: Robinson hasn't missed a snap, and the Jags are averaging 148.3 rushing yards per game.
26. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints: Kamara has 20 catches for 147 yards and one rushing touchdown while stirring debate about whether future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson is worth a roster spot.
27. Xavier Woods, S, Dallas Cowboys: The sixth-round pick could see more time with Dallas' defensive back issues.
28. Marcus Maye, S, New York Jets: Maye has 19 tackles while playing every snap for the Jets' defense.
29. Jarrad Davis, MLB, Detroit Lions: A concussion and neck injury forced Davis to miss the past two games, but he had 15 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery in the first two games.
30. Larry Ogunjobi, DT, Cleveland Browns: Ogunjobi has nine tackles in only 76 snaps in the Browns' line rotation.