Rookies! They're everywhere when we talk about the NFL. They get their own awards at the end of the year -- they even get their own awards every month.
But what about last year's rookies? They've disappeared into the pool of veterans, but the second season can mean a lot to developing players. So how are they doing?
I've picked out a top player at each position based on a combination of advanced stats from Football Outsiders, ESPN Stats & Information and Sports Info Solutions. Some players make great strides in Year 2 after a forgettable Year 1, and others just continue the momentum they built.
These are the players having the best second seasons through the halfway point of the 2022 campaign.
QUARTERBACK
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Your choice for the best second-year quarterback comes down to how much you value a signal-caller's ground gains compared with his passing ability.
Lawrence has had a very typical second-year season, with an expected improvement. He's a normal quarterback, mostly gaining yardage through the air -- he ranks 16th in both Football Outsiders' passing DVOA and ESPN's Total QBR.
Then there is Justin Fields, whose running ability is dynamic and game-changing. Total QBR really likes quarterback rushing because those runs tend to have very high EPA (expected points added) value. So QBR has Fields higher than Lawrence, putting him 11th overall.
However, Fields has not been a good passer overall this year -- at all. He ranks dead last in passing DVOA among qualifying quarterbacks and 31st in the passing value incorporated into QBR. Even since he started playing much better in a Week 7 win over New England, Fields still has minus-8.7% passing DVOA. If Fields can play like this the rest of the season, the running value will more than outweigh that slightly below-average passing performance.
But if we're naming an all-sophomore team based on the whole season so far and not just the past month, I'm going to give the quarterback slot to Lawrence.
RUNNING BACK
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Football Outsiders stats put Stevenson and Jacksonville's Travis Etienne Jr. very close together.
Etienne has 94 combined rushing and receiving DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement), while Stevenson has 63. However, Sports Info Solutions' total points metric loves Stevenson, rating him the No. 3 running back of the season, behind Josh Jacobs and Nick Chubb.
What does total points see about Stevenson's 2022 performance? First of all, if yards before contact is any indication, Etienne is getting better blocking. After all, ESPN's analytics has the Patriots at a dismal 31st in run block win rate. Etienne averages 2.8 yards before contact and 2.7 yards after contact. Stevenson averages just 1.4 yards before contact but a higher 3.4 yards after contact. In addition, Stevenson has more receiving production on fewer routes run, with 1.43 yards per route run compared with 1.19 YPRR for Etienne.
It's worth noting that both Stevenson and Etienne are probably not quite as good as they have looked this year, as each back has faced a fairly easy schedule of opposing run defenses.
WIDE RECEIVER
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
Waddle is impressive in standard stats, with 51 catches for 878 yards and six touchdowns. He's even more impressive in our advanced metrics, currently No. 1 in receiving DVOA (value per play) and No. 2 in receiving DYAR (total value) behind teammate Tyreek Hill. They would be the first pair of teammates to finish 1-2 in receiving DYAR since Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne in 2006.
I will note that Ja'Marr Chase (75) and DeVonta Smith (69) do better than Waddle (65) in ESPN analytics' new Receiver Tracking Metrics. But it's hard to argue with just how productive Waddle has been through the first half of this season.
TIGHT END
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
The Steelers' Pat Freiermuth has more catches and yards than Pitts this season, and he ranks above Pitts in Football Outsiders' DVOA and DYAR stats.
However, the Football Outsiders stats are based on all targets, and Pitts' problem is that he gets thrown a lot of uncatchable balls. Sports Info Solutions lists Pitts with only 29 catchable passes on 53 targets. Freiermuth has 41 catchable passes on 55 targets. Part of the difference is where they are getting these passes thrown to them. Freiermuth's average depth of target is 8.3 yards, a little higher than the average for tight ends (6.9). But Pitts' average depth of target is 14.7 yards, by far the highest among tight ends. So Pitts is making fewer catches, but he's doing it on much more difficult passes.
Pitts also has significantly improved his run-blocking this season, lining up more often as a standard in-line tight end and playing a role in the Atlanta running game, which ranks eighth in the NFL in DVOA.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions
We'll take Sewell narrowly over Minnesota's Christian Darrisaw because he's been the better all-around blocker this season. Sewell ranks 22nd in pass block win rate and 19th in run block win rate among tackles. Darrisaw is better on runs (11th in RBWR) but much lower on passes (43rd in PBWR). The one downside on Sewell is that he has five penalties, while Darrisaw only has one.
INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE
Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs
Humphrey ranks third among all centers in ESPN's PBWR and second in RBWR. He's earned only two penalties, while Sports Info Solutions has only charged him with nine blown blocks -- and only three on pass plays.
INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE
Osa Odighizuwa, Dallas Cowboys
This is not the strongest position for the class of 2021. Christian Barmore is probably the best of last year's interior defensive linemen, but he has played only three games this year due to injury. Odighizuwa is clearly having the best season out of the healthy defensive linemen. He's not racking up tons of stats -- just two sacks, six hurries and 17 run tackles -- but he plays an important role in a very good defense.
EDGE RUSHER
Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
The only question with Parsons is whether we should be listing him as an edge rusher or an off-ball linebacker. As a rookie, he played more off the ball. This year, he's been more of an edge rusher. Parsons is tied for sixth in the league with 8.0 sacks. He leads all defenders with a 30.1% PRWR and 37 hurries, according to ESPN Stats & Information charting.
OFF-BALL LINEBACKER
Nick Bolton, Kansas City Chiefs
Pete Werner of the New Orleans Saints has improved this year and is the better linebacker in coverage, with just 4.0 yards allowed per target.
But Bolton has been the better linebacker overall. He has a role in a higher percentage of his team's plays (17% vs. 15% for Werner) and fewer broken tackles (just two vs. seven for Werner). He also has 16 defeats -- a stat combining turnovers, tackles for loss and plays to prevent conversion on third or fourth down. Werner has 10.
CORNERBACK
Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos
This is a much harder choice than you might realize because Tyson Campbell of the Jaguars has been phenomenal this year. Compare Campbell to Surtain, according to Sports Info Solutions charting:
Which is worth more? Campbell's two interceptions and bigger role in stopping the run? Or Surtain's lower yardage allowed and slightly better ability to prevent quarterbacks from throwing his way in the first place? I lean toward Surtain, who is part of a better overall defense in Denver, but this is really close, and both players deserve All-Pro consideration.
SAFETY
Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco 49ers
You may remember Hufanga from our preseason Top 25 Prospects list of lower-drafted players ready for a breakout. And he certainly has broken out big, making big plays right from the start of the 2022 season. Hufanga leads all defensive backs this year with 15 defeats. He's second among safeties in Sports Info Solutions' Total Points metric, behind only Budda Baker of the Cardinals. Hufanga excels against both passes (5.1 yards allowed per target) and runs (average depth of tackle just 3.7 yards, second among safeties with at least 20 run tackles).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Zech McPhearson, Philadelphia Eagles
None of the second-year specialists really deserve accolades this season. Evan McPherson was a hero of the Bengals' AFC Championship run last season but has negative value on field goals and extra points this season. So does Detroit kicker Riley Patterson. Pittsburgh punter Pressley Harvin is near the bottom of the league in gross punt average.
So, let's bring some attention to Eagles cornerback Zech McPhearson, who currently has seven special teams tackles, one behind the league leaders.