NFL rookies made a major impact for their teams during Week 7 of the 2022 schedule. A former Heisman finalist, running back Kenneth Walker helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to a win over the Los Angeles Chargers and first place in the NFC West.
Over in the AFC, a certain cornerback for a surprising New York Jets team continues to do his thing. These are among the five NFL rookies who showed out the most during Week 7.
Related: Top NFL rookies on each side of the ball
Sauce Gardner, cornerback, New York Jets
Sauce Gardner is intent on making a weekly appearance on this list. We knew all about his coverage skills dating back to the cornerback’s days with the Cincinnati Bearcats. But as a rookie corner, most figured there would be initial struggles for the No. 4 overall pick. That just has not been the case.
Gardner entered Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos having yielded a 55% completion and 68.7 QB rating when targeted. Nothing Broncos backup quarterback Brett Rypien did in Week 7 when targeting Gardner worked. The youngster recorded four passes defended, including pretty much a game-ending pass break up on Courtland Sutton late in the fourth quarter.
Gardner already looks to be that shutdown guy as evidenced by Sutton catching a total of three passes for 23 yards on nine targets with this rookie as his primary cover guy on Sunday.
Related: NFL rookies who showed out during Week 6
Quay Walker, linebacker, Green Bay Packers
A first-round pick of Green Bay back in April, Walker had struggled to an extent through the first six weeks of the season. Primarily, the issues were in coverage and adjusting to the speed of the professional game.
Despite Green Bay’s ugly loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Walker showed why he was a first-round pick in the process. The Georgia product was all over the field, making play-after play.
Walker finished the afternoon with 13 tackles, two fackles for loss, two quarterback hits and a pass defended. His ability to go sideline-to-sideline while making plays at all levels of the defense stood out big time as Walker was among the most-impressive NFL rookies in Week 7.
Related: Ranking NFL defenses heading into Week 8
Sam Williams, EDGE, Dallas Cowboys
Williams fell to the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft due to some major off-field concerns during his time at Mississippi State. On the field, the edge rusher was certainly a first-round talent. It was all about him maturing in his personal life and overcoming these issues.
Thus far as a rookie, everything seems to be fine off the field. This has translated to his performance as a part-time player on a good Cowboys defense. The Detroit Lions found that out first hand on Sunday.
Despite playing only 14 snaps on defense, Williams registered three tackles, two QB hits, two tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. That seems pretty damn good. For Williams, this is pretty much the first time all season he’s been able to make an impact on the field. And in reality, it could be a major boon for Dallas moving forward.
Related: NFL rookies who showed out during Week 5
Kenneth Walker, running back, Seattle Seahawks
What can we say about Walker’s performance in Seattle’s blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers? One term comes to mind. Eye-opening. The reigning Heisman finalist and second-round pick of the Seahawks was on another level as Seattle moved to 4-3 on the season.
- Kenneth Walker stats (Week 7): 23 attempts, 168 yards, 7.3 average, 2 TD
This included Walker pretty much putting the game away with a 74-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Since Rashaad Penny went down with a season-ending injury back in Week 4, Walker has provide Pete Carroll and Co. a completely new element on offense.
Over the course of the past three games, this Michigan State product has tallied 368 total yards and four touchdowns. With New York Jets stud Breece Hall now lost for the season, Walker is among the NFL rookies who could earn top honors when all is said and done.
Jaquan Brisker, safety, Chicago Bears
Brisker entered Monday night’s game against the New England Patriots having yielded a 31.3% completion and 40.9 QB rating when targeted. Opposing quarterbacks had targeted him 16 times for a total of 49 yards. New England found out first-hand on Monday what this dude was capable of.
Brisker joins an elite-level Bears rookie class that has performed extremely well under first-year head coach Matt Eberflus through seven games. He looks like a legitimate Pro Bowl performer as a rookie. That’s not hyperbole.