Benwikere and Bemjamin

From ESPN

We're a couple of weeks into the new NFL season and have gotten our first real taste of new faces in new places. Between free agents and this year's rookie class, there have been some impressive performances in unfamiliar jerseys.

Let's take a look at the top 10 through the first two weeks of the NFL season.

Albert
1. Branden Albert, Miami Dolphins
Albert was linked to Miami for at least a year before finally coming over in a big free-agent deal this past offseason (five years, $46 million) to become their new left tackle. He has been PFF's highest-graded offensive tackle through the first two weeks of the season, surrendering just a single hit and hurry over 157 snaps of action and -- unusual for him -- run blocking extremely well, also. He has yet to surrender a sack or be flagged for a penalty and has been a big benefit to Ryan Tannehill, who once again has a top blindside protector.

Mitchell
2. Earl Mitchell, Miami Dolphins
There was always a vocal minority of people who saw Mitchell as a diamond in the rough in Houston -- a quick, penetrating, disruptive tackle trapped in a 3-4 scheme. I must confess that I was not one of those people, and didn't have high expectations when he signed with the Dolphins. Through two games I am being proved very wrong, as he tops PFF's defensive tackle rankings. He has a strong grade against both the run and pass despite having yet to notch a sack. He has generated a hit and four hurries and has a position-best seven defensive stops.


Hawkins
3. Andrew Hawkins, Cleveland Browns
If I was off on Mitchell I can at least redeem myself a little on Hawkins. There are few receivers with the quickness and short-area burst of the new Browns slot receiver. He is an ideal fit for today's NFL as a chain-moving reception machine, and through two games -- despite some questionable quarterback play -- Hawkins has 14 receptions and 157 receiving yards. Only Jordy Nelson has more catches, but Hawkins has a markedly better catch percentage.


Donald
4. Aaron Donald, St. Louis Rams
If there's a rookie who is all about flashing in big, splash plays, it's Donald. He is PFF's No. 3-ranked defensive tackle through two games, and though he has just one sack -- and indeed one total pressure -- he has been able to use his quickness in the run game by knifing into the backfield and blowing plays up before they get going. He has six defensive stops, second only to Mitchell for the position, and has notched them on 24 fewer snaps.


Benwikere
5. Bené Benwikere, Carolina Panthers
If there's one thing better than a rookie performing well right out of the gate, it's a fifth-round rookie doing so. Benwikere came across my radar with an impressive run of preseason performances, but he has carried those across to the regular season. He is the best-graded rookie cornerback at PFF, and unlike Jason Verrett just below him, he has put together two consistently good games, rather than one very good one. Quarterbacks targeting Benwikere so far have a passer rating of just 56.2.


Watkins
6. Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills
The Bills have been a surprise package so far in this NFL season, sitting at 2-0 after upsetting the Bears and Dolphins in quick succession. Watkins broke out against the Dolphins, notching his first 100-yard receiving game in the NFL. He caught eight of the 11 passes thrown his way against Miami for 117 yards and a touchdown. What is perhaps most impressive is that he earned two of those catches (and the touchdown) against Miami's best corner, and one of the league's best, in Brent Grimes.


Benjamin
7. Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers
Like Watkins, Benjamin has been asked to step in right away and be the No. 1 receiver for the Panthers. Benjamin hasn't quite managed a 100-yard receiving game yet, but his first game saw 92 yards and a touchdown on six catches. His second game saw a few unfortunate drops but also one of the most spectacular plays of the short season, hauling in a fantastic one-handed grab down the left sideline for a significant gain.


Mack
8. Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders
The Raiders haven't exactly had the kind of start to the season they would have liked, but at least Mack has looked like he might justify his top-five pick status. Mack is an unusual player who is good at most things, and thus is asked to do a lot of things for Oakland. He has registered multiple pressures in both games and was particularly impressive against the run when he played Houston, notching five defensive stops and also batting a pass down to add a cherry to the top of his performance.


Verrett
9. Jason Verrett, San Diego Chargers
It would be easy to look at interception totals alone when judging cornerbacks, which would point eyes in the direction of another impressive rookie -- Kyle Fuller -- but Verrett has been the more impressive player over all of their plays. Verrett doesn't have eye-popping numbers, but he has been in close coverage consistently against a variety of different receivers, including Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald, holding that pair without a catch when matched up against them and surrendering just 25 receiving yards against the Cardinals in his first game.


McClain
10. Rolando McClain, Dallas Cowboys
There might not be a more unexpected player on this list than McClain. A guy many deemed a draft bust because of his off-the-field issues, McClain has always been a quietly decent player, especially against the run. Through two games, the Dallas defense has been significantly better than expected, and a large part of that is due to the play of McClain. He's the fourth-ranked inside linebacker so far this season at PFF. He even came up with a spectacular diving interception after a pass was deflected at the line against the Titans, helping to secure the win. If he continues to play like this, he is a legitimate Comeback Player of the Year candidate.

 

Really really impressed with Bene so far.

 

Didn't Bene almost have a FF in the first game too? He's getting closer and closer to making some more big plays. Keeping his fumble recovery in bounds was really important. Can't recall how many times you see it just bounce into touch instead.