There is still much to learn about this year’s NFL rookie class. But hitting pause at the midway point to reflect on the first half is an interesting exercise to determine which rookies have been the best at their positions thus far.

Some of the calls for our midseason All-Rookie Team were close, while others were no-brainers.

Quarterback

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (Round 1, No. 25 pick)

Cam Ward held this spot almost uncontested over the season’s first month, because he was the lone rookie quarterback to start from day one. But Dart surged past him in October and made this an easy choice at the midway point.

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Despite having made three fewer starts than Ward, Dart has twice as many passing touchdowns (10) and half as many interceptions (three) as Ward (five and six, respectively) plus five rushing touchdowns (to Ward’s zero). Dart also leads all rookie QBs in completion percentage (62.3), yards per attempt (6.7) and yards per completion (10.8).

He is still playing like a rookie — his 46.1 percent offensive success rate is in the bottom half of the league, sandwiched between Carson Wentz and Justin Fields. But his early command of the offense and unflinching play style are promising for a quarterback-starved organization.

Sideline went crazy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ykMmV2Ewhj — New York Giants (@Giants) October 1, 2025

Runner-up: Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans (Round 1, No. 1)

That runner-up was a close call between Ward and Dillon Gabriel is not ideal for Tennessee. Through nine starts, Ward has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns and has been sacked an NFL-high 38 times. There’s plenty of blame to go around, including an inconsistent supporting cast and shuffling on the coaching staff.

So far, though, the NFL-version of Ward has been similar to what we saw on Saturdays last season — the passing instincts to rip lasers anywhere on the field combined with a mix of reckless habits.

Honorable Mention: Dillon Gabriel (Browns)

Running back

Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns (Round 2, No. 36)

You could make a case for multiple running backs here. Ashton Jeanty leads all rookies in rushing yards (487) and scrimmage yards (620). Omarion Hampton has averaged a rookie-best 90.0 scrimmage yards per game, despite being limited to just five appearances. Fresh off a career performance against the Bengals, Kyle Monangai now holds the rookie lead in yards per carry (5.3) and percentage of carries that gain 5-plus yards (44.1) — the latter number ranks second among all NFL backs, behind only James Cook.

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But I’m giving the edge to Judkins, who leads all rookies in rushing y