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Both teams have rookies who play big roles on their teams. Six first-year players played at least 500 snaps for the Patriots this year in offensive tackle Will Campbell, center Jared Wilson, running back TreVeyon Henderson and safety Craig Woodson. Two rookies start for the Seahawks as well in offensive guard Grey Zabel and safety Nick Emmanwori.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the five highest-graded Super Bowl performances by rookies in the PFF era, which stretches back to Super Bowl 41 in the 2006 season.
1. OT Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Super Bowl 55): 91.7
Wirfs has been one of the best offensive tackles in the league since he was drafted in 2020. That year as a rookie, his 84.1 PFF grade was ninth among all tackles in the NFL. The 2020 first-round pick saved his best for last in the Super Bowl, posting a 91.7 PFF grade against the Kansas City Chiefs that still stands as the third-highest-graded game of his six-year career so far.
Wirfs’ 93.2 run-blocking grade in that game is the second-best mark by any offensive lineman in the Super Bowl in the PFF era, and he only surrendered one pressure across 30 pass-blocking snaps in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl win.
2. CB Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl 59): 90.9
Like Wirfs, DeJean is an Iowa product who hit the ground running as a rookie. In fact, the 2024 second-round pick led all cornerbacks as a rookie with an 86.3 PFF grade. His 90.9 grade in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs still stands as the highest single-game mark of his two-year career so far.
DeJean’s only interception of his rookie season came in the Super Bowl, which he returned for a 38-yard touchdown in the biggest play of the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. He had a defensive stop in the game as well.
3. EDGE Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl 54): 90.2
Like the two above him on this list, Bosa immediately became one of the best players in the league at his position. The 2019 No. 2 overall pick’s 89.8 PFF grade trailed only T.J. Watt among all edge rushers in the league during his rookie season. His 102 pressures that year were second to Za’Darius Smith.
Bosa was simply unblockable in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. His 12 pressures in that game are tied for the most by any player in a Super Bowl in the PFF era. It’s only matched by the 12 pressures Bosa had in Super Bowl 57 against the Chiefs as well. He added a sack, a hit, a forced fumble and two defensive stops in Super Bowl 54.
4. OG Kelechi Osemele, Baltimore Ravens (Super Bowl 47): 90.1
Osemele wasn’t an instant star like the three above him on this list, but he still was solid as a rookie with a 72.5 PFF grade that placed him 35th among all tackles in the league. The 2012 second-round pick actually started at left guard in Super Bowl 47 after playing right tackle the entire regular season for the Ravens.
He picked the perfect time to post the highest-graded game of his rookie season. Osemele had a dominant 85.9 run-blocking grade in the win over the San Francisco 49ers with an 84.8 pass-blocking grade as well. He didn’t allow a single pressure across his 35 pass-blocking snaps.
5. WR Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs (Super Bowl 59): 87.4
DeJean wasn’t the only rookie who impressed in Super Bowl 59. Even though his team got blown out by the Eagles, Worthy still had the second-highest-graded game of his career. The 2024 first-round pick caught all eight of his targets for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Worthy averaged an ultra-efficient 4.03 yards per route run and had a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted in the game.