It's rare to see a tight end lead his team in receiving. It's even more rare to see a rookie tight end lead his team in receiving.
Don't even get me started on how rare it is to see two rookie TEs lead their teams in receiving in only the second game of the season.
So far this season, the rookie tight ends have been superb, getting involved immediately in their new offenses and making significant contributions, most notably Chiefs TE Tony Moeaki and Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez.
Moeaki led the Chiefs in receiving for the second straight game with five catches for 58 yards in the Chiefs' Week Two win over the Browns. He also led in targets, being targeted by QB Matt Cassel 10 times, twice as many targets as WR Dwayne Bowe.
Hernandez hauled in six catches for 101 yards in the Patriots' Week Two loss to the Jets. Hernandez looked like a wide receiver catching passes and running after the catch. He caught all six of his targets and has the versatility to line up in the slot for QB Tom Brady.
Hernandez and Moeaki aren't even the most heralded tight ends in their class, and Hernandez might still not be the most well-known rookie TE on his own team. Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski had a catch for 14 yards in Week Two and caught a TD pass in Week One. The second-round pick garnered much of the publicity during the preseason, with Hernandez playing in just one preseason game, but Brady clearly likes Hernandez's athleticism.
Bengals starting TE Jermaine Gresham, their top pick from the April draft, had three catches for 15 yards and was targeted five times by Carson Palmer. The Ravens' defense stifled the entire Bengals offense, but expect Gresham to tally some TDs when the Bengals enter the red zone.
As talented as these players are, they are still tight ends, and will need to continue to be targeted often as receivers instead of simply blocking to have a chance at the Rookie of the Year award. But Hernandez and Moeaki have shown in two weeks that they have the confidence of their offenses to challenge the running backs and wide receivers on this list.
1. Lions RB Jahvid Best (first round, 30th overall)
Last week's ranking: 3
Best became the first rookie in NFL history with at least 75 rushing yards, 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns in one game with his giant Week Two output against the Eagles. He finished with 17 carries for 78 yards and two TDs and caught nine balls for 154 yards and a TD receiving. After being used sparingly in Week One, the Lions fed Best a ton on Sunday, and he showed the league what he is capable of. He is the clear-cut Rookie of the Year favorite through two games.
2. Lions DT Ndamukong Suh (1, 2)
Last week's ranking: NR
Suh had a monster game against the Eagles with eight tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss. Keep this in mind: Suh is a defensive tackle, not a linebacker, yet he's racking up tackles and sacks. And, if you forgot, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz will remind you of how impressive it is. "For defensive tackles, it's hard to get sacks, and he's got one in each of his first two games. That's tough billing to live up to," Schwartz said.
3. Rams QB Sam Bradford (1, 1)
Last week's ranking: 2
Bradford falls one spot on this list after an average performance against a weak defense — the Raiders'. Bradford went 14-for-25 through the air for 167 yards, two TDs and one interception. After throwing the ball 55 times in Week One, the Rams slowed things down with their No. 1 pick in Week Two.
4. Chargers RB Ryan Mathews (1, 12)
Last week's ranking: 1
Mathews falls down to No. 4 after a slow start and getting hurt in the Chargers' win on Sunday. He finished with five carries for 26 yards and two catches for 29 yards with no touchdowns and also lost his second fumble of the season. Mathews has not fully lived up to the hype, but assuming he quickly returns to 100 percent, he will still get the bulk of the touches for the Chargers and deserves to remain high on this list.
5. Buccaneers WR Mike Williams (4, 101)
Last week's ranking: 6
Williams caught another TD pass on Sunday, finishing the game with two catches for 54 yards and being targeted seven times. He likely won't remain this high on the list all season as his success is related directly to the success of Bucs QB Josh Freeman. Williams will have a tough task getting another TD next week against the Steelers' "D."
6. Chiefs FS Eric Berry (1, 5)
Last week's ranking: 7
Berry got some relief in Week Two against the Browns after having the tough task of covering TE Antonio Gates in his NFL debut. Berry, one of the more electric defensive players to come out of April's draft, had seven tackles, two tackles for loss and a QB hit in Sunday's win.