Rookie Report: Rawls emerges as Seahawks' No. 2 back; Hicks shines in 1st start

The Rookie Report provides a running look at first-year standouts, surprises, and Rookie of the Year candidates.​

Offense

Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Rawls said after the Seahawks' 26-0 rout of the Chicago Bears that he was instructed by Marshawn Lynch to "hold it down" after a hamstring injury forced Seattle's star running back out of the game. And hold it down he did.

Emerging as the feature back in Seattle's offense, the undrafted rookie carried the ball 16 times for 104 yards after rushing for a combined five yards on two carries in the previous two games. The effort garnered high praise from head coach Pete Carroll.

Karlos Williams, RB, Buffalo Bills

Williams had a stellar outing for the Bills in Miami, rushing for a game-high 110 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He's the only player in the NFL to score a rushing touchdown in each of the first three games of the season, and the first rookie to do so since Robert Edwards in 1998.

The Bills will be without running back LeSean McCoy against the New York Giants on Sunday – and possibly longer – while he recovers from a hamstring injury, so expect to see much more of Williams in the short term.

Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

There's a reason the NFL world is drooling over Cooper: The Raiders' first-round pick leads all rookies in both receptions (20) and receiving yards (290) through three games and is on pace to finish the season with 1,546 yards. That would break the rookie record of 1,473, set by Bill Groman in 1960.

Cooper is just the second rookie (DeSean Jackson being the other) in the past 30 years with two 100-yard receiving games in his first three NFL games.

Defense

Jordan Hicks, LB, Philadelphia Eagles

Making the first start of his NFL career, Hicks came up huge for the Eagles in their 24-17 victory over the New York Jets. The Texas product was on the field for all 79 defensive snaps and finished with a team-high 10 tackles, one interception, a fumble recovery, and a pass defensed.

With the status of injured linebackers Kiko Alonso and Mychal Kendricks up in the air, Hicks could get another opportunity to start against the Washington Redskins in Week 5.

Hau'oli Kikaha, LB, New Orleans Saints

The Saints' season is off to a disappointing start, but the team has reason to be optimistic when it comes to Kikaha. The second-round pick made a big play for the third consecutive week, setting up a punt return for a touchdown with his third-quarter sack of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

The 6-foot-3, 246-pounder leads all rookies with two forced fumbles through three games, is tied for first in sacks (two), and ranks second in tackles (18).

Damarious Randall, CB, Green Bay Packers

Randall has yet to start a game for the Packers, but he's managed to make an immediate impact in limited playing time. In Green Bay's 38-28 victory over Kansas City on Monday night, Randall delivered a crushing hit to Chiefs running back Charcandrick West.

On 75 snaps this season, Randall has been targeted six times by opposing quarterbacks, the majority on deep routes. Three of those pass attempts were broken up by Randall, while the other three fell incomplete, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Quick Hits

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander took another big step forward in Week 3, racking up 10 tackles, an interception, and two passes defensed.
• Despite being on the losing end of the scoreboard, Dallas Cowboys left guard La'el Collins had a blast making his first career start.
• Buffalo Bills cornerback Ronald Darby leads all NFL defensive backs in a key statistic through three games.
• Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press believes that the key to improving the Lions' league-worst rushing attack is more Ameer Abdullah and less of Joique Bell.
• New England Patriots offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo credits quarterback Tom Brady for the growth he's seen from undrafted rookie center David Andrews.
• Cleveland Browns cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu could become the first player to collect on loss of draft value insurance.