After the first four weeks of  the NFL season, it’s time to discuss what rookies have stood out so far, as well as a couple of disappointments that need to step it up going into the remainder of the season.

We are now a quarter of the way through the season, so the roles of the rookies out of this year’s draft are beginning to become more defined.

A fair amount of headlines have been going to DeSean Jackson, who has had the publicity go both ways. He started the season with back-to-back 100-yard games, but he also tossed the ball behind him a yard before the end zone in order to get a head start on his celebration against Dallas.

However, despite a few slip-ups, he has given Donavan McNabb a new deep threat and added a level of explosiveness the Eagles haven’t had at the receiver position in a while.

The other receiver who has been making waves early in the season is the Broncos’ Eddie Royal. He also has two 100-yard receiving games and made a clutch catch for a two-point conversion to beat the Chargers. What he’s done for the Broncos is give them a solid second option to star receiver Brandon Marshall and helped keep defenses from only focusing on him.

What’s interesting is both of these players were drafted with special teams in mind but have contributed to the regular offense more than expected.

At the tight end position, Seattle’s John Carlson has stood out above the rest of the recent draftees by leading the team in both receptions and receiving yards.

The rookie getting the most work in on offense so far is the Bears’ Matt Forte, who leads the league with 92 carries through the first four games, which puts him on pace for a total of 368 for the season. He also has 18 receptions to go along with all the carries. Not bad for a player who was originally drafted to back up then starter Cedric Benson. Forte has been the most consistent player on the Bears’ offense so far.

Another back who’s had early season success is the Titans’ Chris Johnson. He’s currently averaging five yards a carry and using his great speed on his way to 402 total yards from scrimmage, which is second in the AFC so far. He was also named the NFL offensive rookie for September.

It is also worth noting Jonathan Stewart is leading all rookies and is tied for 4th in the league with four rushing touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, Cincinnati’s Keith Rivers, formerly of USC, is currently leading all rookies with 28 tackles through four games.

Other leaders in tackles are the Falcons’ Curtis Lofton with 26, New England’s Jerod Mayo with 25. and the Jets’ Dwight Lowery, a fourth-round pick who has 19 tackles and a forced fumble starting in place of the injured Justin Miller.

At the safety position, Charles Godfrey has been solid for the Panthers, and has started every game and recorded 14 tackles and a sack.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment during the start of the season has been the Jets’ Vernon Gholsten, who was drafted with the sixth pick overall.

He was drafted to be a pass-rushing threat out of the 3-4 defense in the mold of a DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys or Shawne Merriman of the San Diego Chargers. However, so far he had only registered five tackles and has yet to record a sack.