Rookie Observations Through Two Weeks of Preseason
Carl Nassib continues to display his passing rushing ability for Cleveland as he records another sack in preseason this week against Atlanta. Cleveland hoped that former 1st round pick Barkevious Mingo would be their star defender, yet Nassib may be the pass rusher they were looking for all along.
Along with Nassib there are several other defensive rookie standouts from 1st round picks to late round steals as well. Some early picks who have been contributors include Jacksonville’s Jalen Ramsey, Chicago’s Leonard Floyd and Jonathan Bullard, New Orleans’s Vonn Bell and Minnesota’s Mackensie Alexander and each of these rookies has shown signs of why they were drafted within the first few rounds. One standout player though that was not drafted high but has impressed thus far is Baltimore pass rusher Matt Judon. Judon was a small school defender and never got the media attention as other players did but he has recorded multiple sacks this preseason and could land himself a role in Baltimore’s defense if he continues to display effective pass rushing potential.
Dak Prescott looks like the future quarterback of Dallas. While Tony Romo is currently slated as their starting QB and their best chance at landing a playoff spot, Prescott has been nothing but flawless in preseason and may be the long term answer for Dallas once Romo retires.
Unlike Prescott, Jared Goff continues to have his up and down moments in preseason but showed signs of improvement this week against Kansas City. Even though Goff had a rebound game, he continues to struggle with ball possession in the pocket and will need to reduce his fumbles if he intends to be Los Angeles’ starting QB.
The currently rookie wide receiver class is having a quiet preseason and of all the highly touted rookie receivers, Houston’s Will Fuller, New Orleans’s Michael Thomas and Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd look to be the most productive thus far. Other top rookies including Minnesota’s Laquon Treadwell, Washington’s Josh Doctson and Cleveland’s Corey Coleman have yet to show their first round skill sets and will need to come up big throughout the rest of preseason in hopes of living up to their true potential.
Speaking of receivers coming up big in games, some of the best receiver performances thus far have come from late round picks and even undrafted free agents. Tennessee’s Tajae Sharpe, New York Jet’s Robby Anderson and Indianapolis’s Chester Rogers are three rookie receivers who were not on many individual’s radars yet are three of the top 10 receivers so far in preseason. Now I know it’s preseason and these guys are not guaranteed starters but preseason standouts sometimes lead to long term careers. Alfred Morris was sixth round pick but after a tremendous rookie preseason, he turned into a productive for Washington and now for Dallas.