- Isaac TeSlaa showed out across four games: The Lions rookie caught four of his five contested targets, brought in three touchdowns and earned an excellent 84.0 PFF receiving grade.
- The Cardinals have yet to see what Walter Nolen can do: Similar to last year with Darius Robinson, Arizona is dealing with an injured first-rounder who is sidelined with an uncertain return timetable.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
The preseason is over, and many of the NFL’s rookies showed off their talents en route to a higher standing on their respective rosters. Some of them also battled adversity and could face an uphill battle for playing time in the regular season.
With the regular season around the corner, we’ll examine a few of the players who saw their stock rise or fall based on preseason events.
Stock Up: QB Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
Russell Wilson will be the Week 1 starter for the Giants, and likely continue in that role until he falters or New York falls out of contention. However, first-rounder Jaxson Dart made things interesting with his outstanding performance this preseason.
Dart’s 88.5 PFF passing grade across three outings led all rookies and ranked second among all qualifiers. His penchant for vertical completions and making throws under pressure both showed up often. Dart is far more likely to see playing time in the regular season than he was a month ago.
Stock Down: QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
The Saints named Spencer Rattler their starting quarterback, but even if Tyler Shough had won the job, it wouldn’t have been a convincing victory. Shough posted a 63.0 PFF passing grade across three preseason games. He used a generally conservative approach, which led to just 4.5 yards per attempt across 46 dropbacks without the help of play action.
Rattler graded slightly higher in game action, with a 71.0 PFF passing grade, but neither player took a full stranglehold of the starting job. We could see both throughout the regular season.
Stock Up: WR Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions
TeSlaa rewarded the Lions’ faith in him by having an outstanding preseason. He played in all four of Detroit’s preseason games and hauled in 10 receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns. He caught four of his five contested targets and earned an excellent 84.0 PFF receiving grade.
The rookie also earned rave reviews for his run blocking. TeSlaa is part of a deep wide receiver corps, but he’s earned regular-season playing time with his preseason performance.
Stock Down: San Francisco 49ers Rookie Defensive Linemen
The 49ers spent three of their first five draft picks on defensive linemen: Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and CJ West. They each endured some unfortunate developments this preseason. Williams missed all of San Francisco’s preseason games with a knee injury and just returned to practice this week. Collins played in all three games but earned a subpar 44.5 PFF overall grade. West recorded a 40.1 PFF overall grade in the team’s first preseason game before suffering a hyperextended knee in practice, though he also returned to practice this week.
San Francisco is relying on these players to produce early, particularly in run defense, but their progress has been slowed a bit this preseason.
Stock Up: G Dylan Fairchild, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati possessed the NFL’s lowest-graded guard group last season, but third-round pick Dylan Fairchild could be one solution to that problem. The former Georgia Bulldog earned an excellent 87.6 PFF overall grade across 44 preseason reps and is in line to be the Bengals’ starting left guard.
Cordell Volson’s season-ending injury throws Cincinnati’s other guard spot into turmoil, but they’ll be a significantly better unit if Fairchild becomes a solid starter in the regular season.
Stock Down: CB Maxwell Hairston, Buffalo Bills
Hairston didn’t play any snaps this preseason and has not practiced due to a knee injury suffered early in training camp. Their cornerback issues have only been compounded by the recent news that Tre’Davious White suffered an injury in practice with an unclear recovery timetable. If Hairston isn’t ready to roll early in the season, the Bills may suffer through similar coverage issues that plagued them last season.
Stock Up: DI Kenneth Grant, Miami Dolphins
If Grant continues to play as well as he did this preseason, the Dolphins’ defensive line will likely be the team’s best unit. At Michigan, he was known as a stout run defender with underrated athleticism. He displayed both of those traits with an 84.4 PFF run-defense grade and three pressures across 23 pass-rush snaps. His only negative grade this preseason was an illegal-hands-to-the-face penalty. Grant will be an integral part of the team’s defensive line right away.
Stock Down: DI Walter Nolen, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona fans are probably having flashbacks to last preseason, when Darius Robinson played 10 snaps in the team’s first preseason game and then wasn’t seen again until Week 13 due to a calf injury. Nolen is currently enduring a similar fate, as a calf injury has kept him from practicing or playing in any games. Luckily, the Cardinals vastly improved their defensive line depth this offseason, but it’s concerning that Nolen has yet to see any action.
Stock Up: S Lathan Ransom, Carolina Panthers
Carolina ended last season with the league’s lowest-graded defense and second-lowest-graded safety unit. Fourth-round pick Lathan Ransom could remedy both of those issues early in the season.
The former Ohio State Buckeye earned an 83.9 PFF overall grade this preseason and intercepted a pass in the team’s final game. He also led all FBS safeties with a 93.7 PFF run-defense grade last season, which should help improve the Panthers’ previously porous run defense. Even if he isn’t declared a Week 1 starter, Ransom is a versatile player who should see the field often.
This news was originally published on this post .
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