How are those rookies looking?

[SmittyBacall]

21 hours ago, Chiefer said:

Rashee Rice is a very good route runner

Will be very interesting to see how the Chiefs WR core shakes out. @Jakuvious How do you see it unfolding?

[SmittyBacall]

On 8/17/2023 at 2:02 PM, SmittyBacall said:

BENGALS

Myles Murphy - Has looked like much of what we saw at Clemson, athletic, wiry, and incomplete as a pass rusher. Played a good amount of snaps W1 and didn't flash much. Will still likely work his was into early down work to spell Hendrickson, while rushing from DT in obvious passing situations. Work in progress.

DJ Turner - Rookie-MVP so far. Has looked the part of an NFL starting corner. Fast, great ball skills, and going toe to toe with Chase/Higgins. Bright future, could/can contribute right away.

Jordan Battle - Still the 3rd safety behind Nick Scott, but will work onto the field in 3-safety looks (which we may frequent more often this season). Made all the plays he should have W1, including a really nice pass break up. Looking like a future starter.

Charlie Jones - Looked as advertised early, then got dinged up before W1, and didn't look good during the game. Should contribute on returns as a rookie.

Chase Brown - Very fast, very quick - something we've lacked at RB on this team for decades. Pass protection is still the question. Fighting for a relief role right now.

Andrei Iosivas - Probably the runner up rookie-MVP. Consistently makes plays in practice, earns a ton of praise, and played awesome in the first preseason game. Early, but potentially another starter in the making. 

Brad Robbins - Clear upgrade on Kevin Huber. Hit some really nice punts in the opener. Our starter going into the year.

DJ Ivey - Fighting to make the team as 6th corner over Sidney Jones and Allan George. He has a shot.

OVERALL: It's so early to pass judgement, but it's looking like a really solid class. Iosivas looks like a steal, and we're seeing the beginnings of future starters at a few spots. Murphy is the biggest concern at the moment. We'll see how he develops...

 

 

Week 2

Myles Murphy - Was ill, didn't play.

DJ Turner - More of the same. Played boundary with first team defense.

Jordan Battle - Had a silly taunting penalty. I'm sure he got an earful.

Charlie Jones - Looked better.

Chase Brown - Had a few nice runs and looked much better in pass protection.

Andrei Iosivas - More of the same.

Brad Robbins - Don't remember.

DJ Ivey - More of the same.

[ThatJerkDave]

On 8/17/2023 at 11:24 PM, ThatJerkDave said:

Packers:  

1.  Lukas Van Ness EDGE - Looks big and strong.  Doesn't look fast.  Should be part of the rotation.

2.  Luke Musgrave TE - Also looks big and strong and fast.  He will be the number 1 TE, and a big part of the offense.  Better blocker than advertised. 

2.  Jayden Reed WR - Not big, but fast.  Probably the punt returner.  3rd or 4th WR, depends on the week.  

3.  Tucker Kraft TE - He is not ready yet.  Injury to Tyler Davis makes him the second TE, for now.  Perhaps this pushes his development faster? 

4.  Colby Wooden DE - Shows some good pass rush.  Will be part of the DL rotation

5.  Sean Clifford QB -  QB number 2 and surprisingly good.  Very fun to watch in the preseason.

5.  Dontayvion Wicks WR - Started off slow with a minor injury.  Played pretty well in the preseason game.  Should be WR5.

6.  Karl Brooks DE - See Colby Wooden

6.  Anders Carlson K - Has a huge leg.  Very real accuracy concerns.  As of now, only kicker in camp, so is probably the starter.

7.  Carrington Valentine CB - Darling of camp.  He makes plays against the Packers.  He makes plays against the Bengals.  He makes plays against the Patriots.  We will find a way to get this guy on the field.  

7.  Lew Nichols RB - Didn't do a whole lot, then injured his shoulder.  Probably 6th or 7th RB on the depth chart right now.

7.  Anthony Johnson Jr S - Have not heard a whole lot from the Packers safety group.  Had a near INT in the preseason game.  The position is wide open, so who knows where he ends up.  Still could be cut or start.

7.  Grant Dubose WR - Started off even slower than Wicks with injury.  Seems to be doing well, but probably still behind.  Depends on how many WRs the team keeps whether he makes it or not.

UDFAs of note:

Malik Heath WR - Has taken advantage of extra time from injuries to Wicks and Dubose.  Developed a pretty good chemistry with Clifford.  I think he has an inside track for WR6 over Dubose, but it is close.  He is good, and will make a roster somewhere in the coming years.

Brenton Cox Jr EDGE - Has the size and speed.  So far he has looked the part.  It comes down to a numbers game.  He has a future in the league, but it may be a year or two before he fully develops.  I think this is one that we have to keep or his potential may see him get poached.

Emanuel Wilson RB - Star of the preseason game against the Bengals.  May be the leader for RB3, if we keep a RB3.

Kadeem Telfort T - Big tackle with good potential.  Definitely has the tools.  Definitely still needs to develop them.  

After game 2 against the Patriots:

Not a whole lot was changed.  Defenders Wooden, Brooks, Cox looked really good.  Valentine still looks good, but seems to be mortal.  

I was impressed by Patriots WRs Kayshon Boutee and Malik Cunningham.  Boutee had a catch and run that I didn't think he was capable of when doing my "scouting" during the draft lead-up.  Cunningham had a great route that set up Carrington Valentine to either give up a catch or commit PI, he committed PI.  That was savvy and I was very impressed with it.  Chad Ryland has a huge leg.  

[.Buzz]

Early indications are the Jaguars had a very strong draft. The depth this preseason is better than I can ever recall this team having.

Unfortunately Anton has been battling a nagging shoulder and likely will have to all season, but he’s living up to the hype. Those feet are unreal. Our OL coach went on record saying it’s the best he’s seen from a rookie OT.

Brenton Strange and Tank Bigsby have had strong training camps/preseason play and will have large roles this year (Strange in the run game especially, he’s been a mauler on the edge).

Antonio Johnson, Ventrell Miller, Tyler Lacy, Yasir Abdullah, Parker Washington, Raymond Vohasek, Christian Braswell, and Cooper Hodges all look like strong depth with a chance at bigger roles as soon as next year. 

[ET80]

On 8/17/2023 at 8:35 PM, ET80 said:

Will Anderson is going to be in the DPOY/All Pro conversation (not just the DROY conversation).

I get it’s the preseason. I get the RT slanted down and the blocking scheme was written up all sorts of wrong on this play. From a pure schematic standpoint, this was the worst play call you could make given that look up front - you don’t need the All-22 to make that distinction. It was a bad play design up front. Very much so. 

But… that’s still an NFL athlete who knew his assignment and was in position to execute his assignment exactly how it was drawn up. 

Will Anderson simply DID. NOT. CARE. 

[Scoundrel]

6 minutes ago, ET80 said:

I get it’s the preseason. I get the RT slanted down and the blocking scheme was written up all sorts of wrong on this play. From a pure schematic standpoint, this was the worst play call you could make given that look up front - you don’t need the All-22 to make that distinction. It was a bad play design up front. Very much so. 

But… that’s still an NFL athlete who knew his assignment and was in position to execute his assignment exactly how it was drawn up. 

Will Anderson simply DID. NOT. CARE. 

I am so happy to see you so excited about the Texans again…

[Broncofan]

I'm surprised Saints fans haven't posted on Kendre Miller after last night.   The stat sheet is incredibly misleading, because the OL play was so poor, but Miller balled out last night in the one area where it was unknown because of his low TCU usage - catching the ball.    He looked every bit the 3-down back last night.   Obv Kamara comes back, but the Saints can walk away with a post-June 1 cut next year and save 12M, so this is def worth watching.

 

 

 

Edited August 21, 2023 by Broncofan

[Scoundrel]

13 minutes ago, Broncofan said:

I'm surprised Saints fans haven't posted on Kendre Miller after last night.   The stat sheet is incredibly misleading, because the OL play was so poor, but Miller balled out last night in the one area where it was unknown because of his low TCU usage - catching the ball.    He looked every bit the 3-down back last night.   Obv Kamara comes back, but the Saints can walk away with a post-June 1 cut next year and save 12M, so this is def worth watching.

 

 

 

I posted on him! I might be a bit bias as I had him ranked as the 50th overall prospect and he was a dynasty pick for me before the Saints picked him. But yes he was getting hit in the backfield on almost every run. He had an impressive spin off a tackle attempt in the backfield but didn’t get much more after being swarmed because of terrible oline play. Also the receiving ability was something I highlighted in my evaluation. As you said he didn’t do it a lot but he looked natural as a receiver when he was given the shot and that’s what you have to project to the next level. Too often it gets falsely assumed “they don’t use a player to do something because they can’t do it” versus really dissecting the scheme and looking at what they did with the opportunities when they arose. Last night he had 31% of his Junior year receiving yards in one game and 15.7% of his career receiving yards…  

[ET80]

6 minutes ago, Scoundrel said:

I am so happy to see you so excited about the Texans again…

It’s a tempered excitement. I’m looking for individual growth from the young guys - Anderson, Pitre and Stingley look good, Juice Scruggs, Dameon Pierce and Tank Dell look good.

CJ Stroud? Kenyon Green? Notsomuch. And that’s a bit worrisome. Still plenty of time, but you have to have some concerns (specifically with Green, who doesn’t look like he had a Y1 to Y2 jump in physical play). 

[RaidersAreOne]

On 8/17/2023 at 11:49 AM, RaidersAreOne said:

1. 4th round QB Aidan O'Connell had an awesome debut vs. the Rams:  

 

AOC had another awesome game:

 

[Nabbs4u]

DT Jalen Carter

Like the concensus #1 rated player in the 2023 NFL Draft he was!.

If the camp reports are true throughout TC and "join practices" along with the limited snaps he's had thus far in the preseason, Special!

JJ Watt/Aaron Donald type Special.  🤞

[.Buzz]

13 minutes ago, Nabbs4u said:

DT Jalen Carter

Like the concensus #1 rated player in the 2023 NFL Draft he was!.

If the camp reports are true throughout TC and "join practices" along with the limited snaps he's had thus far in the preseason, Special!

JJ Watt/Aaron Donald type Special.  🤞

It was so obvious this was the outcome as long as he kept on the straight path. Of course he fell right into your laps…

[Nabbs4u]

5 hours ago, .Buzz said:

It was so obvious this was the outcome as long as he kept on the straight path. Of course he fell right into your laps…

Every time a concensus top 5 player in the draft falls due to "Character Concerns" my very 1st thought is instantly Warren Sapp and Randy Moss!

Here's hoping for anything remotely the same occurring career wise for Jalen Carter!

Edited August 21, 2023 by Nabbs4u

[Broncofan]

48 minutes ago, Scoundrel said:

I posted on him! I might be a bit bias as I had him ranked as the 50th overall prospect and he was a dynasty pick for me before the Saints picked him. But yes he was getting hit in the backfield on almost every run. He had an impressive spin off a tackle attempt in the backfield but didn’t get much more after being swarmed because of terrible oline play. Also the receiving ability was something I highlighted in my evaluation. As you said he didn’t do it a lot but he looked natural as a receiver when he was given the shot and that’s what you have to project to the next level. Too often it gets falsely assumed “they don’t use a player to do something because they can’t do it” versus really dissecting the scheme and looking at what they did with the opportunities when they arose. Last night he had 31% of his Junior year receiving yards in one game and 15.7% of his career receiving yards…  

Yes, I'm a big Miller truther, along with Spears (I see your love posted on him too).   I believe they were the clear 2nd tier RB's after Bijan/Gibbs, along with Charbonnet.  Time will tell if that's the correct take. 

Re: receiving ability, I'm very much on board with being VERY cautious on labels from lack of college production.   The system matters so much - places like TCU (and Wisky) don't use the RB's, so it's exactly as you mentioned - it's not lack of ability, but simply lack of opportunity.  Jonathan Taylor and Bijan Robinson would have the same labels, yet it was very apparent both have the same ability that we see Miller flash last night.  I don't complain, it's a great market inefficiency to exploit in fantasy lol.

Edited August 21, 2023 by Broncofan

[Scoundrel]

1 minute ago, Broncofan said:

Yes, I'm a big Miller truther, along with Spears (I see your love posted on him too).   I believe they were the clear 2nd tier RB's after Bijan/Gibbs, along with Charbonnet.  Time will tell if that's the correct take. 

Yep Spears and Roschon I also took in the same dynasty league.