5 early rookie standouts of preseason: Caleb Williams wasn’t the only one who impressed

Preseason football was back in full force this past weekend, with a ton of rookies getting their first shot at being real NFL players. Unfortunately, one rookie quarterback is already down for the count as J.J. McCarthy went on injured reserve with a meniscus tear after a strong debut, but there was still a lot to be excited about and look forward to this season as far as rookies are concerned.

Here are five rookies who had performances that should make their fans excited for the upcoming season.

Can’t have a list like this without starting with Williams.

He looked every bit the part of a player who has been discussed as a potential No. 1 draft pick since he was a senior in high school. He was accurate, took chances down the field and made a couple of dazzling plays that should have every NFL fan excited to see where his rookie year takes off. Notable: a third-down throw to DJ Moore, the dart along the sideline as he was rolling right, the contorted motion on the screen to D’Andre Swift. In a very small sample of plays, NFL fans got their first taste of the Caleb Williams experience. He’s going to have some rough games along the way as he tests the limits of what’s possible in the NFL, but his first action couldn’t have gone better for him or the Bears.

It’s not very often a 340-pound offensive tackle moves from right to left tackle, but that’s exactly what the Titans are going to be asking from their first-round pick from this year. So far, so good for Latham who looked comfortable on the blindside of the Titans’ offense. He has some incredibly rare movement skills for his size and the Titans’ experiment of throwing him into the fire at left tackle might work. He’s much smoother in pass protection than given credit for and once he gets his hand on a defensive lineman, it’s over. If Peter Skoronski can improve from an inconsistent rookie season, the Titans might have found two cornerstones on the offensive line to build with for the future.

Week 1…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/5-early-rookie-standouts-of-preseason-caleb-williams-wasnt-the-only-one-who-impressed-232212207.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-08-14 23:22:12

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