Rookie watch: Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Ameer Abdullah could flash
The preseason kicks off in earnest, with the Hall of Fame Game a simple appetite whetter.
The first-round picks in that game, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Bud Dupree and the Minnesota Vikings’ Trae Waynes, didn’t put their best feet forward. Dupree led the Steelers in defensive snaps but was in on only two tackles, one 18 yards downfield. Waynes was roasted a couple times in a humbling debut.
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But both of those players have ample time to bounce back, and there are scores more interesting rookie to look forward to in their professional debuts. Here are a few key ones we are watching most closely:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston — Obviously. We’re in Minneapolis to watch Winston in his first pro game on Saturday against the Vikings, and based on the lukewarm reports out of Tampa so far (although Lovie Smith has said Winston is improving) we’ll go in with very cautious optimism. Winston started slowly in his college debut before coming out firing, and we’re hoping to see an extended look at the No. 1 pick in the draft going up against a talented Vikings defense that was chewed out by Mike Zimmer in its final training camp practice on Thursday.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota — Obvious, Part 2. Shutdown Corner’s Jay Busbee will be covering the event of Mariota’s debut, against the Atlanta Falcons, and it will be interesting to see if Mariota’s camp accuracy can carry over into his debut. Based on reports, Mariota has completed over 60 percent of his passes in full-team and 7-on-7 work and has not thrown a single interception. Bad Titans defense or good Mariota? We won’t get that answer fully, not against a rebuilding Falcons defense, but we might get an idea how he looks under the lights Friday night.
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper — Undoubtedly one of the rookies who has dazzled the most since the draft, Cooper might not play long, but he could give the home crowd a sample of just how talented he is. The starters (and yes, he’s clearly one of them) might not play past the first quarter, but you can almost be certain that Derek Carr will try to rev up the O.co Coliseum crowd on Friday against the St. Louis Rams once or twice and show off his fancy new toy. They’ve had great rapport since the start of OTAs, and it could be the next in a great line of Raiders passing batteries.
New York Jets defensive end Leonard Williams — It’s not all about Geno Smith in Gotham. The Jets head to Detroit on Thursday for Williams’ first chance to show the team what he can do. As one of the youngest players in the 2015 draft class (he turned 21 right before training camp), Williams suddenly is in the spotlight a bit with Sheldon Richardson facing a four-game suspension to start the season and Mo Wilkerson heading into his contract year. Williams is not a big sack guy, and he doesn’t need to blow the roof off Ford Field, but getting off to a nice start — and he has been working with the first unit in practice — might ease his transition into what could be a heavy role early in the season.
San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon — The Dallas Cowboys never really had a shot to draft him, but Gordon did visit the team before the draft and was thought to be a possible candidate to replace DeMarco Murray at that point. Now the Chargers back will show the Cowboys what they missed out on, and if the early reports on Gordon are to be believed, that something is very good indeed. Gordon has been a star in camp and has flashed explosive ability on some long runs. His O-line might be a bit jumbled for the Cowboys game, but expect Gordon to give a taste of his talent.
New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Andrus Peat — Now, here’s a weird one. We’re asking you to watch a preseason game maybe all the way until the end. Because that might be the only way you see much of Peat on Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens. Why? Because Peat has struggled mightily, even losing battles badly to players who remain long shots to make the Saints’ roster. Peat came in with impressive credentials and touted as a possible rookie starter, either at tackle or guard. But the first few weeks have been humbling for the massive blocker. He’s far from instant coffee, it appears, and might be facing something of a redshirt regular season. Want to watch him play this season? This might be your best chance.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver-returner Nelson Agholor — We will watch the Eagles anyway because they’re a fascinating watch. But with the news that Agholor was getting first-team reps (a departure from the Chip Kelly norm, based on his first two camps) our ears perked up. One of our favorite players to watch and evaluate from this past draft class, Agholor has the kind of burst and extra gear to be an amazing fit in this go-go offense. He also has earned Kelly’s praise for his punt- and kick-return ability, which likely means we will see a good deal of the 6-0, 188-pound first-rounder on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Kansas City Chiefs center Mitch Morse — The second-round pick already has unseated Eric Kush for the first-team reps and should be given every chance to win the starting job snapping to Alex Smith. Andy Reid made Jason Kelce a rookie starter in Week 1 with the Eagles and won’t hesitate to do the same with Morse here if he continues along this trajectory. He’ll get a nice test against a tough Arizona Cardinals front, however long their keep their starters in, but keep an eye on Morse’s shotgun snapping, which occasionally was a problem in college at Mizzou.
Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah — Everyone who has passed through Lions camp has raved about the performance of Abdullah, who has exhibited the kind of electric running and receiving skills the team thought it was getting when it drafted concussion-prone Jahvid Best a few years ago. Abdullah is almost certain to carve out a role in the backfield, given his unique skill set. He might not be a true, straight-line blazer, but Abdullah has compact power, excellent vision and make-you-whiff elusiveness. He’s going to be a gem, you watch.
New England Patriots safety Jordan Richards — Given the Mendozian batting average of Bill Belichick drafting safeties (and we can’t even give him full credit on Devin McCourty, who switched from corner), some people might eye-roll at the suggestion to watch another Patriots second-round reach at the position. But the early returns on the erudite Richards have been encouraging, as he has played both safety spots and could even play up near the line of scrimmage some. He’ll get a good test against the Green Bay Packers even if they don’t play their starters long at all because they have deep talent at receiver and playo with tempo on offense.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
