SEVEN ROOKIES THAT IMPRESSED AFTER THURSDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT
Football is back! After the drama of the 2022 NFL draft, trades, contract negotiations, extensions, and lawsuits, all 32 NFL teams are getting ready for the showdown at SoFi Stadium on September 8th which signals the start of the 2022 season.
The official 53-man rosters are still yet to be determined and players further down the depth chart will take to the field in the next three weeks intent on making a name for themselves and securing a spot on the team. Competition is always stiff in the NFL, especially at this time of the year with each team required to trim down a hefty 90-man squad to a 53-man roster by the end of August. Here’s a list of the top 7 rookies that impressed the most on Thursday and Friday night.
7. ZONOVAN KNIGHT, RB NEW YORK JETS
21-year-old Zonovan Knight went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. A patient and hardworking runner, Knight capped off his NFL debut on Friday night with a meager 13 rushing yards off of 6 rushing attempts. However he also added a rushing touchdown and a 50-yard kick return from his own end zone.
While his rushing numbers from Friday are far from impressive and can be attributed to the struggling Jets offensive line, Knight proved he can be a weapon for Robert Saleh to play with. His score for six was his own hard work as he was hit immediately at the line of scrimmage, but he wouldn’t relent. Knight kept moving those legs and got into the end zone.
A Special Teams phenom from NC State, Knight showed why he was First-Team All-ACC in 2021, returning a kickoff for 50 yards late in the fourth quarter. Second-year Jets running back Michael Carter said of the Bailey-born running back last month: “His name is Bam because he likes to hit stuff. He’s an excellent player. I played him three times in college. To this day I can’t believe he went undrafted. He was such a good player in college. He’s going to make the league pay.”
6. DANNY GRAY, WR SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Former Southern Methodist University wide receiver Danny Gray put the 49ers ahead late in the first quarter with an impressive 76-yard touchdown. One of the fastest receivers in the 2022 draft class, Gray ran a 4.33 40-yard dash and is going to be a massive deep threat for the Niners this year.
49ers QB, Trey Lance said while speaking about the third-round draftee: “He’s done a great job all camp. Him being healthy, obviously, he’s a difference-maker for us on offense. His speed is something that I’ve had maybe one other time in my life. For me, it’s a fine guy to have. For the receiver room to have also. It just helps the route tree out [as] it makes defense to defend the whole field.”
5. MARTIN EMERSON JR., CB CLEVELAND BROWNS
Pensacola-born Emerson Jr. has been turning heads in training camp and is competing for the third cornerback slot on the Cleveland Browns with fourth-year vet Greedy Williams. The former Mississippi State corner’s first big play in the league was impressive as he outmuscled Jaguars wide receiver Jeff Cotton Jr and took the ball from him at the 25-yard line. He then went on to make a cut and outrun the rest of the Jacksonville offense 75 yards for the go-ahead score.
Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski said of the 21-year-old last week: “He’s really competitive. He does a nice job out at practice in competing for the ball. He’s very intelligent, we knew that going into the process of the draft. That has shown up. He does what he’s supposed to do when he’s supposed to do it, so he’s been very accountable in that way. He’s been as advertised, and that’s why we were excited to get him.”
4. SAMUEL WOMACK III, CB SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Former Toledo Rockets corner Sam Womack has been making a name for himself in training camp in the past weeks and he showed why Friday night.
Womack, a former walk-on, developed into a ball-hawking slot defender in college but has always faced backlash for being inconsistent in technique and being undersized. His 5’10”, 187 lbs. frame didn’t stop him from picking off Jordan Love not once, but twice in the first half against the Green Bay Packers. Womack was working on Packers’ fourth-round draft pick Romeo Doubs and second-year vet Amari Rodgers on both picks.
His performance was so impressive that it caught the eye of one of the best wide receivers in the league. Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill was so impressed with the Detroit-born corner that he tweeted: “26 from the Niners nice!”
3. JEROME FORD, RB CLEVELAND BROWNS
Jerome Ford put up 102 total yards on Friday night (57 rushing) and jump started the Browns’ offense in the second quarter with an incredible 41-yard run that proved to be the spark the team needed after a slow start. He also led the team with 4 receptions for 45 yards, proving his threat as a receiver out of the backfield.
The former Cincinnati Bearcats running back capped his night off with a team-leading 10 rushes and 2 rushing touchdowns. Not bad for a fifth-rounder and an impressive addition to a running back room that already boasts the best running back duo in the NFL with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
2. DESMOND RIDDER, QB ATLANTA FALCONS
Not necessarily a fan-favorite rookie quarterback leading up to the draft, Cincinnati Bearcat Desmond Ridder was the second quarterback taken off the board as he was snapped by Atlanta in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Slated to compete for the starting job with veteran Marcus Mariota, Ridder showed why the Falcons had so much faith in him in his NFL debut on Friday night.
Although his passing is the only knock on his game at the moment, Ridder showed that he could still cause problems with his legs as he rushed 6 times for 59 yards. He finished the night with 102 passing yards, completing 10 of 22 passes, and throwing for 2 TDs, the second a 34-yard game-winning touchdown on 4th & 9 to Jared Bernhardt, ending the night with a QB rating of 89.8.
Sure it was only a preseason game, but his performance had Falcons fans eating up the prospect of him playing under center for them this year.
1. KENDRICK PRYOR, WR CINCINNATI BENGALS
Former Wisconsin Badger Kendrick Pryor is a playmaker. That bit is clear after his stellar performance in the Bengals’ preseason opener on Friday night.
The undrafted rookie put up an incredible 120 receiving yards from 4 receptions, an average of 30 yards per catch. His most memorable moment of the night was his “best Odell Beckham impression” catch – as fans are calling it – when he made a 38-yard one-handed grab along the sideline in the fourth quarter. Pryor turned out to be Browning and Plitt’s favorite target as he led the team with 7 targets and capped off the night with a 32-yard touchdown.
The acquisition of yet another budding star at wide receiver to go along with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd just goes to show how good the Cincinnati Bengals are at scouting wideouts.
Other notable rookies that didn’t make the list but had solid debuts include Ravens undrafted rookie receiver Shemar Bridges, DT Travis Jones, and Tennessee Titans QB, Malik Willis.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero