With two weeks of NFL preseason action now complete, we’re going back over the weekend’s action to analyze the rookie preseason performances across the NFC, including some highlight reel worthy quarterback play, and a certain Green Bay Packers running back leading all NFC rookie backs in rushing once again.
These are the rookies preseason Week 2 grades, complete with a summary of the performance for each player, and their potential to make an impact in 2023.
The Quarterbacks
Tanner McKee
Quarterback – Philadelphia Eagles
Week 2 Preseason Grade: B-
Tanner McKee once again showed his value in claiming a roster spot, and currently looks to be favored over Ian Book on the Eagles depth chart for QB3.
He threw a lot of verticals, aiming down the sidelines against man coverage and picking up first downs. He completed 10 of 18 passes on Thursday night, and it would have been more had he not been on the wrong side of three dropped balls.
McKee stood tall in the pocket and surveyed the field well, and while his ball placement wasn’t perfect it was safe, and he only threw the ball into a dangerous area on one occasion.
He was rewarded late in the game with a 22 yard touchdown pass to tight end Brady Russell, who he found open on a corner route before bundling into the endzone. McKee then completed the two point conversion with a quick slant, and evidenced for the second time that he is likely the Eagles best third option heading into the season.
Stetson Bennett
Quarterback – Los Angeles Rams
Week 2 Preseason Grade: B
Stetson Bennett was one of the best looking rookie quarterbacks in the NFC in the first week of the preseason, and came out firing again in Week 2.
Unlike some of the other later round rookie QBs, Stetson Bennett has the potential to go into the season as the immediate QB2. His only competition for that role is Brett Rypien, and so far during these preseason games Bennett has seen far more action, and heavily impressed when he got out there.
He did throw a couple of balls a little high and his touch could do with a little work, but he’s come out firing, and not many rookies look as confident as he does in an NFL jersey right now.
Bennett finished the game 15 of 24 for 142 yards and an interception, while also converting a touchdown on the ground on a QB keeper.
Dynasty players should have one eye on the former Georgia Bulldog, who could be a dynasty fantasy football sleeper for the future.
Sean Clifford
Quarterback – Green Bay Packers
Week 2 Preseason Grade: B+
Sean Clifford once again looked excellent in a Packers uniform, throwing a few strikes after coming in the game behind Jordan Love.
Love had a good start to the game and threw a dart to rookie Jayden Reed for a touchdown, before coming out of the game to give Sean Clifford significant playing time for the second week in a row.
Green Bay are really impressed with the former Penn State quarterback, who showed out in Week 1 of the preseason despite throwing two interceptions.
This time around, the Packers rookie QB cut out the mistakes, and threw a few darts including a missile into a tight window between coverage for Grant Dubose down the left hand side.
Clifford went 13 of 19 for 137 yards, bringing his passing total to 345 yards across the two games so far.
The Running Backs
Emanuel Wilson
Running Back – Green Bay Packers
Week 2 Preseason Grade: B
The Green Bay Packers boast a sturdy duo at running back in both Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, but behind those two guys the rest of the depth chart is up in the air.
So far through two preseason games, former Fort Valley running back Emanuel Wilson has made the most of his opportunities to claim one of those roster spots.
He’s a powerful back who was initially picked up by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent, and ended up in Green Bay after he was released by Denver earlier this year.
Wilson comes from a small DII school in Georgia, and so his talents may have flown under the radar before getting a rookie minicamp opportunity.
Now, Wilson is making waves with 174 rushing yards and two touchdowns through two preseason games. Green Bay will take a lot of positives from the performance of the offensive line so far this year, and Emanuel Wilson might just sneak in as the fourth option running back for the Packers in 2023.
Bijan Robinson
Running Back – Atlanta Falcons
Week 2 Preseason Grade: B
The only reason Bijan Robinson doesn’t get an A this week is because he only carried the football four times. It would feel a little over zealous to give him an A grade on such a small sample of work, but it is fair to say he looked like the real deal.
Bijan is expected to be one of the highest production running backs in football this season despite coming in as a rookie. He’ll be working with Arthur Smith, who is renowned for running the football, and largely responsible for the emergence of Derrick Henry in Tennessee.
Atlanta fans got their first glimpse of the new offensive star, and on his very first carry he showed patience before bursting through a gap inside the right tackle, and cutting on a dime to leave a Cleveland defender clutching at air as he scampered for a first down.
There’s a reason Bijan Robinson is already an incredibly popular player in both redraft and dynasty fantasy football leagues, and the Falcons running back showed in a very small sample just why those managers have been going after him all summer.
The Best of the Rest at Running Back
How about the Seahawks rookie running backs? Not only did Zach Charbonnet take three carries for 31 yards, the majority of which came on a 29 yard burst, but undrafted free agent Sarodorick Thompson managed the second highest total amongst NFC rookie backs with 11 carries for 50 yards.
The Hawks look loaded at running back this year, with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet likely splitting the workload as the teams starters, but Thompson might be making a case for himself to at least make the practice squad.
Sean Tucker also deserves a mention as one of the most productive running backs in college football last year, who happened to fall out of the draft due to concerns over a heart issue.
Tucker has now been cleared to play and carried the football seven times for 37 yards against the Jets in preseason Week 2. With a largely unproven backfield in Tampa Bay this season, Sean Tucker could be a sleeper who gets a lot more work than a free agent back typically would.
Finally, Kendre Miller saw some action for the Saints this week, with 23 rushing yards and a touchdown, and another 36 receiving yards resulting in quite the productive day for the third round pick.
We’ve been high on Miller since the breakout year at TCU, and while his rookie fantasy value might be hindered by both Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams this season, things could really open up for him in the next couple of years.
The Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
Ronnie Bell
Wide Receiver – San Francisco 49ers
Week 2 Preseason Draft Grade: A
Ronnie Bell caught our attention in the first preseason game, posting three catches for 58 yards against the Raiders in his first appearance in a 49ers uniform.
Fast forward a week and he’s already outdone himself, this time picking up seven catches on nine targets for 114 yards against the Denver Broncos.
San Francisco are making quite the habit of picking up a gem in the 7th round of the draft so it would seem, with Brock Purdy emerging as one of the league’s young stars and Ronnie Bell now starting to look like a steal too.
Bell’s longest reception was a 15 yard hitch from Trey Lance down the left hand side, which he spun round and took for another 28 yards resulting in a 43 yard gain on the play.
Fans are now calling the former Wolverine the steal of the draft, and he should sneak onto the roster this season behind the second wave of receivers in San Francisco.
In terms of fantasy relevance, it might be a little early to expect much in 2023, but keep in mind that Brandon Aiyuk is in a contract year and expecting to get paid. If Bell can offer a significant contribution, maybe the Niners would consider moving on from Aiyuk at the end of the season.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Wide Receiver – Seattle Seahawks
Week 2 Preseason Grade – B+
The hype around Jaxon Smith-Njigba prior to the draft was extremely high. The Buckeye wideout was considered the best receiver in the draft and expected to have an immediate impact as a rookie. When he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks fans and fantasy players became a little confused as to what his role might be in an offense that already boasted DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but after just two preseason games it’s clear that that might not be an issue at all.
JSN had three catches for 25 yards in the preseason opener, and in the second game managed three catches for 58 yards, including a 48 yard reception from Drew Lock that saw him dragged down one yard short of the goal line.
As a route runner, Smith-Njigba came into the NFL as a complete package. His release package is excellent and his ability to set up a defender is outstanding too.
The one concern now is the fact that he had to have surgery after the second game to repair a broken bone in his wrist. His status for the season opener is now up in the air, but those who claimed him in their dynasty drafts this offseason should be thrilled, he looks superb.
Jalin Hyatt
Wide Receiver – New York Giants
Week 2 Preseason Grade – B
Jalin Hyatt caught his first touchdown in a New York Giants uniform at the weekend, driving directly at the deep safety before breaking off to the corner of the endzone for a 33 yard touchdown.
Daniel Jones found him with the deep ball and Hyatt had found himself an impressive amount of space to collect the incoming pass and six points in the process.
The initial stance on Hyatt was that we might not see much of him as a rookie, with the former Biletnikoff award winner needing time to work on his route running and adjustment to the pro level.
After seeing that touchdown, perhaps that happens a little quicker. That said, we would recommend pumping the brakes just a little. The target share on the Giants offense this year could be spread thin amongst the receivers. Both Darren Waller and Saquon Barkley will demand significant targets, and that could limit the ceiling on a third round selection like Hyatt.
