Rookie Watch: Standout performers in preseason week two
Week two of the NFL preseason is in the books, and plenty of rookies had outstanding performances. Here is a review of each rookie's recruitment, how they fared in the opener and a take from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell.
Recruitment: The speedy three-star receiver committed to Oregon State. His pledge was solidified on his visit to Corvallis even though the Beavers lost to Oregon. Utah, Hawaii and Eastern Washington were Bolden’s only other offers.
Performance: Speed was always an asset for Bolden, whether at Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.), Los Osos, at Oregon State and now with the 49ers. The former three-star returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown, dodged a bunch of would-be tacklers and outran others in San Francisco's loss to Denver. Bolden is trying to find a place on the roster, and contributing on special teams like this could seal it for him.
Farrell’s take: Bolden was small, but he was a burner. However, he wasn’t ranked higher or recruited more heavily because of his lack of size and the fear of injury and holding up to the pounding of college football. He’s made it this far and now is using that blazing speed to impress at the NFL level. His kick return was a thing of beauty.
Recruitment: Rated as a three-star defensive end out of Erie (Pa.) McDowell, Conner picked Pitt over Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Toledo and Youngstown State.
Performance: Without question, Conner was the workhorse in the Steelers’ second preseason game, carrying the ball 20 times for 98 yards (4.9 yards per carry) with a long of 19. Le’Veon Bell is the No. 1 back in Pittsburgh, but with him sitting out, Conner is picking up the slack in a big way.
Farrell’s take: Conner showed up at our VTO Pittsburgh camp as a relative unknown, as a defensive end, and earned his high three-star rating with his athleticism and physical nature. The next thing we knew, he’s a star running back in college. From overcoming cancer to being drafted by the local Steelers, Conner is a fan favorite and someone to root for. He’s proving he can be a nice change of pace from Bell when the latter returns.
Recruitment: Foreman and his brother, Armanti, committed to Texas in the summer before their senior seasons. He was a two-star athlete who also had offers from Houston, Illinois, Missouri, UTSA, Texas State, Utah State and Washington State.
Performance: The 6-foot-1, 233-pound running back lost weight for the NFL Draft, and it seems to be paying off. The former Texas star rushed seven times for only 17 yards and a touchdown, but he also came out of the backfield to catch two balls for 66 yards, including a long scamper down the field.
Farrell’s take: In high school, Foreman was not the beast you saw crushing opponents in the Big 12 and impressing early at the NFL level. In fact, he was thought to be a bit of a throw-in to secure the commitment of his brother. My, how times have changed. The 6-foot, 198-pounder we had as a two-star athlete has turned into a 250-pound monster who has sneaky speed, light feet and can bowl anyone over. As a high school running back, Foreman put up monster numbers as a senior, but there were concerns about his speed and change of direction. Oops. We continue to look very bad on this ranking, and his early receiving skills have been surprising.
Recruitment: Kamara was a high four-star out of high school and signed with Alabama, but he left Tuscaloosa after a redshirt season for Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C., where he was a five-star prospect. He signed with Tennessee out of junior college over Georgia and others.
Performance: A fantastic dual-threat running back coming out of the backfield, Kamara could be another legitimate option in the Saints’ lethal offense after rushing five times for 61 yards and a touchdown and catching a 22-yard pass in a 13-7 win over the Chargers.
Farrell’s take: Kamara was a blazer out of high school, and his JUCO film is a thing of beauty, so talent was never a concern for us at all; he was a four-star out of prep and a five-star out of JUCO. I’m still surprised he wasn’t utilized better at Tennessee, and it shows already in the NFL, as he’s going to be a great third-down weapon and change-of-pace back with elite speed.
Recruitment: Kupp was an unranked wide receiver out of Yakima (Wash.) A.C. Davis who had no other offers other than Eastern Washington.
Performance: Kupp has quickly become one of Jared Goff’s favorite targets – mainly because he’s open all the time. In a 24-21 win over Oakland, Kupp caught six passes for 70 yards and a touchdown where he released and was found by Goff wide open early on. First-year coach Sean McVay keeps finding ways to get Kupp the ball.
Farrell’s Take: Kupp was a virtual unknown out of high school. Even Portland State passed on him as a Pacific Northwest prospect. I don’t remember him, we never ranked him, and he’s a great example of a player who slipped through the cracks, found the right school and blossomed. Now he could be a star in Lois Angeles and in the NFL as a reliable target for Goff, who needs one badly.
Recruitment: Mahomes was a high three-star prospect who put up big-time numbers in high school. He picked Texas Tech over Houston, Rice and others. The Whitehouse, Texas, recruit was rated as the No. 12 dual-threat QB in the 2014 class.
Performance: There seems to be a quarterback controversy brewing in Kansas City since Mahomes is playing so well this preseason. In a 30-12 win over Cincinnati, the former Texas Tech star completed 10-of-14 passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed three times for 29 yards. The Chiefs traded up for Mahomes, and it looks like a smart move.
Farrell’s take: The stats out of college were staggering, yet Mahomes was still a polarizing quarterback in the eyes of NFL scouts. Mahomes was a big, dual-threat who was in the national top 12 at his position and just shy of a fourth star. We don’t base rankings on offers, which is good for Mahomes, who didn’t have many. We also don’t base them on stats alone, just like the NFL, but Mahomes' senior stats in high school were ridiculous. Perhaps we should have seen a bit more from him out of high school and perhaps I’m finally becoming a believer, because some of the plays he has made in his first two games have been amazing.
Recruitment: In May before his senior season, McCaffrey committed to Stanford, the same school where his father played college football. McCaffrey’s mother played soccer for the Cardinal as well. Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State, Oregon and many others were also involved.
Performance: McCaffrey is a jack-of-all trades in any offense, and he’s proving to be incredibly valuable for the Panthers already. Carolina lost 34-27 to Tennessee, but the former Stanford star carried the ball three times for 33 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown run, and he had two catches for 39 yards. When he’s involved even more, the Panthers should move the ball even better.
Farrell’s take: No one saw this coming out of high school, and if they say they did, they are related to him or lying. We loved McCaffrey's versatility out of high school, but we expected him to be more of a slasher/third-down guy instead of the workhorse he became. He's not big, and now at the NFL level I still expect him to get hurt on every play, but he's sneaky strong, super quick and has smarts and vision. I'm still happy with our ranking here of a kid from Colorado who played against average competition in high school.
Recruitment: A three-star out of high school, Westbrook was a junior college transfer, where he earned his fourth star. Shortly after a visit to Oklahoma in November, Westbrook picked the Sooners over Texas Tech, West Virginia, Kansas State and others.
Performance: Just like he was at Oklahoma, Westbrook was used as a deep threat in the Jaguars’ offense. He finished with six catches for 131 yards to lead Jacksonville in a 12-8 loss to Tampa Bay.
Farrell’s take: Westbrook was a four-star coming out of Blinn, where he put up big numbers and showed he could play outside or inside. He was a perfect fit for a spread offense, and with the Big 12 being so wide open, it’s no surprise he had a great career. As a good route runner with sneaky speed, he’s looking like a great fit for the Jags early. When he’s focused he can be as good as any rookie wide receiver in this class.
