Members of the 2023 NFL Draft class have had some time to get acclimated to their new cities and teammates. Now it's time to see how they handle the best competition they've ever faced.
I've graded the performance of one rookie from each of the past weekend's 16 preseason contests to get a sense of how some of the NFL's freshest faces are stacking up at the start of their respective careers.
These evaluations are not predictions of how players will fare in this upcoming season, nor are they long-term career projections. Each mark simply takes stock of how the rookie played in Week 3 of the 2023 preseason.
Porter showed quick feet and some physicality in the Steelers' 24-0 win in Atlanta. Taking over for Patrick Peterson in the second quarter, he missed a jam on his first play but stayed with the receiver until coming off to try to rip the ball from the ball-carrier downfield. Porter was called for pass interference late in the first half, turning his receiver with his right hand while reaching in front with his left to knock away the pass. He stayed with one double move at the start of the second half, but he turned around on a strong cut inside a few plays later (but wasn't targeted). Uncovered on a Falcons red zone run, Porter stopped the back and linebacker Mark Robinson punched the ball out for a turnover. On the next series, he pushed a blocker backwards into a screen, keeping outside leverage.
Downs' quickness in short areas was obvious in the team's 27-13 win over the Eagles, as he exploded off the line from the slot to get vertical, cut outside or stop short to present a quick target for quarterback Anthony Richardson. However, despite being open on a few occasions, Downs was targeted just twice and did not make a catch. The first was a fastball thrown inside while Downs drifted outside to follow his scrambling quarterback instead of sitting down in open space. Near the two-minute warning in the first half, Richardson threw a catchable third-down pass, but Downs let the ball bounce off his hands and hit the ground. Downs squared up against his man in the run game despite his small build (5-foot-9, 171 pounds), something slot receivers must do to earn reps.
Mingo started the Panthers' 26-17 loss to Detroit with DJ Chark Jr. and Terrace Marshall Jr. out due to injury. His only reception came on the first play of the game, when he shimmied off the line to get the corner off-balance and then extended his arm to create separation as he cut inside. Mingo grabbed the pass with his hands (not his body) and then avoided traffic to pick up 14 yards. He lined up in motion, in the slot and even as an H-back on multiple run plays to get a push in the C-gap. Mingo and Adam Thielen worked well in tandem, with the rookie taking coverage deep at times to free up the veteran and then stopping in front of the safety to help Thielen capitalize on a one-on-one matchup for a first-quarter score. On his only other target, Mingo slipped trying to push off and cut to the outside, allowing the pass to fall harmlessly to the turf.
Drafted in the third round to be Derrick Henry's complement, Spears had a rough time finding space against the Patriots defense in the Titans' 23-7 victory, gaining 28 yards on nine carries. He was aggressive toward the line when starting deep in the backfield, but he could not avoid defenders waiting in the box. Spears finally saw daylight late in the first quarter, cutting outside on an inside zone run, stiff-arming a cornerback to get outside and then churning upfield for 19 yards. As a receiver, he dropped a throw to the flat on the second series, but he caught two passes early in the second quarter to help Tennessee pick up a first down.
Johnston did not get a chance to show his downfield skills with Easton Stick running the offense early in the Chargers' 23-12 win over the 49ers. He caught two short routes for a total of 15 yards and two first downs, first grabbing a contested out route late in the first quarter. He slipped on another stop route against off coverage two plays later but got up and caught the pass, leaning forward for another first down. Johnson gave effort as a run blocker, though his man made the tackle on a late first quarter run after the rookie failed to sustain.
The Packers' first-round pick started Green Bay's 19-15 win over Seattle and played 12 snaps on defense. He showed the quickness to win inside during the first series, penetrating to disrupt a first-down run play and creating pressure on the next snap. His bull rush was also effective. Van Ness did not have any tackles during the game and could not get home on twists taking him inside. He did not show the sort of speed and bend off the edge that many first-round edge defenders bring to their new teams. The way he shed a block and challenged the quarterback on a bootleg early in the second quarter, though, showed he has enough quickness to challenge plays that move outside.
Ward's play was a silver lining for the Vikings in their 18-17 loss to Arizona. His most noteworthy play came on Arizona’s first offensive series, when he used his speed to blitz and get his helmet on the football for a strip-sack that set up Minnesota for a touchdown. The fourth-round pick played nearly every snap, often lining up deep. He flew downhill to help stop a second-down run for a minimal gain early on. Also, he undercut a jumping pass catcher to force an incompletion at the end of the first half and nearly intercepted a high throw in the third quarter. His lack of size is an issue against physical tight ends in coverage and when trying to shed blocks, but Ward is a tough defender. He securely tackled running back Keaontay Ingram in the open field midway through the first quarter and twice helped stop third-and-short runs in the fourth quarter.
Anudike-Uzomah showed he can be a third-down option in the Chiefs' 33-32 comeback win over the Browns on Saturday. He bull-rushed starting left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. into quarterback Deshaun Watson, forcing the quarterback out of the pocket (though he found Amari Cooper standing wide open downfield). The first-rounder's speed later disrupted Watson on a bootleg to force an incompletion. Anudike-Uzomah gained leverage on blockers in the run game, but he struggled to shed. He beat a tight end block to find John Kelly Jr. on a goal-line run, but the back carried him into the end zone. Anudike-Uzomah lined up at 3-technique midway through the second quarter and was unable to get a push on one play, but he beat a tight end's down block on another. His only tackle resulted in a four-yard loss as a broken play was run to his side.
Kincaid started with veteran Dawson Knox in a two tight end set in the Bills' 24-21 win over the Bears. He gave effort as a blocker, walling off a back-side defender on a quick throw on the first play and generally getting after targets. Bears nickelback Kyler Gordon shed Kincaid's block a bit too easily on the first series, however, and he missed a linebacker on a goal-line run (though the team scored). Kincaid’s ability as a receiver was clear, though. He was able to get off the line quickly to challenge the seam and effectively used his hands to win at the top of the route. Kincaid worked to get open for a scrambling Josh Allen midway through the first quarter, but the quarterback instead found a downfield option. The rookie drew a pass interference call on his only target of the game. Kincaid also forced a holding penalty in the end zone midway through the first quarter on what might have been an easy touchdown pass for Buffalo.
Tippmann showed why he is pushing veteran Connor McGovern for a starting job after entering the Jets' 32-24 win over the Giants midway through the second quarter. He hit second-level targets at times but also missed the Mike linebacker on a run play early in the third quarter. The former Wisconsin lineman picked up blitzers inside with his quick feet, latched on to targets with strong hands and did not budge in pass protection when defensive tackles tried to bull rush him. He was strong off the ball on run plays, dropping his hips to move his man, including on a second-down run early in the third quarter when he opened a huge hole up the middle. Tippmann also pushed his man three yards off the line on a quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter.
Murphy, the Bengals' first-round pick last April, played for most of the first half in the team's 21-19 loss to the Commanders. He stood up on several plays to give the offensive line a different look, earning his only tackle of the night after chasing down a run on the first series. Murphy looked adept dropping into short coverage zones, as well. He challenged right tackles with power as a pass rusher (nearly knocking the ball free as quarterback Jake Fromm dropped back late in the first half) but could not quickly turn the corner after winning at initial contact.
Simpson showed special teams acumen by beating blocks and downing a punt on the six-yard line in the first quarter of the Ravens' 26-20 loss to the Buccaneers. He adeptly stuck with RBs running routes in the second half. Simpson chased down a back on an RPO, but he was a step late to the ball at times, like when he was blocked on a 21-yard Patrick Laird run midway through the fourth quarter. Simpson put a big hit on Laird on the next play, holding him to a one-yard gain on a reception. He should be a valuable interior blitzer, as he showed when he forced quarterback Kyle Trask into a quick, inaccurate throw on third down in the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins' second-round pick played in the second half of a 31-18 loss to Jacksonville on Saturday night, one week after missing a game with a shoulder injury. He did not hesitate to support the run on his first play, helping Parry Nickerson stop the opposing rusher from bouncing outside. Smith threw a shoulder into JaMycal Hasty on a late third quarter run and showed a willingness to tackle on a couple of open-field stops, but he was dominated by the block of rookie receiver Parker Washington on a touchdown run. Smith lived through every rookie corner's nightmare in the third quarter, getting flat-footed when covering Tim Jones on a stop-and-go route that went for a 74-yard score; his unsuccessful attempt at grabbing Jones was flagged. Smith did break up a pass early in the fourth quarter, though, closing after a push-off by the receiver and getting his hand in to prevent the catch.
Wilson, the seventh overall pick of this year's draft, saw his first preseason action in the Raiders’ 31-16 loss to Dallas, looking healthy coming off the foot injury he suffered last season at Texas Tech. He showed off his length and ability to convert speed to power as a pass rusher, pushing Dallas' right tackles into the quarterback. He stacked the left tackle and shed him on a first-down run to take down the runner after just two yards (his only tackle of the night) on Dallas' second offensive series. Cowboys quarterback Will Grier did run around Wilson and into the end zone for the first points of the game when the edge defender failed to contain. The fact that Wilson played was a big win for him and the team as he makes his way back from the injury.
Mims looked the part of a starter in the Broncos' 41-0 shellacking of the Rams. His reliable hands were on display on the first drive when snagging a throw behind him on a misdirection play. Later in the drive, Rams corner Tre Tomlinson was disqualified from the game for a facemask penalty against Mims, who had taken a handoff on the play. The penalty set up an easy touchdown run for Jaleel McLaughlin. The Mims Show continued on a 19-yard punt return where he hesitated to avoid two would-be tacklers. The highlight, though, came on the first play of the second drive. Mims ran by his man, adjusted to an underthrown ball while fighting off contact and hauled in a 50-yard completion from Jarrett Stidham. He even sustained as a blocker in the contest despite possessing a slight build (5-11, 182). Mims' only negative for the night was jumping before the snap on a third down to earn a false start penalty.
The Saints' second-round pick entered their 17-13 loss to the Texans on the first series as a third-down pass-rush specialist. He played most of the final three-plus quarters (73.8 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in the game, per Next Gen Stats), matching up against Texans rookie Tyler Beach. Foskey stood his ground in the run game when matched up one-on-one and adeptly moved down the line on stretch plays, but he struggled to free himself from blocks to make a play. On a first-down run early in the second quarter, he was driven to the ground three yards downfield by a double team when playing 5-technique. But on the next snap, Foskey was back outside, reading a screen and hustling to the ball on second down before swiping past Beach on third down to sack Davis Mills. He didn't show complementary pass-rush moves or the ability to shed his man the rest of the contest, leading to a quiet second half.
