NFL teams make their first-round selections every year in the hopes of finding an impact performer to add to their roster. Each week PFF will review the performance of each of the first-round draft picks from this year's NFL draft. However, with many teams resting players in the fourth week of the preseason, many of the NFL's newest first-round picks did not get a chance to play. Here's how the first round rookies who did actually play in Week 4 of the preseason fared:
2. Mitchell Trubisky – QB – Chicago Bears – snap count: 23
Trubisky saw 23 snaps for the Bears as a starter, but was barely allowed to pass the ball, with just seven dropbacks from his 23 snaps, as the Bears handed the ball off relentlessly in their defeat to the Browns. He attempted just five passes, none of which traveled more than 10 yards down field.
6. Jamal Adams – S – New York Jets – snap count: 12
After a pretty heavy workload in preseason, Adams saw only 12 snaps in the final warm up game before coming off the field. He was targeted twice, and though both passes were caught, they actually lost yardage as he was up close to make the tackle.
9. John Ross – WR – Cincinnati Bengals – snap count: 9
Ross was thrown at once, gaining six yards against fellow rookie Quincy Wilson, but also gained 25 yards on a receiver run before getting hurt again and coming off the field. Ross’s rookie season may be a battle against nagging injuries based on current evidence.
10. Patrick Mahomes – QB – Kansas City Chiefs – snap count: 27
Patrick Mahomes made arguably the best two throws of the week, and two of the best of the entire preseason this week against the Titans, completing nine of his 14 aimed passes (removing a throw away and spike from his attempts) for a passer rating of 131.5. He did undo some of that damage with a couple of ugly passes, but remains an enigmatic prospect at quarterback.
16. Marlon Humphrey – CB – Baltimore Ravens – snap count: 76
With plenty of time to make up for, the Ravens made the most of Humphrey’s availability for the final game of the preseason, keeping him out there for 76 snaps, the most of anybody on defense league wide. He was targeted eight times, allowing just two catches for 14 yards, while breaking up one of the incompletions.
18. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – Tennessee Titans – snap count: 14
Only seven snaps in coverage saw Jackson’s day on defense pass without a target, and his only punt fielded was a fair catch. He will have far more eventful games in the regular season.
22. Charles Harris – EDGE – Miami Dolphins – snap count: 9
Charles Harris wasn’t quite spared the final preseason game, but with just nine snaps as a starter before joining the rest of the key players resting on the bench, he may as well have been. Harris didn’t notch any pressures on his five pass-rushing snaps.
26. Takkarist McKinley – EDGE – Atlanta Falcons – snap count: 4
Another player who was rested in all but name, McKinley saw only four snaps in this game, and was absent from the stat sheet.
29. David Njoku – TE – Cleveland Browns – snap count: 28
Thrown at three times, Njoku caught two passes for 28 yards, but did drop the third.
30. T.J. Watt – EDGE – Pittsburgh Steelers – snap count: 10
Watt notched a single hurry from his four pass rushing snaps before being pulled from the game to be protected on the sideline, ready for Week 1.
32. Ryan Ramczyk – T – New Orleans Saints – snap count: 13
Ryan Ramczyk started at left tackle against the Ravens, but didn’t have much of a chance to make a major impact. He didn’t allow any pressures across the seven snaps he played in pass protection.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.