NFL Rookies Who Are Shining in 2023 Training Camps
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Panthers QB Bryce YoungAP Photo/Nell Redmond
The 2023 NFL preseason officially got underway Thursday night, and training camps are in full swing around the league. For rookies, this point in the summer brings their first real taste of pro competition.
Now that the pads are on, regular-season game plans are being installed and most of the starters are on the practice field, the intensity and competition are a few notches above where they were during OTAs and minicamps.
For some first-year players, the jump can lead to early struggles. Others, however, are already standing out among their veteran peers.
Let’s dive into the latest buzz and the most recent camp reports and examine some rookies who are already turning heads in training camp. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
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AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
The Miami Dolphins offense under head coach Mike McDaniel has been largely based on the pass. However, Miami does have a capable running back duo in Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr.—both of whom played under McDaniel with the San Francisco 49ers.
The presence of Mostert and Wilson could make it difficult for third-round pick De’Von Achane to see a significant role as a rookie. However, the Texas A&M product could still make his mark as a receiving back and part-time player.
“[Achane] has already looked like one of the Dolphins’ more explosive offensive players—although his practice production should be taken with a grain of salt until the pads go on,” ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques wrote in June. “… Achane showed prowess as a pass-catcher and home run ability after the catch.”
The pads are now on, and Achane has continued to turn heads on the practice field.
“Achane is electric out of the backfield and can catch,” Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post tweeted.
Don’t be surprised if Achane—who amassed 1,298 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns last season with the Aggies—secures a role in the backfield committee sooner than later.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
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Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
USC’s Jordan Addison was the fourth wide receiver off the board this past April, but he could be the wideout who makes the biggest rookie impact in 2023.
Addison is stepping directly into the No. 2 receiver role vacated by Adam Thielen and will play opposite the league’s most prominent pass-catcher, Justin Jefferson. With Jefferson regularly commanding defensive attention, Addison should see single coverage more often than not.
With a stellar combination of talent and drive, the 21-year-old has already impressed Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.
“We’ve thrown him in with all the complex run game rules and motions and formations and the route tree we’re asking him to learn, and I think he’s handled it really well and I think he’s shown his athleticism and his ability as a receiver,” Cousins said, per Will Ragatz of FanNation. “He’s a natural catcher of the football.”
According to Matt Anderson of SBNation, the rookie has been “lining up all over the field” and “crushing it” in training camp.
Minnesota ranked sixth in passing yards and eighth in scoring last season. Fans should expect Addison to have a big hand in the Vikings’ continued offensive success in 2023.
Will Anderson Jr., Edge, Houston Texans
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Michael Owens/Getty Images
Houston Texans quarterback and second overall pick C.J. Stroud is battling incumbent Davis Mills for the starting job and simply looking to improve along the way.
“It’s not about the starter, who’s not the starter. It’s about getting better for Week 1,” Stroud said, per ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime.
While Stroud may win the job, No. 3 overall pick and pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. appears to be racing toward a prominent early role. According to head coach DeMeco Ryans, the Alabama product has been setting the defensive tone during training camp.
“He comes out with a relentless motor,” Ryans said, per Drew Dougherty of the team’s official website. “He plays with a physical mindset every play, and everybody around, they can just look at Will and see how we need to practice. What does it look like if you want to be a great player? You have to work that way,”
Anderson—the top overall prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department’s final draft board—was a game-wrecker at Alabama. He’s coming off a 10-sack season, and even if he doesn’t replicate that number as a rookie, Anderson is shaping up to be an early leader and a difference-maker for the Texans.
Jakorian Bennett, CB, Las Vegas Raiders
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AP Photo/Gail Burton
The Las Vegas Raiders have experienced some setbacks with their rookie class, as both Tyree Wilson and Byron Young opened camp on the injury list. Head coach Josh McDaniels recently said that both are “day-to-day,” per team digital reporter Levi Edwards.
However, it hasn’t been all bad for the Raiders, who may have uncovered a gem in fourth-round cornerback Jakorian Bennett. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Maryland product could already be heading toward a starting role.
“Can definitely envision a 2023 Raiders starting CB group of [ Marcus] Peters and Bennett on the outside and [Nate] Hobbs in the slot,” Bonsignore tweeted last week.
If Bennett does secure a starting gig, it won’t be because Las Vegas is out of other options. The rookie has done enough to stand out in Raiders camp.
“He takes the game very seriously, is intelligent, can learn quickly and then take it from the meeting room to the field,” McDaniels told reporters. “… It’s hard to run by the guy because he runs very well and he’s trying to get his hands on balls.”
Bennett could very well be on the field for Las Vegas’ first defensive snap of 2023.
Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots
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John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Former Oregon standout Christian Gonzalez was the third cornerback off the board in April but may be an early front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Gonzalez joined a New England Patriots team that is already very solid on defense—one that ranked eighth in yards allowed and 11th in points allowed last season. As New York Jets corner Sauce Gardner showed last year, being a great defender on a quality unit will yield recognition.
In training camp, Gonzalez is earning a fair bit of recognition. According to The Athletic’s Chad Graff, the rookie is already penciled in as a Week 1 starter.
“The Oregon product looks the part,” Graff wrote. “He’s tall, lanky and fast. And so far, he’s been very good. Jonathan Jones has probably been the team’s best cornerback in camp, but Gonzalez has turned in a solid performance. That’s important because it seems the Patriots will be relying on Gonzalez a lot.”
New England has traditionally been patient with its rookies, but the Patriots’ last two first-round picks—Mac Jones and Cole Strange—were Week 1 starters. Based on the buzz surrounding him in camp, Gonzalez appears ready to follow suit.
Jalin Hyatt, WR, New York Giants
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Rich Schultz/Getty Images
The New York Giants added a few veterans this offseason to help improve Daniel Jones’ receiving corps. Players like Darren Waller, Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder should give Jones a wider array of targets this season.
However, it’s been rookie third-round pick Jalin Hyatt who has been the talk of training camp.
Jared Schwartz of the New York Post reported that Hyatt is having a “strong training camp” and that his explosiveness “has been felt early on.”
How explosive has Hyatt been? According to On3 and Art Stapleton of USA Today and NorthJersey.com (h/t ESPN), the Tennessee product has hit a top speed of 24 miles per hour in camp. That’s faster than the top recorded speed of Dolphins speedster Tyreek Hill.
According to fellow wideout Isaiah Hodgins, Hyatt’s approach has been nearly as impressive as his downfield ability.
“He’s been doing great. He’s doing everything a rookie is supposed to be doing, he’s asking all the right questions,” Hodgins said, per John Fennelly of Giants Wire.
The NFL jump can be tricky for rookie receivers, but Hyatt appears poised to add a new dynamic to New York’s passing attack early.
Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
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AP Photo/Alex Slitz
The Atlanta Falcons probably raised a few eyebrows when they took Texas running back Bijan Robinson with the eighth pick in April’s draft. The Falcons had a 1,000-yard rusher in Tyler Allgeier and ranked third in rushing yards but still jumped on the chance to snag Robinson.
In camp, the rookie is showing glimpses of why Atlanta had to have him.
“[Head coach Arthur] Smith said the team wasn’t looking at [Robinson] like a running back, but more as an impact player,” ESPN’s Michael Rothstein wrote. “That became clear through the first week, and even during spring practices. Some of it has to do with Smith’s philosophy. A lot comes from Robinson’s ever-expanding skill set.”
The former Longhorns star has flashed as both a runner and a receiver in camp, and it only takes a cursory social media search to uncover a highlight-reel rep like this one.
With Allgeier and running back/receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in the fold, Robinson will be splitting carries in 2023. However, his versatility and ability to contribute in multiple phases will get him on the field early and often as a rookie.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
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AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
The Seattle Seahawks made Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba the first wide receiver off the board in April. While the former Buckeye is largely a slot specialist, he appears to have found a perfect home in Seattle.
With the Seahawks, Smith-Njigba will be able to create middle-of-the-field mismatches between perimeter receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett—if he has a quick NFL transition, of course.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Smith-Njigba has been Seattle’s offensive “star of camp” and “seems to make a highlight-level catch or two every day.”
Those inside Seattle’s locker room have been impressed with the rookie’s fast development.
“He looks like he’s already been here for two, three years with the way he runs his routes and the way he’s picked up the offense,” Metcalf said, per Graziano. “Every day at practice, how he tracks balls and how he runs his routes, everything. I think he’s going to be an exceptional player.”
With Pro Bowler Geno Smith back at quarterback, the Seahawks offense has the potential to be special in 2023. It’s already looking like Smith-Njigba is going to play a big role in helping the passing attack to flourish.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
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Rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young has been so impressive this offseason that the Carolina Panthers have already named him the starting quarterback for the 2023 season.
“Yes, he’s QB 1,” head coach Frank Reich said, per Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer.
While outsiders generally expected Young—a quarterback Carolina traded up to secure—to start early, it was never guaranteed. The Panthers added journeyman Andy Dalton in free agency, and the three-time Pro Bowler is more than capable of filling the bridge role.
Given Young’s reported command of the offense, however, Dalton never really stood a chance.
“I mean, when he steps in the huddle, everybody shuts up and looks,” center Bradley Bozeman said, per Schuyler Callihan of FanNation. ” … I think it was day four or five of camp and we sat down and went over exotic looks as an offense and he ran the meeting. He understands it. He gets it. He knows what he wants to do. He knows how he wants to do it.”
Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, showed at Alabama that he has the physical tools to play at a high level. In camp, he’s showing that he also has the mental makeup needed to be an early NFL star.
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