• Bengals’ third-round receiver poised for a big season? Jermaine Burton earned an 86.1 overall grade this preseason, making his case for a role in Cincinnati’s offense.
• Chargers linebacker shines despite getting limited reps: Despite missing time in camp, Junior Colson impressed to close out the preseason, earning an 81.1 overall grade.
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Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The lights shine brightest on the league’s 32 first-round picks, but real gems are often found further down the draft board. After all, household names like Travis Kelce and Terry McLaurin started right where the rookies on this list begin their journey. The question is: how far can they climb?
Here are the highest-graded Day 2 (Rounds 2 and 3) picks from the 2024 NFL preseason.
The former Alabama standout burst onto the scene in training camp, quickly making his case to play a sizable role in this Bengals offense alongside Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Burton has the big-play ability to open up this passing game. He averaged 19.6 yards per reception in the preseason, with 71% of his catches going for 15 or more yards.
Reports from Bucs camp were highly positive about McMillan, with expectations that he could be named a starter heading into Week 1. The third-round receiver out of Washington put together an 80.9 PFF receiving grade in the preseason, highlighted by the fantastic 28-yard contested grab he came down with against the Dolphins to close out the team’s final matchup.
Due to illness (appendicitis) requiring surgery, Colson missed some time in camp but returned in the Chargers’ final preseason matchup to leave his mark on this defense. The former Michigan Wolverine showed off solid coverage ability in his lone outing, producing a 77.7 PFF coverage grade, mainly due to a pair of third-down coverage stops.
The Lions’ second-round cornerback has put together a solid camp but unfortunately suffered an ankle injury at practice that kept him off the field. When he saw the field back in Week 1, Rakestraw earned an 81.7 PFF coverage grade, allowing just a 56.3 passer rating into his coverage.
The Broncos appear to have unearthed a gem in the pass rusher out of Utah who will undoubtedly contribute to this rotation early. Ellis demonstrated a strong bull-rush move and generated seven pressures, including two sacks. Two of his pressures also directly resulted in interceptions.
It’s always unfortunate to see a promising rookie campaign cut short by injury. Trice, who tore his ACL in his preseason debut, now finds himself on the IR as he begins his recovery. The former Washington Husky generated an impressive 37.5% pass-rush win rate before going down. That’s a presence that this Falcons defense sorely needed this season.
While he didn’t see a large sample of snaps, Dallas may have found a stout run-game presence on the edge in Kneeland. The second-rounder out of Western Michigan generated a positive grade on over 44% of his run-defense snaps. Kneeland secured three run stops across nine reps on his way to earning an 80.5 run-defense grade.
The Commanders’ gamble at tight end seems to have paid off with Sinnott, following his impressive performance in camp. The Kansas State product hit the ground running in the passing game, producing a 74.5 PFF receiving grade. Sinnott hauled in all four of his targets and averaged 2.23 yards per route run.
Joining his former Kansas State teammate Ben Sinnott on this list is the Cowboys’ presumptive Day 1 starter at center. Despite not taking any snaps at center in college, Beebe has taken full advantage of his opportunities, producing solid marks in both run-blocking grade (72.0) and pass-blocking grade (71.2).
When given some room to maneuver, Benson has the juice to turn a crease into an explosive play, which he showcased on numerous occasions in camp. The issue will be finding those running lanes consistently, which has been a little more difficult to come by this preseason, as 62.5% of his yards on the ground came after first contact.
