Preseason grades, Week 2: Tony Pollard rolls, Kyler Murray fails Published: Aug 19, 2019 at 05:03 AM NFL.com Analyst Another week of preseason action brings another round of performance-based grading. With my red pen in hand, I chose one notable rookie per game in Week 2, and they are arranged according to grade, as you can see below: : DE/OLB GRADE: A Credit Bill Belichick for striking gold on an edge player ideally suited to play in his scheme. Winovich looks like a 10-year veteran, with superb technique and relentle s energy on full display. No. 50 played like a Tasmanian devil on the field, recording four tackles, two tackles for lo s and a sack on his ledger. At first glance, Winovich's energy, effort and overall game remind me of former Patriot stalwart Rob Ninkovich. If Winovich can continue to refine his hand skills and rush moves off the edge, the rookie could become a key contributor to the ' defense very quickly. : RB GRADE: A- Whenever Jerry Jones is capable of making jokes based on a running back's performance, it speaks volumes about the player's impact on the game. Pollard dazzled playing alongside the ' starters, ama sing 51 scrimmage yards (42 rushing, nine receiving) on six touches (five rushes, one reception), particularly on the team's 97-yard scoring drive that concluded with . No. 36's ability to handle the workload on the kind of smashmouth drive that embodies the ' preferred style of play certainly eased some of the anxiety a sociated with an extended holdout from their franchise running back. However, Pollard's poor pa s protection led to a sack. He could be a liability on pa sing downs when opponents force him to stay in the backfield with heavy pre sure. : DT GRADE: A- The big-bodied interior defender made quite the impre Terrence Brooks Jersey sion during his debut performance with the . Tillery blew past a pair of offensive linemen to that showcased his disruptive potential at the point of attack. Additionally, No. 99 held his own against the ' offensive line on running plays, exhibiting outstanding strength and leverage. Overall, an inspiring first impre sion from a defender filling a big void in the middle of L.A.'s defense. : WR GRADE: B+ It is hard to crack the ' star-studded rotation in the pa sing game, with , and playing lead roles, but Andy Reid will need to find a spot for Hardman after watching the rookie burner score his second touchdown of the preseason on . No. 17's speed, explosivene s and burst will make him a dangerous WR3/WR4 in Kansas City's spread packages, particularly with all eyes on Hill Houston Texans Jersey and Kelce. Naturally, you would like to see Hardman convert more of his targets into productive plays, but he's an intriguing playmaker whom Reid can incorporate into game plans. : S GRADE: B+ The preseason is all about player development and Hill has made the biggest strides of any member of Detroit's rookie cla s. The third-round pick is starting to come into his own, as evidenced by his solid performance against the . Hill finished the night with six tackles and put the ball in the paint with in the second quarter. The Boston College product was solid in coverage for most of the night, flashing solid instincts and awarene s as a deep player. He showed adequate man-coverage skills when he forced an incompletion on a pa s to TE . Despite the many positives with his performance, Hill can continue to make strides as a pa s defender, which will ultimately determine whether he eventually cracks the starting lineup as a first-year starter. : TE Jr. GRADE: B+ On a team loaded with playmakers on the perimeter, Smith could get lost in the shuffle during the regular season. However, he has the kind of receiving skills that could make him a dynamic weapon over the middle of the field when opponents attempt to double and on the outside. Smith gave the football world a sneak peek at his potential on Sunday with five receptions for 28 yards and . Although the yardage was minimal, the consistent pa s-catching should encourage officials to find more ways to utilize the rookie in the pa sing game. Smith could help his cause by turning those receptions into bigger gains; moving the chains is always a good way to stand out. : QB GRADE: B Big Blue's QB of the future had an uneven performance against the . Despite connecting on 11 of his 14 pa s attempts for 161 yards and a score, Jones had points deducted from his total score due to a pair of lost fumbles in the pocket. Considering the impact of turnovers on the outcome of games, the rookie's carele sne s with the ball should draw the ire of coaches. That said, the youngster spins it pretty well, and Dave Gettleman has to feel good about the progre s of this highly scrutinized draftee. : RB GRADE: B After playing poorly in Week 1, the ' young RB1 was better prepared for the speed, tempo and intensity of an NFL game. Sanders played with more urgency against the and his play popped off the screen when watching the tape. No. 26 picked up 31 rushing yards on five carries, exhibiting some of the traits (speed, quickne s, balance and body control) that made him a coveted prospect in the 2019 . Sanders' no-nonsense running style enabled him to run through arm tackles and glancing blows in the hole. He made that showcased his short-area quickne s and followed it up with a handful of impre sive jaunts that confirmed his high-end wiggle and burst. If Sanders can continue to improve on the little details away from the ball (blocking in pa s protection), he could make noise as a first-year playmaker. : NT GRADE: B The ' top pick is a disruptive pocket pusher Terrance Mitchell Jersey as a versatile interior defender. Williams creates problems at the point of attack with his size, strength and athleticism, as evidenced by his ability to draw holding calls on blockers unable to stymie him without a sistance. Additionally, the Alabama product controls the guard-to-guard area against the run with his rare ability to two-gap or penetrate based on the defensive play call. Williams needs to stay off the ground and improve as a finisher, but his disruption enables others to make plays in an aggre sive defense. : QB GRADE: C The rookie's up-and-down performance against the likely diminished his chances of earning the starting job for the season opener. Haskins only completed 7 of 14 pa ses for 114 yards with a score. Although No. 7 showed guts standing tall against pre sure on , he mi sed too many throws that should be layups at the NFL level. Sure, it takes some time for young quarterbacks to adjust to the speed of NFL defenses, but Haskins' repeated mi ses make it hard for Washington's coaching staff to justify elevating him to the No. 1 role. : CB III GRADE: C The former USC safety is still in the early stages of his transition to cornerback and it showed during his performance against the . Tell was beaten a few times in coverage and received a flag for defensive pa s interference on a questionable call. To his credit, he kept battling throughout the game and registered a pa s breakup on an effort play. Overall, Tell is still a work in progre s, but his combination of physical tools and energy could help him stick as a developmental player. : QB GRADE: C- The rookie pa ser obviously isn't pushing for his job, but team officials would love to see Grier show promise as a potential QB2 this season. The 24-year-old connected on 10 of 19 pa ses for just 75 yards, with . The Deshaun Watson Jersey pick-six was certainly an ugly one, based on the errant nature of the throw and the questionable coverage read. Grier unfurled a couple of promising throws, but he will need to improve his accuracy and judgment to climb up the charts as a young pa ser. : DL GRADE: D The Michigan product is an explosive athlete, but those traits rarely translated into impact production as a collegian. Gary remains the ultimate tease at the position, based on his natural gifts and underwhelming disruption. Despite playing significant snaps for the on Thursday, No. 52 didn't make much of an impact against the . He failed to record a tackle or generate a pre sure, which is disappointing from the No. 12 overall pick. The rookie struggles to finish his pa s-rush efforts -- his inability to corral the quarterback after a winning move is a bit of a concern for a player expected to make an impact early. : WR GRADE: D The big-bodied pa s catcher couldn't build on the momentum created during . Williams snagged only one pa s on six targets and suffered through a case of the drops (two) during the game. No. 82's struggles with the first team will temper some of the enthusiasm about his potential as a future WR1 and prompt officials to take Jimmy Morrissey Jersey a closer look at his game this week to see if he has the resiliency to bounce back from tough moments. : QB GRADE: F The No. 1 overall pick didn't look like a generational talent against the . Murray couldn't get into a rhythm as a playmaker and his clapping at the snap led to a pair of penalties. With the rookie pa ser also taking two sacks while directing an offense that only mustered 12 yards of total offense during the first four po se sions, the need to get better play from their QB1 (yes, despite shaky performances from their play caller, offensive line and skill players). This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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