As the pre-season nears its midpoint, rookies are beginning to make strong cases for regular season snaps. Fortunately for the Eagles and Bengals, some of their early round rookies already have established that they deserve consideration for starting gigs. Based on their play in the team’s second pre-season game, several of the Eagles’ defensive rookies appear to be ready for significant roles. The team’s top two 2010 picks, defensive end Brandon Graham and safety Nate Allen, already look like NFL starters. Graham made an impact as a pass rusher, getting around the rotund Andre Smith for a sack. On another play, the defensive end delivered a hit on the quarterback. But Graham was even more impressive as a run defender: he dominated offensive linemen at the point of attack, a few times plowing his way into the backfield. Because of his lack of prototypical length, many draft analysts weren’t convinced Keep Reading…

This week, Giants undrafted rookie receiver Victor Cruz caught the attention of football fans everywhere, catching everything on his way to 145 receiving yards and three touchdowns. As the Monday Night Football crew oohed and awed, fans of other teams lamented that their squads hadn’t stumbled upon a special UDFA find. However, Cruz isn’t the only rookie undrafted free agent who’s made a strong first impression. In fact, several UDFAs have made bigger impacts than their drafted counterparts. Cruz isn’t the only undrafted receiver to receive early plaudits. Arizona wideout Stephen Williams has drawn plenty of praise and put himself in position to contribute this fall. With Larry Fitzgerald out with a knee injury, Williams is getting reps with the first team offense; he’s clearly outplayed 3rd round receiver Andre Roberts, who’s been plagued with drops. Arizona’s first pre-season game gave a small taste of why Williams is an intriguing Keep Reading…

Over the next few weeks, Aaron Aloysius will post reports on how the league’s rookies looked in pre-season action. In his latest article, he details how the rookies looked in Thursday night’s matchup between the Panthers and Ravens. Carolina Panthers Carolina’s 2010 draft class ultimately will be judged based on the success or failure of quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Fortunately, the former Golden Domer’s first game in a Panthers uniform was a fairly positive one. Clausen displayed good arm strength and accuracy while working the middle of the field, connecting on two long completions. On a few plays, Clausen held the ball instead of throwing it away, but he made up for it by using his above average mobility to extend plays, gaining yardage on the ground and eluding pressure. The rookie QB did have his share of ugly plays. In addition to taking sacks, Clausen fumbled a snap from center Keep Reading…

Over the next few weeks, Aaron Aloysius will post reports on how the league’s rookies looked in pre-season action. He begins with the Hall of Fame Game, which included some marquee 2010 draft prospects. Cincinnati Bengals

With their 2010 draft class, the Bengals made sure the team would be better when the ball is in the air, adding multiple receiving targets and dynamic pass rushers. Tonight, their passing game flailed and their rookie targets failed to prove their worth, but the coaching staff has to be pleasantly surprised with the play of one of their new interior rushers. 1st round tight end Jermaine Gresham played most of the first half, yet he failed to register more than a few positive plays. The 6’5” Oklahoma product looked lean and awkward lining up with his hand in the dirt. He wasn’t very effective as an in-line blocker and didn’t get off Keep Reading…

At this time last year, the online draft community was agog over Carlos Dunlap. The Florida defensive end appeared to possess the ultimate combination of size, speed, and strength. Todd McShay had Dunlap going 6th overall in his initial 2010 mock draft, and Dunlap debuted at #3 overall on Kiper’s Big Board.

However, the ‘09 season exposed some of Dunlap’s limitations. He failed to get through the season without raising beet red character flags, displaying inconsistent effort and getting charged with a DUI. In addition, he played with too high a pad level, didn’t improve his technique, and failed to prove he could threaten the edge against good offensive tackles. As a result, his draft stock plummeted; the once highly-touted prospect slipped to the 2nd round.

This year, another freakish defensive lineman from the state of Florida is the subject of pre-season hype. But instead of being a Keep Reading…