NFL Training Camp: 10 most intriguing battles in 2023

With training camps in full swing for all 32 NFL teams now, it's time to take a look at some of the battles for starting positions and certain roles across the league.

I’ll present the candidates with some numbers for context, explain what will be asked of them in their respective systems and then make a case for who should win out.

Let's get started:

#1, San Francisco 49ers – Quarterback

Candidates: Brock Purdy, Trey Lance & Sam Darnold

NFL Training Camp: 10 most intriguing battles in 2023

Brock Purdy seems to be the favorite across the 49ers organization after what he was able to do once he took over in Week 12 (following Jimmy Garoppolo breaking his thumb against the Dolphins after he was already the number two option to Trey Lance originally).

Everybody by now knows the story of Mr. Irrelevant and how crazy his ascent was, but Purdy actually led all QBs in the NFL who attempted at least 50 throws with a passer rating of 107.3. That actually increased ever so slightly in the playoffs, before he had his throwing elbow injured in the NFC Championship game and the Niners couldn’t withstand another injury.

We can argue if he would’ve been able to beat this Philly defense, but up to that point he had performed with a ton of poise and confidence.

Now, I still don’t believe he has the type of physical attributes typically associated with an NFL starting QB, but he didn’t leave any opportunities off the table that Kyle Shanahan created. There was a little more passing outside the numbers than with Jimmy G and Purdy added that slipperiness to get himself out of muddy pockets and create secondary plays. That’s why I liked him as a long-term backup with the potential to start for certain stretches doing his college evaluation.

With Lance, I don’t understand how people have completely written him off. He had two emergency starts as a rookie, then was part of that monsoon in the season-opener at Chicago last year (based on which fans came away thinking Justin Fields can’t throw the damn ball), and then completed two of three passes against the Seahawks the following week, before he fractured his ankle.

The Niners didn’t trade three first-round picks to just see what they have in this guy.

The raw arm strength, size &and athleticism made him a highly intriguing prospect coming out of North Dakota State. There, he actually ran a pro-style under center offense, in which he was very familiar with bootlegs, those deep play-action concepts and also was heavily included in the QB run game.

The issue for him is that over the last three-and-a-half years, he’s attempted a total of 132 passes. It seems that he’s worked on what used to be a rather floppy release and he’s had time now to really immerse himself into Shanahan’s extensive playbook, but while he may have studied it conceptually, the time on task and ability to decipher information in real-time is missing.

And then there’s Sam Darnold – another former third-overall pick back from 2018 with the Jets. Everyone had high expectations for him coming out of USC, considering the arm talent, toughness and knack for the game, where he regularly made plays happen in sub-optimal circumstances.

Well, the situation around him has been even less positive for a young QB to develop. Looking at his time under head coach Adam Gase in New York, they couldn’t provide the O-line or schematic advantages to protect him. He was traded to Carolina, where he didn’t have Christian McCaffrey a whole lot, the O-line once again was a mess when he got there and defensive coordinators starting to be all over Joe Brady’s play-designs.

With that being said, Darnold certainly didn’t show the ability to elevate those settings, as the NFL game always seemed too fast for him. He forced plays and lacked a certain situational awareness. However, what we saw over the final six weeks got some people excited again.

The Panthers started to operate through the run game and reduced the number of true dropbacks for Darnold, simplifying reads, while getting him involved with his legs, accounting for nine TDs compared to three INTs across that month-and-a-half, including 100 rushing yards.

That kind of sounds familiar, as Shanahan has earned the reputation for being able to elevate his signal-callers with clever play designs and setting up their skill-position guys for run-after-catch opportunities. We’ve heard comments already about how special an arm Darnold has, while there has been very little noise around Lance.

Considering the resources they’ve invested into the latter, I would typically say he’s ultimately going to be their long-term plan, but this is a weird situation.

I think the problem here is the changed expectations and timeline that have come along with making the move for Lance. The 49ers realized they had hit the ceiling of where they could go with just a trigger-man like Jimmy G - especially with some of the bad plays he’s had, to throw a wrench into this well-run machinery.

However, when they realized that roster was good enough that (even as they go through three QBs) if that guy under center can just be available and execute the offense, they’d rather go with the guy who’s facilitated the most effective versions of that offense we’ve seen.

So if Purdy’s recovery stays on schedule and his arm is ready to go in Week 1, I believe he’ll be their choice and I wouldn’t be shocked if Darnold ultimately is the primary backup. But I could see some packages with Trey as a runner and if they see what he can provide again for an extended stretch, with what this situation has looked like, I don’t believe the door’s closed on him yet.

#2, Detroit Lions – Nose-tackle

Candidates: Isaiah Buggs, Brodric Martin & Benito Jones

This is actually a bit surprising because Alim McNeill was one of the more underrated young players in that role after they drafted him out of N.C. State in the third round of 2021. However, the Lions are supposedly asking him to trim down and play 3-technique this year, in large part because they haven’t been able to find a guy who can fit that responsibility.

The focus for them is improving the run defense, which is where they just finished bottom-six in both EPA per rush and rushing success rate.

With John Cominsky and last year’s second-rounder Joshua Paschal having that flexibility to move inside on passing downs, I expect McNeill to play more over the center in those situations if he does stay on, while the designated nose will NOT be used in that capacity really at all.

So we’re talking more so about a two-down run-plugger who can keep the second level clean, lining up at a more traditional shade-nose on the edge of the center if they run Under fronts (where the 3-technique is lined up to the weak side, as they involve their big nickel more in run fits, after having invested into those profiles and made the switch to that being more of their base personnel over the second half of last year) or at a 2i (meaning the inside shoulder of the guard when they’re in Over looks) and now you have that guy with leverage on the gap, without the center being able to combo on him, when they run towards the strong-side.

Isaiah Buggs started his career as a sixth-round pick for the Steelers in 2019 and while he played either nine or ten games all three years there, his snap percentage increased in each of those. Then last season he played a full 17 in Detroit, starting 13 of those and playing two-thirds of defensive snaps.

However, he actually was more effective against the pass, doubling his career total in prior pressures with 20, while his PFF run defense grade of just 47.0 ranked him 123rd among interior D-linemen who played 100+ snaps last season.

Basically swapping spots with McNeill may not lend itself to improvements in that area, since he’s used to playing at just under 300 pounds.

Brodric Martin was a shocking selection in this year’s draft to me at the end of day two, since they actively moved up for him and actually gave up three picks between 122 and 168. So clearly they envision him having a more extensive role if you’re investing that kind of capital in a true nose tackle. I just hated the value because I didn’t think he was worth a top-200 selection, much less a top-100.

He does have premiere size and length for that role at 6’5”, 335 pounds with 34-and-½-inch arms. You see the anchor ability to hold up versus double-teams for the most part and the upper body strength to pull guys off himself in order to swallow the back, but he doesn’t threaten the edges of blockers at all with quicks and hands. And if you ask him to take on a bigger workload, he has major issues with pad level.

Finally, Benito Jones has a chance to get more playing time in his second destination. He originally came to Miami as an undrafted free agent in 2020 but struggled to get on the field (due to all the big bodies the Dolphins had putting in work on the interior for them, who never get the credit they deserve for stopping the run).

So he logged 48 snaps as a rookie and then spent all of 2021 on the practice squad. However, last season he logged over 300 snaps across all 17 games for Detroit and he had some good moments (actually pretty damn impressive with nearly a 10% rate of pressures per pass-rush snap and didn’t miss any of his 16 tackles).

Yet he finished just below Isaiah Buggs at 127th among the interior D-line in terms of a 46.3 PFF run-defense grade, as somebody who also spent the majority of time in the B-gap. But this is a former top-50 overall recruit, who has shock in his hands to be firm near the point of attack or drive centers backward when offenses drop back, who played almost exclusively at the nose his final year at Ole Miss.

So I think the hope is Martin quickly finds his footing and takes on the majority of snaps for this trio. But I believe what’s most likely is that all three play between 15 and 30% of snaps. Buggs is the most active guy among that group, if they put him a lot at 2i and he can chase from the backside, but Martin and Jones can be more traditional options at re-setting the line of scrimmage and negating space for more at-you gap-scheme type of offenses.

So not only will it be a heavy rotation I believe, but their usage will also be dependent on who they face on a weekly basis. Right now I’d say Buggs starts Week 1 and leads them in snaps, because he’s played the most on passing downs along the front, but specifically as an early-down nose, any of these three could lead them in usage.

#3, Miami Dolphins – Number three receiver

Candidates: Braxton Berrios, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Robbie Chosen & Erik Ezukanma

You can argue a couple of teams here, but I think as a duo, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle right now is the most deadly combination of wide receivers across the NFL.

Either one can take a slant or crossing route to the house on any given play, has the burners to run by a flat-footed post safety and they’re both actually a lot more effective at coming down with balls through contact than being 5’10”, just over 180 pounds would suggest. That’s how they combined for an NFL-high 49% target share for any WR duo last season.

Miami isn't actually a team that will split you out in 11 personnel and make their third receiver a significant component in their dropback game. Looking at the play that made Mike McDaniel famous last season (that RPO concept where they completely shift the formational strength with motion and create a triangle for the QB to attack space as those defenders sort of have to freeze), they actually condense the look they’re in and have that third receiver on the side the action isn’t going towards, where they use him as a blocker or they insert fullback Alec Ingold and use his skills to kick out the backside D-end or slip into the flats.

That’s why if you take off that 75-yard TD you may remember from Trent Sherfield (on their first play from scrimmage against the 49ers), he had just 342 receiving yards the rest of the way despite playing nearly 58% of offensive snaps.

So this isn’t necessarily a high-volume target role. Rather, somebody who can take care of his blocking assignments closer to the point of attack and be a reliable pass-catcher when they go to more traditional play-action and attack the windows they create with all that window-dressing they throw at opponents. At the same time, without Sherfield and some of the names they’ve brought in, they may want to expand on that role and stay ahead of the competition.

It only took a day for Miami to up pick Braxton Berrios once their division-rival Jets released him in the middle of March. It wasn’t shocking necessarily, once New York signed free agent Mecole Hardman and Aaron Rodgers brought along a couple of buddies, along with the usage of Berrios declining this past season. But over the last three years, he did turn 120 touches into 1,130 yards and nine touchdowns, along with being named first-team All-Pro as a return specialist in 2021.

He doesn’t fit the bill of maybe a bigger body who can be a plus blocker, but if they do want to operate in more wide-open sets to clear the field for Tua, Berrios can win on option routes and take advantage of the space those two speedsters create, while we’ve seen him get involved on end-arounds, running orbit motion and stuff like that.

Cedrick Wilson appeared to be the big free agency addition last year (coming off a career season with the Cowboys when he cracked 600 receiving yards), but he surprisingly played only 22.5% of snaps. So his production was very limited just based on how little he was on the field, but even then it was his first season of finishing just under one yard per route run.

With a cap hit of eight million this year, I would hope they try to get more out of him, and to me he certainly is the best player of the bunch. He may not be quite the burner those two top guys in the food chain are, but I’d think his field-spacing skills could be very useful for this type of offense.

Especially as somebody who makes his money on crossers and seam routes, along with great adjustments to the ball down the field, thinking about that wheel route off motion, which is so prevalent for them.

Robbie Anderson, Robbie Chosen or Chosen Anderson, is coming off a couple of tumultuous seasons, not just in terms of trying to settle on the right name for himself. He put up nearly 1,100 yards on a bad Panthers offense in 2020, but his production dropped to about half of that the following year despite a similar workload.

Last season he was kicked out of a game by interim coach Steve Wilks following sideline arguments with his position coach. He only caught seven passes over his ten games in Arizona after that and now he surprisingly approached the Dolphins, because he wanted to move back near his home.

It’ll be interesting if they find real value in what is a primary deep threat at this point because over the last two years, only five of 29 targets of 20+ yards his way were deemed catchable, while Tua led the NFL in adjusted deep ball completion rate.

Erik Ezukanma is somebody I actually liked quite a bit coming out of Texas Tech last year as a 6’3”, 220-pound pure outside receiver in college, who quickly gets up to full speed, can be a legit ball-winner down the field, is strong after the catch and you saw him impose his will as a blocker a few times.

He just ran a very limited route tree in college and even after standing out in preseason, he was only active for one game as a fourth-round rookie because he was apparently still trying to grasp the playbook and officially was on the depth chart behind Tyreek as the Z receiver – who didn’t miss any time.

I’m looking forward to seeing how much progress he can make this offseason, because the talent is certainly there.

Just to quickly mention two other names - River Cracraft has been with Mike McDaniel the last three years, as somebody the HC brought along with him from San Francisco. He has less than 150 receiving yards over that stretch, as somebody who did most work on teams. He's more of your classic number five or six receiver, who understands his assignments when brought on.

They drafted Elijah Higgins out of Stanford this year in the sixth-round, who will be tagged as a tight end, but could see a certain role as a big-bodied possession guy over the middle of the field as well, because his blocking could earn him some opportunities.

Overall, I personally would prefer Cedrick Wilson and I believe he actually plays the highest rate of snaps because he can play the Z or F (which is the slot position in more traditional 11P sets), win at all 3 levels and be a reliable option for them.

However, if they can open up opportunities 1-on-1 down the field for Chosen Anderson, he may finish third among this group in yards, while Berrios could end up with the most total touches (although his biggest impact may be felt in the return game).

Ezukanma is the wild card here, because he brings size to the room that nobody else really does. If he can figure things out and you put him on the backside of some RPOs to run a glance route, with that size to shield the ball and gain yards through contact, that could be a fun element added to the menu

#4, Seattle Seahawks – RUSH linebacker

Candidates: Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall & Alton Robinson

This one is kind of funny, because the Seahawks drafted the first three guys all within picks 37 and 48 over three of the last four years, along with Robinson being a fifth-rounder I liked quite a bit back in 2020.

Other than Uchenna Nwosu, who led the edge group by far with 78% of snaps as their starter at SAM in every game, Taylor was next in line in terms of usage, but that was only at 42% of snaps. After missing his entire rookie season with a setback from a leg injury he suffered in college, he’s played 16 games each of the last two years and leads the team in sacks with 16 over that stretch.

Looking at the pressure numbers, he’s slightly above that 10% mark I reference quite a bit in terms of pressures-per-pass-rush snap, as a dip-and-rip specialist to win around the corner. Unfortunately, he’s been one of the worst run-defenders at his position, finishing below 140 among edge defenders who played 100+ snaps each of the last two years in terms of PFF grade versus the run, not setting a firm edge and more so trying to get around blockers.

Looking at the ’22 draft class, the Seahawks got what appear to be two quality starters at either tackle spot and in the secondary, along with a potential star running back, but the guy they actually picked second in Boye Mafe saw about the same playing time 35-year old Bruce Irvin did in his second stint in Seattle.

He did record three sacks but just 12 total pressures across 200 pass-rushing opportunities, as somebody with great acceleration up the arc and suddenness to cross-face blockers, but who really struggled once tackles were able to get their hands into his frame.

He did however finish top-30 for his position in what I referenced earlier in terms PFF run defense grade, as somebody with the force to press off tight ends near the point of attack and not afraid to crash into pullers. As his hand usage continues to advance, he to me has the highest potential for that group. And he can cover plenty of ground to be peeled off the edge into coverage a few times per game.

So I was a bit surprised that they spent another top-40 pick on Derick Hall out of Auburn this year. What differentiates him from Mafe for example, is that while they’re about the same stature, his 34-and-½-inch arms are two inches longer than the guy the Hawks brought in a year prior.

By far his most effective way of getting to the passer is converting speed-to-power, which allows him to take a pretty direct path towards the point he needs to get to, but there’s some stiffness in his hips and a lack of lateral agility or willingness to try countering inside.

He’s definitely improved as a run-defender, playing with leverage and maximizing his length to lock out blockers, while having the short-area burst to track down plays from the backside or redirect and corral QBs pulling the ball on zone-read and others.

The fourth name here seems like the least likely one, as Seattle invested the lowest draft capital in fifth-rounder Alton Robinson, who missed the entire ‘22 season with a knee injury he suffered in the preseason finale.

He doesn’t quite have the same type of burst off the ball as those other two guys I just talked about, but very physical run-defender who will cave in tight-ends assigned with shielding him or create stalemates with pulling guards. He just slips off a few tackles. And I liked his power-rushing profile coming out of Syracuse, while being able to shorten the corner for himself with the rip-through.

He only had four sacks, but 18 pressures in each of his first years on 380 combined pass-rush snaps. So I didn’t want to disregard him, even though he faces a tough climb among that depth chart.

I’d think Taylor coming into a career year is the favorite to start Week 1, but considering he may be the worst run-defender among the bunch, somebody else could ultimately log more starts. That’s where you have to weigh how important that is to your success defensively, as Uchenna Nwosu will be at the strong side for the most part, while the other guys will have chances to track down plays away from the action.

With basically one legit nose tackle on the roster who is coming off an injury himself, I’d think condensing the space opponents have between the tackles will be a priority, after they finished last season 26th in rush EPA as a unit, particularly struggling against outside zone.

I’m most excited about what Mafe and the growth he may show as he progresses technically and understands how to really attack the edges of tackles in passing situations. However, Hall has the clearest path to winning as a pass-rusher looking at what he was able to do in the SEC, even though he’ll need to vary his approach.

Ultimately I believe Mafe leads them in snaps, Taylor is the most productive rusher, but we see plenty of Hall sprinkled in. Robinson could still play like 20-25% of snaps, but expectations aren’t as high for him since he’s probably playing for a contract somewhere else as a role-player in 2024.

#5, Los Angeles Chargers – Power back

Candidates: Joshua Kelley, Isaiah Spiller & Larry Rountree III

This is something the Bolts have struggled to find a solution to for a few years now. I may look very stupid if the Chargers end up signing one of the veterans like Kareem Hunt or Ezekiel Elliott still on the market, but let’s look at what we have to work with for now.

Kelley has seen by far the biggest usage among these three names. He’s played over 20% of offensive snaps each of his three years as a pro in LA, turning 255 combined touches into 1030 yards and four touchdowns. However, last season was the only time he went over 3.7 yards per touch (at 4.7) in large part because he had six carries of 10+ yards.

Kelley is an efficient mover between the tackles in terms of not losing time stopping his feet in the backfield and he runs hard with continuous leg drive, but he’s not somebody who adds something with the way he understands the conceptual ways of setting up runs or making things happen individually.

Plus, he dropped five of 30 catchable targets and has been up-and-down I’d say in pass-pro. His game certainly lends itself more to game plans where they could get into some heavier sets and run the ball extensively.

Spiller was not only my but also the consensus RB3 in last year’s draft behind only Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker III, who both looked like stars when they received the according opportunities. However, Spiller only appeared in six games, as a healthy scratch on several occasions, with 18 carries plus three receptions for just 54 combined yards.

At Texas A&M I thought his ability to translate information from his head to his feet and how effectively he can adjust his running path was highly impressive for a young player. He found the balance between urgency and patience depending on the run scheme, while he could make people miss in the backfield or at least minimize the surface area for tacklers whilst being 225 pounds.

I thought there were times when he should use that size more and his long speed isn’t great while having a reliable pair of hands and he got the job done as a pass-protector much better than most college backs.

Rountree comes in the mold of an inside banger the most. He was kind of a bowling ball at Missouri whose game hasn’t quite translated to the pro game. He’s carried the ball 49 times for just 106 yards and one TD across 16 career contests, as he jumped back and forth between practice squad and active roster.

The after-contact numbers aren’t where you’d like them to be for that profile since he doesn’t give you much in the passing game. With that being said, the Bolts did bring him back for one more year at nearly a million dollars. So they must like some stuff about him.

Austin Ekeler will of course handle the majority of touches, as somebody who had over 200 carries and 100 catches last season, along with leading the league in touchdowns for the second year in a row. However, they’d certainly like to reduce his workload a little bit, because while he’s proven that he can be an effective in-between-the-tackles runner, there’s room for a second guy to add more to their early down run game (which will now diversify under new OC Kellen Moore) along with taking pass-pro snaps.

To me the guy who most clearly fits that bill is Spiller. I really liked his pacing, understanding of concepts and not allowing defenders to get a straight shot at him. Plus, I saw him stone-wall some blitzers or at least push them off track at A&M, in order to give Justin Herbert time. Plus, I expect them to block things up more regularly rather than playing with five guys out as much.

Kelley has his value as a pure runner and they did bring back Rountree for a reason, but if the Chargers don’t bring in another veteran, I don’t see why Spiller couldn’t play close to 30% of snaps. I might be stuck up a little bit here with his college evaluation – I’ll admit that – but I don’t believe Kelley would be playing nearly half the snaps on teams if they looked at him as an integral piece to their offense.

With what Moore will ask of that role, Spiller is the guy I think can fulfill it best. Other than when he had a couple of defenders in the backfield before he could get back to the line of scrimmage, I liked what I saw against the Falcons and Chiefs – his only two outings with extended playing time.

#6, Jacksonville Jaguars – Nickelback

Candidates: Tre Herndon, Antonio Johnson & Christian Braswell

Looking at the defensive numbers for Jacksonville, they went from 18th NFL-wide in terms of EPA per play through the first eleven weeks to sixth from that point on, while climbing 10 spots in dropback EPA as well.

While there are always multiple factors relevant, the one big personnel move they made was moving Darious Williams from the slot to outside corner, while Tre Herndon filled that spot on the inside and they used more 3-safety sets to put a bigger there at times. However, while they didn’t make the nickel spot a priority this offseason, I believe Herndon has some competition there, which could once again be key in how high this young Jaguars team can climb in a loaded AFC.

So Herndon is certainly the favorite, considering the Jags were very successful with him fulfilling that role. Across 12 games as a starter or quasi-starter at least in nickel packages, he was responsible for more than 52 receiving yards twice, with 60 in one of those. Pro Football Focus only gave him the 119th-best grade among all cornerbacks last season, but that largely had to do with his run defense with a grade just below 40.

However, he did only miss two of 38 attempted tackles – which was a massive improvement compared to years prior – and in the grand scheme of Darious Williams being able to move outside, it allowed that unit to be at its best.

With that being said, I was a pretty big fan of Antonio Johnson, who they stole at the 160th pick in this year’s draft. While I was surprised how far he did fall, the reason I thought he’d go later than what I valued him as is that he’s more so an average athlete, who almost exclusively lined up in the slot over the last two years and had minimal ball-production to speak of.

However, considering that’s exactly the spot the Jags are least certain about, I think he has a chance to pay off in a major way. His length, instincts and football IQ make him a tremendous coverage player in the slot, capable of matching up with move tight-ends and shows good spatial awareness as this overhang or hook defender.

He also does a great job of playing with extension and funneling the ball inside against the run. If you don’t ask him to work up from depth, he was been a very reliable tackler at Texas A&M.

The third name I just wanted to throw out there is Christian Braswell. He was one of multiple undersized Rutgers defensive backs this year, who also tested okay. Especially if you look at the coverage numbers, 24-of-41 going his way for 218 yards and just one touchdown compared to three interceptions and eight more passes broken up.

He was primarily used outside because the Scarlet Knights had a small pack of dynamite in the slot in Christian Izien, who I believe also has a chance to play significant snaps inside for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Braswell doesn’t mind sticking his face in the fan as a run-defender or tackler.

This is another one of those situations where a team has a veteran with a certain track record and they’ve seen the success with him in that role. So Herndon will probably start as the season rolls around, but I believe Antonio Johnson at worst should be a matchup piece against bigger slot targets as a rookie.

I could easily see him start by the mid-way point of the season, if they look at the tape and Herndon isolated hasn’t lived up to what they’d like to see. Particularly, in the run game I believe he could be a definite upgrade and give them some more versatility, if they want to use that position more regularly as part of their pressure packages.

Meanwhile, Braswell is a guy who could see some snaps inside and out, but he’ll probably have to prove himself on special teams first.

#7, Dallas Cowboys – Tight-end depth chart

Candidates: Jake Ferguson, Peyton Hendershot & Luke Schoonmaker

This is less about who’ll start Week 1 or be in the lineup most, but rather how they look at that entire room and how playing time will be divided. Dalton Schultz of course led this group in snaps, catches, yards and touchdowns each of the last three years, but he moved in-state to the Texans as a free agent this offseason.

Jake Ferguson finished second across those categories last season as a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, who had a highly consistent career with the Badgers. As a rookie, he caught 19 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns, while a late-season concussion cost him a couple of games.

Despite an average depth of target of just 3.5 yards, he finished 12th in yards per route run among TEs with 10+ targets. This was thanks in large part to better juice once the ball is in his hands than I might’ve given him credit for and good power to drive forward through contact, as he averaged 6.5 YAC (which was right in line with George Kittle last season for reference).

He also didn’t drop any passes. However, his strengths as a run-blocker that I saw in college as a traditional Y didn’t quite show up, being tied for 68th in PFF run-blocking grade, where he has room to grow in terms of latching his hands and transferring force.

Tied with Ferguson in that metric was actually Peyton Hendershot, who was third in line for Dallas, but still logged just under 300 snaps as a rookie UDFA. He caught 11 of 16 targets for 103 yards and two TDs, along with getting into the end-zone from a couple of yards out once when he took a jet sweep from under center.

Once again, he's not an overpowering blocker, but crafty in terms of the way he releases off the line of scrimmage. He was used more down the field on wheel routes a few times and showed that he can hold onto the ball through contact on a couple of occasions. He’s probably best off the line as a wing or detached as the number three in trips working down the seams.

And then there’s Luke Schoonmaker, who they drafted 58th overall this year. This was/is a super solid prospect I thought, who has quality experience in a diverse, pro-style rushing attack at Michigan. He didn’t necessarily blow people off the spot, but you saw him seal on the back side, pin guys to get out to the corner, kick out, wrap around as a lead-blocker and more.

In the passing game, he has solid burst off the ball, but it’s his ability to drop his hips and cleanly get out of his breaks, along with having some wiggle to him at the top of the route to make defenders freeze their feet, which stood out to me. He understands how to pace himself and sit down against zone coverage, shows strong hands and consistently gains positive yardage by getting vertical.

I think a powerful edge defender could overwhelm him a little bit at the point of attack and he didn’t offer much of a vertical component or make people miss after the catch.

Going back to the 2022 Cowboys offense, all three of the guys had to be on the field quite a bit, because they were their most effective out of 12 personnel (and even though we don’t know exactly what Mike McCarthy taking over the offense would look like, considering his background, that could be very similar).

The one thing that may sway that a little bit is having picked up a fullback as a UDFA (who I really like and I actually broke down in a written piece after the draft), and how I think he could fit into that unit. Regardless, we should see heavy personnel quite regularly and all three names get time on the field.

With that being said, I would give Ferguson the slight edge over Schoonmaker right now, with Hendershot as a solid third option. Since he has more of a prototypical frame and a year in what should at least remain a fairly similar system, Ferguson appears most likely to be in the starting eleven once the season rolls around.

However, when they get to obvious passing situations, the rookie may be the preferred option, because he’s a more skilled route-runner in space. How much Brandin Cooks being brought in to make that personnel grouping more effective will be key in how they approach this, but once again, I look at this tight-end room as a three-headed monster, if you want to call it that, where all of them can bring somewhat similar skill-sets to the table.

#8, Buffalo Bills – MIKE linebacker

Candidates: Terell Bernard, Tyrel Dodson, Dorian Williams & A.J. Klein

While the Bills have been trying to find a number two outside corner and investing a bunch of draft capital into their D-line, their safety and linebacker duos have been consistent and key in making that scheme work.

With as much zone-coverage as they like to run, being able to squeeze down windows underneath and challenge route patterns during their development is what’s needed to keep opposing quarterbacks from picking them apart by attacking voided space.

Matt Milano has been the more consistent of those two guys on the second level, particularly when it comes to cleaning up behind an aggressive line. They’re now losing a specimen in Tremaine Edmunds at the LB position, as his presence at 6’5” with an 83-inch wingspan combined with the range he provides, covered a large area of the field, along with having grown in that scheme. How do they replace him now?

Well, Terell Bernard was a top-100 pick for them last year (announced by the amazing Kyle Brandt from GMFB if anybody can remember) who was a two-time second-team and then first-team All-Big 12 selection at Baylor. With Buffalo’s starting tandem staying mostly healthy, he logged just 110 defensive snaps, but started on three of their four main special teams units and still recorded 22 tackles as a rookie.

Bernard finished 50th among 117 off-ball linebackers who played at least 100 snaps on defense in terms of PFF grade. His best work was in run defense, being charged with one or zero missed tackles, depending on the service you use. However, he officially only started once in the absence of Milano, which made up about half of the time he got to see the field in that facet.

Thinking back to his time college, Bernard’s ability to trigger on keys and attack the backfield in the run game (along with how effective he was as a pressure player) really stood out, displaying no fear of charging full-speed into blockers in either area.

At 6’1”, 225 pounds, he certainly presents a different physical profile and he’d likely be utilized in a slightly different avenue if Buffalo wants to start bringing a little more pressure.

Tyrell Dodson is the guy who actually started in the three games Tremaine Edmunds missed last season. An undrafted free agent three years ago, he’s been fairly effective when called upon, even though those three games he received extended runs in this past season weren’t his best showings.

He has a more filled-out frame than Bernard, showing discipline with going through his reads between the tackles and taking the appropriate angles reaching outside of that. However, he’s not the most mobile player in coverage and doesn’t present the same tackling range Edmunds did of course.

He only blitzed 14 on passing downs last season, but did record seven pressures on those. So we’d have to see if that could be a strength of his with extended opportunities.

Dorian Williams is the linebacker the Bills drafted this year in the third round. While he’s missing like four inches and 20 pounds on Edmunds, if you go back to their respective college tapes, you see the moments of brilliance dealing with blockers. But their strengths were in the passing game, thanks to how easily they moved, some of the signs they showed in understanding spacing and the length to shrink windows in zone coverage.

Williams is still speeding up his process of IDing keys in the run game. When bigger bodies were able to get their hands inside Williams’ frame, he had a tough time disengaging, and too often he’d end up leaving his feet as a tackler - although he’s shown steady improvements in that regard. And I do really like the combination of slipperiness to elude guys in space and the potential to use those long arms to his advantage in order to maintain vision on the ball carrier.

A.J. Klein deserves to be mentioned here, considering he has by far the largest sample size and track record of success in a starting capacity. He was in the lineup for 82 of 144 career games across five different spots, with the Ravens trading him as a piece of the Roquan Smith trade to Chicago last year. He ultimately got waived and the Bills picked him up again, following two years in Buffalo prior to that.

At 32 years old once the season rolls around and the level of play recently declining, he’s likely more of a depth piece, but they’d at least know what they’re getting if they plug him in at some point.

I believe Buffalo’s choice will be somewhat connected to the personnel packages they want to run. For example, if Dodson were to win out in camp, it’s probably because they like him best on early downs, but then want to bring on recently signed Taylor Rapp in three-safety sets for passing situations, where he plays dime backer.

To me, Bernard is the favorite, because of what I saw in his one start against the Jets, looking at his ability to diagnose plays and a couple of times funneling plays toward his buddies when he accelerated into a puller or lead-blocker.

Williams I think has the highest potential among the group, but it may take a year (just like with Bernard) before they feel comfortable putting him out there regularly. Dodson will probably do his best work on teams, where he’s been playing two-thirds of snaps these last two years, while Klein adds a veteran presence to a young crew other than Milano, who they may bring on in short-yardage situations.

#9, Indianapolis Colts – Right guard

Candidates: Danny Pinter, Will Fries & Emil Ekiyor

The Colts O-line went from a major strength to an utter catastrophe this past NFL season. You can blame different factors for this:

First, the lack of stability at left tackle and the ways they tried to compensate for that. Second, not having Jonathan Taylor for half the year to make them look better and third, a quarterback whose arm completely fell off and was a statue back there, having to drop back whilst trailing games more than you’d like.

But really it was the decline in play across the front other than maybe right tackle Braden Smith. All-Pro Quenton Nelson and Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly from previous years performed like average starters at best.

However, I recently outlined Bernhard Raimann as a breakout candidate on the blindside heading into year two and I expect those standout guys to return a lot closer to form this year. Where they still seem unsettled is right guard.

Danny Pinter has been in the league the longest, entering year four as a former fifth-round pick, playing 22 and 25% of offensive snaps respectively the latter two. He jumped in at center in 2021 and then started out at RG before getting benched last season. He actually performed very well in the absence of Ryan Kelly at the pivot, but deservedly got benched this past year, being charged with three sacks and QB hits each across his four starts.

Pinter provides good movement skills to cover ground laterally in the passing game and get to his landmarks outside his area on run plays, but definitely lacks some sand in the pants to deal with powerful interior rushers or create displacement on gap-schemes or inside zone.

Will Fries took over for Pinter three games into the year in his second season as a seventh-rounder and he WAS an upgrade. He brings much more of a burly build, to where you see him be able to anchor against bigger D-tackles in passing situations and can turn bodies in the run game, when he comes in on an angle. Only one sack allowed was on his count, but it still wasn't great necessarily with 17 pressures on about twice as many pass-blocking snaps as Pinter.

Fries isn't the lightest on his feet to mirror quick-twitch movement, be comfortable on longer pulls, or secure bodies on the second level. He got destroyed by the Eagles' front but did his best work at the end of the year.

And then I want to throw out Emil Ekiyor here. I’m still flabbergasted how he went undrafted this year, since I have yet to hear about any medical records that would worry you. Based on the tape, I had him as a third-round pick and my number six interior offensive lineman.

He provides thick lower half, which he can utilize to translate power from the ground up, has experience with a variety of pulling duties and for his build, he’s able to cover bodies in space a lot better than you might think. Thanks to the girth he presents, he’s capable of standing his ground against bull-rush attempts, constantly is looking to re-fit his hands, shows good awareness for games and is looking to dish out significant rib shots when unoccupied.

Generally, he has a bad tendency of dropping his eyes too often, while the initial hand-placement/-timing could use some work, relying heavily on two-handed strikes. Yet, he didn't allow a single sack across more than 1,000 pass-blocking snaps these past two years and just eight total pressures last season.

So I actually believe he has the best chance of being a long-term solution at that right guard spot and I’m still shocked how he got here. Especially considering that he performed well during Senior Bowl week, when he showed that he could also jump in at center and I thought after not testing, his on-field workout at the combine was really good.

It seems unlikely an undrafted free agent will start Week 1. So I’d give Fries the edge here, since Indy will be most comfortable going with what worked best last year. But if he stands out as the weak link along the front and the rookie can quickly acclimate himself (with 2,600 snaps in the SEC these last three years), I believe we might see a switch mid-way through the year. Pinter to me is better suited at center and I believe they’ll prefer the flexibility he does have off the bench in general.

Under Shane Steichen now likely designing an offense similar to what it looked like in Philadelphia last year. With rookie QB Anthony Richardson they’re diverse in the ground game but will simplify his reads as a passer and push the ball down the field. So they need somebody capable of performing well in all those areas and probably having to block on the move quite regularly, Ekiyor to me could be the best fit.

#10, Pittsburgh Steelers – Primary return specialist

Candidates: Gunner Olszewski, Calvin Austin III & Jordan Byrd

There's not a lot to break down in terms of role. Looking at the track record in Pittsburgh and still a young core on offense, I’d say trying to settle on somebody who can provide some spark plays is a priority. But considering they moved on from Ray-Ray McCloud last offseason (after fumbling four times and the decisions they made during the season), you wonder how long their leash is for somebody who doesn’t get the offense the ball back reliably.

Olszewski is obviously the most established option, considering he’s returned 113 career punts and kicks combined. He was the first-team All-Pro return specialist in 2020 for New England, when he led the league with a massive 17.3 yards per fielded punt (thanks in part to a 70-yard house call), plus he averaged over 23 yards on kickoffs as a member of the Patriots. So no debate – he’s the guy, right?

Well, eight of the eleven opportunities he got came over the first month of the season. He muffed one punt against his former team which set up a touchdown and then he fumbled on another one, where he picked it up off one hop and danced around. That’s why Steven Sims took over from that point onwards, but he’s no longer on the team.

With the Steelers not taking the out in his contract and paying him two million this year, you’d think they still plan to use him as more than just a gadget player on offense though.

Austin is probably his main competitor. This is a guy I absolutely loved at Memphis, as somebody cooking DBs on a weekly basis and the only receiver I thought gave Sauce Gardner some trouble in college. Coming off nearly 2,300 yards and 20 TDs on offense over his final two collegiate seasons, he ended up being a fourth-round pick for a pretty stacked young WR room at that point.

The Steelers did bring in Allen Robinson this offseason to be their likely number three receiver, but I’d think they want to find ways to get the ball in the hands of this little dynamo.

Because he was the star on offense, he didn’t get a ton of opportunities to stand out in the return game, but on just 29 punts fielded in college, he put up 323 yards and got to the end-zone twice. It doesn’t perfectly translate that way, but he had a solid 6.3% drop rate as a senior, has 4.32 speed, and a 97th percentile broad jump to indicate his instant explosiveness.

The third name to keep in mind here is Jordan Byrd, who they picked as an UDFA this year. A true return specialist at San Diego State, he earned back-to-back first-team All-Mountain West accolades. Over the last three years, he’s scored four TDs on 110 total opportunities, averaging 26.8 yards per kick return & 6.5 on punts.

He kind of comes in the mold of another former Aztec in Donell Pumphrey (for anybody who remembers that guy setting the FBS all-time rushing record) at 5’7”, around 170 pounds. I don’t think the 4.5 quite represents his speed because he’s gaining ground on guys regularly not just on teams but also against DBs in pursuit on offense, while I really like his ability to not lose speed as he makes subtle adjustments to his running path.

While they may not be counted as broken tackles, the way he pulls his knees up high and fends off arm tackles allow him to clear those with regularity, without really getting held up at all.

So this could absolutely be a three-headed race here for this job, but of course, it’ll also depend on what value they think they can get out of these players on offense.

Looking at the WR depth chart, they signed XFL standout Hakeem Butler (who once upon a time was a super-intriguing prospect among many that the Cardinals have failed to develop) and Miles Boykin showed some promise early on with the Ravens but only caught two passes in Pittsburgh last year.

I was definitely surprised that they brought back Olszewski, although they could still eat the 620K to move on from him if Calvin Austin pops in camp, following a missed rookie season with a foot injury.

The X-factor is Byrd thanks to how effective he was in college but I don’t envision much usage as a running back or receiver. With Austin, it might actually be that they want to focus on offense, if they were to suffer any injury along their front three.

I think he ultimately earns the starting gig for punts at least, while Olszewski or Byrd get involved on kickoffs, depending on who makes it through the final cuts. The undrafted rookie might also come off the practice squad at some point if there are any issues with whoever wins out.

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