The NFL is an unforgiving league, and teams are less patient than they were of yesteryear. Failure to show out, even in the preseason, creates a first impression that is hard to shake for anybody — but especially first rounders.
These are the four rookies that teams already might want to rewind the clocks on.
1. Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans SaintsIf there was a big loser amidst Shedeur Sanders’ statement performance in his pre-season debut, it was the laundry list of teams that let him slide all the way to the NFL Draft’s fifth round. Say what you want about the Sanders family as a headline grabber, but drafting against Shedeur’s perceived ego is going to cost a lot of teams, especially if they didn’t have a plan.
Luckily, most teams did. Of the ones listed by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin in need of a quarterback, free agency and trading provided a bit of a stop gap to the Steelers (Aaron Rodgers), Raiders (Geno Smith), and Jets (Justin Fields). The Saints, however, did need to draft a quarterback early and did just that…by shocking everyone with picking Tyler Shough in the second round.
Make no mistake: Shough will end up starting for New Orleans sooner or later. He was 15-of-22 for 165 yards and a touchdown in his pre-season debut, as opposed to Rattler’s 53 yards and three sacks taken.
But Shough’s performance also came with what could be the worst interception of the preseason, which ended in a pick six. And aside from that, is a 26-year-old rookie really New Orleans’ plan for the future? Even in a vacuum, Shough’s numbers were comparable to Sanders’, which is a laughable comparison with the context of their respective draft values. And if you’re the Saints, the football gods know you could use just the type of juice the Sanders “brand” could have given you as you continue your post-Brees rebuild.
And if you think we’re done with the Shedeur Sanders Effect…
2. Dillon Gabriel, QB, Cleveland BrownsHonestly, you can kind of loop in fellow Browns third-rounder Harold Fannin, Jr. in here, too. Gabriel is currently unable to live up to his draft stock due to a hamstring injury that’s keeping him limited, but boy oh boy did Sanders’ coming out party make him look unnecessary. Flacco is the starter going forward, but as of right now, the race for Cleveland’s second string is a dead heat with Sanders pulling ahead by the day.
This gets even more damning when you consider that the Browns failed to address what might be the saddest receiver room in the NFL. Jerry Jeudy is Cleveland’s only real pass catching threat, with Diontae Johnson reportedly fighting for his life against Cedric Tillman. Realistically, Cleveland would have been well-advised to take a wide receiver as early as their first pick of the second round, as opposed to LB Carson Schwesinger.
But Schwesinger has impressed thus far, and spoiler alert, we’ll get to the Quinshon Judkins pick in a bit. But not only did Sanders make Gabriel look expendable, but there were multiple young, starting-caliber WRs that were still on the table late in the third round. Jalen Royals and Elic Ayomanor were both taken a round later and could be slated for big roles on their respective teams. Oh, what could have been.
3. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland BrownsListen, Cleveland fans, the Browns looked rock solid to kick off the pre-season. But kicking the Panthers’ asses is just the lowest bar to clear, and you have a second-round running back that still hasn’t even signed a contract yet.
Now, it’s not really Cleveland’s fault — after all, how were they supposed to see into Judkins’ future? But boy must it feel awful to see TreVeyon Henderson, who was picked just two slots later, kick off his pro career with a 100-yard kick return.
And Cleveland’s awful wide receiver room bears mentioning here, too. Dylan Sampson alone was taken at incredible value in the fourth round, and in hindsight, the Browns could have spent their top second-rounder on either of Luther Burden III or Jayden Higgins as a prototypical home run threat.
Instead, they now sit with an intriguing, yet unavailable running back prospect with comparable analytics to the back they took two rounds later. Have you ever bought something at a Whole Foods only to find it on sale at Target hours later for a quarter of the price? If so, then you might be the Cleveland Browns front office.
4. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina PanthersSo Carolina clearly doesn’t trust Xavier Legette, because whoa.
Bryce Young needs more of a supporting cast than the ancient (in NFL terms) Adam Thielen. That much needs to be said up front. But Carolina also entered the 2025 Draft with the worst scoring defense in the league. Decisions, decisions.
Tetairoa McMillan was and is the prize of the 2025 receiver class, and his potential is legitimate. But catching 2 of 5 passes for 30 yards isn’t encouraging, even if it just one preseason game. Not to mention that Atlanta, who did double tap on defense in the first round, seems to have a hit on its hands in both Jalon Walker and James Pearce, Jr. And even without seeing much of training camp, Shemar Stewart proved to be worth the wait for Bengals fans in his preseason debut. All were taken at value after Carolina pulled the trigger on McMillan.
A gamble was taken by Carolina when they picked their wide receiver of the future. And at least for right now, it does look like they missed out on a lot of value in doing so.
