Week 3 of the NFL season is when we traditionally see rookies step into their new teams’ roles. This is when we see who has a future in this league, and who might just be pretending. With 14 games left for every team, here’s who I think will make the biggest impact moving forward.
1. Jayden Daniels
No doubt about it, Jayden Daniels had the breakout rookie performance of Week 3. Going into Cincinnati on Monday night facing the Joe Burrow lead (now pretender) Bengals, Jayden was who the Commanders needed him to be. 254 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, and 0 drives that ended in a punt or a turnover, Jayden Daniels led the Washington Football Team to a BIG gritty victory. He looked like what Joe Burrow was in his first year in the NFL. Also, I love to see a big man touchdown, and with his first NFL pass TD going to OT Trent Scott, I think that’s a good omen for the rest of his career. Washington fans have a lot to be excited about with this new squad.
2. Malik Nabers
Giants fans have not been excited about this season all the way back since Hard Knocks revealed some of the higher-up talks behind the scenes with Saquon Barkley free agency. They also are coming to the realization that Mac Jones might not be the guy (he isn’t). But with their first round draft pick out of LSU, Daniel Jones might have a job for longer than people think. 9.8 Yards per Reception, 2 Touchdowns including 1 pirouette to get both feet in the end zone, he would make any QB look amazing. The more the Giants work him into the gameplan and the more he gets comfortable in his role as a star receiver, NYG fans can look forward to winning more games than they might have thought entering this season.
3. Brock Bowers
Brock Bowers looks like anything but a rookie through week 3 of the NFL season. In Sunday’s loss to Carolina, he had 3 receptions for 13.7 yards on average. His route running is solid and he can protect the pocket when called upon. The Raiders seem to be using him sparingly on offense (only 4 targets in week 3), but when Bowers gets his hands on the ball it’s not easy to bring him down. I believe he will soon be a menace in the red zone to get his team within distance to score. He was a Dawg in college, and he’ll continue to be a dog on Sundays.