Joe Milton III, Jaylen Wright, Austin Booker Among Week 1's Preseason Secret Superstars

The NFL preseason is about highly-drafted rookies and premium free agents to a point, but more than anyone else, the exhibition games give underrated and unheralded players the opportunities to shine, and find their ways onto rosters with bountiful futures ahead.

Now that Week 1 of the 2024 NFL preseason is officially in the books, here are some Secret Superstars whose performances went far beyond their public perceptions.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated).

Joe Milton III, QB, New England Patriots

When the Patriots selected Joe Milton in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft out of Tennessee, they knew that his arm and athleticism would mitigate to a point the developmental issues he'll have to challenge if he's to have an NFL future.

"Just watching him throw the football is unbelievable," Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf said after the pick was made . "6-foot-5, 245 pounds, he's got a rocket for an arm, he's athletic. He played in [Josh] Heupel's offense [at Tennessee[, which is not an NFL offense. But we feel like there are some things there that we can work with and develop.

"It was one of those picks where there was too much talent in him to pass that up,"

In his NFL debut against the Carolina Panthers last Thursday, Milton completed four of six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown, and his 38-yard touchdown pass to receiver JaQuae Jackson with 9:07 left in the game showed what Milton can do when everything's working. With the Panthers switching to single-high coverage post-snap, Milton could pick a side on the mirrored out-and-up routes run by Jackson and Kawaan Baker. His play-fake froze the defense and gave Milton time to assess what he had, Jackson was not Milton's first read; Milton had to play it out through the progression.

Milton also showed that he could be a factor on the run. This does come at the expense of passes to potentially open receivers at times, but it's a nice tool to have in the toolbox.

With third overall pick Drake Maye set as the future of the Patriots' quarterback position, Milton is fighting for development reps more than anything else. But he did attend Michigan before he transferred to Tennessee, and this franchise does have a history of sixth-round quarterbacks from Michigan surprising everybody.

We're not saying; we're just saying.

Eric Gray, RB, New York Giants

Now that Saquon Barkley is a part of the New York Giants' past, Big Blue needs new options at the running back position. 2024 fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy out of Purdue is one -- the pre-transfer Iowa running back/receiver has a lot of juice. But it's best not to forget Eric Gray, the 2023 fifth-rounder out of Oklahoma whose rookie season didn't tell much. Gray gained just 48 yards on 17 carries in his inaugural NFL season, and had more fumbles (one) than touchdowns (zero).

In the Giants' Thursday preseason debut against the Detroit Lions, Gray looked more like the guy who broke off 1,374 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Sooners in 2022 on just 212 carries -- which leads to a 6.5 yards per carry average.

Gray ran the ball four times for 52 yards and two touchdowns against Detroit, and this 48-yard touchdown run with 9:21 left in the first half was the talk of the game.

Gray also caught four passes for 46 yards in the game, including a nice swing pass for 24 yards in which he exploited a bit of miscommunication in Detroit's man coverage.

"That [guy] has been in the lab working," Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito said of Gray after the game. "I saw him bend the corner and I was like, ‘Ooh’. Eric especially, to have that screen go and then all of a sudden get up to that second level, make a miss, and I was like, ‘This dude better not get caught’. And he did not. He had a tremendous game. I looking forward to seeing him roll more."

Gray has no shortage of confidence regarding his NFL future.

"Football is the same game I have been playing since I was four years old. There is no difference. When you’re young, people try to hype up that the NFL is a different league, but it’s the exact same game that I’ve been playing since I was four."

Maybe a bit tougher now, but at this rate, Gray could find himself with quite a few more opportunities in his second NFL season.

Jaylen Wright, RB, Miami Dolphins

Between Raheem Mostert, De'Von Achane, Jeff Wilson Jr., and Salvon Ahmed, the Dolphins are already full of running backs on their roster. But that didn't prevent them from taking Tennessee's Jaylen Wright in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, and it's easy to see Wright as a natural fit in Mike McDaniel's offense with his athletic attributes and production. Last season for the Volunteers, Wright gained 1,010 yards on just 136 carries -- that's a gaudy 7.4 yards per carry average -- and 19 of those runs went for 15 or more yards.

In his first NFL game against the Atlanta Falcons, Wright found ways to be productive even when the play started out sub-optimally, such as this amazing run on a quick pass where he originally went very much the wrong way, but managed to right himself impressively.

As it turned out, Wright's issue was equipment-related.

"I’m not wearing a visor no more," he said after the game. "That was my first time wearing a visor. I didn’t wear a visor in practice. He threw the ball, I bobbled it, caught it. I’m just like, ‘Man, I got to make a play.’ I saw the field was open, so I just went and took it and just ran as fast as I could, got the first down."

When asked what he saw from the rookie, who totaled 55 yards and a touchdown on the ground to add to his receiving escapades, Coach seemed impressed enough.

"It was what I’d hoped to see, which was there was both – it was his first outing – but what I wanted to do was see a confident runner that found confidence after something that he didn’t like, okay? That’s the big thing in this league, is everything doesn’t go well all the time. He had a couple things he didn’t necessarily love in terms of a cut, a slip. I mean, even mid-play, I think he dribbled a screen pass, then still found some resilience. It was a good first outing for him because he got a little bit of everything and he finished strong."

It remains to be seen what role Wright will find with the Dolphins, but first impressions indicate a bright future.

Casey Washington, WR, Atlanta Falcons

It's not so much the numbers that Falcons rookie receiver Casey Washington put up in his NFL debut against the Miami Dolphins. He caught three passes on nine targets for 27 yards, but had fellow rookie Michael Penix Jr. given him more of an opportunity on several vertical misses, Washington's numbers would have been quite different.

Selected in the sixth round out of Illinois, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Washington proved to be a dynamic downfield target, and he'll do so again. But his place on this list is more about what his coaches and teammates think of him. After all, the guy did get nine targets in his first NFL game.

"Man, he's a worker," Penix said after the game of Washington. "He's a guy that want to work each and every day he come in. We built that trust. We built that trust through the offseason, just continue to get work even on the off-days. He works extremely hard. Man, you should have seen his smile when he first touched the field. He was in his happy place. I ain't seen no smile that big. He was excited to be out there. Man, he made plays whenever the ball come his way. For me, I've got to find a way to get it to him."

Once that happens, with Penix or with Kirk Cousins, Washington will be able to show more of what he can do.

Jordan Whittington, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Adoniai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy were the stars of Texas' loaded receiver corps in 2023, so Jordan Whittington was a bit overlooked in his final collegiate season. But Whittington -- who did catch 41 passes on 55 targets last season for 494 yards and a touchdown -- also caught the Rams' attention enough for a sixth-round pick in 2024.

Whittington first caught my notice when I was asking receivers at the 2024 scouting combine about their favorite collegiate plays, and the two be mentioned to me had nothing to do with catching the ball.

When Whittington did get a chance with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys, he definitely made the most of it, rolling over several defenders for a 30-yard gain.

Matthew Stafford was already on point regarding Whittington's attributes.

The Puka Nacua comparisons are interesting -- Nacua was a fifth-round pick of the Rams in 2023, and nobody expected him to do what he did last season with one of the most productive seasons any rookie receiver has ever enjoyed . Not that Whittington is an automatic for that kind of production, but the recent Rams have hit on quite a few later-round receiver stars. And Whittington seems to have the attitude and aptitude to make a go of it.

Ben Sinnott, TE, Washington Commanders

Sinnott was another guy I loved talking to at the scouting combine . A few highlights:

• He started playing hockey when he was three years old.

• He played six sports in high school.

• In high school, he led his hockey team in both points and penalty minutes, which is a nice encapsulation of his playing style.

• His favorite concept with Kansas State was "F-Post," and he explained it to me.

“We ran a little scissor concept to the boundary with my tight end and my wing. The tight end runs vertical, and we liked that against two-high or two-shell looks. And then I’m expanding as the F (H-back), pressing vertical, coming off his butt, and running a post into that soft middle in the two-high look. I think that’s my favorite concept; it’s one I’ve been most successful on.”

Against the New York Jets in Sinnott's NFL debut, the second-round rookie beat Gang Green with this seam route in which he did more to make the defenders fear his concept of contact than the other way around.

It wasn't "F-Post," but one can imagine Jayden Daniels finding opportunities for this fellow rookie in 2024.

Nate Lynn, EDGE, Detroit Lions

Last season for the William & Mary Tribe, Nate Lynn amassed seven sacks and 37 total pressures on just 230 pass-rushing snaps. Alas, when you're doing that against Wofford and Maine as opposed to Michigan and Washington, you don't get quite as much recognition. So, Lynn went undrafted and signed with the Detroit Lions to try and make headway in Dan Campbell's loaded group of edge-rushers.

Lynn's first attempts against NFL-level competition went pretty well -- when the Lions took on the New York Giants last Thursday, Lynn was a standout with a sack and five total pressures on just 13 pass-rushing snaps. At 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, Lynn has the basic ingredients of a pass-rush palette, and the athleticism to disrupt in multiple ways.

"Nate, obviously coming from William & Mary, I mean, that was kind of what he was kind of known for as a rusher," Campbell said of Lynn's efforts. "He’s kind of a crafty guy, understands how to use his hands and so, we put him at the Sam linebacker, we put him at the defensive end, and so he did some things."

Lynn did suffer a shoulder injury in his first professional performance; hopefully that's a small speed bump on the way to better things.

Austin Booker, EDGE, Chicago Bears

In the court of public perception, the Bears' 2024 draft was all about the first two picks -- first-overall quarterback Caleb Williams, and ninth-overall receiver Rome Odunze. Williams impressed against the Buffalo Bills last Saturday , but the first-year player who might have made the most impressive impact was fifth-round edge-rusher Austin Booker out of Kansas. General manager Ryan Poles had to trade back into the draft to even acquire Booker, who dropped to mid-third day status despite a 2023 season in which he totaled nine sacks and 38 total pressures on just 237 pass-rushing snaps.

The Bills had no clue to do with Booker. At all. Whether you consider the Hall of Fame game more than a glorified scrimmage or not, we are obligated to disclose that Booker had a quarterback pressure against the Texans in that game. Which gave no indication whatsoever to the beatdown he put on Buffalo's offensive line.

"Where he is, No. 1, is he's had no hesitation in buying into playing the 'HITS' principle," defensive line coach Frank Smith said of Booker after the Hall of Fame game and before the Bills contest. "So his hustle, his effort, he starts it out at the foundation. Where our growth is coming from is execution of what the assignment is. I think his system at Kansas, he was an outside 'backer. He was either rushing or dropping. There's more detail, there's a little bit more to the package of what we're doing here with him as to whether he's playing left end or right end, movements, blitzes, stunts, third-down package, how the rush works together with our four-man rush.

"So now, we've just got to transfer that energy and that intensity that he can play with, and we've got to be able to be able to execute the details of the call. So is he growing? Yeah. He's growing. We're loving what we're seeing out there. We can't see repeat mistakes. We've got to see him move on to the next thing so we can keep growing."

Whatever Smith, head coach Matt Eberflus, and everybody else in the Windy City wanted to see, our bet is that Booker served it up.

Jack Jones, CB, Las Vegas Raiders

Not many defensive backs become better once they're away from Bill Belichick's tutelage.

Jack Jones is an interesting exception.

The New England Patriots waived Jones last November, less than two full seasons after they selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of Arizona State. Not that this was the Patriots missing on a talent -- Jones had off-field issues going back to his college days . and you never know when (or if) the proverbial light will go on in cases like that.

Well, the Raiders signed Jones after he was released, and the difference was astounding. Jones allowed eight catches on 11 targets for New England in four games for 115 yards, 21 yards after the catch, one touchdown, no interceptions, one pass breakup, and an opponent passer rating of 136.6.

In seven games with the Raiders last season, Jones allowed 12 catches on 22 targets for 128 yards, 61 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, a pass breakup, and an opponent passer rating of... 33.9. From Week 11 through the end of the regular season, only Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears and Patrick Peterson of the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed a lower passer rating.

Whatever happened to Jones in Vegas appears to have stayed in Vegas. We're guessing it has a lot to do with the fact that Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce coaches Jones in both high school and college. In the Raiders' preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Jones continued his outstanding play by showing rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy exactly how things go in the NFL with this outstanding interception.

"The kid's been through a lot," Pierce said right after the reunion . "I've known him since he was very young... I've seen the growth of development. Nobody's perfect, I don't expect him to be perfect. That's my job as well, to bring him along and our staff and our organization to help him if he needs be. But the football player is extremely gifted, and I expect him to do such when he gets here."

Jones has done exactly such, and appears prepared to do a lot more.

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