LOS ANGELES — NFL preseason action is starting around the league on Thursday as we are a month away from NFL kickoff.
It will be interesting to see how teams deal with preseason strategy given that there are only three games this year rather than four with the new 17-game schedule.
There is a plethora of somewhat under the radar players from the past two drafts that NFL experts and hosts of the Peacock and Williamson NFL show, Brian Peacock and Matt Williamson are interested in watching during preseason action. On Wednesday's show, they went over a handful of those players who could have an impact on both their teams and even your fantasy team.
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Matt Williamson: Trevon Moehrig-Woodard, Safety, Las Vegas Raiders
2021 second-round pick from TCU
"The Raiders are going to that Seahawks basic cover three and I think he was a real steal in the middle of the second round and could be maybe the next great free safety in this league as that single high guy in that system."
Brian Peacock: Terrace Marshall Jr., Wide Receiver, Carolina Panthers
2021 second-round pick from LSU
"Apparently he's looked great in camp. Tall, fast, going up to get the ball. Smaller DBs have no shot against him in camp. Now there's a couple of nice starters there for them so it's gonna be hard for him to be more than the number three receiver, but he's the early favorite to be the number three receiver already in Carolina. I thought he was a first round player all day. I thought he was right there with (Rashod) Bateman as a late one after that first group of wide receivers. But Matt Rhule when asked about Terrace Marshall said, 'we're trying to force feed Terrace and bring him along as fast as we can.' So the coaching staff is on board with Terrace Marshall as well so I'm going to be watching him, and if the starters don't play a lot that means guys like Terrace Marshall should be playing a lot for the Carolina Panthers."
Matt Williamson: Walker Little, Offensive Tackle, Jacksonville Jaguars
2021 second-round pick out of Stanford
"He opted out last year and only played one game the year before at Stanford. Super recruit, he was a mid-round pick from Jacksonville. They franchised their left tackle, but they draft him with the the thought of, if he can redshirt a year and bring them along, maybe he can be the future left tackle. I don't know what his injury situation is but whenever he sees the field I'm psyched to see what he is."
Brian Peacock: Travis Etienne, Running Back, Jacksonville Jaguars
2021 first-round pick out of Clemson
"How much does he split out wide? How does he look at running back? I'm buying hard on him. I'm worried he's going to blow up in the preseason and everyone's gonna start drafting them higher in those fantasy drafts."
Matt Williamson: Rondale Moore, Wide Receiver, Arizona Cardinals
2021 second-round pick out of Purdue
"I feel like I know what he is. I don't need to see him at the NFL level to say well, he's still 5'7, he's still super explosive, he's still really strong. But I want to see when he's on the field what type of routes he's running. I hope they're not all get it out now RPO behind the line of scrimmage. I want to see him within cutting routes down the field so I'm really interested in his usage."
Brian Peacock: Elijah Moore and Denzel Mims, Wide Receivers, New York Jets
Moore: 2021 second-round pick out of Ole Miss. Mims: 2020 second-round pick out of Baylor.
"I know you and I both like Elijah Moore a lot. Is he going to work in with the ones this year is gonna be a slot guy? Is he gonna work outside? Are they gonna find other ways to get him the ball? And the second year player in Denzel Mims. He's like running with the twos and the threes. I mean, maybe even on the trade block. It sounds like he's behind Keelan Cole and more. And obviously they spent money this offseason on on (Corey) Davis, and they got Crowder still there and restructured his contract. He's probably not going anywhere. Denzel Mims might be completely lost on the depth chart. And I'm gonna I'm gonna watch him because I liked him a lot. And he gives you an element on the outside that I would think they would want to utilize with their young, strong arm quarterback."
Matt Williamson: Zack Baun, Outside Linebacker, New Orleans Saints
2020 third-round pick out of Wisconsin
"He was a player I liked a lot a year ago, can play edge, can play off, highly productive at Wisconsin. I think he's going in the right direction. I think they'll use them in a variety of ways. He's a player I like too."
Brian Peacock: Taysom Hill, Quarterback?, New Orleans Saints
Backup to Drew Brees, now backup to Jameis Winston?
"Taysom Hill is maybe an easy one but is he even a quarterback? I want to see strictly quarterback Taysom Hill, what does that look like? So I'm excited to see how that goes."
Matt Williamson: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Linebacker, Cleveland Browns
2021 second-round pick out of Notre Dame
"Super interesting, fly around the field guy for the Browns. I want to see how they use him. Will he be sort of an overhang player? Will he play man coverage against backs and athletic tight ends? Or will he just be a traditional linebacker in the preseason?"
Brian Peacock: Jedrick Wills Jr., Offensive Lineman, Cleveland Browns
2020 10th overall pick out of Alabama
"He's the only offensive lineman that made my list. I want to see if he looks like a top 10 pick and I like Wills a lot. I think switching from the right side to the left side, just being a rookie last year, I think there could be a big jump for him and he could really solidify the Browns and one of the best, maybe two or three offensive lines in the NFL, maybe the best offensive line in the NFL. So those are a couple fun names to watch with the Cleveland Browns."
Brian Peacock: Trey Sermon, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
2021 third-round pick out of Ohio State
"He could be a real nice fit and I think a (fantasy football) league-winner type. Let's say if Raheem Mostert pulls a hamstring tomorrow in practice, Trey sermon is like a massive fantasy football target this year in the Shanahan offense."
Matt Williamson: Dillon Radunz, Offensive Tackle, Tennessee Titans
2021 second-round pick out of North Dakota State
"I have a kind of a boring one in offensive lineman Dillon Radunz from North Dakota State, filling in for Isaiah Wilson with the Titans. I would imagine he's a plug and play right tackle for them, but really the reason I brought him up is he's not your 340-pound master offensive lineman. He's a former tight end, tight body. That's an athlete much different than Wilson. If they walked in the room, you wouldn't think they played the same position. You know, their guards are huge. I mean, it's all power game by for Derrick Henry. And he's just different than that."
Brian Peacock: Darnell Mooney, Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears and Cole Kmet, Tight End, Chicago Bears
Mooney: 2020 fifth-round pick out of Tulane. Kmet: 2020 second-round pick out of Notre Dame
"Couple of Justin Fields targets here. Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet, two breakout candidates for the Bears and obviously all eyes are going to be on Justin Field, but Mooney is looking good in Bears camp along with Fields. And, Cole Kmet is a guy that can be that breakout year two tight end."