Ranking the 10 Most Impressive Players in NFL Training Camps So Far

Fiona Apple came out with one of the most impressive records I have heard production-wise when releasing Tidal in 1996. Thirty-two NFL teams have their own new releases dropping in early September.

With that, I would like to quote Apple in saying, "I'm incredibly impressed by people who organize to achieve a goal and believe that they can make a difference, and then go ahead and do just that. I think it's incredible."

These are the 10 most impressive players from NFL training camps so far in 2012.

10. Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks

In my opinion, Russell Wilson is one of the most impressive overall people I have had the good fortune to cross paths with this year. I always said that whether or not he was a success on the field, he would be a success in wherever his life took him.

I also said that the intangibles he carries as a player would endear him to everyone around him; coaches, players and even media alike would be what brought his success.

I'm done talking about Wilson's height. I've addressed it; I've addressed Wilson about it; I've written about it here at B/R. His delivery and the height the ball comes out at make it a non-issue for me, and we need to start talking about Wilson like the NFL quarterback that he is.

Wilson is getting the start in Week 3 of the NFL preseason, which is generally the "big week"—the "dress rehearsal." Seahawks GM John Schneider told Adam Schein and Rich Gannon of The SiriusXM Blitz that this was more about seeing how Wilson would compete against starters. The 110.5 QB rating he has racked up over 33 attempts thus far has mainly come against second-string competition while Matt Flynn faced the first string.

As Schneider told Schein and Gannon (via Doug Farrar):

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He's been pretty dynamic. Matt's done a nice job and has a good feel for the system. ... Russell's done so much in the second half of these two games. Pete (Carroll) preaches competition all the time, he'd be remiss if he didn't put this guy with the ones and see what he could do with that group.

"

I don't care what anyone tells anyone on the radio. This is the biggest week of the preseason, and Russell Wilson is starting for the Seattle Seahawks. He is being given the opportunity to legitimately stand up and take that spot. He's an impressive young man.  

9. Nick Foles, QB, Eagles

Could Nick Foles be the future of the QB position in Philadelphia post-Michael Vick?

Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News tweeted an admittedly useless but somehow eyebrow-raising stat about Foles this week:

"

Useless factoid: Eagles' Nick Foles leads NFL in passing through two preseason games. Last two (preseason) passing kings: Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers.

"

I feel like I have a pretty good read on Nick Foles. I watched every snap of his at the Senior Bowl and have known his family for most of my life. As of today, our little suburb has produced two current NFL quarterbacks: Drew Brees, who I won my state championship alongside, and now Foles.

I was as surprised and disappointed with Foles' performance during Senior Bowl week as he was.

I would walk up to him some days after practice, and I could just tell he didn't want to talk, at least not to me—someone who had seen his rocket arm since high school, someone who felt the criticism he received regarding his arm strength as exhibited at Arizona was unfair given the dink-and-dunk nature of their offense.

Foles showed off a terrible arm at the Senior Bowl and combine. The only QB who looked worse was Kellen Moore, and that is no gold standard of comparison.

Nick Foles is doing what I have known he was capable of all along. He is showing poise and regaining confidence. He's learning that he is allowed to harness his arm and his athletic body to make plays occur. Andy Reid has a way of bringing this out in developing QBs. He is learning that "not taking chances" doesn't necessarily mean remaining timid.

I asked before the draft occurred, "What makes Ryan Tannehill so much different than Nick Foles?"

It turns out Foles might be better.

8. Mychal Kendricks, LB, Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have done a complete 180 regarding linebacker personnel. It could be worst to first in Philly this season.

The additions of DeMeco Ryans and a very impressive rookie named Mychal Kendricks are to thank for this undeniably positive development.

It's like Kendricks has been playing in the NFL for five years. He has an explosive, downhill first step in run plays and is probably one of the top three ILBs from the entire 2012 draft as far as coverage is concerned.

Kendricks is a little bit undersized, but he can sit and wait in the zone or turn his hips and run like a safety in man coverage. That, to me, is what is most impressive.

He plays both bigger than he is and smaller than he is.  

Some LBs make the great first step forward, while some LBs make the best drop steps backward/laterally into coverage. It is rare to witness a player who has so much confidence moving in any direction. No matter the situation, Kendricks has ended up being disruptive.

Bottom line: Kendricks makes plays. He is a tough-nosed, playmaking coverage linebacker, and he is a thrill to watch. While it is hard to rack up gaudy statistics from the Sam LB position, I believe Eagles DC Juan Castillo summed it up best in this quote via CSN Philly:

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Mychal, man, he’s relentless; you saw some of his big-play ability. It’s hard for the young guys because we’re really not game planning—the day before, we say, "OK, here’s Pittsburgh, and here’s what we’re gonna do; we’re just gonna do these coverages." So especially for young guys like that, it’s tough, but he came through, and he made some big plays, which is what he’s capable of doing.

"

7. Kevin Zeitler, RG, Bengals

This Oklahoma drill from Bengals training camp is enough to get any red-blooded football fan fired up.

Those are some very large, very intense men going at it. This attitude translates onto the field, as the Bengals offensive line, in and of itself, has appeared markedly physical and effective.

In grading every play of Kevin Zeitler's preseason Week 2 performance against Atlanta, he was one of only three first-round rookies to receive a grade of A+. He is already brilliant with positioning and is a "guard's guard." I can't believe that I had David DeCastro graded so highly with a player like Zeitler right under my nose.

The way he engages and drives, the way he attacks his desired point of contact as opposed to the defender, it is enough to make scouting an offensive lineman kind of fun. I can't say enough about how impressed I have been with Zeitler's play thus far.

6. Quinton Coples, DE, Jets

I was notably hard on Quinton Coples coming into the 2012 preseason for the same reason everyone's football coaches said they were being hard on them growing up. Remember? I remember them saying, "When I stop harping on you, that's when you'll know you're in trouble."

Tough love.

Coples has shown so much potential on tape, and I was spellbound by his dominance in the first day of Senior Bowl practices. I couldn't take my eyes off his drills.

Then he disappeared. He didn't really do much for the rest of the week. He seemed lackadaisical and half-speed sometimes. When the time came to step on the field for the actual Senior Bowl game, there he was, back again and wreaking havoc.

It was a trait of his that frustrated me, and in hearing reports from Jets camp that he was looking lazy and not even getting much run in the standard 3-4, I suspected the worst.

What the Jets have gotten so far out of Coples is a best-case scenario. He has been beyond impressive.

5. Julio Jones, WR, Falcons

Julio Jones burst onto the scene this preseason and solidly squashed many prospective fantasy football owners' shot at making a sneaky third- or fourth-round pick on the second-year stud who seems poised for a breakout.

Jones had 109 yards and a touchdown in one quarter—versus the Ravens first team. That is filthy. He didn't have quite the same monster game against the Bengals in Week 2, but his 41 yards on three receptions and four targets through one-and-a-half quarters of play is still very formidable.

It is also important that three of those four targets came on a second-quarter scoring drive in which he connected with QB Matt Ryan on a nice 20-yard seam route.

It is obvious that Ryan is locking onto Jones and will almost certainly be targeting him more in 2012. Roddy White has been, statistically, the most reliable WR in the NFL for the last two years. The combination of dependability in White and downright "disgustingness" in Jones has resulted in another fantasy trend.

Ryan, who was being drafted in the sixth or seventh round of fantasy drafts prior to preseason, is now being drafted in the early fourth on average. When you go as big as Jones has been going, people notice an offense.

The secret is out, and Julio Jones is beyond impressive.

4. Trindon Holliday, KR/WR, Texans

One thing that was obvious at Texans training camp was that the hype surrounding Trindon Holliday was much larger than the "third-year-rookie" kick returner's 5'5" stature.

Holliday is averaging 44 yards a kickoff return through five attempts to go along with a touchdown. He has also unleashed a monster 87-yard punt return TD.

Houston Texans fans finally have reason to be excited about a return threat that doubles as a WR. Jacoby Jones was a yearly disappointment with all his drops and sorry route running.

He is now in Baltimore. The Texans WRs are likely shaping up to be Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Keshawn Martin, Lestar Jean and probably both DeVier Posey and Holliday. 

Gary Kubiak likes to find a spot somewhere other than just special teams for his returners. You can tell by the physical appearance of the Texans players in person that the staff values versatility. After being at Saints camp the week before, I couldn't help but notice how much smaller, sleeker and faster the Texans appeared as a group. 

Even if Holliday can't contribute on offense like some other players could, he has shown he can be among the absolute elite in the return game, and he has almost certainly earned himself a roster spot for that alone.

Very impressive.

3. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Jaguars

Blaine Gabbert has been notably impressive so far in 2012, and no one, including me, saw this coming.

Gabbert has thrown three touchdowns in limited action over a two-game span to pair with zero interceptions. It was his first drive—and this play in particular during the first preseason game—that raised many an eyebrow in the football world.

Gabbert's dropback does not look as rhythmic and natural as that of an Andrew Luck, but it does look disciplined, practiced and far from sloppy. Far from 2011 Blaine Gabbert. At least, so far.

On this ball, he gets perfect rotation, bringing his palm through and keeping the tip up for Cecil Shorts. You can tell he almost puts a little too much "touch" on it, because it seems his weight shifts towards the back of his body at follow-through. He points his left foot directly at the eventual target and gets the touch pass there on a wire, though.

Gabbert's continued development (or lack thereof) will be an intriguing storyline to follow this season, but thus far, he has been very impressive.

2. Phillip Hunt, DE, Eagles

Sometimes, you are better off just letting the player analyze himself:

"My technique is better; my steps are all on point; I'm just...ready to play."

Phillip Hunt has more than looked the part in a defensive preseason exhibition of two seemingly undersized (and disruptive) new faces in Philly. LB Mychal Kendricks has a nose for the ball, and Phillip Hunt has a nose for the quarterback.

Hunt has, in limited action, already tallied three sacks and two forced fumbles. He is a tornado on the edge, and he is a backup.

Filling in for Jason Babin, Hunt has looked like a heat-seeking missile. At first exposing Steelers rookie LT Mike Adams as a marshmallow in Week 1 of the preseason, he kept it up against the Patriots in Week 2.

The Eagles look this good without Cullen Jenkins or Jason Babin.

This is impressive. Philadelphia has the best front seven in the league coming into 2012.

1. Kirk Cousins, QB, Redskins

Kirk Cousins was my third-rated quarterback of the 2012 NFL draft. There was very little about his game that I did not like on film or at the Senior Bowl. I love his pacing, footwork, delivery, tenacity and overall style.

To my eyes, he and Russell Wilson were by far the best quarterbacks in attendance at Mobile, but Cousins was better. At least that week.

He pulls a very powerful interpersonal communication move with people that I call the "Mack Brown Trick." He remembers your name.

My "RosterWatch" co-host, Byron Lambert, interviewed Cousins after the first day of Senior Bowl practices. Cousins' head must have been spinning with everything new he was learning in coach Leslie Frazier's offense. Even with all that, three days later, standing at a podium, he answers a question from my co-host amidst the media crowd by saying, "You know, Byron, that's a great question."

That is attention to detail in a very stressful situation. Here is Kirk Cousins, learning a new pro offense, interviewing with everyone from ESPN to local TV to regional networks—after practice, before practice, at media night, meeting constantly with teams and talking with scouts. That's what he was there for.

He was not required to memorize names of media and then engage them in such a way at the podium. To me, that is my real-world experience telling me that Kirk Cousins has "it" upstairs.

He wanted to win every aspect of the Senior Bowl, and he did.

The man who coached the South squad and played against him ended up drafting him, even after the Redskins had already locked up the future QB of their franchise via an expensive acquisition of Robert Griffin III.

Kirk Cousins comes in the second half of the Redskins preseason game against the Chicago Bears and then lights them up for 264 yards on 18-of-23 passing and three touchdowns.

He told reporters afterward that there was no need to worry about a quarterback controversy: "This is Robert's team."

Unbelievably impressive.