Where Does Max Brosmer Rank Among Top NFL Preseason Week 3 Rookie Performers?

The third week of NFL preseason action is the best possible example of carpe diem.

In many cases, the projected starters, key contributors and high-round draft picks don't see the field, as coaching staffs try to ensure their first-choice squad is healthy entering the regular season.

Week 3 gives late-round picks and undrafted free agents a final, crucial shot to make the roster, and it's often when surprise performers emerge.

Considering the circumstances, it should come as no surprise that Week 3's list of top preseason rookies includes four players drafted in the fourth round or later, with three more undrafted free agents turning heads, including a quarterback who could be the Vikings' long-term QB2.

10. CB Keyon Martin, Baltimore Ravens

AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough

This week's list begins and ends with an undrafted free agent deserving of a roster spot after a fantastic preseason. In this case, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Keyon Martin couldn't do more to impress.

"He keeps making big plays, and that's something that is accounted for, for sure," head coach John Harbaugh said, per Branson Brooks of the Ravens official site. "I think he played sound as well; he did things the right way. He's played just like that [throughout] the whole camp."

The same applies to Saturday's effort, where Martin made five tackles—two of which were for a loss—defended a pass and snatched a pick-six. He registered a safety earlier in the preseason, consistently demonstrating his range and coverage skills.

"I feel like I've been able to show the player I've been since high school," Martin told reporters.

Martin may have been this caliber of playmaker since high school, but he's undersized (5'9", 170 lbs) and didn't play a high-level program, with stops at Youngstown State and Louisiana.

However, the 24-year-old entered training camp with a chip on his shoulder and proved he can play at the highest level, which provides Baltimore with more cornerback depth since the group has some aging options with injury histories.

9. QB Riley Leonard, Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Jeff Dean

The Indianapolis Colts face a unique situation: Their recent top-four draft pick is not considered the franchise's future, while sixth-rounder Riley Leonard is making a strong case to be the primary backup.

The Notre Dame product was this year's No. 189 overall pick despite being a highly regarded prospect and the starting quarterback on a team that went to this year's College Football National Championship Game.

Not too long ago, Leonard was viewed as an early-round draft pick, but an injury at Duke slowed that conversation and he wasn't viewed the same way while playing for the Fighting Irish. Still, he could have an opportunity to play before the 2025 season ends.

With neither Anthony Richardson nor Daniel Jones seeing action against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, Leonard got the start and performed well. He completed 75 percent of his passes for 189 yards and a touchdown pass, while leading the Colts to three scoring drives during the first half of play.

With Richardson's uncertain status, the Colts may feel more comfortable with where they stand at quarterback after Leonard's performance to possibly make him QB2 after a potential trade.

"He's a grinder, loves ball, is always working and studying the game," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said of the first-year signal-caller.

8. WR Tez Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are deep at wide receiver, but Tez Johnson's performance in the preseason finale could force the front office to make room for another talented target.

The 23-year-old caught eight passes (on eight targets) for 58 yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.

"We got him moving with his speed and athleticism and we got the ball in his hands sort of like a returner, which was great because he can get away from people and get downfield," Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters. "He's very elusive that way. Kyle [Trask] found a way to get him the ball. 'Grizz' (Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard) did a great job of scheming up how we can get him the football and they connected."

Ironically, Johnson fell all the way into the seventh round because teams questioned his speed and slight frame despite being highly productive over the last two seasons. The 154-pound target is quicker than fast, yet he constantly finds himself open and running past defenders.

If the Bucs manufacture touches for him, and the rookie gets more comfortable within the offense, Tampa will have another threat in the passing game beyond Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka.

7. DL Yahya Black, Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Rusty Jones

Yahya Black of the Pittsburgh Steelers is built to play nose tackle in the NFL.

The fifth-rounder has the size and strength to do so, but he needs to put it all together.

"We like Yahya's progress," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin told reporters. "He is not a little man. When he really learns how to use all the tools at his disposal, he's going to be a load inside."

Flashes of what Black can eventually be appeared during Thursday's meeting with the Carolina Panthers.

From a raw tools perspective, Black is a 6'6", 336-pound defender with 35-inch arms. He has the size and strength to be an ideal space-eater who can stack blockers and shed to adequately defend the line of scrimmage. Those traits alone give him a role in the NFL. If he can expand on those baseline attributes, his game can take off.

For example, the Iowa product registered a pair of sacks during Pittsburgh's final preseason contest. He also posted a 20 percent pass-rush win rate, according to Pro Football Focus.

Defensive tackles who can defend the run and collapse the pocket on passing downs are worth their weight in gold. Someone with the ability to control the line of scrimmage, while being a three-down defender who isn't forced off the field in any situation, can spearhead an entire defense. Black has that type of upside.

6. QB Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Matt Durisko

After Shedeur Sanders caught the imagination of everyone around the NFL with his preseason performance in Week 1, reality came crashing down around him.

Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel showed in back-to-back weeks why the Cleveland Browns felt compelled to select him in this year's third round ahead of Sanders.

Gabriel is never going to impress with any of his physical tools. He doesn't look like a standard NFL quarterback. But it doesn't take away from the fact that he understands how to play the position, what it takes to orchestrate an offense and where to deliver the football.

Once again, he showed all three things during his second preseason appearance. Gabriel threw for 129 yards and led two scoring drives against the Rams.

"I think it's just continuing to take care of the football, it's the only thing you talk about," the rookie said when asked about not making mistakes and leading those drives. "I don't want to be a coach's speaker or be redundant, but taking care of the football, winning the turnover battle, being really good on third down, scoring touchdowns in the red area, and then dominating the middle eight. I think that's all things that you want to be aware of and you want to do. You want to continue to be aggressive, and learn–in certain plays–when it's time to give it a shot, or time to give it up and throw the ball away. Things I'm learning and want to do that for us to get better."

5. DL Jordan Burch, Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

The Arizona Cardinals placed a heavy emphasis on reworking their defensive front this offseason.

They added veterans Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell before drafting Ole Miss' Walter Nolen in the first round. Jordan Burch's selection in the third round almost became an afterthought.

However, nobody is overlooking the rookie now after a strong preseason.

During the Cardinals' final preseason contest, Burch had a sack and two tackles for loss. More importantly, he was a disruptive force.

During his collegiate career, the 6'4", 279-pound defender failed to live up to lofty expectations after being a 5-star recruit. He never quite turned out to be the difference-maker most expected. Still, he finished strong with the Oregon Ducks.

Burch's athletic profile is impressive; he possesses the size to play anywhere on the line and has the explosiveness to win off the edge. The Cardinals have been developing him as an outside linebacker, and the work he's put in throughout training camp has translated to the field.

"I think it's the work," Burch said, per Zach Gershman of the Cardinals official site. "(Outside linebackers coach Matt Feeney) really hones in on different things that I could do to get to the quarterback and just being able to go out there and do it."

4. FB/DL Adin Huntington, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Adin Huntington exemplifies positional versatility, making him one of the Cleveland Browns' most valuable rookie assets.

Granted, the Tulane product wasn't even drafted, because he falls short of typical standards particularly when viewed through the lens of only playing defensive tackle. However, the Browns gave him an opportunity to show off his entire skill set, which earned him a roster spot.

The 6'0", 281-pound defender showed out during Saturday's contest against the Los Angeles Rams. He registered 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. It was an excellent performance, but a standout outing on one side of the ball doesn't tell the entire story.

Huntington is an exceptional athlete, who posted a 9.64 relative athletic score prior to this year's draft, per Kent Lee Platte. Cleveland is allowing him to take full advantage of what he can do by playing at fullback and special teams, where he consistently made plays throughout the preseason.

As a result, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that the undrafted free agent made the team's active roster after the final preseason game.

All of the different things Huntington can do will keep him a part of the squad. He has legitimate upside as a sub-package defender, too. Saturday's effort is merely an example of a defensive lineman who registered 12 sacks over the last two seasons.

As long as Huntington keeps finding different ways to get onto the field, he'll produce.

3. S Malachi Moore, New York Jets

AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis

Malachi Moore played a lot of football for the Alabama Crimson Tide before he became a fourth-round draft selection by the New York Jets, and his feel for the game is evident in how his abilities have translated to the professional ranks.

During Friday's contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, the safety led the way defensively with seven total tackles, a tackle for loss, a defended pass and an interception. He posted the highest grade among rookie safeties during preseason Week 3 action, according to Pro Football Focus.

"His strengths in deep coverage and man-to-man versatility make him a valuable asset, particularly in schemes emphasizing zone coverage or requiring safeties to cover slot receivers," B/R scout Cory Giddings wrote in Moore's predraft report. "While he may need to develop more physicality and improve his ability to disengage from blockers, Moore's ball skills and instincts give him a solid foundation upon which to build."

The Jets now have the type of playmaker along the back end to erase mistakes, while being used in multiple areas to create more flexibility in the secondary.

2. OT Josh Simmons, Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons is the only recent first-round draft pick on this week's list, because he continued to show why everyone in and around the organization is ecstatic about his potential.

Simmons could have been OT1 in this year's draft class had he not suffered a torn patellar tendon that prematurely ended his final season on campus. Now fully healthy again, he's been the talk of Chiefs training camp through the preseason.

The excitement is palpable after Kansas City struggled to find a legitimate left tackle over the last two seasons.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid tends to remain on an even keel during press conferences, with a hint of a dry humor in everything he says.

When asked about Simmons' performance in the team's third preseason contest, he said: "Josh was solid in the run game and the pass game. He held his own."

He certainly did by not allowing any pressures once again and showing awesome movement skills. His performance reached the point where left tackle was no longer the team's biggest concern.

By the time the third preseason contest rolled around, attention shifted to left guard to make sure the Chiefs had a stable left side for years to come. It looks like they will.

1. QB Max Brosmer, Minnesota

AP Photo/Stew Milne

Traditionally, future starting quarterbacks are drafted in the first round. Then, everyone knows the story of Tom Brady and even Brock Purdy.

An undrafted free agent making the roster and eventually turning into something bigger is truly rare. Max Brosmer has an outside shot of doing so after making the Minnesota Vikings' roster.

Brosmer fell through the cracks, because he played the majority of his collegiate career at New Hampshire, which is an FCS school. After five years with the Wildcats, he joined the Minnesota Golden Gophers, where he pieced together a good, albeit unspectacular, final season.

What no one took into account during this year's evaluation cycle is the quarterback's ability to digest information and how quickly he can process everything in front of him.

"You walked away saying this guy loves football, and he's a pretty high-capacity thinker and analyzer of things," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters after Brosmer's second preseason appearance. "Throw in some work ethic, and … "

Through three preseason contests, the 24-year-old completed 60 percent of his passes for 364 yards and a two-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio. He was particularly efficient in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans.

The Vikings grew comfortable enough with Brosmer that the team traded Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles. Minnesota did sign Carson Wentz as a veteran presence to help in the development of JJ McCarthy and Brosmer. At the same time, the organization now has two young quarterbacks with significant upside.

No one should look at the Vikings' undrafted quarterback and think he's the next Kurt Warner or even Tony Romo. But some excitement is warranted in Brosmer's case, because he showed legitimate NFL traits that can help the team.