Ranking the Most Impressive Preseason Performers So Far

With three weeks of NFL preseason samples to go on, we have been able to study first- and second-string players who look to make an impact on their respective franchises in 2016. Among them are seven who stand out above the rest.

Most are rookies, as their arrivals to the league can go over very well or poorly, as will their careers, while veterans are mostly what we assume them to be on a year-to-year basis. Included are skill players, a defender and even a special teams ace.

We graded players on a relative scale of playing time with first- or second-string teams while also taking into account statistical production. Follow as we take you through the seven largest "positive" performances of the preseason so far. 

7. J.D. McKissic, RET, Atlanta Falcons

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What makes headlines: Devin Hester cut from the Atlanta Falcons.

What doesn't make headlines: undrafted return man star special teamer of the preseason.

If you're wondering why the Falcons let Hester go, look no further than J.D. McKissic. On just four returns, McKissic leads the NFL with 202 kick return yards. He is also second in the league in returns of over 20 yards with four and is the only returner with more than one return of over 40 yards.

He hasn't done much as a punt returner, netting just 23 yards, but his talent has flashed this preseason as one of three returners to take a kickoff to the house.

There was almost no mention of the former Arkansas State receiver in predraft coverage, but it looks like he has established himself as the Falcons' top returner. That should earn him a spot on the 53-man roster, making him more valuable to Atlanta than some drafted receivers were to their respective teams.

6. Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets

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Robby Anderson is this year's breakout undrafted free agent. As a UDFA, you are typically fighting just to stay on the team, working against third-stringers and playing as many special teams reps as possible to earn your keep.

Anderson, on the other hand, started for the New York Jets last week, who didn't play injured star receiver Brandon Marshall, and leads the NFL with 203 receiving yards. His eight first-down receptions also lead the league, as do his four receptions of over 20 yards and his two receptions of over 40 yards.

If you were to design a "breakout" player with an undrafted background, the 6'3" Anderson is as close to the prototype as you'd get. Anderson—who once left Temple as a cornerback, only to return to the team as a wideout without a scholarship—has found where he can contribute in the NFL, and the Jets would be incredibly foolish to let him walk, especially after his Week 3 start.

Anderson may not be the biggest name on this list, but he has been the most impactful if you're judging by raw statistics. With aging receivers in Marshall, who is 32 years old, and Eric Decker, who is 29, it's important to have a backup plan ready, and New York has found its parachute on the cheap.

5. Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans

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Will Fuller had a rapid rise in the draft cycle. Few thought that he was a first-round pick in November, when he played his last regular-season game. However, by the time the draft came rolling around, many analysts ranked Fuller as their top pass-catcher of the class.

Why? Speed.

Forget Fuller's drops in college. He gave Notre Dame something defenses had to scheme for on every down: a world-class deep threat. With the Houston Texans this offseason, Fuller has provided the same thing to an offense that has generally run through one receiver, DeAndre Hopkins.

In the last two preseason games, Fuller has caught three passes of over 20 yards along with a pair of scores. Only two receivers, Robby Anderson and Tajae Sharpe, have a higher yards-per-reception average while posting more receptions than Fuller this preseason.

New quarterback Brock Osweiler is breaking into the offense as a free-agent signing from Denver, and in the Texans' Week 3 preseason game he was running a spread attack like that of the Arizona Cardinals. To run that scheme, you need the horses to attack deep, like the Cardinals have littered throughout their roster.

Fuller is the transition piece that turns a boring passing offense into a long-ball offense that can score from anywhere at any time, giving the vanilla Texans offense an identity.

4. Christine Michael, RB, Seattle Seahawks

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When you praise Christine Michael, you're playing with fire. It seems everyone has been burned by Michael hype at one point in his career, but this time it's hard to ignore what he's doing on the field.

Drafted in the second round out of Texas A&M in 2013, Michael was one of the more athletic running backs to come out of the college game. Playing behind Marshawn Lynch for much of his career, though, Michael only had 497 rushing yards in three seasons. In three preseason games alone this year he has 157, which leads the NFL.

The question this offseason for the Seahawks has been who on their roster could replace Lynch, who retired during the Super Bowl last season. The popular pick was Thomas Rawls, a second-year undrafted rookie who had success last year, but the back still hasn't played in the preseason due to an ankle injury that ended his regular season as a rookie.

Somehow, Michael—who spent 2015 with three different teams, including the Seahawks twice—flew under the radar. You have to assume he will push for a committee backfield with Seattle early on, and he might win the tailback job outright.

Every year leading up to this point was "the year Michael was going to break out," but when we least expected it, he finally seems to be pulling it together.

3. Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Vernon Hargreaves is the next Jason Verrett. In 2014, when the NFL's defenses started transitioning fully to either man, Cover 3 or pattern-matching schemes, a premium was put on longer cornerbacks. That led to the fall of players like the 5'9" Verrett, who the San Diego Chargers drafted in the late first round.

At Florida, Hargreaves was an elite player, earning three All-SEC honors in his three years with the Gators. At the combine, he tested like an athletic freak, but he didn't crack the 5'11" threshold. Jalen Ramsey, listed at 6'1", was the first defensive back to have his name called during the 2016 draft weekend.

Hargreaves slipped to the 11th overall pick, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him up. He hasn't looked back.

Tampa Bay is a safe haven for smaller corners, as Alterraun Verner and Brent Grimes were the top veterans on the squad at the time of Hargreaves' selection. Originally, Hargreaves got burn as a slot option, but he has now taken over a full-blown outside cornerback role, like Verrett did as a rookie, despite his height.

In three preseason games, Hargreaves has five pass deflections, two short of the NFL lead, and has made two interceptions, a league-leading statistic. History repeats itself in the NFL. When teams overdo the zigging, it's time to zag, and the Buccaneers zagged their way into a quality starting cornerback.

2. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

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Derrick Henry was the second running back drafted in 2016, but the draft slots of the first two backs made a case for a big split in talent. Henry, last season's Heisman Trophy winner, went 45th overall; Ezekiel Elliott, the star of Ohio State's national championship win over the Oregon Ducks one year before Henry earned his ring, was taken fourth overall by the Cowboys.

If there were a redraft right now, there's no way Henry makes it out of the first round. The Tennessee Titans seem to be transitioning from a spread team to a power run team this offseason, as their top receiver might be a Day 3 selection in Tajae Sharpe. Looking through their depth chart, that may not be a bad idea.

The addition of first-round offensive tackle Jack Conklin has surely helped their running game, but Henry has posted 154 rushing yards so far this preseason, just four shy of leading the league in the statistic. He also has the most first-down carries of any back with 12.

At 5.7 yards per carry, Henry's preseason effort has been spectacular. When you take into account that his longest rush has only been 16 yards, you understand how he's earning those yards: consistency.

Henry may be the back this team builds around not only in 2016, but in the next half-dozen years or so. There's a good chance we'll look back at the 2016 draft and wonder how we undervalued a 6'3" high school All-American, Heisman-winning running back on a national championship team.

1. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

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There hasn't been more buzz about any player in the league than Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys. Early in August, there was concern about the Cowboys' backup quarterback position after Kellen Moore went down with a broken ankle, but those fears have since disappeared.

Prescott, a fourth-round pick, received a lot of time with the first-team offense as Dallas shielded injury-prone starter Tony Romo from contact. In Week 3 of the preseason, though, Romo took the field and went down with a back injury, which Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports claims could take up to 10 weeks to recover from.

Prescott, the eighth quarterback off the board in this year's draft, is now slated to be a Week 1 starter. Cowboys fans seem to be OK with this fact, as the rookie has taken the preseason by storm.

Mostly against first-team defenses, Prescott leads the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passes thrown for a first down. He also has the second-highest passer rating of the preseason with a 137.8 mark, only behind 2014 first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater.

Prescott takes what the defense gives him, as evidenced by his 78 percent completion percentage, but also isn't afraid to pass the keys to playmakers like Dez Bryant in tight coverage, as he knows their ability to fight for balls in the air is better than his ability to pinpoint a pass. That type of awareness is exactly what you want from a No. 2 passer, whose job is to keep defenses honest.