NFL Rookies Who Are Shining in 2024 Training Camps

Training camp is an old-hat pain in the neck for a lot of veterans around the league. For rookies, it's the first chance to make a real impression with pads on.

OTAs and mandatory minicamps can offer a nice taste of what a rookie can do, but training camp turns up the heat a couple notches. Some rookies thrive and start to build some hype as they show off their ability to learn the system and make plays.

Not every training camp darling ends up making an impact once the regular season starts. But there were strong camp reports that De'Von Achane was going to be electric and that Will Anderson Jr. would be a tone-setter for the Texans during camp last year.

Here, we'll take a look at a few rookies who are already generating buzz for themselves as every team has at least a few practices in the books.

Players are listed in alphabetical order.

The Bears rookie class could go a long way in turning around the franchise. Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze are the obvious reasons for those expectations, but it looks like they might have a Day 3 steal on their hands as well.

The Bears used a fifth-round selection on edge-rusher Austin Booker and he's turning heads at Halas Hall.

Booker received a third-round grade from B/R scout Matt Holder and a comparison to Cincinnati Bengal Joseph Ossai.

The Bears coaching staff is starting to see that Booker should have gone a little higher in the draft. Defensive coordinator Eric Washington really likes what he's seen from the former Kansas Jayhawk.

"I saw a lot of things that I'm really excited about," said Washington, per Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago. "His hand usage. His ability to counter. And with a pass rusher, especially a young player, it's just a mindset. He's competing out there and he's competing to win."

Adam Jahns of The Athletic also gave an endorsement for Booker at camp a few days later. He posted on X that he found himself taking more notes on the rookie and that he's, "starting to notice his pass rush a lot more with the pads now on."

Booker exceeding expectations would be huge for the Bears defense. Montez Sweat figures to be the team's best outside pass rusher, but the hierarchy is up in the air after him.

Booker should have a pathway to a role early on if he continues his success in camp.

It isn't easy to draw praise from veteran teammates as a rookie. Those who are established at what they do see a lot of hyped prospects come and go throughout their career.

That's what makes sixth-year center Erik McCoy's praise of rookie tackle Taliese Fuaga impressive.

"I will say this, for as long as I've been here, he's the best rookie offensive lineman I've seen," McCoy told reporters. "As far as his mental, physical [ability], I can tell he's a freakin' dog."

Fuaga has been tasked with switching from the right side, where he played at Oregon State, to the left. The Saints have been repping Trevor Penning on the right side after he attempted to play on the left in his first two seasons.

The move is one that could pay huge dividends for the Saints. Ryan Ramczyk has already been ruled out for the season after the Saints put him on the Physically Unable to Perform list with a knee injury.

Penning has struggled over the last two seasons so giving him an opportunity at right could rejuvenate his career.

Fuaga drawing this kind of praise early should be music to the Saints' ears. Fuaga could be a key piece to the big puzzle that is their offensive line right now.

This just in: Marvin Harrison Jr. is really good at football.

Harrison was the No. 1 overall player on the final B/R big board ahead of the draft. Expectations are sky-high for him, but he already seems to be on track to deliver after the first few training camp practices.

Kyler Murray has certainly come away impressed.

"He's been good at football his whole life," Murray said, per Donnie Druin of Sports Illustrated. "He's been groomed by one of the best, his pops [Marvin Harrison Sr.], obviously a Hall of Famer. I have no doubt he'll go and do his thing this year and win whenever he wants to."

Harrison can obviously win with his route running, body control and physicality, but he's already becoming Murray's go-to guy when things break down.

Josh Weinfuss of ESPN detailed a play on Friday where Murray threw a ball to Harrison on the run that sailed high but Harrison was able to pluck it from the sky and convert the first down.

"Harrison's height and ability to jump will give Murray more wiggle room on broken plays to heave it up to Harrison. Don't be surprised if we see those plays turn into something this season," Weinfuss added.

It's clear that Harrison has quickly earned his quarterback's trust and should easily be the Cardinals' No. 1 option in the passing game from the outset of the season.

The Eagles spent two early picks in the 2024 draft to solve their secondary issues on defense. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are names they hope will be starters for a long time.

But pass-rusher Jalyx Hunt is the one that has been hailed as the best rookie in training camp by at least one beat writer. Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal called Hunt the best rookie in the early portion of camp.

"Hunt has shown his speed in rushing the quarterback as well as dropping into coverage. Again, the usual caveats apply, but Hunt has been with the second unit, mostly with Nolan Smith, and both have been impressive."

Frank wasn't as high on the other rookies in Eagles camp thus far. However, he did note that Mitchell and "maybe" Hunt would be able to contribute in Week 1. Shamus Clancy of Philly Voice also highlighted Hunt for his energy, burst off the line and ability to knock blockers back.

Hunt was considered a developmental prospect coming out of Houston Christian. The converted safety still has some work to do in refining his technique but it's an encouraging sign that he's already catching eyes in camp.

The Eagles would benefit from Hunt being able to contribute right away. However, it would be even bigger for them in the long-term picture. Josh Sweat is in the final year of his contract and Brandon Graham is 36 years old this season.

This wide receiver class is one of the most hyped in years so it should come as no surprise multiple rookie receivers are lighting it up in training camp.

Marvin Harrison Jr. was the first one off the board at No. 4, but Malik Nabers wasn't far behind at No. 6. The LSU star is also drawing a lot of praise from those who have been plugged into Giants camp.

Connor Hughes of SNYtv noted that Nabers has "really, really impressive ability to separate" after watching him get behind the Giants secondary multiple times at practice. SNYtv added a clip from one of Nabers' impressive catches as he tracked down a ball along the sideline.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN noted the immediate difference he saw between Nabers and most receivers.

"There's no hiding rookie receiver Malik Nabers, whose ability was on full display this week. It doesn't take long to see and hear the difference from a sedan to a Porsche when the cars pass. Nabers is not a sedan."

The Giants need a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver and Nabers appears to be doing a lot to show that he is going to be that kind of player from Week 1.

There aren't a ton of quarterback competitions going on in training camp this year so the three-way battle between Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson and rookie Bo Nix is going to garner plenty of headlines.

So far, they've been positive for the 12th overall pick in this year's draft.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Broncos staff is "very impressed with Bo Nix" and specifically highlighted his ability to process information at the line of scrimmage. Fowler noted that Nix threw an early interception in the practice that he watched but the rookie responded by firing three straight touchdown passes.

That processing at the line is going to be huge for Nix. As B/R scout Derrik Klassen noted in his scouting report for the Oregon quarterback, the Ducks didn't ask Nix to make a lot of NFL style reads with a lot of screens, RPOs and vertical concepts.

The intensity of Nix's practices will rise over the next week. The Broncos have their first padded practice on Monday and Nix is expected to get the majority of the snaps, per Jeff Legwold.

For now, that's a product of how the Broncos are rotating the quarterbacks' reps. Head coach Sean Payton told reporters that will be the case until the rotations are modified sometime over the next two weeks.

If Nix continues to show starter-worthy processing and resilience, he'll be getting more and more reps throughout camp.

With all due respect to Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr. and the other stars of the 2024 NFL draft class, Kingsley Suamataia might be the most important rookie in the league this season.

After all, the Kansas City Chiefs' pursuit of a third-consecutive Super Bowl is one of the major narratives and Suamataia might just be put in charge of protecting Patrick Mahomes.

Nate Taylor of The Athletic wrote that one of Andy Reid's most significant moves of Friday's practice was to elevate Suamataia over Wanya Morris on the depth chart. Friday was the Chiefs' first fully-padded practice, making the timing of the move even more notable.

Suamataia had some ups and downs. Taylor detailed and shared a specific play where the rookie gave up a sack to Chris Jones. But he also highlighted a great reach block from the 21-year-old on an outside run play.

Most importantly, Andy Reid had good things to say about the rookie's day.

"I thought he did a nice job, from what I saw," Reid said, per Taylor. "He's working through some things and learning. As long as he keeps working, he'll be fine."

Suamataia went in the second round of the draft and was ranked as the sixth offensive tackle in a loaded class on our final board.

Any rookie lineman is going to have ups and downs in their first training camp. The fact that Suamataia is already beating out Morris and putting some good plays on film is a good start to camp for him.

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense will be under the microscope in 2024. With Arthur Smith coming in and the team making wholesale changes to their quarterback and wide receiver rooms, there is a lot of intrigue surrounding the final product.

One major question is who will emerge as the No. 2 receiver alongside George Pickens.

If Roman Wilson continues to receive positive reports from camp, the Steelers might just have their answer.

Wilson was considered to be "among the best route runners in the 2024 NFL draft class" by B/R scout Derrik Klassen. Reports from camp seem to agree early on.

Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live called Wilson "Day 3's star" in his report from Latrobe.

"He separated various routes from the slot, including out routes; the slot fades, a dig, crossers, and a drag route. The Steelers have started experimenting with him playing on the outside, too, and Justin Fields has grown more fond of Wilson recently," Farabaugh noted.

There isn't a whole lot decided about the Steelers offense outside of Pickens being the No. 1 receiver. Wilson seems to be doing what he can to carve out a role that could make him a considerable part of their plan early on.