Being an NFL rookie can't be an easy job. Being one who was drafted in the first round must be even tougher. Most times, these young players carry the expectations of an entire fanbase on their shoulders, as they're often the clearest difference from last year's team and this new one that will, hopefully, be better than before.
If history is any indication, some of this year's first-round draft picks will become stars, leading their team to glory for the next decade or more. Others will be busts, out of the league within a few years as their teams sign or draft their replacements. Most others will fall somewhere in the middle.
It's far too early to tell where this year's class will fall, even if some rookies did make a splash in their pro debuts. That goes for those who struggled, as well. Today we're going to talk about five of them, all of whom were deemed talented enough to be drafted in the first 23 picks. Nobody should be panicking about these players yet, but a stronger showing in Week 2 would sure help.
Cam Ward and the Titans offense couldn't capitalize on several Broncos mistakes
Let's start at the top, where No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward had a frustrating day against the Denver Broncos.
Ward finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting last year after throwing for 4,313 yards while being responsible for 43 touchdowns as a member of the Miami Hurricanes. His success story is remarkable, as he made his way from Incarnate Word to Washington State and finally to Coral Gables, where he played so well that his name was the first one called by Roger Goodell in April's draft.
Ward learned a brutal lesson in Week 1: he's not playing in the ACC anymore, and he sure isn't playing against the Southland Conference or the Pac-12, either. This is the NFL, and the Broncos have what looks to be a top-five defense in the entire league.
Going on the road to face a D like that is no way to inspire confidence in a young man, and Ward's stat line of 12-28 passing for only 112 yards bears that out. He also fumbled on one of his six sacks, though he didn't throw a pick.
Ward was better than his numbers indicated, as he was let down by some ill-timed drops from his receivers, especially in the fourth quarter when the game was still in the balance. Still, the Titans won the turnover battle 4-2, but were never able to find the end zone. Taking Ward's six sacks into consideration, he averaged just 1.8 yards per dropback, an abysmal number.
Top-overall picks have had a notoriously bad time in their first games, with very few exceptions in recent years. Ward's lackluster output in Week 1 isn't anything to worry about, and he'll get to come home for his first game in Nissan Stadium in Week 2 to face the Rams. L.A. has a good defense, but they're not the Broncos.
Ashton Jeanty found the end zone but didn't do much else against the Patriots
The Raiders traveled East and picked up a nice road win over the Patriots in Week 1, but the game didn't exactly flow the way most Raiders fans believed it would when the team selected Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick.
Jeanty was a human highlight reel at Boise State, busting off long touchdown runs with ridiculous regularity. If not for Travis Hunter's two-way excellence, he would have won the Heisman going away. So clearly was he pegged as a can't-miss prospect after his 2,601 yards rushing and 7.0 yards-per-carry average that he became the rare modern running back to be taken in the top 10.
Jeanty didn't get a chance to show that explosiveness against the Patriots. His long run of nine yards was barely over his collegiate average, and though he did score his first pro touchdown on a goal-line plunge, his totals for the game — 38 yards rushing on 19 carries and two receptions for four yards — left a lot to be desired.
The Raiders won the game 20-13 thanks to a prolific, 362-yard day from Geno Smith, but they'll need Jeanty to get going if they hope to hang in the rough-and-tumble AFC West.
Only one other Raider took a handoff all day (Zamir White's three carries for eight yards), so it's clear that Vegas expects Jeanty to be their bell cow. He'll get a chance to show his stuff against the Chargers on Monday night in a battle with Omarion Hampton, the second running back taken in the draft.
Colston Loveland was mostly invisible as the Bears' passing game struggled
Monday night's game between the Bears and the Vikings started like a dream for fans of the Monsters of the Midway, but slowly devolved into a familiar nightmare. Even with new offensive wunderkind Ben Johnson in charge, the Bears offense sputtered and stalled all night after an opening touchdown drive.
We've already passed out plenty of blame for what went down at Soldier Field, but one name that got little mention was Colston Loveland, the 10th overall pick. The Bears shocked a lot of people in April's draft by adding to their skill position talent with another tight end to join Cole Kmet, but what was even more surprising was that it was Loveland and not Tyler Warren who heard his name called.
Warren was great for the Colts, catching seven balls for 76 yards and even gaining three yards on a short-yardage carry, but Loveland wasn't nearly as big a part of the Bears' gameplan. He was targeted only twice all night, catching both balls for a measly 12 yards. His longest catch of eight yards was a ball that he bobbled before reeling it in.
Caleb Williams was inaccurate after going 6-6 on the opening drive of the night, missing multiple big play opportunities downfield. It stands to reason that he could use an uber-athletic tight end who got raves in training camp for being able to attack the entire field with his speed and size. Look for him to look for Loveland more against the Lions in Week 2.
Kenneth Grant did little to stop the Dolphins from getting bulldozed by the Colts
There's a pretty solid chance that the Miami Dolphins are going to be a mess all year. Head coach Mike McDaniel seems to be digging his own grave before he's even fired, Tua Tagovailoa looked jittery in the pocket, and through just one week, it seems the wheels may already be coming off.
Dolphins fans need something to get them through this difficult time, and for most teams, that often means finding a young player who gives them hope for the future. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot to like about 13th overall pick Kenneth Grant's debut.
Grant was part of a defense that got strafed by Daniel Jones, of all people, to the tune of 33 points. The former Michigan defensive tackle recorded just four tackles and one pressure on the day, and according to Pro Football Focus, finished with a 39.5 overall grade, which ranked him 130th out of 143 qualified interior defensive linemen.
The Colts ran for 156 yards and threw for 272 more. Jones was only sacked once, and the Dolphins didn't force a single turnover. This game was over by halftime when the Colts led 20-0.
Miami gets a home game in Week 2 against their fellow 0-1 AFC East mates, the Patriots. New England didn't have a rusher go for more than 27 yards in their Week 1 loss to the Raiders, so if Grant and company can't do a much better job in this game, then they really are in trouble.
Matthew Golden was a minor part of an otherwise successful day for the Packers
No team in the NFL has had a better week than the Packers. First they traded for Micah Parsons, then they went out and handled the defending NFC North champion Lions by a score of 27-13.
The Packers looked like a Super Bowl contender right out of the gates, so it feels weird to nitpick them, but where was Matthew Golden? The rookie receiver was only targeted twice by Jordan Love, bringing in both balls for 16 yards. Even more concerning was the fact that he played less than 50 percent of Green Bay's offensive snaps, as he rotated for the most part with Dontayvion Wicks.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was derided last year for suggesting that his team had "a bunch" of No. 1 receivers. The fact that the team drafted Golden in the first round, the first time they've used a first-round pick on a wideout since Javon Walker in 2002, shows that he came to grips with the fact that his previous belief wasn't true.
The Packers looked good enough to make a deep run whether Golden becomes that kind of guy or not. There's still plenty of time for him to grow into his role, but it would be nice to see him on the field, and getting more looks, tonight against the Commanders.