These 8 NFL rookies already look like starters in the preseason

Attempting to separate the signal from the noise during NFL preseason — especially after just two weeks — can feel pointless at times. Teams around the league are still putting in the majority of their playbooks, after all, and most reps are coming against a mix of second- and third-team talent.

Still, sometimes you just know. And for the eight rookies on this list, all it's taken is a couple weeks worth of actual game film to tell that they're ready to start at the highest level — and make a huge difference for some Super Bowl contenders.

LB Jaishawn Barham, Dallas Cowboys

Barham registered five tackles in his preseason debut against the Cardinals, which is even more impressive considering he's moving from EDGE back to off-ball linebacker — where he began his college career — on the fly based on the needs of Dallas' depth chart. But even more impressive than the stat line was watching him play; he's a heat-seeking missile at the second level, and his aggressive play style is a perfect fit for new DC Christian Parker.

If Barham is ready right away, it's hard to overstate how big a deal that could be for this Cowboys team, given the need they have at linebacker and the talented they added elsewhere on this defense.

WR De'Zhaun Stribling, San Francisco 49ers

Stribling first burst onto the scene in San Francisco's preseason opener a couple of weekends ago. But he backed that up with another impressive showing on Thursday against the Chargers, once again leading the Niners in receiving with four catches for 46 yards. The size, physicality and ball skills needed to fill in for Ricky Pearsall on the outside were once again on display, and at this rate, it's hard not to dream on big things for Stribling in this Kyle Shanahan offense. San Francisco has a need amid another rash of injuries, and Stribling appears to have the goods.

DT Kayden McDonald, Houston Texans

Because what Houston needed was even more talent on the defensive front, right? The lone potential weak point in this Texans defense came up the middle, which is why DeMeco Ryans and Co. used an early second-round pick on McDonald in this spring's NFL Draft. It's safe to say they're pleased with the investment so far.

We knew that McDonald was a stout run-plugger based on his beastly final year in college. If he has this sort of pass rush juice alongside Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, Houston has everything it needs to put up a historic season on that side of the ball.

WR Colbie Young, Cincinnati Bengals

Speaking of strengths getting stronger: A fourth-round pick out of Georgia (and previously Miami) this spring, Young had steadily built up buzz to start Bengals camp. It appears that wasn't just empty hype, either, as he roasted the Bears' backup secondary for 48 yards and a touchdown on three catches in a win on Saturday.

Granted, we haven't seen him do it against first-teamers (or with Joe Burrow under center) yet. But Burrow and others have raved about Young all summer, and at this point it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see him snatch the WR3 role out from under free agent-to-be Andrei Iosivas.

CB Jermod McCoy, Las Vegas Raiders

The only thing most people saw from McCoy's second preseason game was an embarrassing taunting penalty that kept the Raiders defense from getting off the field. Set that aside, though, and it was another week in which he showed off the smooth man coverage skills that had him trending to be the first corner taken off the board before a knee injury scuttled his final year of college. The fact that McCoy is back and getting closer to moving like he did pre-injury is a very good sign for a Vegas team that needs all the secondary help it can get, and he figures to only get better as time goes on.

WR Malachi Fields, New York Giants

Fields brought in three passes for 34 yards and a score in New York's first preseason game, and he's been so impressive throughout camp that he sat out Saturday's win over the Dolphins entirely — a sure sign that he's penciled in as a starter opposite Malik Nabers. It's not hard to see why: Fields was a big body and contested catch maven in college, and those are two things that this Giants receiving corps is sorely lacking right now. Add in his strong start on the field and his ability as a physical blocker in this Greg Roman run game, and you've got a very nice third-round pick who should see the field quite a bit as a rookie.

DT Christen Miller, New Orleans Saints

The Saints are bringing Miller along very, very slowly as he's dealt with a couple different injuries during his first NFL offseason — including a shoulder issue that held him out of Week 2. But when Miller got on the field in Week 1, he showed exactly why New Orleans used a second-round pick on him this spring, a quarterback hurry and three run stops while having his way with the Jaguars up front. Bryan Bresee's ACL tear makes the need for Miller to hit the ground running even more pressing, and he's sure looked the part so far.

K Trey Smack, Green Bay Packers

If this seems a bit small-potatoes, ask Packers fans how much they'd give for reliability at kicker after suffering through the Brandon McManus era. Thankfully, McManus is no longer in Green Bay, and his replacement, sixth-round pick Smack, already looks like a difference maker. He's 3-for-3 from beyond 50 so far in preseason, including a 59-yarder in Week 2. If that continues in the regular season, it'll be an underrated boon for a Packers offense that left too many points on the field last year.

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