We’re 17 games into the preseason. So far, six players have gone over 100 yards in games. A brief look at these unheralded players.
Tommylee Lewis, Saints: He caught 10 passes for 124 yards at Cleveland. He caught 10 of the 11 passes thrown his way, and the one he didn’t catch was well defended. He has some wiggle (he returned some punts last year in the regular season, including one he took back 59 yards) and in this game caught a short ball and made guys missed to pick up an extra dozen yards. Most impressive catch was a diving reception down the sideline of 32 yards, to set them up near the goal line. Caught a 2-yard touchdown. But he’s tiny (5-7, 168). Probably will make the team and serve primarily as a 4th or 5th wide receiver and return punts.
Kasen Williams, Seahawks: I didn’t mention him in the update because we were scrambling to get the product out the door – I moved away from that game at halftime last night. But he played well. They threw to him 4 times, and he caught all 4 of them, all in contested situations, resulting in gains of 28-34 yards each. He finished with 119 yards. He’s got a bigger body (6-1, 219) and was a heralded long jumper, triple jumper and high jumper in high school (he went to a high school in my district). When he was leading Skyline to high school football championships, I figured he’d be a first- or second-round draft pick someday. Then he broke his leg at Washington. Doesn’t have a burner gear, but has been working on his game the last two years, trying to bust into the league. As well as he played last night, I think he’ll make Seattle’s team. If I were picking the team, I would keep him ahead of Jermaine Kearse and Tanner McEvoy (who both made the roster last year). But I don’t think Williams will ever become entrenched as one of the top 3 wide receivers on an NFL team.
Jacob Hollister, Patriots: There’s some crossed wires on the internet. The Patriots have two Hollisters, and if you go to NFL.com, they list Cody Hollister with catching 7 passes for 116 yards against Jacksonville. But it was Jacob Hollister, a tight end who played his college ball at Wyoming. Patriots seem to come up with a nobody tight end in the preseason every year. Remember Zach Sudfeld? AJ Derby? Hollister is the lastest. He weighs 239, so he’s too small to line up as an in-line tight end, but he moves well. He made a couple of downfield catches. He hurdled a guy after one catch. And his head seems to be made out of solid stone. He took two helmet-to-helmet hits and wasn’t slowed down at all. If something goes sour with Dwayne Allen, Hollister could play a surprisingly large role. Patriots like using two tight ends (and while he lacks experience, this kid is probably faster than Allen and a better pass catcher).
Keelan Cole, Jaguars: Caught 2 passes for 108 yards at New England. Used his speed to get deep down the sideline on a 97-yard touchdown, making a better adjustment than the defensive back when the ball was in the air. But that’s about all he did. Caught another 11-yard pass, and his only other target was incomplete. On the roster bubble, I think.
Damore’aa Stringfellow, Dolphins: Caught a 99-yard touchdown against Atlanta that was similar to Cole’s – streaking down the left sideline. Stringfellow is huge (6-2, 222) and he can run. But the Dolphins are well stocked with receivers, and I don’t see him challenging to get in their top 5 anytime soon. They’ve got Landry, Parker and Stills, and Leonte Carroo looks improved. Jakeem Grant has considerable value as a punt returner. So that leaves Stringfellow trying to land on the practice squad, I think. He’s raw. In this game, he let one ball bounce off his hands. He caught a 17-yard ball and I thought should have had a 37-yarder (he was flagged for pushing off, but I didn’t see much there). Might eventually make a 53-man roster.
Corey Grant, Jaguars: He carried 8 times for 120 yards at New England, including a 79-yard touchdown where he ran away from their defensive backs. Showed good speed on a couple of other carries. He’ll make the team. In the one game he started last year, he carried 18 times for 122 yards at Indianapolis, with a 57-yard touchdown. He’s interesting in that he’s different than their other backs – Fournette, Yeldon and Ivory are all big backs. Including Grant, the Jaguars are overloaded with talent at tailback, so I wonder if they’re calculating how to get rid of either Yeldon or Ivory. Would a team like the Ravens be interested in trading for one of those guys? Ivory is overpriced; what are cap ramifications of releasing him? Grant plays special teams; he’ll be their kickoff returner. At 5-11 and 203 pounds, however, he’s not big enough to ever be used in a heavy-duty role.
—Ian Allan