NFL rookie report: Insider notes on Packers' Luke Musgrave, Giants' John Michael Schmitz and more
The Week 1 opener of the 2023 NFL season is just days away. After a month of grueling practices and less than a week after final cutdowns, we have a handle on how rosters around the league are shaping up.
We also have a good idea on which rookies have stood out. As a caveat, since we're intentionally staying away from players selected in the first round of April’s draft, here’s a look at some of the rookies on offense who have stood out.
NFL rookie report: Under-the-radar players that have impressed so far
Tyson Bagent, QB, Chicago Bears
There was plenty of hype last season around Bagent, a quarterback whose father is a champion arm wrestler.
Bagent played at the Senior Bowl, participated in the Combine and then went undrafted. Yet he’s found a home in Chicago where he plays backup to Justin Fields. So why have things changed in his favor so quickly after not being selected in April’s draft?
The Bears coaching staff has been super impressed with Bagent, who they say does not make the same mistake twice and learns quickly. He's proven to be coachable, and Bagent has worked incredibly hard on his throwing fundamentals.
The end result is his passing accuracy has significantly improved. Signing a backup signal caller with the talent and upside of Bagent after the draft was a major coup by the Bears.
Ronnie Bell, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Praise has been heaped on Ronnie Bell from all directions during the preseason. Many in San Francisco say Bell had as good a preseason as you’ll see from a rookie receiver.
Veterans Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk have been singing the praises of Bell, with Aiyuk recently stating that Bell has “pushed our [wide receiver] unit forward.”
Bell, who is finally fully healthy from the late-season knee injury he suffered at Michigan last season, is generating a lot of buzz in the building. Besides his duties at receiver, Bell is now the team’s No. 1 return specialist after the wrist injury to Ray-Ray McCloud.
The Niners were ready to select Bell in the fifth round of April’s draft, but instead they chose pass rusher Robert Beal. When he was available to the team two rounds later, the Niners realized he was too good to pass up.
Andrei Iosivas, WR, Cincinnati Bengals Ivy League players don’t often make a big impact in the NFL, but when they do, it’s lasting. Princeton’s Iosivas seems to be on track to make an impact for the receiver-stacked Cincinnati Bengals.
The franchise loves the athleticism of the former decathlon champion as well as his work ethic. They are also impressed with the football intelligence of Iosivas and believe he’s much further along than they expected at this point.
While the team believes he must improve his special-teams play, they also feel Iosivas is a No. 4 receiver with upside.
Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay
Entering the draft process, scouts loved Musgrave despite the fact that he was sidelined after just two games last season with a knee injury. The Packers thought so highly of Musgrave they used the 42nd pick of the draft to acquire him.
The big tight end has rewarded Green Bay’s affection with exceptional play during the preseason and promise for the future. Head coach Matt LaFleur has gushed over his second-round selection and the potential to use Musgrave as an in-line tight end, in the slot or on the outside.
LaFleur emphatically stated that he intends to make Musgrave a big part of the passing offense this season. The franchise sees huge upside in Musgrave, who is already drawing comparisons to some of the better tight ends in the league based on his size, speed and pass-catching ability.
John Michael Schmitz, C, Giants
In the lead-up to the 2023 NFL Draft, I had the Giants selecting Schmitz in the first round on three separate occasions. The franchise did select him, though a round later, and now Schmitz is poised to be a Week 1 starter.
Sources tell me Schmitz had the best camp of any rookie and presently grades as the second-best offensive lineman on the Giants roster.
Chandler Zavala, G, Carolina Panthers
Zavala is one of the better rookie stories of the past 12 months. After getting very low grades entering his senior season and not being invited to the Combine, he took full advantage of every opportunity he was afforded and now lines up as the starting right guard for Carolina.
He was outstanding during the Shrine Bowl then performed brilliantly during his pro-day workout. After Austin Corbett, last year’s starter at right guard for Carolina, was not ready to play due to the lingering effects of the ACL he tore during the final game of the 2022 season, Zavala stepped in and took over.
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