• Decamerion Richardson is in line to be the Raiders' CB2 with a strong training camp: Although he lacked ball production in college, Richardson could easily push to be a starting cornerback in a needy Raiders secondary.
• Jaden Hicks is already working with the starters: The Chiefs like to use three safeties in their defense, and Hicks earned an 84.9 PFF coverage grade in 2023.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
As we welcome the excitement of NFL training camps kicking off, positional battles will be at the forefront of leaguewide discussions. Perhaps most intriguing are the battles where late-round rookies could come out on top.
Here are five Day 3 rookies from the 2024 NFL Draft who could earn starting spots in training camp.
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants
Malik Nabers, Wan'Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt all worked in different combinations with Daniel Jones and the first-team offense.
Devin Singletary, Tyrone Tracy and Eric Gray were the backs with the 1s.
Highlight of the day: Lawrence Cager made a leaping grab…
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) July 24, 2024
Tracy, a wide-receiver-turned-running-back, earned an elite 90.5 PFF rushing grade in his first season as a full-time back in 2023 at Purdue. He was previously at Iowa but didn't consistently fit in their passing game plan. The Boilermakers' coaching staff encouraged him to move to running back, and it turned out to be a wise switch.
The Giants drafted Tracy in the fifth round after he tested as a high-percentile athlete at the NFL Scouting Combine. And based on New York’s depth chart, he has an easier path to cracking the starting lineup than is typical for a late-rounder. According to early camp reports, Tracy will have every chance to earn a starting job, or at least a heavy rotational role, heading into the season.
WR Javon Baker, New England Patriots
#Patriots HC Jerod Mayo on WRs Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker:
Polk — “Smooth route-runner, has good hands, can do a lot of different things, and he’s smart, and that’s one thing that we covet around here.”
Baker — “The run after catch. This guy’s aggressive. He’s all ball.” pic.twitter.com/A7raODAPKE
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) April 28, 2024
The Patriots' wide receiver room was either at the bottom or very close to the bottom of many rankings heading into the offseason. They failed to acquire top receiver talent in free agency, which left the draft as their last chance.
After addressing their quarterback woes in the first round, the Patriots selected Washington’s Ja'Lynn Polk in the second round, a projected starter., But fourth-rounder Javon Baker could also earn a starting spot with an impressive showing in camp. Baker’s 7.2 yards-after-the-catch average (78th percentile) in 2023 is emblematic of a skill set New England needs in its passing game.
S Jaden Hicks, Kansas City Chiefs
Bryan Cook and rookie Jaden Hicks getting work as the top safeties with Justin Reid on NFI (quad).
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) July 22, 2024
Veteran safety Justin Reid is starting training camp on the non-football injury list with a knee/quad issue, and it sounds like he’ll miss a chunk of time. That opens the door for rookie safety Jaden Hicks.
The Chiefs like to use three safeties in their defense, so Hicks was always going to have a chance to stand out, regardless of Reid’s status. But now there are vacant practice reps available for him to prove his worth over the next month. Hicks was a versatile strong safety for Washington State who earned an 84.9 PFF coverage grade in 2023. That came from 462 snaps as a box/strong safety defender and 204 as a free safety on the backend.
CB Decamerion Richardson, Las Vegas Raiders
Mississippi State cornerback Decamerion Richardson was an early Day 3 selection who had a chance to be a starter the second he was drafted. He is a good fit on a Raiders depth chart that desperately needs someone to step up at CB2.
At just over 6-foot-2 (95th percentile), Richardson brings ideal length and athleticism to the position, which was made known after he ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash and jumped 10 feet, 8 inches in the broad. He earned an 86.5 PFF coverage grade last season with the Bulldogs due to his athleticism but was drafted on Day 3 because he didn’t record a single interception in his college career with just 10 forced incompletions. If he can develop better instincts and anticipation to make plays on the ball, that starting outside job could be his.
LB Cedric Gray, Tennessee Titans
Cedric Gray was a three-year starter for North Carolina's defense with plenty of experience (2,541 total snaps in three years). His PFF grades in his first season weren’t great, but he earned 82.2 and 74.0 marks in 2022 and 2023, respectively. He also earned coverage grades above 70.0 in each of his three seasons.
The Titans' veteran linebacker corps consists of Kenneth Murray Jr., who the team signed to a two-year deal this offseason, and Jack Gibbens, who was a 2022 undrafted free agent and started 13 games for the old coaching staff last season.
For what Gray can do in coverage, he has a shot at a starting spot in Tennessee.
