NFL Preseason Week 3 rookie report card: Mason Graham, Jayden Higgins among seven A grades

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NFL rookies had some time to get acclimated to their new cities and teammates, but now we all get to see how they handle the best competition they’ve ever faced.

Below, I’ve graded the performance of one rookie from each game in the final week of preseason action. Some of these players are well-known to football fans, while others are trying to make names for themselves on the professional gridiron.

These evaluations are not predictions of how players will fare in this upcoming season, nor are they long-term career projections. Each mark simply takes stock of how the rookie played in Week 3 of the 2025 preseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Sawyer looked like a solid backup for T.J. Watt in the Steelers’ win over the Panthers. He maintained leverage to force run plays inside and beat the right tackle twice for tackles for loss in the third quarter. He hustled to stop receivers downfield and made a tackle on kickoff coverage. However, Sawyer’s lack of twitch and bend as a pass rusher were evident. He was slow on twists, although he did deflect a pass on a twist in the first half.

B+

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