Bengals WR Jermaine Burton headlines 5 rookies making a pres

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The highlight of the opening weekend of preseason might have been the , but there were plenty of other rookies who impre sed in their first glimpses of NFL action.We'll even skip over all the attention on first-round draft picks and offer up five later-round rookies who made a splash in their preseason games and will merit a closer look as the 2024 season approaches. If nothing else, they might turn out to be great fantasy sleeper picks.Jermaine Burton, WR, BengalsBurton, a third-round pick out of , had the two biggest offensive plays in the Bengals' preseason lo s to the , and that's with Cincinnati opting to play its No. 2 receiver in . Burton got behind the Tampa Bay defense for a 37-yard touchdown pa s from , and when the Bengals mounted a final comeback in the final minute, Burton caught another long pa s for 38 yards before the rally ended. He finished with three catches for 82 yards the best average in the NFL for any player with more than two receptions this weekend.ADVERTISEMENT Burton has played at a high level in college, first with two years at and then his last two at Alabama, hauling in a combined 15 touchdown catches in his two years with the Tide. In a deep cla s of rookie receivers, he'll have a good chance to pop in Cincinnati, where he'll slide in as their No. 3 with moving on to . With Higgins playing out this season on the franchise tag but likely to sign elsewhere, it could be an easy promotion next year for Burton to become the No. 2 opposite as 's top targets in Cincinnati. And with Chase skipping practices at training camp due to a contract dispute, Burton may get his chance even sooner.Jaylen Wright, RB, DolphinsWright, a fourth-round pick from Tenne see, averaged 7.4 yards per carry last season in rushing for 1,013 yards for the Vols, after going for 875 and 10 touchdowns in 2022. He's got 4.38 speed and a 38-inch vertical, and now joins a talented and deep Dolphins backfield. His debut last Friday against the was impre sive, as he went for 55 yards on 10 carries with a 6- Gorgui Dieng Jersey yard touchdown. is 32, so the Dolphins will soon shift to younger backs like Wright and second-year pro , who showed big-play potential in bursts last season. has a history with Mike McDaniel, but he mustered only seven yards on five carries on Friday and totaled 188 yards last year, so it's easy to see Wright starting out as the No. 3 back in Miami.Will Shipley, RB, EaglesShipley, a fourth-round pick from , caught 85 pa ses in college, so it's no surprise he got the Eagles' first touchdown of the preseason on a pa s from . Shipley got seven carries on the same drive for just 23 yards but also made an impact on special teams, returning two kickoffs for 48 yards and getting a tackle on punt coverage.Shipley was super-productive in three years with the Tigers, going for 1,182 yards and 15 scores as a sophomore and finishing with 33 total touchdowns in his three seasons. Newcomer is indisputably the Eagles' primary running back, but with entering the final year of his rookie contract, Shipley will compete for backup snaps and could work his way into a larger role in 2025.Austin Booker, edge, BearsBooker, a fifth-round pick from , tied with teammate for the NFL lead with 2.5 sacks this past weekend. Booker had five tackles in Chicago's easy 33-6 win over the , continuing where he left off in a breakout 2023 season with the Jayhawks. He had eight sacks last fall, and that came out of nowhere in two years at , he had just two total tackles before a fresh start put him in the spotlight at Kansas.Booker had only one tackle in the Hall of Fame opener, but he's in good position to earn a spot in the pa s-rush rotation, competing for snaps behind returning starters and .Micah Abraham, DB, ColtsAbraham, a sixth-round pick from , had a splash play in the Colts' game against the , ripping the ball from a Denver running back and returning the fumble 45 yards for a touchdown. It was a busy debut for Abraham, tying for the team lead with six tackles and Andre Iguodala Jersey adding a tackle for lo s.Abraham, whose father, Donnie, had 38 interceptions in nine NFL seasons with the Bucs and , had much the same reputation as a ballhawk at Marshall, finishing his college career with 12 interceptions. He's likely a nickel in the NFL, but his experience playing both corner and safety will help him as he competes for a backup defensive back job in Indianapolis.Greg Auman is FOX Sports' NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.