Lions’ Golladay turns in ‘buzzworthy’ performance
Kenny Golladay has impressed the Lions during the offseason, and the rookie receiver is wasting little time making an impression on those outside the organization as well.
Catching a couple of touchdowns in your preseason debut will do that.
Golladay’s three-catch, 53-yard performance in Sunday’s 24-10 exhibition victory over the Colts, landed the Northern Illinois product on a list of “buzzworthy rookies” from Week 1 of the exhibition season by Around the NFL editor Gregg Rosenthal on Monday.
Golladay caught 23- and 15-yard touchdown passes from backup quarterback and former Michigan starter Jake Rudock, adjusting to a short throw on the former to win a 50-50 ball.
The performance earned Golladay, a third-round pick, a spot among a group of rookies that includes first-round picks Mitchell Trubisky (No. 2 overall by the Bears), Solomon Thomas (No. 3 overall by the 49ers), Deshaun Watson, and Reuben Foster.
“All three of his catches Sunday, including two touchdowns, were contested,” Rosenthal wrote. “Golladay is a great example of a rookie who built buzz in OTAs, training camp and has now backed it up in the preseason. The third-rounder is playing with a quarterback in Matthew Stafford who is unafraid to give his receivers 50-50 balls. Golladay is showing he can tilt those odds.”
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In addition to rookies, Rosenthal also offered his winners and losers from Week 1 of the exhibition season, with Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls, a Central Michigan product who also played at Michigan, among the standouts.
“Preseason results matter less for veterans than how a player is used,” Rosenthal wrote. “Rawls lined up with the starting Seahawks offense Sunday night like he has throughout a standout training camp, while Eddie Lacy continued to work strictly with the backups. Both players should get the ball plenty during the season, but it shouldn't be a surprise that Rawls is coming out of the gates faster, with Lacy coming off surgery.”
Ravens backup quarterback Ryan Mallett, who started his collegiate career at Michigan before transferring to Arkansas was among Rosenthal’s “losers” from the opening week.