The NFL’s preseason has just kicked off and with that it’s a good time to check in on some recent Hurricane Alumni who are impressing coming into their first or second years.
Kamren Kinchens(24)
Miami’s defensive leader for the last couple of years was the Canes’ highest-selected player in the 2024 draft. A projected first-round pick, athletic and injury concerns dropped him to the third round where Les Snead, the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams scooped him up. So far through camp, he’s been fairly quiet but recently has put together some strong days where he has showcased his ball-hawking ability including reps against the first-team offense where he picked off Matthew Stafford. Then during his first preseason action, he got a lot of action playing 44% of defensive snaps. He was solid over the top including making a big hit to force an incompletion. Currently listed third at free safety behind Quentin Lake and John Johnson III he’s going to have to continue to stack big days together to move up the depth chart and he will most likely continue to be heavily involved throughout the rest of the preseason.
Tyrique Stevenson(23)
Stevenson is entering his sophomore season coming off a fantastic rookie season campaign. Rookie cornerbacks usually struggle and while he did at times Stevenson put together a really good year leading rookies in several key statistics including interception and pass deflections. According to all reports in training camp, he’s ready to make another leap. The ball production continues to be strong forcing fumbles and taking advantage of balls to fly his way. More importantly, his coverage seems to continue to improve a necessity given that the ball will be flying his way playing across from All-Pro Jaylon Johnson. Stevenson was out for the Bears first preseason game against the Bills as he is currently dealing with an injury so it’s uncertain how much he will play this preseason.
Leonard Taylor III(24)
Taylor was potentially the biggest undrafted free agent of the 2024 class. A projected first-rounder for large stretches of the year, Taylor fell entirely out of the draft. Swiped up by the Jets, all the reports show that he is going to capitalize on joining one of the elite defensive development programs in the league. He only came off the PUP list a couple of weeks ago but is already flashing a quickness and explosiveness that made many believe he would go much higher. According to local jets reporters, he strung together some monster days blowing up runs and generating pressure consistently. He took that momentum into his first preseason game wrecking the Commanders offensive line recording a couple of tackles for loss and a sack. Taylor’s talent and ability might give him a chance to not only make the Jets roster but potentially be a real part of their defensive rotation.
Mitchell Agude(23)
Agude had a brief one-year stop in Miami after spending a couple of years at UCLA. At Miami he flashed some talent with seven tackles for loss and four sacks. Since then he’s bounced around a little bit but most recently through Lions training camp, he’s shown some flashes that he can do some damage. Recently he’s continued to move up playing with the second-string defense and has made some plays that have raised eyebrows. The defensive line is fairly deep with the Lions and he’ll have to fight with guys like James Houston, Marcus Davenport, and Josh Paschal if he wants to move up and get some snaps alongside Aidan Hutchinson. In his first preseason game, he was very solid, racking up some tackles and earning the fourth-highest PFF grade of any Lion to play against the Giants. With that he continues to be on track to land himself a roster spot.
James Williams(24)
Kinchens partner in the defensive backfield, Williams was a downhill, hard-hitting, safety that many saw as a future linebacker in the NFL. Since being drafted by Tennessee in the seventh round he’s officially made the switch and is showcasing that it might be his future in the league. Williams according to reports has bulked up to around 240 and has been throwing his weight around. Reporters have taken note of his physicality and aggression and he’s been seen quite a few times making some hard hits all across training camp. He continued to flash into the Titans game against the Niners where he was very noticeable against the run. As a seventh round pick he’s going to have to fight his way up the depth chart but regardless he will definitely be one of the most fun players to watch this preseason.
Lou Hedley(23)
To wrap things up, some special teams attention to one of the biggest surprises of last year with punter Lou Hedley. Hedley garnered attention across the league coming in as a 30-year rookie and produced solidly for the Saints The numbers were not eye-popping last season but landed in the top five of punts fielded inside the 20. Hedley continued to showcase his good touch in the Saints game against the Cardinals. Three of his four punts landed within the 20-yard line. The Saints have brought in some competition so Hedley will likely be seeing a lot of reps throughout the preseason to ensure his spot on the roster.
While those are the most notable standouts from training camp so far the league is littered with recent Hurricane Alumni who are going to fight for their spots on rosters. Matt Lee, Miami’s former center, looked very solid in his debut for the Bengals. Speedster wide receiver Tyler Harrell zoomed across the field for a 20-yard grab in his debut for the Jets. And second-year tight end Will Mallory recorded some receptions for the Colts respectively after coming off the PUP list a couple of weeks prior. There are two more weeks of NFL preseason left so keep an eye out on these former Canes’ as they try to make rosters and make their mark in the league.