What if I told you Trevor Penning had the best preseason debut of any first-round, offensive rookie in the 2022 season?
The correct response would be: Well, that's only if you believe in the Pro Football Focus rating system. And that's more than a fair response.
Listen to more on this subject in the player above, or by finding the latest episode of Inside Black & Gold wherever you get your podcasts.
But whether you believe it or not, that's what we got from the football analysis firm as they graded the first week of the preseason.
Now, there are obviously caveats to mention. That 90.9 grade was buoyed significantly by an impressive performance in the run game that masked what were some very clear and repeated breakdowns in pass protection. There's no denying that.
As is noted in the video below, Texans DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo took the No. 19 overall pick to school on multiple reps, and Penning particularly struggled on the two drives sandwiching halftime. Penning was honest and admitted he was "a little gassed" at points while logging 57 total snaps, second to only Ian Book's 63. It's not an excuse, but it is a potential explanation for why his worst reps of the day seemed to come in the 2-minute drill just before halftime.
The rookie's fundamentals broke down too often. He compounded mistakes when they happened, and had stretches where it seemed like the prior play had already beaten him on the next rep.
But there were some positive reps to pull out as well, such as this converted 3rd and 13 when he stonewalled Michael Dwumfour as Book surveyed the field and fired a strike to Dai'Jean Dixon to keep a drive going.
Still, the rookie is the first to admit there are parts of his game, particularly in pass protection, that need to be refined. He's talked often about being well behind on some of the technique that is necessary at the NFL level that he never had to learn to win reps at Northern Iowa.
“It was good to get out here, play an actual NFL game," he said. "There were moments I thought I did well. There were moments I definitely had to clean up for sure. That comes with time and reps at it.”
This is all part of the process. It's not a surprise that Penning's learning curve was going to be steeper than others, coming out of the FCS ranks. But rookie struggles aren't limited to the lesser conferences. No. 7 overall pick Evan Neal was plucked out of the SEC, and his struggles might be even more concerning as he begins his NFL career at left tackle.
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Penning's issues will be a concern if they don't get corrected as he gets those reps he's talking about. As the mistakes grow fewer and with more time between them, that's the growth you're looking for. The good news for the Saints is they have a capable LT starter in James Hurst, so the rookie has the time to refine his craft before he's thrown into the fire. That's a good thing, but we have to give it time to happen. Friday night against the Packers will be a good place to start.
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