Louisville football: Expectations for every former Card in the NFL in 2019

The youngsters with something to prove

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Lamar’s preseason should look very different from what you will see in the regular season. Coach John Harbaugh let the media know last week to take the over on Lamar Jackson’s rushing yards for this upcoming season, leading you to believe they’ll utilize his running ability heavily again in this upcoming season. You probably won’t see much of that in the preseason in hopes to avoid injury to their franchise player. You will see some sweet videos courtesy of the Ravens Twitter account when it comes to Lamar making some beautiful passes, here’s to more of that in the 2019 campaign.

Jaire Alexander, Green Bay Packers

“When I see him go about his business like that, it makes me excited to be on the same team as him.” That’s what Green Bay’s star wide receiver Devante Adams had to say about 2nd-year cornerback Jaire Alexander. He has quickly emerged as one of the best young secondary members in the NFL. Expect another huge year from Jaire in this upcoming season and for several seasons after that.

Devante Parker, Miami Dolphins

There isn’t a question as to who the #1 target will be when it comes to the Miami Dolphins offense this season. It’s former Louisville standout Devante Parker, who comes into this season fully healthy and ready to be the guy in south beach. This is a team that has more quarterback questions than answers at this point. But whoever may be at the helm this season, they’ll be able to heavily rely on Devante game in and game out.

Eli Rogers, Pittsburgh Steelers

Eli made some noise last week, when he showed up to training camp in a semi-truck with a neon work vest on, wanting to show Steeler nation his blue-collar attitude. Eli should be a reliable target for Big Ben in 2019. This a team that just lost its biggest threat in the passing game, Antonio Brown. Therefore there are plenty of reps to be had in Pittsburgh. This receiving core is still very deep though. Guys like Juju Smith-Schuster, Donte Moncrief, James Washington & Ryan Switzer will be challenging Eli for reps this preseason and regular season. Eli seems confident that he’ll have a prominent role, so we should be as well.

Geron Christian, Washington Redskins

Geron has a very good chance to be the starting left tackle in Washington this season. He’s been getting first-team reps but it is far from a guarantee to win the starting role. He must perform well this preseason, but if he does, this may be his spot to lose.

Trevon Young, L.A. Rams

Young is a guy who’s battled injuries since his time as a Cardinal. But he has a great chance to be a rotational guy for the Rams this upcoming season. It’s likely that Dante Fowler Jr. and Clay Matthews won’t see a ton of preseason time, so those reps most likely go to Trevon Young. The Rams don’t have a ton of depth on the edge, so expect to see Trevon find his home in L.A. and really start to reach his potential this preseason, given that’s he’s fully healthy.

Marcus Smith, Washington Redskins

Marcus is a guy that hasn’t found his niche in the league just yet, spending time with the Seahawks and Eagles before eventually heading to Washington. He’s now getting first-team reps as a Redskin, he should provide depth and athleticism off the edge in Washington.

Josh Harvey-Clemons, Washington Redskins

We were only able to watch Josh in a Louisville uniform for one season after he transferred from Georgia and he looks a lot different than he did when we saw him in the red and black. The former Cardinal safety has converted to linebacker and is up to 245 pounds, gaining 30 more from where he was last season. Photos from Redskins camp show Josh looking like an absolute monster, he should be a major contributor to Washington’s defense in 2019.

Jamon Brown, Atlanta Falcons

Jamon is a guy hoping to move into a starting role in Atlanta by the end of the season. Brown is currently second on the depth chart at the LG position. He was not in action this week in the Hall of Fame game but should get plenty of preseason (and hopefully regular-season) reps when it’s all said and done.