2026 NFL Preseason: Thursday Night Stock Watch

The 2026 NFL preseason officially kicked off with the Hall of Fame Game last week, but Thursday night was the beginning of the full preseason slate. With six games in the slate there was plenty of football to be watched and a number of players looking to raise their stock up in the NFL. Preseason Week 1 brought us the debuts of players like Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiah Love, and Carnell Tate. It also gave NFL veterans a chance to re-establish themselves in the league searching for more prominent roles on their teams.

This article belongs to the NFL Thursday Night slate only which will consist of stock ups & stock downs. There are still games Friday and Saturday, and I’m sure plenty of players will give us reasons to change this list before Week 1 is officially in the books.

After the first night of preseason football, there were a number of players who caught my attention and just because they’re not mentioned doesn’t mean they didn’t play well. Some confirmed what we already believed. Others gave us a reason to change our opinion. And, a few left us with more questions than answers.

2026 NFL Preseason: Thursday Night Stock Watch

Stock Up

Jeremiyah Love — RB, Arizona Cardinals

How long Jeremiyah Love played was a surprise. How well he played, was not.

Love remained on the field through the first half and finished with 11 carries for 58 yards while adding three receptions for 15 yards. But the box score doesn’t fully capture why his debut was so encouraging.

Love showed vision. He showed explosiveness. He also showed dynamic moves in space. Most importantly, he showed the three-down skill set that made him one of the most exciting prospects in the 2026 NFL draft.

Love wasn’t simply making plays because he was the most talented athlete on the field. He was showing the ability to find space, accelerate through it, and contribute as a receiver. That was always the appeal. This is a player who can legitimately stay on the field in any situation.

I believed Love was the best prospect in the draft, and Thursday night gave the NFL world its first real look at why. Now he can go back on the shelf until the regular season. I don’t need to see anything further.

It’s obviously way too early to crown anyone Rookie of the Year. But, I’m going to say it anyway. I have a very difficult time imagining a world where Jeremiyah Love isn’t the Rookie of the Year.

De’Zhaun Stribling — WR, San Francisco 49ers

Seven receptions for 63 yards – in one half. That’s how De’Zhaun Stribling introduced himself to the NFL.

Stribling took advantage of his opportunity and looked like exactly the type of versatile offensive weapon Kyle Shanahan could find ways to utilize. The hands stood out all game long. Whether working back to the quarterback or working the sideline, Stribling made fantastic catches showing his strong hands through contact. Yet, he also won at every level of the field.

That’s what makes Stribling interesting to me. He’s not a receiver who needs to be pigeonholed into one specific role. He can line up in different spots, win underneath, create after the catch and threaten defenses vertically. And, the opportunity in San Francisco may be significant.

With injuries creating uncertainty throughout the 49ers’ pass catchers, Stribling has an opportunity to turn a preseason audition into a legitimate role.

It’s far too early to call him an Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, but if you’re looking for a dark horse? It’s not outside the range of outcomes. Keep an eye on him. Thursday night was exactly the kind of performance he needed to keep fueling the hype train.

Trey Smack — K, Green Bay Packers

Yes, I’m putting a kicker on the list. And if you’re a Packers fan, you should understand why.

Smack was officially 3-for-3 on field goals, including a 58-yard conversion. He also had another long attempt wiped away by penalty after putting it through the uprights. For a rookie, that’s a great first impression. And, Pittsburgh isn’t exactly the easiest place to kick.

But the reason Smack makes this list isn’t simply because he made three kicks in a preseason game. It’s because of what reliable kicking can mean to a football team.

Look at Green Bay.

Ask a Packers fan how much they would like to have complete confidence in their kicker when a game comes down to a field goal after last year, and honestly the issue goes back further than that. The kicking game can completely change the way a team manages late-game situations.

Smack still has to prove he can do this consistently, but Thursday night was an excellent start. For a rookie kicker fighting to establish himself in the NFL, you couldn’t ask for much more.

Drew Allar — QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Drew Allar was one of the biggest surprises of Thursday night. The rookie quarterback looked comfortable from the moment he entered the game. He got through his reads quickly. His mechanics were improved and made accurate throws. He also displayed the arm talent that made him such an intriguing developmental prospect. And, he led three scoring drives, all of which ended in touchdowns.

Some of his production was helped by a 74-yard catch-and-run from Kaden Wetjen, so let’s not pretend Allar was throwing bombs all night. But that’s not really the point. The encouraging part was the process.

Allar looked like a quarterback who understood where to go with the football and was capable of making the throws necessary to get the offense moving. And perhaps the best thing for his development is that he doesn’t need to play this year. Aaron Rodgers is the starter. Mason Rudolph is ahead of him. Allar can spend the season developing, learning the NFL game and improving without being thrown into the fire before he’s ready.

One preseason game doesn’t change the projection. But if Pittsburgh can develop the quarterback we saw Thursday night, suddenly the long-term upside becomes very interesting.

Germie Bernard — WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Germie Bernard entered the NFL with one of the most pro-ready skill sets in the wide receiver class – and a good candidate for this stock up article. More importantly, he looked like the part on Thursday night.

Bernard finished with four catches for 51 yards and was heavily involved early. More importantly, he caught everything thrown his way and showed the movement skills to create after the catch. He also nearly came down with a touchdown, coming just one foot short of getting both feet down in the back of the end zone on a scramble drill with Mason Rudolph.

That’s the kind of play I want to see from a young receiver. Bernard isn’t simply a guy who can run a few routes and catch passes. He can move around the formation, win underneath, and can create after the catch. And, he complements what Pittsburgh already has extremely well.

DK Metcalf gives them the vertical threat. Michael Pittman Jr. gives them the big-bodied, contested-catch, and red-zone presence. Bernard can potentially become the versatile piece who ties it all together.

It’s only one preseason game, but I felt this way before, and Bernard did nothing to change that feeling. Bernard is Pittsburgh’s future long-term WR2.

Kaden Wetjen — WR/Returner, Pittsburgh Steelers

You can’t talk about Thursday night’s Steelers game without mentioning Kaden Wetjen.

His first NFL reception went for 74 yards. That’s one way to introduce yourself.

Wetjen took a short completion from Drew Allar and outran nearly half of the defense turning it into a massive play, setting up another Pittsburgh touchdown. But the reason I’m putting him on this list isn’t simply the 74-yard catch. It’s the combination of his potential offensive role and his special teams value.

Players who can contribute as returners while developing as offensive weapons have a path to the roster that other young receivers don’t always have. Wetjen gave Pittsburgh exactly what you want from a preseason developmental player.

Stock Down

Kaleb Johnson — RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

To be fair, this one needs context.

Kaleb Johnson is entering his second NFL season after being selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, and last season didn’t go according to plan. After a series of mistakes, including critical special teams errors, Johnson fell out of favor. This year was supposed to be a reset. A fresh start. So far, he hasn’t done enough to force his way back into the conversation.

Johnson played well into the second half Thursday night, including snaps alongside third-string quarterback Drew Allar and after other backs such as Lew Nichols and Travis Homer had already received opportunities. That’s more concerning to me than anything in the box score.

This is a crowded running back room, and Johnson needed to use the preseason to make a statement. Instead, he still looked like a player fighting for opportunities rather than a player demanding them. That doesn’t mean Johnson is finished, but at some point, potential has to turn into production. Johnson needs to show it soon.

Jermod McCoy — CB, Las Vegas Raiders

This is the Stock Down entry that requires the biggest asterisk. Jermod McCoy hasn’t played football in nearly two years.

He fell in the draft because of his injury, and Thursday night provided the first real evidence of what the transition back to NFL football is going to look like.

The rust was evident.

McCoy struggled at the top of routes and had trouble consistently playing through the physicality of receivers. Simi Fehoko was able to score a touchdown against him, and there were also plays along the sideline where McCoy struggled to stay connected through the top of the route. Those are legitimate concerns. But, I’m not ready to make them bigger than they are.

The question is whether we’re seeing genuine concerns about McCoy’s ability to adjust to NFL physicality or simply the natural rust of a player returning from a significant injury and an extremely long layoff.

Right now, I’m leaning toward the latter.

The talent that made McCoy an intriguing prospect hasn’t disappeared. However, he has to prove that he can get back to it. Thursday night was a reminder that the road back from an ACL injury isn’t always clean. For McCoy, the most important thing now isn’t whether he was great in Week 1 of the preseason. It’s whether he looks better in Week 2.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t the complete Week 1 Stock Up & Stock Down list because Week 1 of the NFL preseason isn’t complete. We still have a games to play and a number of players still have their opportunity to join the list before the weekend is over. That’s also why I’m hesitant to make sweeping declarations after one night of preseason football.

We’re looking for trends, looking for traits, and looking for players whose performance either confirms what we believed coming into the preseason or forces us to reconsider our evaluation.

Jeremiyah Love looked like the player I thought he was. Drew Allar gave us a reason to get excited about his development. De’Zhaun Stribling and Germie Bernard took advantage of opportunities.

And on the other side, Kaleb Johnson and Jermod McCoy reminded us that there is still plenty of work to do. However, we’re only in one night.

There are 10 more games coming over the next two days. We’ll see who joins the list next.