NFC West under-the-radar rookies

With training camp and preseason underway, unheralded rookies will make strong impressions and climb depth charts. Here are four under-the-radar rookies to watch in the NFC West.

Arizona Cardinals

Clayton Tune, quarterback (fifth round): The Cardinals, who had two of the first 41 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, should see immediate impact from their class. But one player who might sneak in under the radar is Tune, a fifth-round pick out of Houston. 

He entered the NFL with a shocking level of confidence, proclaiming he was the best quarterback in the class and that he makes everybody around him better. With starting quarterback Kyler Murray still rehabbing and not ready at the start of camp, Tune is receiving reps with the first and second team.

San Francisco QB Brock Purdy, the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, made a huge impact last season. Could Tune — who threw for 11,994 yards in college — be another late-round QB to take advantage of his shot?

Los Angeles Rams

Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, cornerback (sixth round): After dealing Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins in the offseason, the Rams are weak at cornerback. The situation at the position is becoming dire as the team deals with injuries to Robert Rochell and Shaun Jolly, leaving the door open wide for Hodges-Tomlinson. Thus far in camp, he has impressed and could be a Week 1 starter. Even with Ramsey in their secondary last season, the Rams were still only 21st against the pass. 

San Francisco 49ers

D'Shawn Jamison, cornerback (undrafted): The 49ers are so good and deep that it is going to be difficult for any rookie to get significant playing time. Jamison, however, has earned praise from defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and the wide receivers who have practiced against him. Jamison played five years at Texas but does not have ideal physical traits. He is listed at 5-foot-9 and 186 pounds, which would make him one of the smaller corners in the NFL. 

Seattle Seahawks

Zach Charbonnet, running back (second round): With Kenneth Walker III coming off a strong rookie season (1,050 yards rushing), Seattle didn't have a great need at running back. But that did not stop the Seahawks from taking Charbonnet with the second of their two second-round picks. 

It would not be surprising if he gets significant playing time or wrestles the starting job from Walker, who was inconsistent last season and ranked near the bottom of the league in terms of success rate. In other words, he was very boom-or-bust. Charbonnet could give head coach Pete Carroll another Marshawn Lynch-type runner.