A new season of the NFL is upon us, one where Arizona football has a healthy contingent of players representing the program at the pro level.
Each week we’ll recap how former Wildcats around the NFL fared. Here is the Week 1 recap.
Treydan Stukes, S, Las Vegas Raiders
It didn’t take long for Stukes to make an impact for the Raiders. The second-round draft pick earned an interception in his first career start, picking off Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis in the third quarter of the Raiders’ 27-13 victory.
Stukes became the first Raiders rookie with an interception in his NFL debut since 1992.
“I saw a guy that took the practice field to the game,” Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said on Monday. “That’s how he practices and he didn’t change on Sunday.”
Stukes got some postgame ribbing from Raiders great and former Sun Devil Eric Allen, who joked he’s not used to seeing Arizona players flying around on the secondary. Stukes quipped back that Allen should educated himself on the famous Desert Swarm defenses.
Stukes’ former UA roommate turned pro teammate Dalton Johnson was inactive for the game.
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
T-Mac’s sophomore campaign got off to a disappointing start, as he hauled in five catches for 75 yards and fumbled the ball for a turnover. Carolina lost its opener to Chicago 59-37.
McMillan got eight targets on the day from quarterback Bryce Young. The wideout earned a 60.8 grade on Pro Football Focus, which was among the lowest on the Panthers offense.
McMillan was the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after being selected 8th overall in last year’s draft.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
The second year running back scored a touchdown for the Commanders in their 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Croskey-Merritt had 63 rushing yards on 16 carries as well as one reception for negative seven yards (ouch0. PFF wasn’t too kind to Croskey-Merritt’s performance, giving him a 46.3 grade.
Roy Lopez, DT, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals secured the biggest upset of the first week, and Lopez was a big part of it.
The defensive tackle had the highest PFF grade of any Cardinals defender (90.6) as Arizona stunned the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 in LA. Lopez had four tackles on the day, two of them solo tackles.
This spring Lopez signed a two-year, $10.5 million deal to stay with the hometown team.
Genesis Smith, S, Los Angeles Chargers
Smith was a bright spot for the Chargers on Sunday, earning the second-best PFF grade of all LA defenders (77.5). Smith had five tackles on the day, including four solo tackles.
Per PFF, Smith had the second-highest defense grade among all NFL rookies through Sunday’s games.
Smith also appeared in 19 snaps on special teams. The Phoenix native was drafted by the Chargers in the fourth round.
Jordan Morgan, OL, Green Bay Packers
Morgan, the Packers’ 2024 first round draft pick, has had a bumpy start to his pro career due to injuries and inconsistent play. That carried over to the Packers’ season opener, where Morgan struggled to block against the Minnesota Vikings’ blitz-heavy defense. The Packers lost 39-22.
Morgan’s 47.2 PFF grade was the second worst on the Packers offense. He had the worst pass blocking grade of any offensive tackle for Week 1.
Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Miami Dolphins
Big Jonah’s second season in the league got off to a bit of a rough start as he earned a lowly 47.6 grade from PFF. Savaiinaea, a second round pick in the 2025 draft, could be in for a long year as the Dolphins rebuild under first-year coach Jeff Hafley.
Tyler Loop, K, Baltimore Ravens
Loop’s second year in the league started well, as he connected on a pair of field goals, including a long of 57 yards. In total, Loop scored 11 points for the Ravens in their 41-23 win over the Colts.
Nick Folk, K, Atlanta Falcons
Folk, now in his 19th season in the NFL, made two of four field goal attempts in the Falcons’ 20-13 loss to Steelers. Folk’s long came from 51 yards. He missed a 54 yarder late in the second quarter and a 45 yarder early in the third quarter.
Folk had only missed three field goals total over the previous three years. For him to miss back-to-back attempts is a true rarity, and maybe a sign that Father Time is catching up to him.
Jacob Cowing, WR/ST, San Francisco 49ers
Cowing got to travel to Down Under to play in the 49ers’ season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, a game San Francisco won 27-7.
Cowing appeared in five offensive snaps and five special teams snaps but didn’t get to record any stats.
