Malik Cunningham’s lightning NFL debut leaves fans comparing Patriots QB to Lamar Jackson - “Lamar 2.0” 

Malik Cunningham impressed on the field for the New England Patriots against the Texans and invoked Lamar Jackson comparisons from fans for his troubles.

After lining up wide receiver earlier in the game, he then switched to being a quarterback and led a drive that led to a touchdown.

He rushed through multiple tackles in a 3rd-and-6 situation to bring up a touchdown after a 14-play, 75-yard drive. He finished the game as the leading runner as well. Due to his clear dual threat, he was compared to the best in the league to currently do it: Lamar Jackson.

The Baltimore Ravens quarterback himself weighed in on the matter and called Malik Cunningham a "Broski" for the way he evaded tackles.

Other fans also took to the comparison and compared the two players.

Here are some of the reactions on social media:

Malik Cunningham's college stats

Malik Cunningham played for Louisville from 2017 to 2022 after redshirting in his first season. From 2018 to 2022, he started in 47 games and accumulated a 23-34 record.

He finished with 9,660 yards for 205.5 yards per game started. He had a completion rate of 62.6 percent. His 691 yards gave him an average of 8.8 yards per completion for his career. He also threw 70 touchdowns and 29 interceptions and ended up with a 151.8 passer rating.

His rushing stats were no less impressive with 3,179 yards in 618 attempts. He scored 50 rushing touchdowns and had an average of 5.1 yards per attempt.

Given the distribution of passing and rushing touchdowns, he was always identified as a dual-threat quarterback. Coming from Louisville, it was therefore natural for him to be compared to Lamar Jackson.

Taysom Hill and Julian Edelman are better comparisons for Malik Cunningham than Lamar Jackson

Malik Cunningham may be compared to Lamar Jackson after only one preseason game because of his rushing ability and because both players went to the same college. But there are some critical differences, even coming out of college.

Lamar Jackson was a Heisman Trophy winner, who was selected in the first round of the draft. Cunningham went undrafted this year before being picked up by the New England Patriots.

Given he is a quarterback, who was also used as a wide receiver in the game, he is perhaps more of a utility player like Taysom Hill. The New Orleans Saints player similarly went undrafted and has played as a quarterback and rusher, but is officially designated as a tight end.

From the Patriots' own history, someone like Julian Edelman is also arguably a closer comparison. He was selected in the seventh round as a quarterback out of Kent State, before transitioning to a return specialist and wide receiver. It looks like Bill Belichick could have a similar plan for Cunningham.

It will be interesting to see how he does in his rookie year, and whether his dual-threat abilities help propel him and the Patriots to the postseason.