The Antonio Brown saga may be one of the biggest storylines of “Hard Knocks” with the Oakland Raiders this season, but rookie safety Johnathan Abram became the talk of Twitter during Tuesday’s premiere on HBO.
Abram, this year’s 27th overall pick out of Mississippi State, kicked off the debut episode by enjoying a horseback ride in Napa Valley with a fellow rookie, defensive end Clelin Ferrell, which ignited a slew of reactions online.
“Clelin Ferrell and Jonathan Abram are my new favorite NFL duo. #HardKnocks,” one fan posted.
“And Clelin Ferrell quickly joins the quote machines. He and Jonathan Abram singing the Wayans Brothers theme and Old Town Road has be laughing,” another wrote.
“If #HardKnocks was just Johnathan Abram and Clelin Ferrell riding horses for an hour every week that would be fine,” a commenter shared.
Even the Raiders hyped up the blossoming broamance by sharing a gif of the pair on their account, tweeting, “We’re brothersss.”
Though Abram did garner attention for his performance at practice, it was his dinner exchange with quarterback Derek Carr that got social media wound up once more.
“Derek Carr telling Jonathan Abram how to pronounce salmon is why #HardKnocks is the best,” sports columnist Grant Paulsen posted.
“Notabale takeaways from Hard Knocks,” one fan wrote, adding, “Johnathan Abram refuses to pronounce salmon correctly.
Even with a slew of episodes to go, Skip Bayless tossed Abram’s hat into the ring for an early season MVP.
“Breakout star in tonight’s ‘Hard Knock’: rookie first-round safety Johnathan Abram. Every time I turned on a MissSt game, he flashed. Heat-seeking missile in the Jack Tatum mold. Raider Nation will love his fearlessness,” Bayless tweeted.
“Hard Knocks” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
