The first full week of NFL preseason football ends on Sunday. With four more teams lacing up and getting on the field, there’s a long list of players who will make their debuts or compete for roster spots.
Let’s look at five potential standout players who can be expected to make an appearance during Sunday’s slate.
Players To Watch in Today’s NFL Preseason Action
Adonai Mitchell, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
Considered by many to be one of the steals of the draft, the Colts were able to draft Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell in the second round. Now, he’s competing with Alec Pierce for a starting spot on the team’s depth chart.
Mitchell’s numbers weren’t eye-popping in college, only catching 55 passes for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns in his lone season as a starter. However, it was his impressive route running on tape mixed with his physical attributes that made him intriguing.
At the NFL Combine, Mitchell measured in at 6’2″, 205 pounds. On top of that, he ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash and jumped 39.5″ in the vertical jump and 11’4″ in the broad jump.
Now with the Colts, he’ll be catching passes from Anthony Richardson, who heads into his second year after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury as a rookie.
Today’s game might be the first time we see those two in action if Richardson is to play.
Jared Verse, EDGE, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams went into the 2024 NFL Draft with a clear goal: fix the defensive line.
On top of taking defensive tackle Braden Fiske in the second round — likely trying to replace Aaron Donald — they took Fiske’s Florida State teammate, EDGE Jared Verse, in the first round.
Verse’s college career didn’t start at FSU, though, as he played for Albany from 2019-21. During his time there, he was CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 and first-team All-CAA in 2021 when he had 11.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.
Verse then transferred to FSU, where he took his game to the next level and proved that he could play against a higher level of talent than he had at Albany.
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Verse spent two seasons with FSU and was named first-team All-American and first-team All-ACC both years. He recorded 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2022, with 12.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks again in 2023. That resulted in becoming a first-round pick.
Now with the Rams, Verse is slated to start across from second-year EDGE Byron Young. He’ll also get to line up next to defensive tackles Kobie Turner and Bobby Brown III, with Fiske also getting in the rotation.
Laiatu Latu, EDGE, Indianapolis Colts
Similar to Verse, Latu was also a first-round EDGE, except he was the first defensive player off the board entirely. He’ll get his first snaps chasing down Bo Nix, who will be mentioned later.
Latu’s college career started at Washington, where he played from 2019-21. However, he suffered a neck injury entering his sophomore season and underwent surgery for it in 2021 in an attempt to alleviate his nerve issue. Ultimately, Washington’s team doctors deemed his injury had not recovered enough for him to keep playing football, forcing him to retire medically.
Following the 2021 season, Latu entered the transfer portal and went to UCLA, where the team doctors cleared him to play.
In his first season with UCLA, Latu recorded 12.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, being named first-team All-Pac-12. He then recorded 21.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, and two interceptions as a senior.
Now, Latu is set to start for the Colts alongside former first-round Kwity Paye and defensive tackles Grover Stewart and Deforest Buckner.
Bo Nix, Quarterback, Denver Broncos
There’s only one rookie quarterback playing today, and that’s Broncos first-round pick Bo Nix.
Nix is the team’s presumed starter, with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson competing for backup roles behind him.
Nix’s college career was a long one, starting at Auburn. His play, however, wasn’t very good while he was with the Tigers.
In three seasons, Nix never passed for more than 16 touchdowns and had a career completion percentage of 59.4%. His time there ended with 7,250 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
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His career completely turned around when he transferred to Oregon ahead of the 2022 season. In two seasons with the Ducks, Nix passed for a 74.9% completion percentage, 8,101 yards, 74 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions. This includes a senior season that saw him complete 77.4% of his passes and throw for 45 touchdowns to just three interceptions.
Now, Nix looks to bring a sense of security to the Broncos’ quarterback room, and today will be the first time we see him on the field for an actual game.
Trey Lance, Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
While it’s exciting watching all of the rookies get on the field and make their debuts, there are some other guys that you just can’t forget about. In this case, it’s Cowboys backup quarterback Trey Lance, who was a top-five pick just a few years ago by the San Francisco 49ers.
While he was a top-five pick, Lance has yet to really do anything in his career. He started his career as a backup, getting occasional reps as a rookie. He then got his first start when Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury. However, Lance dealt with some injuries of his own, including a season-ending ankle injury in his sophomore season, when he was finally named the team’s starter.
Following his injury, Lance struggled in training camp and had uncertainties about his future due to his limited play. He ended up being named third-string behind Sam Darnold in San Francisco, later being traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick, where he was third-string and a healthy scratch all of last season.
Now, Lance will likely receive a lot of the playing time for the Cowboys deep into this game and the rest of the preseason. He will need to take advantage of every snap he gets, as his spot on the roster is no guarantee.