Here we go! NFL preseason football is here, and that gives us a chance to see several key players battling to earn starting jobs once the regular season rolls around.
There are two games tonight, including the Carolina Panthers at the New England Patriots on NFL Network. The other matchup features the Detroit Lions taking on the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. There are plenty of key players to watch in these two contests, including a rookie quarterback aiming to start when the season begins in one month.
Here are five players to watch in tonight’s preseason games.
Players To Watch in Tonight’s Preseason Action
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
No secrets here.
The third overall pick in this year’s draft will see his first NFL action tonight when the Patriots host the Panthers. Jacoby Brissett will start, and then Drake Maye will see action.
When you watch Maye’s film, you can see that he can make any throw and has an amazing competitive spirit. He may be second on the Patriots’ depth chart right now, but he will make a push to be the starting QB either by Week 1 of the regular season or soon after that.
Drake Maye to Tyquan Thornton, Jacoby Brissett to Ja'Lynn Polk pic.twitter.com/mHgZhaO6db
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) August 5, 2024
Tonight, we will find out how Maye fares in live NFL action. We’ll see if he looks rushed or poised in the pocket — and if he can find open receivers.
Hendon Hooker, QB, Detroit Lions
Hendon Hooker will be fun to watch tonight. NFL fans may not know much about him, but he was fantastic in his final two seasons at the University of Tennessee.
Hooker is third on the Lions’ depth chart behind Nate Sudfeld and Jared Goff. As announced by Detroit head coach Dan Campbell earlier this week, Goff is not playing tonight, so Sudfeld is poised to get the start tonight in New York. Hooker will get his chance after that.
Fans will see a quarterback who is dynamic and doesn’t turn the ball over. He will be exciting to watch tonight.
Drew Lock, QB, New York Giants
Drew Lock will get the start tonight as the Giants host the Lions. He’s second on the depth chart behind Daniel Jones, but Lock is a name NFL fans should get to know.
If Jones struggles in 2024, Lock could very easily see extensive action. Tonight, though, will give us the first chance to see how Lock looks with the Giants.
Drew Lock with a TD to Allen Robinson!pic.twitter.com/0mSnL0IjVO
— Gridiron Media (@Gridiron_Media_) August 8, 2024
Giants head coach Brian Daboll helped Daniel Jones ascend his game in 2022 and molded Josh Allen in Buffalo before that. We’ll see tonight how Lock and Daboll mesh in live action.
Tommy DeVito, QB, New York Giants
Keeping Tommy DeVito and signing Lock shows that the Giants are ready if Jones can’t take that next step in 2024. DeVito played in nine games and started in six of them in 2023 after Jones tore his ACL to end his season.
Now that there’s film on DeVito, will he succumb to opposing defensive adjustments? Or has DeVito gotten better after so much playing time in 2023?
Even though the Giants’ season was effectively over long before the playoffs, DeVito proved more than capable at the quarterback position. This will be the first time in seven months we will see him in live action, and he is no doubt a player to watch tonight.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Carolina Panthers
Ja’Tavion Sanders is a fourth-round pick rookie tight end out of Texas who’s worth watching tonight to see if he can be a valuable weapon for Bryce Young.
Sanders hauled in 99 catches over his last two seasons with the Longhorns, totaling nearly 1,300 yards.
Bryce Young needs weapons to help him develop, so tonight, we’ll see if Sanders can be of value to him and the Panthers.