New England Patriots: 10 players to watch in first preseason matchup

The New England Patriots kick off their preseason on Thursday. Here are the guys you should be paying attention to when watching the game.

Football is back! On Thursday we will finally get to see the New England Patriots play a game at Gillette Stadium.

Preseason games may be boring to some, but these players are fighting to show that they belong on the final roster.

The Patriots have some problem areas on their roster so Thursday will be fans first chance to see New England’s plan to fix these issues.

So here are 5 players you should watch on Thursday night.

Riley McCarron

Riley McCarron has really come out of nowhere and is looking to compete for some playing time.

McCarron spent 4 years at Iowa. His senior year was his breakout season as McCarron had 42 catches for 517 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Standing at 5’9″ McCarron will look to make an impact as a slot receiver. With Julian Edelman out for the first 4 games of the season, McCarron definitely has an opportunity to get some playing time.

On Thursday it will be interesting to see how crisp McCarron’s routes are, and who he plays with. If he gets a chance with the first team he could build some chemistry with Tom Brady that could catapult him up the Patriots depth chart.