NFL Hokies: Week 1 preview

NFL preseason is officially over with regular season matchups starting this Thursday to kickoff the 2023 campaign. Former Virginia Tech football players are gearing up for a successful year this fall, offering lots of opportunities to watch your favorite Hokies back on the field. 

Read below for a full rundown of what's happening Week 1 in this Wednesday's edition of NFL Hokies, presented by Coca-Cola. 

Starting off strong, Detroit Lions tight end James Mitchell is expected to play in the first game of the NFL season against the Kansas City Chiefs this Thursday. Mitchell was a fifth-round draft pick in 2022 with a 76.3 receiving grade, he put up 11 receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown last year. On the other side of the ball, fourth-round Kansas City draft pick and rookie Chamarri Conner is expected to have a promising year as well. Going head-to-head with Mitchell on defense, Conner had a solid performance in the preseason with four tackles and a sack on 70 combined defensive snaps. This will be the first Hokie matchup of the season with more to come.

Hokie Nation is thriving on teams such as the Chicago Bears, housing four former Tech players. The Bears led the league in rushing yards last year and have Khalil "Juice" Herbert slotted as its starting running back to begin this season. Herbert has seven career games under his belt averaging 96.7 total yards per game. He impressed in the preseason as well, hauling in a 56-yard receiving touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in week 1. Tremaine Edmunds is expected to have a big year with the Bears as well, signing the largest four-year contract for an inside linebacker in NFL history with a $72 million deal. 

Continuing with the Edmunds brothers, safety Terrell Edmunds is playing his first game as a Philadelphia Eagle after signing a 1-year contract during free agency. 

Taking a look down south, the Carolina Panthers are expected to showcase running back Raheem Blackshear and defensive end Amaré Barno on Sunday, competing against the Atlanta Falcons. Blackshear is starting his second year in the NFL after a promising preseason amassing 93 receiving yards, 77 rushing yards and a touchdown. In his first two preseason appearances, Barno flashed some potential, registering seven defensive tackles and two sacks. 

Las Vegas is sporting two former Virginia Tech players as well, with Brandon Facyson and Divine Deablo. Deablo is heading into his third NFL season with 119 tackles in 25 games, following closely behind Facyson, who's accumulated 143 tackles.
 
Another pivotal player to keep an eye out for this week is Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley. He's played 12 games in the last two seasons, completing 13 solo tackles, and is looking to add more this year. Lastly, watch out for our potential Pro Bowl contenders, Wyatt Teller and Christian Darrisaw. With the Cleveland Browns, Teller has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice and is a two-time All-Pro as well. Darrisaw hasn't been selected yet but has lots of potential going into the 2023 season with the Minnesota Vikings.Gallery: (9-6-2023) 2023 NFL Hokies: Week One Players

 Staff