Atlanta Falcons: Five players to watch against the Miami Dolphins

5) Austin Hooper, TE

In two preseason games, rookie tight end Austin Hooper has been non-existent. He’s managed just one reception in the two games combined on four targets. But despite his slow start, things are still looking good.

Hooper had a really solid training camp. He made a lot of nice catches including a couple of touchdown grabs. He’s had a couple of opportunities in the two preseason games to add to his good play, but wasn’t able to make it happen. Hooper had a potential TD pass go off of his fingertips against the Browns and narrowly missed a long ball against the Redskins.

Hooper is one of the youngest players on the Falcons. The 21-year-old still has a ton of learning to do, but the potential is clearly there. Atlanta hasn’t had a tight end that can stretch the field since losing Tony Gonzalez to retirement at the end of the 2013 season and they might have found there guy in Hooper.

Keep an eye out for Hooper against the Dolphins this week. It would be nice to see him finish the game with a handful of grabs and show everyone just how deadly he can be.

Next: No. 4