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Maryland Terrapins in the NFL: Heyward-Bey flashes, Diggs inactive

Catch up with the former Terrapins who are playing on Sundays.

By Carson Kenney
Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

No more of this pre-season stuff. The real thing is here! Hopefully Maryland football fans were able to recover from Saturday''s debacle by finding some prime real estate on their couch, grabbing the remote and enjoying week one action in the NFL. Check out which former College Park athletes impressed in the first games of the season

Nolan Carroll, CB, Philadelphia Eagles

Last week's stats: Five tackles (five solo), one pass deflected

Carroll had five tackles in the Eagles 26-24 loss to the Falcons on Monday night. However he had a tough game at times, getting burned by Julio Jones on a number of occasions. Carroll will be the starting corner opposite of Byron Maxwell this year, even playing the nickel cornerback when that package is on the field. However, the former Maryland product will have to do a better job if he wants to avoid tweets like the one above.

Jon Condo, LS, Oakland Raiders

Last week's stats: Two tackles (two solo)

The Raiders had a tough day on Sunday, losing to the Bengals 33-13, (down 33-0 headed into the 4th quarter). Condo had a busy day on special teams with the punting unit spending a lot of time on the field. Oakland punted the ball six times and Condo recorded two tackles on those punts.

Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil, OLB, Tennesee Titans (Injured Reserve)

Last week's stats: DNP (Hamstring)

The Titans beat the Buccaneers 42-14 in the battle of Mariota vs. Jameis. However for Maryland fans, Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil did not dress as he is still on the IR, nursing an injured hamstring.

Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Last week's stats: Three catches, 47 yards (20 yard long)

Davis led 49ers receivers on Monday night with three catches for 47 yards as the 49ers beat the Vikings 20-3 in a pretty boring football game. It is good to see Kaepernick and Davis gel a bit after both having terrible years last year. One of the announcers (either Berman or Dilfer) mentioned how Davis is "having fun" playing football again, which is good for both the former Maryland standout, and the 49ers.

Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Last week's stats: DNP (Inactive)

This was somewhat surprising given the pre-season that Diggs had. I personally was very excited to see him in his first real NFL action, as I'm sure most people were and was a bit confused as to why he was scratched from the game. The Vikings certainly could have used all the help they could have gotten last night.

AJ Francis, DT, Miami Dolphins

Last week's stats: DNP (Inactive)

Francis did not play in the Dolphins 17-10 victory over the Redskins because he was inactive for the game. This is unfortunate and somewhat surprising for Francis who had a pretty solid pre-season and was looking to be a contributor to the Dolphins front line.

Erin Henderson, LB, New York Jets

Last week's stats: None

He is no longer injured and participated in practices leading up to the Jets game one throttling of the Browns, but the former Maryland linebacker didn't record a stat. Still, Henderson should feel good coming back from his MCL sprain that left him out of the last part of the pre-season. Check out this article about how he was feeling as the team made its final cuts, and the possibility of him being one of them.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Last week's stats: Four catches, 58 yards (43 yard long), seven targets

If you are an NFL fan, you were most likely watching the Steelers-Patriots game on Thursday night in the first regular season game of the year. If you are a Maryland fan, you most likely were excited to see Heyward-Bey have a good game for the black and yellow. He recorded four catches for 58 yards (already surpassing his season totals from last year) and had one catch ruled out of bounds that would have added to his totals. Roethlisbeger said before that he believes DHB will have a big year for the Steelers, and that was evident Thursday, as the former Maryland standout looked a little more like a seventh overall pick than he has in the past.

Shaun Hill, QB, Minnesota Vikings

Last week's stats: None

Hill didn't see the field, as should be the common theme for a majority of the season with Bridgewater under center for the Vikings. Bridgewater did struggle at times, missing open receivers early and somewhat often, which is uncommon for the usually very accurate former Louisville play caller.

D'Qwell Jackson, LB, Indianapolis Colts

Last week's stats: Nine tackles (five solo, one for a loss)

The Colts defense had a tough day at the office against a Bills offense led by Tyrod Taylor, but Jackson tied for the team lead with nine tackles. Afterwards, he called the game a "wake up call" for a Colts team who were being picked by many to challenge for the AFC Championship.

"We couldn't stop them and you come out of this game with a good sense that we probably needed it. We got hit in the mouth. It gets guys refocused, re-energized. It was a good wake-up call for us."

Darius Kilgo, NT, Denver Broncos

Last week's stats: Two tackles (one solo)

The Broncos defense impressed a lot of people on Sunday against the Ravens, propelling Denver to their first win of the year. Kilgo got involved on a handful of plays, coming out of the game with two tackles to his name. Kilgo should contribute a lot this year for the Broncos, a team that will need to rely on a solid defense with an aging Peyton Manning under center.

Dexter McDougle, CB, New York Jets

Last week's stats: None

McDougle didn't find his way onto the stat sheet in the Jets victory over the Browns. McDougle is playing in his first year back after tearing up his knee last year. The Jets have a solid secondary so McDougle will have to work hard to earn playing time, however with Antonio Cromartie going down with a sprained knee, McDougle should see more reps.

Nick Novak, K, Free Agent

Last week's stats: N / A

The decision to keep Novak in this feature is because there are rumblings that he could soon find a job on another NFL team after being released by the Chargers. The rumor is that New Orleans is keeping "tabs" on the former Terrapin kicker. Check out Bleacher Report's article on Novak and his possible landing spots.

Torrey Smith, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Last week's stats: One catch, 11 yards

Smith wasn't utilized as much as the 49ers would have liked on Monday night, but he was targeted a handful of times. San Fran's offense had a poor first half, save for the running game of Carlos Hyde. As the season goes on, Smith should find his groove and provide us with some big plays downfield like he often does.

Randy Starks, DL, Cleveland Browns

Last week's stats: Four tackles (one solo)

Cleveland had a tough day against the Jets, allowing 31 points. Starks recorded four tackles (one solo tackle) playing defensive line for Cleveland. The Browns look to bounce back next week and their defense will need to step up. Starks, signed by the Browns in the off-season, will look to make an impact at right end this year.

Josh Wilson, CB, Detroit Lions

Last week's stats: Seven tackles (six solo)

Wilson is a nine year veteran in the league and will be the Lions nickel cornerback this  year (covering opponents slot receivers). He recorded seven tackles in the Lions 33-28 loss to the Chargers on Sunday. Wilson has probably lost a step or two in the last couple of years, so it is no surprise that he will be the nickel cornerback this year for the Lions after playing last year for the Falcons.

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