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Former LSU Tigers State Their Case For NFL With Strong Preseason
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- Former LSU Tigers State Their Case For NFL With Strong Preseason
(Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)
The LSU Tigers are preparing to kick off a season in under a week, just some of their former players already saw action in the NFL preseason.
While watching the preseason might not be as engaging as regular season games, they are just as if not more important for the players in them. For a lot of players, it's their only chance to make a roster. For others, it's a chance to earn more playing time while they can show what they can do.
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The preseason wraps up on Saturday night for 2026, and teams have already begun cutting down their rosters for Sunday's deadline.
Here are three former Tigers who made the most of their opportunities:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers EDGE Jack Pyburn
It is a bit ironic that at the same time that Pyburn is in the headlines for a potential return to college after signing an NFL contract, he's dominating off the edge for the Bucs.
Through three preseason games, Pyburn has racked up four sacks. He had two sacks during his entire (first) stint at LSU. He's known to be a solid run defender, but this newfound sack production might be enough to land him an NFL job and negate the need to go back to college.
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New Orleans Saints WR Barion Brown
Brown has long felt like someone who is being misused or undervalued. He was a top 100 prospect coming out of high school with blazing speed, started out strong as a freshman, but never had good quarterback play after that year.
Now that he is in the NFL, he will finally be able to work with real talent getting him the ball. He had four catches for 53 yards in the first game, showing what he can do as a receiver. In their final game, he had a nice rushing touchdown to show how dynamic he is with the ball in his hands.
Brown was a sixth-round pick in this last draft. This preseason has not only seen him guarantee a roster spot, but potentially earn some playing time with the Saints' first round rookie out with injury.
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Chicago Bears WR Zavion Thomas
Thomas is undersized and has consistently been overlooked in his career because of it, but he has also always outperformed expectations.
It was clear that he would at least get a shot on Sundays after he posted a 4.28 40 at the NFL combine. The Bears ended up taking him in the third round.
That was a risk for someone without a ton of production in college, but he has already shown why they took it. Appearing in only the final preseason game, Thomas walked out with 5 catches for 140 yards and a score. 97 of them came on one play.
