Bengals vs. Lions: 4 Detroit Players Casual Fans Should Be Most Excited to Watch

The Detroit Lions are a very exciting team on paper.

They have a lot of impact players on both sides of the ball and are a very young team.

But, they haven't put it all together yet. Injuries and dumb mistakes have cost the Lions plenty of wins over the past couple seasons.

Coming off a 6-10 season in which they won their last four games, there's plenty of reason for optimism in 2011.

Here's a look at a few up-and-coming impact players to keep an eye on when the Lions take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the preseason.

Louis Delmas, S

Delmas has been a pretty good free safety during his first two years in the NFL. He's made 178 career tackles and has a couple interceptions.

Last year, he made quite a few big hits and became a legitimate threat in the Lions' secondary. Look for him this preseason to see if he'll make more progress in 2011.

Stefan Logan, WR/KR/PR

Logan is a serious threat in the return game. He had a 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in 2010 and nearly 1,500 return yards total.

He also played a small role in the offense, carrying the ball 15 times for nearly 100 yards. It'll be interesting to see if the Lions try to work Logan into the offense more in 2011.

Brandon Pettigrew, TE

Pettigrew might not play in the first preseason matchup against the Bengals. He's nursing a sore ankle and hasn't been practicing very much. But, he's still a young impact player for the Detroit offense.

Last year, Pettigrew caught 71 passes for 722 yards and four touchdown passes. Lions fans can't wait to see if he can improve on those numbers in 2011.

Ndamukong Suh, DT

Suh proved he was an absolute monster in 2010. He was vicious on the field, earning himself a couple fines for his actions. But, more importantly, he had 10 sacks from the defensive tackle position.

As he continues to improve, his numbers will continue to go up. That's a scary thought for opposing offenses.