Evan Weaver's NFL Debut Will Be in Bay Area--If He Makes Cardinals' Roster

If former Cal star Evan Weaver makes the roster for the Arizona Cardinals--and don't even suggest to him that he won't--his pro debut will come right here in the Bay Area.

Two other former Cal stars--Ashtyn Davis and Jaylinn Hawkins--also would make their NFL debut on the same day, assuming they make the opening-day rosters, and Davis could be seen on Bay Area television networks in Week Two when he and his New York Jets face the 49ers.

But neither has quite the opening-day story of Weaver, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Arizona Cardinals.

Making the opening-day squad from the sixth-round slot is far from a slam dunk, but I'm betting that you will see Weaver sprinting downfield, hell bent for leather, on the opening kickoff as part of the special teams in the Cardinals' regular-season opener against the San Francisco 49ers at Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium. That game is scheduled to be played on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 12:25 Pacific time.

Weaver's tweet made it clear he is looking forward to it:

Of course, there is still uncertainty about whether games will be played on the dates they are currently scheduled, but that's how the Cardinals' schedule looked when it was released Thursday.

The Cardinals have preseason games against the Packers, Chiefs, Raiders and Broncos, but the status of those games is so uncertain that the NFL does not even have dates for those games.

***Weaver always has something to prove.

Meanwhile, you can probably catch Davis, who was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round, in a preseason game against the Detroit Lions. That game, which will be televised by ESPN, is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m. Pacific time. You would assume the Jets want to get a look at Davis in the preseason--if a preseason exists--before it gets to the regular season.

That is the only Jets preseason game that has a scheduled date, but the odds of Davis making the regular-season opener are pretty good.

Assuming he makes the opening-day roster, Davis would make his official NFL debut on Sunday, Sept. 13, in 10 a.m. Pacific time game against the Bills in Buffalo. We expect Davis to be returning kickoffs, so he too may be on the field for the Jets' very first play of the 2020 season.

In Week Two, Davis' Jets face the 49ers, and although that Sept. 20 game will be played in East Rutherford, N.J., FOX presumably will show that game in the Bay Area.

***Davis after being selected by the Jets

In Week Five (Oct. 11), Davis and Weaver may be going head-to-head when Davis' Jets host Weaver's Cardinals in a 9 a.m. Pacific time game.

Hawkins, a fourth-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons, won't face either Weaver or Davis during the 2020 season. The Falcons have unscheduled preseason games against the Dolphins, Bills, Bengals and Jaguars, and Hawkins may be asked to tackle former Cal teammate Patrick Laird in that opening preseason game against Miami if it is played.

If Hawkins makes the regular-season Falcons squad, he would play his first official pro game on Sept. 13 at home against Seattle Seahawks. If Hawkins sees the field as a safety, he would be reading the eyes of Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, who was in the running for league MVP for much of the 2019 season.

Hawkins could be on dsiplay for all of the country to see in Week Four, when the Falcons travel to Green Bay to face the Packers and former Cal star Aaron Rodgers in a Monday Night game on Oct. 11.

***Hawkins was emotional when he got the news that he was drafted:

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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