Patriots: Things to watch Friday night vs. Tampa Bay

New England Patriots running back Jeff Demps was already unofficially considered the fastest man to ever step on a football field. Now he’s also possibly the most discussed undrafted free agent of all time.

But when the former Olympic sprinter and current Patriot steps on the field for the first time during Friday night’s preseason game in Tampa Bay, he’ll be looking to prove that he’s worth the hype.

It remains to be seen how and where Demps (5-foot-7, 183 pounds) will be used, but the Patriots will probably play him so they can see how he moves, sees the field and handles contact. 

As a senior at Florida, more than 80 percent of his 569 yards were gained outside of the tackles. Will he still be able to beat everyone off the edge in the NFL?

That will be the top storyline to monitor during Friday’s game. Here are three other things we will be keeping an eye on:

The Tom Brady-Brandon Lloyd connection: Brandon Lloyd was one of the top performers in camp, making highlight-worthy catches part of his daily routine, but that hasn’t translate to game action. Lloyd failed to reel in the one pass thrown his way in the preseason opener and sat against the Eagles. While it may not mean anything, it would be nice to see him hook up with Brady a few times before the season starts.

Corner battle: The initial assumption was that Ras-I Dowling was going to start opposite Devin McCourty at cornerback this season, but Kyle Arrington has been able to ward him off. Is Arrington still winning that battle? Will he be able to carry that role into the regular season? We should get a better barometer for how this battle is shaking out against the Bucs.

Solder’s progress: Nate Solder hasn’t exactly made it easy to forget about Matt Light. The left tackle has struggled with technique -- failing to use his length to his advantage and allowing defensive ends to get into his chest -- and it has resulted in a poor preseason. Those issues can be fixed in practice, but time is running out.

Nick Underhill covers the Patriots for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLNE or @nick_underhill.