You'd be forgiven for not knowing much about Kyle Hergel. Most of the attention on the New Orleans Saints offensive line has gone to the two former first-round draft picks anchoring it -- Trevor Penning, having moved from left tackle to the right side, and Taliese Fuaga, who replaced Penning at his usual spot. But Hergel has quietly enjoyed a strong summer, and the undrafted rookie from Boston College has put himself in excellent position to make the team.

He started games at both guard spots in college and cross-trained at center, but the Saints have had him focusing his efforts at right guard. That's where he lined up for Matt Applebaum, BC's offensive line coach who last worked as an assistant on Mike McDaniel's staff with the Miami Dolphins. Hergel already knew many of the play responsibilities and verbiage that Klint Kubiak's staff is teaching his teammates. That's given him an edge at training camp and he's dominated reps at right guard on the second-team offense behind Cesar Ruiz. He's also earned snaps in the rotation at left guard, though players like Lucas Patrick and Nick Saldiveri appear better-positioned to win that battle.

And Hergel's next opportunity comes on Saturday night when the Saints kick off their preseason. It's common for future NFL players to have caught a game or two before turning pro. Former Saints linebacker Michael Mauti, who was born in New Orleans and grew up in Mandeville, was a teenaged fan in the stands when Steve Gleason blocked the punt in the famous "Rebirth" game after Hurricane Katrina. Almost a decade later, Gleason watched from the sidelines as Mauti blocked his own punt against the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.

But this isn't the case for Hergel. Saturday's exhibition game will be his first experience inside an NFL stadium, with all the pomp and circumstance that surround it.

"Oh, it's awesome. Yeah I've never been to an NFL game before. So this is my first one. I got pretty good seats for it. I got pretty good seats for it," Hergel repeated, laughing. "So I'm looking forward to it. I've got a couple family coming, they're making the trip from Canada. I'm looking forward to it."

Hergel said he grew up going to Toronto Argonauts games in the CFL (where he was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders), but this is his first exposure to the NFL. It's not something he takes for granted. Even if it's preseason, going from the Argos' 31,000-seat stadium to the Arizona Cardinals' home field at State Farm Stadium (which houses more than 63,000 fans) can feel humbling.

"I was a partial scholarship kid at North Dakota. I'm not supposed to be here. I climbed my ranks up. I went from the FCS level, a kid from Canada with, you know, a partial scholarship, to Texas State. A G-5 team to Boston College in the ACC. Now I'm here making the most of my opportunity as an undrafted free agent," Hergel reflected.

And he's done a great job so far. If Hergel can keep that positive momentum going and hold his own against the Cardinals, he'll be even closer to making the opening-day roster. He's overcome the challenges set in front of him so far. He just needs to keep tackling the ones set in front of him -- just like Gleason, Mauti, and other long-shots once did.

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints rookie Kyle Hergel eager to experience first NFL game: 'I got pretty good seats'