CINCINNATI -- Rookie Mario Alford believes he has had a solid preseason playing receiver and appearing at various special teams positions for the Cincinnati Bengals this summer.

But he also thinks there is so much more to his play that he hasn't yet shown coaches. The speedy seventh-round pick looks to showcase more of his abilities Thursday night at Indianapolis in the Bengals' final preseason game.

"From here on out, I've just really got to put my foot on the pedal and go all out in this last game and show them I want to play," Alford said.

Through the first three preseason games, the former West Virginia standout has two receptions for 20 yards. He's also returned three kicks for an average 20.7 yards, and has four punt returns, holding a team-leading 10.5 yards return average.

Alford has done all of that on 72 total offensive snaps and 11 special teams plays. He has averaged 24 offensive, and nearly four special teams snaps per preseason game. He's expecting a lot more reps than that Thursday.

"I get to play the whole game, and I probably will be on all the special teams," Alford said. "They'll probably throw me at gunner a little bit. So I'm just going to do it all this game and just leave it all out there."

Coach Marvin Lewis said earlier this week that he and his staff view this final preseason game as an event that "confirms" what they have believed all preseason about individual players on the bubble.

With the Bengals likely keeping six receivers on the 53-man roster when cuts are announced Saturday, it seems Alford's job will be safe. It goes without saying that A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu are locks at the position. Brandon Tate and Greg Little probably have earned jobs on the active roster, too. Although undrafted rookie Jake Kumerow has played well in training camp, he seems like the odd man out who could go onto the practice squad. Michael Bennett simply hasn't had enough time to make an impact after getting signed after training camp.

Discounting whatever production Alford has had throughout camp, the main reason the Bengals can't cut him or put him on their practice squad is because he has an asset so many other teams would be eager to employ: speed. During Alford's pro day, he ran a 4.28-second 40-yard sprint. He hasn't quite played at his fastest just yet, but much of that stems from him still easing into a new, much more complex offensive system.

Still, Alford can tell where the speed has started coming along in live action the nearer the end of the preseason gets.

"I'm just playing faster," Alford said of the major difference in his play from the start of the preseason. "When I got out there the first preseason game, I was kind of like 'ohhh.' But now that I've kind of gotten the feel of the game, it's kind of coming along."