Jets, Jags sign second first-round picks … The NY Jets and Jacksonville have both signed the second of their two opening round picks at the 2021 draft. The Jets, for example, signed former USC G/T Alijah Vera-Tucker, whom they acquired with the 14th pick this past April after trading up with Minnesota. Vera-Tucker signed a standard 4-year deal… Read More »
Senior Bowl announces scout staff … The Senior Bowl announced today its scouting staff for the 2022 game which is currently scheduled for February 5th in Mobile. This year’s Senior Bowl scouting staff for this year’s game cycle, which has a collective 120 years of NFL front office, coaching, and playing experience includes Andy Dengler, Mark Ellenz, Ryan… Read More »
Cards top pick booked for speeding … Arizona rookie LB Zaven Collins, the 16th player in the opening round of the 2021 draft was arrested over the weekend in Phoenix for excessive speed and reckless driving. Zaven, from Tulsa, was reportedly clocked doing 76 MPH in a 35-MPH zone, according to a release from the police. He was… Read More »
Jags continue front office rebuild … While most of the rebuilding efforts in Jacksonville are focused on the field after the Jaguars selected former Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence with the first pick overall at the 2021 draft, the team has quietly continued to revamp their personnel department. Earlier today, Jacksonville confirmed that Regis Eller has been hired as… Read More »
UGA adds pair of top transfers … Georgia has confirmed that both of former Clemson CB Derion Kendrick, a two-time All-ACC performer, and former LSU TE Arik Gilbert have indeed transferred to the program. Kendrick was actually never going to play for the Tigers this fall as he had been dismissed by Clemson after he was arrested in… Read More »
Bengals, Pack sign top picks … Two more first round picks from the 2021 draft have come to terms as Ccinnati has signed former LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase, the 5th player selected this year, while Green Bay agreed to terms with former Georgia Eric Stokes, the 29th player chosen this past April. Both were signed to 4-year deals… Read More »
Senior Bowl to host HBCU combine … The NFL and Senior Bowl announced this week that the HBCU combine will be held in Mobile. The HBCU combine will involve players from the Historically Black College and University conferences including the SWAC, MEAC, CIAA, and SIAC will be held at the University of South Alabama and be patterned after… Read More »
Raiders, Steelers sign top picks … Two more first-round picks from Alabama at the 2021 draft came to terms in the last day or so including Las Vegas which signed G/T Alex Leatherwood, the 17th player selected this year, and Pittsburgh which came to terms with RB Najee Harris, whom the Steelers chose with the 24th pick overall.… Read More »
In-house QB debate … Yesterday’s post noting Mel Kiper’s initial Top 25 for the 2022 draft gave rise to a rousing debate here on the relative strength of the QB class for next year’s draft. As noted in yesterday’s post, Kiper only had one passer in his top ten, Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler whom he has ranked third overall.… Read More »
Kiper posts early 2022 top 25 … For those that haven’t seen it, long-time draft guru Mel Kiper has posted his initial top 25 ranking for the 2022 draft, which for the record is now just 341 days away, over on ESPN. A couple of observations. Of course, this is a very preliminary listing and much is going to… Read More »
Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan, 6-6.5, 270, 4.65, JR … 4th year junior came back from a fractured ankle that limited him to just three games in 2020 to basically earn ‘defensive player of the year’ honors in all college football this past season when he posted 13 sacks in leading the Wolverines into the national playoffs. Long, tall DE… Read More »
Great first weekend of college football viewing announced … There are still over 100 days until the college football season kicks off this fall, however, for folks willing to wait, that first full weekend has the potential to be really special. ABC, for example, just released its prime time national TV slate for that first weekend and it… Read More »
Ravens second to sign top pick; three others … Baltimore became the second team to sign a player taken in the opening round of the 2021 draft as the Ravens have reportedly agreed to terms with former Minnesota WR Rashod Batemen on a 4Y, $12.6M deal. Bateman with the 27th player selected in this year’s opening round. He… Read More »
Schedule to be released tonight … About a month later than usual. the 2021 regular season NFL schedule will be released this evening beginning at 8 PM ET on the NFL Network. However, the NFL has teased the formal announcement by releasing the opening weekend slate of games early. And the season does kick-off with a tasty morsel… Read More »
Early look at who’s picking when at the 2022 draft … For the record, the 2022 draft is just 354 days away and there is an awful lot that is going to change between now and April 28th next spring. However, we have been able to put together a preliminary, and of course, very unofficial early listing of… Read More »
Profile of 2022 QBs … NFL teams that didn’t get a QB early in this year’s draft and/or will be looking for one next year can take heart from the fact that it appears there will be a deep QB class for the 2022 draft, although it may not quite as talented as this year’s group. Certainly, it… Read More »
Jags, Giants fire personnel staff … Personnel people staff around the NFL generally work on a May-to-May contract cycle and with the draft in the books is when teams are most likely to adjust those staffs. Jacksonville, which continues to re-organize under new head coach Urban Meyer, for example, has fired four senior members of their scouting staff… Read More »
Retired Clemson DE to return … Some good news for the Clemson football program as DE Justin Foster, who had earlier announced that he was retiring from the game because of health complications related to covid and asthma, has gotten a second opinion and will be back for the upcoming season. The 6-2, 265-pound Foster had 4.5 sacks… Read More »
Ti-Cats open CFL draft taking former BC TE Burt … Hamilton got the 2021 CFL draft of Canadian players started this evening selecting former Boston College TE Jake Burt with the #1 pick overall. It was a bit of a surprise pick as Burt was only recently added to the CFL draft eligibility list after spending the 2020… Read More »
CFL draft on tap … As it does every year, the Canadian Football League will holds its annual draft of Canadian-born players the week after the NFL draft. The CFL draft gets underway at 7 PM ET on Tuesday with 6 rounds scheduled. Because the CFL did not play at all in 2020, the selection order for this… Read More »
A few random leftover draft thoughts/observations … We still have a bunch of random thoughts running through our head from the weekend’s draft including a great draft for Canadians; our ‘fav’ picks from each round; the Mahomes effect on the draft!; plus our pick for THE most interesting pick of the week; and more all here.
Yeah, the Power 5 conferences accounted for almost 4 out of 5 players selected at last weekend’s draft (and its over 80% when Notre Dame is included in the total) but it’s a wealth that isn’t necessarily evenly Auburn, West Virginia, Arkansas, Kansas State, Baylor, California and Colorado have in common. They all had fewer players taken at… Read More »
Irish LB JOK dropped because of heart issue … Hands up everyone who had Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah going after Irish OG Aaron Banks in their 2021 draft pool. Didn’t think so! Owusu-Koramoah had been one of the rising stars of this year’s draft with analysts talking about him as a possible top 15 pick, but he… Read More »
8th round off and running … As noted at the end of the draft on Saturday, there won’t be any rest right away for bleary-eyed NFL personnel who are as we speak trying to sign their undrafted rookie classes. And while it will be a few days until teams start formally announcing their UDFA rookie signing classes, some… Read More »
That’s a wrap; THE end, finish!! … The 2021 draft came to a fitting close at 6:52 PM ET this evening when the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected former Houston LB Grant Stuard with the 259th and final pick of the draft. Of course, that makes him ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ for the year. And while the actual… Read More »
