April 2022 – Syndication Server

Why Titans fans should be excited about Treylon Burks

Breaking down what Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks brings to the Tennessee Titans as the No. 18 overall pick in he 2022 NFL draft

The Tennessee Titans traded A.J. Brown away to the Philadelphia Eagles to nab this pick, and they immediately replace him with a player built just like Brown in Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks. He will fill the same role as Brown, and Tennessee won’t have to pay him the big money to do it.

Burks is a big-time playmaker, with a unique ability to make a big play and score from anywhere on the field. He is a physical runner who can make plays after the catch, often moving like a running back with the ball in his hands. He can quickly burst into the secondary and blow past defenses, making them pay for manning up on him.

Burks will start right away, and give the Titans another weapon for Ryan Tannehill when not handing the ball off to Derick Henry. He will play opposite of Pro Bowler Robert Woods, and maintain that dynamic duo they had with their previous receiver gone.

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Why Chargers fans should be excited about Zion Johnson

Breaking down what Boston College guard Zion Johnson brings to the Los Angeles Chargers as the No. 17 overall pick in he 2022 NFL draft

The Los Angeles Chargers only had a few holes to fill in this draft, and one of them was along the offensive line. They address that with their first pick, and select one of the most impressive and versatile blockers in the draft in Boston College’s Zion Johnson.

Johnson has experience at both tackle, guard, and showed the ability to play center at the Senior Bowl. He has a great lower base, excellent technique, and next level athleticism to start right away for the Chargers. His length and overall build is ideal for him to play guard, but he can also play right tackle at the NFL level.

He should have no problem immediately filling in at right guard or tackle for the Chargers, and they will have a second consecutive first-round pick protecting Justin Herbert for the foreseeable future.

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Why Commanders fans should be excited about Jahan Dotson

Breaking down what Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson brings to the Washington Commanders as the No. 16 overall pick in he 2022 NFL draft

The Washington Commanders went into the 2022 NFL draft with the idea of coming away with a top-level pass-catcher, and they found that in Penn State’s Jahan Dotson. He went perhaps earlier than expected at No. 16 overall, but has the talent to fill the need.

Dotson dealt with less than ideal quarterback play in his career, but was still astonishingly dominant for the Nittany Lions. He has the best hands out of any receiver in this class. His route running is electric and smooth, bursting in and out of his breaks, with the ability to quickly overwhelm and explode down the field. He has some incredible catches on his tape, and that ability will translate to the next level.

Dotson will line up opposite Terry McLaurin, and allow Carson Wentz to have one of the most talented receiver duos in the NFC East. He should quickly translate his game to the NFL with more consistent quarterback play.

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Notre Dame undrafted NFL rookie tracker

Who do you think has the best chance of making it?

Just because you don’t hear your name called during the NFL draft doesn’t mean your NFL aspirations are cooked. As soon as the draft ended, every team began signing numerous undrafted players as rookie free agents. For most, this will be the extent of their NFL careers as they won’t survive training camp or even OTAs. Still, the fact that a team want to take a flyer on you is a badge of honor you can treasure forever.

Notre Dame stood to have plenty such players this year as only Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams were drafted. Sure enough, five additional Irish players were picked up by NFL teams. We don’t know what future professional football holds for these young men, but they at least have a chance to make it at football’s highest level. Here are the former Irish players to be on the lookout for in the near future:

Why Texans fans should be excited about Kenyon Green

Breaking down what Texas A&M offensive lineman Kenyon Green brings to the Houston Texans as the No. 15 overall pick in he 2022 NFL draft

The Houston Texans needed better play from their offensive line and running game, and they made a pick to help them do just that with Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green falling right into their lap. This unit just got a lot better with this pick.

Green is a massive human with unreal athleticism, and production from both the tackle and guard positions. He has excellent versatility, and experience, working to become one of college football’s best offensive lineman this past season. He is a mauler in the run game, swallowing up linemen and overwhelming them early, and being incredibly steady in the passing game, where he was one of the most consistent performers in college football.

Green should start right away at right guard next to Tytus Howard, and secure the Texans one of the most young and talented offensive lines in the AFC. They made investments across the line and it will likely pay off in a big way in blocking for Davis Mills.

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Packers signing Wisconsin WR Danny Davis following 2022 draft

The Packers are adding a former Badger to the roster by signing Wisconsin WR Danny Davis as an undrafted free agent.

The Green Bay Packers will be adding a former Wisconsin Badger to the roster following the 2022 NFL draft.

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal, the Packers are signing Wisconsin receiver Danny Davis as an undrafted free agent.

Davis (6-0, 188) caught 131 passes for 1,642 yards and 14 touchdowns over 43 games and five seasons in Madison. He caught five touchdown passes each of his first two seasons (2017, 2018) and then set a career-high with 478 receiving yards in 2021.

At Wisconsin’s pro day, Davis ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, hit 31.5″ in the vertical leap, and finished the short shuttle in 4.18 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.97 seconds.

Davis is undersized and doesn’t have elite athleticism, but he’s a competitive receiver who has experience running the full route tree, blocking on the perimeter and handling gadget touches. He’ll be a long shot to make the Packers’ roster, especially after Green Bay added three draft picks to the position, but a strong summer could keep Davis in town on the practice squad.

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Two Durango locals finding new role with Buffs’ defense

Two walk-ons from Durango had an impact on Colorado’s defense this spring

Jordan Woolverton and Ben Finneseth were both offensive standouts during their time at Durango High School in southwestern Colorado. Woolverton, a former quarterback, and Finneseth, a former wide receiver, helped the Demons to a perfect record in their senior season while finishing their high school careers with a 3A state championship in 2020.

Now, after choosing to walk-on at Colorado instead of accepting scholarship offers elsewhere, both are pivoting to fill needed roles within the Buffs’ defense.

At Colorado’s spring showcase on Apr. 23, Woolverton and Finneseth both had impressive performances at safety. Woolverton managed to pull in the only interception of the entire scrimmage and Finneseth led all players with six tackles, five of which were solo efforts.

Completing the transition from offense to defense will be a challenge for Woolverton and Finneseth. But, they could prove to be valuable assets to a Colorado secondary that lost several key players this offseason, including two starters in Christian Gonzalez and Mekhi Blackmon.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the two walk-ons slowly trickle into the Buffs’ defensive lineup this year and potentially grow into more significant roles in the coming seasons.

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(h/t Neill Woelk, CUBuffs.com)

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Katie Taylor survives adversity to defeat Amanda Serrano by split decision

The legend of Katie Taylor grows.

The Irish icon overcame harrowing adversity in the middle rounds to defeat Amanda Serrano by a split decision to retain her undisputed lightweight championship Saturday before a sell-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Just as important for the women’s side of boxing, the highly hyped bout lived up to expectations.

Taylor (21-0, 6 KOs) got off to a strong start by sticking and moving in the first few rounds, which made it difficult for the more aggressive Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs).

However, Taylor stood her ground in the middle rounds, which didn’t work out well for her.

Serrano had a huge fifth round, in which the Brooklyn product landed dozens of hard, damaging punches to both the head and body and seemed to have Taylor on the brink of being knocked out.

Perhaps Serrano expended too much energy in that round because she took her foot off the gas in Round 6, which allowed Taylor to regroup and turn the momentum in her favor.

Taylor went back to sticking and moving from then on, which allowed her to control the second half of the fight.

The two gave the fans a 10th round they’ll never forget, as they winged punches toe-to-toe in a last-minute bid to either win the round or score a knockout. However, it had no impact on the decision.

Two judges scored it for Taylor, 97-93 and 96-93. One had it for Serrano, 96-94. Boxing Junkie, which gave Serrano a 10-8 fifth round, had Taylor winning 95-94.

Katie Taylor survives adversity to defeat Amanda Serrano by split decision

The legend of Katie Taylor grows.

Just as important for the women’s side of boxing, the highly hyped bout lived up to expectations.

Taylor (21-0, 6 KOs) got off to a strong start by sticking and moving in the first few rounds, which made it difficult for the more aggressive Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs).

However, Taylor stood her ground in the middle rounds, which didn’t work out well for her.

Serrano had a huge fifth round, in which the Brooklyn product landed dozens of hard, damaging punches to both the head and body and seemed to have Taylor on the brink of being knocked out.

Perhaps Serrano expended too much energy in that round because she took her foot off the gas in Round 6, which allowed Taylor to regroup and turn the momentum in her favor.

Taylor went back to sticking and moving from then on, which allowed her to control the second half of the fight.

Two judges scored it for Taylor, 97-93 and 96-93. One had it for Serrano, 96-94. Boxing Junkie, which gave Serrano a 10-8 fifth round, had Taylor winning 95-94.

On this date: LeBron James returns from ankle injury

Last year, LeBron James suffered a badly sprained ankle, but after over a month of being out, he returned to make a run at another ring.

It may be easy to forget, but just a year ago, the Los Angeles Lakers were considered by plenty of people to be the favorite to capture the NBA championship.

They started the season 21-6 despite being somewhat on cruise control following a very short offseason, but then disaster struck.

Anthony Davis suffered a calf strain and an Achilles ailment that sidelined him for several weeks, and the team started to head south.

It looked like LeBron James was stabilizing things just after the All-Star break, but on March 20, the Atlanta Hawks’ Solomon Hill collided with him, and he suffered a severely sprained ankle.

L.A. barely managed to tread water without its two superstars, but on April 30, James returned for a contest versus the Sacramento Kings.

Davis had recently started playing again himself, and it looked like the Lakers could be poised for an underdog run at back-to-back titles.

James was sidelined again after two games, but he came back for L.A.’s last two contests, and he was starting to round into form, putting up 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists versus the Indiana Pacers.

Ultimately, it was additional injuries that did the Lakers in, as Davis hurt his groin after they took a 2-1 series lead over the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

L.A. lost the next three games without him, ending its season prematurely.

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