Category: 2018 NFL Draft

Bills QB Josh Allen says Lamar Jackson has ‘changed the way guys play the game’

Bills QB Josh Allen says Lamar Jackson has ‘changed the way guys play the game’

Sunday Night Football in Week 4 will feature two of the NFL’s best and most exciting quarterbacks facing off as the 1-2 Baltimore Ravens take on the red-hot 3-0 Buffalo Bills.

Since entering the league together as first-rounders in 2018, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have consistently been near the top of the NFL at the quarterback position. With their unique athletic abilities as runners, they often make plays that nobody else is capable of.

Allen spoke glowingly about the two-time MVP Jackson ahead of their upcoming showdown.

“He’s an inspiration to a lot of people in this country,” Allen said. “The way that he plays the game, the doubters that he had coming out, asking to switch positions early on, and then for him to show the resiliency and the work ethic and the attitude to go forward and win two MVPs. Guys around the league they see that. He’s really changed the way that I think guys play the game but make no mistake about it, he can throw the snot out of the football. Got a lot of respect for him, a lot of love for him, love watching him play because every play is never dead with him. He’s got a crazy ability to keep plays alive and make guys miss and then get the ball downfield so he’s a special player.”

Allen has yet to win an MVP despite multiple worthy seasons. If his dominant play from the first three weeks continues, 2024 could be the year for Allen to finally receive the award.

Watch: Raiders rookie RB Dylan Laube shows off killer twerking dance moves at practice

Dylan Laube put on another show at Raiders practice. This time with some serious twerking.

It is becoming more and more clear that Dylan Laube fits right in with this Raiders team. While we talk about the personalities of the likes of Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins, Jack Jones, Nate Hobbs, and Gardner Minshew, it’s time we put Laube in that conversation as well.

The most recent example was during Friday’s practice when Laube put on some righteous dance moves for his Raiders teammates as captured here by Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.

As Gutierrez notes, Laube earned the nickname “Cheddar Bob” this offseason for his antics which included a bang on and hilarious impression of teammate Maxx Crosby during the team’s beach day at the close of training camp in Costa Mesa.

His personality aside, the Raiders are hoping Laube’s moves on the field can help them both in the run game and the return game. From the time he was drafted, he was seen as a candidate to return kicks in the new kickoff rules as well as be a receiving back out of the backfield.

Five most memorable NFL Drafts in Ravens franchise history

Ravens have a very rich history when it comes to getting it right on draft night, and we’re revisiting it here. 

The Motor City is ready to rock on Thursday night, as the 2024 NFL Draft will soon be upon us. You have likely seen the very awkward promos that pair Detroiter and Rap Superstar Eminem with Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Hopefully for the Baltimore Ravens, their first round pick, at #30, turns out a lot better than those series of advertisements did. The Ravens have a very rich history when it comes to getting it right on draft night, and we’re revisiting it here.

1996- Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Talking about “leading with strength!” The very first draft pick in Ravens history was made here at #4, in the form of Jonathan Ogden, OT, UCLA. He went on to be enshrined in Canton, and was named the 72nd greatest player in NFL history by NFL Network in 2010. The Ravens then drafted Ray Lewis at #26 out of Miami, and he also made the Hall of Fame.

Lewis is #18 on that aforementioned NFL 100 list, with only two linebackers (Lawrence Taylor #3 and Dick Butkus #10) ranking higher.

2011- Time Runs Out

It’s very rare, but it does happen- sometimes the team “on the clock” sees its time expire before making their pick. The Ravens had been working on a trade, but it didn’t materialize in time to make the pick and their 26th overall instead went to the Kansas City Chiefs.

At least the Ravens made their selection almost immediately after, now 27th on the board, in the form of Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith. The Minnesota Vikings made this same mistake in 2003. Both of these purple clad franchises can forever relate to the timeless lyrics of Culture Club: “Oh, in time, it could have been so much more. The time is precious I know.”

2018- The Franchise

When most face of the franchise, superstar quarterbacks get drafted, it’s at or near the top of the first round. Baltimore nabbed Lamar Jackson at #32 out of Louisville, the very last pick in the first round. When you draft a two time MVP winner at this selection slot, it’s pretty safe to call it “a steal.” Four other QBs were taken ahead of Jackson that night.

2008- Super Bowl Building Block

On this draft night, the Ravens took a gamble on a FCS level prospect, selecting Delaware QB Joe Flacco with the 18th overall pick. He would go on to lead the Ravens to six playoff appearances, three AFC Championship Game appearances and the Super Bowl XLVII title; where he was named the game’s MVP.

2022- Greatest Safety Ever?

On this draft night, the Ravens landed Ed Reed at #24 out of Miami. Reed made the Pro Bowl nine times during his legendary career, and among his many accolades is the career record for interception return yardage (1,590), most career postseason interceptions (9), most seasons leading the league in interceptions (3) and the longest ever interception return for a touchdown (107 yards). Reed is #88 on the all-time NFL top 100 list.

List of Jon Robinson’s draft picks still on Titans’ roster

With Chris Jackson gone, an updated look at the draft picks made by former GM Jon Robinson who are still on the Titans’ roster.

When the Tennessee Titans parted ways with defensive back and 2020 seventh-round pick, Chris Jackson, he was just the latest player from one of former general manager Jon Robinson’s draft classes to get the boot.

This was not the first time Jackson had been cut, though, as he did not make the team’s initial 53-man roster in 2022 before being brought back on the practice squad and later promoted to the active roster.

While it’s possible Jackson will eventually be brought back, the fact that he was let go weeks before final cuts makes this one feel a bit more final.

With Jackson gone, cornerback Kristian Fulton is once again the last man standing from the 2020 draft class, which is one of three Robinson draft classes that has one player remaining on the Titans’ current roster.

The others are the classes of 2017 and 2018.

With Jackson’s recent departure, we thought it would be fun to see how many of Robinson’s picks from 2016-2022 are remaining on the 2023 squad as of right now.

We’ve also included a list of the departed players (and the teams they currently play for, if applicable) if you want to pour one out for them.

Giants select QB Lamar Jackson in ESPN’s 2018 re-draft

In a 2018 NFL re-draft conducted by ESPN, the New York Giants pass on running back Saquon Barkley in favor of quarterback Lamar Jackson.

In one of the most controversial draft picks in franchise history, the New York Giants selected running back Saquon Barkley second overall in the 2018 NFL draft.

Barkley got off to stellar start with Big Blue, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. However, immediately after that, Barkley was hit with the injury bug prior to bouncing back in 2022.

To this day, the debate continues over taking a running back as high as the Giants took Barkley.

ESPN recently released a re-draft of that 2018 draft and instead of taking Barkley, the Giants select quarterback Lamar Jackson.

A debate raged before the 2018 draft about whether the Giants should draft a quarterback. Ultimately, they did not, opting to take Barkley to boost their offense. But I made the easy choice to instead take the 2019 unanimous NFL MVP in Jackson. He is the most electric quarterback in the game — he leads the league in quarterback rush yards since 2018 (4,435) — and would have been unstoppable in current coach Brian Daboll’s offense.

Of course, when the Giants took Barkley, Eli Manning was still under center and they were still trying to win with their current roster — they were just a year removed from an 11-5 record under Ben McAdoo.

Like Barkley, Jackson also had a contract dispute this offseason which was resolved shortly after the Baltimore Ravens signed former Giant Odell Beckham Jr.

Jackson, of course, was selected 32nd overall that year with 28 teams passing on the future MVP, including the Ravens at 25th overall.

Meanwhile, in this re-draft scenario, Barkley falls to pick 15 and is then taken by the Arizona Cardinals.

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Giants select QB Lamar Jackson in 2018 NFL re-draft

In a 2018 NFL re-draft, the New York Giants pass on RB Saquon Barkley and instead select QB Lamar Jackson.

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The New York Giants held the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft and — depending on who you ask — fumbled it when they used it to take Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.

Many Giants fans will dispute that, but when presented with a possible ‘re-draft’ scenario, would have done something different with the pick.

In Bleacher Report’s latest 2018 re-draft, analyst Gary Davenport sees the Giants selecting Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson at No. 2 overall.

This one is actually tough. Saquon Barkley has been a great player at times for the Giants over five seasons. Quarterback Daniel Jones, whom the Giants drafted sixth overall the following year, teamed with Barkley to lead the G-Men to the postseason in 2022.

Still, you just don’t pass on drafting an MVP quarterback like Lamar Jackson.

Since that magical season in 2019 when he rushed for a quarterback single-season record 1,206 yards and led the league with 36 touchdown passes, Jackson has been unable to duplicate those gaudy numbers. He has also missed substantial time in each of the past two seasons. But he’s the only quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back years and one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the league.

That Jackson’s No. 1 receiver in New York in 2018 would have been Odell Beckham Jr. is proof that time is a flat circle.

This is a tough call because both players have been beset by injuries in their careers and many would say neither is worth the second pick.

Part of Jackson’s lure is that he wasn’t taken that high (No. 32 overall by Baltimore) which added to his initial value. Taking him second overall back then would have been controversial and panned by the fans.

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Giants’ Joe Schoen: Dave Gettleman refused to trade No. 2 in 2018 NFL draft

Ex-Giants GM Dave Gettleman had offers for the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL draft but refused to budge, eventually taking Saquon Barkley.

Ever since the New York Giants’ controversial selection of Saquon Barkley at No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL draft, there have been rumors that Dave Gettleman did not even field calls from other teams inquiring about the pick.

Now, years later, with Gettleman’s Giants tenure in the rearview mirror, current general manager, Joe Schoen, has shed some light on that situation.

Schoen was, of course, part of the Buffalo Bills’ front office at the time. This week, while appearing on Peter Schrager’s podcast ‘The Season,’ he discussed the 2018 draft process and the Giants being a potential trade partner.

“We were at No. 21 and No. 22 when the season ended,” Schoen recalled. “We had Kansas City’s pick, too, and we used Cordy Glenn, who we traded to Cincinnati, to swap No. 21 to No. 12 and that got us within range. But again, we were trying to move up. We couldn’t move to No. 1 — Dorsey wouldn’t trade No. 1, Dave Gettleman wouldn’t trade No. 2, No. 3 was the Jets and they weren’t going to trade with us. They made a move early on with the Colts.

“We were actually literally working out Josh, snapping the ball to Josh at Wyoming and I get this update on my Apple watch and it said the Jets traded with the Colts and I’m just like, ‘ugh’ and they get No. 3. We hadn’t met with the guys yet so we weren’t in a position to move up because we had to make sure there was someone we actually liked.”

As much as people would like to believe Gettleman was not fielding any offers for the second overall pick, it’s important to keep in mind that he may just not have been comfortable enough to move as far back as 12th overall where the Bills were sitting.

Barkley may win Comeback Player of the Year this season but in the minds of many, nothing he does will ever be good enough to warrant the second overall pick being spent on a running back.

The irony, however, is that Schoen now intends on keeping Barkley with the Giants long-term.

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Giants select QB Lamar Jackson in 2018 NFL re-draft

In a 2018 NFL re-draft, the New York Giants pass on RB Saquon Barkley and instead select QB Lamar Jackson at No. 2 overall.

In the first round of the 2018 NFL draft, the New York Giants and then-general manager Dave Gettleman famously selected Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.

Some loved the pick but others hated it. And over time, the decision to draft Barkley has taken on an ugly reflection. After an impressive rookie campaign, Barkley has become somewhat injury-prone while the Giants have floundered as a team.

In a recent 2018 NFL re-draft, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport sought to right those wrongs. Rather than Barkley, he had the Giants travel back in time to select quarterback Lamar Jackson.

For a time, it looked like the Giants had made good use of the second overall pick in 2018. Saquon Barkley racked up over 2,000 total yards as a rookie on the way to being named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

But it’s been something of a downhill slide ever since—so much so that the Giants are going back to the well by selecting the only player from the 2018 class who has won the league’s highest individual honor.

That came in 2019, when Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson was named MVP in his second season with the Baltimore Ravens. All Jackson did that year was set a new high-water mark for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback with 1,206 while pacing the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and winning 13 of 15 regular-season starts.

Since then, Jackson has become the only quarterback in NFL history to top 1,000 rushing yards in back-to-back seasons, establishing himself as arguably the most dangerous scrambler in NFL history in the process.

With Eli Manning nearing the end in 2018, this would have been a franchise-defining pick in New York, especially given the three up-and-down seasons the team has gotten from Daniel Jones after drafting him sixth overall the following year.

Although Jackson is an extremely talented quarterback capable of great things, we now know in hindsight the Giants needed to fix other problems first. And like Barkley, Jackson wouldn’t have been the duct tape needed to fix those issues.

If they were allowed a 2018 do-over, rather than Barkley or a quarterback, perhaps the Giants would have selected offensive lineman Quenton Nelson instead. Even now looking back, that would make total sense.

In Davenport’s re-draft, it’s important to note that quarterback Josh Allen went No. 1 overall. Nelson went No. 3 overall and Barkley slipped all the way to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 18 overall.

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Poll: What draft selections outside of 2021 are Jags fans most excited about from past 5 years?

The Jags recent draft classes haven’t been great, but there are some players from them who could blossom. Excluding 2021’s class, what selections are you all the most excited about from recent drafts?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have selected 42 players over the last five drafts. Most of the high draft choices excluding the 2021 draft class haven’t panned out for the franchise. However, there are still a select few who have been successful and remain with the team.

For the sake of getting another fun post up, we wanted to poll the fanbase on the draft pick from the past five drafts who they are most excited to watch besides those from the 2021 class. The choices we’ll offer are cornerback Tyson Campbell, defensive end Josh Allen, defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, and defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot.

Finding four players for this poll was difficult because the Jaguars made so many stumbles in the 2020 and 2018 drafts that include busts like C.J. Henderson, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Taven Bryan. However, the four players we’ve centered this poll around have a chance to be key pieces for the defense.

Allen should be the runaway favorite because in three seasons he has compiled 20.5 sacks, 128 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 48 quarterback hits. And while the team has yet to pick up his fifth-year option, it would be unwise for the Jags to not continue forward with Allen in 2023 as he’s been a standout on the defense.

But fans shouldn’t sleep on Campbell because of how much potential he flashes down the stretch last season. Last season, he was second among rookies in interceptions and incompletions caused (11).

Hamilton is an interesting player because he hasn’t had any standout seasons two years into his career. In his first two seasons, he only acquired grades of 53.9 (2021) and 52.8 (2020) according to Pro Football Focus, but an X-factor for his career could be new defensive line coach Brentson Buckner. Buckner, a former player in the NFL, is a highly respected coach in the NFL and has coached players like Chandler Jones, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Maxx Crosby.

As for Smoot, he’s mostly been a rotational player in his five seasons with the Jags and only has 17 starts. However, an argument could be made he’s one of the better rotational players in the NFL. He ended the 2021 season second on the team in sacks with six and led them the year before with 5.5. He also garnered a 73.9 pass-rush grade last season, which was the highest of any defensive lineman on the team with significant snaps.

Now, with all the cases we’ve made for each of these four players, we’d like to hear from our readers at home in terms of who excites the fanbase the most heading forward. Vote in the poll below.

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Baker Mayfield brings back the QB RV to Browns training camp

While very little is the same from Baker’s rookie year with the Browns, the QB RV is back in 2021. Made famous on Hard Knocks, it is “QB only in the RV
in the Berea parking lot once again.

The Cleveland Browns are almost an entirely different team than the one Baker Mayfield joined as a rookie. Drafted at the top of the 2018 NFL draft, Mayfield was brought in with the assumption that Tyrod Taylor would start until the former Heisman Trophy winner was ready.

At that time, veteran backup Drew Stanton was also on the team and pushed for Mayfield to rent an RV just for the quarterbacks to spend time in. While initially thinking Stanton was joking, the Oklahoma star did what was required of him by the veteran.

The “QB RV” became famous on Hard Knocks that year especially when country music star Brad Paisley visited:

In 2021, Mayfield is in a totally different position than that rookie year. The leader of a very good offense, Cleveland has Super Bowl aspirations instead of trying to find their way as they were in 2018. Gone is Hue Jackson, John Dorsey and almost every significant member of the organization (outside of Jimmy Haslam and Paul DePodesta) and players on the team (except for a few key players like Myles Garrett).

Joining those few holdovers from Mayfield’s rookie year is a new quarterback RV:

 

With Hard Knocks following the Dallas Cowboys, it will be interesting if we get a peek inside the new RV on Building the Browns or not. While the 2020 offseason was full of tons of changes or limitations, Mayfield is bringing back something he is very familiar with in the QB RV in 2021.