Category: 2022 NFL draft

Nick Caserio says Alabama coach Nick Saban gave Texans insight into WR John Metchie’s injury

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio says Alabama coach Nick Saban provided insight into the injury to WR John Metchie.

 

The Houston Texans took a calculated risk in Round 2 of the 2022 NFL draft Friday night.

Houston moved up to No. 44 overall in the second round to grab another receiver for Davis Mills in Alabama’s John Metchie. Although the former Crimson Tide wideout had immense talent in college, his amateur career ended rather inauspiciously with an ACL tear in the SEC Championship Game in December.

As Metchie has rehabilitated through the injury, NFL teams have been gathering intel on how the receiver has progressed, and no one with better insight into the injury is Alabama coach Nick Saban.

According to Texans general manager Nick Caserio, Saban helped give an in-depth look at how Metchie was handling the injury.

“I would say I have a lot of respect in Nick,” Caserio said. “Whenever you ask him about a player, he is very honest. He has a good perspective because he can give you a comparative view of — he has coached a lot of really good players. I think you better be prepared when you talk to him. You better know what the Hell you are talking about. He doesn’t want to waste a lot of time.”

Caserio didn’t waste any time with Saban evidently as the organization gathered enough information to make an informed decision on the selection of a player coming off an ACL tear.

“What that individual says about that particular player, like, we should listen to that information,” said Caserio. “If we don’t, we’re kind of being irresponsible. It’s all part of the evaluation. It’s all part of the equation. Ultimately, we can take all the information we want from whomever. We have to internalize it, and then ultimately we have to make a decision, and we are either comfortable with the decision or we’re not.”

Houston was comfortable enough to take Metchie, who joins a receiving corps that includes Brandin Cooks and former 2021 third-rounder Nico Collins.

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3 things to know about Jacksonville Jaguars No. 1 pick Travon Walker

Here are three things to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ newest No. 1 pick Travon Walker.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made Georgia’s Travon Walker the first defensive lineman taken first overall since the Cleveland Browns took Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett in 2017. The Jaguars took Walker over fellow defensive lineman in Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and North Carolina State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu.

Many fans and media members have scrutinized Jacksonville’s selection of Walker since NFL commissioner Roger Goddell officially announced the pick. Most of Walker’s critics point to his lack of production. Walker only recorded 9.5 sacks in three seasons with the Bulldogs. However, his supporters point to his athleticism and his ridiculous testing numbers at the NFL scouting combine.

Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson said after the pick that they liked Walker because of how versatile he is. The Bulldogs moved him all around their defense the past three seasons. Baalke said they will only have Walker focus on one position, which will allow him to be more productive in the NFL than in college.

Here are three things to know about the Jaguars’ newest No. 1 pick.

2022 NFL Draft: Top Undrafted Free Agents. Where Did They Sign?

2022 NFL Draft: Top Undrafted Free Agents, and where did they sign?

Who are the best free agent players available after the 2022 NFL Draft and where did they sign? 

2022 NFL Draft: Top Undrafted Free Agents

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2022 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings, Analysis
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OTs | OGs & Cs | DEs & Edge | DTs
LBs | Ss | CBs | 50 Greatest Value Draft Picks Ever
NFL Draft by college over last 5 years: 1-130 rankings

Who were the top undrafted players in the 2022 NFL Draft? Where did they sign? We’ll update this on the fly.

1 QB Carson Strong, Nevada

CFN Ranking Overall: 57
Signed By: COMING

2 LB Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M

CFN Ranking Overall: 99
Signed By: COMING

3 LB Mike Rose, Iowa State

CFN Ranking Overall: 102
Signed By: COMING

4 S Verone McKinley, Oregon

CFN Ranking Overall: 104
Signed By: COMING

5 OT Kellen Diesch, Arizona State

CFN Ranking Overall: 105
Signed By: COMING

6 DT Jayden Peevy, Texas A&M

CFN Position Ranking: 11
Signed By: COMING

7 CB Josh Jobe, Alabama

CFN Position Ranking: 13
Signed By: COMING

8 S Smoke Monday, Auburn

CFN Position Ranking: 13
Signed By: COMING

9 S Bubba Bolden, Miami

CFN Position Ranking: 14
Signed By: COMING

10 TE Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M

CFN Position Ranking: 11
Signed By: COMING

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11 TE Chase Allen, Iowa State

CFN Position Ranking: 13
Signed By: COMING

12 DT Haskell Garrett, Ohio State

CFN Position Ranking: 15
Signed By: COMING

13 OT Obinna Eze, TCU

CFN Position Ranking: 15
Signed By: COMING

14 RB Jashaun Corbin, Florida State

CFN Position Ranking: 15
Signed By: COMING

15 QB Cole Kelley, SE Louisiana

CFN Position Ranking: 8
Signed By: COMING

16 RB Abram Smith, Baylor

CFN Position Ranking: 12
Signed By: COMING

17 QB Jack Coan, Notre Dame

CFN Position Ranking: 9
Signed By: COMING

18 C Alec Lindstrom, Boston College

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

19 LB Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

20 EDGE Christopher Allen, Alabama

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

21 OG Blaise Andries, Minnesota

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

22 TE Austin Allen, Nebraska

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

23 EDGE JoJo Doman, Nebraska

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

24 S Trenton Thompson, San Diego State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

25 LB Jake Hansen, Illinois

CFN Ranking: NR

26 RB Tyler Goodson, Iowa

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

27 RB Sincere McCormick, UTSA

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

28 EDGE Jeremiah Moon, Florida

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

29 DT Damion Daniels, Nebraska

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

30 WR Jaivon Heiligh, Coastal Carolina

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

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31 DE Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Notre Dame

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

32 RB Max Borghi, Washington State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

33 LB Zacoby McClain, Auburn

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

34 OG William Dunkle, San Diego State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

35 TE Curtis Hodges, Arizona State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

36 OT Dare Rosenthal, Kentucky

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

37 CB Dallis Flowers, Pittsburg State

CFN Ranking: NR

38 C Ben Brown, Ole Miss

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

39 TE Peyton Hendershot, Indiana

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

40 S Reed Blankenship, Middle Tennessee

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

41 CB Mario Goodrich, Clemson

CFN Ranking: NR

42 WR Devon Williams, Oregon

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

43 WR Justyn Ross, Clemson

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

44 S Kolby Harvell-Peel, Oklahoma State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

45 DT Marquand McCall, Kentucky

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

46 TE Gerritt Prince, UAB

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

47 LB Jeremiah Gemmel, North Carolina

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

48 WR Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

49 RB Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

50 DE Mike Tverdov, Rutgers

CFN Ranking: NR

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51 WR Tre Turner, Virgina Tech

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

52 S Yusef Corker, Kentucky

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

53 DE Tyler Johnson, Arizona State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

54 C Dohnovan West, Arizona State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

55 WR Britain Covey, Utah

CFN Ranking: NR

56 WR Josh Johnson, Tulsa

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

57 WR Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

58 WR Kevin Austin, Notre Dame

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

59 C Nick Ford, Utah

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

60 OG Myron Cunningham, Arkansas

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

61 OT Jean Delance, Florida

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

62 OG Mike Miranda, Penn State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

63 WR Tyler Snead, East Carolina

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

64 WR Braylon Sanders, Ole Miss

CFN Ranking: NR

65 WR Charleston Rambo, Miami

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

66 PK Gabe Brkic, Oklahoma

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

67 WR Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

68 PK Cameron Dicker, Texas

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

69 LB Nate Landman, Colorado

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

70 WR Tay Martin, Oklahoma State

CFN Ranking: NR
Signed By: COMING

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2022 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings, Analysis
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OTs | OGs & Cs | DEs & Edge | DTs
LBs | Ss | CBs | 50 Greatest Value Draft Picks Ever
NFL Draft by college over last 5 years: 1-130 rankings

Jags HC Doug Pederson, GM Trent Baalke discuss addition of Travon Walker

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke explain the decision to pick Georgia’s Travon Walker.

The Jacksonville Jaguars surprised a lot of people in and around the league when they decided to use the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft to select Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker. The Walker pick struck many as unusual as he has only recorded 9.5 sacks in his college career.

However, general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson are of a different opinion. Shortly after the pick was announced, they met with the media to explain the decision to select Walker and what he can bring to the Jacksonville franchise.

Baalke and Pederson said they both liked Walker’s versatility and his ability to play anywhere along the defensive line.

“He played all the way up and down the line of scrimmage, anywhere from a zero technique all the way to a seven technique,” Baalke said about him. “Played in the two point off the edge, which he’s going to be used a lot in our scheme. That versatility, ability to stop the run, rush the passer, there’s a lot of work to do, but there’s a lot of talent to work with.”

Pederson added that he feels like Walker will be a great locker room guy, too.  He said he learned pretty quickly that he has great character after talking to him directly.

Reporters also gave Baalke a chance to respond to critics about Walker’s lack of production. He said he can’t make excuses for any player and that all they can do is watch the film.

“There’s a lot of things that go into production,” he said. “It’s not at the end of the day how many sacks they tally or how many pressures they have. There’s a run element to the game, too. So there’s a lot of ways to look at production, and we feel very comfortable about his production run and pass with a lot of upside. But again, he’s got to come in like these young guys do, they’ve got to come in and earn it.”

Instant Analysis: Jaguars select Arkansas CB Montaric Brown with their final pick

The Jacksonville Jaguars used their last pick in the 2022 NFL draft to take Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have made their final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, selecting Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown with the 222nd overall pick in the seventh round. The pick makes Brown the second defensive back Jacksonville has taken in this year’s draft. 

Brown played four seasons with the Razorbacks and started all 13 games in his final season. He tallied 127 tackles (four of them for a loss), six interceptions and 15 pass deflections in his career. As a redshirt senior, he racked up 54 tackles (one tackle for a loss), five picks and six pass breakups. 

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote that Brown projects as an instinctive zone corner with good strength, but a lack of desired top-end speed. He excels when defending against short and intermediate pattern breaks while exemplifying outstanding body control. He also said that Brown is willing to get dirty in the run game and could move to safety if he can carry enough weight. Zierlein projected him to go in the fifth or sixth round instead of the seventh. 

After drafting cornerback Gregory Junior in the sixth round, the Jaguars may look to play Brown at safety. However, it remains to be seen whether he will earn meaningful snaps outside of playing on special teams.

Houston Texans 2022 undrafted free agent tracker

The Houston Texans have completed their 2022 NFL draft class. Now, the talent evaluation continues as they look at undrafted free agents.

The mad dash for priority free agents has kicked off now that the 2022 NFL draft is over. Keep up with all of the signings here.

Kolby Harvell-Peel — per the Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson

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The best players who didn’t get picked in the 2022 NFL draft

Check out the best prospects who went undrafted in the 2022 NFL draft

Every year, players fall through the cracks of the NFL draft, and still find a way to make an impact once they find a landing spot as undrafted free agents.

This year’s group is sure to be no exception, as plenty of talented prospects didn’t hear their names called across all seven rounds of the 2022 NFL draft.

Here are the best players who weren’t selected in this year’s draft:

2022 NFL draft: Final grades for every NFL team

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield give their final grades for every team and every pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

Is it fair to grade draft picks right after they happen? Before the prospects even hit their rookie minicamps? Absolutely not. We have no clue which players will fit best with their teams. We don’t know which guys will flame out, unable to handle the pressure at the next level, and we don’t know which players will be turned into diamonds by that pressure.

So, why do we all do draft grades anyway? For one specific reason.

Clicks.

Okay, there are two reasons. The other reason is that letter grades for team drafts do give us a basic idea of how well NFL teams did sticking to the best players available (at least in our minds), avoiding reach project players, and making their teams better with the wisest use of draft capital.

So, with the idea that such exercises are eventually doomed to irrelevance, here are Doug Farrar’s and Mark Schofield’s 2022 draft grades for every NFL team, with Mark handling the AFC, and Doug on the NFC.

Cardinals undrafted rookie, rookie tryout tracker

The draft is over. Check out the undrafted rookies coming to Arizona to sign or to try out in rookie camp.

The NFL draft has concluded for the Arizona Cardinals and, after selecting eight players, now will focus on adding undrafted free agents to their roster.

Saturday evening and Sunday will be filled with reports and rumors of players agreeing to sign with team or getting tryouts with them.

Below we will keep track of those names and who could be added to the Cardinals’ roster.

Undrafted rookie signings

None so far

Undrafted rookies invited for tryout

None so far

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Jaguars select Arkansas CB Montaric Brown with No. 222 overall pick

The Jags double-dipped at CB to end the 2022 NFL Draft and selected Arkansas’ Montaric Brown.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ended up drafting a cornerback for the second consecutive time in a row when they took the stage with pick No. 222. The prospect they ended up with was Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown.

Brown will enter his career with the Jags after spending four seasons with the Razorbacks. He was a starter in 34-of-43 games played in Fayetteville and was able to earn First-Team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 2021.

At 6-feet-0, 196 pounds, Brown was able to haul in seven total picks throughout his college career with five occurring last season. He also was able to garner 133 career tackles and 17 pass breakups.

Before drafting Brown, the Jags also selected Ouachita Baptist cornerback Gregory Junior with pick No. 197. As a result, it appears players like Tre Herndon and Chris Claybrooks have some competition for the CB4 and CB5 spots.

Brown was the player who wrapped up the 2022 draft selection process for the Jags, and he will be the seventh member of their newest draft class. He joins Junior, Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd, Luke Fortner, Chad Muma, and Snoop Conner as the latest members of the 2022 Jags roster.

“Touchdown Jaguars!” will be published weekly, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast to hear the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and feel free to rate and comment.