Category: General

Two former 1st round picks now trying out at Titans rookie minicamp

Two former 1st round picks, William Jackson and Shane Ray, are now trying out at Titans rookie minicamp

Rookie minicamp is a chance for the new players to get acclimated into the NFL and their new team. But it’s not always just the rookies who are getting a chance to show what they can do.

Teams are also allowed to invite veterans for auditions on a tryout basis in the rookie minicamp. The Tennessee Titans have a couple of familiar veteran names in for tryouts this weekend.

Former first-round picks William Jackson III and Shane Ray are trying to show enough to earn another NFL shot in Tennessee. Jackson, a cornerback, was the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2016 and played several seasons in Cincinnati and Washington before injuries derailed his career early in the 2022 season.

Ray was a first-rounder by the Broncos in 2015, and he’s been out of the league since 2018. The defensive end battled injuries throughout his four NFL seasons. Ray did play in the CFL and also spent the 2023 season on the Buffalo Bills’ I.R. list.

Both Jackson and Ray have NFL ties to new Tennessee head coach Brian Callahan from previous stops.

NFL draft analyst ranks Caleb Williams as the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck

NFL draft analyst Trent Klatt ranks Caleb Williams as the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck

Scouting NFL players is an extremely difficult task that sometimes feels like a completely guessing game, but scouting the quarterback position in particular is one of the most difficult things in all of sports. The number of hits or misses from teams drafting a quarterback falls in the negative range; even when quarterbacks are considered “can’t miss,” there is always that chance of missing something that just doesn’t translate to the next level.

On Wednesday, NFL draft expert Joel Klatt made in a bold claim in regards to the top quarterback from this upcoming class, ranking Caleb Williams as the best prospect at the position in 12 years.

Even with the obvious high level skillset of Caleb Williams, calling him the best quarterback in over a decade given the ones that have come out is quite the claim. Williams does seem to hold a unanimous consensus as the top quarterback in this class, and it is interesting to see some experts come out and show just how highly they think of him.

If Williams is half as good as the analysts are praising him to be, it becomes a no-brainer pick for the Chicago Bears at the number one overall selection. Though we have seen before what can happen to even the best of the quarterback prospects who take their talents to the next level, it’s never an exact science.

Two Ohio State defenders will stay in school and won’t enter the 2024 NFL draft

Ohio State defenders Jack Sawyer and Lathan Ransom will stay in school and won’t enter the 2024 NFL draft

Most of the draft news this time of year is about players who are leaving college to pursue their NFL dreams. Two Ohio State defenders who almost certainly would be drafted have made news by choosing to stay in school.

EDGE Jack Sawyer and safety Lathan Ransom both posted on social media on Friday that they are returning to the Buckeyes for the 2024 campaign. As such, they are not declaring for this year’s draft.

Sawyer racked up 6.5 sacks and 10 TFLs in 2023 and was generally projected in the 75-100 overall range if he declared. Ransom was viewed as a Day 3 type of talent. Now they both can further develop their games if they wish to pursue NFL dreams after the next college season in Columbus.

A third Buckeyes defender, cornerback Denzel Burke, made an ambiguous social media post of his own. Burke, potentially a top-40 overall talent, did not clarify his draft status.

Ranking the Week 16 rookie quarterback performances

Ranking the Week 16 rookie quarterback performances

Another week down, another week to evaluate the performances of the multiple rookie starting quarterbacks in the league. We once again saw a mixed bag from all the rookies.

Let’s take a look at each rookie and rank their Week 16 performances from best to worst:

Dolphins rookie De’Von Achane has huge game in return from injury

Dolphins rookie De’Von Achane has huge game in return from injury

Back in early October the NFL lost one of it’s most exciting young rookies in De’Von Achane to a knee injury. Last Sunday Achane made his return against the Washington Commanders, and he did it in one of the best ways possible.

The game between the Commanders and the Miami Dolphins was truly never really that close as the Tua Tagovailoa lead team eventually ran away with the game with a blowout final score of 45-15. While Achane was not heavily involved early, he got more and more touches as the game got out of hand and eventually came away as the Dolphins’ leading rusher.

Achane looked as explosive as ever with 103 yards on 20 total touches, including a pair of touchdowns on the ground. The Commanders clearly had no answer for the overwhelming amount of speed on Miami’s roster, including their exciting rookie running back. It’s fair to expect Achane to continue having a completely bonkers season given he is averaging an absurd 9.5 yards per carry on the year. Miami looks like it hit yet another home run in this addition to the most exciting offense in the NFL.

Grading all the 2023 1st-round picks after Week 9

How are the first-round rookies doing at the halfway mark of their first seasons?

Every NFL team has now played eight games. While that’s technically not quite halfway through the 17-game schedule, it’s close enough to have a solid initial impression on the rookie class. Mid-term grade time!

It’s been an interesting ride for the first-rounders in the 2023 NFL draft through Week 9. Some have excelled, while others have struggled to transition from the college game for a variety of reasons.

The grade here is based on the performance of the player so far in the given circumstances, not the merit of the draft selection.

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Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson placed on I.R.

Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson placed on I.R. with a shoulder injury

The Anthony Richardson era was off to an impressive start in Indianapolis. Richardson led the Colts to a 2-2 record in his four games as the starter, but it will be some time before we see the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft under center again.

Richardson suffered a scary-looking injury to his right (throwing) shoulder in the Colts’ Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans. He was unable to move his right arm after being tackled hard into the turf and left the game.

Now the Colts have placed Richardson on the injured reserve list. The rookie will miss at least the next four games. It could be significantly longer if he needs surgery to repair the injured shoulder, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Richardson was completing just under 60 percent of his passes and threw for three touchdowns against one interception. He demonstrated poise and a derring-do style that played well with teammates.

Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud makes history in big win over Jaguars

Stroud is off to a great start for the Texans and joined some impressive company in Week 3

It is starting to seem like the Houston Texans are on the turnaround they have been searching for since the departure of their former embattled quarterback. Rookie quarterback and second overall selection CJ Stroud has been everything this Houston squad was hoping he would be out of Ohio State, and in their latest win over the division rival Jaguars, put himself on a historic pace.

It was another impressive outing by Stroud as he was able to put up 280 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and outduel Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a huge first career win for the rookie. That performance also put Stroud into the history books as he became one of three players in NFL history to throw for over 900 passing yards in their first three games. This puts Stroud with Cam Newton and Justin Herbert, who each had historic rookie seasons in their own rights.

If Stroud can keep this pace going and deliver some more impressive wins, he will be in prime position to not only steal offensive rookie of the year, but go down in history with one of the best rookie quarterback seasons yet. While Stroud still has a long season to go, the Houston Texans have to feel happy with their top selection so far, and seem to have found their future at the quarterback position.

Another 2025 draft pick has been traded already

Several 2025 NFL draft picks have already been traded before the 2023 NFL season begins

Another trade involving a draft pick that is nearly two years away took place in the NFL this week. The New York Jets and Detroit Lions agreed to a deal that involves not one but two selections in the 2025 NFL draft.

The trade sent 2020 second-round pick Denzel Mims from New York to Detroit. The Jets dealt the disappointing wideout for the very low compensation of a pick swap in the late rounds of 2025. New York will receive a 2025 sixth-round pick from Detroit but only if Mims makes the Lions roster. The Jets sent back a 2025 seventh-rounder that is not conditional.

This deal joins a small but growing list of picks in the 2025 draft that have already been traded. Among the others:

  • The Panthers’ second-round pick belongs to the Chicago Bears as part of the trade for Carolina to move up to No. 1 overall in 2023 and select QB Bryce Young.
  • The Eagles’ fourth-rounder which was sent to the Lions as part of the trade for RB D’Andre Swift.
  • A deal between the Browns and Vikings that sent EDGE Za’Darius Smith to Cleveland. The Browns included a fifth-round pick in 2025 in the deal, while Minnesota sent back a sixth and a seventh in 2025

Trades of far future picks like this didn’t use to happen in the NFL.

Some 2nd-round picks getting bigger guarantees and bonuses in their contracts

Some 2nd-round picks, including Seattle’s Derick Hall and Detroit’s Sam LaPorta, are getting bigger guarantees and bonuses in their contracts

For much of the past few years, contracts for NFL draft picks have largely been formalities. The most recent CBA between the league and the NFLPA effectively eliminated negotiations and holdouts with standardized slotting for each draft spot.

That seems to be changing in 2023 with the second-round picks in the draft class. Two second-round rookies are pushing the envelope with their first contracts.

Seattle’s Derick Hall, the No. 37 overall pick, was the first to push for more than the recent standards. Hall and the Seahawks agreed to a deal that pays the pass rusher from Auburn a higher percentage of his signing bonus (85 percent) before training camp. They also agreed that Hall would get a small portion of his fourth year fully guaranteed. It’s only $100,000 but that’s $100,000 more than is typically guaranteed in the final year of the rookie deal for players selected after the first round.

Detroit’s top second-round pick, Iowa TE Sam LaPorta, followed suit. LaPorta signed his rookie deal on Thursday, and it includes an even higher percentage of fourth-year guaranteed money. LaPorta bagged 20 percent of his final year in guarantees. That ups the ante from Hall and Rams guard Steve Avila, who netted a 15 percent fourth-year guarantee as the No. 36 overall pick. Avila, from TCU, also had his first three seasons fully guaranteed by the Rams.

It’s a sign of agents finding ways to get their players more compensation within the framework of the rookie wage scale. The teams, at least a few of them, seem willing to play along.