Titans’ Derrick Henry joins Nashville SC ownership group

Derrick Henry joins actress Reese Witherspoon and media and technology investor Jim Toth as minority owners of Nashville SC.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is now getting involved with a different kind of football.

According to Nashville SC, Henry is one of three to join the MLS team’s ownership group via minority stake, along with actress Reese Witherspoon and media and technology investor, Jim Toth.

Henry becomes the fourth NFL player in league history to serve in an ownership role with an MLS team.

“As a kid growing up in Florida, I imagined being a professional sports owner and the opportunity to do that with a Major League Soccer club is truly a dream come true,” Henry said. “My investment in Nashville SC is way more than financial, it’s truly an investment in the city of Nashville. The chance to be part of a club like Nashville SC, especially after seeing what they are accomplishing in the community, was an opportunity I did not want to miss.”

“We meant it when we said we were doing this in Nashville, with Nashville and for Nashville,” said principal owner John Ingram. “Having Derrick, Reese and Jim join our group signals our commitment to being a club that is going to do things at the highest level and with the best Nashville has to offer.”

This announcement comes just before Nashville SC takes the field for the first time at their new stadium, GEODIS Park, on May 1 against the Philadelphia Union.

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15 players we love for the Bengals in the first round of 2022 draft

We love the idea of the Bengals drafting these guys in the 2022 NFL draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals pick the latest they have in the first round of an NFL draft in decades when the 2022 NFL draft starts on Thursday night.

There, the Bengals pick 31st and hope to land a Tee Higgins-styled prospect like they did at the top of Round 2. Based on projections and mock drafts, plenty of big names should still be on the board.

Below, we’ll outline 15 players we’d love to see the Bengals take. They fit the team’s usual profile — productive but with huge upside from proven winners. They also mostly fit the team’s major needs while slotting nicely into best-player available status.

Ravens 2022 draft prospect profile: ILB Nakobe Dean

We look at a Ravens 2022 draft prospect profile for inside linebacker Nakobe Dean

The Baltimore Ravens have addressed a few of their needs during the 2022 offseason, but will be able to fill more of them during the 2022 draft. They currently have 10 draft picks, and have plenty of options in terms of moving up and down the draft board, something that Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta has shown that he likes to do.

While there are clear-cut needs on the Ravens’ roster such as edge rusher and cornerback, one position that Baltimore could look to invest in is at inside linebacker. There are plenty of options in each round for the Ravens at that position, including former University of Georgia star Nakobe Dean.

Dean was one of the leaders on the Bulldogs’ vaunted defensive unit and won the 2021 Butkus Award, marking the nation’s best linebacker. He has sideline-to-sideline speed, and uses it to his advantage when covering running backs and tight ends. He’s a quick player, and is able to disrupt plays in the backfield by using his instincts to put himself in the right place at the right time.

Selecting Dean at No. 14 overall would likely be considered a reach, but it seems unlikely that the inside linebacker would be available when Baltimore is next slated to be on the clock at No. 45. Dean would be a trade-down candidate for the Ravens, and a very good one at that.

Ravens named as worst potential landing spot for this 2022 NFL draft prospect by Bleacher Report

The Ravens were named as the worst potential landing spot for this 2022 draft prospect by Bleacher Report

The Baltimore Ravens are currently slated to have 10 draft picks in the 2022 NFL draft, including nine in the first four rounds. They have plenty of holes on their roster that they can fill throughout draft weekend, and they’ll certainly look to put together another great rookie group.

The 2022 draft class is an extremely deep one, with many different prospects looking to have what it takes to become quality contributors at the professional level. However, just because a rookie has talent doesn’t mean that he’ll be a fit for every team. When looking at the worst potential landing spots for a few of the top 2022 prospects, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report named Baltimore as the worst for former University of Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum. When explaining why, Ballentine pointed to how Bleacher Report scout Brandon Thorn views Linderbaum’s game.

“Bleacher Report draft scout Brandon Thorn noted that Linderbaum “can execute gap concepts, but ideally he’s in a zone-based scheme that sprinkles those in rather than majors in them”…The Baltimore Ravens could (correctly) feel like Linderbaum would immediately fill the hole left by Bradley Bozeman’s free-agent departure. However, his game is a round peg in the square hole of the Ravens’ scheme.”

Ballentine then talks about stats behind the Ravens’ offense and why that wouldn’t be a good fit for Linderbaum’s style of play.

“According to Sports Info Solutions, Baltimore’s run game had the second-highest percentage of gap concepts in the league at 51 percent last year…The Ravens would be better off targeting another position in the first round, and Linderbaum can go to a more zone-centric system that will allow him to dominate.”

After losing Bradley Bozeman in 2022 free agency to the Carolina Panthers, there’s reason to think that Baltimore could be in the market for a center in the early rounds of the 2022 draft. However, they’ve rarely invested big money or premium draft capital at the position, and the fact that Linderbaum doesn’t seem to exactly be the best fit in the Ravens’ system likely means that barring a surprise, the former Hawkeye won’t be a member of the Baltimore organization after the draft concludes unless they could potentially get him outside of the first round, or at the very minimum at the very end of the first day of the festivities.

Ian Rapoport reports positive update on Ravens OT Ronnie Stanley

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported a positive update on Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley

The Baltimore Ravens have had to play without All-Pro offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley for most of the past year and a half. Stanley suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the middle of the 2020 season and has only been able to play in one game since.

On Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Stanley recently had a medical check-up and is on pace to be ready for the 2022 season. Rapoport also adds that the offensive tackle will be monitored throughout the summer, but that there is optimism surrounding his status.

The reported positive news is a breath of fresh air for many who have been hoping for updates on the Pro Bowl lineman. However, the team still needs offensive line help, and the news should not deter Baltimore from adding offensive tackle depth in the draft.

Having Stanley back in the starting lineup would help immensely, but having depth at that position will be even better considering what the team had to go through in 2021 with all of the moving parts along their line. If Stanley can come back and play at the All-Pro level he was playing at before the injuries, the Ravens will be in great shape.

Bengals had draft-week meeting with notable WR prospect

A notable late draft meeting for the Bengals.

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There’s a late draft meeting of note for the Cincinnati Bengals ahead of the 2022 NFL draft.

According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, the Bengals were one of two teams to schedule a meeting this week with Indiana wide receiver Ty Fryfogle.

Fryfogle, 6’1″ and 204 pounds, caught seven touchdowns while averaging 19.5 yards per catch in 2020 before regressing last season. He’s a big-play target who lives or dies on contested targets.

That’s not a bad thing for the Bengals — they need to fill a niche left empty by the departure of Auden Tate and they’ve been open about possibly adding more wideouts to the roster. Fryfogle would be a likely late-round pick.

Granted, we don’t know why the meeting took place this late and it could be sheer logistics for prospect or team. Still, it’s worth noting and there’s a new name to make bigger note of in the later rounds for the Bengals.

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Todd McShay’s three Round 1 fallers should interest Bengals greatly

The Bengals might just get lucky and stumble into a steal of a prospect at No. 31.

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Despite picking so late in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals could luck into an instant-impact starter if the board falls a certain way.

And it’s sure starting to sound like it might.

According to ESPN’s Todd McShay, three major names could tumble out of the first:

  • Georgia LB Nakobe Dean
  • Purdue DE George Karlaftis
  • Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum

The writeup:

“Three prospects I’ve heard who could fall out of Round 1: Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean, Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis and Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum. Dean is the most likely of the trio to still be a first-rounder.”

That’s a huge, huge deal for a Bengals team that could use a player like Karlaftis to come in and rotate at the edge right away, or even offer pressure while lined up inside after the loss of Lary Ogunjobi.

Linderbaum, who we’ve mocked to the Bengals often, would be the starting center right away and is the best in class at his position. Dean might be the least attractive of the three from a needs standpoint, but he is a three-down player who might have instant value as a blitzer.

It seems a little reminiscent of when Tee Higgins fell to the top of Round 2 and the Bengals got a Round 1 player who could be the No. 1 target on a team. If that’s the case and one of these guys falls, the Bengals will be much, much better for it.

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Ravens use best player available strategy in latest full 2022 7-round mock draft

The Ravens use the best player available strategy in our latest seven-round mock draft

The Baltimore Ravens will have ample opportunities to add talent to their roster over 2022 draft weekend. They will start the festivities with 10 draft picks, including nine in the first four rounds. That makes for a treasure trove of selections, and plenty of options as to what they could do with them.

One of the strategies that Baltimore has employed over the course of their franchise history is selecting the best players available, regardless of need. Recent examples of this include cornerback Marlon Humphrey and running back J.K. Dobbins, both picks that have turned out extremely well for the franchise.

Below we look at a full Ravens 2022 seven-round mock draft where the team uses the best player available strategy.

Former Ravens OL A.Q. Shipley thanks organization for recent kind gesture

Former Ravens offensive lineman A.Q. Shipley thanked the team for a recent kind gesture they showed towards him and his family

The Baltimore Ravens are widely regarded across the NFL as a team that treats their players right. There have been numerous examples of both current and former players recalling their great experiences playing for the franchise both on and off of the field.

Recently, former Baltimore center A.Q. Shipley took to Twitter to thank the Ravens for a recent kind gesture. The organization sent Shipley and his family a gift for their newborn baby boy. The former center expressed his  gratitude and appreciation for the thoughtfulness of the team, calling them a “class organization and 1st class”.

Cincinnati Bengals 7-round 2022 NFL mock draft: Final edition

Our final 2022 7-round mock draft for the Cincinnati Bengals.

We’ve made it to draft week after what feels like forever since this whole process started. Let’s run through one more seven-round mock Cincinnati Bengals before we finally get to the actual draft, using The Draft Network’s simulator.

Those Bengals enter the draft with notable needs at one offensive line position, as well as defensive spots like cornerback, defensive tackle and in terms of pressure-creators.

A final seven-round mock will try to marry those needs with value and with prospects that fit the profile the Bengals like to take. The goal is to provide a good idea of what might unfold this week during the three-day affair.