Category: LSU in NFL

Justin Jefferson starring in Netflix documentary premiering Wednesday

Former LSU star Justin Jefferson is featured in Netflix’s “Receiver.”

[autotag]Justin Jefferson[/autotag] will be in the spotlight again this week, starring in Netflix’s “Receiver.”

The series is a documentary that takes fans behind the scenes and into the lives of five star NFL receivers. Along with Jefferson, the show stars Davante Adams, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Netflix dove headfirst into the sports documentary game in recent years,  Creating hit shows about F1 and professional golf, along with its series on quarterbacks.

The receiver series is the next step, as the streamer ventures further into football.

The series premiered on Wednesday and comes on the heels of Jefferson signing a contract that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

It should be an interesting look at Jefferson, who dealt with some adversity in the 2023 season. The Vikings lost QB Kirk Cousins to injury while Jefferson dealt with injury issues of his own.

He played just 10 games, but still managed to eclipse 1,000 yards, finishing the year with 68 catches, 1,074 yards, and five touchdowns.

Jefferson has been the league’s most productive receiver since he entered the league in 2020. He’ll look to get back to that level in 2024 and be a reliable force for Vikings rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy.

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Joe Burrow says he’s as good as any NFL quarterback when healthy

Joe Burrow was limited by injuries in 2023, but he’s looking to prove he’s an elite quarterback this fall.

[autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] had a meteoric rise in his second season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021.

After a torn ACL cut his rookie season short, he emerged as one of the league’s top quarterbacks. Burrow ended Cincinnati’s decades-long playoff win drought and had it on the cusp of a championship as the Bengals reached the Super Bowl.

He had a similarly productive season in 2022, but things never went right in 2023. He was limited early in the year with a calf injury, and a torn ligament in his wrist ended his campaign in Week 11.

Burrow is hoping to return to form this fall, and he brings quite a bit of confidence to the table. In a recent interview with Complex, he said he’s as good as any quarterback in the league when he can stay on the field.

“I want to be on the field for all the games,” Burrow said. “I know I’m going to play well when I’m out there. I’m at that point in my career where I’ve seen enough ball and I know myself that I can go out there and play as well as anybody in the game.”

Burrow and his former college teammate [autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag] have formed quite a dynamic duo for Cincinnati, and the team rewarded him with a record-setting contract last offseason. He’s looking to prove this year why that deal was worth every penny.

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NFL teams high on Jayden Daniels with Commanders per insider

Jayden Daniels could be poised for a big rookie campaign, NFL insiders say.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] is expected to earn the starting job with the Washington Commanders as a rookie, but with quite a mixed track record for first-year quarterbacks, it’s hard to know what to expect.

It seems that scouts and executives around the league are quite concerned about how dangerous Daniels could be in this offense led by new coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

According to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, there’s been quite a bit of buzz surrounding Daniels from league scouts and executives who think he has the chance to be dangerous as a professional.

“Jayden Daniels, a lot of buzz league-wide about Daniels already,” Fowler said, per On3. “When I talk to scouts and execs, they bring him up unprompted, like, it’s kind of scary what Washington could be with him. Even though he’s a running quarterback like some others that came through, he’s more polished as a passer than a lot of those guys.”

Fowler said the offensive line is viewed as a limiting factor, but if Washington can find success with that group, other teams think Daniels could be in for a huge rookie season.

“They feel like if they can just get their offensive line right, Daniels could do some major damage in Year 1,” Fowler said.

After winning the Heisman Trophy in his final year at LSU and going second overall in the draft, Washington certainly expects quite a bit from Daniels. But it seems those expectations are beginning to seep outside of the nation’s capital.

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Malik Nabers praises versatility of new offense with New York Giants

Malik Nabers discussed how the Giants’ scheme allows him to be flexible in what he’s asked to do.

[autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] faces high expectations as he begins his rookie career.

The sixth overall pick was the second receiver taken in the 2024 NFL draft, and the New York Giants are hoping he’ll become the top target for embattled quarterback Daniel Jones, who is coming off a torn ACL in 2023.

We haven’t gotten a lot of looks at Nabers in his new offense, but he recently praised coach Brian Daboll — one of the NFL’s top offensive minds — and his scheme.

“We got a lot of key points in the offense that makes a lot of guys move around,” Nabers said, per On3. “You can fit a receiver in any route concept that we have. So, I think we can use that to our advantage this season.”

Nabers, the runner-up for the 2023 Biletnikoff Award and the all-time leading receiver for LSU, ranked second in the nation with 1,569 yards. The Giants will hope he can be similarly productive at the next level, and he’s impressed his signal-caller so far.

“I think he can be a tremendous weapon for us,” Jones said at minicamp, according to the New York Post’s Steve Serby. “He can do everything, there’s not much he can’t do really from a route-running standpoint. He’s dynamic either way the ball in his hands, and strong, fast, explosive, catches the ball well. Yeah, he does a lot well.”

Only time will tell how well Nabers’ talent translates to the next level, but it’s clear he’s turning heads early in his career.

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Commanders coach Dan Quinn raves about rookie QB Jayden Daniels’ poise

Jayden Daniels seems to be managing the difficulties of being a rookie quarterback like a veteran.

When you’re trying to get a young quarterback up to speed in the NFL, you don’t want them to be so overconfident that they neglect development. At the same time, if you’re relying on a rookie to start, you want them to have trust in their own abilities and the system.

That’s the difficult balancing act that former LSU quarterback and second-overall pick [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] is trying to toe with the Washington Commanders this offseason. But according to coach Dan Quinn, he’s handling it like a veteran.

“He has the humility and the hunger of the young player… but he also has the swagger and calmness of a veteran player,” Quinn told Jim Rome. “So I think those 50+ starts from ASU and LSU, that seems to come about when you see him on the field, in the huddle, that’s where he’s at his best.

“He worked really hard to learn the system… There was just collective learning going on together but he was right there at the front of it.”

Daniels is competing with experienced quarterback Marcus Mariota, a former second-overall pick himself, for the starting job. Quinn said the two have worked well together, and while he hasn’t named a starter after minicamp, he did say that Daniels was close to earning that role.

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Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson show off style while attending Paris Fashion Week

The former LSU teammates were spotted together at Paris Fashion Week on Thursday.

Former LSU stars [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Jefferson[/autotag] may play on different teams now that they’re at the professional level, but the bond between the former teammates remains.

So much, in fact, that the pair was spotted together on Thursday at Paris Fashion Week. Of course, Joe Cool and Jets were spotted sporting some nice digs.

The duo has quickly emerged among the best young players in the league with both earning huge contract extensions with the Bengals and Vikings, respectively, in the last year. Burrow has already led his team to a Super Bowl appearance, while Jefferson earned Offensive Player of the Year honors when he became the youngest player to ever lead the NFL in receptions and yards in 2022.

Both battled injuries as their production dropped in 2023, but they’re expected to have huge bounce-back seasons in 2024.

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Commanders coach Dan Quinn raves about Jayden Daniels, close to naming him starter

Jayden Daniels hasn’t locked up the Day 1 starting job, but he’s certainly impressing his new coaching staff.

While you never want to rush a quarterback’s development at the next level, especially one that you used the No. 2 pick in the draft on, the Washington Commanders didn’t select Heisman-winning LSU quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] to sit on the bench.

Competing with veteran Marcus Mariota for the starting job, Daniels seems to have already made a strong impression on those who will be determining the depth chart. Head coach Dan Quinn said he’s been impressed with the vast knowledge Daniels came into the NFL with and the work ethic he’s displayed so far.

“This guy came in with really excellent football characteristics, in terms of command and huddle and vision,” Quinn said, per On3. “What you probably don’t see is the amount of offense and defense that the coaches put in.

“For him, to absolutely nail that and go early and say, ‘I have that. I have it.’ There was a lot of work put in from the studying spot. Not only do the physical traits show up, it’s the work ethic. Through the season, you guys will feel that and see that. This is a guy that really puts it in.”

Quinn said that Daniels’ extensive college starting experience, especially in a pass-happy offense like LSU’s over the last two seasons, has prepared him for the next level.

“Getting out of a bad play, here comes a blitz to this side, get to the check, get to something else,” Quinn said of Daniels’ strengths. “Knowing where to go with the correct read. And at the end of it, it’s just having command, honestly — whether it’s in the huddle or at the line of scrimmage.

“This guy has had a lot of starts and a lot of experience that showed up early when he first started here and it continues right now.”

Quinn hasn’t named Daniels the starter entering the season, though Daniels did reportedly see the bulk of the first-team reps during the final day of mandatory minicamps on Thursday. He praised the progress he’s seen from the young signal-caller during OTAs.

“We wouldn’t have given him those spaces and those times and those (first-team) reps if he hadn’t,” Quinn said. “But it was really clear that he’s put in the work and he was ready to do that.”

Daniels joins a team that has spent quite a while desperately searching for high-level quarterback play. He will hope to be the one who finally ends the third-longest postseason victory drought in the NFL as Washington searches for its first playoff win since 2005.

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Former LSU receiver discusses opportunity with New Orleans Saints

Former LSU receiver Russell Gage is trying to prove there’s still something left after working out with the New Orleans Saints.

Former LSU wide receiver and NFL free agent [autotag]Russell Gage[/autotag] was given an opportunity to work out with his home state NFL team, the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints hosted Gage along with four others for tryouts at mini-camp. Former LSU and Tulane left tackle [autotag]Cameron Wire[/autotag] was a member of the group, too.

Gage is trying to work his way back after suffering a torn patellar tendon during the Bucs‘ 2023 training camp. He ended up on injured reserve and missed the entire season.

Gage spent six combined seasons with the Falcons and Bucs, including the one he missed in 2023. In that time, he proved to be a reliable presence in the receiving corps and on special teams.

In 2020 with the Falcons, Gage caught 72 passes for 786 yards and four touchdowns. The next year, he averaged 11.7 yards per catch with 770 total yards.

His career numbers are 344 catches, 2,491 yards, and 14 touchdowns. Now, Gage is trying to prove there’s still something left in the tank. If the Saints believe there is, New Orleans would mark his third stop in the NFC South.

Gage played at LSU from 2014-18. In his time with the Tigers, he caught 26 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns while carrying the ball 28 times for 232 yards and a touchdown.

Those numbers don’t always earn an NFL opportunity, but they don’t tell the full story of Gage’s time at LSU. He was a receiver in a run-heavy offense and wasn’t given much of a chance until [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] took over in the middle of the 2016 season.

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Giants QB Daniel Jones offers high praise of new receiver Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers made quite a strong impression on his new quarterback at mandatory minicamp this week.

When the New York Giants drafted [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, they did so to help fix a receiving corps that was desperate for talent.

They also hoped that such an addition would help veteran Daniel Jones, who they previously extended but faces what could be a decisive season for his career in New York.

While Jones’ involvement in mandatory minicamp this week was limited as he recovers from a torn ACL, he’s been in the mix enough to be very impressed with Nabers’ play so far.

“I think he can be a tremendous weapon for us,” Jones said per the New York Post’s Steve Serby. “He can do everything, there’s not much he can’t do really from a route-running standpoint. He’s dynamic either way the ball in his hands, and strong, fast, explosive, catches the ball well. Yeah, he does a lot well.”

Nabers finished his LSU career as the program’s all-time leading receiver, and he enters his rookie season expected to make an immediate impact on a struggling New York offense.

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Joe Burrow says injuries have made him ponder his ‘football mortality’

Joe Burrow said his injury recovery process has made him think quite a bit about his career.

Former LSU Heisman-winning quarterback [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] entered the NFL with high expectations when he was drafted first overall by Cincinnati, and he has lived up to that hype.

Burrow ended a futile playoff victory drought for the Bengals and brought them to the brink of a Super Bowl in 2021. When healthy, he’s among the league’s best quarterbacks.

But staying healthy has been a problem for Burrow so far. He missed most of his rookie season with a torn ACL, and he’s coming off another injury-plagued season. After dealing with a calf injury in fall camp, Burrow’s season ended with a torn ligament in his wrist.

That recovery process seems to have caused Burrow to reflect on his career and what he called his “football mortality.”

“Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality kind of comes into the back of your mind,” Burrow said following mandatory minicamp practice, per NFL.com. “So that’s definitely something I’ve thought about and something I have had to fight through.”

Burrow declined to go into detail on what percentage of health he’s currently practicing at, but he expects to be ready to go by the season. He said he’s not pushing the timeline of his recovery.

“That’s something we’re being more proactive about this year,” Burrow said. “We don’t have to be ready to go in the middle of June. We have to be ready to go early September through February. That’s how we’re attacking this offseason and this rehab plan and these practices and training camp. We’re attacking it like I want to be out there playing in February.”

Burrow will hope to stay on the field and get back to the NFL’s elite class of quarterbacks in 2024.

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