Category: Oregon Ducks

Projected salary and signing bonus for Jackson Powers-Johnson

Contract details for Oregon Ducks C Jackson Powers-Johnson after being selected by the Las Vegas Raiders.

A second Oregon Duck has come off the board.

With the 44th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Jackson Power-Johnson. Some thought Powers-Johnson would go in the first round, but he fell into the early second round.

By falling into the second round, Powers-Johnson’s rookie contract loses value, and he will not have a fifth-year option attached to his deal. On the flip side, he’ll be able to negotiate a second contract after four years.

OverTheCap projects Powers-Johnson’s contract will be worth $8,767,762, including a $3,196,552 signing bonus. The last player drafted in the first round, Xavier Legette, is projected to sign a contract worth $12,357,176, but with $0 guaranteed.

In 2023, the 44th pick was used on Julius Brents, an Indianapolis Colts cornerback. Brent’s rookie deal is worth $8,196,936. His signing bonus was worth $2,961,408, according to OverTheCap — slightly less than Powers-Johnson’s contract value.

Brents made $3,711,408 in his first year in the pros, which is 45% of his contract value. If Powers-Johnson earns the same share in his rookie season, he would be paid $3,969,866.55 as a rookie.

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Oregon Ducks announce guest coaches for 2024 spring game

Former Oregon Ducks RB Kenjon Barner and LB Troy Dye have been announced as the guest coaches for Oregon’s spring game.

The Oregon Ducks spring game is a day away, and we’ll finally get a look at the 2024 Ducks. Oregon football hasn’t announced the rosters for the spring game, but on Friday morning, the program announced former Ducks Kenjon Barner and Troy Dye as the spring game’s guest coaches.

Barner is returning to Eugene more than a decade removed from his playing days, when he was one of the best running backs in college football. Barner had a tough act to follow as Duck, succeeding Doak Walker Award (the nation’s best running back) winner LaMichael James as the Ducks’ top running back. In his four years at Oregon, Barner gained 4,214 all-purpose yards and scored 48 touchdowns.

Troy Dye’s time at Oregon ended more recently than Barner’s, coming to a close in 2019. Like Barner, Dye played four years as a Duck, making 391 tackles, 41.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and five interceptions in his career. After his time in Eugene, Dye was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings where he has played the last four seasons.

Last April, Marcus Mariota and Jevon Holland made the trip west to serve as guest coach Oregon’s spring game. In the year since, Mariota became a member of the Washington Commanders, and he will likely serve as the backup quarterback to No. 2 draft pick Jayden Daniels this season. Holland had a phenomenal season with the Miami Dolphins in 2023, grabbing five picks and forcing four fumbles, but he was omitted from the NFC Pro Bowl roster.

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Denver Broncos receive strong draft grade for selection of Bo Nix

Strong draft grade for the Denver Broncos after selecting Bo Nix at No. 12.

The wait to see where Bo Nix would be selected in the 2024 NFL draft is over, with the Denver Broncos using the 12th overall pick to draft him on Thursday night,

The opinion on where Nix would be selected was split leading up to the draft, with some analysts expecting him to go early and others expecting him to fall into the second round. Nix has been compared to Drew Brees throughout the draft process, who Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton coached in New Orleans.

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Throughout the NFL draft, USA TODAY’s Draft Wire is grading each draft pick. Denver selection received a B+ grade. Below, is what Draft Wire writer Natalie Miller had to say about the pick:

“With a lightning-quick arm, elite accuracy, and tons of experience, Nix should be an immediate upgrade for a Denver team that has been looking for its quarterback for a decade now.”

Miller projects Nix to be the immediate starter for the Broncos, even after Denver’s trade for former No. 2 overall draft pick Zach Wilson on Wednesday.

Whether Nix starts as a rookie or sits for a year, the combination of him and Payton should make for a dangerous offense in Denver.

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Salary and signing bonus details for Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix

Former Oregon Ducks QB Bo Nix has been selected by the Denver Broncos in the 2024 NFL Draft. Here are the details of his contract.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix has been selected by the Denver Broncos with the 12th pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Nix was the sixth quarterback taken, and the first Oregon Duck to come off the board.

According to OverTheCap, Bo Nix’s contract with Denver is worth $18,613,158. Since it’s a first-round contract, the length of the deal is 4 years, with a fifth-year team option. Nix’s signing bonus is projected to be worth $10,356,840.

J.J. McCarthy, Michigan’s former QB, was the last QB selected before Nix, going at No. 10. Also according to OverTheCap, McCarthy’s contract is worth $21,854,796, 3.24 million more than Nix’s contract.

In 2023, the Detroit Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick. Gibbs’s contract is worth slightly less than Nix’s, at $17,845,138 over four years, also with a fifth-year option.

Nix is walking into an organization that has struggled to find or develop a good quarterback in almost a decade, but he is the most promising prospect the Broncos have brought in during that time as well. At the very least Ducks fans will get the chance to see Bo Nix and Justin Herbert go head-to-head as division rivals twice a year.

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Oregon a potential destination for Georgia transfer DT Christen Miller

A new DL transfer prospect for the Ducks? It could make sense.

Christen Miller, a sophomore defensive tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs, plans to enter the transfer portal, according to a report from On3Sports. Before committing to Georgia during the 2022 recruiting cycle, Miller took a visit with the Oregon Ducks.

Miller was a Bulldog for two years, but he only has one full season of playing experience. As a freshman, Miller appeared in just four games, utilizing his redshirt option, but as a sophomore, Miller appeared in 13 games for Georgia, tallying 14 tackles, four TFLs, and a sack.

After all of Oregon’s additions this offseason, interior defensive line is the position where a transfer would be most valuable. The Ducks did add Ja’Maree Caldwell — a senior DT — in the winter transfer window, but other than him, there isn’t much experience on Oregon’s D-line.

Earlier this week, Derrick Harmon, a DT from Michigan State who took a visit with the Ducks this winter, entered the portal as well. It’s unlikely, that Oregon would bring in both Harmon and Miller, but either one would be a major add.

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Oregon OC Will Stein details the luxuries and the challenges of having so much depth at WR

There are a lot of mouths to feed in Oregon’s WR room, but only one ball. It’s a good problem to have, says Will Stein.

It may seem ironic, but sometimes it isn’t easy in college football to have a roster as complete as the Oregon Ducks do ahead of the 2024 season.

The Ducks are coming off a season in which they boasted a top-10 offense and a top-10 defense in points and points allowed per game — something only two other FBS teams did. Somehow, on paper, they’ve improved.

Although Oregon is losing Troy Franklin this offseason, the Ducks’ WR room looks like one of their most talented and deepest position groups, with elite talent at the top and bottom of the depth chart. For the 2024 season, Oregon is returning Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, and Gary Bryant Jr., and they’ve added Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart and a trio of freshmen in Jeremiah McClellan, Ryan Pellum, and Dillon Gresham as well. Be sure not to sleep on Jurrion Dickey and Kyler Kasper, either.

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After practice on Tuesday, Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein spoke about the luxury of having so many talented wide receivers on a team.

“It’s huge,” Stein said. “I mean whenever you can roll six or seven deep at wideout, you know you’ve got a really good room. We still want to keep our play count up, and earlier in the year especially with the weather and the heat, we want to roll a lot of guys in there.”

It’s tough to say at this point in the process who Oregon’s top receivers will be, but Johnson, Stewart, and Holden are the early favorites to lead the WR room. With the quality receivers Oregon has in addition to those three, though, Stein may have a tough time balancing everyone’s usage.

“It’ll be fun, but it’s going to be stressful too,” Stein said about the challenge of getting everyone involved. “There’s a lot of players on our team. It’s a wonderful problem to have. It comes back to game planning and when you’re in that setting, personnel-specific plays are, I think, huge. We’ll see when we get there.”

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In addition to the wide receivers, Stein will have the challenge of working the ball to Oregon’s talented tight ends. Terrance Ferguson is coming back for his final season this fall, and last season he showed he is one of the best TEs in college football. Earlier this spring, Stein even said that he “needs to get him (Ferguson) the ball more.” Patrick Herbert and Kenyon Sadiq are two other TEs who could be big producers for the Ducks in the fall.

Like Stein said, having a variety of weapons at your disposal is a great problem to have. It should lead to a more diverse offensive strategy, making things more difficult for opposing defenses by throwing different concepts at them. It should also help the Ducks’ players manage their load, hopefully mitigating injuries.

“Shoot, we’ve got a lot of really good players. It’s about getting those kids the ball and getting their confidence up early,” Stein said.

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Michigan State DT Derrick Harmon enters the transfer portal and could be a target for Oregon

Potential transfer target for the Ducks, again.

Earlier this spring, Dan Lanning suggested that he and his staff would be taking a less aggressive approach to the spring transfer portal than they have in portals past, only pursuing players that will make a sizable impact for the Oregon Ducks. Derrick Harmon could be one of those players.

Harmon is a defensive lineman for the Michigan State Spartans, and on Tuesday morning, he entered the transfer portal, according to a report from Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer. Harmon entered the portal this past winter as well, but he withdrew his name to stay at Michigan State.

In two full seasons and a redshirt freshman year at Michigan State, Harmon played in 25 games as a Spartan, taking 979 defensive snaps. In his career, Harmon has tallied 71 total tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, and forced a fumble. 247Sports ranks him as a 4-star transfer and the No. 1 defensive tackle in the portal.

When Harmon entered the transfer portal in the winter, the Ducks tried hard to bring him to Eugene, hosting him for a visit in mid-December. Ultimately, Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith convinced Harmon to stick around for the offseason, but now that Harmon’s back in the portal, the Ducks have a second chance to make the addition.

What jumps out about Harmon’s game is his ability to ignore the blocks of opposing centers and guards. He consistently locates the ball carrier and stops them at the point of attack, and he’s equally productive whether the opposing offense is passing or running the ball.

Although they’ve made upgrades this offseason, the interior defensive line is one of the Ducks’ weakest position groups. The addition of Ja’Maree Caldwell, a former Houston Cougars defensive tackle, was massive, but the addition of a player like Harmon would reinforce Oregon’s D-line depth.

Kwame Evans Jr. announces return to Oregon for 2024-25 season

Big-time returner for the Ducks in 2024.

Kwame Evans Jr., a freshman power forward for the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team, will return to Oregon for the 2024-25 season. Evans announced the news Tuesday morning on Twitter.

After the Ducks lost Creighton in the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament and their season came to a close, Evans left his future at Oregon ambiguous, telling Oregonian reporter James Crepea that it was “hard to tell,” what his future looked like.

Evans was a key player for the Ducks throughout last season, and he could be even more impactful going forward. As a freshman, Evans averaged 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game, while also averaging more than one steal and one block each game.

In 2023-24, Evans did experience some struggles finding consistency in his game. Smoked layups and defensive breakdowns weren’t uncommon for the freshman. But what has never been in doubt is Evans’ talent and potential to grow. Even from the start of the season to the end, Evans transformed his game, and there’s no cap on what he can do going forward.

Evans came to Oregon as a 5-star recruit in the class of 2023, and he was joined by Jackson Shelstad and Mookie Cook — two Portland natives who were also highly sought after in their recruiting class. Shelstad and Cook have both announced their intent to return to Eugene in the fall, and now that the trio of elite recruits has a year of experience, Oregon could be a dangerous team come fall.

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Stanford transfer F Brandon Angel commits to Oregon

Big-time transfer pick up for the Ducks.

It was bound to happen at some point.

After losing several key rotation players to the transfer portal this offseason, the Oregon Ducks have finally made an addition from the portal: Brandon Angel, a fifth-year forward from Stanford, according to a report from 24/7 High School Hoops.

In 2023, Angel averaged 13 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, per game. From the field last season, Angel shot 56.7% on eight attempts per game and 44.8% from three on 2,5 attempts per game. As a scorer, Angel consistently hits his catch-and-shoot threes and is an excellent finisher.

With the Ducks losing center N’Faly Dante this offseason, the addition of Angel is a big one, and it will give the Ducks multiple big men options next season. At 6’8″ and 210 lbs., Angel can hopefully be an impact player on the defensive side of the floor as well as on offense. His 0.9 defensive win shares last was the second most on the Cardinal.

 

Andrej Stojakovic, one of Angel’s teammates at Stanford last year, is another player in the portal who’s been tied to Oregon. Stojakovic has yet to announce his commitment, but now, coming to the Ducks would offer him the chance to reunite with his former teammate.

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Player comparisons for the top-rated Oregon Ducks in 2024 NFL Draft

Troy Franklin as Terry McLaurin? Who is Bo Nix?

We’re just a few days out from the 2024 NFL draft, and it’s shaping up to be a historic year for the Oregon Ducks. Oregon has several draft-eligible players, and for the first time since 2015, we may see multiple Ducks selected in the first round.

Last week, Touchdown Wire published the list of their top 50 prospects in this year’s draft, and the list featured several Ducks. The list also provided a pro-player comparison for each prospect on the list.

The highest-ranked Oregon player on the list is Jackson-Powers-Johnson at No. 24. His comparison? Alex Mack, a center who played 13 seasons in the NFL, made seven pro bowls, and was a second-team All-Pro three times. In 2017, Mack made it to the Super Bowl with the Atlanta Falcons where they were defeated by the New England Patriots.

Immediately after Powers-Johnson at No. 25, is wide receiver Troy Franklin, who Touchdown Wire compared to Washington Commanders wideout Terry McLaurin. McLaurin has played just five seasons in the pros, but he immediately became an impact player for Washington after he was drafted. In every year but his rookie year, McLaurin has eclipsed 1000 yards receiving (as a rookie he had 919), using his speed and ball skills to threaten opposing defense with long balls and with routes over the middle.

Two spots down from Franklin at No. 27 is quarterback Bo Nix, whose comp is Dak Prescott. Like Nix, Prescott wasn’t beloved as a prospect, but he’s made a solid career for himself in eight seasons in Dallas. One similarity Touchdown Wire highlighted between the two QBs is their ability to make on-the-fly adjustments pre-snap. We saw Nix demonstrate this ability time and time again this season, exploiting opposing defenses’ weak spots up and down the field.

These three prospects will all be interesting to watch at the draft this week since they all have the potential to be mid-first-round picks, but they could all also fall into the second round. Hopefully, wherever they end up, they are able to make a sizable impact on their new team.

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