Category: Pro Ducks

Jackson Powers-Johnson leads list of Ducks among best available players in 2024 NFL Draft

Jackson Powers-Johnson and Troy Franklin are among the best players available in round 2 of the NFL Draft, per PFF.

It was Bo Nix’s time to shine in the first round and the first night of the NFL draft as the Denver Broncos selected the Oregon quarterback No. 12 overall.

Of course, Nix isn’t the only Duck that will be a part of the selection process. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson Powers-Johnson leads the list of best Ducks still available as the draft goes on for Friday and Saturday.

Overall, JPJ comes in at No. 5 in the best available. This is what they had to say about the Oregon center.

“Powers-Johnson possesses starting-caliber power and finesse traits at center or guard for both zone or man/gap-blocking concepts,” PFF said.”He is dominant enough at his position to be considered a top-20 talent.”

Next on their list of 100 is Oregon receiver Troy Franklin, who would be a great addition for any team. Franklin is listed as the No. 6 best available player, per PFF.

Franklin might get lost in the shuffle of a loaded wide receiver class, but he shouldn’t. His smoothness comes from his athletic profile and his confidence in knowing how to win at the position. He needs to continue to get stronger, but he is a competitive player who can be a good WR2 for a vertical NFL offense.

Also on the list is defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus at No. 35, running back Bucky Irving at No. 48 and defensive back Khyree Jackson at No. 56.

We will see where everyone ends up getting drafted, and whether they hear their names called on Friday or Saturday, but it should be an entertaining couple of days for Duck fans.

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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 legend Penei Sewell becomes highest-paid OL in NFL history with Detroit Lions

Former Duck and current Detroit O-lineman Penei Sewell is about to become the richest O-lineman in the history of the NFL.

We knew Penei Sewell is a large human and now his contract will match the former Oregon Duck’s size.

According to ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter, the Detroit Lions is set to extend Sewell for another four years worth $112 million, $83 million guaranteed, making it the largest contract for an offensive lineman in league history.

Sewell will be entering his fourth season in the NFL after being drafted No. 7 overall by the Lions, who were floundering at the time. But in three short seasons, Detroit is a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They narrowly lost in the  NFC Championship Game a year ago.

Sewell has been to the Pro Bowl twice already and has made one All-Pro team as well.

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Wyndham Clark has support of Dan Lanning and the Ducks ahead of Masters debut

We know who Dan Lanning is pulling for this year at The Masters.

Growing up, every golfer’s dream is to make it to the PGA Tour, and eventually have a chance to drove down Magnolia Lane in Augusta, Georgia, gearing up for The Masters Championship. It is among the most legendary tournaments in all of golf, and awards arguably the most prestigious trophy in all of sports — the green jacket.

That’s a trophy that former Oregon Duck Wyndham Clark will be competing for later this week down in Augusta, making his Masters debut. While Clark has been finding success on the PGA Tour for a few years now, it was his win in the U.S. Open a year ago that got him qualifying status for the first major of 2024.

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While Clark has a large group of fans rooting him on from across the country in Eugene, the most notable may be Oregon Ducks head football coach Dan Lanning.

“I’m going to try and catch as much as I can,” Lanning said when asked about The Masters on Tuesday. “We’ll be busy with practice on Thursday and Saturday, but I hope Wyndham goes out there and takes care of business.”

Clark has three career wins on the PGA Tour, one of which came earlier this year at Pebble Beach. He is playing alongside Viktor Hovland and Cameron Smith, teeing off at 7:54 a.m. PT on Thursday morning, and 11 a.m. PT on Friday morning.

At the moment, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, Clark has +4000 odds to win the tournament, which is tied for the 12th best in the field.

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Over half-dozen Ducks selected in latest 7-round mock draft from ESPN

According to the latest mock draft from ESPN, seven Ducks will be selected in the NFL selection process in April.

The NFL draft is less than a month away and we can then see how accurate, or inaccurate, all of the mock drafts are.

To be fair, most are fairly accurate and in the latest mock draft from ESPN, more than a half-dozen Oregon Ducks are expected to be selected.

Writer Matt Miller has turned in his best guess of how the NFL selection process will go and the first Duck to be picked will be quarterback Bo Nix to the Las Vegas Raiders, with the No. 13 overall pick in the first round.

Miller says Nix would “give the Raiders’ offense the dual-threat aspect it needs for new coordinator Luke Getsy. The Raiders could also be in play for a right tackle or wide receiver at this spot after being quiet on the offensive side of the ball in free agency.”

Speaking of receivers, the Ducks had a good one with Troy Franklin and he would go to Detroit at pick No. 61. For an offensive-oriented team with a quarterback like Jared Goff, the Lions would be a great place for Franklin.

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But before Franklin is picked in the second round, Oregon would see someone get to go on stage and shake Commissioner Roger Goodell’s hand and that would be Duck center Jackson Powers-Johnson at No. 20 to Pittsburgh. He would be snapping the ball to their new signal-caller Russell Wilson.

In the third round, defensive back Khyree Jackson would be heading to the nation’s capital and play for the Commanders as selection No. 78. Ten spots later, defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus goes to Green Bay at No. 88.

To round out the draft for Oregon, a pair of Ducks go to Baltimore. Running back Bucky Irving would be picked in the fourth round at No. 130, and defensive back Evan Williams joins him as a seventh-round selection at No. 228.

The draft gets underway less than a month from now on April 25th.

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Report: Troy Dye reunites with Justin Herbert in Los Angeles

Former Oregon linebacker Troy Dye has signed a one-year contract with the Chargers, reuniting him with Justin Herbert.

Sales of Los Angeles Charger jerseys are going to receive an uptick in Oregon.

Not only does former quarterback Justin Herbert lead the Chargers offense, but now former Oregon linebacker Troy Dye signed with Los Angeles as a free agent.

The Norco, Calif. native played out his initial four-year contract with Minnesota where he played in 60 games. But playing time with the Vikings was going to be diminished some, so Dye hit the market and his now going back to his home state.

He signed a one-year deal, but should have a good chance at being a starter for the Super Bowl hopefuls. Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. signed a two-year contract with the Tennessee Titans and his backup, Amen Ogbongbemiga, signed with the Chicago Bears.

In his four seasons up in Minnesota, Dye had 80 tackles, 44 solo, and 1 forced fumble. Dye started eight games.

Report: Arik Armstead to test free agency after release from San Francisco 49ers

Former Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Arik Armstead is expected to test free agency after being released by the San Francisco 49ers.

One of the best Pro Ducks in the NFL is set to hit free agency, where the open market is likely to be very kind to him.

On Sunday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that former Duck Arik Armstead and the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers were unable to reach an agreement in contract talks this offseason, and the elite defensive lineman was going to be released and allowed to test free agency starting this week.

Armstead had 5 sacks for the 49ers during their run to the Super Bowl in 2023, and he has stood as one of the most consistent pieces of the defense for San Francisco during his nine-year career.

We will see over the coming days and weeks where Armstead is going to end up, but there will likely be a solid market for him, with many contending teams often looking for veteran defensive linemen to put them over the top and get them into the championship contention.

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Assessing Troy Franklin’s performance at the NFL Combine

A look at how former Oregon Ducks WR Troy Franklin performed at the 2024 NFL Combine.

The NFL Combine continued on Saturday with the wide receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks, conducting their on-field workouts. One of the most exciting Oregon Ducks to watch was WR Troy Franklin.

Franklin came into the day a bit undersized at 176 lbs., but he used his speed to show that he is still one of the most athletic receivers in the draft. His 40-yard dash time of 4.41 seconds was one of the fastest at the WR position and he impressed scouts with his performance in the jumping drills as well.

In his pass-catching drills, Franklin had some ups and downs. In his gauntlet drill, he dropped a pass, but he fared much better catching passes while running routes during the QB workouts.

Currently, Franklin is graded as a late first-round to early second-round pick. With his performance in the speed drills on Saturday, Franklin could climb up the draft board of several teams looking for a speed demon.

Below is an in-depth look at Franklin’s 2024 Combine performance.

Bo Nix explains approach to his pre-draft interviews at the NFL Combine

How former Oregon Ducks QB Bo Nix is approaching for his pre-draft interviews at the NFL Combine.

The 2024 NFL Combine is taking place this weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where the country’s best college football players have a chance to showcase their abilities to NFL scouts, coaches, and GMs, to improve their stock ahead of the draft in April.

A key aspect of the combine is the player-interview process, where players sit down with teams to discuss in-game and off-the-field situations so that teams can gauge whether or not a player is a good fit for them. Sometimes, this process leads to players being asked some wild questions, as Jonathan Stewart mentioned earlier this week.

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On Friday, former Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix spoke to media about how he’s approached his team interviews so far.

“I think they want to see your ability to not only command the room but how you may lead, or how you respond to certain questions that may make you uncomfortable,” Nix said. “I think at the end of the day they want to use that short amount of time to get to know you and they want to use that time to see what you’re capable of, what you’re made of, maybe what makes you tick a little bit.”

It seems for Nix that one of the biggest keys is to not overthink it. He wants to show each team how much he loves playing football.

“I think it’s all about your energy and your confidence when you go in there. Look them in the eye, talk to them be loud, be vibrant, and make sure that they know that you got passion for the sport that you’re playing,” Nix said “I believe that’s the most important thing. They want to see how much you love the game, how much you love football, how much you’re willing to put into it. I think that’s one of my strengths. I think I’m very passionate about the sport, very passionate about the game. I love preparing. I love getting ready for seasons. I love getting ready for games. It’s one of my favorite things to do and I want to show that through all my interviews.”

Currently, Bo Nix is seen by most experts as a mid-to-late first-round pick, although he could fall into the second round. At the senior bowl in February, Nix bumped his draft stock up considerably after a strong performance, which he’s been looking to do again at the NFL Combine.

On Saturday, Nix — along with the other QBs in Indianapolis — will conduct their on-field workouts, giving each NFL team a front-row seat as they showcase their skills. That workout can be very impactful on a player’s draft stock, especially with QBs.

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