Tag: 2017 NFL Draft

Former Saints All-Pro effectively signed his retirement papers

Ryan Ramczyk effectively signed his retirement papers this week. The Saints saved a lot of salary cap space, but his departure won’t be processed until June:

It’s a shame Ryan Ramczyk’s career ended this way. The New Orleans Saints’ former All-Pro right tackle effectively signed his retirement papers this week, having missed the entire 2024 season with a chronic knee injury. This was expected even if it’s unpleasant at best.

Per Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, Ramczyk agreed to waive his $18 million base salary for 2025 while reducing it to the league minimum, which saved the Saints a little more than $16.7 million against the salary cap. He’ll remain on the roster until June 2 with a cap hit of $12.3 million (instead of $29 million before this move), at which point they’ll formally release him and process his retirement.

That timing is all about cap purposes; we’ve seen the team use this same approach before for retiring players like Malcolm Jenkins and Drew Brees. When Ramczyk’s release and retirement are officially processed in June, the Saints will get that $1.2 million base salary back as a cap credit with about $11 million left behind in dead money for 2025 and $11.9 million in 2026. Then he’s off the books for good in 2027.

Still, it’s a disappointing end for Ramczyk’s career. He won recognition as an All-Pro three times, with two spots on the second team (2018 and 2020) and a place on the first team in 2019. He’s done really well for himself after going from welding school to playing for his old high school coach at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, which put him on the recruiting radar. He transferred to join the Wisconsin Badgers, started a full season for them at left tackle and then was drafted by the Saints in 2017’s first round. He switched to the right side without much prep time and went on to enjoy an impressive seven-year career.

If his knee had held up, Ramczyk would still be starting for the Saints today. But they tried everything to improve it without success, and the best thing for his health is to shed his playing weight and move on. We’ll wish him the best in retirement.

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Texans select Alabama OL Tyler Booker in 2025 NFL mock draft

In the latest mock draft from Pro Football Network, the Houston Texans shore up their offensive line with the selection of an All-American.

If C.J. Stroud plans to stay upright in 2025, the Houston Texans need an All-American guard to pair alongside Laremy Tusnil.

Consider that mission accomplished based on one mock draft to start the new year.

Dalton Miller’s latest 2025 NFL mock draft for the Pro Football Network has the Texans shoring up their trenches with the selection of Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker with the 21st overall pick in the first round. Houston’s draft plan is simple on Day 1: take the best lineman available and worry about the rest later.

The Crimson Tide lineman has never truly relinquished his title as the best interior blocker in the class. But to Booker’s dismay, NFL evaluators and decision-makers alike have great imaginations and see the tackle-to-guard route as viable for some in the class.

Shaq Mason is a 10-year veteran with a ton of miles, and the left guard spot, where Booker plays, has long been in flux because of underwhelming performance and injuries.

While the Texans could pivot toward the defensive line, their inability to secure a long-term left guard makes Booker’s selection intriguing. The junior comes from an offense built on a ground game emphasis under both Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer.

Houston could certainly use road mauler to open running lanes for Joe Mixon in Bobby Slowik’s offense. Former first-round pick Kenyon Green isn’t expected to start again after three lackluster seasons.

Mason, who will turn 32 this offseason, could be considered a cap casualty after an underwhelming 2024 season for the AFC South champions.

The Texans currently hold six picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, which will be held in Green Bay from April 24-26.

Alvin Kamara is the last man standing from the legendary 2017 Saints draft class

With Marshon Lattimore getting traded away, Alvin Kamara is the last man standing from the legendary 2017 Saints draft class:

The New Orleans Saints have officially traded away four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders. With that, they now only have one active player left on the roster from their legendary 2017 draft class, and that is Alvin Kamara. Here is a breakdown of each player, which picks they were, and where they now are around the NFL:

  • Round 1, Pick 11: CB Marshon Lattimore – traded to Washington Commanders
  • Round 1, Pick 32: OT Ryan Ramczyk – placed on reserve/PUP list
  • Round 2, Pick 42: S Marcus Williams – signed by Baltimore Ravens
  • Round 3, Pick 67: RB Alvin Kamara – remains with New Orleans Saints
  • Round 3, Pick 76: LB Alex Anzalone – signed by Detroit Lions
  • Round 3, Pick 103: DE Trey Hendrickson – signed by Cincinnati Bengals
  • Round 6, Pick 196: DE Al-Quadin Muhammad – signed by multiple teams, now with Detroit Lions

Alvin Kamara and Ryan Ramczyk both remain, however Ramczyk’s knee injury may end up ending his career, and he is missing the entire 2024 season due to this. Kamara is the only one who remains technically, and he just signed a two-year extension only a few weeks ago to tie him to the Saints through the 2026 season.

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Former Bengals first rounder John Ross signed by Eagles

John Ross is back in the NFL.

Former Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick John Ross was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles to a one-year deal this week, coming out of a retirement he announced in 2023 after playing with the Kansas City Chiefs briefly. He hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2021.

Ross, who is known as one of the biggest draft busts in Bengals history, was taken with the ninth overall selection in the 2017 NFL draft, one pick ahead of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Bengals have since found their own franchise quarterback in Joe Burrow with the first pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Coming into the league, Ross was known for his elite speed, running a 4.22-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which is still the second fastest in history at the event.

In his Bengals career, Ross had 51 catches for 733 yards and 10 touchdowns, having his best season in 2019 with 28 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns.

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Garett Bolles makes PFF’s list of Top 101 players in the NFL

Congrats to Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles for making PFF’s list of the top 101 players in the NFL!

Before the NFL’s new year began on March 13 with the official opening of the free agent tampering period, Pro Football Focus released its list of the top 101 players from the 2023 season. Only one Broncos player made the list: left tackle Garett Bolles.

Although Bolles made the list at No. 99 out of 101, PFF praised the 2017 first-round draft pick.

“Bolles was an iron man for the Broncos, playing more than 1,000 snaps at left tackle and earning excellent PFF grades in the process,” Sam Monson wrote on PFF’s website. “He posted an 83.8 PFF pass-blocking grade, the second-best mark of his career.”

Bolles has been a stalwart member of the Denver offensive line since he was drafted. Bolles had severe holding issues at the beginning of his career, but eventually, coaches saw enough improvement in his play to reward him with a four-year, $68 million extension in November 2020. That deal will expire after the 2024 campaign.

Do the Broncos keep Bolles around after 2024, or will he be another veteran casualty of a rebuilding franchise? Only time will tell.

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The case for Ravens DB, Marlon Humpery, as the best corner in the NFL

Marlon Humphrey has quietly been one of the best defensive players in the NFL

When you think of the great Alabama defensive backs, names like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Trevon Diggs and Patrick Surtain come to mind. Yet, it often feels like [autotag]Marlon Humphrey[/autotag] doesn’t receive that same recognition despite being arguably the best of the group. Humphrey was a two-year starter for the Tide leaving after his junior year and was ultimately selected No. 16 overall in the 2017 NFL draft.

Since arriving in the NFL, Humphrey has been the staple of the Ravens defense which is almost always at the top of the NFL ranks. Part of it might be the flash of Lamar Jackson, or the great coaching of John Harbaugh, but Humphrey flies under the radar as potentially being the best defensive back in the NFL. Now, before you call this an unreasonably bold take, here are some of his numbers.

Since 2019, Humphrey has started 59 of 60 games for the Ravens, and we all know that availability is the best ability in professional sports. Outside of a torn pectoral muscle in December 2021 that ended his season, he has been one of the most reliable players in the NFL.

In that four-year span, Humphrey had 276 total tackles, broke up 45 passes, snagged eight interceptions and even led the NFL in forced fumbles in 2020 with eight. He’s been named a three-time Pro Bowler and a First-Team All-Pro in 2019 for his efforts, quietly a very impressive resume for the 26-year-old star.

However, 2022 might have been his most impressive season as he was in coverage for 664 snaps and allowed zero touchdowns, the most snaps of any player without surrendering a score. With Lamar under a new deal and a better roster in place for Baltimore, expect the Ravens and Humphrey to be one of the scariest teams in the AFC this season.

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27 Days, 27 Picks: TE O.J. Howard

Today’s player in our 27 Days, 27 Picks series is the first one in the series who no longer plays for Tampa Bay:

In 27 Days, 27 Picks, Bucs Wire will analyze the last 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft picks, one for each day leading up to the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll take a look at the player’s college stats, their pre-draft numbers (either via the NFL Combine or their Pro Day), their NFL stats, some player footage and analysis at the end on whether the pick itself was a good one.

We’ve already done a rundown on TE [autotag]O.J. Howard[/autotag] recently, but we’ll go a bit more in-depth here. Howard was lauded as one of the top prospects in the NFL draft in 2017, but what initially appeared as a boon for the Bucs turned into a guessing game of what could have been.

Check out the rundown on Howard down below:

Patrick Mahomes wanted to be a Chicago Bear, according to his father

Old wounds were ripped open on Monday as Patrick Mahomes’ father confirms the Bears told the star QB they were picking him back in 2017.

It’s been over five years since the Chicago Bears traded up one spot to select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky second overall, passing up on superstar Patrick Mahomes in the process. Mahomes of course was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs eight picks later and is now headed to his third Super Bowl in four years, while Bears fans everywhere have been left to wonder what could have been.

Rehashing the past gets old after a while and Bears fans have done their best to move on, but thanks to a new revelation by a member of Mahomes’ family, those old wounds were ripped open.

Fresh off celebrating the Chiefs’ 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game, Patrick Mahomes Sr. joined 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel. After talking about the win, the conversation steered towards the infamous draft decision and Mahomes Sr. not only confirmed reports of the Bears’ interest in his son, but said he was told he would be going to Chicago.

“They told him they were going to draft him,” Mahomes Sr. said. “We thought he was going to be the third pick overall and go to Chicago. He had a great meeting when he went there and liked all the guys that were doing the stuff there and thought he was going to be a Bear. Then once they traded up and got Mitch, it kind of hurt him. It really did. He always knew that Kansas City had told him that they were going to come up and get him. They just didn’t know how far they’d have to go. But initially, he thought he was going to be a Chicago Bear.”

The Bears’ interest in Mahomes had already been documented, thanks to an in-depth piece on Bleacher Report that broke down the 2017 NFL Draft by Kayln Kahler in 2020. But hearing it from his father hits differently, especially knowing that he wanted to be a Bear.

“He definitely wanted to be there,” Mahomes Sr. said. “He liked everything about it and he was looking forward to going there. Who doesn’t want to be the first quarterback taken in the draft? It was definitely a situation where he thought he was going to be there and be there for a long time.”

The draft process that season was all over the place, with then-GM Ryan Pace reportedly going rogue by drafting Trubisky and not running the decision by his staff, including then-coach John Fox. Mahomes Sr. couldn’t identify which members of the Bears his son met with, just that he had met with multiple personnel over the course of the pre-draft process.

The sting of picking Trubisky over Mahomes will always be there for Bears fans in some way shape or form. Mahomes is likely on his way to winning his second Most Valuable Player award and is breaking records every season, all while still being just 27 years old. Trubisky, on the other hand, lasted just four seasons with the Bears with mixed results and is now a backup for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Mahomes Sr. likes what he sees from the Bears’ current quarterback Justin Fields.

“Ya’ll got a good one there,” Mahomes Sr. said of Fields as the hosts pined over the revelation. “He’s going to do some things. I like everything that he does and I think he’s going to be a hell of a quarterback.”

Fields isn’t in the same stratosphere as Mahomes and may never get there, but he showed flashes in his second season that at least helps ease the pain of missing on a generational quarterback five years ago. Mahomes and Fields are set to square off in 2023 for the first time in the regular season as the Bears will visit the Chiefs at some point next fall.

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