Tag: 2021 NFL draft

Adam Schefter says signs still point to Jayden Daniels going to the Commanders

Schefter is not always right. Remember 2021?

Last week, Adam Schefter of ESPN said he believed LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels would be the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to the Washington Commanders. The preeminent NFL insider didn’t report Daniels was going to Washington, but his wording was interesting.

Schefter said he and others were discouraged from spoiling the picks ahead of time, but signs pointed to Daniels heading to Washington. Again, it was not a report, just a hunch.

Schefter doesn’t often put his name on something that doesn’t end up being true. Remember in January when everyone else assumed Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would be Washington’s next head coach? But it was Schefter who threw cold water on that notion.

Sure enough, Schefter was right.

On the latest episode of “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” Schefter doubled down on Daniels and the Commanders.

“I will stand behind that,” Schefter said. “The signs continue to point to Jayden Daniels going number 2 to Washington.” 

Schefter said nothing had changed his mind regarding Daniels to the Commanders.

While we should often take what Schefter says to the bank, he’s not always right. Remember in 2021 when the San Francisco 49ers moved up to No. 3 in the draft to select a quarterback? Everyone thought it would be Mac Jones —including Schefter.

It ended up being Trey Lance.

What do these two situations have in common? Current Washington GM Adam Peters was San Francisco’s assistant GM in 2021.

Mac Jones trade keeps dropping the 2021 draft QB class into deeper ignominy

5 QBs were drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Only one has done enough to stay with the team that drafted him 3 years later.

Back in the 2021 NFL draft in Cleveland, Mac Jones famously strode his way into legend with his long, purposeful walk to the podium to be the next quarterback of the New England Patriots. Jones was the 15th overall pick in that draft and the fifth quarterback off the board in that draft class.

Now Jones gets to walk back to his hometown, Jacksonville. The Patriots kneecapped the Jones experiment and traded him to the Jaguars on Sunday. The price? A sixth-round pick in next month’s draft.

It didn’t work for Jones in New England. Unfortunately, that’s become the prevailing theme for the teams that took quarterbacks in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft.

In fact, Jones will now back up the only quarterback drafted in the first round of 2021 who will be with the team that selected him in 2024. Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, and to this point, he’s the only one of the five that hasn’t been a failure.

Sure, Justin Fields has had his moments and successes with the Chicago Bears. However, the Bears are moving on from Fields with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, presumably Caleb Williams. Chicago earned the top overall pick in 2023 in part because Fields wasn’t successful enough. Fields is expected to be traded any day now for pennies on the initial draft dollar — just as Jones was.

That too will happen with the No. 2 overall pick, Zach Wilson. The Jets gave up on Wilson quickly, choosing to mortgage their future on Aaron Rodgers. Heck, they brought in Tim Boyle to play ahead of Wilson. He’s expected to be off the Jets roster before the ’24 draft, either via trade or release, if no team wants to give anything up for him. That wouldn’t be a surprise either, after three short seasons.

The third QB selected was also the No. 3 overall pick. Trey Lance has already been traded away by the 49ers, sent to Dallas last year for a 2024 fourth-rounder. After two seasons of barely playing — Lance threw 102 passes in two years for the 49ers — San Francisco happily accepted a Day 3 pick for Lance, a player they sacrificed three first-round picks to acquire in 2021.

Diving a little deeper in the 2021 QB class, Kyle Trask was the last pick of the second round. The Buccaneers brought in Tom Brady and then Baker Mayfield to play over him. He’s thrown 10 career passes, completing three of them. Mayfield is a free agent and there’s been zero talk about Trask maybe taking the reins.

The third-rounders didn’t work either. The Vikings abandoned ship on Kellen Mond (No. 66 overall) after just one game. He ended 2023 on the Colts practice squad. David Mills got a shot with the Texans as the No. 67 pick. He led the NFL in interceptions in 2022, winning just five of his 25 starts in two seasons. He now backs up C.J. Stroud.

Even Lawrence has taken some quiet criticism as the top pick. He led the league in INTs as a rookie and has had an up-and-down career with the Jaguars. He followed a deserved Pro Bowl berth in 2022 with an underwhelming 2023 when he lost his final five starts and threw as many INTs as TDs in that critical late-season collapse by Jacksonville.

Let the 2021 draft class serve as a cautionary tale for teams going crazy with dreams of grandeur stemming from their shot at drafting a first-round quarterback in 2024. Those dreams quickly proved delusional for 80 percent of the 2021 class.

What Bears QB Justin Fields would make on his 5th-year option

Here’s what Justin Fields will make if his fifth-year option is picked up by the Bears — or someone else.

The clock is ticking on a decision regarding Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, both when it comes to a possible trade as well as what to do with his fifth-year option. While we’re still a few weeks away from clarifying the former, the fifth-year option cost has been revealed.

On Friday, the NFL released the fifth-year option amounts for first-round picks from the 2021 NFL draft. They are broken out by position in four different tiers based on Pro Bowl accolades and playing time. Players who made multiple Pro Bowls will make the highest amount, followed by those who made one, then those who met the playing time requirement, and finally those who met none of the criteria.

Fields, the Bears’ 2021 first-round pick, is set to earn $25.664 million on the option in 2025. Fields fits in the third tier of players as he has yet to make a Pro Bowl but meets the criteria for snaps played during his three years in the league. The decision to pick up the option must be made by May 2, and it is fully guaranteed.

The financial commitment to Fields is just one of the factors that will determine his fate in Chicago. The Bears currently hold the No. 1 overall pick and could decide to select a quarterback to build around. It’s important to note that a quarterback picked first overall will have a cap hit of around $7.1 million in 2024, $8.9 million in 2025 and $10.6 million in 2026, for a total of approximately $26.5 million. These totals are slightly higher than the cap hits for Bryce Young, the 2023 first overall pick. The Bears can save quite a bit of money and spend their resources elsewhere to improve the team around a rookie QB.

The fifth-year option won’t impact the Bears or any team in 2024. Cap space isn’t a problem for them either, as they have approximately $80 million to spend. But it’s one of many factors that will help decide what Chicago plans to do at the quarterback position. With the NFL combine taking place next week, we’re getting closer and closer to knowing the answer.

Will the Commanders exercise LB Jamin Davis’ 5th-year option?

Should the Commanders exercise Jamin Davis’ 5th-year option?

One year ago, the Washington Commanders had a massive decision: Whether or not to pick up defensive end Chase Young’s fifth-year option for 2024.

That notion seemed silly at one time, but injuries and a lack of production made Washington’s decision a relatively easy one. The Commanders declined Young’s fifth-year option and traded him during the season to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2024 third-round draft pick.

This year, new general manager Adam Peters has another decision to make. This time, it’s regarding 2021 first-round pick Jamin Davis. It’s safe to say Peters likely will not struggle with that decision.

Through three seasons, Davis has played in 45 games with 36 starts and recorded 269 tackles, including 20 for loss, 10 QB hits, seven sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception. Davis struggled as a rookie when Washington selected him to play Mike linebacker. However, it didn’t take long for the Commanders to move him back outside, and he showed improvement.

Davis had his best season in 2023 before a shoulder injury ended his campaign after 13 games.

NFL.com recently examined all 32 first-round picks from the 2021 NFL draft and predicted whether their fifth-year option would be exercised.

Here’s what was said about Davis:

Exercise the option? No.

I loved Davis coming out of Kentucky and thought he’d be a huge contributor behind a once-stacked Commanders defensive line. But that never came to fruition, and he is currently recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery. Plus, with Washington bringing in a new regime this offseason, the team is most likely to let Davis play out his fourth season before re-evaluating whether it wants to keep the former first-rounder for 2025 and beyond.

We agree. While Davis has shown flashes and improved each season, the bar has been lowered. Peters has drafted some good linebackers in his previous stops, so Davis can play himself into Washington’s future plans with a strong 2024 season.

It will be interesting to see Davis play for a new defensive staff.

Ron Rivera discusses Commanders moving on from Cheeseman

Rivera discusses having to move on from his former draft pick.

Ron Rivera’s Monday press conference began with his being asked about why they made a move at long snapper.

For those who missed the latest news, on Monday, the Commanders released third-year long snapper Camaron Cheeseman. “Well, its just one of those things that there’s a certain point where it hadn’t been fixed, the way it needs to be fixed to be consistent all the time.”

Rivera, uninterrupted, elaborated a bit further, “It’s unfortunate because, for two solid years, we got some real good stuff from him. And unfortunately, this year was not as consistent as it needed to be.”

Cheeseman, the former Michigan Wolverine (who incidentally played his high school ball in Lincoln, OH), was selected by Washington in the sixth round (225 overall) in the 2021 NFL draft.

Instantly for some of us covering the team, it was a head-scratcher because long snappers are most often signed as undrafted free agents. The Commanders had now used a draft choice on a long snapper. Even more, not a seventh-rounder but a sixth-round choice.

Thus, there was an instant pressure on Cheeseman because the Commanders selecting him in the sixth round of that draft instantly raised questions and yes, some criticism.

For those who might not recall, the Commanders had already reached on Jamin Davis, selecting the Kentucky linebacker in the first round, 19th overall, catching draft analysts by surprise, seeing he was projected to go later.

When the draft reached the sixth round, the Commanders surprisingly made a trade — and even more, the trade was made with division-rival Philadelphia. The Commanders traded the Eagles, their fifth-round choice in the next year’s (2022) draft, for two Eagles 2021 choices (one in round six and one in round seven).

With those two 2021 choices, the Commanders selected Cheeseman and Will Bradley-King.

Earlier in the season, with Cheeseman struggling, Rivera actually stated, “We’ll just continue to have Camaron snap until, unfortunately, something happens, then we’ll decide from there.”

Sunday, something happened, and Tress Way was put in danger and an extra point attempt was delayed, giving the Rams time to block it.

Following the game, Cheeseman expressed the most surprising quote of the day, “I’ve been worried all year. Most places I wouldn’t be around still, so I’m taking every week as it is.”

Was that a compliment to Ron Rivera or more an admission of surprise?

Second-round selections of Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal not paying off for the Lions

Detroit’s recent second-round selections of Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal are not paying off for the Lions

As of right now, it’s safe to say that Brad Holmes and the Lions are batting .500 with their second round selections from their last three drafts. Certainly, it’s not expected of any regime in the NFL to get every pick right. That said, the Lions rolled the dice on two defensive lineman in consecutive drafts in the second round and currently, it’s not paying off for Detroit.

When Holmes and Campbell took over, they needed to rebuild this roster inside and out. They had to start in the trenches and for their defense, the first player they took was Levi Onwuzurike.

When looking back at Onwuzurike, he was an explosive pass-rusher out of Washington. Some viewed him as a borderline first-round talent, and he was a player who had a good week at the 2021 Senior Bowl. The downside to him as a prospect was that he was undersized at 6’2″ and 290 pounds. That brought up questions to what position best suits him along the defensive line.

Additionally, Onwuzurike opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That did bring up additional questions of what type of player he would be with a year-long gap of no football being played. However, the Lions looked past those questions and took a player that seemed like a potential spark-plug to a defensive line that desperately needed it. During his rookie season in 2021, he did play almost 400 defensive snaps and recorded 35 tackles, two pressures and one sack. I’d say that was a promising start to his career.

Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury in 2022 and he’s not been the same player. While he’s made a return to the football field, Onwuzurike has only played 73 defensive snaps this season. It’s only led to three total tackles and has resulted in no pressures for him. When watching the tape, he lacks the explosiveness he once had and is consistently getting beat by the opposition due to his lack of length, explosiveness and power.

Could something click so he figures it out down the stretch this season? It’s possible but don’t be surprised if the Lions decide to move on as they desperately need help on defense. It’s a tough pill to swallow but that is part of the business. I don’t think Brad Holmes made the wrong decision in drafting Onwuzurike. He had to pull the trigger on getting help up front. However, when looking back at the 2021 NFL Draft, you can’t help but wonder what this defense would look like had they taken a player such as Asante Samuel Jr, Azeez Ojulari or Nick Bolton.

Moving onto the 2022 NFL Draft, the Lions made the correct decision in drafting Aidan Hutchinson. Regardless of the current results, he’s the heartbeat of their defense. The biggest question from this regime was when they double downed at the defensive end position and drafted Josh Paschal in the second round of that draft. This is after taking Hutch the day before and the year before, they selected Levi Onwuzurike.

During the 2022 NFL Draft, the Lions could have selected Alontae Taylor, Jaquan Brisker or Cam Taylor-Britt with their second round pick. However, they selected Paschal with the 46th overall pick.

Adding depth to the defensive line is common in the NFL but as a whole, the defense needed help in other areas. At the time, their cornerback depth was Jerry Jacobs, Amani Oruwariye, Bobby Price, Jeff Okudah and Bobby Price.

They didn’t have the luxury of doubling down at defensive end. Especially when their depth chart up front already had players such as Julian Okwara, Romeo Okwara and Charles Harris. Meanwhile, their secondary had the names listed above on the depth chart.

Since drafting Paschal, the Lions have gotten 443 defensive snaps out of him (per Pro Football Reference). This has resulted in 31 total tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks in his career. Looking at this season, he’s only played 150 snaps this season and it’s resulted in one total pressure.

Sure, he’s been hampered by a knee injury and it’s caused him to spend time on injured reserve. However, when a player is a top-50 pick in the NFL Draft, there’s an expectation placed on that player. Regardless of the position. For Paschal and Onwuzurike, they should be expected to perform at a high level for this Lions defense. After all, the Lions are 8-3 and appear to be the best team we’ve seen Detroit have in decades.

Adding talent to the Lions secondary with early draft selections could have been just as useful. Instead, the Lions went for having an impactful pass rush. Outside of Hutchinson, the Lions pass rush has been underwhelming this season. As we’ve seen in recent weeks, it’s a big part to why their defense is turning into one of the worst units in football.

It’s a win-now league and oddly enough, this is a win-now team. These two selections have not helped this team right now. Neither of them are contributing enough or at all to further justify their status on this team. There’s potential for both players to figure it out in Detroit. In fact, I hope they do. The unfortunate part is that right now, neither player is living up to the expectations.

 

 

Taking a look back at the Jets’ 2021 NFL draft class

The Jets released RB Michael Carter on Tuesday and we recap how the team’s 2021 NFL draft class has fared thus far.

The New York Jets are amid a two-game skid right now, being outscored by the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders 43-18 in the last two weeks. The Jets held a players-only meeting on Tuesday, and running back Michael Carter was released shortly after.

We are now in the third year of Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas being the head coach-general manager duo for the Jets. The 2021 NFL draft was the first one Saleh and Douglas took part in together, beginning a regime that had fans in New York optimistic about the future.

With the offense struggling with Zach Wilson under center, and Carter being released, now is as good a time as ever to recap how New York’s 2021 NFL draft class has fared thus far.

Lions film Review: Derrick Barnes has been an A-plus run defender this season

Barnes has taken a very big step forward in run defense so far in 2023

One of the surprises for the Detroit Lions defense so far this year is how good linebacker Derrick Barnes has been as a run defender. Through two games this year, he’s only missed one tackle while playing 66 defensive snaps.

With 13 total tackles and a tackle for loss, he’s tied for the team lead in both of those categories. Coming out of Purdue in the 2021 NFL Draft, Barnes was a third-round pick and he’s currently the top ranked defender on the team. In week two, he earned an 85.4 PFF grade for the Lions defense.

Barnes being a consistent contributor in stopping the run has been a huge blessing for this Lions defense. He’s been a key part in helping the Lions only allowing 86.0 rushing yards per game (10th best in the NFL). Let’s dive into the tape and see some of the best run stops from Barnes so far this season.

Starting with one of the first tackles of the game from Barnes against Seattle, we’ll focus on the play above. Aligned in a ’10’, Barnes is playing as the WILL as the tight end (strong side) is to the left. Seattle comes out in 11 personnel (one tight end and one running back) while running the ball.

As Benito Jones (DT 94) gets double teamed, Barnes knows that Jones in good position to clog the A-gap so he trusts his technique and ability to scrape inside of the center. As the center attempts to get to the second level to block Barnes, you’ll notice how Barnes plays square to the line-of-scrimmage and he uses his inside hand/arm to dip and rip under the center.

Afterwards, he displays good lateral movement and speed to chase down the running back. This tackle was one of his seven tackles from Sunday against Seattle.

Moving to the next play, we’ll look at the play above where Barnes is aligned in a ’10’ again. The Lions have Jerry Jacobs (CB 23) down in the box so Barnes is shifted over a gap.

The Seahawks are in 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) and attempt a zone run that gets stopped immediately. Playing with patience, Barnes lets the interior defensive lineman in front of him make a decision on which gaps they’re going to shoot through. Then Barnes attacks downhill.

In the process, he fires into the play-side A-gap and meets the running back in the hole. This was another great tackle from him. Seeing this on a weekly basis so far has been so encouraging.

Lastly, I want to focus on a tackle from week one against the Chiefs that really stood out. Looking at the play above, you can see Barnes aligned in a ’10’ and as the pre-snap motion occurs from the receiver, he shifts into a ’20’ (head up on the guard).

While the Chiefs come out in 11 personnel (one running back and one tight end), you can see Barnes read the slot receiver (WR 4) as he sprints behind the offensive line on this split-zone run. Playing patient and square to the line-of-scrimmage, Barnes has his hands ready to attack. Most importantly, he’s able to get downhill and make the tackle on the ball carrier.

Prior to this season, there was some doubt on the type of player Derrick Barnes could be for the Lions defense. However, provided a spark to the second level of this defense. He’s on pace for 110.5 tackles this season and that’s with only playing 48% of the defensive snaps. As the Lions get ready to face a run first offense in the Atlanta Falcons in week 3, I’d expect Barnes to stay busy this weekend.

Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to turn heads during training camp

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to turn heads during training camp

Much like Dan Campbell doing burpees with his football team, there’s another tradition unlike any other during the Detroit Lions training camp. That tradition is wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown putting in more work than just about everyone.

It’s been a consistent trend every year where St. Brown stays after practice and catches balls from the JUGS machine. When he drops a pass, he punishes himself with push-ups. Today was no different.

After practice, St. Brown went to the JUGS machine, and he dropped the very first ball. But there were no drops after that. He went on to catch 201 balls in a row, and then he ended up doing 20 push-ups for the drop on the first ball.

He did all of this after showing that he’s got a tremendous rapport with quarterback Jared Goff. Not only did St. Brown catch the first pass of the team portion of practice, he had six passes thrown his way during the Lions red-zone drill. All six passes were touchdowns.

Last season, St. Brown earned a nod to the Pro Bowl after recording a career-high 106 receptions. The way he’s come out during a few days of training camp, it’s clear he’s on a mission to have another career year for the Detroit Lions.