Tag: 2022 draft

Chiefs Trent McDuffie leads NFL DBs in forced fumbles through Week 9

Second-year #Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie leads all NFL defensive backs in forced fumbles through Week 9.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a stud on their hands in defensive back Trent McDuffie. The second-year phenom has played outstanding football to this point in the season and is the NFL’s leader in forced fumbles among defensive backs through Week 9.

His forced fumble that led to an insane touchdown against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday helped lift Kansas City to victory. With eight games left on the Chiefs’ 2023 schedule, McDuffie should be expected to continue showcasing his stellar abilities in the secondary.

Kansas City needed help in the defensive backfield after falling short in its 2021 campaign. General manager Brett Veach used one of the picks he acquired from the Tyreek Hill trade to select McDuffie in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, and while the Chiefs have an ongoing need for more help at receiver, the cornerback’s standout play has been worth every bit of the investment it took to get him.

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All 11 2022 draft picks make Packers’ initial 2023 53-man roster

All 11 picks made by Brian Gutekunst in the 2022 draft will get an opportunity to enjoy the second-year leap with the 2023 Packers.

All 11 draft picks made by Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst in 2022 will have an opportunity to create the second-year leap in Green Bay to open the 2023 season.

Linebacker Quay Walker, defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, receiver Christian Watson, offensive lineman Sean Rhyan, receiver Romeo Doubs, offensive lineman Zach Tom, outside linebacker Kingsley Enagbare, linebacker Tariq Carpenter, defensive lineman Jonathan Ford, offensive tackle Rasheed Walker and receiver Samori Toure all made the initial 53-man roster for the Packers on Tuesday.

Not only did Rhyan (2022 third-round pick) improve and lock in a roster spot, but all seven Day 3 picks, including the four seventh-round picks, made the team once again. The Packers also kept Luke Tenuta, a sixth-round pick of the Bills in 2022 who was claimed by the Packers in October of last year.

Walker, Wyatt, Watson, Doubs and Tom will all but important starters. Their collective improvement in Year 2 might be one of the most important factors to the Packers’ success in 2023.

But the expected starters won’t be the only second-year contributors.

Enagbare is a favorite to be the top backup at edge rusher (especially as Rashan Gary works back to full strength) and will be a key special teamer for Rich Bisaccia.

Carpenter is transitioning to linebacker but will play many roles on special teams.

Ford was inactive in all 17 games last season but looks improved to start Year 2, and he’ll be penciled in as the backup behind TJ Slaton at nose tackle.

Walker enjoyed a terrific rise this summer and is now the favorite to be the top backup behind David Bakhtiari at left tackle and swing tackle for the offensive line.

Toure hung onto to a roster spot and might still go into Week 1 as one of Jordan Love’s top four receivers.

Of the 24 draft picks made by Gutekunst over the last two years, 22 made the 53-man roster. The only exceptions were 2023 seventh-round picks Lew Nichols and Grant DuBose, who both dealt with significant injury issues during training camp. The Packers also kept three undrafted free agents this year: Emanuel Wilson, Malik Heath and Brenton Cox Jr., who will add even more young talent to a roster transitioning away from the Aaron Rodgers era and into the Jordan Love era.

Chargers DC Derrick Ansley on DB Ja’Sir Taylor: ‘He is mature past his age’

Defensive back Ja’Sir Taylor made a great impression on defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley during the #Chargers’ offseason program

The Los Angeles Chargers will rely on their defensive secondary to shut down opponents during the 2023 season, and coordinator Derrick Ansley told the media on Wednesday that one unheralded player seems poised to help in that effort.

2022 sixth-round pick Ja’Sir Taylor, he said, was showing a savviness beyond what he expected, and may factor into the Chargers’ defensive strategy if he wins a spot on the 53-man roster after the preseason.

“He’s mature past his age,” Ansley said of Taylor. “He’s a very quiet kid, very observant. He understands the big picture. He’s working hard, just like how the other stars are working hard. That is going to be an interesting battle once we get to camp.”

Taylor made three starts last season as a rookie and used his elite speed to chase down ball carriers for 22 combined tackles. With just a single pass defensed in 2022, the jury is still out on his ball skills, but with quotes like this coming out of Los Angeles’ mandatory minicamp, Taylor is certainly a player that fans should keep their eyes on.

Packers rookie review: LB Quay Walker

A full review of the rookie season of linebacker Quay Walker, the Green Bay Packers’ first of two first-round picks in the 2022 draft.

The Green Bay Packers made 11 picks during the 2022 NFL draft: six offensive players and five defensive players. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be going through and reviewing the 2022 season for all of the Packers’ rookies.

First up: linebacker Quay Walker, the 22nd overall pick and the Packers’ first of two first-round draft picks in 2022:

Cowboys draft class rated among NFL’s best rookie groups in 2022

The Cowboys were initially criticized by many for their selections, but after a full regular season, things have changed a great deal. | From @ReidHanson

The Dallas Cowboys weren’t greeted with fanfare or praise when they made their selections in the 2022 NFL draft. From their first pick to their last, they raised eyebrows and drew the criticism of many fans, draftniks, and media members.

Dallas’ draft class stood as a stark contrast to the crowd-pleasing 2020 haul which they stumbled into bargain after bargain after leading off with CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs. And the steady 2021 draft class that added 11 players to the roster (one named Micah Parsons), all of whom are still with the team today.

The Cowboys’ class swam against the current of consensus draft boards. It stubbornly attacked positions of need and had no problem reaching for a player if that player was deemed the right fit by Will McClay and team.

Typically, it takes years to properly judge a draft class. Players develop at different rates, opportunities arise at unpredictable times and internal competition can be prohibitive. But at this moment, just one season into their professional careers, the Cowboys draft class has done enough to stand out. Stand out so much that one of the most opinionated football sites on the web is calling them a top-five draft class.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked the Dallas rookie class as No. 5 in the NFL this season. They pointed out Tyler Smith developing at a far faster rate than they had imagined and called DaRon Bland “a steal” in the fifth round. They also still hold out hope for Jalen Tolbert development as a receiver in 2023.

In a separate article dedicated to building an all-rookie team, PFF has Smith included in their starting lineup. While they admitted to bending the rules a little by fitting him in at guard, it’s a testament to how much they think of the player who was supposed to be a project – not a standout rookie.

In all fairness, PFF never hated the Cowboys draft class as much as others. They always loved the ceiling of Smith, Sam Williams, Tolbert, and Waletzko. They just never thought some of these “projects” would be making an impact this quickly into their careers.

The Cowboys’ rookie class of 2022 is a big reason why Dallas is seeing the kind of success they are today. They asked a lot of their first year players this season and they’re getting a lot back.

Jets rookies get ‘A’ grade from Bleacher Report

A lot of love for the New York Jets rookies in their preseason efforts.

With the preseason on the books, it’s time for folks to see how rookies fared in their first NFL action. For some, it may be a confirmation bias of their favorite players, for better or for worse. For others, perhaps they saw something in the preseason that they didn’t expect from a player while watching him in college.

Maurice Moton over at Bleacher Report took a look at each team’s rookie performances this preseason and came away very impressed by the rookies for the Jets, giving them an “A” grade.

We didn’t see a lot from the New York Jets’ rookie class in the preseason, but the coaching staff spoke volumes about this group at the podium and with its roster decisions.

Clearly, head coach Robert Saleh trusts his top pick. He named Gardner a starter for Week 1, which isn’t a surprise to anyone. The 2021 AAC Defensive Player of the Year has great size (6’3”, 200 lbs) with the ball-tracking skills (nine interceptions at Cincinnati) to become an elite cornerback.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich had an up-close look at Johnson and came away impressed with his speed off the edge.

“A lot of things have been promising about what he’s done in practice and the game,” Ulbrich said to reporters. “But what jumped out at thought was his speed. That is probably one of the biggest things that we coveted. He is a guy with a lot of size and length.”

Clemons could have a decent role at defensive end. While the Texas A&M product didn’t seem impressedwith himself, he had a strong preseason debut with four tackles and a sack (tackle for loss).

On the offensive side of the ball, Wilson can provide a spark to the passing attack. He’ll have to overcome a less-than-ideal quarterback situation with 37-year-old Joe Flacco in line to start while Zach Wilson recovers from knee surgery.

The Jets may lean on the run game early in the season with Michael Carter and Hall in the backfield. The rookie second-rounder didn’t have an efficient preseason, rushing for 29 yards on 14 carries. As the bigger back, Hall could take over short-yardage and goal-line touches though, but he’s going into the season as the backup, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Some early love for the Jets draft class of 2022. And that love should only continue to grow as these players build and develop. It should be a fun ride with this group.

One big thing to love about each of the Packers’ 11 draft picks in 2022

Finding one big thing to love about each of the Packers’ 11 draft picks in 2022, from Quay Walker to Samori Toure.

The Green Bay Packers added 11 new players to the roster during the 2022 NFL draft. General manager Brian Gutekunst used this year’s draft to select an athletic linebacker and defensive lineman in the first round, plus three offensive linemen, three wide receivers, an edge rusher, a hybrid linebacker/safety and a massive nose tackle.

There is no better dose of optimism for an NFL team than the draft. Draft picks are the lifeblood of a competitive roster. The upside of these new players – and the things they’ll bring to the table – provide a jolt of excitement, especially for a team that lost several key players during the offseason.

Here is one big thing to like about each of the Packers’ 11 picks:

3 Words: Legendary grandfather’s advice to Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson will guide his future

The 4th-rounder grew up with Wisconsin football royalty; now he’ll bring what he learned to Dallas for a 1-2 punch alongside Dalton Schultz. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Growing up in Wisconsin, football was in Jake Ferguson’s blood. Literally. What the tight end learned there over his first 23 years he’ll now bring to the Lone Star State as the fourth-round draft pick of the Cowboys in the 2022 draft.

Midwesterners are famous for being a people who tend to let their actions speak for them. So it’s perhaps fitting that Ferguson’s personal mantra can be boiled down to three simple words, a motto that sprang from within Fergsuon’s own family tree.

His grandfather is Barry Alvarez, a man who has achieved gridiron royalty status in a state that already boasts an stadium mecca named for one Packers coach and where another lends his name to the game’s ultimate prize.

So suffice it to say that during his own time in Green Bay, Mike McCarthy had a good idea of who Alvarez was and what he was all about.

“Hey, he’s got a statue in front of the stadium [in Madison],” McCarthy said last week. “I think that says it all.”

Alvarez took over a Badgers program in 1990 that was recognized as one of the doormats in the Big Ten. By the time he stepped down (to become the school’s athletic director) in 2005, Wisconsin had won three conference titles, won three Rose Bowls, and transformed itself into a perennial contender within the college football world.

That’s the life that Ferguson grew up absorbing, so The Alvarez Way was well instilled in him by the time the tight end got to the school himself.

“We always talk about three words that we live by at Wisconsin: smart, tough, dependable,” the Badgers tight end said last week after being selected 129th overall. “In the last five years of college football, I’ve been trying to base my life on and off the field off of those three words.”

Ferguson found himself using the same three words in selling himself to McCarthy when the two met in Indianapolis at the scouting combine.

“That was my pitch to Coach McCarthy, telling him, ‘Hey, I’m smart. I’m gonna be able to pick up the plays,” he told reporters during his first press conference as a Cowboys draft pick. “I’m tough; throw me into any scenario and I’ll be ready. And I’m dependable: you can depend on me.'”

It made an impression on McCarthy, who was quick to remind Ferguson of his pledge as the team turned in his card during the fourth round of Saturday’s draft.

“I know you’ll be a great fit for out locker room, ” the coach told him over the phone. “I remember your words in your interview, so I’m going to hold you to it. Just come in here and kick ass and be yourself.”

Ferguson just being himself will hopefully allow the Cowboys to enjoy renewed success with their rushing attack.

“At Wisconsin, we were a run-heavy team,” Ferguson says. “Growing up there, I know that tight ends are going to be blocking at Wisconsin. I came in  really lightweight. I was 205 [pounds] my freshman year and knowing that I had to gain weight, and I only got to 235. Then I had to make it up, not only with my technique and knowledge of what to do, but also just my mindset of how to approach a block… It’s almost like you have to be pissed off and have great technique to block the best guys out there.”

And when great technique fails, Ferguson has always been a guy who manages to find another way to get it done.

He shared a story over draft weekend of playing youth soccer, a short-lived experience that only cemented his future as a football player.

“I got kicked out of my youth soccer league for tackling people,” the Madison native explained. “I just remember we were playing and there was this little kid who had the ball. I think he stole it from my teammate, and I was one of the defensive guys. I just thought I was one of the defensive guys, and I needed to tackle, so I chased him down and knocked him down, picked him up, and then they kicked me out of the league.

“My mom was the coach, and she was like, ‘Come on, Jake.’ The person who ran the league was there, and he was like, ‘You’ve got to get him out of here.’ She was like, ‘Yeah, we probably should.'”

Years later, soccer’s loss is the Cowboys’ gain. Now Ferguson looks to come in and get to work providing a one-two punch alongside veteran Dalton Schultz.

“I used to pick apart some of his film, especially when I was in college,” Ferguson said of his new teammate. “Him being that sort of all-around tight end was one of the things I wanted to do, especially as a younger tight end, and build my game up in that sense. Just be the guy who not only can be in the trenches blocking, but also go make plays out in the pass game.”

That multitasking approach to Ferguson’s game is something McCarthy likes, too.

“Obviously we had a chance to visit with him at the combine,” the coach told media members, “and we had really good grades on him. I think his versatility both on the ball and off the ball; tough guy; grew up in it.”

Smart. Tough. Dependable.

Three simple words for a kid from Wisconsin. Now he’ll get the chance to see how far they can take him with America’s Team.

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Packers excited for potential of ‘polished’ WR Romeo Doubs

The Packers think rookie WR Romeo Doubs can use a combination of athleticism size and a polished skill set to become a playmaker in Green Bay.

The Green Bay Packers think they are getting a polished and experienced receiver with legitimate playmaking ability in fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs.

In a sitdown with Packers.com, general manager Brian Gutekunst said Doubs caught the eye of area scouts early in his collegiate career and kept the attention by producing big numbers year after year at Nevada.

“Romeo, a guy that has been productive pretty much his entire time in college. (Area scout) Luke Benuska and (national scout) Sam Seale, our West Coast guys, really liked him from the beginning. It’s easy to see why,” Gutekunst said.

The Packers took Doubs at No. 132 overall in the fourth round.

The production is undeniable. A four-year starter, Doubs (6-1, 201) caught 225 passes for 3,322 yards and 26 touchdowns over 45 games and 37 starts between 2018 and 2021. A three-time All-Mountain West Conference selection, Doubs had at least 500 receiving yards during all four seasons, including back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to end his collegiate career. He also returned 39 punts, including one for a touchdown, and averaged almost 12 yards per return.

The Packers believe Doubs can combine natural athleticism and the polish gained with experience to create a playmaking weapon in the NFL.

“He’s got length, he’s really fast, he’s a big-time playmaker and he’s done it for multiple years at Nevada,” Gutekunst said. “He’s probably one of the more polished players coming out of college just because of his experience. We’re excited to see what he can do.”

Last season, Doubs caught 12 passes from Carson Strong thrown over 20 yards in the air, creating 444 of his 1,109 receiving yards, per Pro Football Focus. He also dropped only four passes on 110 targets and averaged 2.3 yards per route run.

Over his final two seasons, Doubs caught 138 passes for 2,111 yards and 20 touchdowns in just 20 games. He averaged 17.3 yards per catch as a junior before catching a career-high 80 passes as a senior.

Testing was limited during the pre-draft process due to a knee injury, but Doubs did run in the 4.5-range at his individual pro day. He was one of the fastest players tracked at the Senior Bowl, and the Packers think he plays fast on the field.

“We liked his play speed. We thought he played fast on tape. He’s a fairly big kid
we thought he was very intriguing,” director of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan said. “Good value where we got him.”

In Green Bay, Doubs will get a chance to carve out a role right away as a rookie and become a foundational piece at receiver. It’s possible Doubs, 2022 second-round pick Christian Watson and 2021 third-round pick Amari Rodgers will represent the future of the position for the Packers.

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Pre-draft phone call from Dak Prescott helped sell Cowboys on WR Jalen Tolbert

The South Alabama WR impressed at a private workout, but he was stunned when QB Dak Prescott called him in the days leading up to the draft. | From @ToddBrock24f7

When his phone rang on Friday night, Jalen Tolbert wasn’t exactly shocked to see that the incoming call was from “The Star.”

Turns out the 23-year-old wide receiver from the University of South Alabama had an inkling- or two- that the Cowboys might be calling on draft weekend.

Not only had the third-round selection done a private workout with Cowboys that went exceptionally well, he revealed after being the 88th overall pick that he had gotten a rather unusual call in the days leading up to the draft… from none other than the man who’ll now be throwing him passes on Sundays.

“I got a phone call from Dak a couple days ago,” Tolbert told The Draft Show shortly after hearing his name called. “We talked on the phone for about twenty minutes and just talked about ball and relationship with quarterbacks and what I could bring to the table.”

What Tolbert brings is a 6-foot-1-inch frame, good high-point ability, the ability to line up in multiple spots, and a knack for contested catches. He was the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 after 82 receptions and 1,474 receiving yards, marks that broke his own school records.

His body of work with the Jaguars- plus an impressive Senior Bowl showing against college all-star talent- earned him a private workout with the Cowboys shortly after South Alabama’s Pro Day.

New wideouts coach Robert Prince called Tolbert “the right type of guy, a guy we’re going to have to kick out of the building. That’s how hard he’s going to want to work.”

Work started at that very first session with Prince.

“The workout was a great workout, and we both enjoyed it,” Tolbert told reporters via conference call over the weekend. “I showed that I can retain information and be able to run routes in the system of the Cowboys. After, I remember asking Coach, ‘Hey Coach, what can I work on?’ and he was like,  ‘I’ll tell you that when we make you a Cowboy,’ so I kind of got a little heads- up there.”

Speaking directly with him on draft night from the war room, Prince confirmed that Tolbert’s workout had sealed the deal.

“We knew this day was coming, didn’t we? I knew when we left the building that this was going to happen, that you were our guy.”

The Cowboys got such a good feeling that Prescott reached out to him personally leading up to the draft. That phone call not only helped sell Prescott on the small-school prospect, it also went a long way in convincing the Cowboys front office that they were zeroing in on someone who would mesh well with the playmakers already in their locker room.

“For me, that was a Dak thing,” said vice president of player personnel Will McClay in the team’s Day 2 press conference. “It’s the importance of him to the organization. He reached out, and we said, ‘Hey, here’s some guys for you to do your thing with.’ Because we’re 50-plus years old here, and we have an impression and a feeling about him, and the guys that are in the locker room also pick up tendencies and things. It was important for a great person like him to reach out to these guys and give us some feedback.”

Prescott was the only quarterback Tolbert says he heard from, as it’s not a common practice.

“I actually thought it was a call, like, ‘Hey, is this your draft pick number?'” Tolbert shared with media members. “I answered, and he was like, ‘Jalen!’ and I was like, ‘What’s up?’ and he was like, ‘It’s Dak Prescott, man. How are you doing?’ For a minute, it was a surreal moment, because I never knew quarterbacks would call prospects, but it was awesome.”

And as the Cowboys try to rebuild their receivers room following the offseason departures of Amari Cooper, Cedrick Wilson, and Malik Turner, the fact that Prescott started to develop a bond and chemistry with his newest receiver before he’d even been selected on draft night can only pay dividends moving forward.

As for Tolbert, he was hoping to hit his new QB back while he was still at his own draft party.

“He told me to hit him up if I needed anything,” the Mobile native said Friday. “I’m definitely calling him tonight and letting him know that I’m ready to get all the plays. I need the playbook.”

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