Tag: 2022 NFL Combine

WATCH: Commanders share portion of Sam Howell’s NFL combine interview

Sam Howell meeting with Washington’s coaches at the 2022 NFL combine.

As we inch closer to the 2023 NFL draft, some teams are taking a look back at 2022.

The Washington Commanders selected quarterback Sam Howell with the first pick of the fifth round in 2022. Some believed Howell was one of last year’s draft steals, including NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.

While the Commanders were able to select Howell in the fifth round, they reportedly would have chosen him much sooner if not for the trade for Carson Wentz.

It was Howell’s film Washington liked. Howell possessed a strong arm, with a nice touch on deep passes, and was also an underrated runner. But Howell also impressed the Commanders throughout the interview process, which began at the 2022 NFL combine.

On Tuesday, the Commanders released a portion of Howell’s interview with Howell from that combine.

Running back Brian Robinson Jr. was also included in the video.

The Commanders are first on the clock at No. 16 overall in the first round of the draft Thursday night.

Iowa Hawkeyes safety Dane Belton mocked to Denver Broncos in ESPN’s 7-round mock draft

ESPN’s Jordan Reid has Iowa’s Dane Belton landing with the Denver Broncos in his seven-round 2022 NFL mock draft.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid put together a full seven-round 2022 NFL mock draft. Similar to plenty of the other mock drafts out there, Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum was projected as a first-round draft pick by Reid to the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 24 overall pick.

The Cowboys must replace guard Connor Williams and provide competition for center Tyler Biadasz. Linderbaum is a hard-nosed run-blocker who can win by cutting off angles and punishing interior defenders with physicality.

He needs to get stronger to improve his anchor as a pass protector, but he’s a significant upgrade over what Dallas has at left guard now. – Reid, ESPN.

Linderbaum coming off the board in the first round is beginning to feel like more of a foregone conclusion. He performed well in his Pro Day and has been trending as a first-round pick for some time.

What was perhaps more interesting was the other Iowa Hawkeye that Reid had being drafted. Reid projected Iowa defensive stalwart Dane Belton to be drafted by the Denver Broncos with the No. 232 overall pick in the seventh round.

Belton finished his Iowa career with 26 starts. The 6-foot-1, 205 pound Tampa, Fla., native started all 14 games last season for the Hawkeyes as he alternated between the CASH and strong safety positions. Belton finished tied-fourth nationally with five interceptions last season. Over the course of the 2021 season, Belton registered 46 total tackles, seven pass breakups, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. Belton ended his Hawkeye career with 112 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 17 passes defensed.

Denver would be an interesting landing spot for Belton. The Broncos ranked No. 3 last season in scoring defense, No. 8 in passing defense and No. 15 in rushing defense.

In Reid’s mock draft, he had Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson going No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The rest of Reid’s top-five picks looked like this: Liberty quarterback Malik Willis No. 2 to the Detroit Lions, Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal No. 3 to the Houston Texans, Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux No. 4 to the New York Jets and North Carolina State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu No. 5 to the New York Giants.

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Iowa Hawkeyes’ Tyler Linderbaum impresses during Pro Day

With the 2022 NFL draft swiftly approaching, Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum posted good numbers at his Pro Day.

Iowa center [autotag]Tyler Linderbaum[/autotag] is widely projected to be a first-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft. Five different analysts from NFL.com, Touchdown Wire and Draft Wire had Linderbaum being selected in the first round by either the Baltimore Ravens or the Cincinnati Bengals.

Pro Football Focus’ Michael Renner had the Miami Dolphins taking Linderbaum in the first round, while USA TODAY Sports’ Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz predicted that the Dallas Cowboys would select Linderbaum with the No. 24 overall pick. A pair of CBS Sports writers also projected Linderbaum to land with a pair of NFC East teams in the first round.

It makes sense why teams are so high on Linderbaum. The 6-foot-3, 290 pound center was the highest-graded college player last season according to Pro Football Focus. He started each of Iowa’s 35 games over the past three seasons and Bleacher Report included Linderbaum among its most likely 2022 NFL draft picks to start week one next season.

Linderbaum didn’t participate in the 2022 NFL combine as he was still nursing a foot sprain that he suffered during Iowa’s 20-17 loss to Kentucky in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl. That was still the case when other Hawkeyes took part in Iowa’s Pro Day on March 21.

Linderbaum went ahead and had his Pro Day today. Here’s a look at the numbers he posted and how they stack up against other offensive linemen.

Pre-free agency mock draft: QB carousel sends the first round into a tizzy

With NFL free agency just around the corner, and the scouting combine in the rear-view, how might the first round of the draft be affected?

If you want to know how the NFL really feels about the 2022 quarterback draft class, you only need to look at the deals that were made during and after the scouting combine. Aaron Rodgers re-upped with the Green Bay Packers. The Broncos traded two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and three players to the Seahawks for Russell Wilson. And the Washington Commanders, for whatever reason, traded for Carson Wentz and agreed to eat a lot of Wentz’s remaining salary — which has proven to be a massive overpay when aligned with Wentz’s performance.

There’s also the Deshaun Watson situation, which is its own unique bag of badgers.

Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral, and Sam Howell. Those are the five main players at the quarterback position in this year’s draft class, trying to state their respective cases as future franchise field-tilters.

Based on everything to date, results have been mixed. The word on this quarterback class has been out for a while — you may strike gold with one of these players in the right system, and you’re just as likely to get fooled by traits over performance — or, need over reality.

As a result, this draft could just as easily be like the 2013 draft, in which 11 quarterbacks were selected, but only one — Florida State’s EJ Manuel — was taken in the first round, and either Geno Smith or Mike Glennon proved to be the best of the group. Just because quarterbacks are overstuffed from a value perspective doesn’t mean that all of these guys in 2022 are automatic first-rounders. Some years just don’t give up the best players at the game’s most important position.

This particular mock, coming as it does a few days before the 2022 league year begins and free-agency frenzy gets underway, is affected by that process, and those particular needs. There are just three quarterbacks in this first-round projection, and all I can say at this point is: Don’t be completely surprised if this is how it shakes out.

Who does Washington land in new Todd McShay mock draft?

Todd McShay fills a major need for Washington in his latest mock draft.

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Since the fall, almost every mock draft had the Washington Commanders selecting a quarterback with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Now that Washington has traded for Carson Wentz, mock drafts have become more interesting.

Todd McShay of ESPN released his first post-combine mock draft Wednesday and originally had the Commanders selecting Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett at No. 11 overall. However, after news of the Wentz trade broke, McShay adjusted his new mock draft.

Did he have the Commanders replacing guard Brandon Scherff, as Daniel Jeremiah did recently? Or does he give Wentz more help at wide receiver? Or, maybe, he finally gives the Commanders a legit inside linebacker?

At No. 11, McShay went with Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd.

Here’s what McShay said about Lloyd to Washington:

Well, the Commanders certainly no longer need a quarterback after trading for Carson Wentz. That changes things when it comes to the draft, since I had Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh) heading that way this morning before the deal was reported. The pivot has to be to the defense, which was 27th in yards per play allowed (5.7), 29th in opponent QBR (52.9) and 25th in points against (25.5) last season. Sure, the Commanders used a 2021 first-rounder on Jamin Davis, but his rookie season was up-and-down, and Lloyd’s sideline-to-sideline range and versatility can help Washington in a bunch of areas. Lloyd filled the stat sheet with impact numbers in all facets of the game, registering 96 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions and 7 passes broken up last year.

Picking a linebacker in the first round for the second consecutive season is strange. But Washington chose Jamin Davis in 2021, hoping he’d play Mike linebacker. That didn’t work out. Now, with Landon Collins expected to depart, Davis can play alongside Holcomb as Washington’s outside linebackers in 2022. In Lloyd, Washington gets its inside linebacker.

The 6-foot-3, 237-pound Lloyd impressed at the combine. His college tape was outstanding. Lloyd is going in the first round. The question is, how high will he end up next month?

Lloyd would be a terrific pick for the Commanders if they choose to go defense.

 

Former UGA DL Travon Walker predicted to go early in 2022 draft

Former UGA DL Travon Walker is predicted to go early in the 2022 NFL draft by several outlets.

According to several outlets, Travon Walker, a 6-foot-5, 275-pound former defensive lineman for the Georgia Bulldogs, is projected to be chosen early in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

At the NFL Combine, Walker posted a speedy time of 4.51 seconds in the 40-yard dash, .23 seconds faster than the predicted top pick, former Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. In addition to his speed, Walker showed off a 35.5″ vertical, a 10’3″ broad jump, and a 6.89-second 3-cone drill.

Due to his outstanding performance, Walker’s draft stock has skyrocketed, and many experts have him ranked high in their mock draft lineups.

WATCH: Texas DB Josh Thompson shines at the NFL combine

Josh Thompson had an impressive showing.

Only two Longhorns were invited to participate in the 2022 NFL combine festivities in Indianapolis, and they are both making the best of the opportunity.

The combine gives players from all over the nation, whether it be blue blood programs like Texas or players from Division III schools, a chance to showcase their skillset in front of every NFL team.

Th two representatives for Texas were kicker Cameron Dicker and cornerback Josh Thompson.

The fifth-year defensive back from Nacogdoches certainly had a good showing at the combine as he ran an unofficial 4.43 40-yard dash on his first go.

As it currently stands, Thompson is widely viewed as a late round pick, but his combine performances will certainly help boost his stock.

He finished his career as a Longhorn with 108 total tackles, five tackles for a loss, and two interceptions with one of them being returned for a touchdown.

Post-combine prospect meetings tracker for Jags

With the 2022 combine in the books, we’ve started the process of tracking who the Jags have met with heading into the draft.

Sunday marked the last day of the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine where the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold the No. 1 overall pick, were busy doing their homework on several prospects who they see as fits for the organization. That process also involved meetings with some of the prospects who attended as the annual event allows teams to figure out prospects off the field as well.

The upcoming draft will be huge for the Jags after they registered the worst record in the NFL a second consecutive time, and with 12 picks to use, they need to be smarter than any team with their selections. Four of those picks are in the top-70 selections, which means the Jags could come away with almost a handful of starters if they play their cards right.

It’s a very good chance that some of the players they met with in Indianapolis will be the ones they select in the first few rounds of the draft. That said, we’ve decided to put together a tracker of who they met so far between the combine and all-star bowl games and will be updating it as more becomes available.

  • QB, Malik Willis – Liberty (Source)
  • OL, Darian Kinnard – Kentucky (Source)
  • OL, Evan Neal – Alabama (Source)
  • OL, Ikem Ekwonu – N.C. State (Source)
  • TE, Isaiah Likely – Coastal Carolina (Source)
  • WR, George Pickens – Georgia (Source)
  • Center, Luke Fortner – Kentucky (Source)
  • OG/Center , Cole Strange – Chattanooga (Source)
  • WR, Taysir Mack – Pittsburgh (Source)
  • Safety, Joey Blount – Virginia (Source)

Unconfirmed meetings

  • Edge, Aidan Hutchinson (Source)

(H/T Jagswire’s Daniel Griffis and @DuuuuvalSpace for tracking combine meetings.)

Commanders appear focused on 2 QBs if they take a passer in the 1st round

The Commanders may prefer a veteran quarterback, but they’ve done their due diligence on the rookie class and appear focused on two passers in the first round.

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The NFL combine is the place where lots of juicy rumors get starters — and for good reason. All 32 NFL teams are present, coaches go out to dinner with other coaches, and executives do the same with fellow executives.

It’s where tampering also begins. You know, the illegal kind that’s occurred for years, a little over one week before it becomes legal tampering. Yep, it’s complicated.

Now that the combine is over, some information is beginning to trickle out from the past seven days. Free-agency buzz is the most popular this time of year, but this year, it’s all about the quarterbacks. Actually, it’s always about the quarterbacks.

Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently discussed some quarterback buzz from the last week, beginning with Aaron Rodgers.

The duo also discussed the QB-starved Washington Commanders.

Fowler noted that the Commanders have focused on Wilson and Deshaun Watson, but those are far from the only names. Essentially, Washington is calling everyone about quarterbacks.

Graziano spoke about Washington more in terms of the draft, specifically mentioning Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and Liberty’s Malik Willis:

I do have my eye on the Washington Commanders at No. 11 for the spot where the first quarterback could go off the board. Washington has been calling around on every veteran option, but I’m told it also has been focused on the rookies. The Commanders know they need a quarterback for 2022, but they’re obsessed with finding the answer at that position for the long term. Even if they sign a veteran in free agency, don’t be surprised if they use their first-round pick on a quarterback as well. The top candidates are Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett.

If Washington signs a veteran such as Mitchell Trubisky, Pickett appears less likely. The biggest positive regarding Pickett is NFL teams believe he can play right away. However, if the Commanders sign Trubisky or another former starter to compete, it could be a clue the team will do what it takes to draft Willis next month.

Day 4 winners, losers as DBs close out 2022 combine, Texas boys dominate

Tyler Browning (@DiabeticTyler) talks about who out of the CBs and safeties saw their stock rise fall as Texas colleges took center stage.

The 2022 NFL combine has officially come to its end. On Sunday defensive backs and special teams took the field and showcased their talents. The Dallas Cowboys saw Trevon Diggs take a massive Year-2 leap, while they didn’t see much from Day 2 rookies Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright. While Anthony Brown is under contract through the next year, Jourdan Lewis is under contract until 2023. It is not out of the realm of possibilities to see the Cowboys go corner yet again at some point in the draft.

Meanwhile, the club is barren at safety once again. Starters Damontae Kazee and Jayron Kearse, along with rotational safety Malik Hooker were all one-year rentals. Donovan Wilson enters the final year of his deal. So who saw their stock rise on the last day of the combine? Who saw it fall?

Teams will now head back to their respective headquarters to get their draft boards in sync and get ready to send scouts out to school’s pro days. Pro days are also an important time in the evaluation process, as some players elect not to work out at the combine and rather wait for their pro day. But for those who did show up in Indy, here’s the winners and losers from the final day of workouts.