Tag: 2022 NFL draft

Breaking down the Jameson Williams touchdown against the Bears

Lions film room: Breaking down the Jameson Williams touchdown against the Bears with Russell Brown

Weeks ago, my patience with Jameson Williams was starting to run thin. But we all gave him the benefit of the doubt that he had some hurdles to get going here in Detroit. Much of that was due to him recovering from a torn ACL during much of his rookie season. As he’s worked his way onto the field in his second season for Detroit, much of that is due to his ability to do the little things.

The little things are the big things.

Go to the 75-yard touchdown run from David Montgomery against the Chargers and one of the key blocks on the run is happening downfield from Jameson Williams. It’s gained respect from the fans but most importantly from the teammates and coaches of Williams. This will lead to more opportunities and more touches. That’s exactly what happened against the Chicago Bears for Jameson Williams.

Against the Bears, Williams recorded two receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown. One of the biggest catches of his career was a touchdown that brought the Lions down from a 12-point deficit to five points with just under three minutes left in the game. Let’s jump into the film room to break down this touchdown reception from Jameson Williams against the Bears!

There’s no doubt that the Jameson Williams touchdown was one of the best plays for the Lions offense against the Bears. Looking at the play above, the Lions come out with their 11 personnel (one running back and one tight end. Bunched together to the right of the formation is Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

As both receivers push vertically during this 1st and 10 play, they both end up running routes that break towards the sideline. For Jameson Williams, he runs what he called a “pylon route” and underneath him is St. Brown on a corner route. In the playbook, this would be identified as a hi-lo concept.

When re-watching the touchdown, Jameson Williams had this to say: “I had a pylon route, I seen the safety before the play, we running it off of him, he was inside of me, I knew I’d get 12-15 yards, if he’s not able to run with me to the back pylon, then we got him.”

For Jared Goff, he’s reading the cornerback (Bears CB 33 Jaylon Johnson). If the corner continues to get depth and follows the route from Williams, then Goff will throw the ball to St. Brown. If the corner sits on the lower route from St. Brown, then Goff will throw the ball to Williams. On this play, that’s exactly what happens.

When watching the play, you can see the speed and burst from Williams during this route. The safety is trailing him and is nowhere near fast enough to close the space between himself and Williams. This was a well-designed play by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and it was executed even better from the Lions offense.

This is a positive sign for Jameson Williams and the Lions’ offense as they continue to need playmakers each and every single week. It’s starting to feel like more of these opportunities will present themselves for the former first-round pick of the 2022 NFL Draft in the second half of the season. Let’s hope Williams can build off this against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day.

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Is Commanders’ Sam Howell the best QB in the class of 2022?

Who is the 2022 NFL draft’s top quarterback? It might be Sam Howell

Ten games into his second season, it is by no means unreasonable to declare that Sam Howell may actually be the top quarterback from the 2022 NFL draft.

He is certainly trending in that direction, and the numbers show it.

The quarterbacks taken in the 2022 draft were: Kenny Pickett, No. 20 overall (Pittsburgh); Desmond Ridder, No. 74 overall (Atlanta); Malik Willis, No. 86 overall (Tennessee); Matt Corral, No. 94 overall (Carolina); Bailey Zappe, No. 137 overall (New England); Howell, No. 144 overall (Washington); Chris Oladokun, No. 241 overall (Pittsburgh); Skylar Thompson, No. 247 overall (Miami); and Brock Purdy, No. 262 overall (San Francisco).

Howell leads the NFL with 264 completions this season. One could argue that he should, seeing he also leads the NFL in pass attempts with 397. Fair enough, but consider Howell leads in passing yards as well (2,783).

Howell is also throwing touchdown passes — he’s tied for fifth with 17. On the other hand, Purdy leads the NFL in passer rating with 109.9, so he has shown himself to be capable as well.

On the negative side, Howell has thrown the fourth-most interceptions (9). None of the other quarterbacks from the 2022 draft are in the top 10.

Also on the downside for Howell is the fact that he remains the most sacked quarterback in the NFL this season (47). Ridder has been sacked the sixth-most times (25).

Howell leads the class of 2022 in passing yards per game (278.3). Purdy, on the other hand, leads the NFL in yards per pass attempt (9.3) and net yards per pass attempt (8.39).

Purdy leads the 2022 class in completion rate (68.8%), which ranks seventh in the NFL. Howell is second in the class (66.5%). Consider, in addition, that Howell is attempting more passes than Purdy.

Pickett, Purdy and Howell are the only ones in the class considered to be firm starters. Ridder was recently pulled for Taylor Heinicke, though Ridder might have won his job back in Week 10.

Howell has put together good performances his last three starts, and it will be interesting to see whether he can continue on this upward trajectory over the final seven games of the season.

Who is the best quarterback from the 2022 NFL draft?

Vote and tell us who the best quarterback is from the 2022 NFL draft.

The 2022 NFL draft was an odd group when it came to quarterbacks. Most draft pundits had this class greatly overrated in comparison to where they were drafted. Some experts had three or four guys in the mix for the first round when Kenny Pickett ended up being the only guy off the board early.

Since then, things have gone sideways for many of the quarterbacks in this group who most of us thought would be good and some others have shined. But which quarterback from the 2022 class has been the best?

[crowdsignal poll=12976431]

Cast your vote and tell us which one is the best. We included all the big names in our poll but we recognize this is a three-man race. Pickett, Sam Howell and Brock Purdy are the only ones out of this class starting and playing good football. Most of them have either been benched or never got a chance to start at all.

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Chiefs were reportedly stunned Patriots passed on drafting this player

This first-round move by the Patriots in the 2022 NFL draft surprised many, including the Kansas City Chiefs.

The New England Patriots have been known to take an unconventional strategy when drafting players. Sometimes, the draft selections confuse opposing teams as well as fans.

Take the Kansas City Chiefs for example. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, they believed the Patriots would draft standout cornerback Trent McDuffie with the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, but instead, the Patriots traded that pick to the Chiefs and drafted offensive guard Cole Strange at No. 29 overall.

New England was able to draft a top corner this year in the first round with Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez. However, the jury will have to wait on the full evaluation for Gonzalez, as he is out with a torn labrum this season.

Breer elaborated on the surprise behind New England’s selection last year:

Going into the 2022 draft, the Chiefs coveted the Washington prospect and had looked at the idea of trading up for him. They figured there was no way he would get to where they were picking, at 29. So as Kansas City watched McDuffie slide through the teens, that doubt was maintained, mostly because GM Brett Veach and his staff felt like McDuffie checked about every box for Bill Belichick’s program and, accordingly, would get past where the Patriots were picking, at 21.

So imagine their surprise when McDuffie fell out of the teens, Kansas City started calling around, McDuffie dropped into the Patriots’ laps at 21 and the Chiefs found a willing trade partner in New England.

The selection of Cole Strange was certainly a surprise to many, including this writer. In the meantime, McDuffie leads all defensive backs with four forced fumbles on the year.

One has to wonder what could have been and how the New England secondary would’ve looked with McDuffie in the fold. As for now, the Patriots are at the bottom of the AFC East, with several holes to fill on the roster.

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49ers 2022 NFL draft class mostly struggling halfway through 2nd season

An update on the #49ers’ 2022 draft class, which isn’t trending the right direction 1.5 seasons in:

The 49ers are in a good place from a roster perspective and they don’t necessarily need young players to contribute right away. However, if they’re going to extend their Super Bowl window beyond the current core of stars they’ll need contributions from their draft classes.

Through 1.5 seasons the 2022 draft class doesn’t appear to be on track to contribute much down the road.

Quarterback Brock Purdy, the final pick last year, is the obvious headliner, but beyond that the 49ers’ contributions from second-year players have been minimal with not many signs that any of them are trending upward.

Let’s run through San Francisco’s nine-player class for a quick update:

Second-Year Review: Analyzing the Cleveland Browns’ 2022 NFL draft class

Martin Emerson Jr. headlined the 2022 NFL draft for the Browns. But how is the class as a whole doing just over a year in?

The bye week offers teams a chance for introspection, free from the looming presence of impending opponents. Self-scouting is pivotal to teams as they assess their weaknesses and tendencies, especially during the bye week. The Cleveland Browns desperately needed to do it, especially with injuries to their offensive stars Nick Chubb and Deshaun Watson. It’s also a good time for fans and media members to look at the bigger picture. I thought I’d spend this time looking at the Browns’ 2022 NFL draft class, headlined by cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. 

The Browns are becoming a real football team. In years past, we as fans, would be assessing a rookie class where half of the players would be forced into starting roles. The Browns are still performing a baptism by fire with 4th-round rookie Dawand Jones, who is playing fantastic. However, most rookies are sitting on the bench and learning how to be professionals. Successful teams always boast of developing four-year plans for their drafted players.

The Browns are finally establishing themselves as a real organization with a slow and deliberate onboarding of their young players. Only three players in the Browns’ 2022 draft class are playing significant snaps currently.

Let’s take a look at how that draft class is doing one year in at the bye week.

Aidan Hutchinson film review from the Lions win over the Kansas City Chiefs

Hutchinson had a great game in Week 1 and Lions Wire’s Russell Brown breaks down the game tape

When the Detroit Lions held the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, there was very little belief that the Lions were going to draft Aidan Hutchinson. Many thought he should have been the first overall pick. Meanwhile, as went into the opening night of the draft, there was a lot of speculation that Kayvon Thibodeaux was going to be the Lions selection.

That all changed when the Lions were chomping at the bit to get a player that felt would be an immediate impact player for their defense. When you watch Hutchinson at Michigan or throughout his 18-game career, all signs point to him being a Dan Campbell type of player. He fit exactly what the Lions were looking for in a defender and overall player.

While Hutchinson had a terrific rookie season with three interceptions and 9.5 sacks, there are many analysts who believe he will take a massive step forward in 2023. In the Detroit Lions win over the Kansas City Chiefs to start the 2023 season, it felt like he did just that.

Even though he didn’t load the stat sheet with tackles for loss, sacks or interceptions, he ensured that his presence would be felt whenever Patrick Mahomes dropped back to pass. Against the Chiefs on Thursday night, Hutchinson had four total tackles, three quarterback hits and four hurries. In total, he had 7 quarterback pressures. Let’s jump into the tape and look at some of the top pass-rushes from Hutchinson in the Lions win over the Chiefs!

Starting with the play above, the Lions defense shows 8 players in the box for the Chiefs condensed set out of 11 personnel (one tight end and one running back). For Hutchinson, he’s aligned in a 4-technique while being head up on the right tackle. Once the ball is snapped, Hutchinson attacks the outside shoulder of the right guard and then quickly swipes the arms of the guard while trying to rip through.

While Hutchinson continues to drive his feet to the quarterback, the guard has no choice but let Mahomes get sacked or get called for holding. Obviously, holding gets called and it forces the Chiefs offense to move back 10 yards.

Moving onto the next play, we’ll see Hutchinson aligned as a 7-technique. Using nothing but pure speed, he’s able to get deep into the backfield and it forces Patrick Mahomes to throw off his back foot. With how Hutchinson sets the edge with his size and speed, Mahomes has to make a decision quickly and isn’t able to roll out and extend plays like he normally does. All of this forces an incompletion.

Finishing up with the last play, we’ll see Hutchinson aligned as a 5-technique off the right tackle. While the Chiefs run a variation of split-zone off play-action, the tight end (Chiefs TE 83) is forced to try and get down the line and block Hutchinson. While that’s a tough task, he does slow Hutch down enough to not get the sack. However, Hutchinson does a great job hitting the tight end with a push-pull and rip move to force Mahomes back into the pocket to quickly get rid of the ball.

All together, the Lions have seen nothing but great things from their former second overall pick. There’s potential for Hutchinson to find himself in the elite category of edge rushers this season. With strong performances like the one he had against the Chiefs, Hutchinson should easily find himself in that category. Most importantly, the Lions should find themselves with a much improved defense for this season and the future.

The Patriots just embarrassed the Panthers for their 2022 draft-day trade to take Matt Corral

How does Bill Belichick keep doing this?!

People always wonder why the New England Patriots always seem to get the upper hand on any NFL trade. Thursday’s news is a great reason as to why.

The Patriots claimed quarterback Matt Corral on waivers on Thursday to back up Mac Jones after he was cut by the Carolina Panthers just a year after he was drafted.

That might not seem like a big deal past Carolina whiffing on Corral as a long-term option, but you have to consider how the Panthers got the pick they used on the former Ole Miss quarterback.

Back in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Panthers traded with the Patriots to snag Corral in the third round and sent the team’s original third in 2023 and a 2022 fourth-round pick back to New England in exchange.

With those picks, the Patriots drafted quarterback Bailey Zappe in 2022 and linebacker Marte Mapu in 2023. Now, New England has Corral, too, which basically means the Panthers just gave away picks to the Patriots for no return in retrospect.

They say the NFL is a tough business, and they’re certainly not wrong. The Panthers traded to get a player in the draft that they waived just a year or so later, and the Patriots now have that player, as well as two other players.

If you’re ever curious about how Bill Belichick does it, don’t overthink it. Sometimes, he just gets lucky when another team waves a white flag.

Several 2nd-year quarterbacks facing pressure to perform in 2023

The leash will be short for several of the top quarterbacks from the 2022 NFL draft.

When the 2023 NFL season starts, at least four quarterbacks taken in the 2022 NFL will be in their team’s starting lineup. But with a loaded 2024 NFL draft class, some of these players might be eyeing their last, best shot to stick in the starting lineup.

The one starter who appears to be safe regardless is Pittsburgh Steelers Kenny Pickett. After being named the starter early in 2022, Pickett has the full confidence of the team and a strong cast of skill-position players around him.

But of the other starters, there is much more uncertainty. The Washington Commanders are starting Sam Howell, the Atlanta Falcons have Desmond Ridder and the San Francisco 49ers have Brock Purdy.

With guys like USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Quinn Ewers would all be upgrades over Ridder, Howell and even Purdy. Unfortunately, the window for quarterbacks to play well is very small and shrinks even more when you are a mid or late-round quarterback starting in a season ahead of a very strong draft class.

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Former Tar Heel QB Howell receives praise from teammate

Former Tar Heel QB Sam Howell enters his first full season as an NFL starter. Commanders teammate Jahan Dotson has a lot of faith in him.

Sam Howell goes down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever sling a football for the University of North Carolina.

Howell holds almost 30 school records, including career passing yards (10,283) and career passing touchdowns (92). His 92 passing touchdowns also place him third in ACC history.

Despite all this success at the collegiate level, Howell fell to the later rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, as he wasn’t selected until the fifth round (144th pick) by the Washington Commanders. In the very final week of the 2022-2023 regular season, with the Commanders recently eliminated from playoff contention, head coach Ron Rivera started his rookie from UNC.

Howell fared solid in his first NFL start, completing 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 26-6 upset over the Dallas Cowboys. Howell’s very first NFL pass, infact, was a 16-yard touchdown to number one receiver Terry McLaurin.

With a solid debut, plus Carson Wentz hitting the free agent market and Taylor Heinicke signing with the Atlanta Falcons, the Commanders are entering their 2023 campaign with Howell as the starter.

Howell is already earning praise from his teammates, including wideout Jahan Dotson.

In a recent interview with commanders.com’s Fred Smoot, Dotson touched on how he believes Howell is Washington’s quarterback of the future.

““He’s a special talent, I truly believe it,” Dotson said of Howell. “I always tell people he makes every throw on the field look so easy. He makes it look effortless. His arm talent is insane and he’s just getting better. He’s getting smarter [with the offensive scheme] every single day and he’s getting more comfortable with us. I feel like once he gets comfortable with everyone, the sky’s the limit.”

Combine spending most of last season behind Wentz and Heinicke with having a second offseason to learn the entire playbook, Howell is going to be in good shoes for Sophomore Year. He’ll have a 1,000-yard receiver in McLaurin and 2022-2023’s touchdowns leader (7) in Dotson. Eight Commanders registered over 100 receiving yards last season – whoever Howell’s throwing it to has experience, which will certainly help his transition from bench player to full-time starter.

Howell will almost certainly get his second start in two weeks, when Washington opens its preseason against the Cleveland Browns on Friday, Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

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