Tag: 2023 Draft

Packers claim CB Kyu Blu Kelly off waivers from Seahawks

The Packers claimed CB Kyu Blu Kelly, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, off waivers from the Seahawks.

The Green Bay Packers claimed cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly off of waivers from the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Kelly was a fifth-round pick out of Stanford by the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. He was waived by the Ravens at final roster cutdowns in August and claimed by the Seahawks. Over five games in 2023, Kelly played 38 special teams snaps.

During the preseason, Kelly was on the field for 118 snaps from scrimmage. He produced six tackles, gave up six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets and had one penalty. The Ravens played him primarily outside at corner.

Kelly (6-0, 193) is 22 years old. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds (1.49-second 10-yard split), hit 36″ in the vertical leap and covered 10-11 in the broad jump at the NFL Scouting Combine.

At Stanford, Kelly was a four-year starter and two-time All-Pac 12 pick who appeared in 38 games and produced three interceptions and 26 pass breakups. He was invited and participated in the Senior Bowl.

The corresponding roster move was releasing defensive back Innis Gaines. Kelly must pass a physical in Green Bay before he’s added to the 53-man roster officially, but a roster spot still needed to be opened beforehand.

New documentary shows Cowboys’ draft night debate over Mazi Smith, offensive lineman

From @ToddBrock24f7: “NFL Draft: The Pick is In” shows Dallas almost taking Syracuse OL Matthew Bergeron and how a call from the Chiefs nudged the discussion.

A new documentary taking football fans inside draft weekend like never before is set to premiere on Roku on Friday, Aug. 25. NFL Draft: The Pick is In will feature four teams- including the Cowboys- going through the three days of the 2023 draft, with camera crews having had extensive access to both the inner workings of the front offices and the prospects themselves as they wait to hear their names called.

A clip released to social media prior to the documentary’s debut offers a fascinating glimpse into how the Cowboys brass settled on Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith with their first-round selection, how they debated internally over taking another offensive lineman, and how a last-minute phone call from the defending Super Bowl champs almost changed everything.

In the short clip, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sets the table by telling the staffers assembled in the team’s draft room that the players ranked 12th and 13th on their board are both still available as they near their time on the clock.

One of those prospects is Syracuse lineman Matthew Bergeron. Smith is the other. Jones opens the discussion by claiming, “Mazi would create a dynamic that we do not have now,” and saying he’s ready to turn in Smith’s card.

But Jones then opens up the floor for comments, asking the coaches and scouts in the room to try to change his mind.

As Dallas imagines an offensive line with their left tackle (Tyler Smith), left guard (Bergeron), and center (Tyler Biadasz) all 25 years old or younger and all being long-term staples for the team, Buffalo trades up to select tight end Dalton Kincaid, who was believed at the time to be a prime Cowboys target.

Will McClay, Cowboys vice president of player personnel casts a vote for Smith, explaining how he “helps us now and in the future.” Jones reiterates what a “hell of a strategic pick” a nose tackle would be. Head coach Mike McCarthy unequivocally states that Smith makes the run defense better immediately.

And then the phone rings, with the Chiefs offering to trade their first-round pick (31st overall) and their third-round pick (95th overall) to take the Cowboys’ spot at 26.

But Jones wonders if trading back five spots means both Smith and Bergeron go elsewhere.

“Without trying to influence anybody here,” he says, “I’m sick as [expletive] if we miss both these guys.”

McCarthy backs him up, reminding the room that fixing the run defense was the prime directive of the entire offseason.

And the decision is made; the Cowboys select Smith with the 26th pick.

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Bergeron eventually goes to Atlanta early in the second round. The Chiefs keep the 31st pick to select Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah and then deal away that third-round pick the next night, moving up a few slots to take Oklahoma offensive lineman Wanya Morris at 92.

It’s high-stakes drama within a documentary that also promises to feature 2023 rookies Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, and Devon Witherspoon, among others. First-year Cowboys DeMarvion Overshown and Deuce Vaughn should also get plenty of screen time.

NFL Draft: The Pick is In was produced for Roku by NFL Films and Skydance Sports. Skydance will also be behind the forthcoming docu-series (as yet untitled) chronicling Jones’s life and the rise of the Cowboys under his ownership, charting the journey from a team that was losing over $1 million a month to the most valuable sports franchise on the planet.

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Can Luke Musgrave or Tucker Kraft become rare productive rookie TE in 2023?

Big-time production from rookie tight ends is one of the rarest things in football. Can Packers rookies Luke Musgrave or Tucker Kraft join rare company?

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Opportunity won’t be a problem for either Luke Musgrave or Tucker Kraft as rookie tight ends for the Green Bay Packers, but producing big numbers in the passing game is a rare sight for any highly drafted tight end in Year 1.

According to Stathead, 264 tight ends have been drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. Of the 264, only 27 produced 500 or more receiving yards as a rookie. Only 21 caught five or more touchdowns. And only 11 hit both thresholds.

Even in today’s pass-heavy game, tight ends have struggled to make an instant impact. Since 2000, only 10 tight ends have produced 500 or more receiving yards, including just four over the last 10 seasons.

The Packers made Musgrave a second-round pick. The highwater mark for receiving yards by a second-round tight end as a rookie in the last 30 years? Only 684 yards.

The Packers made Kraft a third-round pick. The highwater mark for receiving yards by a third-round tight end as a rookie in the last 30 years? Only 575 yards.

There are some rare exceptions. Kyle Pitts produced 1,026 receiving yards as a rookie in 2021, becoming just the second rookie tight end to pass 1,000 yards, but he was also the fourth overall pick. Rob Gronkowski caught 10 touchdown passes as a rookie in 2010, but he’s arguably the greatest tight end of all-time.

Three players jump off the stat sheet when it comes to finding potential best-case scenarios for Musgrave or Kraft.

Hunter Henry, the 35th overall pick in 2016, produced 478 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie.

Pat Freiermuth, the 55th overall pick in 2021, produced 497 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie.

Evan Engram, the 23rd overall pick in 2017, produced 722 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie.

All three combined athleticism and early opportunity to create productive rookie seasons. Musgrave and Kraft are both elite athletes with little standing in their way of playing time in 2023.

Two others worth considering, given the comparisons between both players and Musgrave and Kraft: Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.

Ertz caught 36 passes for 469 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie in 2013. Goedert caught 33 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie in 2018. Solid production, but nothing extraordinary.

Given the historical difficulty, it’s unlikely Musgrave or Kraft will become game-breaking players as rookies. The demands of the position are too much on young players, so setting the right expectations — especially in terms of final statistical production — is important.

Still, the Packers’ rookie pair can still be a force for good in the passing game. Musgrave is one of the most athletic (and fast) tight ends to enter the NFL in some time and was on the verge of a monster 2022 season before injury. Kraft isn’t as fast as Musgrave but is similarly athletic, and he was a menacing receiver for South Dakota State.

Just don’t expect 80 catches, 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Anything close to 500 receiving yards and five touchdowns would be excellent for either player, and anything more would qualify as rare production for the tight end position.

Deion Sanders’ former player could interest Saints in 2023 supplemental draft

One of Deion Sanders’ former players could make sense for the Saints. Jackson State wide receiver Malachi Wideman entered the 2023 supplemental draft | @crissy_froyd

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The NFL is reviving the supplemental draft in 2023, with a handful of players emerging as potential targets for the New Orleans Saints. One of which is former Jackson State wide receiver Malachi Wideman, who saw action under Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders at JSU in addition to playing at Tennessee.

As was first reported by NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the former Volunteer is one of a very small number of players who have entered the supplemental draft. He is the second to do so along with former Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver Milton Wright.

Wideman tallied 540 yards on 34 catches with 12 touchdowns in his first season with Coach Prime’s team, quickly making a statement across the SWAC. Those 12 trips to the end zone would led the conference in 2021, making room for high expectations for Wideman to build off of that in a big way for the 2022 season. That was not quite the case, though, as he recorded just three catches and a single score in 2022.

It will be interesting to see where Wideman lands — potentially New Orleans — when the supplemental draft kicks off on July 11. Teams may submit any of their 2024 draft picks in the 2023 supplemental draft to select a player, but the Saints have just five selections right now. They may opt to wait and sign anyone not picked in the supplemental draft as a free agent.

The Saints are led at wide receiver by Michael Thomas and Chris Olave, with the new addition of sixth-round former Wake Forest pass-catcher AT Perry also in the fold. There’s been talk of Perry becoming one of the biggest steals of the 2023 NFL Draft and while he and some of the other names on the roster could become notable standouts, there’s always room for more depth.

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NFC South roundtable: Our favorite moves from a division rival

NFC South roundtable: Begrudgingly breaking down our favorite moves from a division rival, like the Falcons picking RB Bijan Robinson

We’re continuing our survey of the NFC South with help from the managing editors at Falcons Wire (Matt Urben), Panthers Wire (Anthony Rizzuti), and Bucs Wire (River Wells), along with input here at Saints Wire. There have been a lot of moving parts around the division this spring so it’s a good time to stop and evaluate each team’s changes now that minicamp practices are beginning to pick up.

So here’s a unique question. Instead of focusing on our own teams, we’re complementing a rival’s pickup, either in the 2023 draft or through free agency:

 

NFC South roundtable: Which rookie will have the biggest impact?

NFC South roundtable: Which rookie will have the biggest impact on the division? Bryce Young and Bijan Robinson might make it a two-horse race

Which NFC South rookies could make the best impact on their team? We polled the managing editors at Falcons Wire (Matt Urben), Panthers Wire (Anthony Rizzuti), and Bucs Wire (River Wells) and found that it might be turning into a two-horse race between Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

Both rookies could give the New Orleans Saints a lot of trouble in the fall. Here’s why we’re so high on each of these first-year pros around the division:

Projected roles for every Tampa Bay draft pick

Here’s where you can expect every Bucs draft pick to fit in for 2023.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ draft picks showed a little of what they were capable of at rookie minicamp last weekend, and it’s possible the team’s coaching staff is getting a better idea of where they’ll fit in for 2023.

Some positions are currently established by veterans, while other rookies will be immediately stepping into a place of need. Here is Bucs Wire’s projections for the role of every 2023 Bucs draft pick:

Totally Asim: Cowboys’ Day 3 draft pick could blossom under OL coaching in Dallas

From @ToddBrock24f7: Asim Richards saw a quantum leap after a coaching change at North Carolina. He’s primed to do it again in the Cowboys’ vaunted OL system.

Yes, it’s pronounced awesome, at least if your accent is from the right part of the country.

Now Asim (AH-sim) Richards hopes to live up to that billing after being selected by the Cowboys in the fifth round of this year’s draft. And while his numbers as a North Carolina senior were impressive enough on their own, it may have been something else that really caught the eye of the Dallas staff.

Richards came to offensive line play late, transitioning away from defensive end and tight end for his senior year of high school. As a freshman in Chapel Hill, he was mostly a backup. From 2020 to 2022, though, he started his final 34 games, and he went from the line’s weak link as a sophomore to the unit’s leader as a senior.

Richards played over 1,000 offensive snaps in 2022 at left tackle and allowed just three sacks against stiff conference competition. He was named to the All-ACC’s third team as a result.

Something had changed dramatically along the way- namely, the coaching Richards was getting at his position. Jack Bicknell took over OL duties for the Tar Heels’ 2022 season, and it unlocked a whole new level for the Philadelphia native.

“He came in, told us that we can be more physical, get down lower, and that we don’t have to be so passive,” Richards explained last November. “And it really changed the culture of the O-line room.

“It’s about being more aggressive,” he added. “Like with pass blocking, not waiting for them to get there; you can go out and attack… And with run blocking, just getting your hands in the right spot. Keep driving your feet, being more physical.”

That one-year quantum leap hints at even more untapped potential still hidden beneath the surface, just waiting to be drawn out of the 22-year-old by the right coaches.

Mike Solari, in his first year as OL coach for the Cowboys, started the lessons right out of the gate, putting Richards at guard during rookie minicamp. After playing all but one college game at left tackle (and the other at left guard), it will be yet another series of adjustments for the 6-foot-4-inch Richards.

But he’s ready to make an impression on his coaches no matter the assignment.

“I can play wherever,” Richards said shortly after being drafted 169th overall.

The Cowboys may take him up on that. Mike McCarthy’s first comments about Richards referenced his versatility.

“He definitely has position flex, so I think the biggest thing,” the coach explained on draft weekend, “is the ability to play tackle and move down to guard. Position flex is so important.”

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Bulking up may also help the rookie. At 307 pounds, Richards is on the light end of the Cowboys’ preferred range for offensive linemen. UNC coach Mack Brown said improving his strength is Richards’s biggest need; the elite strength and conditioning staff in Dallas can certainly help with that.

But to start, Richards simply wants to show his new coaches he’s ready, willing, and able to take their tutoring.

“You really just have to go out there and give effort, effort, effort,” he said after his first minicamp sessions. “Go out there and run and fly around. I know they try and keep us fresh, but really go out there and fly around, give effort, and if you show that, then you’re gonna be just fine. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Richards may be coming in as low man on the totem pole, behind Cowboys OL stalwarts Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, Terence Steele, and Tyler Smith. And he’ll have to battle alongside veterans like Josh Ball, Matt Farniok, Matt Waletzko, and Chuma Edoga just to make the roster. But Richards has already shown a knack for learning and then translating that coaching to exponential power on the field. If he can do it in the pros, too, he could quickly prove to be a steal of a fifth-round draft pick and maybe even a long-term answer for the Cowboys up front.

And that would be awesome indeed.

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All Cowboys draft picks officially signed; contract details

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys inked 8 draft picks to contracts just before the start of rookie minicamp; Mazi Smith leads the class with a $13.27M deal.

Along with Thursday’s news that tight end Luke Schoonmaker and cornerback Eric Scott Jr. had formally signed their rookie deals came an expressed goal from the front office: to have all eight of this year’s draft picks under contract before the end of the weekend.

They gave themselves four days. It took one.

Every member of the Cowboys’ 2023 draft class officially put pen to paper on Thursday, just in time for the first day of rookie minicamp on Friday.

Here’s a dollars-and-cents breakdown on the contract given to each of this year’s picks, according to Spotrac.

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Cowboys’ 6th-round draft pick CB Eric Scott Jr. signs rookie contract

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Southern Miss cornerback is the second draft pick to sign his deal; the team hopes to have all 8 of their selections signed by Monday.

It’s a busy day at The Star in Frisco, with the Cowboys front office looking to get as much football business done as they can before the 58th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards show takes over the Ford Center on Thursday evening.

To that end, the team has signed sixth-round draft pick Eric Scott Jr. to his rookie contract. The Southern Miss cornerback was the second draft pick to put pen to paper on their deal Thursday; second-round tight end Luke Schoonmaker made it official earlier in the day.

Early reports put Scott’s four-year deal at $4 million, with ESPN’s Todd Archer adding that he received a signing bonus of $218,308.

The Cowboys expect to stay busy over the next few days; David Moore of the Dallas Morning News tweeted that the club hopes to have all eight of this year’s draft picks signed before the weekend is over.

The Cowboys’ rookie minicamp will be held Friday through Monday, with OTAs set to begin May 22.

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For Scott, his signature on an actual NFL contract signals the start of the next chapter of an unlikely story that involved the 24-year-old hiring a videographer to record Scott working out on his high school field, posting the video to YouTube, and then sending it to the Cowboys coaching staff in an effort to get himself noticed prior to draft weekend.

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