Tag: 2023 NFL draft

Colts’ report card: Grading the 2023 rookie class

Handing out some grades for the Colts’ 2023 rookie class.

The Indianapolis Colts added a ton of young talent in the 2023 NFL draft, selecting a franchise-record 12 selections.

2023 was a mixed bag for this rookie class as it showed promise but injuries limited a number of picks’ impact in year one.

Here, we are going to discuss the Colts rookies who played and contributed to the team in 2023.

Grading every rookie from Giants’ 2023 draft class

How did the New York Giants’ draft class fare in 2023? Giants Wire hands out grades for all seven rookies.

Now that the 2023 NFL regular season is in the books, it’s time to review how the New York Giants draft class performed.

The Giants had seven selections in last spring’s NFL draft, four on defense and three on offense.

Here’s how they fared in their debut seasons.

Bears WR DJ Moore on Scott Fitterer’s firing: ‘I might’ve played a part in that’

DJ Moore reacted to Monday morning’s firing of Panthers GM Scott Fitterer.

The grass may indeed be greener on the other side for DJ Moore.

On Monday morning, the Carolina Panthers parted ways with general manager Scott Fitterer—putting a fairly swift end to a largely unsuccessful three-year run. And part of that three-year run included Fitterer’s trade of Moore, who had this say shortly after the news broke:

Moore was drafted to Carolina by their previous general manager Marty Hurney in 2018. The 24th overall selection went on to become the fourth-leading receiver in franchise history—amassing 364 catches for 5,201 yards and 21 touchdowns over five seasons.

After that fifth year, Moore was included in Fitterer’s huge gamble to move atop the 2023 NFL draft. In exchange for what would be the rights to quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers shipped off Moore, 2023’s ninth and 61st picks, 2024’s eventual first overall pick and a 2025 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears.

In his first season on the other side, Moore recorded career-highs in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,364) and total touchdowns (nine).

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Panthers place Jonathan Mingo on injured reserve

Jonathan Mingo’s rookie season is officially over, as the Panthers have placed the young wideout on injured reserve.

Jonathan Mingo’s rookie campaign is officially over.

The Carolina Panthers announced that they have placed the first-year wide receiver on injured reserve this afternoon. He will not, obviously, be available for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a foot injury.

A standout at the University of Mississippi, Mingo was taken by the Panthers in the second round of this past year’s draft. But the 39th overall selection, much like the rest of the Carolina offense, did not make much of a splash in 2023.

Mingo ends his season having reeled in 43 receptions for 418 yards and no touchdowns over 15 games. He also finishes with the third-lowest catch rate in the league at 50.6 percent—besting only New York’s Allen Lazard (46.9) and Arizona’s Marquise Brown (50.5).

The 22-year-old is now the second member of the Panthers’ 2023 draft class to have his season cut short. Guard and fourth-round pick Chandler Zavala was placed on injured reserve back on Nov. 29 due to a knee issue.

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Will Anderson Jr. sets Texans record, makes late push for Defensive Rookie of the Year

Will Anderson Jr. is making a late push for Defensive Rookie of the Year after setting a Texans record on Sunday

The Houston Texans have missed Will Anderson Jr.

They decided the pass rusher from Alabama could be a future face of their franchise when they selected him third overall in the 2023 NFL draft. General manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans’ faith was even further shown through the hefty trade price, including two first-round picks, they paid to move back into the top three after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud.

By all accounts, his season to date had been a success. He had five sacks, 42 tackles and 56 quarterback pressures while playing a huge role in the Texans massive turnaround in run defense. Anderson had consistently shown the talent and explosiveness that captivated Houston’s coaching staff despite missing their Week 15 and 16 contests.

On Sunday, he added another feather in his cap.

Anderson had one of the best games of his young career against the Tennessee Titans. He gathered two sacks, both on the same drive, and six quarterback pressures while terrorizing both Will Levis and backup Ryan Tannehill. Per Next Gen Stats, Anderson had a pressure rate of 54.5%, affecting the quarterback on over half of his snaps played.

The performance was not only a huge boost for the Texans team hopes, as the win put them in position to clinch an AFC Wild Card spot if they can win their Week 18 finale in Indianapolis, but also gave him some personal accolades.

His seven sacks on the season passed Whitney Mercilus for the most by a Houston Texans rookie in franchise history. For comparison, franchise legend J.J. Watt had only 5.0 in his rookie campaign. It could have also helped him from a national perspective.

The Defensive Rookie of the Year award is far from a done contest, albeit Philadelphia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is a huge betting favorite. Anderson’s two-sack performance allowed him to pass Carter in the category and his narrative as a compelling factor in Houston’s turnaround, in a potential playoff season, may be enough to capture voters.

Certainly, there are bigger concerns for Anderson than personal awards or franchise records. Houston fans, however, have to feel quite good that their team has incredible building blocks on both sides on the football. They’ll see next week whether or not it’s enough to make the AFC playoffs .

Report: Rookie Saints RB Kendre Miller (ankle) unlikely to play vs. Buccaneers

NOF’s Brooke Kirchhofer reports that rookie Saints running back Kendre Miller (ankle) is unlikely to play against the Buccaneers in Week 17:

Kendre Miller is officially listed as questionable to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but don’t expect the New Orleans Saints rookie running back to suit up. Miller’s ankle injury has continued to linger and slow him down and “it’s trending the wrong direction for him playing Sunday,” per NewOrleans.Football’s Brooke Kirchhofer.

It’s been a very disappointing rookie year for Miller, the 71st overall pick in the 2023 draft and the fourth running back to go off the board. In-season hamstring and ankle injuries have limited him to just seven games in his first year in the NFL. He’s totaled 28 carries for 83 rushing yards while catching 9 receptions for another 111 receiving yards. He can play, but we just haven’t seen that often enough.

Miller had to sit out most of his first summer in the NFL recovering from a college knee injury. Then he injured his hamstring in the preseason and suffered a sprained ankle midway through his rookie year. It’s been a frustrating 12 months for him, the Saints, and the team’s fans. Hopefully he can get right in the offseason.

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Did the Panthers really make a mistake by not pursuing Lamar Jackson?

Is it really that easy to say the Panthers made a huge mistake by not pursuing Lamar Jackson this past spring?

Here we are, Monday morning quarterbackering on a Tuesday.

The star atop of the NFL’s tree proved to be Lamar Jackson, who led his Baltimore Ravens to a dominant win over the Super Bowl favorite San Francisco 49ers on Christmas night. Jackson shined bright under the primetime lights, completing 25 of his 32 throws for 252 yards and two touchdowns while running for another 45 yards on seven attempts against one of the game’s most daunting defenses.

Not only did the sparkling performance push the Ravens to what may have been the most impressive win of the season by any team, but it also helped the now-12-3 juggernaut inch closer to clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Oh, and it also gave folks a chance to point and laugh at the teams who did not bother to pursue the 26-year-old in the spring.

In case you need a quick refresher . . . the Ravens hit quite the snag in their offseason contract negotiations with Jackson, who was slapped with the non-exclusive franchise tag back on March 7. That decision opened up the chance for other franchises to talk with the dynamic dual-threat passer—an opportunity that a handful of quarterback-needy teams, to the dismay of many, didn’t seriously consider.

And among those teams were the Carolina Panthers, who caught some shots during Jackson’s holiday classic.

So, did Carolina really make a mistake by not pursuing Jackson? Perhaps it’s not that black and white.

Sure, the optics are rough on this one. Not only have the 2-13 Panthers failed to get a great return out of rookie quarterback Bryce Young to this point, but the 2019 Most Valuable Player has just positioned himself to be the 2023 Most Valuable Player.

Plus, if the Panthers were able to somehow sign Jackson, they would’ve only had to surrender two first-round picks to Baltimore. Instead, they ended up trading two first-rounders, two second-rounders and wide receiver DJ Moore for the rights to Young.

Hindsight, however, is 20/20.

Jackson became “available” on March 7, just three days before the Panthers traded up to the 2023 draft’s No. 1 overall pick. Owner David Tepper, in fact, revealed that his front office thought they even had a three-way deal in place with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans to get to the No. 2 overall spot on March 8.

Either way, Carolina was making clear inroads at securing one of draft’s top two promising quarterbacks—Young or eventual second pick C.J. Stroud.

Now, what’s the advantage of rostering a top rookie quarterback over an actual MVP? Well, like anything in business, it’s all about the money.

Having who you believe is a franchise quarterback under a rookie deal clears up quite a bit of cash. With your “guy” on a relatively cheap pact, there’s about a five-year window to build around the position with money you normally wouldn’t have.

Tepper, and general manager Scott Fitterer, even admitted to this approach.

And contrary to the popular belief at the time—the Panthers, who finished one game off an NFC South title in 2022, were more than just a quarterback away. In addition to having to overhaul their offense, the defense had (and still does have) multiple long-term pillars to lock up. (We’re looking at you, Brian Burns and Derrick Brown.)

What also gets overlooked when rehashing this topic is Baltimore’s ability to stop the buck. Even though Jackson could’ve reached a new contract with another team, the Ravens always had the option to match any agreement and get him right back.

Given the difficulties they had in ironing out the details of a big-money deal, the Ravens essentially dared another organization to do the work for them. While no one bit, Baltimore eventually cut to the inevitable and made Jackson the sport’s highest-paid player at that moment in time.

In the end, Jackson probably wasn’t going anywhere outside of the 410 area code. And maybe the unwillingness to try and pull him out of there had some additional motivation on an even grander scheme.

But it’s too easy to say that the Panthers, who have been taking a gamble at having it all, would rather have Lamar Jackson than Bryce Young in 2023.

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Did the Panthers really make a mistake by not pursing Lamar Jackson?

Is it really that easy to say the Panthers made a huge mistake by not pursing Lamar Jackson this past spring?

Here we are, Monday morning quarterbackering on a Tuesday.

The star atop of the NFL’s tree proved to be Lamar Jackson, who led his Baltimore Ravens to a dominant win over the Super Bowl favorite San Francisco 49ers on Christmas night. Jackson shined bright under the primetime lights, completing 25 of his 32 throws for 252 yards and two touchdowns while running for another 45 yards on seven attempts against one of the game’s most daunting defenses.

Not only did the sparkling performance push the Ravens to what may have been the most impressive win of the season by any team, but it also helped the now-12-3 juggernaut inch closer to clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Oh, and it also gave folks a chance to point and laugh at the teams who did not bother to pursue the 26-year-old in the spring.

In case you need a quick refresher . . . the Ravens hit quite the snag in their offseason contract negotiations with Jackson, who was slapped with the non-exclusive franchise tag back on March 7. That decision opened up the chance for other franchises to talk with the dynamic dual-threat passer—an opportunity that a handful of quarterback-needy teams, to the dismay of many, didn’t seriously consider.

And among those teams were the Carolina Panthers, who caught some shots during Jackson’s holiday classic.

So, did Carolina really make a mistake by not pursuing Jackson? Perhaps it’s not that black and white.

Sure, the optics are rough on this one. Not only have the 2-13 Panthers failed to get a great return out of rookie quarterback Bryce Young to this point, but the 2019 Most Valuable Player has just positioned himself to be the 2023 Most Valuable Player.

Plus, if the Panthers were able to somehow sign Jackson, they would’ve only had to surrender two first-round picks to Baltimore. Instead, they ended up trading two first-rounders, two second-rounders and wide receiver DJ Moore for the rights to Young.

Hindsight, however, is 20/20.

Jackson became “available” on March 7, just three days before the Panthers traded up to the 2023 draft’s No. 1 overall pick. Owner David Tepper, in fact, revealed that his front office thought they even had a three-way deal in place with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans to get to the No. 2 overall spot on March 8.

Either way, Carolina was making clear inroads at securing one of draft’s top two promising quarterbacks—Young or eventual second pick C.J. Stroud.

Now, what’s the advantage of rostering a top rookie quarterback over an actual MVP? Well, like anything in business, it’s all about the money.

Having who you believe is a franchise quarterback under a rookie deal clears up quite a bit of cash. With your “guy” on a relatively cheap pact, there’s about a five-year window to build around the position with money you normally wouldn’t have.

Tepper, and general manager Scott Fitterer, even admitted to this approach.

And contrary to the popular belief at the time—the Panthers, who finished one game off an NFC South title in 2022, were more than just a quarterback away. In addition to having to overhaul their offense, the defense had (and still does have) multiple long-term pillars to lock up. (We’re looking at you, Brian Burns and Derrick Brown.)

What also gets overlooked when rehashing this topic is Baltimore’s ability to stop the buck. Even though Jackson could’ve reached a new contract with another team, the Ravens always had the option to match any agreement and get him right back.

Given the difficulties they had in ironing out the details of a big-money deal, the Ravens essentially dared another organization to do the work for them. While no one bit, Baltimore eventually cut to the inevitable and made Jackson the sport’s highest-paid player at that moment in time.

In the end, Jackson probably wasn’t going anywhere outside of the 410 area code. And maybe the unwillingness to try and pull him out of there had some additional motivation on an even grander scheme.

But it’s too easy to say that the Panthers, who have been taking a gamble at having it all, would rather have Lamar Jackson than Bryce Young in 2023.

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Nebraska wide receiver declares for the NFL draft

A Nebraska wide receiver has entered the NFL draft.

A Nebraska wide receiver entered the NFL draft. Marcus Washington could have filed a waiver for another year of eligibility but instead decided to forgo another season in college and declare for the NFL draft.

Washington missed the season’s final six games after injuring his knee during the Huskers’ 20-7 victory over Illinois. For his career, Washington appeared in 48 games and made 64 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.

He made the announcement on social media.

First I want to thank god for blessing me with this opportunity, without him I am nothing. Thank you to all my family, friends, teammates, coaches, and everyone else who’s been with me through this journey. I couldn’t have done this without you guys and you are very appreciated.

Husker Nation I want to thank you for welcoming a kid from St. Louis in open arms easily the best fans in CFB. I will remember every moment.

With that being said I’m officially declaring for the 2024 NFL draft.

Washington did not start his career at Nebraska. He started his career at Texas (2019-21) before transferring to Nebraska for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

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