Tag: 2024 NFL Draft

Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy shares story of a team hanging up on him during the NFL Draft

Kansas City #Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy shares story of a team hanging up on him during the NFL Draft | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs have gotten plenty of needed production from rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy. He has stepped into the starter’s role due to injuries to veterans throughout the winning streak.

The Chiefs’ first-round draft pick recently appeared as a guest on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’ to share an interesting story about his draft night experience. A phone call could have changed things considerably between two AFC franchises.

“The (Indianapolis) Colts hung up in my face. It was a little crazy,” said Worthy. “The Colts called my phone on draft day and hung up the phone. They said, ‘Hello, this is so and so with the Colts.’ And then they stopped talking and hung up.”

The Chiefs would eventually move up in the first round to select the speedy receiver after a trade with the Buffalo Bills. Worthy confirmed that general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid spoke with him over the phone before the pick was announced.

Indianapolis selected Laiatu Latu with the 15th overall pick and ironically picked Worthy’s Texas Longhorns teammate, Adonai Mitchell, 52nd overall in the second round. Worthy has performed well in Kansas City, with 19 catches for 235 yards and three touchdowns through seven games.

Joe Mixon makes Texans’ history in loss vs. Packers

Joe Mixon joined Arian Foster in the Houston Texans’ history books Sunday afternoon against the Green Bay Packers.

Is Joe Mixon the best running back for the Houston Texans since Arian Foster?

It’s still too early to tell based on longevity, but the former Pro Bowl did join Foster in the Texans’ history books on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field.

With his 115-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 24-22 loss against the Green Bay Packers, Mixon became the second running back in franchise history to record 100 rushing yards and multiple touchdowns in consecutive games.

In last week’s 41-21 win against the New England Patriots, Mixon rushed for 102 yards off 13 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns in his first game back since suffering an ankle injury in Week 2.

“Joe is going to make some impact plays happen for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday. “And everybody thrives off the momentum that Joe is able to create with his run style and his playmaking ability is really huge for our team.

“His mentality, how he runs the ball, it really gives us a chance.”

After inking a three-year, $27 million extension this offseason, many believed Mixon’s best days were behind him. Instead, he’s been a workhorse in three games and a significant reason why the Texans sit at 5-2 entering Week 8.

In Week 1’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, he rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown. He also led the league in total yards with 178.

Since being back, Mixon has averaged 5.9 yards per run while also serving as a secondary option in the passing game. In all three games where he’s rushed for over 100 yards, he’s also totaled at least three receptions.

Houston returns to NRG Stadium for a noon CT this Sunday against the Colts. With a victory, the Texans will improve to 3-0 against divisional opponents in 2024.

Texans add back former draft pick to practice squad

The Houston Texans are bringing back a former draft pick to the practice squad.

Jawhar Jordan is back with the Houston Texans.

The Texans signed the rookie running back to the practice squad Tuesday after previously reaching an injury settlement with him for an oblique injury.

Houston also released defensive end Rashad Weaver from the 53-man roster and offensive lineman Arlington Hambright from the practice squad. This means a roster spot is open for a player to either be added via trade or removed from the injured reserve.

Cornerback Jeff Okudah and linebacker Christian Harris seem to be the prime suspects to be added later this week as Houston returns to NRG Stadium for its Week 8 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

A sixth-round pick out of Louisville in 2024, Jordan was expected to compete for the third-down back role and the return game during training camp. Fully healthy, the 5-foot-9 runner could be elevated to the active roster should the Texans need help on punt returns with Robert Woods and Steven Sims sidelined.

During his final year with the Cardinals, Jordan rushed for 1,128 yards and led the ACC with 13 touchdowns.

Texans receive mixed grade on RB Cam Akers trade

One publication wasn’t the biggest fan of the Houston Texans trading away Cam Akers for a late-round pick on Tuesday.

The Houston Texans realized they could find value in trading away one of their running backs now that Pro Bowler Joe Mixon was back at full speed.

On Tuesday, that thought became a reality as Cam Akers returned to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.

Some were a fan of the move, given that Akers would have been buried down the depth. Others, including Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, weren’t, giving the deal an overall “C” grade for Houston.

Meanwhile, Knox gave the Vikings a “B” since it was a cost-friendly contract for a player who previously played for them and has a great understanding of the offensive personnel.

“This is a less-valuable move for the Texans, though not altogether puzzling,” Knox wrote. “Houston saw the return of Joe Mixon (ankle) and Dameon Pierce (hamstring) in Week 6, and both played extremely well—each topped 75 rushing yards and found the end zone. The Texans also have a capable third back in Dare Ogunbowale.

While a team with Super Bowl aspirations can rarely afford to dump experienced depth—Akers appeared in five games with two starts this season—keeping him on the active roster for the next 11 weeks might not have been feasible.”

Perhaps the grade is a bit too harsh. Akers, who impressed during the preseason and earned a spot on the final 53-man roster, was a healthy scratch in Week 1 because there wasn’t a place for him. In Week 2, he only played because Pierce was dealing with a hamstring injury.

There’s also the role element. Akers doesn’t provide value on special teams. He’s a solid No. 3 option in the run game, but so is Ogunbowale, who also has been one of the better special teams players since joining the team.

A trade to the Vikings likely gives him an expanded role in their offense, espeically with Aaron Jones limited due to injury.

The Texans travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers this Sunday at noon CT.

Sean Payton says Broncos scouted Saints QB pre-draft, ‘the whole nine yards’

Sean Payton says the Broncos thoroughly scouted Saints QB Spencer Rattler before the 2024 draft with meetings and a private workout: ‘The whole nine yards’

Spencer Rattler will have a big fan on the opposing sideline when his New Orleans Saints kick off with the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Sean Payton said the Broncos thoroughly scouted the rookie quarterback ahead of  this year’s NFL draft, and he was impressed by what the South Carolina product showed him.

Payton and the Broncos college scouting department invested just as much time in evaluating Rattler as they did the other quarterbacks in the draft class, including their new starter Bo Nix.

“We spent a lot of time with him. I’d say there was five. Pro day and then we had a private workout. We were all in Phoenix, the Scottsdale area, where he’s from,” Payton recalled Tuesday. “Steak dinner, the whole nine yards. Tested in the morning (and watched him) throw. He did really well.”

So Payton wasn’t exactly blown away when the Saints immediately chose to  start Rattler after Derek Carr’s injury last week. He’s seen the young quarterback tackle everything college football could throw at him, and he knows the Broncos defense will need to work hard to pressure Rattler in his second career start.

Payton continued: “It’s not surprising to see (him do well). There is, again, I’m going to use an analogy. There’s a calmness when he plays. He too has been through the adversity early on. Coming out of high school, to Oklahoma and then transferring. There is a confidence when he’s on the field. You see that in the preseason and last week. It’s not too big for him, and he has a live arm. We were really impressed.”

At the same time, that exposure could have given Payton and his coaches some insight on how to, well, rattle Rattler. They didn’t draft him when they had the chance, but that’s probably more due to having taken Nix in the first round while lacking enough picks to address higher-priority needs. But if Rattler impresses on Thursday night and hands Payton’s team a loss? It sounds like the former Saints coach would be first in line to shake his hand.

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Will this be the greatest rookie quarterback class ever?

Is this shaping up to be the best rookie QB class ever?

Five quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Quarterbacks went among the top three picks in 2021, and five of the top 15 players selected were quarterbacks.

Now, three years later, only one of those five quarterbacks remains on the team that drafted him: No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence.

Fast-forward to the 2024 NFL draft. Six quarterbacks landed in the first round, all within the first 12 picks. Like in 2021, quarterbacks were the first three players picked.

That’s where the comparisons end — at least for now.

Three of the six quarterbacks in the 2024 draft have started every game for their respective teams: No. 1 pick Caleb Williams (Bears), No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels (Commanders) and No. 12 pick Bo Nix (Broncos). No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye made his first NFL start on Sunday.

The other two quarterbacks, J.J. McCarthy (injured and out for the season) and Michael Penix Jr. (Kirk Cousins’ backup), have not played.

After a slow start, Williams has turned things around over the last few weeks and has the Bears at 4-2. Daniels has been the best of the bunch and it hasn’t been close. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner has the Commanders 4-2 and in first place in the NFC East. He’s already broken numerous records and was phenomenal in Washington’s loss to Baltimore last week.

Maye made his first on Sunday, passed for three touchdowns, and presumably has the job for the remainder of the season.

How good can this quarterback class be? Well, it’s already better than the 2021 class. Could it be the best ever? CBS Sports recently named several topics from Week 6 as a “reality or overreaction.” One of the questions was whether the 2024 class is the best QB class ever, for which they said “reality.”

Forget about Bo Nix for a second. This rookie quarterback class is very impressive. Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels have their respective teams at 4-2. Williams is the fourth rookie since 1970 with 4+ passing touchdowns and 50+ rushing yards in a game (Deshaun Watson, Robert Griffin III, Troy Aikman) while Daniels is the first player in NFL history with a 75% completion rate, 1,400 passing yards, and 300 rushing yards in a six-game span. Daniels is also the first player in NFL history with 1,400 passing yards and 300 rushing yards in his first six career games.

Drake Maye made his first career start on Sunday and threw for more touchdown passes (3) than the Patriots did in their first five games (2). Maye is the first quarterback since at least 1950 with 3+ passing touchdowns to lead his team in rushing in his first career start.

The top three picks have made an instant impact as rookies. They are carrying this rookie quarterback class to levels never seen before.

While this could be a transformative class, we are six weeks into their rookie seasons, and Maye has one start under his belt. These quarterbacks will face adversity this season and in the future. It’s a little too soon to call this the greatest quarterback class of all time.

The 1983 and 2004 quarterback classes would like a word here. Those classes produced Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, John Elway, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger.

Yes, this class looks special, but it’s still early.

Updated 2025 NFL draft order after Week 6

Here’s a look at the projected order of picks for the 2025 NFL draft following six weeks of action.

Following a 23-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Denver Broncos fell to 3-3. Their win percentage of .500 puts the Broncos on pace to select 15th overall in the 2025 NFL draft after six weeks of play.

Of course, there’s plenty of football left to be played. Denver still has 11 games remaining, so this seems unlikely to be the team’s final order in next year’s NFL draft. But we’ll be tracking the draft order so long as the Broncos remain outside of the AFC’s playoff picture.

Here’s a look at the current projected draft order for non-playoff teams entering Week 7, courtesy of Tankathon.com:

  1. New England Patriots (1-5)
  2. Cleveland Browns (1-5)
  3. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
  4. Carolina Panthers (1-5)
  5. Los Angeles Rams (1-4)
  6. Tennessee Titans (1-4)
  7. New York Jets (2-4)
  8. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
  9. New Orleans Saints (2-4)
  10. Arizona Cardinals (2-4)
  11. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4)
  12. New York Giants (2-4)
  13. Miami Dolphins (2-3)
  14. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
  15. Denver Broncos (3-3)
  16. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
  17. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)
  18. Chicago Bears (4-2)

Up next for Denver is a road game against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football. That game will mark Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans, making it a must-watch prime-time game.

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Vikings’ Dallas Turner off to slower start than fellow rookies on defense

Coming from the college game to the NFL is never an easy task, regardless of how some players can make it look season to season. 

Coming from the college game to the NFL is never easy, regardless of how some players make it look season to season. There is a learning curve both mentally and physically, and for some positions, it can be even more significant.

For Vikings’ rookie Dallas Turner, the curve is still being worked on after being drafted in the first round of April’s draft.

In a recent mailbag post, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis was asked about his development. In comparison to others in the class, he is lower in terms of pressure rate. Other rookies, such as Jared Verse, Laiatu Latu, and Chop Robinson, were just some of the rookies who had more success than he had.

To their credit, though, they have almost doubled the number of snaps played compared to Turner.

With Turner showing slower development, the Vikings don’t need him to be dominant on day one. Playing alongside Pat Jones II, Jonathan Greenard, and Andrew Van Ginkel allows him to pick up their scraps while working important mental reps.

He will be along in due time; there is no need to rush the former-star Crimson Tide defender.

WATCH: Drake Maye tosses first career NFL touchdown pass against Texans

Drake Maye is having quite the NFL debut, tossing his first career NFL touchdown pass on Sunday afternoon.

When the New England Patriots selected Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft out of North Carolina, many hoped Maye would be starting Week 1.

When New England ended its preseason slate, Maye clearly outplayed NFL veteran Jacoby Brissett, further proving Maye should start Week 1.

After the Patriots’ 1-4 start in which Brissett failed to eclipse 200 passing yards once, Maye was finally named their starting quarterback.

On Sunday, Oct. 13 in his first regular season start, Maye tossed his first career touchdown.

Maye’s touchdown pass, which put New England on the board late in the second quarter, was a 40-yard BOMB to former LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. After struggling early and throwing an interception, looking more like a nervous rookie, Maye settled down to close the Patriots’ gap to one possession before halftime.

Maye threw his second touchdown late in the third quarter to tight end Hunter Henry, closing New England’s deficit to 27-14.

Maye compiled one of the best two-year careers as a starting quarterback in UNC history: throwing for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns, being named the 2022 ACC Player and Rookie of the Year, plus finding himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation in both 2022 and 2023.

Maye had the likes of Josh Downs and Devontez Walker to catch his passes in Chapel Hill – and as he plays more in New England, he’ll start to find chemistry with his new wide receivers. One could make the case that Maye and Boutte have already found that chemistry, hence their connection for a score on Sunday.

The Patriots might not win many games this year, but at least they now know why they drafted Maye third overall.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Raiders rookie TE proving NFL draft pundits right through 5 game

Raiders rookie TE proving NFL draft pundits right through 5 game

Through five games, the runaway leader for Offensive Rookie of the Year is Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. The start of his season has been remarkable and historic in terms of a rookie quarterback.

And it’s absolutely right that Daniels gets all this attention. But out in Las Vegas, rookie tight end Brock Bowers is having a tremendous rookie campaign being overshadowed by Daniels as well as just how bad the Raiders are.

Here are Bowers’ stats through five games:

• 36 targets

• 28 receptions

• 313 receiving yards

• 12 rushing yards

• 1 receiving TD

Pre-draft, we have Bowers as our No. 5 overall prospect and he has certainly played like it. For all of his athleticism and natural football skills, it’s his football acumen that has really stood out on a bad Raiders offense. Bowers has a keen understanding of NFL defenses and is mature beyond his years in taking advantage of defenders in his routes, body control and hands.

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