Tag: 3rd round

Watch: Julian Okwara highlights

Videos highlight Detroit Lions 2020 third-round pick, Notre Dame EDGE rusher Julian Okwara.

Videos highlight Detroit Lions 2020 third-round pick, Notre Dame EDGE rusher Julian Okwara.

Get to know Okwara with the team released highlight reel:

How the pick happened via virtual draft:

Behind the scenes at the Okwara house when Julian was drafted:

Okwara’s post-draft interview with Lions multi-media reporter Tori Petry:

Notre Dame produced features on Okwara:

Okwara pre-draft interview with Mike Tirico coving his journey to the NFL:

NFL Combine interview:

Kyle Crabbs (of The Draft Network and Dolphins Wire) breaks down Okwara’s game:

Okwara career highlights cut-up:

Okwara joins PFF to break down his film:

Okwara shows off his cooking skills and shares his favorite recipe:

Instant Analysis: Cowboys’ No. 82 pick, Oklahoma DT Neville Gallimore

Dallas continued to beef up their defensive line with their third-round pick, a 300-pounder with surprising speed from north of the border.

The first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft could not have gone much better for the Cowboys. In the first round, their sixth-rated player fell in their laps at No. 17 to give the club what is perhaps the most fearsome trio of pass-catchers in franchise history. Friday’s second round allowed the club to address their depleted secondary with a cornerback who could have easily been selected the night before without anyone batting an eye or calling it a reach.

With their third-round pick, the team continued to address their underachieving defense by drafting defensive tackle Neville Gallimore from Oklahoma.

The native Canadian stands 6-foot-2-inches and weighs in at just over 300 pounds. But the big man turned heads at the combine with a 40-yard-dash time of 4.79 seconds, the fastest for a three-bill D-lineman in two decades.

Gallimore’s game improved with each season at Oklahoma; as a senior, he helped lead the Sooners to a Big 12 Championship and earned third-team All-American honors. Now having graduated to the pros, he’ll be tutored in front-line play at the next level from the likes of DeMarcus Lawrence, Dontari Poe, and Gerald McCoy.

Here is what some draft gurus were saying about the newest Dallas Cowboy when he was still just a college prospect.

Dane Brugler | The Athletic

Position rank: 7

Overall rank: 70

“Gallimore is an athletic marvel for a 300-plus pounder with the rare motor and violent hands to make plays outside his square. His splash plays are some of the best snaps you will see at the position, but his college production doesn’t match up with his impressive power/athletic traits. Overall, Gallimore isn’t the most technically sound player, but he is an athletic, charged-up big man with the explosive hands to reset the line of scrimmage or pass off blocks on his way to the pocket, projecting as a three-technique with NFL starting potential.”

Lance Zierlein | NFL.com

Projected: Round 2

Grade: 6.0 – Developmental traits-based prospect

“Flash talent whose tape has moments but fails to fully deliver. Gallimore goes hard from snap to whistle with secondary effort that brings decent production, but his NFL potential may be limited by a lack of leverage and contact balance. Oklahoma had him playing in the gaps but he might be more effective improving his hands and learning to two-gap. Unless he turns the flashes into a finished product, his future may be as a rotation tackle in an even front.”

Mike Renner | Pro Football Focus

Position rank: 6

Overall rank: 51

“For many defensive line schemes in the NFL, the goal is simple: get into the backfield by any means necessary. Gallimore possesses such ability from the nose tackle position. He’s one of the most athletic 300+ pounders in the draft class and can make plays sideline-to-sideline. While his pass-rushing toolbox is only scratching the surface of what it could be, we loved how much he took a step forward in that regard this past season. For a player that still looks like he’s learning the position at times, grading out as well as he did is a great sign.”

Kyle Crabbs | The Draft Network

Position rank: 5

Overall rank: 46

“Neville Gallimore is a disruptive 1T in a penetration style defensive system. Gallimore isn’t necessarily a huge finisher and hasn’t rolled up huge production in the backfield but make no mistake, his initial quickness, power, hand counters and motor will provide plenty of disruption up front for even front teams looking to collapse the pocket and get opposing quarterbacks on their heels. Gallimore has viable three down ability thanks to his short area agility. An NFL starter.”

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Third-round pick Julian Okwara sits atop defensive depth chart

Examining how third-round pick Julian Okwara will likely sit atop the Detroit Lions defensive depth chart at the JACK linebacker position.

The Detroit Lions finally got themselves an EDGE rusher.

One of the few remaining holes on the roster, the team had done nothing to bolster the position group this offseason. That changed in a major way with third-round pick Julian Okwara.

He played the JACK linebacker role at Notre Dame, but his size and strength could land him a spot as a pure defensive end instead. Detroit will have a choice to make, but you can never go wrong with a versatile defensive playmaker like Okwara.

If he goes the JACK linebacker route, he will immediately unseat 2019 fourth-round pick Austin Bryant for that role, and allow newly-signed Jamie Collins and 2019 second-round pick Jahlani Tavai to move around the defense a little more.

If he finds himself lining up as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end, his older brother, Romeo Okwara, may lose his role on defense. Romeo played more than half of the Lions’ defensive snaps in 2019 at the defensive end position. Starting alongside whichever Okwara brother wins the job is Trey Flowers.

Matt Patricia’s “multiple” defense makes the projected defensive line depth chart hard to sort out. Flowers and Julian Okwara would likely be the starters in Week 1, with Romeo Okwara and “tweener” defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand rotating in often.

Defensive end Jonathan Wynn has the most to lose from the selection of Okwara, as his chances of surviving through roster cuts have diminished immensely. Defensive tackles Frank Herron and Kevin Strong, who have been used as pass rushers on occasion, will see a decrease in snaps as well.

All in all, drafting Okwara is a great move for either position group that he plays in. The Lions have earned themselves a talented and versatile starter on the edge.

Lions select Julian Okwara with the 67th pick in the third round

With the third pick in the third round, 67th overall, of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Lions select EDGE rusher Julian Okwara out of Notre Dame.

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With the third pick in the third round, 67th overall, of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Lions select EDGE rusher Julian Okwara out of Notre Dame.

Julain, the younger brother of Lions EDGE rusher Romeo Okwara, is the same height but a tick lighter (6-4, 252) than his older brother. With 10 fewer pounds to carry around, Julian is able to split his time between the down defensive end and JACK linebacker roles.

Okwara’s best asset is his speed off the edge — something the Lions are lacking — but he needs to shore up his run defense if he wants to stay on the field in the Lions scheme.

Pro Football Focus absolutely loves Okwara, ranking him as the 28th best player in this draft class and giving him a player comparison to current Lions prized free agent Jamie Collins.

The Lions have the following picks over the next two days:

Round 3 pick 21 85 overall
Round 4 pick 3 109 overall
Round 5 pick 3 149 overall
Round 5 pick 20 166 overall
Round 6 pick 3 182 overall
Round 7 pick 21 235 overall

 

2020 NFL Draft: Which Georgia football players could go tonight?

Here are some Georgia football player we hope will be taken in either the first or second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Georgia Bulldogs had two players selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Things got started when the New York Giants used the #4 overall pick to draft offensive tackle Andrew Thomas.

Three hours later, Georgia saw another offensive tackle go as the Tennessee Titans took Isaiah Wilson with the 29th overall pick.

We kept waiting and waiting to hear D’Andre Swift’s name called, but that did not happen on night one. Most expected the Dolphins or the Chiefs to take Swift.

Instead, Miami traded down from #26 to #30 and took Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. But the real shocker came with the final pick of the first round when the Kansas City Chiefs took LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, making him the only ball carrier taken in the first round.

Edwards-Helaire is a great player, but he’s no Swift. Either way, Swift is going to make one team very happy when he hears his name called early on in the second round. He is currently the second best available player on Mel Kiper’s Big Board.

So, with rounds two and three quickly approaching, here’s a look at which Georgia Bulldogs we could expect to be selected tonight:

Running back D’Andre Swift:

 Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Swift should go very early in round two. The Dolphins and the Bucs hold the #7 and #13 picks, respectively, in the second round. They both may be forced to trade up in order to get Swift.

Offensive guard Solomon Kindley:

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

I’d expect Kindley to go in either the late second or early third round.

Safety J.R. Reed:

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

He’s one of the best safeties in the entire draft. Could he find his way into either the second or third round?

Quarterback Jake Fromm:

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe a bit early Fromm, who analysts see as a fourth round guy.

2019 rookie report: Will Harris

From snap counts to competing for a starting role, we review the rookie season of Detroit Lions third-round pick safety Will Harris.

Another third-round safety selected by the Detroit Lions, many expected Will Harris to surprise like Tracy Walker did in the 2018 season.

Though he had a fairly quiet training camp, Harris showed up big in the preseason, giving some much-needed optimism about Detroit’s safety situation.

Harris started the season as the Lions fourth safety behind Walker, Quandre Diggs, and Tavon Wilson. In the first game of the year, he appeared on the field for 17 percent of defensive snaps. His role was primarily special teams, and things were expected to remain that way for the season.

Harris’ snap counts remained low for the first three games of the season, but he saw a huge uptick in usage on defense in the Lions’ Week 4 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Quandre Diggs was forced to leave the game early due to an injury, giving Harris his first experience as a starter in the NFL. He held his own, making three tackles and not allowing a touchdown against him.

Following the bye week, the rookie found himself thrust into the starting lineup again, this time filling in for veteran Tavon Wilson. Harris was used as the team’s third safety and put up a career-high six tackles in that game while maintaining solid coverage on opposing receivers.

Harris resumed his role as the team’s fourth safety the next week, but little did he know that he’d find himself as the clear-cut starter soon after. Before the Week 7 game against the New York Giants, Detroit traded away Diggs to the Seattle Seahawks.

Harris looked fine as the starting strong safety for the first game, but he began to look more and more like a rookie as the season continued.

By the end of Week 9, Harris had played two consecutive games where he saw the field for every defensive snap. He had just allowed the first touchdown against him to a tight end of the Chicago Bears and was giving up an average passer rating of 113.7 when targeted.

Missed tackles became a big issue for the rookie as well. Harris had whiffed on six tackles by Week 10. But to his credit, he hasn’t missed one since. Nonetheless, this proved to be a big liability for him, which lead to his benching later in the season.

Though his duties were relegated to being on the field just for three-safety sets, he did have to fill in for injuries often during the remainder of the season.

Harris finished his rookie season with 36 total tackles, three passes defended, and a sack. While he struggled in coverage for most of the year, he did finish strong. He allowed less than 60-percent of passes against him to be completed and didn’t miss a tackle in the final six games of 2019.

The rookie still has a lot of room for improvement. With Walker returning, and the Lions expected to make a move for a starting-caliber safety via the draft or free agency, it is expected that Harris returns to his backup role where he can learn and develop his skills.

There’s a lot of potential here for the young, physical safety. With a new defensive coaching staff taking over, have some optimism that Harris can develop into a full-time starter by the end of 2020.