Tag: Abraham Lucas

Seahawks take Washington State OT Abraham Lucas at No. 72 overall

The Seattle Seahawks have selected Washington State OT Abraham Lucas.

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With the No. 72 overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks have selected Washington State OT Abraham Lucas.

As for the measurables, Lucas has the requisite frame for a pro offensive lineman, coming into the league at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds. He also has 33.875″ arms and 10.5″ hands. Like the team’s first-round pick Charles Cross, he’s considered a better pass protector than a run blocker.

Lucas was projected as one of the top-10 overall OT prospects in this class. He will most likely be competing with 2021 rookie Jake Curhan for the opportunity to start at right tackle.

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2022 NFL draft: Chargers’ biggest positional needs entering Day 2

Laying out the positions that the Los Angeles Chargers still need to address following their selection of Zion Johnson.

After adding Zion Johnson in the first round, the Chargers have filled their hole at guard.

But the show must still go on.

Here’s a look at Los Angeles’ biggest remaining positional needs on the roster entering Friday’s session.

Right Tackle

Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley both said on Thursday night that Johnson was drafted to be the team’s starter at right guard. Matt Feiler was also listed as being in the plans at left guard, which leaves the question of right tackle lingering. The Chargers seem to be comfortable with the thought of Trey Pipkins and Storm Norton battling it out for the starting job, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has L.A. selecting Washington State’s Abraham Lucas with the 79th selection. Other possible options in the draft include Louisiana’s Max Mitchell, Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere, or Penn State’s Rasheed Walker.

Cornerback

Staley’s defense places a huge amount of responsibility on the cornerback position, part of the reason why Washington’s Trent McDuffie seemed like a logical fit at 17th overall if Johnson was off the board. With JC Jackson and Asante Samuel Jr., the Chargers have two building blocks at corner, but the team seems to have lost some of the optimism about Michael Davis that resulted in his 3 year, $25.2 million extension prior to the 2021 season. A drafted corner could come in the form of a slot only type, with plans to keep Samuel on the outside, or it could be a lengthy outside corner, with Samuel kicking inside to the slot. Some options to keep an eye on during Day 2 include Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-Britt, Sam Houston State’s Zyon McCollum, Pitt’s Damarri Mathis, and Cincinnati’s Coby Bryant.

Edge defender

This is the direction I had the Chargers going in my final 7 round mock draft on Thursday morning. Depth behind Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack is questionable right now after LA chose not to retain Kyler Fackrell or Uchenna Nwosu. Chris Rumph II was a fourth round pick a season ago, but he’d need to make a big leap to fill those shoes. Luckily for the Chargers, this draft class is stacked with EDGE talent from top to bottom. Every player I ranked from 6-10 in my EDGE rankings on Wednesday is still on the board, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath for any of them to fall to LA at 79. Focus on names like DeAngelo Malone (Western Kentucky), Dominique Robinson (Miami (OH)), Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati), and Amare Barno (Virginia Tech). 

Wide Receiver

Josh Palmer made strides as a rookie, and there’s no reason to believe he’s not in LA’s long-term plans. But the Chargers still lack a burner who has the speed to get under Justin Herbert’s moonshots downfield. The most likely options on the roster currently are Jalen Guyton and return specialist DeAndre Carter, neither of whom should prevent Los Angeles from targeting the right receiver on Day 2. I’ll be watching the closest for Calvin Austin III (Memphis) or Danny Gray (SMU), but if neither of them makes it to 79, I like Tyquan Thornton (Baylor) or Isaiah Weston (Northern Iowa) a bit later in the draft.

Running Back

Perhaps Chargers fans can be saved from the curse of yet another Day 3 RB draft pick if LA opts to turn to the position on Friday night instead. Austin Ekeler is a showstopper in the backfield, of course, but young guys like Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree III have struggled to gain their footing behind him. With every running back still on the board entering Day 2, the Chargers could find themselves in a valuable position to take their pick of some of the best available. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper listed Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller and BYU’s Tyler Allgeier as prime targets at 79. I’d add Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, on the off chance that he slips down the board, as well as players worth later looks like Georgia’s Zamir White or Michigan’s Hassan Haskins.

2022 NFL draft: The best players left after the first round

From Malik Willis to Jaquan Brisker, here are the best players left on the boards after the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Players who have to wait around after the first round to hear their names called in the draft are by no means limited in their NFL potential. Since 2000 alone, the list of second- and third-rounders reads like a Hall of Fame buffet years from now: Drew Brees, Bobby Wagner, Steve Smith Sr., Andrew Whitworth, Marshal Yanda, Rob Gronkowski, Lavonte David, and on and on.

Take the view back a few decades, and you’ll see second- and third-rounders like Joe Montana, Dan Fouts, Mike Singletary, Michael Strahan, Ken Anderson, Terrell Owens, Aeneas Williams, Thurman Thomas, Kevin Mawae, Brian Dawkins, Larry Allen, and Mel Blount.

Those are all Hall of Famers, except for Ken Anderson, who should be.

The point is, there’s just about as much of a hit rate in the second and third rounds as there is a bust rate in the later rounds. So, when we get to the players who didn’t hear their names in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, it doesn’t mean at all that these guys won’t be NFL stars — in fact, there’s no barrier to future stardom at all.

Based on our evaluations here at Touchdown Wire, here are the best prospects left on the board after the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

2022 NFL draft: Abraham Lucas scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Washington State offensive tackle Abraham Lucas

A four-year starter with track record of success against Power 5 competition, Washington State’s Abraham Lucas enters the 2022 NFL draft as one of the most consistent and experienced offensive tackles in this year’s class.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Cougars’ dominant pass protector:

4 OTs the Colts should consider drafting on Day 2

Taking a look at 4 OTs the Colts should consider on Day 2 of the draft.

The Indianapolis Colts don’t have a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, but they still have a chance to grab a potential left tackle of the future at some point during Day 2.

With selections at Nos. 42 and 73 overall, the Colts will have their opportunities to take an offensive tackle to compete with Matt Pryor on the blindside. Pryor currently has the leg up in the competition, but things can change quickly.

We’re focusing solely on Day 2 of the draft in this piece for two reasons. One, the Colts don’t have a first-round pick, and it’s unlikely they move into the first round for a tackle. Two, draft weekend is crazy enough so it’s more feasible to wait until the dust is settled to list players available on Day 3.

Be sure to check out our other piece on wide receivers to target on Day 2, and we’ll have more positions to cover leading up to the draft. Also, check out Touchdown Wire’s and Draft Wire’s offensive tackle rankings.

Without further ado, here are four offensive tackle prospects the Colts should consider drafting on Day 2:

7-round NFL mock draft for the Denver Broncos

Our first seven-round NFL mock draft for the Broncos has the team going LB, OT, RB with their first three picks.

The 2022 NFL draft will be held next week, which means mock draft season is heating up! Here is Broncos Wire’s first attempt at mocking Denver’s plans for this year’s draft.

Colts’ full 7-round mock draft with trades

Here’s a 7-round mock draft for the Colts that features a trade-back.

The Indianapolis Colts are just over a week away from the start of the 2022 NFL draft so just about everyone is trying to predict how the offseason’s biggest event will unfold.

While the Colts are finalizing their draft board ahead of the big weekend, we are going to take a look at a seven-round mock draft using The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator.

Before the draft arrives, we will give our final predictions without using a simulator. But sometimes those simulators can give us an idea of a range of outcomes in different scenarios.

For instance, we’ve already looked at how a draft could turn out if the Colts went all-in on a quarterback prospect in this class. We also took a look at how a draft might turn out if the Colts simply passed on a quarterback altogether.

Now, we are seeing what it looks like if the Colts were to move back from their first selection at No. 42 overall in the draft:

Packers to host official pre-draft visit with Washington State OT Abraham Lucas

The Packers will host an official pre-draft visit with Washington State offensive tackle Abraham Lucas this week.

The Green Bay Packers will host an official pre-draft visit with Washington State offensive tackle Abraham Lucas this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Lucas, a redshirt senior, started 42 games at right tackle over four seasons at Washington State. He was a four-time All-Pac 12 selection and a Senior Bowl participant. The Washington native turns 24 in October.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks Lucas as the eighth-best offensive tackle prospect and the No. 79 overall prospect in the draft class. He is projected as a Day 2 pick.

With Billy Turner now in Denver and Dennis Kelly unsigned, Packers offensive line coach Adam Stenavich admitted the team still needs to add one or two offensive tackles to the roster.

The experience and athleticism of Lucas could be appealing to the Packers.

Lucas (6-6, 315) has 34″ arms and a wingspan of 81″. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.92 seconds, hit 27″ in the vertical leap, covered 8-11 in the broad jump, finished the short shuttle in 4.40 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.25 seconds and completed 25 reps on the bench press. His Relative Athletic Score is 9.5 out of 10.0.

According to Pro Football Focus, Lucas allowed only nine pressures (zero sacks) on 477 pass-blocking snaps in 2021. He played over 2,000 pass-blocking snaps during his collegiate career and consistently earned high pass-blocking grades.

The Packers have five picks in the top 100 and will have several opportunities to select Lucas if the team deems him a good fit.

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Colts stockpile talent in ESPN’s 7-round mock draft

Here’s a look at the 7-round mock draft for the Colts from ESPN.

The 2022 NFL draft is just around the corner and analysts across the league are putting in work trying to figure out which players are the best fits for every team in the NFL.

The Indianapolis Colts have made it clear what types of players they like at certain positions. Whether it comes down to a certain physical build, skill set or athletic mold, the last five drafts have given us plenty of insight as to how Chris Ballard targets players.

Over at ESPN, draft analyst Jordan Reid conducted a seven-round mock draft for every pick.

Here we are going to take a look at the Colts’ haul in his mock draft:

2022 NFL draft: The top 11 offensive tackles

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar breaks down the 11 best offensive tackle in the 2022 NFL draft class.

If you want to know the hit rate for the top offensive tackles in any draft class, consider this. Since 2010, there have been 44 players taken in the first round who were designated as offensive tackles in their draft classes. Just eight have at least one First-Team All-Pro selection. Only 14 have been selected to at least one Pro Bowl. Three (Isaiah Wilson, Tennessee Titans, 2020/Andre Dillard, Philadelphia Eagles, 2019/Derek Sherrod, Green Bay Packers, 2011) have not been primary starters in the NFL.

For every Trent Williams, Tyron Smith, and Ronnie Stanley — the guys who immediately and consistently define their offenses with their excellence — there’s a Jake Matthews, Nate Solder, or Luke Joeckel (players who have great moments, but tread water more than anything else), and there’s certainly at least one Ereck Flowers, Ja’Wuan James, or Andrew Thomas (the players who wind up making you wonder what everybody in the room was thinking).

This is not to specifically malign the players who do not succeed at the NFL level, despite having what some shot-caller in some front office determined to be first-round talent. It’s more to say that being a great left or right tackle in the pros is really, really hard to do. Different offensive systems require different things from their tackles, but for the most part, you’d better have aggressive hands, excellent, light feet, the mentality to dominate, the agility to take on the NFL’s best speed-rushers, and the intelligence and reaction ability to deal with blitzes and stunts.

Those are the basics. From there, the hope is that you’ll continue to excel despite any physical limitations. Maybe your wingspan isn’t what the NFL wants it to be. Maybe your upper-body strength isn’t exactly an advertisement for your college weightroom. Perhaps your college coaches didn’t teach you this or that technique that would help you in the NFL, and you have to hope that your NFL coaches will see these things and make them better.

Sometimes, you’re able to transcend these things. More often, you’re not.

This year’s offensive tackles appear to be part of a class that is top-heavy and deep. But there’s no guarantee that any of them will become true dominators at the NFL level, no matter how much they may have owned the defenders they faced in college.

Here are the top 11 offensive tackles in the 2022 NFL draft, the attributes that best indicate their transitions to the NFL, and the things that might get in the way.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated. All testing data comes from the 2022 scouting combine, with percentile per position, courtesy of MockDraftable.com).