Tag: Ajani Corneilus

Pair of Oregon Ducks selected in latest ESPN 2025 NFL Mock Draft

A pair of Oregon Ducks are projected to go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, according to the latest mock from ESPN.

The 2025 NFL draft is still almost a year away, but it’s never too early to come up with a mock draft.

On ESPN ($), writer Matt Miller decided to come up with his best estimate of what the first round of the next NFL draft might look like and a pair of Ducks happen to show up.

The first Duck to be drafted next year is receiver Evan Stewart at No. 18 to the Los Angeles Chargers where former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert would be waiting. This is Miller’s explaination.

Stewart is a former five-star recruit who is transferring to Oregon from Texas A&M, and incoming Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel figures to get him the ball early and often. Stewart (6-foot, 175 pounds) will compete with returning starter Tez Johnson for targets, but his burst and ability in the open field remind me of Jaylen Waddle during his time at Alabama. — Matt Miller

Stewart would have just one season as a Duck and if that’s the case, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of season he can put forth in order to be a first round pick.

The second Duck to be picked would be offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius sneaking in at No. 32 with the San Francisco 49ers.

“It was tempting to put Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke or Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen here, but the 49ers have to address the offensive line after ignoring a problem area (again) in the 2024 offseason,” Miller said. “In his first year as a starter, Cornelius locked down the right side of the Oregon line with zero sacks and four pressures allowed. At 6-5 and 308 pounds, he has the length and lateral agility to fit the 49ers’ zone-blocking scheme while also giving them a long-term plan for Trent Williams’ eventual retirement.”

If Miller would do more rounds, more Ducks such as Dillon Gabriel and Tez Johnson would surely appear.

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Three Ducks make the Athletic’s Top 100 transfers list

A trio of new Ducks cracked The Athletic’s top 100 transfers in college football this season.

College football has seen a lot of change in the past five years. Notably and recently, we’ve seen massive conference realignment, the impacts of which remain to be seen. Another impactful change to the game is the re-worked transfer portal. Not so long ago, players had to sit out the season following their transfer, and it also cost them a year of eligibility.

Since the changes to the transfer rules were made, the way teams approach recruiting has totally shifted. Often, coaches have to focus just as much of their efforts on recruiting transfers as they do high school stars. On Thursday, The Athletic listed their picks for the top 100 players that switched teams this offseason, several of whom were Oregon Ducks.

The highest Duck on the list was DE Jordan Burch who was ranked at No. 4. Burch transferred from South Carolina after a career year in 2022, which is something he can hopefully build upon for 2023. The Athletic had this to say about Burch:

“The Ducks have a lot of speed in their front seven, and Burch and Brandon Dorlus are going to be a ferocious tandem. Last year, the former five-star recruit had a breakthrough season for the Gamecocks with 60 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Burch has turned heads inside his new program with his athleticism, clocking 20.85 mph on the GPS, vertical jumping 34 inches and squatting almost 700 pounds.”

The idea of Dorlus and Burch being a dynamic duo is an exciting prospect, and also something I see as realistic. Last year, the Ducks struggled to pressure the QB on defense, which is something Dorlus usually excels at. With Burch now opposite Dorlus on the line of scrimmage, opposing offensive lines will likely shift their scheme to counter both Dorlus and Burch, which is much more difficult than just blocking Dorlus, which is why they hopefully will be a “ferocious tandem,” as The Athletic suggested.

The other two Oregon players featured on the list were S Evan Williams and OT Ajani Cornelius. Cornelius made headlines last year when he was one of the most sought-after transfers available, despite not being recruited by any Division I schools out of high school a few years before. Evan Willaims is entering his fifth season in college to cap off his already impressive career. He was also graded by PFF as the 4th best returning safety in the Pac-12.

Regardless of whether they live up to this hype, all three of these players will be key for the Ducks. Williams and Burch fill holes that were major struggle areas for the Ducks last year — struggles that ended up costing the Ducks late in the season. Cornelius will also be a key piece in rebuilding the offensive line that looks totally different than the one we saw a year ago. Hopefully, they can be the difference the Ducks need to take a step forward this year.

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‘We can roll eight-deep;’ Oregon OC Will Stein discusses offensive line depth

“I feel good about our depth. A lot of guys have played and there’s been some newcomers come on that we’re excited about.”

One of the primary things to watch throughout fall camp and early in the season for the Oregon Ducks is the offensive line play. After a stellar 2022 season that saw one of the nation’s best offensive lines deployed in Eugene, there will be a changing of the guard in 2023. Four of the five starters from last year’s unit have graduated from the program, and while there is a lot of talent to replace them, the cohesion will need to be smoothed out early in the season.

After Oregon’s 15th fall practice on Monday, offensive coordinator Will Stein was asked about that cohesion and the depth at the position in particular. What he had to say should be encouraging to Duck fans:

“I think we can roll eight deep, I really do,” Stein said.

While fans may be mostly concerned about the first five guys who will take the field up front, Stein’s confidence in the depth at OL is great to hear. With so much physicality in the trenches, it is rare that you make it through a season relying on only five linemen, so being able to go to as many as eight guys should keep the team rocking and rolling on the front line, especially at the start of the season.

“As you guys know, early in the year temperatures are up, so big boys sweat,” Stein said. “Big boys get a little tired out there. So the only way to really get into shape is to play real football. We can scrimmage all we want, we can practice all we want, but until we put the pads on going to Autzen Stadium on the turf, that type of energy is when you really know what you’re made up of upfront.”

The Ducks currently boast a good mix of experience and young talent on the line. Incoming transfers like Junior Angilau and Nishad Strother bring a veteran presence to the unit, meshing well with sixth-year senior Steven Jones. On the outsides, you have both Josh Conerly and Ajani Cornelius looking for their first season starting at the Power Five level. In between there are a handful of talented linemen who are fighting hard for spots on the depth chart.

“I feel good about our depth. You know, a lot of guys have played and there’s been some newcomers come on that we’re excited about,” Stein said.

Living up to the heights that were reached a year ago is going to be tough, but under a new OL coach in A’lique Terry, the Ducks feel confident that they can once again play to “the standard” that is being set in Eugene.

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