Akili Smith – Syndication Server

Latest NFL mock draft projects an NFL first, includes Commanders

How good is this quarterback class? The QB depth at the top of the class could produce an NFL first.

The latest 2024 NFL mock draft predicts a league first.

For the first time in NFL history, could the first four selections all be quarterbacks?

The last time the first three selections were quarterbacks was in 1999. Analysts have been pretty much certain that will occur this year as well.

Don’t get prematurely excited, though. None of the top three quarterbacks drafted in 1999 will ever be in the Hall of Fame. Only one had a good career. That was Donovan McNabb, who faded quickly after some very successful years with the Eagles, including five NFC championship game appearances and one Super Bowl loss.

The other two drafted in the top three were Tim Couch of the Browns and Akili Smith of the Bengals. Couch was in the NFL for only five seasons, passing for 64 touchdowns but also throwing 67 interceptions. Smith lasted four seasons, playing in only 22 games with five touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.

CBS Sports Network’s Kyle Stackpole projects that next month’s draft will result in a first: four quarterbacks being the top four overall selections.

This comes as a result of Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy performing well at his workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

As of now, the Cardinals hold the fourth selection. Stackpole projects the New York Giants trading up from the sixth position to take their quarterback of the future.

The top four selections, according to Stackpole, will be:

Caleb Williams QB USC (Chicago Bears)
Drake Maye QB, UNC (Washington Commanders)
Jayden Daniels QB, LSU (New England Patriots)
J.J. McCarthy QB, Michigan (New York Giants trade)

Here is what Stackpole says regarding the Commanders:

“The Commanders opt for Drake Maye, who has connections to QBs coach Tavita Pritchard and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.”

Here is the entire first round of Stackpole’s mock draft.

Ducks become heavy favorites to land 4-star Oregon legacy QB Akili Smith Jr.

It isn’t hard to imagine seeing an Akili Smith play inside Autzen Stadium again down the road.

After the great Akili led Oregon to so much success decades ago, it appears that the Ducks might be in line to land his son, 4-star QB Akili Smith Jr. Over the past week or so, a number of predictions have come in on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine for Smith to commit to Oregon. He is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 94 overall player in the class of 2025, and the No. 7 QB.

Smith Sr. was the starting QB in Eugene for the 1997 and 1998 seasons. throwing for 45 touchdowns in his two seasons.

Akili Smith Jr.’s Recruiting Profile

Ducks extend offer to 2025 QB Akili Smith Jr., son of Oregon legend

On Friday, the Ducks offered 2025 QB Akili Smith Jr., the son of an Oregon legend.

One of Dan Lanning’s biggest points when taking over as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks was that he wanted to keep the family in Eugene tight and make sure that past alumni felt at home with the current regime.

He did a great job of making sure that happens this week, extending a scholarship offer to Akili Smith Jr., a 2025 quarterback out of California. The name obviously rings a bell; Smith Jr. is the son of Oregon legend Akili Smith, who was the starting QB in Eugene for the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Smith threw for 45 touchdowns in his two seasons.

As a 2025 prospect, Smith Jr. is not yet rated by a lot of recruiting websites, but he has some notable offers from other schools like Miami, Michigan, and Arizona. We will see how his recruitment goes along over the coming years.

Akili Smith Jr. Recruiting Profile

Oregon QB Bo Nix is on the verge of a truly historic season in Eugene

If Bo Nix were to continue on this pace, where would his season-long numbers in 2022 stack up against some of the best QBs in modern-Oregon history?

Let’s face it. Oregon has had a checkered past when it comes to transfer quarterbacks. But after the first half of the 2022 college football season, Bo Nix is on the verge of having a historical season for a Duck quarterback, transfer or no transfer.

The Ducks have had some truly impressive QBs lead the offense in the past couple of decades, and the history books are littered with Heisman hopefuls and NFL draft picks that have put up impressive stats in Eugene. If Nix can keep up the pace that he’s shown through six games, he’ll definitely rank right with some of those great seasons former Oregon signal callers have turned in.

Can you imagine telling yourself that two months ago as we got ready for the 2022 season?

Granted, the second half of the year should be a bit tougher than the first half. The Ducks do have No. 12 UCLA, No. 19 Utah, Washington, California, and a road game in Corvallis to prepare for. And if all goes well, No. 6 USC could be waiting for the Ducks in Las Vegas.

During Oregon’s bye week, we want to take the opportunity to assess the play of the team and see which players are leading them to success. Obviously, it’s hard to look past Bo Nix. So if he were to keep up this level of play throughout the rest of the season, where would that land him in Oregon history? How would his season-long stats stack up against the school’s best?

Let’s take a look:

Opinion: Dan Lanning recruiting former players before future ones is the right play

Dan Lanning knows he wasn’t the first pick for some former Duck players. He wants them to give him a chance to earn their trust.

It seems like forever since Mario Cristobal resigned as the head football coach at Oregon, doesn’t it?

To be exact, it took the Ducks one week to go from that resignation to the introductory press conference of Dan Lanning. In those seven days, it wasn’t exactly quiet inside the Oregon program.

Athletic director Rob Mullens received a letter from 14 prominent former football players saying they were worried that the Ducks were going away from their roots in order to chase a national championship.

According to reports, Mullens took that letter to heart and offered the job to former Oregon Duck standout and current California head coach Justin Wilcox.

One problem, however. Wilcox said no thanks. So Mullens turned to Lanning. Knowing he wasn’t “in the family,” Lanning attempted to squash the idea of him ignoring Oregon’s past and just focusing on the future right away.

“To our former players, I am a servant to you,” Lanning said on Monday. “Whether I’ve coached you or not, we want you to know that this is a program that you can be proud of, and be part of. This is a place that your involvement is very important to us. We want you back, and one thing, even if you leave home, this place should always feel like home for you.”

Lanning is known as one of the nation’s top recruiters, but his most important recruiting job might come in that one statement. He’s going to need former players such as Joey Harrington and Akili Smith as allies.

Besides himself and whoever else he might hire to be on his staff, Lanning could use former players to sell potential recruits on the Oregon experience and why coming to Eugene would be the correct choice. Lanning can’t speak that experience, but they can.

He also attempted to erase another narrative that surrounded the idea of Lanning leaving Oregon for a bigger and better job since his most recent stop was the defensive coordinator for Georgia. Fans are worried he will use the Ducks as a stepping stone for a possible job in the SEC.

It’s a legitimate concern since the last two head coaches left Eugene to pursue their “dream jobs.” Both Willie Taggert and Mario Cristobal left as soon as those supposed dream jobs opened up.

But as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend!”

“My situation is unique. If William Jewell College comes calling, I love William Jewell College, but I’m staying at Oregon,” Lanning said. “I’ll stay at Oregon for as long as Oregon will have me. There is no other out there for me. This is one of the premier jobs in the nation. It was going to take a premier job for me to leave the situation I was in.

“I’m thrilled to be here because I know what we can do here. There doesn’t have to be a next step for me because this job can be the final step.”

Those words have to be music to everyone’s ears, including former, current, and future Duck players.

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