Tag: Asante Samuel

Chargers HC Brandon Staley reveals traits at positions of need ahead of NFL draft

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley was very open when asked what type of players the team is looking for.

With the 2021 NFL draft just weeks away, rumors are flying and hats are trying to tipped in terms of who teams might be selecting.

For the Chargers, head coach Brandon Staley, who spoke with the media on Thursday, was asked a few questions in regards to what type of players the team is looking for at positions that need to be addressed.

Starting with the offensive line, Staley emphasized size as a key factor, adding that they want to become a bigger team.

If we are trying to connect the dots, specifically at the tackle position, guys like Christian Darrisaw (6′ 4″, 322), Samuel Cosmi (6′ 6″, 314), Teven Jenkins (6′ 5″, 317) and Spencer Brown (6′ 8″, 311) fall under this category, while Rashawn Slater (6′ 4″, 304) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (6′ 4″, 308) might fall short of their thresholds.

Shifting gears to the other glaring position of need, with that being cornerback, Staley said players they value have to be able to cover man-to-man, have movement ability when playing off coverage, ball skills when they’re at the third level and the ability to tackle in open space.

To me, Patrick Surtain, Jaycee Horn, Asante Samuel, Jr., and Greg Newsome are a few that fit the description.

Staley was really open when answering the questions, not appearing to have a poker face. It will be really interesting to see how they piece the rest of the roster when the draft rolls around. For now, we can use the information given and continue to try to predict the outcome.

Rams had 2nd pre-draft meeting with CB Asante Samuel Jr.

Asante Samuel Jr. has become a legitimate target for the Rams in the second round, showing plenty of interest in the FSU CB.

The Los Angeles Rams have been holding pre-draft meetings with a number of prospects in the 2021 class, chatting with them over videoconference as the NFL isn’t allowing in-person visits due to the pandemic. One player who’s garnered a lot of attention from the Rams is Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Rams held a second pre-draft meeting with Samuel recently, a clear indication he’s on their radar. Samuel is projected to be a Day 2 pick and could be a real target for Los Angeles at No. 57 overall, if he makes it to their initial selection in the draft.

Samuel ran the 40-yard dash in the range of 4.45 and 4.52 seconds at Florida State’s pro day, jumped 35 inches in the vertical and 10-foot-4 in the broad jump. He boasts good athleticism despite not being the biggest corner, making him a nice fit in the slot.

He broke up 29 passes in three seasons, to go along with 97 tackles and four interceptions.

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Trades shape draft class in updated 7-round Saints mock draft

Our latest 2021 NFL mock draft for the New Orleans Saints covers seven rounds with multiple trades for prospects linked to the team.

The New Orleans Saints should optimize their assets to address key departures in free agency, and they have a lot to work with in their eight picks in the 2021 NFL draft. Despite several obvious holes and positional depth chart concerns, the team’s approach to this draft should remain largely unchanged. The Saints employ a multifaceted strategy of drafting for immediate need and the future, and are not shy to aggressively move up for coveted prospects.

New Orleans has traded up in every draft Sean Payton has conducted since 2007 (also standing pat in 2012 when he was suspended), so it makes sense to expect that trend to continue. They traded up to acquire every player they picked last year after drafting Cesar Ruiz in the first round, so what could an all-trades mock draft look like?

Accordingly, it’s time for an updated Saints mock draft that mirrors a similar approach. To remain somewhat realistic, I simulated a full run on the Draft Network mock draft machine, selecting prospects New Orleans has met with, while trading up for fallen players reminiscent of Erik McCoy and Zack Baun; the website’s A.I. automatically drafts for the 31 teams. Here’s how it went:

State of the Chargers cornerback room after re-signing Michael Davis, Brandon Facyson

The Los Angeles Chargers still need to add another cornerback or two before the start of camp.

Outside of adding three offensive linemen through free agency, the other notable moves made by the Chargers were bringing back cornerbacks Michael Davis and Brandon Facyson.

Los Angeles let go of Casey Hayward prior to the start of free agency. Davis will fill in as one of the starters on the outside. Chris Harris, Jr. will mainly man the slot. Facyson is likely just a depth piece.

The team also has Tevaughn Campbell, Donte Vaughn and John Brannon on the roster, but they all don’t have the experience to be counted on as starters.

Therefore, even after re-signing Davis and Facyson, the positional group is not a finished product and they will need to add another player with the ability to start before entering training camp.

L.A. was in the mix for Kyle Fuller, but the Broncos signed him on Saturday. The Chargers could still elect to sign a veteran like Adoree Jackson, A.J. Bouye, Malcolm Butler, Richard Sherman, Bashaud Breeland, among others.

Los Angeles, however, could have their eyes on the draft to upgrade the position. If the team chooses to pass on a left tackle in the first-round, they could be locked in on Patrick Surtain, Caleb Farley or Jaycee Horn.

Let’s say L.A. gets their franchise blindside blocker with pick No. 13, all the attention turns to the second day of the draft. Guys like Asante Samuel, Jr., Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell, Aaron Robinson, Trill Williams, Ifeatu Melifonwu could be on their radar.

The bottom line is that with strong defensive back play being a necessity in head coach Brandon Staley’s system, the Chargers need to add at least two more cornerbacks before the end of the offseason to piece together a formidable group.

CB Asante Samuel Jr. is ideal scheme fit for Packers

Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire sees the Florida State star as an ideal coverage fit with the Packers.

One of the top cornerback prospects in the 2021 NFL draft looks like an ideal scheme fit for the Green Bay Packers.

Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire studied the top of the cornerback draft class, looking for the best players at certain coverages. He identified Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. as the best cornerback in Cover-6, a hybrid coverage the Packers will likely employ under new defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

In a Cover-6 look, the defense plays Cover-4, or quarters coverage, to one side, and Cover-2 to the other side. It’s a two-high safety look that can be terrific at pre-snap disguise and taking away vertical routes, especially with an instinctive corner like Jaire Alexander handling one side and a rangy safety like Darnell Savage capable of covering ground for one whole half of the field. Adding a young corner like Samuel could make the look even better in Green Bay.

In the video example provided by Farrar, Samuel played the Cover-2 side of the coverage. He understood the route concepts happening from a trips formation and helped cover the vertical route deep before reacting to the action unfolding in front of him and working up and making the interception.

With Kevin King headed for free agency and likely to depart, the Packers are going to be looking for a new running mate for Alexander, a second-team All-Pro in 2020. Samuel, who has already had a virtual visit with the Packers, could be a first-round option.

Packers meet virtually with Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr.

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4-Round Mock Draft 3.0: What a no-trade back haul looks like for Cowboys

Team Tank has lost, so what comes next for the Cowboys when it comes to draft options? Plenty, actually, even if there are no trades.

Two months ago, when a top-five draft pick seems ordained for the Dallas Cowboys, the mission was clear. The club, with a 2020 season marred by injury to key performers on offense and hole after hole on defense, would be better served by trading back from their lofty perch to accrue more selections and address more needs. Two months later, and the team finds itself on a three-game winning streak and with a chance to go to the playoffs if things break right in Week 17.

The wins have been great for those invested in the team’s positive vibes, and a catastrophe for those on Team Tank. Dallas went from a shot at the No. 3 overall pick to currently sitting 11th. Even if they miss the playoffs, they could drop down to 16th depending on other team’s results on Sunday. So that brings another interesting aspect to the land of mocks. What happens if Dallas is in a position where no one wants to trade with them, or they don’t want to bail at all?

Trading down is a foregone conclusion in mock drafts. Algorithms are created where value charts and logic rule war rooms. There’s almost always a trade to be made. That certainly isn’t the case in real life, however, and there’s a good chance that Dallas could be in a situation where they leave the draft with their assigned lot of picks. That’s what we’ll do in this iteration, draft according to the positions Dallas is given.

We run mocks to help give a clearer sense of where players could be available, how going after one position early can mean missing out on a different position later and all that comes with the myriad of decisions front offices have to make.

The Cowboys have a variety of needs entering 2021, and although money is tight free agency will certainly impact this list prior to the draft. For now, here is the way we see each position, followed by our four-round haul.

Asante Samuel offers perspective on Tom Brady departure

Samuel offered perspective as to why Tom Brady left the New England Patriots.

Asante Samuel was undoubtedly a big part of the history of the New England Patriots. He led the secondary through many successful years, as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady crafted the dynasty that Patriots fans know and love.

For his New England career, Samuel recorded 51 interceptions in 157 games played. He led the league in interceptions with 10 in 2006 and nine and 2009. For his New England career, which spanned five years, he played in 75 games, starting 53 of them. Recording 22 interceptions, he also recorded 79 pass deflections

If anybody would understand the mannerisms of defensive- minded coach Belichick, it would be Samuel. Belichick’s tough style, according to Samuel, may be why Tom Brady left. Recently speaking to TMZ sports, Samuel offered a bit of perspective as to why the quarterback may have taken his talents to Tampa.

“He probably just got fed up with it at the end of the day. He probably just got tired of it. He probably got tired of some inner-circle things that he wanted,” Samuel told TMZ Sports, explaining Brady might have been upset about departures of tight ends and receivers. “It worked out for me, man. It made me a better man, but it’s not something I enjoyed. … The strict rules. For me, we clashed a lot of heads. I just think I was treated a little differently, but maybe it’s because he was trying to get the best out of me. It worked out for me, so I can’t really say it was that bad.”

An All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection with the Patriots in 2007, Samuel certainly had the best years of his career at Gillette. It’s interesting to hear the perspective that Samuel thinks he was treated differently. Like he alludes to, Belichick certainly got the best out of him, despite how strict the coach may have been.

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Asante Samuel thinks Tom Brady ‘probably just got fed up with’ Bill Belichick’s approach

“He probably just got fed up.”

Asante Samuel said what most people have been thinking. The former New England Patriots cornerback speculated that Tom Brady parted ways with Bill Belichick because the quarterback was tired of the coach’s way of doing things.

Belichick is a notoriously harsh and challenging coach to play for, but he’ll no longer get the opportunity to remind Brady that the quarterback’s practice performances are so bad that the Foxborough High School quarterback could replace Brady. Perhaps Brady is gone, in part, because of Belichick’s incessant pestering, which were intended to fuel players and help the Patriots win games. Samuel weighed in on Brady’s departure during a recent conversation with TMZ sports.

“He probably just got fed up with it at the end of the day. He probably just got tired of it. He probably got tired of some inner-circle things that he wanted,” Samuel told TMZ Sports, explaining Brady might have been upset about departures of tight ends and receivers. “It worked out for me, man. It made me a better man, but it’s not something I enjoyed. … The strict rules. For me, we clashed a lot of heads. I just think I was treated a little differently, but maybe it’s because he was trying to get the best out of me. It worked out for me, so I can’t really say it was that bad.”

He added: “He probably just got fed up with it at the end of the day.”

Brady called Belichick on the phone on March 16 to break the news: the QB would not be returning to New England. That came at a time when Belichick hadn’t put an offer on the table for Brady to make a return, according to NBC Sports Boston. And then Gronk, who was retired at the time, engineered a trade to join Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In fact, tight end Mark Bavoro, who played for Belichick with the Cleveland Browns, thought that happened to Gronk, too.

“Absolutely, without a doubt (Belichick’s coaching style could’ve worn him down),” Bavaro said, via WEEI.com. “It’s not so much Belichick. I say that about Bill Parcells all the time. Bill Parcells was great to play for but I don’t know if I could have kept up that pace under him. It was just so demanding. And Bill Belichick is from the same school. There’s not a lot of wiggle room for older guys with those two coaches. They expect and demand a lot from their players. There’s not a whole lot of fun going on on those teams but there is a lot of winning and that makes it worth it and that makes it great for a short while.”

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