Tag: Charles Turner III

How LSU rookies performed in their first preseason games

Here’s how LSU’s rookies performed in their preseason debuts.

The NFL preseason is underway. As we get closer to playing football that matters, we’re getting our first real look at rookies on a professional field.

As usual, LSU has several former players starting their NFL careers in 2024. The Tigers’ draft class was headlined by QB [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], who the Washington Commanders selected with the No. 2 overall pick. Daniels was joined in the first round by receivers [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]

Later in the draft, three defensive tackles were taken out of LSU. The Jaguars took [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] while [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] landed in Detroit with the Lions.

Five of the six made their preseason debut in the last several days with Jefferson being the only holdout.

LSU’s put a few stars in the NFL in recent years and there’s hope this group produces a few more. Here’s how they performed in their pro debuts, starting with Daniels.

Jayden Daniels

Daniels played just one series but made a strong impression in a few plays. In three dropbacks, Daniels completed two passes for 45 yards.

We saw Daniels excel with ball placement downfield last year and it was more of the same in his pro debut.

The drive was capped with a Daniels rushing score.

Malik Nabers

Nabers played 12 snaps in his debut, but he wasn’t targeted, leaving his stat line empty.

Despite the numbers, Nabers ran routes at an NFL level. If New York can get him the ball, he’ll make plays in 2024.

Brian Thomas Jr.

Thomas wasted no time putting his perimeter playmaking skills on display. His lone catch was a 42-yard shot down the sideline that saw Thomas fight for position to haul it in as he went to the ground.

Thomas posted an impressive 79.2 PFF grade in limited action.

Mekhi Wingo

Wingo played 31 defensive snaps in his debut with Detroit. He didn’t record a tackle but he did manage one pressure.

After the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke highly of Wingo’s performance.

Maason Smith

Maason Smith played 21 snaps in his first game and according to PFF, was the 11th best-graded rookie defensive tackle in the first week. Smith was only on the field for nine rush plays, so it was tough to make an impact there.

Like Wingo, he added one QB pressure.

How did some of the UDFAs do?

The draft picks weren’t the only LSU rookies to make their debut. LSU had some undrafted free agents take to the field as well.

[autotag]Charles Turner III[/autotag] played 10 snaps for the Patriots and allowed two pressures but still posted a 75.0 PFF pass block grade.

[autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] made a good first impression, recording four tackles, a pressure, and a batted pass for the Giants.

Linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] was one of the top-graded rookie linebackers after making four tackles and pressuring the quarterback twice with the Rams.

In his debut with the Eagles, safety [autotag]Andre Sam[/autotag] played 19 snaps and made a tackle.

As for players who didn’t play, Jefferson and [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] are awaiting their debuts.

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Coveted IOL Kayden Strayhorn breaks down LSU, other top contenders

Kayden Strayhorn is a legacy at Michigan State, but a recent LSU offer seems to have grabbed his attention.

LSU got in the game a bit late for [autotag]Kayden Strayhorn[/autotag], a three-star interior lineman in the 2025 class. The Tigers offered him just a few weeks ago, but they seem to have made a strong impression early on as they’re one of three schools that has secured an official visit from him.

Strayhorn will visit LSU on June 14, as well as Ohio State and Michigan, which appear to be his top three schools at the moment.

A product of IMG Academy who is originally from Detroit and a legacy at Michigan State, Strayhorn recently spoke with Isaiah Hole of Wolverines Wire about his top contenders, including the Tigers.

Strayhorn said that LSU offensive line coach [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] flew specifically to meet with him and his father. After two hours, Davis made a scholarship offer to Strayhorn.

“For them I’ve never been there before,” he said. “They came on the Monday we had an A-day practice and the offensive line coach is super close with my offensive line coach. And, he came and he actually only flew just to see me and he talked with me and my dad for like two hours and offered me and told me, ‘We want to do this thing and get you here.’”

Strayhorn added that LSU has pitched him on its lack of center depth. After [autotag]Charles Turner III[/autotag] departed for the draft — in a move that surprised the Tigers, according to Strayhorn — guard [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag] is expected to start at center in 2024.

“They think, based off what happened with their center — so they had they had a center Charles Turner from IMG actually, and they wanted him to come back,” Strayhorn said. “And so he told him he was going to come back. So the guy that they already had moved behind him into the portal. And then a few weeks later, Charles decided to enter the draft. So they literally don’t have a true center. They have a guard playing center right now for this upcoming year. So the coach sees the position they’re in and sees me as the fix.

“So that’s what interests me in them and then also just — if you see they have the No. 1 offensive line in college football this year. Two first-round tackles. And it’s just the pedigree of what they’ve had before. And, you know, it’s Louisiana State University – it’s a big deal. So I think that’s definitely what drives me to be interested in taking the official visit and I’m looking forward to that one for sure.”

Strayhorn ranks as the No. 426 recruit in the country per the 247Sports composite rankings. He holds no crystal ball predictions at the moment, but the Spartans are the favorite for the son of former MSU defensive tackle and current broadcaster Jason Strayhorn according to the On3 prediction machine.

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Where Jayden Daniels ranks among quarterbacks on Mel Kiper Jr.’s final draft board

Here’s where Jayden Daniels and other Tigers rank on Mel Kiper Jr.’s final draft board.

We’re just over 48 hours away from the start of the 2024 NFL draft, and that means it’s time for analysts and prognosticators to put forth their final predictions.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. released his final big board on Tuesday ahead of the draft, and when it came to LSU players, there weren’t a lot of changes from what we’ve seen over the past few months.

LSU quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] — the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner — is still ranked second overall and among quarterbacks behind only Caleb Williams. Meanwhile, Daniels’ favorite college targets [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] rank fifth and 17th, respectively, as well as third and fourth among receivers.

The Tigers don’t have as many mid-round prospects as we’ve seen in past years. That trio comprises the only LSU players in the top 75 with [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] coming in at 78th overall followed by [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] at 92.

Those were the only players Kiper had in his top 150, though [autotag]Charles Turner III[/autotag] (No. 11 center), [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] (No. 12 defensive tackle), [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] (No. 32 inside linebacker), [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] (No. 28 outside linebacker) and [autotag]Andre Sam[/autotag] (No. 30 safety) all cracked the positional rankings.

It likely won’t be as many players as LSU has seen drafted overall in some recent years, but it’s a top-heavy class for the Tigers, and Thursday’s Round 1 should be an eventful one.

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Brian Kelly discusses pre-snap penalties in Alabama loss

Charles Turner was flagged for an illegal snap on three different occasions.

[autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] is a player who has a lot of experience playing at a high level. He is a fifth-year Senior and he serves as the starting center for the LSU Tigers.

On Saturday night, he made a trio of uncanny errors. Turner was flagged for an illegal snap on three different occasions. The noise in Bryant-Denny Stadium must have been getting to him because it resulted in those penalties that stalled promising drives for the Tigers.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was asked what he thought about the pre-snap penalties and how they affected the Tigers offense after the game.

“Look, we’ve got an experienced center whois really good,” he said. “And they got a big nose tackle on them, it was really loud. It’s no excuse, but it goes into what I’m saying. You can’t have those mistakes and expect to go to Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama with those kinds of mistakes. So we’ve got to get better at it. We’ve got to prepare better, we got to coach our players better in those situations when we go on the road in these kinds of environments. So when we get another chance to go on the road and play a top-10 team, we play at a higher level, we can’t just play good. Good’s gonna get to beat against teams like this.”

LSU will look to rebound from the loss this weekend against the Florida Gators.

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