Mac Lain has very high expectations for Ross, Clemson receiving corps

Former Clemson offensive lineman and current ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain has very high expectations for Justyn Ross and the rest of the Tigers’ receiving corps heading into the 2021 season. Mac Lain expects Ross, who missed last season due to …

Former Clemson offensive lineman and current ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain has very high expectations for Justyn Ross and the rest of the Tigers’ receiving corps heading into the 2021 season.

Mac Lain expects Ross, who missed last season due to a congenital spinal issue which required surgery in June of 2020, to make a splash in his return to the field this season while setting himself up to make a lot of money in the NFL following his redshirt junior season with the Tigers.

“I think first-round draft pick,” Mac Lain said on the ACC Network when asked about his legitimate expectations for Ross in 2021. “This guy looks like Julio Jones when he walks out. He’s big, he’s from Alabama, a scary sight to see. Of course, wearing No. 8. He’s that good. He’s that dominant of a player.”

Mac Lain’s fellow ACCN analyst, EJ Manuel, pointed out that Ross is certainly not the only Clemson wideout to watch out for this season.

“You’ve also got E.J. Williams. You’ve got Frank Ladson, Jr. You’ve got Joseph Ngata,” Manuel said. “These guys are loaded, man. They might’ve actually got better at receiver, to be completely honest, as far as size, top to bottom. So, it’s pretty crazy.”

Mac Lain believes this year’s Clemson receiving corps has the potential to be as good as the group of receivers he played with that featured several guys who went on to play in the NFL.

“I was in a room with Deandre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Martavis Bryant, Charone Peake,” Mac Lain said. “These guys I think can rival that, which is crazy to say. It’s a little unproven. I’s going to be proven early and often this year.”

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Jamison Crowder will be Jets’ longest-tenured active WR in 2020

Jamison Crowder will be the Jets’ longest-tenured active wide receiver on the roster in 2020.

Jamison Crowder’s second season with the Jets hasn’t even begun and he’s already the team’s longest-tenured active receiver.

Crowder will have the most experience of any active wide receiver on the roster in 2020 now that Quincy Enunwa’s neck will force him to miss yet another season. Remember, it was just last offseason that Crowder signed with New York.

The slot receiver had a great first season with the Jets in 2019, recording 78 catches for 833 yards and six touchdowns. It was the second-best season of Crowder’s five-year career after four years in Washington.

Enunwa is technically the wide receiver who has been in New York longest, but he’s out for the season again and his career is in jeopardy. Prior to his departure for the Carolina Panthers, Robby Anderson would have taken this mantle.

Crowder’s status as the team’s longest-tenured active receiver speaks to some of New York’s instability at the position in recent years. The Jets have failed to draft talented wide receivers, with former general manager Mike Maccagnan whiffing on picks like Ardarius Stewart, Chad Hansen, Charone Peake and Devin Smith.

The hope is that current general manager Joe Douglas can change that narrative, starting with Denzel Mims. Mims was the highest-picked Jets wide receiver (59th overall) since they took Smith with the 37th overall pick in 2015.

The time is now to start building some stability at wide receiver. Sam Darnold needs someone who he can rely on year in and year out. The Jets can’t continue to rotate new wide receivers in every single year. Darnold has got to have a player he can build chemistry with.

He and Crowder showed plenty of that in 2019, but with a new year approaching, Darnold has plenty of new faces to get acquainted with again.

Jaguars claim safety Josh Jones off waivers, sign 7 to reserve/future contracts

Despite the Jacksonville Jaguars 2019 season coming to a close Sunday, the team decided to make some postseason transactions by signing seven players to reserve/future contracts. Amongst the group was kicker Jon Brown, defensive tackle Brian Price, …

Despite the Jacksonville Jaguars 2019 season coming to a close Sunday, the team decided to make some postseason transactions by signing seven players to reserve/future contracts. Amongst the group was kicker Jon Brown, defensive tackle Brian Price, offensive linemen Ryan Pope and Blake Hance, defensive end Chuck Harris, cornerback Jayson Stanley, and receiver Charone Peake.

The team also claimed former Dallas Cowboys safety, Josh Jones, off waivers, too.

Brown, 27, has been in the leagues since 2016 after going undrafted to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was on and off the team as an offseason and preseason player but eventually ended up with the San Francisco 49ers temporarily in the spring of 2019.

Price, 25, signed with the Jags in October and spent the remainder of the year on their practice squad. Before that, he spent time with various teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys amongst notables. Throughout his career, he was able to participate in 22 games and earn one start while also accumulating 20 tackles.

Pope, 22, signed with the Jags in November and was designated to their practice squad. He initially entered the league as an undrafted free-agent in 2019 to the Detroit Lions. He later joined the 49ers before joining the Jags.

Hance, 23, joined the Jags’ practice squad after final cuts and previously played for the Washington Redskins. Prior to that, he played collegiately at Northwestern University.

Harris, 21, signed with the Jags’ practice squad in November. He played collegiately at the University of Buffalo and accumulated 149 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks while participating in 40 games for the Bills. Afterward,  he went undrafted to the Chicago Bears last April before joining the Jags.

Stanley, 22, went undrafted to the Atlanta Falcons last April. He spent time on their practice squad and the Miami Dolphins’ before joining the Jags’ Week 16. He played cornerback while attending the University of Georgia but was converted to a receiver while with the Falcons. He appeared in 37 games with the Bulldogs in college and most of his snaps came on special teams.

Peake, 27, was a seventh-round pick of the New York Jets in 2016. After playing collegiately at Clemson, he spent three seasons with Gang Green where he accumulated 22 receptions for 214 yards and a touchdown. However, in August of 2019, he was released by the team.

Jones, 25, has participated in 35 career games for the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, who he initially entered the league with as a second-round pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. Since his time in the league, he managed to register 12 starts and will enter his Jags tenure with 119 tackles, seven pass breakups, three sacks, and a pick.