Tag: Chase Cota

Naming the biggest winners from Oregon’s 2023 Pro Day

The future Pro Ducks showed out in front of NFL scouts on Tuesday. Here are our biggest winners from the 2023 Oregon Pro Day.

The Oregon Ducks 2023 Pro Day took place on Tuesday morning at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene. It was a toned down version of the NFL Combine, where 12 former Ducks took the field in front of a large group of NFL scouts to show what they can do.

Various players went through a couple of jumps, the 40-yard dash, cone drills, and on-field position drills. In the end, their afternoon of work was boiled down to a large set of numbers, and a few pages of notes written in a notebook that several scouts will take back home to their respective coaches.

The entire spectacle may seem excessive to some, but it is virtually one of the biggest job interviews that some of these players will ever have. For guys like Chase Cota, Benett Williams, and Jordan Riley, among others, what they were able to put on tape at the Pro Day may got a long way in convincing an NFL team to give them a shot with a draft pick or practice squad invite in the future.

All in all, 12 guys took the field for Oregon on Tuesday:

  • Christian Gonzalez
  • Noah Sewell
  • DJ Johnson
  • Benett Williams
  • Jordon Riley
  • Chase Cota
  • Alex Forsyth
  • TJ Bass
  • Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
  • Ryan Walk
  • Adam Barry
  • Karsten Battles

Which of those players had the best days and likely made the best impression on the scouts who were tuned in? Here are our picks.

Oregon pro day: 31 teams check out the Ducks prospects

Oregon pro day: 31 teams check out the Ducks prospects including CB Christian Gonzalez and WR Chase Cota

The Oregon Ducks held their pro day for 12 aspiring NFL draft prospects on Tuesday. Every NFL team was represented at the Ducks’ indoor training facility except the Los Angeles Rams. Most teams had multiple representatives on hand.

The headliner for the Ducks draft class is CB Christian Gonzalez, but he opted to stand pat on his outstanding NFL Scouting Combine workout numbers. Gonzalez, a potential top-10 overall pick and strong contender to be the first defensive back selected in April’s draft, did participate in position drills. He looked good, as expected,

The other top Oregon prospect, linebacker Noah Sewell, also opted not to participate in the athletic testing outside of agility drills. Sewell did position drill work as well. The 250-pound backer was cheered on by older brother Penei, the Pro Bowl right tackle for the Detroit Lions. The younger Sewell had a rough workout in Indianapolis but elected not to try and run more at the pro day, which indicates the sluggish combine performance wasn’t a fluke. Sewell currently projects as a middle-round prospect for a team that doesn’t mind heavy, slower LBs.

Wideout Chase Cota didn’t get a combine invite, but he had himself an impressive workout. Catching passes from 2024 draft prospect Bo Nix, Cota certainly helped himself according to Ducks beat writer Jared Mack,

Cota, who measured in at 6-foot-4, put up staggering numbers for his size with a 37.5 inch vertical jump, 10-foot-6 broad jump, and a 4.50 40-yard dash. With those numbers, Cota would have ranked 24th in 40 times, 14th in vertical jump, and 20th in broad jump.

Cota, a transfer from UCLA, caught 36 passes for 497 yards and three TDs in 2022, missing three games with an injury in his one season at Oregon. He is the son of former NFL safety Chad Cota.

The other Ducks who worked out:

OL Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu

P Adam Barry

OL T.J. Bass

LS Karsten Battles

OL Alex Forsyth

LB D.J. Johnson

DT Jordon Riley

OL Ryan Walk

CB Bennett Williams

South Carolina Gamecocks pro day: Cam Smith, Zacch Pickens bulk up

The 50 best photographs from Oregon Ducks’ 2022 football season

The Ducks had a great 2022 season. Let’s take a look back at some of the best photos from the year as a whole.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but it would certainly take more than that to describe the Oregon Ducks’ 2022 football season.

In Dan Lanning’s first year with the Ducks, the team saw a lot of highs and a couple of lows. We saw Oregon get into the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff with a Heisman contending quarterback, but also watched as they suffered brutal defeats to the Washington Huskies and Oregon State Beavers.

In all, it was a successful season that set up what is likely to be a very exciting future. As we continue to look back on the 2022 season, we wanted to celebrate all of the best photos that were snapped of the team in action. Here are the best photos of the Ducks during the season.

Instant reaction: Oregon’s season ends with an epic Holiday Bowl win

Bo Nix found Chase Cota in the end zone with 19 seconds left as Oregon stuns North Carolina 28-27 in the Holiday Bowl.

A lot of Oregon’s weaknesses showed up towards the end of the regular season and unfortunately, not a lot of them were corrected over the last month.

Bo Nix’s injured was still banged up and he was obviously still hampered and the lack of plays down the field was proof. The Ducks couldn’t get anything going offensively, but somehow, some way, Oregon came away with a 28-27 win over North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl.

The offensive coaching staff was in upheaval when former coordinator Kenny Dillingham left to take the job at Arizona State. Maybe that was the reason for the lack of adjustments in the second half. But the inability to adjust on the fly was a problem even before Dillingham took off for the desert.

North Carolina realized that Nix was either unable or unwilling to throw the ball downfield. That allowed the Tar Heel defense to stack the box more than they did in the first half in order to slow down the Ducks running attack.

It was that first half where Bucky Irving went for 107 yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard scoring run.

And then with eight minutes to go, the old Bo Nix suddenly showed himself and led the Ducks on two scoring drives, including a touchdown pass to Chase Cota with just 19 seconds left to give the Ducks the win.

But it was the defense that kept Oregon in the game as they held UNC quarterback Drake Maye in check. Cornerback Twikweze Bridges turned into a star and he’ll be the next Christian Gonzalez for the Duck program.

Oregon finishes the season 10-3 and on a major high going into the offseason. Nix comes back, a highly-regarded recruiting class enters Eugene and the Ducks should begin the 2023 season ranked in the Top 10.

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Chase Cota turns in memorable performance in first Oregon State rivalry game

Chase Cota turns in memorable performance in first Oregon State rivalry game.

In a game with over a hundred years of bad blood between the two schools, it was a former longtime UCLA Bruin who was arguably the player of the game for the Oregon Ducks on Saturday afternoon.

Chase Cota is not just an inter-conference transfer who happened to be playing in his first “Civil Showdown”, he is the son of former Oregon legend Chad Cota – so this breakout performance no doubt meant a lot to the veteran wideout even if the result wasn’t what he or Duck fans wanted.

Cota finished with nine receptions for 136 yards, and his 44-yard touchdown reception not only set the tone for the Ducks in a brutal road environment but was one of the most impressive receptions of the year across all of college football.

Unfortunately, Cota’s only rivalry experience against the Beavers left a sour taste in his mouth.

“It hasn’t really settled yet. I was definitely bummed on the field along with everybody else,” Cota said after the game. “This has just been a big game forever, and it means so much to everyone in the state. We can’t have this sour taste in our mouth again.”

Without any more years of college eligibility remaining, Cota won’t have the opportunity to get any revenge against the Beavers next year. Despite that, it’s nice to see him have the final chapter at Oregon that we wished he would, and to cap it all off with a spectacular game against Oregon State, just as he grew up dreaming of doing.

Here are some of the best reactions to his performance on Saturday:

Social Media Buzz: Oregon fans go crazy after Chase Cota’s circus catch for a TD

Chase Cota’s 44-yard circus TD catch had Oregon Twitter buzzing early on in this rivalry game.

Oregon answered a lot of questions in just one play. How would the Ducks respond after falling behind 3-0? Is Bo Nix healthy enough to make plays? Would Chase Cota be able to catch the ball with a hand in a cast?

Answers are, in order: Nicely, yes and oh yes.

Nix found Cota on a 44-yard touchdown catch where he had to wrestle the ball away from a Beaver defender. Oregon took an early 7-3 lead in the first quarter. On the drive, Nix showed he’s a lot more mobile in the pocket than he was last week against Utah, which can only be good news for the Ducks going forward in this game.

Injury Report: Updated news for Oregon Ducks ahead of game vs Utah

The Ducks got banged up against Washington on Saturday, and could potentially be without a few key pieces this weekend against Utah.

Obviously, no one wants to see a player go down with an injury, but when Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was being helped off the field after a hit to the knee, you could hear a pin drop inside Autzen Stadium.

The fate of the Oregon Ducks football season could rest on Nix’s knee. They need him to play. It would be the difference between a possible Pac-12 title with a trip to the Rose Bowl and an appearance in the Sun Bowl.

When asked in his Monday press conference, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning didn’t give specifics, but he said he felt better about the situation than he did Saturday night.

Besides Nix, a few other Ducks were banged up during the 37-34 loss to Washington. The Ducks don’t offer an official injury report each and every week, so we tried to compile some information from what we’ve seen and heard this week at practice and interviews.

Injury Report: Updated news for Oregon Ducks ahead of game vs Washington

The Ducks have a few key pieces with status up in the air as Washington comes to Autzen in a game between two ranked teams.

This is not the week to have an extensive injury list to go through as No. 23 Washington comes to Autzen Stadium.

The Ducks have five key players who are either doubful or at the very least questionable for the game with the Huskies. Oregon is going for its ninth straight win and a berth in the College Football Playoff remains in play.

As for the Dawgs, they are enjoying a resurgence after a couple of downtrodden seasons. But Washington is 7-2 and has a chance at the Pac-12 title game should a few outcomes break their way. Oregon hopes that’s not the case.

Oregon doesn’t release official injury reports ahead of the games, but through observations in practice and talking with both coaches and players this week, here is what we have surmised an injury report would look like for Saturday:

Injury Report: Updated news for Oregon Ducks ahead of game at Colorado

There are a few starters who may be unavailable to play this weekend against the Colorado Buffs due to injury.

The Oregon Ducks coaching staff would never admit it, but if there was a week they could hold back some players due to nagging injuries, this might be the week. With a game against the 1-7 Colorado Buffaloes, the Ducks will likely be able to get by without a few of their key pieces.

As it turns out, the Ducks might be without a few of their more important guys this weekend. A few starters were missing from both days of practice sessions that were open to media members this week, and others are not quite ready to return.

With a tough stretch of games ahead, kicked off by Washington coming to Autzen Stadium on Nov. 12, Oregon wants to make sure it comes home as healthy as possible, and of course, with a win, before the rival Huskies come calling.

The Ducks don’t release an official injury report each week, but based on quotes from head coach Dan Lanning, as well as observations from practice, here is our best guess at what that report would look like:

With Chase Cota’s availability up in the air, Oregon’s WR depth gets chance to shine

Chase Cota seems unlikely to play vs. Colorado, giving way for guys like Dont’e Thornton and other Oregon WRs to step into the spotlight.

At the moment, it’s technically unclear whether or not Oregon Ducks wide receiver Chase Cota will be taking the field on Saturday as the team lines up against the Colorado Buffaloes for a 12:30 p.m. PT kick-off on ESPN.

As someone who covers the team, though, if I were to read the room and give you my opinion on the matter, Cota will not be playing, and likely will not be traveling to Boulder either. The veteran transfer WR from UCLA went down with an apparent knee injury last week against California in the first half and returned to the sideline after halftime in street clothes. He has missed both practices that were open to media members this week. When asked about Cota’s status on Monday night, head coach Dan Lanning said that the injury was still “to be determined,” without an accurate timeline for return.

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With all of that being said, it looks like the Ducks are going to have to prepare for a game without their No. 2 WR on the roster. All that means is that the guys lower on the depth chart will have a chance to shine with the greater opportunity.

Paging Dont’e Thornton. Dont’e Thornton, please pick up.

Last week, Thornton saw more of the field than he has in a while, recording 36 total snaps. Not much opportunity came of it though, with Thornton catching one of his two targets for 7 yards. On the year, Thornton — who was billed as a potential breakout candidate before the season started — has just 8 catches for 129 yards and has fallen down the depth chart behind guys like Troy Franklin, Kris Hutson, and the aforementioned Chota.

There’s now a chance to turn things around, though. We can expect that the Ducks are going to try and air it out a little bit against a suspect Colorado defense, and with more targets up for grabs, Thornton has been identified as a player who step into the spotlight. Lanning also highlighted the depth at the position for Oregon, pointing out that any number of guys could be in line for an increased workload.

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“We’ll see. I think it will be some of the same receivers that we saw last week,” Lanning said on Wednesday. “We got to see more Delgado, we got to see more Thornton. We have a good group there, a group that works really hard, and I think we’ll be able to see a lot of those guys make a good contribution to us.”

With the multipleness of Oregon’s offense, it’s hard to pinpoint which players are going to step up. Selfishly, I led with Thornton as my candidate because I propped him up coming into the year, buying into the narrative that was being pumped out regarding his commitment and his growth over the offseason. In reality, there’s a good chance that we see a heavy dose of Hutson alongside Franklin, rather than a new WR enter the mix. After Cota went down last weekend, it was Hutson who stepped up, catching 4 of his 5 targets for 64 yards after moving from spread out wide into the slot.

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“Hutson got to move positions a little bit. I thought that was really positive to see him be able to change positions within a game and have some success and not have a lot of mental errors,” Lanning said earlier this week. “He was able to go out there and do something he hadn’t really practiced as much during the week and execute at a high level.”

So with Colorado scheming up for Oregon and likely presuming that Cota will be unavailable, though no official determination has been made, it will be hard to know where to look to try and slow the Ducks down. According to QB Bo Nix, that’s the beauty of the Kenny Dillingham offense.

“I think we’ve done a good job of rotating guys in this year,” Nix said on Wednesday. “Coach (Junior) Adams does a really good job of getting those guys ready to roll. We’ve got guys out there like Troy and Kris who are going to continue to play well. Tight ends, running backs, we use a lot of those by committee. We throw the kitchen table at defenses, so there’s a lot that they’ve got to prepare for.”

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