Tag: Darrian Beavers

Could Giants’ Micah McFadden earn ‘significant role’ in 2022?

At least one NFL analyst believes rookie LB Micah McFadden could earn a “significant role” for the New York Giants in 2022.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Micah McFadden, a fifth-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft, could come in and be an instant game-changer for the New York Giants this season.

The Giants’ depth chart is very thin when it comes to the inside linebacker position with practically no experience beyond Blake Martinez. This opens up the opportunity for rookie linebackers like McFadden and Darrian Beavers to come in and play significant snaps in Year 1.

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports believes that the Indiana alum will have an early crack at things from the center of the defense due to his elite downhill ability.

McFadden’s film was a joy to study. He moves quickly and effortlessly in any direction, thereby making him a stud in coverage, particularly underneath. He reads and reacts to the offense’s collective movements as fast as any linebacker in the class, and while not blessed with freaky athleticism, McFadden rarely looks slow.

The Giants have needed quality linebacker play for some time now, and McFadden has “outplay his draft position” written all over him.

In Big Blue’s new defense under Wink Martindale, they will ask their linebackers to fly around the field and be in the backfield constantly. This is exactly what McFadden did in college as he earned Second-team All-Big Ten last season posting 15.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

This aggressiveness should give McFadden many opportunities as a third-down blitzer for Martindale and the Giants. It does not stop there as McFadden is an underrated coverage linebacker and the Giants are optimistic about his ability to cover from the linebacker position.

While McFadden may not get the Day 1 start at inside linebacker, expect him to play an essential role this season and eventually push for the starting job.

[lawrence-related id=693121,693105,693113]

Giants sign Darrian Beavers to rookie contract

The New York Giants have signed their sixth-round pick, LB Darrian Beavers, to his rookie contract.

The New York Giants have signed sixth-round draft pick, linebacker Darrian Beavers, to a four-year deal.

Beavers, a linebacker from the College Football Playoffs Cincinnati team, signed a four-year deal worth $3.866 million including a $206,536 signing bonus.

The Giants believe that they got an absolute steal in Beavers in the sixth round. For many, Beavers was a top-10 linebacker in the draft and a top-120 prospect but the Giants were able to get him with the 186th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

Beavers had a phenomenal collegiate career totaling 230 tackles (27.5 for a loss), 13.5 sacks, and three interceptions over five seasons. Most recently, in 2021, he recorded 98 tackles (11 for a loss), 4.0 sacks, and one interception while helping to lead Cincinnati to a top-10 defense in college football and to a College Football Playoff matchup with Alabama.

More than his elite college production, Beavers poises as a perfect scheme fit for the Giants. With new defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, New York will be wanting to blitz their linebackers often and will need big strong guys to man the center of their defense. Beavers stands at 6-foot-4, 237 pounds, and is a nightmare blitzing the quarterback as can be seen from his 13.5 career sacks.

Overall, the Giants were in desperate need of some linebacker depth outside of Blake Martinez, and now with the signing of Beavers and drafting Micah McFadden, they should be able to have a nice rotation of guys at that position.

[listicle id=692065]

Giants pick Darrian Beavers excited to share NYC with Ahmad Gardner

New York Giants draft pick Darrian Beavers is excited to share The Big Apple with his former Bearcat teammate, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner (Jets).

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

During the 2022 NFL draft, several University of Cincinnati players had their names called on the Las Vegas stage.

The New York Giants ended up taking one, although it wasn’t the one player many anticipated they might — Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. Instead, it was linebacker Darrian Beavers, who was selected by Big Blue with the No. 182 overall pick in the sixth round.

But Beavers will likely be seeing a lot of Gardner around the area since his former Bearcat teammate was selected with the No. 4 overall pick by the New York Jets. Now both players will be calling MetLife Stadium home in 2022 and beyond.

After Beavers was able to realize a dream, he expressed an excitement over sharing New York City with his friend.

“I’m excited to come to New York. I’ve been there two or three times. New York City is a blessing. It will be nice to compete against [Gardner] and here in New York, we’ll have something that we will have to catch up sometime,” Beavers told reporters on Saturday.

Other Bearcats who were taken along with Beavers and Gardner were Desmond Ridder, Myjai Sanders, Alec Pierce and Bryan Cook — several of whom were taken in the first three rounds of the draft.

Beavers was one of two linebackers that Giants general manager Joe Schoen selected in the 2022 NFL draft. Micah McFadden was the other.

Of the 11 players the Giants selected over the weekend, six of them were on the defensive side of ball.

[listicle id=691396]

2022 NFL draft: Giants select LB Darrian Beavers in Round 6

With the No. 182 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the New York Giants select Cincinnati linebacker Darrian Beavers.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

With the No. 182 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the New York Giants select Cincinnati linebacker Darrian Beavers.

The 6-foot-4, 236-pound Beavers has no real defined role entering the NFL but has earned a reputation as a thumper. He has a particular old school skillset that is counterproductive to defending modern offenses, but that doesn’t mean there’s no fit.

The Giants were thin at inside linebacker and the depth is nice, but Beavers can also step up in a very specific situational role. Essentially, he can take over for the departing Reggie Ragland.

Here is what NFL Network draft guru Lance Lance Zierlein had to say about Beavers:

Inside linebacker with throwback size but also throwback athleticism that fails to fit cleanly into today’s brand of football. Beavers is a phone-booth linebacker who is well-schooled in taking on and slipping blocks between the tackles but can be overwhelmed by athletic opponents when forced to move and play in space. He plays too stiff-legged and with a lack of desired agility, which gets him tangled up in traffic more than teams might like. He’ll need to lean into a role as a thumper to make a team, which will require improvement in consistently attacking and discarding blockers. Beavers has a challenging road ahead of him but his background as a core special-teamer helps.

Whether or not Beavers can crack the 53-man roster remains to be seen, but Wink Martindale is going to like his style of play. If he does make the cut, he’s likely to take limited defensive snaps and continue on special teams. But over time, that may change.

[lawrence-related id=691352,691348,691345]

Ravens add plethora of talent in 7-round mock draft by ESPN

The Ravens added a plethora of talent in a seven-round mock draft by ESPN

The Baltimore Ravens will have plenty of tough decisions to make in a few weeks once draft weekend officially commences. The team has 10 draft picks including nine in the first four rounds, so they’ll have no shortage of opportunities to make the team better.

In a full seven-round 2022 mock draft, Jordan Reid of ESPN laid out each of the 262 picks slated to happen over the course of the draft’s three days. He selected a plethora of talented players for Baltimore, starting in the first round at pick No. 14, where he had them take edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II out of Florida State. Reid explained that his versatility as a pass rusher and a run defender would fit well on the Ravens’ defense.

“He is a ready-made run defender as well as a mature pass-rusher. Johnson is firm at the point of attack and has a determined mentality throughout games and a playing style that would fit well in Baltimore.”

At pick No. 45, Reid gave Baltimore cornerback depth in Tariq Woolen out of UTSA. He talked about how Woolen is as physically gifted of a cornerback as many have seen.

“The 6-foot-4 Woolen is one of the most physically gifted corners we’ve seen in the past decade. In need of depth on the perimeter, the Ravens could take a liking to him as a developmental player behind Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters and Iman Marshall.”

In the third round, Reid first took offensive tackle Rasheed Walker out of Penn State at pick No. 76 for Baltimore, discussing how he could be a nice developmental piece.

“After signing Morgan Moses, the Ravens still need developmental depth. Walker makes sense, as he has spurts of positive play, but his technique leaves him still far away from being ready to step in and play meaningful snap”

At pick No. 100, Reid has former Florida star defensive lineman Zach Carter being added to the Ravens, who he crowns a great run defender with starter potential if he can improve his pass rushing skills.

“A stout and consistent player at the point of attack, Carter is a 3-4 base end who is ready to play early as a run defender. If he becomes a more consistent pass-rusher, he could be a starter. He fits well in the Ravens’ odd defensive front.”

On Day 3 for Baltimore, in the fourth round Reid picks Cincinnati inside linebacker Darrian Beavers at No. 110, edge rusher Jesse Luketa out of Penn State at No. 119, wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. from Notre Dame at No. 128, edge rusher Sam Williams from USC at No. 139 and inside linebacker Damone Clark out of LSU at No. 141. In the sixth round, Reid rounded out the Ravens’ draft with guard Leticus Smith out of Virginia Tech.

Reid picked a balanced group of talented playmakers for Baltimore headlined by Johnson and Woolen, both of which could immediately fill in and take on big roles at positions of need. The other players taken in the mid/late rounds solidify multiple other areas of need, which is key as the team looks to build up their roster.

12 Senior Bowl players who stood out as potential Lions draft picks during the week of practices

12 Senior Bowl players who stood out during practices as potential Detroit Lions draft picks in the 2022 NFL draft

The week of Senior Bowl practices wrapped on Thursday, capping off three days of hard-fought competition on the campus of the University of South Alabama. The Detroit Lions had their entire staff in Mobile to check out 130 prospects who are trying to prove they belong in the NFL.

Who were the biggest standouts from a wet week of practices? Which players here look like good fits for the Lions? Here are 12 who stood out from a Detroit eye.

Not all of the players came from the American roster, which the Lions are coaching here. A few are from the National team, which is being coached by the New York Jets.

Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati: Second-Quarter Analysis

This has gotten bad.

We were waiting for someone to take control of this game, and it finally has happened. Unfortunately, it’s not Notre Dame. Continued self-inflicted mistakes have cost the Irish, and they find themselves down to Cincinnati, 17-0, at halftime.

On the Irish’s first drive of the second quarter, Tyler Buchner became the second quarterback wearing gold and blue in as many quarters to throw an interception as he was being blitzed. This time, Deshawn Pace made the grab and returned it to the Irish’s 8-yard line. Three plays later, Desmond Ridder hit Leonard Taylor for a 1-yard touchdown pass.

Things got worse when Chris Tyree muffed the ensuing kickoff and Wilson Huber recoverd the ball, setting the Bearcats up inside the Irish’s red zone for the second time in as many drives. They nearly scored another touchdown even quicker than they just had, but an ineligible receiver downfield wiped that out. The special teams turnover still proved costly as Cole Smith eventually drilled a 23-yard field goal.

The quarter reached a standstill for a time with Jack Coan being reinserted as quarterback the only notable event. As something of an improvement over an earlier decision that snuffed out the Irish’s best drive to this point, Coan held onto the ball as he took a third-down sack from Darrian Beavers and Curtis Brooks.

The Bearcats had one last opportunity to open things up before the break and did just that. In a drive that spanned 80 yards and only 68 seconds, Ridder completed three passes of at least 20 yards, culminating in a 27-yard touchdown reception by Tre Tucker. From there, the Bearcats faithful took over Notre Dame Stadium, making their chants heard. They might have a lot more to cheer about really soon.