Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Could the Bucs get a starting left tackle in the second round?
The time for talking is almost over as the NFL draft approaches, but it isn’t quite time to be done with mock drafts just yet.
Two of ESPN’s notable draft analysts, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, did a three-round mock while trading off each pick. Naturally, the pair went through all three of the Bucs’ first picks on Day 1 and Day 2, and the two took a more defensive-minded slant to the draft than perhaps some other mocks have done in the past.
Here are the three players they picked below:
Multiple trades and even a surprise first-round pick highlights this seven-round mock draft for the Patriots.
The 2023 NFL draft is two weeks away, and it’s hard to contain the excitement, fear, anxiety or any other feelings that come up when trying to manifest a good draft for such an unpredictable team like the New England Patriots.
New England still holds the No. 14 overall pick, but in this “what they would do” mock draft, that changes with a big first-round trade. Who knows? Maybe the same is the case when the time actually comes for the Patriots to turn in their first player card on April 27.
Let’s get into this full 7-round mock draft.
This would make pickup Bengals games interesting.
The Cincinnati Bengals could target Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones during the first two rounds of the upcoming 2023 NFL draft.
Jones, 6’8″ and 374 pounds, seems like a natural fit at right tackle for a team that doesn’t know the future of veteran La’el Collins as he rehabs a December injury, plus the Jonah Williams trade request.
Obviously equipped with a rare frame, Jones will force opposing pass-rushers who typically win with power to change up how they do things, to say the least.
Currently, Jones is going viral for throwing down a dunk that made its way to social media, as noted here:
Dawand Jones is the definition of a FREAK athlete.
The heaviest NBA player to ever dunk a basketball was Oliver Miller at 375 pounds.
Jones weighs 374 pounds 😳 pic.twitter.com/qGo4EHELXp
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) April 16, 2023
That won’t change the draft evaluation any, but it’s impressive nonetheless — and might make pickup games with Bengals players more interesting, to say the least.
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Taking a look at OT prospects for the Colts in each round of the draft.
The Indianapolis Colts are just under two weeks away from the start of the 2023 NFL draft where they’ll be looking to add talent and depth to the roster.
While the roster on paper features two starters at the offensive tackle positions in Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith, the Colts likely will enter the draft looking to add some depth and competition to the room. It may come closer to selections later on Day 2 or more likely on Day 3, but the need is there.
It also wouldn’t be a surprise if the Colts added a veteran offensive tackle through free agency ahead of the draft just to bring in some extra competition to the room. As it currently stands, they only have four offensive tackles on the roster in Raimann, Smith, Jordan Murray and Carter O’Donnell.
Following this series of articles, we’ve also looked at these positions:
We’ll be tracking the Colts’ reported interest in the 2023 draft class so be sure to keep up with latest updates via our tracker.
Here’s a look at offensive tackle prospects who fits the Colts in each round of the draft:
The Seahawks haven’t exactly been known for their offensive line play during the Pete Carroll era.
The Seahawks haven’t exactly been known for their offensive line play during the Pete Carroll era. In fact, the unit has usually been one of the weakest on their roster. That all could change sooner rather than later, though. Thanks to a couple of excellent picks in last year’s draft, Seattle has a strong foundation to build on in their new starting offensive tackles, Charles Cross and Abe Lucas.
If the Seahawks can follow up with another good pair of picks in the 2023 NFL draft, they may soon have their best OL since the Walter Jones years. Most of all what this group needs is a genuine starting center to lead them. Free agent pickup Evan Brown is projected to start this coming season. However, he only signed a one-year deal, so they need to plan for the future.
With that in mind, here are 25 potential offensive line targets in this draft class, beginning with several who they have held official meetings with.
Jones and Ringo could be possibilities for the Commanders in the first two rounds of the NFL draft.
The Washington Commanders continue to do their homework on offensive linemen and cornerbacks ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. Washington has met with multiple players at each position, either through top-30 visits, virtual meetings, or at the NFL combine and Senior Bowl.
The Commanders have met with massive Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand James on multiple occasions, even hosting him for a top-30 visit. The 6-foot-8. 374-pound Jones impressed NFL coaches during his week at the Senior Bowl earlier this year.
Remember, Washington assistant offensive line coach Travelle Wharton coached in the game.
According to Jordan Reid of ESPN, he’s hearing some chatter around Jones and the Commanders:
The Commanders have studied the top offensive linemen in the class. Offensive tackle is a possibility in Round 1. Dawand Jones (Ohio State) is a name I keep hearing in connection with the team, which has done a lot of work on his evaluation. While the middle of Round 1 might seem high for Jones right now, don’t be surprised if he lands in that range.
As for cornerback, Reid is hearing the Commanders are high on Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo:
Cornerback is another area the Commanders could address, potentially on Day 2. I’ve heard they are high on Kelee Ringo (Georgia). Coming into the 2022 season, Ringo was viewed as a potential first-round pick, but he’s likely to fall to Round 2 now. He would fit well in Washington’s zone-heavy scheme, playing on the other side of Benjamin St-Juste.
If Washington drafts an offensive tackle in the first round and somehow Ringo is still available at No. 47 overall, that should be a pretty easy pick for the Commanders. The 6-foot-2 Ringo ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds. His blend of size and athleticism is intriguing. Ringo was a two-year starter for the two-time defending national champion Bulldogs.
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There are a lot of offensive tackles in the 2023 draft class. Here are the five (just five?) that Doug Farrar thinks will be plus-level NFL tackles.
Before we get into this particular list, I would like to state this for the record: The fact that I have just five offensive tackle prospects here, when I’ve had at least eight prospects on every other position list for the 2023 NFL draft, is not based on laziness.
It’s based entirely on volatility.
After comprehensive tape study, there were five college tackles in this class that I felt were slam-dunk next-level players at their positions in the NFL, and that’s taking into account a few fixes for each player.
Three college tackles — Georgia’s Broderick Jones, Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, and North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch — could be decent-to very good outside, but I tend to think that each of them will work better inside.
To be even more clear, I’m not always in favor of the “Oh, just move a guy inside when you have questions about him” thing. When Rashawn Slater, Skoronski’s predecessor at Northwestern, came out for the 2021 draft, a lot of people looked at his measurables and insisted that he should kick inside. I could not have possibly disagreed more. Slater had the look of a left tackle, and that’s proven out during his time with the Chargers when he’s been healthy.
If you think Rashawn Slater’s not an NFL offensive tackle, here’s why you’re wrong
It’s not a default thing for me, but it’s why the next prospect list, covering interior offensive linemen, will be relatively loaded.
There are other tackles, such as Syracuse’s Matthew Bergeron and Maryland’s Jaelyn Duncan, who may be able to stay outside, but not without a ton of work. In these cases, we may be talking about multi-year projects.
So. With all that said, if you need an offensive tackle in this draft class, and you want him to play pretty quickly outside, here are the five best such prospects for that particular scenario. It’s not the best class for such a need — not by far — but the guys at the top each have a lot to offer, albeit in radically different ways.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).
(All prospect measurement percentiles courtesy of MockDraftable.com).Â
2023 NFL Draft: The top 9 safeties
2023 NFL Draft: The top 11 cornerbacks
2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 linebackers
According to Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, Alabama offensive tackle Tyler Steen has the Seahawks on his long list of teams to visit ahead of the 2023 NFL draft in two weeks.
According to Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, Alabama offensive tackle Tyler Steen has the Seahawks on his long list of teams to visit ahead of the 2023 NFL draft in two weeks.
Seattle understandably hasn’t shown much interest in offensive tackles throughout the draft process. Last year they landed two likely long-term starters in Charles Cross and Abe Lucas. Steen is only the second reported meeting for an OT prospect and the Seahawks – the other being Ohio State’s gigantic right tackle Dawand Jones.
Steen has experience on both sides, though. That makes him an interesting swing tackle option for teams looking for depth at both spots. At the combine, Steen was measured at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds with 32.75″ arms and 10.5″ hands. Steen also showcased his power and explosiveness with 31 bench press reps and a 29.5″ vertical.
Here’s Lance Zierling’s scouting report from NFL.com.
“Steen uses length and hand resets to extend his mirroring. He would benefit from better catch-and-clamp hands to limit secondary rush opportunities. He plays with hustle off the snap to find back-side positioning on zone blocks, but he needs to eliminate his forward lean in space to improve timing and adjustments at the second level. Steen has good size with average athleticism and is still fine-tuning technique. He could compete for a role as a swing backup early on but could find starting snaps in time.”
The Seahawks have made a habit of drafting players who they get stuck on at the Senior Bowl. Here’s a look at Steen’s reps there.
Mock draft projections for Steen have him coming off the board in Round 3.
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We’re looking at seven prospects the Philadelphia Eagles should probably avoid in the 2023 NFL draft
The 2023 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and as teams search for star power, there’s always a group of players that organizations should avoid.
Philadelphia currently has six picks in the selection process.
After losing ten key contributors to NFL free agency, GM Howie Roseman can ill afford to miss on a pick or reach for potential.
With the Eagles continuing top 30 pre-draft visits this week, we’re looking at seven prospects Philadelphia should altogether avoid.
The Colts hosted 48 draft prospects at their local pro day.
The Indianapolis Colts held a local pro day for eligible prospects ahead of the 2023 NFL draft Monday, and there were some intriguing names on the list.
While the local pro days typically serve as a chance for lesser-known prospects to show off their talent, there were some big names participating during Monday’s workout.
There were a few names we knew the Colts have interest in either because they previously worked out for the team or because they reportedly have a top-30 visit scheduled.
Here’s a look at the 48 prospects who attended the Colts’ local pro day ahead of the 2023 draft:
