Tag: Derek Stingley Jr

Mel Kiper’s second mock draft has Vikings sticking with defense

Vikings fill a major hole on defense in Kiper’s second mock draft

It’s no secret that the Minnesota Vikings need serious help on the defensive side of the ball, particularly on the backend of a unit that gave up the third-most total yards on average in the entire NFL. So ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. didn’t complicate things when making the No. 12 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft in his second mock draft of the year.

He selected Derek Stingley Jr., cornerback for the LSU Tigers.

“This is the position Minnesota needs most, and Stingley could be worth it,” wrote Kiper. “Stingley needs to show NFL teams that he can get back to the way he played in 2019, when he had six picks as a true freshman on LSU’s national title team.”

The Vikings have clearly missed at the cornerback position over the last few years.

Just looking at former first-round picks, including Trae Waynes, Mike Hughes and Jeff Gladney is enough to have fans on edge when it comes to a player like Stingley.

Make no mistake, all of the physical traits are there for a possible star corner in the league, but we really haven’t seen much of him since his incredible freshman season. Injuries, illness and a shortened 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 have all factored in.

It doesn’t help matters that he’s still healing up from a foot injury sustained in his final college season that’ll keep him out of the NFL Combine.

In Kiper’s last mock draft, he had the Vikings taking Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner with the No. 12 overall pick. However, this time around, the supremely talented defensive back out of Cincinnati was projected to be taken by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 8 pick.

It’s best that Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t overthink things and just go with the best player available. As Kiper correctly points out, that player could be Stingley if another team grabs Gardner early.

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7 dynamic players the Eagles should consider trading up for in 1st-round of NFL draft

With assets to use, here are 7 difference-makers the #Philadelphia #Eagles should consider trading up for in 1st-round of the #NFLDraft2022

The NFL’s scouting combine is just days away and as all 32 teams around the league start to ramp up their draft evaluations, we’ll take a look at players the Eagles could potentially trade up for.

Philadelphia has three first-round picks in April’s draft and several pressing needs at edge rusher, cornerback, and safety.

Depending on how the first six or seven picks of the draft develop, the Eagles could see a scenario where the organization is able to package some picks and trade up with hopes of acquiring the player Howie Roseman covets.

We’ve highlighted seven difference makers that fit that scenario.

SKOL Search: Mock draft update 2.0

Who did mock draft experts have the Vikings taking this week?

We are just 8 days from the beginning of the NFL Combine on March 1st. Why is this important in regards to mock drafts? There is a lot of information still to gather. The tiers have been mostly identified, which is why you see players often going in the same range.

With less data to work with, there can be some wide variances between analysts. In today’s round-up, we saw a lot of cohesion, a trend that could get stronger over the next few weeks.

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SKOL Search: Mock draft update

Who are the Vikings taking with the No. 12 overall pick?

Mock drafts are a wonderful thing during the offseason. We get a myriad of them from draft analysts across the board. Every week, I will be writing a quick synopsis of who the experts have the Vikings selecting.

One thing to keep in mind with these: There will be a lot of repeats due to the value of the position, player and the needs of the Vikings. There will also be mocks with players that are very off the wall due to the volatility of the exercise in normal practice.

This week’s mock drafts keep a nice variety of players for the Vikings.

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2022 NFL mock draft roundup: Eagles eyeing top defenders with multiple first-round picks

2022 NFL mock draft roundup: Eagles eyeing top defenders with multiple first-round picks

The 3-6 Eagles are set to begin on-field preparation for their matchup against the Broncos in Week 10 and another loss could officially start the 2022 NFL Draft process.

The Eagles will have two first-round picks thanks to a trade with the Dolphins, and if Carson Wentz meets a snap count threshold, they’ll acquire the Colts 2021 first-round pick instead of a second-rounder.

Mock draft season is in full effect and we’re rounding up the latest predictions from around the league.

3 things I, Shea Brennaman, want to see from Auburn in last 4 games

Shea Brennaman doesn’t ask for much but is requesting these three things out of Auburn in the Tigers last for games.

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What a week for a bye week am I right?

We’re more than halfway through this abbreviated college football season. As it stands right now, Auburn sits third in the SEC West behind Alabama and Texas A&M who the Tigers conveniently play back-to-back at the end of their schedule. The Tigers are 4-2 and seemingly turned a corner offensively this past weekend against LSU. Can they hold on to that momentum when this bye week concludes?

With only four games remaining on Auburn’s schedule there are a few things I would like to see to ensure the Tigers finish on a high note.

1. Continuous improvement in third-down and passing defense

Through the first six games of this season, Auburn has allowed opponents an average of 236 yards per game. Sure that’s doable, but three of the four teams remaining on Auburn’s schedule are averaging well over 236 yards per game. Here are Auburn’s future opponents and where they currently stand in passing offense:

  • Mississippi State – ranked 18th overall, averaging 318.6 ypg
  • Tennessee – averaging 188.2 ypg
  • Alabama – ranked 3rd overall, averaging 380 ypg
  • Texas A&M – ranked 40th overall, averaging 252.2 ypg

In the Tigers’ last two games the passing defense shut down two top 20 passing offenses in both LSU and Ole Miss. Auburn only allowed LSU (who averages 338 passing ypg) 315 yards and forced three turnovers. The Tigers allowed Ole Miss (who averages 325.3 ypg) only 161 yards and forced two turnovers.

It would appear that at this point in the season the Tigers are coming along nicely in passing defense, but goodness gracious they have to get off the field on third down against both Alabama and Texas A&M.

The Tigers are ranked 103rd overall in third-down defense and its opponents are 49/94 on third down. Both Alabama and Texas A&M are ranked in the top five on third-down conversions. This next topic may assist the Tigers on defense in a multitude of ways, however.

2. The return of KJ Britt

The All-SEC linebacker had thumb surgery following the Georgia game and has not played since, but is expected to return for both Alabama and Texas A&M. In his first two games this season he recorded 23 tackles. The defense has managed well in his absence, but Britt’s leadership and experience will be impactful when he returns.

3. KEEP RUNNING THE BALL

Auburn is outrushing opponents by an average of 15.6 yards per game. The Tigers have scored 10 rushing touchdowns and average 4.67 yards per rush. This is obviously in huge part to freshman stud Tank Bigsby. In six games Bigsby has rushed for 503 total yards and five touchdowns.

Is it doable for Tank to become Auburn’s next 1,000 yard rusher? Probably, but he’ll have to put in absolute work in Auburn’s remaining games. After Kerryon Johnson’s string of injuries in 2017 I live in fear of the Tigers running their star RB into the ground, so I really want to see other backs in the rotation here.

DJ Williams was limited after the Georgia game and did not play this past weekend against LSU. I would love to see him return soon. Another back who has been missing in action this season is Shaun Shivers. Shivers missed the Georgia, South Carolina, and Arkansas games due to an undisclosed injury but returned to action just in time to deliver a Shivers’ hit to LSU star defensive back Derek Stingley Jr.

I want to see more of both of them in the backfield rotation.

Auburn I know I don’t ask for much, but if you give us these three things the possibilities could be endless. Take the bye week to think about it if you must.

Twitter reacts to Auburn routing LSU

For the first time in a long time Auburn fans could enjoy a football game without nearly having a heart attack. Auburn defeated LSU 48-11 and exorcised some demons from the last three years. This was a fun one to watch folks. Here’s what people had …

For the first time in a long time Auburn fans could enjoy a football game without nearly having a heart attack. Auburn defeated LSU 48-11 and exorcised some demons from the last three years. This was a fun one to watch folks. Here’s what people had to say:

It started off in scary Halloween fashion when Zakoby McClain was nearly ejected for targeting and Seth Williams fumbled near the end zone for a touchback.

It didn’t help that Gary Danielson was insufferable either.

But let me tell y’all what. Eli Stove came to PLAY today.

So did the defense.

EVERYBODY CAME TO PLAY TODAY!

As time waned off the clock, it became apparent to all of America that this game was a good ole-fashioned butt whooping. Auburn fans loved every minute of it.

War Eagle! And finally,

 

Kyle Pitts is one of the most exciting players in the SEC, per PFF

With SEC football set to get underway in less than 24 hours, members of the media have been giving their opinions on matchups and players.

With Southeastern Conference football set to get underway in less than 24 hours, members of the media have been giving their opinions on various matchups and players who will be featured this Saturday.

PFF’s lead draft analyst Mike Renner released his list of the most exciting players in the SEC on Friday via Twitter, with one prominent Florida Gator at the head of the pack. Junior tight end Kyle Pitts, who has earned quite a few lofty expectations coming into his 2020 campaign, was the first mention on Renner’s roster of five players from the around the league — all of whom were underclassmen.

Also mentioned was the Alabama Crimson Tide’s junior wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, Ole Miss Rebels’ sophomore quarterback John Rhys-Plumlee, LSU Tigers’ sophomore quarterback Derek Stingley Jr. and Missouri Tigers’ junior linebacker Nick Bolton.

Two of the names mentioned will be facing off against each other on Saturday when Pitts’ Gators travel to Oxford, Miss., to take on Rhys-Plumlee and his Rebels, kicking off both schools’ 10-game, SEC-only schedules.

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Georgia’s Eric Stokes has chance to be All-SEC

Georgia football’s Eric Stokes is coming off an impressive 2019 season. Does he have what it takes to be All-SEC in 2020?

Eric Stokes is coming off an impressive 2019 season, where he was among the best corners in the SEC. Stokes will have his work cut out for him in to be All-SEC in 2020. In order to be the SEC’s best corner in 2020, Stokes will have to outplay LSU’s all-world cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., so Stokes may have to settle for All-SEC.

Stingley Jr. put together an impressive freshman campaign and only got better as the season went on. Stingley is the SEC’s highest graded corner returning according to PFF:

Georgia’s Eric Stokes Jr. checks in at number four on the list. Stokes will be looking for either D.J. Daniel or former five-star recruit Tyson Campbell to step up on the other side of the field to totally lock down opposing passing attacks. Campbell (7th) and Daniel (8th) are two of the top eight returning corners in the SEC according to PFF.

Georgia additionally adds talented 2020 corner recruits in Kelee Ringo and Jalen Kimber. Both of these players have the skills to step into a starting role should they be called to action.

Eric Stokes will have a chance to make All-SEC because of his ability to limit the big-play:

Stokes will have more great safety play behind him in Richard LeCounte and Lewis Cine this year. Look for him to be targeted sparingly in 2020.

Next page (sorry – didn’t want to slow down browsers): Eric Stokes is putting in off-season work and may be aided by another area of Georgia’s elite defense.

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