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Celebrating Valentine’s Day with 2023 NFL draft crushes the Los Angeles Chargers might love.
Valentine’s Day is here, and love is in the air.
Some of you are celebrating the day with your significant other, but some are without a Valentine, like me. So today, I’d like to reveal who I have a crush on.
I’m talking about some NFL draft prospects whose tape I enjoyed watching, and that would make sense for the Chargers when they’re on the clock in April.
With that, let’s see who’s drawn my attention.
See which players have been invited to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL has released its full list of college football prospects invited to this year’s Scouting Combine, one of the most important events leading up to the 2023 NFL draft.
The combine gives players an opportunity to be tested through a wide range of drills and exercises while accurate physical measurements and medical evaluations are also taken.
This year’s event will take place in Indianapolis during the first week of March.
Our group of 2023 NFL draft prospects to watch for the #Chiefs during the #CFBPlayoff #NationalChampionship.
The College Football Playoff National Championship is finally here, with the reigning champion Georgia Bulldogs set to face the upstart TCU Horned Frogs. You can watch the game on Monday, Jan. 9 at 7:00 p.m. CT on ESPN. It’ll be played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California — home to the Rams and Chargers.
Our annual draft prospects series returns for the sixth consecutive year. We’ve identified over 200 college prospects to keep an eye on ahead of the 2023 NFL draft, all of whom might be potential fits with the Kansas City Chiefs. Last season’s prospect list included several of the Chiefs’ 2022 NFL draft picks including George Karlaftis, Skyy Moore and Bryan Cook. Who will be next?
Our seventeenth group of prospects includes this year’s Jim Thorpe Award winner, an explosive running back, a versatile offensive lineman and Georgia’s 2021 sack leader.
These six prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class made the most of their opportunity to shine in the College Football Playoff semifinal
On Saturday evening, the TCU Horned Frogs took care of business against the Michigan Wolverines in the Fiesta Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff national championship.
Thanks to a national stage and a big performance, certain players saw their names rise on draft boards after how they fared in the game.
Here’s a look at six players who saw their draft stock rise:
Our group of 2023 NFL draft prospects to watch for the #Chiefs during the New Year’s Six weekend.
Bowl season continues with the New Year’s Six.
Our annual draft prospects series returns for the sixth consecutive year. We’ve identified over 200 college prospects to keep an eye on ahead of the 2023 NFL draft, all of whom might be potential fits with the Kansas City Chiefs. Last season’s prospect list included several of the Chiefs’ 2022 NFL draft picks including George Karlaftis, Skyy Moore and Bryan Cook. Who will be next?
Our sixteenth group of prospects includes an undersized, but shifty running back, a powerful edge rusher, a defensive tackle with off-field questions and a towering offensive tackle.
Kayshon Boutte, BJ Ojulari and Ali Gaye all cracked the list.
[autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] (No. 6), [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] (No. 25), and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] (No. 30) all made ESPN’s Todd McShay’s list of the preseason top 50 prospects for the 2023 NFL draft.
In two seasons, Boutte has reeled in 83 receptions for 1,244 yards and 14 touchdowns with his longest touchdown reception being a 64-yarder. Boutte is widely regarded as the No. 1 wide receiver for the 2023 NFL Draft. If he can stay healthy, look for him to have an incredible season for the Tigers.
Boutte lines up at all three receiver spots in LSU’s offense, and he is sudden and explosive in all his movements. He consistently generates separation with his sharp cutting ability, outstanding speed and great acceleration. Then Boutte attacks the football aggressively in the air with confident and strong hands. He shows great focus, times his jumps well and can contort his body in the air. He is a big-time vertical threat who chews up cushion in a flash, but Boutte is also smooth and elusive after the catch. In 2021, he picked up 509 yards and nine touchdowns on 38 catches after missing most of the season with a leg injury.
In two seasons, Ojulari has 70 total tackles with 17 of them being tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Ojulari is a leader on and off the field for the Tigers as he sets a great example anywhere he goes. Those intangibles are what have contributed to him being donned with the legendary No. 18 for this fall.
Ojulari shows great take-off burst and good bend, and he puts a lot of pressure on opposing offensive tackles with his change-of-direction suddenness. But his speed-to-power moves frequently stall, and he needs to improve his lower-body strength to drive opponents back into the pocket. Against the run, Ojulari has great range, but his pads rise too quickly, and he lacks the lower-body strength to consistently set a hard edge. Ojulari had 7.0 sacks in 2021, and his 45 pressures ranked 19th in the nation.
In two seasons, Gaye has 51 total tackles with 12 of them being tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Gaye only appeared in four games last season after suffering an injury against Kentucky. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] should be glad to have him back as an anchor for the defensive line.
A native of Gambia, Gaye moved to the United States at age 12 and didn’t start playing football until eighth grade. He has a quick first step to put pressure on opposing offensive tackles and long arms to keep blockers off his pads. He should continue to improve his effectiveness on speed-to-power moves with increased strength and experience. Limited to four starts last season because of an upper-body injury, Gaye had 2.5 sacks. Against the run, Gaye is at his best in backside pursuit or when he’s uncovered and can flat-out chase.
After putting 10 prospects into the draft this year, the Tigers should have another solid class with several potential first-round picks after Kelly’s first campaign.
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Courtney Ramey, Andrew Joens and Dylan Disu will test NBA draft waters.
The outlook of Texas’ 2022-23 roster has started to take shape in the past couple of weeks with the addition of New Mexico State transfer Jarbai Rice and the return of Timmy Allen and Marcus Carr.
Texas is still waiting on a few more guys from last season’s squad to make a decision about their futures. Courtney Ramey, Andrew Jones and Dylan Disu all declared for the NBA draft this week, each will maintain collegiate eligibility for next season as they have not signed with an agent.
Ramey also decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal to keep all of his options open. He played in over 125 games for the Longhorns while averaging over 10 points per game. Ramey served as one of the best defensive players on the team over the past few seasons.
Jones just wrapped up his sixth season in Austin. He has averaged 12 points per game on 42% shooting in his Texas career. The senior was one of texas’ most consistent players down the stretch of the 2021-22 season.
Disu did not have the season he wanted after transferring in from Vanderbilt. He dealt with a lingering knee injury keeping him from playing at 100%. Another year of development in college could really serve him well if scouts believe he is not quite ready for the next level yet.
The three have until June 13 to withdraw from the NBA draft if they chose to do so.
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Draft Wire editor Luke Easterling updates his rankings for the top tight end prospects in the 2022 NFL draft
The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books, and the pro day circuit is in full swing, which means it’s time to take an updated look at our prospect rankings for the 2022 NFL draft.
Here’s how we stack this year’s tight end class:
The Saints must invest in their wide receivers after re-signing Jameis Winston, and there are options both in free agency and the 2022 draft, via @RossJacksonNOLA:
Now that Jameis Winston is set to return as the New Orleans Saints quarterback in 2022, the team will begin to address the offense around him. While the loss of Terron Armstead leaves a big hole on the offensive line that must been tended to, the Saints will look to add talent at pass-catcher as well. Having the quarterback and offensive line in place will be important but, as we saw in 2021, the team will struggle without viable receivers.
The expected return of Michael Thomas, who holds the NFL single-season record for most receptions, will obviously help improve the situation. However, the Saints should be intent on adding talent around him, particularly talent on the perimeter. New Orleans is in need of a field-stretching receiver that can add a complementary deep threat to the team’s passing attack. Here are four options New Orleans could pursue this offseason to serve that role.
The Crimson Tide lands three prospects in one NFL Media analyst’s top-50.
This year’s draft class for the Crimson Tide may not be as rich as many are used to, but Alabama boasts some solid prospects that could make an immediate impact on an NFL roster from day one.
According to NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, Alabama has three prospects in the Top 50 of all 2022 NFL Draft hopefuls. The highest-ranked among them, to nobody’s surprise, is Evan Neal.
Neal signed with the Crimson Tide in 2018 and sacrificed his body at three different positions on the offensive line for Alabama. He started as a left guard as a freshman and sophomore before switching to left tackle in 2020. He finished his career in a crimson uniform as a left tackle, protecting the blind-side of Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young in 2021. This fact suggests that he has not yet reached his full potential since he hasn’t logged consecutive seasons at his likely professional position (left tackle).
The underclassman allowed only 24 pressures over the last two seasons between right and left tackle, per PFF. As a run-blocker, Neal graded in the 96th percentile in percentage of positively graded plays, according to PFF’s Eric Eager.
There are rumblings around the profession suggesting that Neal could go as high as the No. 1-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, which belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the second consecutive year.
He is ranked at No. 5 on Jeremiah’s top-50.
Jameson Williams didn’t spend a whole lot of time at Alabama, but the time he was able to contribute for Nick Saban proved to be more than worth the wait in getting him to Tuscaloosa.
Prior to transferring to Alabama, Williams caught just 15 passes for 266 yards in 10 games over his first two college seasons.
The transfer proved to be a good move for both parties, however, as Williams recorded a spectacular season, hauling in 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns.
His decision to declare for the draft was expected following his incredible season. He has elite speed that is highly coveted at the professional level and has fantastic acrobatic acumen, which he shows by catching difficult passes that look to be uncatchable for the average wideout.
Whoever lands this 6-2, 189-pound speed machine will not be disappointed.
Williams comes in at No. 27 on Jeremiah’s top-50.
Christian Harris arrived in Tuscaloosa as a four-star recruit out of high school from Louisiana and started for three years for Nick Saban at linebacker.
In 2019, Harris recorded 63 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. The following season Harris recorded 79 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 tackles for loss, and one interception.
This past season Harris recorded 79 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks.
Harris shows impressive technique in blitzing the quarterback, which was reflected in his stat-line over the course of the last two seasons in which he recorded 10 sacks and recorded 21 quarterback pressures.
The linebacker prospect may not go off the board until day two of the NFL Draft, but wherever he lands you can expect him to put forth significant effort.
Harris comes in at No. 44 on Jeremiah’s list of top 2022 NFL Draft prospects.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for continued coverage of the Crimson Tide.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.
