Tag: Field Yates

Jaguars to pay $7 million of Cam Robinson’s remaining contract in trade deal

The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the hook for $7 million of Cam Robinson’s remaining contract after their trade with the Minnesota Vikings.

Earlier this week, the Minnesota Vikings addressed a glaring need on the team by filling the void left by injured left tackle Christian Darrisaw. Darrisaw was lost for the season with a torn ACL and MCL suffered at the end of the first half of last week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Vikings’ solution to their sudden need for an offensive lineman was to reach out the the Jacksonville Jaguars and pull off a trade for their left tackle Cam Robinson. Robinson had spent the past seven and a half seasons in Jacksonville after the team took him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Despite sticking around in Jacksonville for over seven years, it hasn’t been a smooth ride for the tackle, and he’s looking to get a fresh start with the Vikings. In order to facilitate that new start, it was revealed on Wednesday that the Jaguars will be paying $7 million of the nearly $10 million remaining on Robinson’s contract, according to ESPN NFL analyst Field Yates.

That means the Vikings will only be on the hook for a base salary of $2 million and a bonus of nearly $59,000 for each game Robinson is active for the Vikings for the remainder of the season. While Robinson may not be active on Sunday as he gets acclimated to his new team and the new system, he’ll likely be active for the remainder of the season—as long as he stays healthy and produces.

The Vikings have other options along the offensive line, and head coach Kevin O’Connell has hammered home the idea of putting together the “five best offensive linemen”, so if Robinson doesn’t pan out, it wouldn’t be a shock to see O’Connell shake things up. Current left guard Blake Brandel has experience at tackle, and guard Dalton Risner is expected back, which could lead to Brandel shifting outside if Robinson can’t go or struggles.

Regardless of how well the trade winds up working out for Robinson and the Vikings, only giving up a Day 3 pick in 2026 and getting the Jaguars to pay the majority of Robinson’s remaining salary is worth taking a chance in light of Darrisaw’s injury.

ESPN’s Field Yates proudly displays Jake Bobo jersey

ESPN’s Field Yates proudly displays Jake Bobo jersey

Last season the Seattle Seahawks fielded one of the most exciting rookie wide receivers in the NFL who became an instant fan favorite.

I am talking about undrafted rookie Jake Bobo, of course.

Jokes aside, Bobo became a surprise gem the Seahawks uncovered alongside fellow rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The former UCLA Bruin earned his way on the team and proved to be a reliable receiving option, and arguably a tad underutilized. Bobo quickly became a household name among the 12’s, and even some of the national media as well.

ESPN fantasy football and draft analyst Field Yates shared on his personal Twitter the news about Seattle’s announcement to wear the throwback jerseys against the 49ers in Week 6. Like nearly everyone, Yates is a fan of the iconic royal blue and silver look of the original Seahawks threads. But upon posting, the Seahawks’ official Twitter asked him an important question about the Bobo jersey in his possession, to which Yates gave a great response.

It is only fitting the Bobo jersey hanging would be a throwback. In Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns, the Seahawks debuted the return of their beloved throwbacks for the first time since the 2001 season. Seattle started strong, and the first points of the day came via Bobo who scored a rare rushing touchdown as a receiver.

The Seahawks were able to hold on for a 24-20 win over Cleveland, abd Bobo’s contributions directly added up to the victory.

Naturally, his jersey belongs next to the likes of some guy named Manning who wore No. 18 for Denver.

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Field Yates’ new mock draft makes an unconventional pick for the Saints

Field Yates’ new mock draft makes an unconventional pick for the Saints. Does Georgia prospect Kamari Lassiter have what they look for at cornerback?

We’re finally entering the fun part of draft season: with only weeks remaining before the 2024 NFL draft kicks off, analysts like ESPN’s Field Yates are expanding their mock drafts to explore the first two rounds of picks (if not more). The real drama on draft day picks up after the obvious selections are made early on. And for a team with as many needs as the New Orleans Saints, it’s important to know what their options may be in the second round.

And with that in mind, we’re spending more time today talking about Yates’ pick for the Saints at No. 45 overall rather than the 14th selection (Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu, who has been a popular choice for New Orleans in the first round). Yates has the Saints picking Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Kamari Lassiter after addressing their bigger need at left tackle early on.

“The Saints restructured Marshon Lattimore’s contract late last season, fueling speculation that he could be a trade candidate this offseason,” Yates wrote. “Lassiter would add depth there if such a move happened. He’s sudden, confident and capable in man coverage.”

Lassiter weighs in at 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds, just meeting the Saints’ thresholds at the position, but his incomplete athletic testing makes it tough to say whether they would consider drafting him. His poor performance in the 40-yard dash on a fast track at Georgia’s pro day doesn’t help his case.

Yates reported that Lassiter timed the 40-yard dash between 4.50 and 4.51 seconds at Georgia’s pro day, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler reports that he was timed much lower, between 4.61 and 4.63 seconds. NFLDraftScout.com, which has been working in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame while tracking pro day results for decades, had him at 4.65. Yates is still high on Lassiter but other media draft analysts like NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah no longer rank him among their top 50 prospects. Before his pro day, Lassiter was Jeremiah’s 36th-best prospect.

Dubious pro day results aside, Lassiter doesn’t have the production of other players going early in the draft, or similar defensive backs the Saints have drafted in recent years. He only intercepted one pass in college while recording more than 1,000 snaps in coverage. Depending on where you look, in his three-year career he broke up either 9 passes (according to Pro Football Focus charting), 14 passes (College Sports Reference as well as ESPN), or 15 passes (Georgia’s team website). Marshon Lattimore, for comparison, had 4 interceptions and 11 passes defensed in just 357 coverage snaps at Ohio State.

The Saints could very well draft a cornerback regardless of their plans for Lattimore; Paulson Adebo is entering a contract year and Alontae Taylor was a liability in the slot. Lassiter’s future may lie in that same role guarding the slot, given his subpar size, and his controlled aggression making plays upfield. Lassiter only missed 8 tackles on nearly 1,700 defensive snaps in college, per PFF, and he was credited with making 8.5 tackles for loss the last two years. Getting him closer to the line of scrimmage where he can make plays in traffic and not worry about running in stride with faster receivers downfield could let him play to his strengths. If Lattimore is traded this offseason, Taylor makes the most sense as his immediate replacement, and the Saints would need someone else to man the slot.

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ESPN’s Field Yates: Potential Bills draft target Keon Coleman is ‘star prospect’ (video)

ESPN’s Field Yates: Potential #Bills draft target Keon Coleman is ‘star prospect’ (video)::

One 2024 NFL draft prospect that has had connections to the Buffalo Bills prior to the event is Keon Coleman.

The wide receiver from Florida State has been a popular player mocked to Buffalo prior to April’s draft. The Athletic thought he fits the Bills, so does ESPN NFL insider Field Yates.

Yates joined the team’s radio show, One Bills Live, and explained why he sees a Bills-Coleman connection.

His breakdown can be found in the clip below:

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New 2024 NFL mock draft: Yates’ debuts Round 1 Alabama prospects

ESPN NFL Draft expert first-round mock prediction includes three former Alabama players

The 2024 NFL Draft will be a historic one as it will include the final batch of [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] draft products. His run during his tenure with the Crimson Tide will never be matched as he has produced a first-round pick every year for the last 15 years and a staggering 44 total first-round picks. Even though the draft is still about two months away, Pro Days and the Combine will be upon us before you know it and it’s getting to be that time of the year.

Draft experts are already widely regarding this draft as one of the best ones in recent memory, especially at the quarterback position. ESPN Insider and NFL Draft Analyst Field Yates currently projects that Alabama will have three former players elected in the first round of this year’s draft.

The first Alabama player Yates expects to come off of the board is EDGE [autotag]Dallas Turner[/autotag] as he says, “Turner became an instant star at Alabama when he recorded 8.5 sacks as a true freshman in 2021, and he could have a similar ascension in the NFL. With his unique burst, length and power to rush the passer, he has a skill set that translates well to the pro level.”

Two picks later Yates expects CB [autotag]Terrion Arnold[/autotag] to be selected saying, “Arnold snagged five interceptions and broke up 12 passes in 2023 as a key member of Alabama’s defense. He plays through the ball in coverage, consistently making receivers earn their catches. Arnold also has a self-confidence to his game that shows up on his tape in a positive way.

Finally, Yates projects OT [autotag]JC Latham[/autotag] to be the last first-round pick of Nick Saban’s legendary career. Yates says of the monster tackle, “Lathatm is on the short list for the strongest player in the class, as the imposing right tackle consistently puts opponenets on the ground in the running game. The value of the right tackle position is getting closer to that of the coveted left tackle spot — a team has used a top-10 pick selection on a future right tackles for three straight years.”

I agree with Yates assesment that all three of those guys will be first-round picks, but I was surprised he did not include [autotag]Kool-Aid McKinstry[/autotag] on the list. I would be apalled if Kool-Aid is available on day two of the draft.

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 Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

ESPN Insider sends Jared Verse to Minnesota in latest mock draft

ESPN Insider Field Yates has dropped his first mock draft of the season and has the Minnesota Vikings taking Florida State EDGE Jared Verse.

Across the NFL draft landscape there are many “insiders” whose thoughts on the process hold a little more weight than the average NFL draft pundit. One of those insiders is ESPN’s Field Yates, who dropped his first mock draft of the 2024 NFL draft season.

Yates is one of the more plugged-in individuals in NFL draft circles, so keeping an eye on who he sends where, and how those picks evolve during the draft season can provided some valuable insights. In his first mock of the season, he has the Minnesota Vikings skipping out on a quarterback and instead getting Florida State EDGE Jared Verse. Here is Yates’ breakdown:

Retaining Danielle Hunter — soon to be a free agent — would change the outlook on this pick, but losing Hunter, D.J. Wonnum and/or Marcus Davenport in free agency would leave Minnesota razor thin at pass-rusher. Verse is long, has great in-line power and shows a growing set of pass-rush moves to get home. After surprising many and returning to Florida State for the 2023 season, he helped catalyze what was on the short list for the best defense in college football last season, racking up nine sacks.

Verse and UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu have become popular selections across the mock draft landscape for the Vikings, and with the amount of talent potentially leaving in free agency, the picks make a lot of sense. Even if the Vikings are able to retain Danielle Hunter, if both Davenport and Wonnum leave, there is a massive depth issue at the position that Verse (or Latu) would immediately help shore up.

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Pair of Ducks selected in first round of Field Yates’ first mock draft of 2024

A pair of former Oregon Ducks are projected to be selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Mock draft season is in full swing, and as we continue to transition from the end of the college and NFL football seasons to the start of the NFL Draft in late April, you will undoubtedly be inundated with more and more predictions over the next several weeks as the pre-draft process continues.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s NFL analyst Field Yates released his first mock draft of the year, giving his prediction for which players will end up where in the first round. A pair of Oregon Ducks made the cut.

The first Duck off of the board is center Jackson Powers-Johnson, who boosted his stock at the Reese’s Senior Bowl earlier this offseason and is now considered the best player at his position in the entire draft class. Yates has JPJ landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 17.

Powers-Johnson was incredible for Oregon this past season and then went down to the Senior Bowl and looked like one of the best players on the field. Among the many traits that stand out about JPJ is that when he gets beat — and that doesn’t happen often — he can recover quickly enough to keep his quarterback clean. He’s the best center in the draft and addresses a big position of need in Jacksonville.

The other Oregon player to be projected to go in the first round is quarterback Bo Nix, who Yates has landing in Pittsburgh with the Steelers at No. 20, potentially taking over for Kenny Pickett after another frustrating season.

This one might be a surprise, as the Steelers have backed Kenny Pickett — who they took at No. 20 two years ago — this offseason. But they also said they plan to add competition for him in the quarterback room. Quarterback picks in this range are often polarizing, but my fundamental mindset is the Steelers’ ceiling with Pickett under center is too low for a franchise whose standard is not simply making the playoffs but making deep runs. Pittsburgh has lost five straight playoff games now.

Nix blends sharp accuracy with some razzle dazzle (something he has refined during his college career after transferring from Auburn) and an ability to quickly scan the field to deliver the right read. He set the FBS single-season record for completion percentage in 2023 at 77.4% while throwing 45 touchdown passes to three interceptions.

There is another Oregon Duck who has routinely been mentioned in the first rounds of mock drafts this offseason, and that is WR Troy Franklin. While Yates doesn’t have Franklin going in the first round, it would be relatively shocking if the arguably best WR in school history doesn’t hear his name called on Day 1 in April.

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Indianapolis Colts workout former Alabama running back Kenyan Drake

Former Alabama RB Kenyan Drake worked out by the Indianapolis Colts.

The last week has been an absolute nightmare in the Indianapolis Colts running back room. For starters, 2021 First-team All-Pro RB Jonathan Taylor and the Colts are not on great terms which led to Taylor requesting a trade. Then to make matters worse, backup RB, Zack Moss, suffered a broken arm that will sideline him for a minimum of four to six weeks.

As a result, the Colts are now in the market to find a back to potentially carry the workload as the situation plays out. Field Yates of ESPN reported that the Colts worked out former Alabama RB Kenyan Drake, as well as Benny Snell and Devine Ozigbo.

Drake has spent the past three seasons with three different franchises in the Cardinals, Raiders and Ravens. Despite being a temporary back for those three clubs, Drake still played in 38 games, 20 of which he started. He posted 2,149 all-purpose yards during that time and found the end zone 17 times.

At this point in his career, Drake is 29 years old and likely isn’t viewed as any franchise’s back of the future, but for a team like Indianapolis, he would be the perfect guy to bridge the gap while Taylor’s contract situation is figured out. The Colts will also have a rookie QB in 2023 and will do everything possible to make his life as easy as possible.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Drake and other former Alabama players in the NFL as the 2023 season approaches.

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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 Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

ESPN: Seahawks should give Uchenna Nwosu contract extension

Preaching to the choir

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Right now the Seahawks only have around $7.15 million in salary cap space remaining for the 2023 season. One way they could free up some money is by giving contract extensions to deserving veterans.

In fact, according to Field Yates at ESPN, the single-best roster move that Seattle can make the rest of this offseason is giving their underrated outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu a contract extension.

“Nwosu was fantastic for the Seahawks in his first season there in 2022, posting career-highs across the board, including 9.5 sacks. With a comparable season this year, Nwosu would be positioned as one of the top free agent pass-rushers next March, making an extension a logical proposition… A side benefit of an extension would be a likely reduced cap charge for 2023, which is helpful for a team that could use a little wiggle room.”

Preaching to the choir, here.

Nwosu has certainly earned the pay-day. He was by far the team’s most-outstanding front-seven defender last season and without him there’s a real possibility this would have been both the worst pass rushing and the weakest run defending unit in the entire league.

For now, Nwosu has a 2023 cap number just over $13 million, the fourth-biggest on the team. However, according to Over the Cap, Seattle can save $5,336,000 with an extension.

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Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave ranked among top-100 fantasy football players

Saints standouts Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave were ranked among one ESPN analyst’s top-100 fantasy football players:

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Expectations are high for the New Orleans Saints offense after they brought in Derek Carr to answer their questions at quarterback, but how will his presence change their fantasy football outlook? The hope is that Carr will elevate a supporting cast with several promising young weapons, but how high can they climb?

ESPN’s Field Yates shared his list of the 100 best fantasy football picks going into 2023, and two Saints standouts made the cut: running back Alvin Kamara (No. 44) and wide receiver Chris Olave (No. 54).

Kamara is Yates’ 19th-ranked running back, rounding out the top 20 with New York Jets second-year pro Breece Hall. Kamara only scored four touchdowns last season and may miss time with a suspension to start the year, so it’s a little surprising to see him ranked so highly (not to mention the additions of Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller, who will chip away at his workload).

And Olave is yates’ 23rd-ranked wide receiver. He’s part of a tier that includes mainstays like Tyler Lockett (No. 49 overall), Amari Cooper (No. 51), Chris Godwin (No. 53), Calvin Ridley (No. 58), and Jerry Jeudy (No. 59), which is fine company to be a part of. Olave also scored just four times in 2022, but his 72 receptions for 1,042 are very promising, and he should be one of the biggest beneficiaries of an upgrade at quarterback.

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