Tag: first overall pick

Bears fans can’t stop making mock drafts

According to Pro Football Focus, Bears fans used their mock draft simulator the most this year and it’s not close.

The 2023 NFL Draft is only hours away and fans of the Chicago Bears will finally learn which players will be joining the team after months of speculation.

Perhaps more importantly, they will be able to put down their mock draft simulators for the foreseeable future. But judging by data released from Pro Football Focus (PFF), that could prove to be difficult.

On Wednesday, PFF released data from their mock draft simulator showing which teams were most used this draft cycle. To the surprise of no one, the Bears were far and away No. 1 on the list with a relative frequency of just under 9%. The Detroit Lions came in second, while teams with no first-round picks such as the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers all were at the bottom.

Mock draft simulators have become increasingly popular over the last few years. Fans can play the role of general manager by making selections and even trades to build their ideal draft class. Since the Bears spent much of the year with one of the worst records in the league, coupled with the fact they had a first-round pick for just the second time in five years, it’s not shocking to see the team at the top of the list.

Since the 2022 season ended, the Bears held the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and fans went wild with different scenarios, whether it was trading the pick or selecting the top player on the board. When the team traded out of that spot with the Carolina Panthers in early March, moving down to No. 9 for a plethora of future picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore, it presented another fun challenge for fans to try and determine what the team should do. Whether it’s selecting an offensive lineman, defensive tackle, or even a wide receiver, almost every possible scenario has been dreamt up in a simulator.

But now that the draft is finally approaching, those mock drafts will dissipate for the time being when the actual picks begin rolling in. But it’s only a matter of time until the 2024 draft mock drafts start coming out. Hopefully the team is competitive enough where making mock drafts won’t be more entertaining than watching the final few games of the season.

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Former Viking Adam Thielen finds new home with Carolina Panthers

On Sunday evening it was reported that longtime Minnesota #Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen signed with the Carolina #Panthers

After being released by the Minnesota Vikings last week, wide receiver Adam Thielen has found a new home with the Carolina Panthers, according to multiple media outlets.

Thielen had spent his entire career with the Vikings, playing nine seasons with the team after initially joining as an undrafted free agent in 2014. During his time in Minnesota, he developed into one of the league’s most reliable wide receivers, earning two Pro Bowl selections and one All-Pro nod.

The Vikings made the difficult decision to release Thielen due to salary cap constraints, creating an opportunity for the Panthers to swoop in and add a proven veteran to their receiving corps.

The Panthers recently traded with the Chicago Bears for the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, which will likely be used on one of the top quarterback prospects. Thielen will provide a veteran presence and safety blanket for whomever the rookie signal-caller might be for Carolina next season.

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Odds update: Who is the current betting favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick?

OT Evan Neal is listed at +140 by Tipico Sportsbook while DE Aidan Hutchinson is just behind him at +150.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a tough decision to make with the top pick in the 2022 NFL draft. For a while, it was seen as a given that the team would take one of the two elite edge rushers at the top of the draft in Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan or Kayvon Thibodeaux from Oregon.

In recent weeks, however, the prevailing opinion has changed a bit. Now, many expect the team to draft a franchise left tackle with the pick, potentially Alabama’s Evan Neal.

The latest betting odds seem to reflect that belief. Per the current futures odds for the first overall pick from Tipico Sportsbook, Neal is the betting favorite to be the first selection at +140.

He’s followed shortly behind by Hutchinson at +150. Thibodeaux is +380, while North Carolina State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu is +425. There’s a massive dropoff after that, with Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross having the next best odds at +3000.

While there is a lot of mystery with the pick right now, that could change in the next few weeks. If the Jags choose not to extend or re-tag offensive tackle Cam Robinson, it would seemingly indicate that’s the direction it wants to go with the first overall pick. If they do, it would likely be a good omen for Hutchinson.

We’re still more than two months away from the draft, so a lot could change before then. But for now, there seems to be a consensus that Neal is the favorite to go with the first pick.

Poll: Who should the Jaguars take with the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft?

The choice with the No. 1 pick is much less clear this year than it was when the team selected Trevor Lawrence last year.

It seems a year doesn’t change much in Jacksonville. This time in 2021, the Jaguars were preparing to draft Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick. Now, despite Lawrence starting all 17 games as a rookie, the team finds itself back in the same spot.

This time, though, the choice is much less clear. Lawrence was considered a generational prospect, and Jacksonville hadn’t had a franchise quarterback since Mark Brunell. But this year, quarterback isn’t a need and there is no one obvious elite prospect.

That gives the Jags a few possible avenues to explore with this pick. The first — and most commonly predicted — is to take an edge rusher. Though his play is inconsistent, Josh Allen looks like a player the franchise can build around when he’s at his best. But aside from him and maybe Dawuane Smoot, a strong argument could be made to acquire pass-rush help.

If the Jaguars choose to draft a replacement, there are two main options. Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux was considered the likely top pick for most of the season, but a fantastic final year from Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson made it a debate. There’s no clear consensus between the two among draft analysts, and mock drafts vary quite a bit on which of the two will be picked first.

But with questions surrounding the pair and the fact that it’s a deep class at edge rusher, perhaps the Jaguars opt to shore up a different position entirely, such as offensive tackle.

Cam Robinson’s contract is expiring and Jawaan Taylor was one of the worst starting tackles in the league this season. At least one will almost certainly be gone (and even if they both return, Taylor likely wouldn’t start), and though Walker Little impressed in the little action he saw as a rookie, it’s not a situation the team should be comfortable with.

If the Jags choose to go the tackle route, the name that everyone is talking about is Alabama’s Evan Neal, who began his career as a right tackle before moving to the left side this season. He’s an elite prospect who could likely start on either side. However, there’s not a complete consensus about Neal being the pick even if the Jags pass on an edge rusher.

North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu is rising up the boards quickly, and for good reason. Though technically a sophomore due to COVID-19 eligibility rule changes, he’s been a starter for the Wolfpack for the bulk of the last three seasons and is a very talented player in his own right, if a bit less polished than Neal.

Regardless of the direction the team decides to go in, it will be a crucial decision. First overall picks are a rare opportunity, and the Jags have the chance to take someone who will develop into one of the better players in the NFL.

We want to hear from you, Jags fans. Should the team take one of the two edge rushers? Should it instead opt for a tackle like Neal or Ekwonu? Or should Jacksonville take an entirely different player not mentioned here? Let us know in the poll below.

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There’s a new betting favorite for the No. 1 pick, per Tipico Sportsbook

Aidan Hutchinson has overtaken Kayvon Thibodeaux as the betting favorite for the top pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

The first overall pick this season has been subject to more debate than usual. While in most years there is an elite quarterback or edge-rushing prospect that stands high above the rest of the pack during the predraft process, that is not the case for the 2022 NFL draft.

There are a few different players in the running for the Jaguars, who hold the top pick for the second-straight season. Until recently, the betting favorite for the No. 1 selection on Tipico Sportsbook was Oregon edge rusher, Kayvon Thibodeaux.

But after a dominant season from Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson that landed him on the Heisman stage in New York, he’s the new favorite from Tipico to go with the first pick with a money line at +155. It’s still neck-and-neck between Hutchinson and Thibodeaux, though, as the latter sits at +190.

Bettors seem to think that the Jags will go with an edge rusher, but offensive tackle Evan Neal from Alabama is not far behind the leaders, sitting with a money line of +220 to go at No. 1. Fellow offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu from North Carolina State, a fast riser on draft boards, trails a bit at +480.

After that, there’s a massive dropoff in likelihood with Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. tied with the next best odds at +4000.

If there’s one takeaway from this, it’s the fact that there’s still a lot of uncertainty regarding how the Jaguars will use this pick. Though Hutchinson is trending, oddsmakers seem to think it’s still a fairly open race to be the first player off the board in April’s draft.

Jaguars lock up top-2 pick in 2022 NFL draft

A Jacksonville loss to Indianapolis in Week 18 or a Detroit win over Green Bay would seal pick No. 1 for the Jags.

If there was anything from Sunday’s blowout loss to the New England Patriots for Jacksonville Jaguars fans to be excited about, it’s what that loss means in the long run. Jacksonville, who sits at 2-14 on the season, has locked up a top-two pick in the 2022 NFL draft, alongside the Detroit Lions, who sit at 2-13-1 on the season.

A loss on Sunday in Week 18 to the Indianapolis Colts or a Lions win over the Green Bay Packers would seal pick No. 1 for the Jags. However, Detroit beating the Packers seems unlikely, and if it doesn’t and Jacksonville stuns the Colts instead, the Lions would earn the first pick.

The Jaguars picked first overall last season for the first time in franchise history, and it selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence. That position is obviously no longer a need, and the Jags are likely to look at one of the two top edge rushing prospects in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Aidan Hutchinson, as well as Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal.

But all three of these players have question marks. Thibodeaux is a former No. 1 recruit who was dominant in college, but injuries limited his production as a junior in 2021. Hutchinson, meanwhile, had a breakout season that landed him on the Heisman stage. But one good year that ended with him having a relatively quiet night against a solid Georgia team could decrease his stock a bit depending on the perspective of certain scouts. Further, Neal is primarily a right tackle, which would hurt his value as a No. 1 pick and would also mean Jacksonville still has a decision to make at left tackle.

The Colts have a lot to play for with an AFC wild-card spot on the line. With a win over the Jags at TIAA Bank Field, they’ll make the playoffs. It’s hard to imagine the team is going to slip up in this one, and the Jags seem destined to pick first overall for the second year in a row.

Urban Meyer discusses the 3 QBs Jacksonville examined for No. 1 pick

Urban Meyer understands the importance behind the No. 1 pick, which is why he had the Jags’ staff do a deep dive on all of the top QBs.

It’s no secret in the NFL that the Jacksonville Jaguars are in the market for a quarterback. They haven’t had a true franchise player at the position since Mark Brunell left the team in 2003, and following a 1-15 season that netted it the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history, that’s expected to change.

In an interview with NFL insider Adam Schefter, new Jacksonville coach Urban Meyer discussed the first overall pick and the due diligence the staff did in preparing to make it. Though not flat-out saying who the pick would be, he did seem to concede that it will indeed be a quarterback.

It’s widely expected that that quarterback will be Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, who’s considered the best prospect in the draft and a generational prospect at the position. But according to Meyer, the team scouted two other prospects heavily, as well: BYU’s Zach Wilson and Ohio State’s Justin Fields.

“We went, I want to say, at least four, five, to six weeks,” Meyer told Schefter.  “I mean, we were really deep, and then we narrowed it down. And then you’ve had your top-2 or top-3 that you moved forward with a series of Zoom calls, we did the best we could. We split up on pro days, sent a guy out to BYU, on to Ohio State, obviously out to Clemson, and those are the three that we identified, and we did a deep dive on those guys.”

The expectation from the moment the team moved into position to pick first overall has been that Lawrence would be the selection there. Still it is interesting (but not shocking) that Meyer and his staff took the team to check out Fields and Wilson, the latter being almost universally projected to go immediately after Lawrence to the New York Jets at No. 2.

Meyer understands the significance of this pick, especially in his first season. If it goes well, it will set the franchise up to win for a decade or more to come. If not, it would be a difficult mistake to bounce back from.

“I think you just got to make sure you’re doing the right thing,” he said. “Our success and failure will be dependent upon this pick.”

Even with this information, there’s no reason to think that the team will make any move other than taking Lawrence first overall. But it just goes to show that you can never be too sure in this league, even when the right answer may seem abundantly clear to many.

[The following quotes were mostly transcribed by The Spun]

Updated 2020 NFL Draft Order: Who trails the Jets?

The Jets still own the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft after their Week 7 loss.

The Jets drew one step closer to landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft with their loss to the Bills in Week 7.

New York played its most competitive game of the season against Buffalo, as it held a lead at halftime. However, Gang Green faltered in the second half and the Bills emerged victorious by a final score of 18-10. At 0-7, the Jets still hold the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. However, there are five teams only one game back of New York in the loss department.

With that being said, here’s a look at the first-round draft order for the 2021 NFL Draft after Sunday’s Week 7 games.

1. New York Jets

2. New York Giants

3. Jacksonville

4. Atlanta

5. Miami (from Houston)

6. Minnesota

7. Cincinnati

8. Dallas

9. Washington

10. Los Angeles Chargers

11. New England

12. Denver

13. Carolina

14. Miami

15. Las Vegas

16. Detroit

17. San Francisco

18, New Orleans

19. Philadelphia

20. Indianapolis

21. Jacksonville (from Los Angeles Rams)

22. Cleveland

23. Tampa Bay

24. Buffalo

25. Arizona

26. New York Jets (from Seattle)

27. Baltimore

28. Tennessee

29. Chicago

30. Kansas City

31. Green Bay

32. Pittsburgh

What the experts are saying about Sam Ehlinger in the NFL Draft

The Athletic and 247 Sports recently weighed in on the 2021 NFL Draft eligible quarterbacks. What are they saying about Sam Ehlinger?

When it comes to the NFL Draft quarterbacks are always the most talked about position. In a passing league, if you don’t have a quarterback then you don’t have much of a shot to compete. This is the same at the collegiate level as well. For the Longhorns, there are varying opinions on how Sam Ehlinger fits at the next level. 247 Sports and the Athletic recently dove into quarterback talk for the 2021 NFL Draft and Ehlinger was among the players discussed.

Ehlinger enters the season as one of the more well-established commodities among senior quarterbacks. The Austin native has started a ton of games for the Longhorns and we should have good grip on Ehlinger’s skill set by this point. He’s known for his toughness and ability as a power runner but has also been a solidly efficient passer. Ehlinger’s performance has been up and down over the years. As a fourth year senior, he’ll get a last crack to really break through under new offensive coordinator Mike Yurchich. – Charles Power (247 Sports)

“I like Ehlinger. Before the LSU game (Week 2 in 2019), I didn’t really like him. But I kept watching him, and I like him a lot. He’s not big enough, though, to play the way he plays in college. If he tries to play like that in the NFL, he’ll get hurt. Tebow was even bigger than him and he tried that and he was really beat up. But if he can continue to develop as a passer he has a chance. He has enough of an arm.” NFL assistant coach via The Athletic

“Ehlinger is a good athlete. But he still has some work to do as a thrower. I think with him right now, the sum is greater than the parts.” – Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network

“I love Ehlinger. I think he’s a better throwing Tim Tebow, and he’ll come into the NFL at a perfect time. I wouldn’t be surprised if a team falls in love with him. He’s a great teammate, a physical runner, really driven and motivated, and we’ve seen him grow and keep getting better and he has developed as a passer.” – Dan Orlovsky

“The three players who stand out the most who check all the measurables boxes, along with a strong statistical production to warrant discussion for a possible first-round pick next year are Sam Ehlinger, Tanner Morgan and Trey Lance.” Richner, who leans heavily on his analytics studies, said, “Ehlinger is highly efficient on third down. He had an average of 8.2 Adjusted Yards Per Attempt on 3rd Down last season.” -Matthew Richner, NFL Draft consultant

Some like Sam Ehlinger’s chances but then there are those are flat out saying no to him as a NFL quarterback.

Yes: Brice, Mills, Trask, Clifford and Morgan. Maybe: Newman and Purdy. No: Brennan, Ehlinger, Thompson-Robinson, Mond, Martinez, Milton. – Former NFL quarterback via The Athletic

It is virtually impossible for everyone to agree on draft prospects. It all comes down to what is your flavor of ice cream. There are different ways to play the position and all Sam Ehlinger needs is for one team to believe in him. Provided there is a 2020 college football season, Ehlinger will have the opportunity to raise his stock heading into the 2021 NFL Draft process.

Betting odds from BetMGM on 2021 NFL Draft first overall selection

BetMGM has released their odds for the number one overall selection, which Texas Longhorns are in the running?

Is it too early to discuss the 2021 NFL Draft? Well maybe but let’s go ahead and do it anyway. The Texas Longhorns came away from the NFL Draft for fifth year in a row without a first round draft selection. The last being Malcolm Brown in the 2015 NFL Draft but could 2021 be the year the curse is broken?

According to BetMGM they have a couple Texas Longhorns who could make their way into the conversation.

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated April 27th at 4:30 p.m. ET.

According to their odds both Sam Ehlinger and Samuel Cosmi come in with identical (+8000) odds to be the number one overall selection. Cosmi seems to be one that feels like a first round lock this early in the process considering that he is the only constant in these way too early 2021 mock drafts. Another name that could find his way into the first round discussion but missing from the list of odds is Caden Sterns.

Other names on the list:

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson (-250)

Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State (+350)

Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon (+500)

D’eriq King, QB, Miami (+1400)

Micah Parsons, DE, Penn State (+2000)

Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia (+4000)

Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama (+4000)

Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami (+4000)

Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson (+4000)

Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Lousiana State (+5000)

 

Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.

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