Tag: Geno Stone

Lions Wire’s final Lions 7-round mock draft

Editor Erik Schlitt’s is taking the helm for Lions Wire’s final Detroit Lions 7-round mock draft of the offseason.

Editor Erik Schlitt’s is taking the helm for Lions Wire’s final Detroit Lions 7-round mock draft of the offseason.

Draft day trades are common but wildly unpredictable, therefore, this exercise focuses only on picking prospects in the draft slots the Lions currently hold.

Round 1, pick 3, Jeff Okudah, CB, OSU

6-1, 205, 32.63″ arm length, burst rate: 137.2 (#1 for CB in class) 

It’s been my opinion all offseason that the Lions want to walk out of Day 1 with either Chase Young or Okudah. With Young likely being selected at pick No. 2 overall, the Lions will surely listen to trade offers for the No. 3 pick, but at the end of the day, they’ll be happy to land their guy.

2.35, A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa

6-5, 275, 34.5″ arm length, can play DDE and 3T

Epenesa’s stock has been falling since the Combine, but as far as the Lions are concerned, he’s still likely a Top-10 player on their draft board. Epenesa is a perfect scheme fit, can rotate with Trey Flowers and Romeo Okwara at down defensive end, as well as inside at the 3-technique with Da’Shawn Hand and Nick Williams — giving the entire defensive line an immediate boost.

3.67, Robert Hunt, RT/G, Louisiana

6-5, 323, 33.5″ arm length, 28 starts at RT, 22 at LG, 2 at LT

A true road grader who was a featured blocker in the Cajuns run-heavy scheme, Hunt has the ability to step in at either tackle of guard — though he is projected to have more success inside. Putting him next to Hal Vaitai would give the Lions a pair of 6-5, 320+ pound position flexible offensive lineman who excel at run blocking, regardless of who plays where on the right side.

3.85, McTelvin Agim, IDL, Arkansas

6-3, 309, 33.5″ arm length, 1-year starter at 3T, 3-year starter at DE

Agim has been my sleeper for a while now and nothing has changed my mind to move him off this spot. An experienced 2-gapper who excels against the run, possesses several pass-rushing moves, is aggressive with his hands, understands how to create leverage with his length, was a team captain, and comes from the Arkansas’ defensive line pipeline.

4.109, Van Jefferson, WR, Florida

6-1.5, 200, 32.75″ arm length, elite route technician 

The son of former Lions’ wide receiver and wide receiver’s coach Shawn Jefferson, Van Jefferson learned the nuances of running routes at a young age. Capable of lining up as a WR-X (Marvin Jones Jr.’s spot) and inside as a Big Slot receiver, Jefferson could be the Lions WR4 in year one and take over a starting role in 2021.

5.149, Braden Mann, P, TAMU

6-0, 198, 48.9 yards per punt average, Ray Guy award winner 

As I mentioned in my 10 things Lions fans need to brace for in the 2020 NFL Draft, this is the sweet spot to grab the best specialist on the board. Mann has a powerful leg, can handle punts and kickoffs, understands how to control his power by alternating between kicking for distance, angling directions, and putting air under the ball so he doesn’t outkick his coverage. His ability to drop punts inside the 20 is a thing of beauty.

5.166, Anfernee Jennings, JACK, Alabama

6-2, 256, 32.88″ arm length, double-digit TFL each of last 2 seasons

Jennings has a quality first step, but his pass rush will struggle if he doesn’t win early. He understands how to properly use his hands, routinely locates/attacks the ball, is an elite run defender, and sets the edge with consistency/power. His 26.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks over the last two seasons speaks to his ability to get into the backfield and make plays.

6.182, Geno Stone, S, Iowa

5-10.5, 203, 29.25″ arm length, can play single-high and in the slot

Stone is s a bit undersized and falls short of the Lions’ preferred level of athleticism, but he is intelligent, highly instinctive, positionally versatile, and rarely makes mistakes. Stone has the potential to be a regular contributor on special teams and a top-end reserve at safety, likely earning a role as a fourth or fifth safety as a rookie.

7.235, Michael Warren, RB, Cincinnati

5-9, 226, physical runner who will thrive in an inside-zone scheme

Warren hasn’t got a lot of attention in the Lions draft community but he is a terrific fit for the Lions scheme as he is a physical runner who can also contribute in the passing game. On film, Warren lacks the explosive traits of the Lions other backs — and he didn’t test at the Combine — but he has terrific contact balance, is decisive in the hole, wins in short-yardage situations, and churns out yards with toughness. His success in the NFL will likely come as part of a running back by committee approach and would fit in as a fourth running back on the Lions roster.

5 safeties for the Philadelphia Eagles to consider in the 2nd-round of 2020 NFL Draft

5 safeties for the Philadelphia Eagles to consider in second-round of 2020 NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles will certainly address their glaring wide receiver needs in next weekend’s NFL draft, but it’ll be interesting to see if Howie Roseman chooses to add a young safety to the roster after switching Jalen Mills’ position and signing Will Parks.

The safety position is not as deep as cornerback or edge rusher, but the Eagles could land a pretty good player in the second round.

With the draft stacked at receiver, the Eagles would be better-served targeting a safety early on, with a talented receiver still likely to be on the board in the later rounds.

Here are five safeties the Eagles should consider in the second round.

***

Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

1. Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota

Winfield Jr. announced that he was skipping his final two years of eligibility after earning consensus All-American honors and tying the single-season Gophers record with seven interceptions.

Winfield led the Gophers with 88 total tackles while helping them knock off Auburn in the Outback Bowl to finish 11-2 for the most wins in program history since 1904.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Vikings pick Iowa safety Geno Stone in third round of CBS Sports mock draft

The Vikings went with a safety in the third round of a CBS Sports mock draft. Would you like to see Geno Stone in purple and gold?

Minnesota might move on from one of its safeties in the offseason, and CBS Sports thinks it could fill that void in the draft.

The outlet had the Vikings drafting Geno Stone in the third round of a recent mock draft. Stone is a safety out of Iowa.

Here’s what they said about the pick:

“Stone didn’t have a great combine but he has a future in the league as a box defender.”

So that’s not exactly a rave review, but the combine isn’t a perfect way to measure how good a football player is when they step on the field. It might benefit the Vikings to get a player that’s better than what their recent stock has shown, because they slipped in the draft to a later pick. If they played well on the field, and can fit the system, there’s no reason to believe the combine is an end-all analysis.

CBS Sports ranked Stone the 12th best safety in the draft, and the 134th overall prospect.

Cardinals land Isaiah Simmons and rising WR in full mock draft simulation

Arizona needs help on defense – what happens if Isaiah Simmons falls to Pick 8?

This years draft offers a lot of very interesting scenarios for Cardinals fans – there’s a lot of players that would seem to be good fits in that number 8 spot, and unlike last year, they don’t really control their draft destiny.

With that in mind, it is time to run another mock draft simulation to play out a particular scenario. In last week’s simulation, the goal was to see how things played out by taking a wide receiver with their first pick.

This time, I was going to go off the map and see what the top rated defensive player would fall. Either I would go with Isaiah Simmons or Jeff Okudah if they were available, or potentially with Derrick Brown if they both were gone.

The pick ends up being the versatile Simmons, who has been compared to ex-Cardinal Tyrann Mathieu for his ability to play multiple positions as well as Bobby Wagner for his height, weight, speed profile:

See how this mock draft looks. These are the results.

Round 1: Clemson LB/S Isaiah Simmons

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Say what you want about whether Simmons excelled at any one position or whether there is some fear of a repeat of Haason Reddick. Simmons dominated wherever he played in college.

He also had a phenomenal combine where he ran 4.39 on his first 40 attempt:

Yes, there is reason to wonder whether Vance Joseph can use him at his best, but there is no denying that the NFL is trending towards using players like Simmons. He can also immediately step in and help in any area where the Cardinals really struggled on defense — covering tight ends.

[protected-iframe id=”191cb7af54af090fb185ae46227d1137-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/23462482/download.mp3″ ]

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

8 draft prospects the Cardinals might value because of PFF rating

It seemed last year Arizona borrowed heavily from Pro Football Focus – here are some players they may like this year if they do so again.

It’s no secret that many believe that Arizona borrowed heavily from Pro Football Focus’ draft rankings in the 2019 draft: 

Kyler Murray was the top-ranked player on PFF’s board when they selected him first. Byron Murphy was the top-ranked player at the time Arizona took him at pick 33 and other players like Zack Allen and Andy Isabella were highly rated. 

If they follow this model again, here are several players the Cards could value more so than others. Here are some. 

Utah RB Zack Moss

Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

 The Cardinals have already met with Moss at the combine, and one of the reasons may be his high marks from PFF, who have him rated as their top running back over such household names as DeAndre Swift and Jonathan Taylor. 

Moss gets these high marks for his tackle-breaking ability, his hard running style and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Some have even compared him to Marshawn Lynch.

[protected-iframe id=”191cb7af54af090fb185ae46227d1137-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/23462482/download.mp3″ ]

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8