Tag: Isaiah Likely

Giants address multiple needs in latest three-round Draft Wire mock

The New York Giants land several Day 1 starters in the latest three-round mock from our friends over at Draft Wire.

Mock draft season has now gone into overdrive with projections and prognostications coming from every direction. That includes from our friends over at Draft Wire, who recently released their post-combine three-round mock.

At No. 5 overall, the Giants miss out on North Carolina State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu, who goes first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But that doesn’t sting too bad as Big Blue gets a solid consolation prize: Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal.

The Giants have bigger needs on defense, but it’s hard to pass up a franchise tackle, especially when one as talented as Neal falls into your lap. A massive mauler with rare athleticism for his size, Neal would pair up with Andrew Thomas to give the Giants a talented young tandem to protect Daniel Jones.

The Giants have no bigger needs than along the offensive line. Sure, they have some areas of concern defensively, but they’ll enter the new league year in search of four new starters along the O-Line. And Neal, once a consensus No. 1 overall pick, is about as good as it gets.

And the real bonus? The Giants address their defense and their need for an edge rusher just two picks later, snagging Jermaine Johnson II from Florida State.

After addressing their biggest need on offense at No. 5, the Giants do the same on the other side of the ball with this pick. Johnson backed up his impressive film with a dominant week at the Senior Bowl, followed by a strong showing the combine that should put him in the top-10 conversation.

Making the pick of Johnson look even better is what the Giants do at No. 36 overall. Still in need of talented defenders, Draft Wire has the Giants landing Alabama linebacker Christian Harris.

36. New York Giants | Alabama LB Christian Harris

Now we’re talking.

With their next two picks — each in the third round — the Giants land a new starting tight end and some depth at wide receiver.

67. New York Giants | Coastal Carolina TE Isaiah Likely

81. New York Giants (from MIA) | Boise State WR Khalil Shakir

The argument can most certainly be made that the Giants should have sought out a guard with one of their third-round picks, but Isaiah Likely is a potential steal and long-term starter, while Khalil Shakir gives Brian Daboll a little more to work with offensively.

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2022 NFL Scouting Combine: Jags have met with WR George Pickens, TE Isaiah Likely

The Jags didn’t scare many teams down the field, but George Pickens and Isaiah Likely could probably fix that.

New Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke have a busy week ahead of them as both are currently attending the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine right now. And while the team has several needs, most Jags fans will be intrigued with the pass-catchers at the event as the Jags have huge needs at receiver and tight end.

After a 2021 season where the passing game struggled and finished the season ranked 24th, the Jags now know they need explosion and size within the receiving corps. That’s why most expect them to take a receiver and a tight end within the top-4 rounds as we’ve seen in several mock drafts.

In the early stages of the combine, the Jags have already met with two of the most dynamic receiving threats in the whole event. Those prospects are Georgia receiver George Pickens and Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely.

Of the two prospects, Pickens is expected to come off the board first as he currently has a second-round grade on him. As a result, he’s been a popular name in the Jags’ community way before today as the Jags need to provide Trevor Lawrence with some weapons this offseason.

Pickens will be coming off a national championship victory with the Bulldogs, though he missed a majority of their season trying to return from an ACL injury. He eventually was able to do so in their 12th contest, which allowed him to see some regular season and postseason action.

Pickens, who was a huge vertical threat for the Bulldogs, will enter the draft after ending his collegiate career with 1,347 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Of course, the former figure isn’t exactly eye-popping, but it’s worth noting that Pickens was on an ultra-talented Bulldogs team for all of his three seasons with them.

As for Likely, he’s a 6-foot-4, 240-pound athlete who could take off under a tight end friendly scheme like Pederson’s. He enters the draft after spending four years with the Chanticleers while putting up an impressive stat-line of 133 catches for 2,050 receiving yards and a whopping 27 touchdowns.

Likely projects to be a third-round pick in the eyes of most draft analysts. If the Jags want him, that’s a spot that helps their chances to acquire him as they have two third-round picks thanks to the C.J. Henderson trade that took place last season.

The Jags’ interest in both prospects isn’t shocking when considering their explosive play abilities, which would help the Jags stretch the field. Likely had a 15.4 yard per reception average, while Pickens’ average was 15. That said, don’t expect this to be the last time the Jags show interest in both as they should draw a significant amount of interest at their Pro Days and should get various workouts.

SKOL Search: What can Vikings learn from Mobile?

The 2022 Senior Bowl was jam-packed with talent. Who should the Vikings keep an eye on?

The Senior Bowl is a fantastic event for many reasons, but the biggest reason is how much you can learn from this class. Over 100 players attend the event in Mobile to show off their skills and speak with teams. Throughout the week, players are put through drills to showcase their skills and traits.

The Senior Bowl staff, led by director Jim Nagy, has done a fantastic job not only finding players from high profile programs, but also standouts from the lower levels. These lower level guys usually have dominant tape, but this platform gives teams the ability to see them compete on an even playing field.

Players like Ali Marpet, Kyle Dugger and Carson Wentz have massively benefitted from being invited to Mobile.

When down in Mobile, there are a lot of different things you can take away from the event. Along with learning about the players, it’s also a major outlet for scouts and media to converse and learn more about what other teams think of the class and to hear what rumors are swirling.

After having been in Mobile this past week, here are the five biggest takeaways for the Minnesota Vikings.

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12 Senior Bowl players who stood out as potential Lions draft picks during the week of practices

12 Senior Bowl players who stood out during practices as potential Detroit Lions draft picks in the 2022 NFL draft

The week of Senior Bowl practices wrapped on Thursday, capping off three days of hard-fought competition on the campus of the University of South Alabama. The Detroit Lions had their entire staff in Mobile to check out 130 prospects who are trying to prove they belong in the NFL.

Who were the biggest standouts from a wet week of practices? Which players here look like good fits for the Lions? Here are 12 who stood out from a Detroit eye.

Not all of the players came from the American roster, which the Lions are coaching here. A few are from the National team, which is being coached by the New York Jets.

4 TE prospects for the Eagles to watch at the 2022 Senior Bowl

2022 #SeniorBowl: 4 TE prospects for the #Eagles to watch #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE

We’re less than 100-days from the start of the 2022 NFL draft and with Philadelphia owning three first-round picks, Howie Roseman will need to increase the normal due diligence done on eligible prospects.

The draft actually starts in Mobile, Alabama, where the start of senior bowl practices will kick off on Tuesday, February 1.

We’re profiling the position groups for both teams, while also breaking down several players at each group for Philadelphia to watch.

The next group to watch will be the senior bowl tight ends.

Senior Bowl WRs and TEs announced for the Lions-coached team

The Lions have major needs at both positions and will get to coach a lot of intriguing ones at the Senior Bowl

The Detroit Lions have significant offseason needs at both wide receiver and tight end. They’ll get a long look at several draft candidates at each position while coaching the American team at the 2022 Senior Bowl in February.

The Senior Bowl revealed the receiving talent that the Lions will coach in Mobile during the week of practices and the game itself, which takes place on February 5th. It’s a strong mix of intriguing players of varying skill sets at both spots for the American team quarterbacks, who were announced earlier this week.

At wide receiver, the Lions will coach a group that features several players generally projected in the middle rounds of the 2022 NFL draft:

  • Calvin Austin, Memphis
  • Dontario Drummond, Ole Miss
  • Danny Gray, SMU
  • Reggie Roberson, SMU
  • Velus Jones, Tennessee
  • Tre Turner, Virginia Tech
  • Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama

The tight ends will add to the Mustang flavor for Detroit in Mobile with another SMU player:

  • Daniel Bellinger, San Diego State
  • Grant Calcaterra, SMU
  • Greg Dulcich, UCLA
  • Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina

Early takeaway

The tight ends are all prospects who could step right into the No. 2 TE role in Detroit next to T.J. Hockenson. Bellinger is the most versatile, Likely has the highest ceiling. Calcaterra had some major injury issues earlier but was the best receiver of the group in 2021.

At wideout, Austin is an undersized dynamo — think a supercharged Kalif Raymond. Gray, Jones and Drummond are all about the same size but offer divergent strengths, with Jones appearing the best initial fit for the current Lions. Tolbert has some outstanding game tape that suggests a brighter NFL future than any other Senior Bowl wideout on either squad. He gets the benefit of playing in his home stadium, too.

2022 NFL draft: Giants stock up in full 7-round mock

The New York Giants stock up in the first 2022 NFL mock draft of the season compiled by the Giants Wire staff.

The 2022 NFL draft is still four-plus months away but with the New York Giants effectively out of the playoff hunt, we at Giants Wire have decided it’s time to look ahead.

That means mock draft season begins now.

In our very first mock of the year, which was conducted using the current draft order (pre-Week 15 games), we employed the mock draft simulator from The Draft Network.

The settings were default: TDN’s predictive board, seven rounds and fast speed. We chose only for the Giants during a single run. There were no trades used in this simulation.

Here are the results:

Cure Bowl Prospect Preview: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Tonight, the Cure Bowl is at 6 PM. @joshkeatley16 gives us a Prospect Preview for Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers #Browns

Bowl season begins this Friday and the spotlight in prime time will be on the Northern Illinois Huskies of the MAC who currently sit at 9-4 and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers of the Sun Belt who stand at 10-2. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Coastal Carolina is currently a double digit favorite over Northern Illinois as their quick strike passing attack is one of the most efficient in the country.

Don’t count out the Huskies though as they have turned in a solid season and would like to hit double digits in the win column as a momentum boost for next season.

With all that said, that is not why we are interested in this game. These two teams have a few intriguing prospects and the following are a few options the Cleveland Browns may be interested in.

Coastal Carolina TE Isaiah Likely goes off vs. Arkansas State

Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely delivered a video-game stat line Thursday night against Arkansas State

If your favorite NFL team is looking for a big-play tight end prospect in the 2022 NFL draft, Coastal Carolina’s Isaiah Likely just gave an impressive audition Thursday night against Arkansas State.

Likely delivered a ridiculous stat line, needing just eight receptions to rack up 232 yards, finding the end zone on four of those eight catches. That’s 29 yards per reception for those of you keeping score at home.

While some might wonder about his level of competition, when you put up numbers like this, it moves the needle regardless of your opponent. Don’t be surprised if this performance turns some heads among NFL decision-makers.

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Coastal Carolina with the 99-yard TD pass against Arkansas State

Coastal Carolina with a 99-yard touchdown pass

Easy to forget there was an undefeated college football team playing Thursday with the MLB playoffs and Los Angeles Rams facing the Seattle Seahawks.

However, the 15th-ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers were playing at Arkansas State and it didn’t take long for them to try and head to the top of the highlight reel.

The Chanticleers were at their 1-yard line less than 3 minutes into the game.

In a blink, they went 99 yards and were up 7-0 en route to scoring the game’s 31 points.

The play went from Grayson McCall to Isaiah Likely, who was untouched en route to the end zone.

Early in the fourth quarter, Likely had 7 catches for 213 yards and 4 touchdowns.