Tag: Jackson Carman

2021 Jags Wire mock 3.0: Jags stick with familiar faces to staff in early rounds

Trevor Lawrence might not be the only Clemson player the Jags select as they could address another need by adding OT Jackson Carman, too.

The 2021 NFL Draft is just over two weeks away and anticipation for the annual event couldn’t be higher. While fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars are pretty certain of what will happen with the first overall selection, figuring out what the Jags could do with their other nine selections has been stressful, yet fun.

With our last mock being posted three weeks ago, we took another crack at putting together a mock that would set the Jags up well heading into camp using Pro Football Focus’ simulator. Here are the results we came away with in a seven-round scenario:

Colts add to trenches in two-round mock draft from Touchdown Wire

Colts add their biggest needs in this mock.

In the latest mock draft from our friends over at Touchdown Wire, the Indianapolis Colts took an emphasis on building through the trenches—a staple of Chris Ballard’s philosophy.

In the first round, the Colts stayed put and selected edge rusher Azeez Ojulari with the No. 21 overall pick. Here’s what Mark Schofield had to say about the selection:

The Indianapolis Colts could use some help off the edge, and Frank Reich has said as much recently. With the return of T.Y. Hilton the Colts largely have their offense intact from last season, and while left tackle remains a concern — Sam Tevi might not be the answer — the depth of the offensive tackle class lets Indianapolis go in a different direction here.

Azeez Ojulari is a name rising up boards off the edge, thanks to his length and athleticism. He needs to fill in some of the pieces, as he relies heavily on winning to the outside and needs to develop a complete array of moves as a pass rusher, but the upside is tough to ignore.

Adding to the edge might be the top priority for the Colts in the draft. Of course, teams don’t want to pigeon-hole themselves into taking one position, but it would be a massive surprise if they passed on a strong prospect in the first two rounds.

In the second round, the Colts selected the player who would be competing for the starting left tackle role following the retirement of Anthony Castonzo by taking offensive tackle Jackson Carman out of Clemson.

The Indianapolis Colts addressed pass rush in the first round, and now they turn to another pressing issue: Making sure they can protect Carson Wentz. Indianapolis added tackle Sam Tevi recently, but something tells me they are not done trying to find a replacement for the retired Anthony Castonzo. Jackson Carman protected Trevor Lawrence’s blindside the past two seasons and is a powerful tackle, but might struggle with pure speed rushers off the edge.

Adding an edge and an offensive tackle with their first two picks is likely what will happen, with them also being interchangeable. The Colts could easily take an offensive tackle in the first round and an edge in Round 2.

We are just about a month out from the draft and after a quiet free agency, fans are ready to see what Ballard has in store.

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Clemson OT Jackson Carman could be solid Day 2 selection for Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers will turn their attention to the draft to solidify the offensive line.

The Chargers have been reconstructing the offensive line through free agency, solidifying a few starting spots.

However, beyond that, the depth on the line is lacking talent and Los Angeles could benefit from how deep the group is in this year’s draft to shore it up.

Likely to be available on Day 2, former Clemson offensive tackle Jackson Carman should be on the Bolts’ radar to provide a boost.

The former five-star recruit signed with the Tigers for the class of 2018 out of Fairfield, OH, choosing them over Ohio State.

In Clemson’s zone scheme, Carman started exclusively at left tackle in 27 of 40 games, leading the Tigers to ACC titles and College Football Playoff appearances in all three seasons.

This past season, Carman played 793 snaps, anchoring an offensive line that allowed fewer than two sacks per game. He was named a second-team All-American, as well as a second-team All-ACC selection.

On the field, the 6-foot-4 and 317 pounder has the anchor ability, quick and  heavy hands and good awareness & communication in pass protection and leg drive, strength at the point of attack and finishing mentality in the running game.

While he has more than ideal athleticism for his size, Carman does struggle a little bit with his pad level, body control and balance, leading to some funky reps against savvy and speed rushers. However, some of that looked improved in 2020.

Due to his skillset, Carman projects as a right guard, where he could compete for a starting job as early as Year 1. Given his strength, sufficient length and power, he could kick out to right tackle, where he could handle a role as a long-term starter.

If L.A. considers drafting Carman, here’s what they would be getting:

“That I’m a smart football player, tough. I love to play the game for the love of the game. And I can help a team win,” he said.

Clemson OT Jackson Carman could be solid Day 2 selection for Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers will turn their attention to the draft to solidify the offensive line.

The Chargers have been reconstructing the offensive line through free agency, solidifying a few starting spots.

However, beyond that, the depth on the line is lacking talent and Los Angeles could benefit from how deep the group is in this year’s draft to shore it up.

Likely to be available on Day 2, former Clemson offensive tackle Jackson Carman should be on the Bolts’ radar to provide a boost.

The former five-star recruit signed with the Tigers for the class of 2018 out of Fairfield, OH, choosing them over Ohio State.

In Clemson’s zone scheme, Carman started exclusively at left tackle in 27 of 40 games, leading the Tigers to ACC titles and College Football Playoff appearances in all three seasons.

This past season, Carman played 793 snaps, anchoring an offensive line that allowed fewer than two sacks per game. He was named a second-team All-American, as well as a second-team All-ACC selection.

On the field, the 6-foot-4 and 317 pounder has the anchor ability, quick and  heavy hands and good awareness & communication in pass protection and leg drive, strength at the point of attack and finishing mentality in the running game.

While he has more than ideal athleticism for his size, Carman does struggle a little bit with his pad level, body control and balance, leading to some funky reps against savvy and speed rushers. However, some of that looked improved in 2020.

Due to his skillset, Carman projects as a right guard, where he could compete for a starting job as early as Year 1. Given his strength, sufficient length and power, he could kick out to right tackle, where he could handle a role as a long-term starter.

If L.A. considers drafting Carman, here’s what they would be getting:

“That I’m a smart football player, tough. I love to play the game for the love of the game. And I can help a team win,” he said.

How Chargers can fix offensive line this offseason

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez rebuilds Los Angeles’ offensive line.

I feel like a broken record saying this, but the time is now for the Chargers to revamp the offensive line in the offseason.

After putting it off year after year, general manager Tom Telesco is finally realizing that the line is a glaring issue that needs to be resolved.

“There’s a lot of improvement that needs to be made in that area,” Telesco said about the team’s offensive line at his end-of-season press conference.

Numbers don’t lie. Quarterback Justin Herbert was pressured on 27.6% of his attempts in 2020, the seventh-highest rate among QBs with at least 200 attempts, according to SportRadar.

Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus had the unit ranked the worst in the NFL.

Injuries hindered tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Trai Turner. Meanwhile, there was inconsistent play from center Dan Feeney, guard Forrest Lamp and tackle Sam Tevi.

At the moment, Feeney, Lamp and Tevi are slated to be free agents. Turner is a potential cut candidate to free up some cap space after his disappointing season. Bulaga is likely safe, but there are some serious durability concerns.

The bottom line is that if Los Angeles wants to have a high octane offense moving forward with Herbert at the helm, they need to get better in the trenches.

Starting with the in-house options, I believe the team loves Feeney, Lamp and Tevi. I don’t feel comfortable with anyone of them in a starting role moving forward, but I believe for the sake of continuity, they’re good enough to be brought back as depth pieces.

As for Turner, I elect to move on from him to clear up $11.5 million in cap space.

Looking ahead to free agency, I am going all in for the best interior free agent offensive linemen available. All eyes are on Brandon Scherff, Joe Thuney, Corey Linsley.

In this scenario, I’m able to sign Linsley to fill the center spot.

Looking to the second tier of free agents, my attention is shifted to Nick Easton, Larry Warford, Jon Feliciano and Denzelle Good.

I sign to Warford to serve as the starting right guard.

Moving on to the NFL draft, my focus is landing a plug-and-play tackle and guard in the first two rounds.

On the clock at pick No. 13, the Chargers land USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker. Vera-Tucker projects best as a guard at the next level, but his tape from 2020 tells me that he can thrive on the outside.

Fast forward to pick No. 45, Los Angeles takes Notre Dame’s Aaron Banks. A proven guard, Banks’ pass protection will help secure the inside of a line early on and he will add value as a run blocker with his power.

The work doesn’t stop there. After addressing the cornerback and edge defender position with the team’s two third-round picks, I add a high upside player in Clemson’s Jackson Carman to kick off Day 3.

The 6-foot-5 and 335 pounder has the athleticism, strong hands, leverage in pass protection and mauling mentality in the running game. Carman can play tackle at the next level, but he has the skill set to play guard, as well. That versatility is a plus for L.A.

My new line, from left to right, would look something like: Vera-Tucker, Banks, Linsley, Warford, Bulaga. Depth includes Feeney, Lamp, Tevi, Carman, Storm Norton, Trey Pipkins and Scott Quessenberry.

If the Chargers want to get the most out of Herbert for many years, they must keep him as clean as possible and a line like this can go a long way.

Colts add EDGE, OT in Draft Wire post-Super Bowl mock draft

Here’s the haul for Indy in Draft Wire’s latest mock.

Even though the 2021 NFL draft is still months away, the Indianapolis Colts are hard at work figuring out what path they want to take with their selections at the end of April.

With needs at quarterback, left tackle, edge rusher and cornerback, the options are seemingly endless for the Colts to add young talent to positions of need. They did just that in Draft Wire’s post-Super Bowl mock on Monday.

Here are the two selections the Colts made in the two-round mock draft from Luke Easterling:

  • 21. Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami
  • 54. Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson

In this mock draft, five quarterbacks went in the first 19 picks. It doesn’t appear there were any trades conducted but the Colts would have had their chances to move up if they wanted to.

Regardless, it is very well within the range of possibilities that the Colts stay put at their picks and add to the edge and offensive line. Those are two of their biggest needs entering the offseason and even though the Colts don’t purely draft based on that, they are still looking to improve those positions.

Phillips is an intriguing prospect given his size, length and athleticism. He has the skill set Chris Ballard would like to bring into the defensive line room, especially if they go the cheaper route in free agency.

Carman would be the one to replace Anthony Castonzo, who retired this offseason after 10 seasons in the NFL. Working next to Quenton Nelson will help the development of a young offensive tackle.

It will be interesting to see how the Colts go about their draft, but these might be two names to keep an eye on.

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Full 4-round Chargers mock draft, Post-Super Bowl edition

The Chargers take three offensive linemen in the first four rounds.

The 2020 NFL season has officially come to an end after the Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on Sunday.

With this past season behind us, now all attention has turned to 2021, specifically the roster-building process that will be vital if the Chargers wish to be in next year’s Super Bowl, which will be held at SoFi Stadium.

With that being said, let’s take a look at what Los Angeles could do in the draft to aide in dethroning Kansas City and make a run to the Lombardi Trophy in my latest four-round projections.

3 offensive Clemson players the Jags could draft with Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence isn’t the only Clemson player the Jags could use on offense as they have needs all over the place.

If there is one thing NFL fans have learned this offseason, it’s that there seems to be a lot of quarterback shakeup on the horizon. However, one team who will probably have the luxury of not having to get involved are the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have a direct path to Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.

As talented as he is, however, Lawrence wasn’t the only standout from Clemson’s 2020 offensive unit to enter the draft as a few others did. With the Jags going 1-15, they have a lot of needs and could use some of Lawrence’s teammates, too, as many of them have draftable grades.

Here are three Tigers the Jags could snag with Lawrence this April:

Which Clemson Tigers could give Notre Dame problems today?

Clemson Tigers including D.J. Uiagalelei, Baylon Spector, Jackson Carman, Bryan Bresee, Myles Murphy and Amari Rodgers could give Notre Dame problems.

We all know Trevor Lawrence would normally be at the top of this list, but due to ACC protocols after a positive COVID-19 test, the Clemson star quarterback will watch from the sidelines. Dabo Swinney has finally gotten his recruiting to acumen to match his on-field status, since ’17 each of his classes have been ranked inside the top 10 according to the 247Sports composite team rankings. The Tigers have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. Here are a few of them that you should be hearing their names called early and often.

Notre Dame vs. Clemson: Positional breakdown advantages

A breakdown of each position for Notre Dame and Clemson and who has the advantage.

This is the game of the year in the ACC, if not all college football, at least in the regular season. No. 1 Clemson travels to South Bend to take on No. 4 Notre Dame. This highly anticipated game will feature a number of future NFL stars.

A look at each position and which team has the advantage in Saturday’s huge contest.

Don’t forget to take a look at each of our tales of the tape as well (wide receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks)

(Some photo’s courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics)