Tag: Jalen Graham

Purdue LB Jalen Graham proud of former teammate Chiefs DE George Karlaftis

Jalen Graham told @EdEastonJr that he’s proud of former teammate George Karlaftis winning the Super Bowl with the #Chiefs and spoke about changing the perception of Purdue football.

The top football prospects are getting their chance to show what they are made of to potential teams. The annual NFL scouting combine has taken over Indianapolis, with players attempting to increase their value with a hopefully impressive performance this weekend.

Purdue University linebacker Jalen Graham is one of the 300-plus hopefuls showcasing his raw talent this week. Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke with Graham about his reaction to former teammate George Karlaftis playing in Super Bowl LVII and the mission to garner more respect for Purdue football.

“Great, and I was rooting for the Chiefs to win,” said Graham. “So it was just great to see him out there to compete and actually make an impact on the game.”

Graham smiled proudly while discussing his thoughts on Karlaftis winning a Super Bowl title in his rookie season. He said that he reached out to congratulate him after the game.

“Just DM (Direct Message),” said Graham. “Just let him know congratulations, everybody (is) proud of him. He knows. So, (I’m) just proud he did a good job.”

The support for Karlaftis is only part of the mission to uplift Purdue football, according to Graham. He would go on to share his passion for the program while addressing everyone around his podium.

“Going all the way back to high school as part of the mindset of my classes coming in and wanting to kind of change things and narrative about Purdue football and that we are able to compete at a high level,” Graham explained. “I think by the end of my time; we’re just getting to the Big 10 championship. I think we were able to at least change it a little bit. And we got, I think, four other of my teammates here as well. So it’s just exciting to see all of us get a chance to compete.”

Graham played in nine games last year for the Boilermakers, finishing the year with 52 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, a forced fumble, five passes defended and an interception. He served as a leader on the defense in his final season at Purdue and looks to carry that over into the NFL.

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10 linebackers to watch for Colts at NFL combine

Taking a look at 10 linebacker prospects to watch for the Colts at the NFL combine this week.

It’s NFL combine week, which gets kicked off on Thursday with the defensive linemen and linebackers.

Linebacker has been a position of strength for the Indianapolis Colts over the past few seasons and the depth was on display when the leader of the defense, Shaquille Leonard, basically missed the entire 2022 season.

It is a different case heading into the offseason because it is expected that Bobby Okereke will be heading to a new team in free agency and it is also possible that E.J. Speed will no longer be a Colt if he chooses to move on as a free agent.

With money invested into Leonard and Zaire Franklin, Ballard will likely turn to the 2023 NFL draft to add depth to the group.

The linebackers are currently scheduled to conduct their measurements and on-field workouts Thursday afternoon.

Here are some names to pay attention to when the linebacker prospects perform this week:

East-West Shrine Bowl practice notes: Day 2

Highlighting what stood out on the second day of practices at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Day 2 of all-star game practices are frequently the most important of the week – not only is it another opportunity to evaluate players, but seeing how they’ve reacted and adjusted to the events of Day 1 shows their football character.

Let’s take a look at my notes from practice on Sunday to see who did just that.

First things first, the Chargers continued to have a large scouting presence at practice on Sunday. Two scouts stuck in a spot with a wider view of the field, likely evaluating wide receivers and defensive backs. Senior director of college scouting Kevin Kelly was also spotted along the sidelines. LA does not frequently make their presence known at other events given the smaller size of their staff, so the fact that they’re so visible in Las Vegas is something worth keeping an eye on down the line.

One of the standouts of the day was Purdue linebacker Jalen Graham. After being pulled aside to receive some extra coaching from the Patriots staff, Graham flipped a switch and showed the ability to apply coaching right away. It was obvious he was paying attention when other players in his group were being coached up as well, applying those lessons to his next rep in a drill and receiving some vocal praise from the staff. As an example: the linebackers spent much of the early part of practice working on a rip move on the tackling sled, but without generating much satisfaction from the coaches. New England’s staff made more clear what they were looking for, and then Graham executed a picture-perfect rip move in team period to force a run stop.

If you’re looking for the linebackers with the best movement skills in Vegas, I’d direct you to North Carolina State’s Drake Thomas and Boston College’s Jaiden Woodbey. Thomas was another standout on the day, frequently finding the range to hold contain on the outside and showing good awareness in coverage. Thomas is on the smaller side, but that could actually endear him to a Chargers team that needs their linebackers to be mobile. Woodbey was a bit more up-and-down. The converted safety is still working on his instincts at linebacker, and that was fairly obvious in the lateness of his trigger on Sunday.

A Division II school in New York, Pace has never produced an NFL player. When offensive tackle Jacky Chen was invited to Las Vegas, most people outside league circles had never heard of him. But through two days, Chen has mostly held his own, and some scouts have gone as far to say that he’s “everyone’s favorite” undrafted free agent prospect. The Setter had a great rep on Sunday against Pitt edge rusher Habakkuk Baldonado, a Saturday standout.

On the East side, the linebacking group had a rough end to their weekend. Falcons linebacker coach Frank Bush was all over the group, reminding them that “you are who you put on tape” and that Sunday’s session was “a job interview, not practice.” Arizona State’s Kyle Soelle looked the best of the group, maintaining a steady but not remarkable presence and taking a leadership role amongst the other linebackers.

For Tennessee’s Jeremy Banks, Vanderbilt’s Anfernee Orji, and Florida’s Amari Burney, things were a bit more inconsistent. Banks hit hard in one on one drills with the running backs and team period, but those violent collisions often still resulted in him being unable to disengage from blocks. He lost the final rep of one on ones to Fresno State RB Jordan Mims, forcing the linebackers to do push-ups. Orji brought a similar physicality, but dropped a few balls during drills and was pulled aside for additional coaching on more than one occasion. Burney had to have a fire lit under him to start practice, then was injured in one on ones and limited for the remainder of practice.

Some quick hitters from the rest of practice:

  • Georgia Tech LB Charlie Thomas has his fans in league circles, but he’s a lighter player without elite movement ability. I wonder how such a player fits in today’s NFL.
  • Watching Bill Belichick coach these prospects up is one of the cooler sights on a football field. Belichick spent three or four minutes educating an entire group of players on punt gunner technique on Sunday.
  • Minnesota CB Terell Smith had a few nice reps in team period, while Hampton WR Jadakis Bonds continued to have a few issues reeling in the ball.
  • Louisville EDGE Yasir Abdullah, South Carolina State WR Shaq Davis, Fresno State WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper, and Louisville CB Kei’Trel Clark all had a few reps that drew my attention away from other parts of practice on Sunday.

Vikings 2023 7 Round Mock Draft: Matt Anderson’s 1.0

What happens when the Vikings go best player available? @MattAnderson_8

It’s still early in the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason, and the team hasn’t gone through free agency or found a replacement for their defensive coordinator. That doesn’t mean we can’t speculate on what may happen to this team in April.

The Vikings could get aggressive this April and go get their guys, or they could try to trade back to accumulate more picks given they have a limited amount of draft picks to begin with. For this mock draft, we’ll keep all of our picks and take the best player available. Let’s take a look at how it unfolded.

Arkansas vs Fordham – Beyond the Box: 20 Minutes of Hell, anyway

Arkansas’ defense was everywhere in the first half against Fordham on Friday.

Two games into the Arkansas basketball season of 2022-23 and the Razorbacks look a lot like the Hogs did this time last year.

Arkansas’ roster composition is almost completely different. One of the seve who logged minutes in Friday’s 74-48 win over Fordham were on the team last year. But the same goods and bads from November 2021 are showing again in November 2022.

The Razorbacks had tremendous spurts. They forced 20 first-half turnovers and went on a 23-4 run in the first half. They also led by just 11 at the break, anyway, thanks to poor shooting their own – compartively modest – issues taking care of the ball.

That’s what the early-season games are about, though. Arkansas needs to rat-hole wins against lesser opponents in November and December. The mediocrity of most of those opponents should allow the coach Eric Musselman to develop cohesion, chemistry and the semblance of a rotation when SEC play begins after Christmas.

Twitter reacts: Hogs fans, coach thrilled after impressive win over Fordham

Arkansas fans deserved to be happy following the Hogs’ easy win over Fordham on Friday.

Arkansas’ 74-48 win over Fordham on Friday night was exactly the kind of game Razorbacks’ faithful wanted to see.

It was just the second game of the season, but Arkansas looked miles better in Game No. 2 than they did in Monday night’s season-opener against North Dakota State. Coach Eric Musselman’s demeanor post-game proved it.

The Hogs scored 30 points of 30 Fordham turnovers and dominated every facet of the game, save one. Even the one problem area is an area Musselman had said might be Arkansas’ weakness this season: shooting the 3.

Still, Jordan Walsh and Anthony Black showed ability with the ball for a pair of freshmen. Makhi Mitchell looked like a legitimate SEC big man. Ricky Council proved he can dish the ball and score it, too. Just about all the way around, Arkansas received what it needed for a mid-November game against a nonconference opponent.

Fans were happy. Check out the best tweets from the game and after it below.

Aggressive defense, big run key Arkansas to easy win over Fordham

Arkansas scored 30 points off 30 Fordham turnovers and cruised to an easy victory.

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman is figuring things out with his Arkansas basketball team. But on Friday night, his calculations found a winning formula.

The Razorbacks scored 30 points off 30 Fordham turnovers and had a 23-4 first-half run that keyed a 74-48 vicory over the Rams in the team’s second game of the season.

Ricky Council led all scorers with 15 points for Arkansas. He was joined in double figures by Jordan Walsh (12) and Anthony Black. Darius Quisenberry led Fordham with 10 points.

After playing 10 guys in Monday night’s season-opening win against North Dakota State, Musselman played only seven for the first 30 minutes against the Rams. Kamani Johnson, one of only two returners from last year and who started the opener, didn’t play until fewer than four minutes were left. Arizona State transfer Jalen Graham, who plays Johnson’s position, made his debut after Musselman made a “coach’s decision” for the reigning All-Pac 12 player in the opener.

Arkansas was still without guard Nick Smith Jr., too, whose knee injury Musselman called day-to-day. The projected lottery pick has yet to make his college basketball debut.

Arkansas is back at it Wednesday from Bud Walton Arena against South Dakota State.

Top Candidates to replace Jaylin Williams at forward

How does Arkansas replace a top talent in Jaylin Williams? Eric Musselman has a few ideas.

One of the main items on Eric Musselman’s agenda while in Europe will be to examine how everyone will fit into certain roles.

Arkansas only returns four players from last season’s roster, with [autotag]Davonte Davis[/autotag] having the most experience among returners. One of the key holes that Arkansas will need to fill will be at the two, the spot filled last season by [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag].

Williams averaged 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest last season and had a knack for creating possessions on defense by drawing 54 charges. He has since departed from the program after being selected with the 34th overall pick of the NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Out of all the new faces, who has the best possibility of filling Williams’ shoes? Musselman says that five players have the capability.

“We have a lot of guys that kind of offer different things,” Musselman said during a recent press conference. “[autotag]Jalen Graham[/autotag] is a player that is kind of a go to guy. He’s a scorer innately with his back to the basket. [autotag]Makhi Mitchell[/autotag] is really, really explosive and really strong. [autotag]Makhel[/autotag] (Mitchell) is a bigger, physical player inside. Obviously, [autotag]Kamani[/autotag] (Johnson’s) a great offensive rebounder and a high free throw attempt player. (Trevon) [autotag]Brazile[/autotag] is a really, really unique player.”

Those five players will have the chance to compete for that role next week, when Arkansas travels to Spain and Italy for a four-game European tour. Game one of the expedition is set for August 9.

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Arkansas basketball gets NIL deal – Arkansas basketball, as in all 15 players

The whole team will work with Children’s Safety Center and two individual players have separate deals, too.

Basketball teams typically have 15 players on a roster. Sometimes a few more. Sometimes guys just dress out for practice but don’t play.

At Arkansas, all 15 of its players are now owners of an NIL.

Athlete Advocate Consortium hooked the Razorbacks basketball team up with a deal with Children’s Safety Center of Washington County. The CSC is an advocacy center for children who have been abused.

“We are honored and excited to raise more awareness and education in our community regarding child abuse,” CSC executive director Elizabeth Shackelford said in a press release.

The Athlete Advocate Consortium is the same organization that helped JD Notae as Arkansas’ first NIL receiver. Notae’s group was the Samaritan Shop.

“I think there’s a lot of life lessons that these guys can carry on, not only from AAC, but all of the way for the rest of their lives,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said.

AAC helped pair two individual basketball Hogs, as well. Freshman Jordan Walsh is working with the Jones Center and Jalen Graham, a transfer from Arizona State, is with Samaritan Community Center.

Top three NFL draft-eligible outside linebackers in the Big Ten for 2022

Top three NFL draft-eligible outside linebackers in the Big Ten for 2022 #B1G

It is never too early to talk about the NFL Draft, and one of the most polarizing and fun positions to discuss is the outside linebacker position. It is no secret that Ohio State does not have the strongest linebacking group, but there is still some high-end talent in the Big Ten.

It should not be surprising to see a Wisconsin linebacker top this list as they have a rich history of producing top-notch backers like Leo Chenal, Zack Baun, and T.J. Watt. Michigan looks to have a solid linebacking group as well and a Purdue prospect also makes an appearance. We’ve discussed the schools represented, but now we need to dive into the prospects.