Tag: Jeff Gladney

The Athletic’s 7-round mock starts Bills with defense

The Athletic sees the Buffalo Bills offense as a product that’s close enough to a finished one in their latest seven-round mock draft.

The Athletic sees the Buffalo Bills offense as a product that’s close enough to a finished one in their latest seven-round mock draft.

NFL Draft Insider Dane Brugler did a prediction piece which included all seven rounds worth of picks at the 2020 NFL Draft. The mock draft covered all 255 selections, including the seven the Bills are currently slated to make.

In the mock, the Bills, who don’t pick until the second round, continue to fortify their defense, waiting until the fourth round to add anyone on offense. Getting things started off, the Bills add a cornerback:

54. Buffalo Bills – Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

While the Bills did add Josh Norman and EJ Gaines to their No. 2 cornerback fold, Buffalo is in a place with their roster they love being. The Bills can take the best player on their board and if this scenario unfolded, it could very well be Gladney. Norman and Gaines will compete with Levi Wallace for playing time across from Tre’Davious White in Buffalo’s defense. Gladney would instantly be tossed into that mix with the Bills too and be considered a long-term option at the position.

Gladney was a First-Team All-Conference selection, recording 31 total tackles, 14 passes defensed, and an interception last season.

Continuing, the Bills stay on defense, addressing their pass rush:

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Saints spoke with potential first-round cornerback out of TCU

The New Orleans Saints recently interviewed 2020 NFL Draft prospect Jeff Gladney, a highly-rated cornerback out of TCU, per a report.

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The New Orleans Saints might be in the hunt for more help at cornerback in this year’s NFL Draft. According to a report from Justin Melo over at Draft Wire, the Saints are one of eleven different NFL teams to have interviewed TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney, who also went through a private workout with the Arizona Cardinals prior to travel restrictions from the novel coronavirus.

While he isn’t widely perceived as a surefire top-20 prospect, it wouldn’t be a shock if Gladney ends being selected in the draft’s opening round. This year’s draft class is more uncertain than many that preceded it due to a lack of the usual pro days and formal facilities visits that NFL teams use to round out their scouting reports. Grades are more divisive than normal, and the Saints could very well end up being a team that does rank Gladney among that top tier, and be happy to pick him at No. 24.

So what’s drawn the Saints to him? Gladney measured in at 5-foot-10 and 191 pounds, timing the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds — clearing the established benchmarks the Saints have maintained internally. The redshirt senior is well-experienced in shadowing opposing No. 1 wideouts, playing a lot of press coverage while earning All-Big 12 recognition in three years as a starter (Honorable Mention in 2017, Second-Team in 2018, and First-Team in 2019). He finished his college career with the Horned Frogs with five interceptions and 43 total passes defensed in 50 games played. Not too shabby.

Besides slightly middling height and wingspan (Gladney’s arms measured in at a hair under 32 inches in length), the big knock on Gladney might be his injury history. He missed his first year with a medical redshirt while recovering from ACL/LCL surgery, and went under the knife again earlier this offseason after playing through a meniscus issue in his senior year. It’s possible his conversation with the Saints was a simple check-in on his recovery process.

While the Saints have a stellar top-two combination at cornerback between Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins, things are far from settled behind them. A number of players figure to compete for nickel duties (including P.J. Williams, Patrick Robinson, XFL signee Deatrick Nichols, and safeties Malcolm Jenkins and C.J. Gardner-Johnson) while the Saints lack a clear first-man-up should Lattimore or Jenkins miss time.

On top of that, Jenkins’ contract is structured so that the Saints can take it year-to-year, while Lattimore’s fifth-year option only guarantees he’ll be around through 2021. Gladney would make sense as an understudy for either of them as well as a possible heir-apparent. And considering how often the Saints field multiple defensive backs, it’s possible fans could get a good look at Gladney in his rookie year — if he ends up being the pick.

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2020 NFL Draft: Houston Texans team preview

Everything Houston Texans fans need to know heading into the 2020 NFL Draft

Everything Houston Texans fans need to know heading into the 2020 NFL Draft.

VITALS

Head Coach: Bill O’Brien

General Manager: Bill O’Brien

2019 Record: 10-6

2020 DRAFT PICKS

2 (40)

3 (97)

4 (111)

5 (171)

7 (240)

7 (248)

7 (250)

TEAM NEEDS

Wide Receiver

Despite the fact that the Texans added Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb, wide receiver is still a top need for Houston. The loss of DeAndre Hopkins will leave a huge void for this team. Cooks has had issues with staying on the field in recent years despite being traded multiple times for top picks. The team needs to find a dependable target for Deshaun Watson. Especially when you consider both Cobb and Cooks have had issues staying on the field over the years.

Offensive Line

Protecting Watson should be a priority. Much the reason why the Texans traded for Laremi Tunsil, but the right side of the line needs some attention. Watson has been sacked 106 times over the past two seasons, far too many for Houston’s franchise quarterback. Upgrading either guard is one spot in particular.

Secondary

It was clear that the current secondary wasn’t up to the task in 2019. A team that ranked near the bottom in interceptions should look to find upgrades at cornerback or safety. Houston picked up two former first-round selections at corner, but if they can upgrade the position, it can only help out the team.

TOP TARGETS

Tee Higgins | WR | Clemson

Justin Jefferson | WR | LSU

Brandon Aiyuk | WR | Arizona State

Jeff Gladney | CB | TCU

Trevon Diggs | CB | Alabama

Damien Lewis | OL | LSU

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2020 NFL Draft: Tennessee Titans team preview

Everything Tennessee Titans fans need to know heading into the 2020 NFL draft

Everything Tennessee Titans fans need to know heading into the 2020 NFL draft.

VITALS

Head Coach: Mike Vrabel

General Manager: Jon Robinson

2019 Record: 9-7

2020 DRAFT PICKS

1 (29)

2 (61)

3 (93)

5 (174)

7 (237)

7 (243)

TEAM NEEDS

Quarterback

Ryan Tannehill took over at quarterback last season and took the Titans on an improbable run to the AFC Championship game. He also agreed to a contract extension but the team needs to do their due diligence and find a backup with potential to become the starter. Marcus Mariota is now gone and the team needs to start looking to the future at the position.

Pass Catchers

If the Titans want to make a return to the title game and hopefully the Super Bowl then they need to upgrade their receiver and tight end group. AJ Brown was phenomenal for them but former first-round pick Corey Davis has been underwhelming to say the least. An outside receiver or upgraded tight end should be a big priority.

Secondary

Tennessee’s defense needs to find a slot cornerback in the upcoming draft. The team could target a player such as Xavier McKinney who has experience at both cornerback and safety. Especially considering the team could part with Kenny Vaccaro following the 2020 season. He can be used many ways on a defense which makes sense to target McKinney.

TOP TARGETS

Xavier McKinney | S | Alabama

Trevon Diggs | CB | Alabama

Jeff Gladney | CB | TCU

Tee Higgins | WR | Clemson

Justin Jefferson | WR | LSU

Jalen Reagor | WR | TCU

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Raiders have met with TCU CB Jeff Gladney

Raiders have met with TCU CB Jeff Gladney

While the Raiders are expected to draft a wide receiver early in the 2020 NFL Draft, it is becoming increasingly more likely that they spend the No. 19 pick on a cornerback.

The Raiders have met with nearly every top cornerback prospect, including TCU’s Jeff Gladney, according to Justin Melo of the Draft Wire.

Gladney is a smaller cornerback at just 5’10, but he is one of the most aggressive defenders in the entire class. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a passer rating of just 77 in 2019. That was actually up significantly from his 2018 year when he allowed a passer rating of 45 as he surrendered just one score all year long.

Gladney might not have elite measurables, but he has quick feet and never shies away from the moment. He has proven time and time again that he can defend receivers much bigger than him and his confidence will never be shaken.

While pick No. 19 might be a tad too high for Gladney, it’s possible he could be a trade down target if the Raiders decide to move out of that selection. But if they are forced to pick at that spot, don’t be surprised if Gladney gets the nod over other bigger, more athletic cornerbacks in this class as he is a plug-and-play starter opposite of Travyon Mullen.

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TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney meets with Browns, possible 2nd-round pick

Gladney has a lot of traits the Browns should find appealing

One of the potential Browns targets for their second pick in the 2020 NFL Draft confirmed he’s met with the team. TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney listed the Browns among several teams he’s had a virtual pre-draft visit with over the past few weeks.

The Horned Frogs standout fits squarely in the second tier of cornerbacks in the class, a group that also includes Florida’s C.J. Henderson, LSU’s Kristian Fulton and Trevon Diggs from Alabama. All of them, including Gladney, generally project in the 15-40 overall range.

The Browns pick at No. 41 overall in the second round. Gladney’s speed, ball skills and relentless competitiveness would make him a good value fit for the Browns if he’s still on the board. He does have some ability to play in the slot.

Chiefs host virtual pre-draft meeting with top CB prospect Jeff Gladney

TCU CB Jeff Gladney is one of the first players to have a formal interview and a virtual pre-draft meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to do a ton of pre-draft work on the cornerback class for the 2020 NFL Draft.

This time they’re showing interest in one of the top cornerback prospects in this class, TCU’s Jeff Gladney. According to Justin Melo of Draft Wire, Kansas City was among the 12 teams that had a pre-draft meeting with Gladney.

This is one of the first prospects that we know had both a formal interview with the Chiefs at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine and a virtual pre-draft meeting with the team. What makes that so significant, though? Players who’ve ended up drafted by the team in the past— Juan Thornhill for instance— had both formal meetings and top-30 visits with Kansas City. The Chiefs are not one of the teams to feign interest in a prospect to try and throw other teams off their trail, but instead, they prepare for all scenarios.

Gladney measured in at 5-10 and 191 pounds at the combine. He’s a productive cornerback with five career interceptions and 26 passes defended for TCU. The most impressive thing is that Gladney played through the entire 2019 season with a knee injury. It shouldn’t surprise anyone who has spoken with him, as he’s a big-time competitor.

Adding a player like Bashaud Breeland in free agency on a one-year deal won’t prevent Kansas City from taking a player like Gladney. They’ve been looking to add a cornerback early since the 2018 NFL Draft, but they’ve been unable to land one. Could a popular player like Gladney be available to the Chiefs at pick No. 32?

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Cardinals had private workout with TCU CB Jeff Gladney

He had five career interceptions and 37 broken up passes while playing for the Horned Frogs.

The Arizona Cardinals have their eye on a defensive back who could be selected in the first round of the 2020 draft. According to Draft Wire’s Justin Melo, TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney held a private workout with the Cardinals before such visits were made impossible because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Cardinals have the eighth overall pick in the draft and Gladney is not generally considered a top-10 player. However, many mock drafts have him being selected in the first round.

Gladney is 5-10 and 191 pounds. He has NFL speed, running the 40 in 4.48 seconds at the combine. He is competitive and makes plays on balls, although his five career interceptions should have been more. He broke up 26 passes the last two seasons combined.

He would seem to be a candidate for the Cardinals if they were to trade down in the first round but would largely be viewed as a big reach if they took him eighth overall.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 263

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Ep. 262

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Packers host virtual pre-draft visit with TCU CB Jeff Gladney

The Packers used one of their 30 official pre-draft meetings on TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney, according to The Draft Wire.

The Green Bay Packers have held a virtual pre-draft visit with TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney, according to Justin Melo of The Draft Wire.

Teams are conducting official pre-draft meetings via virtual means due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thirty meetings are allowed per team.

Gladney (5-10, 191) was a four-year starter for TCU, tallying 43 pass breakups and five interceptions over 50 games and 42 starts. He broke up 15 passes each of his final two collegiate seasons and was an All-Big 12 pick each of his last three seasons.

At the combine, Gladney ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds, hit 37.5″ in the vertical leap and did 17 bench press reps. However, his three-cone time – 7.26 seconds – was below the Packers’ preferred threshold at the cornerback position.

According to Pro Football Focus, Gladney allowed just seven touchdown passes over the last three seasons while keeping passer ratings into his coverage under 80.0 each season.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic believes Gladney is a borderline first-round pick who could be a long-term starter in the NFL.

From Brugler’s draft guide: “Overall, Gladney is a scrappy, quick-footed athlete with an ultra-competitive play personality and if he can improve his route anticipation and be more subtle with his physicality, he will be a decade-long NFL starter.”

The Packers have a long-term need at cornerback, especially if veteran Tramon Williams isn’t re-signed and starter Kevin King isn’t retained following the 2020 season.

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Eagles 2020 NFL Draft preview: Devil’s advocate edition

The Eagles could go a variety of ways in the upcoming draft: here I play devil’s advocate for less popular options.

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During our last preview, we made the argument in support of the Philadelphia Eagles trading up to draft one of the big three wide receivers: CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy or Henry Ruggs III. A lot has changed since then.

For those following loosely the Eagles traded away the 85th and 166th picks in this year’s draft. This move, while greatly improving the secondary, leaves the Birds with only two picks in the top 100. Without the 85th pick in their back pocket, the price to move from 21 to the teens would likely cost the Eagles their second-rounder – something they should be unwilling to do.

All of that said, nothing changed the biggest need on the team: wide receiver. After the big three, who will surely be gone by 21, the next group has fallen into place with less than two weeks to draft day. Justin Jefferson from LSU is the consensus fourth-best receiver but from there the waters get murky. Denzel Mims from Baylor and Jalen Reagor from TCU project to be late first-round selections while Laviska Shenault from Colorado, Tee Higgins from Clemson, Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State and KJ Hamler from Penn State have second-round grades.

With that information in hand, all Howie Roseman has to do is choose the best available wide receiver and send the pick in. If Jefferson’s there it’s him; if he’s not flip a coin for Mims or Reagor. Easy enough, right?

“Not so fast!” he says in his best Lee Corso voice.

The Eagles have two choices for pick 21, either trade back or draft a defensive player. Let’s start with the first option.

For reference, the Eagles traded the 32nd pick and the 132nd pick in the 2018 draft to the Ravens for the 52nd pick, 125th pick, and a 2019 second-rounder. At the 2019 draft, the Eagles made another move with the Ravens, this time moving up three spots from 25 to 22 to select Andre Dillard. That move cost the team a fourth and sixth-round pick.

With this knowledge, the Eagles should try to find a trade partner in the latter half of the first round, whether it’s the Packers, Ravens or Saints, that want to get to the early 20s. This trade back should net the Eagles another mid-round pick and a sixth or seventh, too.

Assuming the top four are off the board by the time the Eagles pick in the late 20s, I’d take a long hard look at the next best wide receiver. Is it the ultra-athletic, surprisingly speedy Denzel Mims? Or is it the electric playmaker from TCU, Jalen Reagor? Either of them would look good in midnight green.

Now, on to option No. 2. Let’s say the virtual draft goes absolutely bananas: Four wide receivers are off the board by the 15th pick and there’s no way the Eagles can get out of the 21st pick. I, for one, don’t want Mims or Reagor at 21 – that’s a bit of a reach in my opinion. If they’re the top two on the board by the time the Eagles are on the clock, I’m looking elsewhere – specifically at the defensive side of the ball.

Say one of Jeff Gladney or Kristian Fulton, cornerbacks from TCU and LSU respectively are available, The Eagles should think long and hard about taking one of the two. The two are first-round talents and would be better suited to play outside with Darius Slay than any cornerback on the roster. Sorry, Sidney Jones and Avonte Maddox. With Slay and Gladney/Fulton the Eagles would have their best cornerback tandem since Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown. From there, the Eagles should take the best receiver available in the second round whether it be Aiyuk, Higgins or Hamler.

A dark horse name for the Eagles is Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos. If you follow trends you know Howie loves taking lineman in the first round: Andre Dillard, Derek Barnett, Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, Danny Watkins, *shivers* Marcus Smith. You get the picture.

Jim Schwartz’s defense depends on a heavy pass rush and with more questions than answers on the edge position, taking an explosive athlete with a bunch of upside, with room to learn in year one, would be a great pick. Derek Barnett is largely unproven and entering the final year of his rookie contract, Brandon Graham is on the books for 17 million dollars in 2021 and outside of that, there isn’t a lot to write home about. Josh Sweat looked OK last season, Shareef Miller couldn’t buy playing time and Genard Avery was traded here and couldn’t get on the field – too many variables for my liking.

If the Eagles were to walk out of the first two rounds with Gross-Matos and Aiyuk – then Howie Roseman will have won the weekend. The hard part is hitting on picks in rounds three through seven, but that’s a story for another time.

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