Tag: Jer’Zhan Newton

Dolphins attack offensive, defensive lines in new ESPN mock draft

ESPN’s Matt Miller predicts Dolphins build through the trenches in two-round mock draft.

The Miami Dolphins, like 29 other teams, have their eyes focused on the start of the new league year, which will begin with free agency and the 2024 NFL draft.

At this point, the Dolphins have a number of key players slated to hit the market in March, and some of their biggest potential losses could be along the offensive and defensive lines.

Chrisitan Wilkins, Raekwon Davis and Da’Shawn Hand (three of Miami’s top four defensive tackles) are all set to hit free agency as Isaiah Wynn, Connor Williams and Robert Hunt (their three starting interior offensive linemen).

With that knowledge, it’s not surprising that ESPN’s Matt Miller predicts that the Dolphins will build through their trenches in his recent two-round mock draft. Miller has Miami selecting Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton with pick No. 21 and Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe with pick No. 55.

Here’s what Miller had to say about those selections:

“Star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins hits free agency this spring, and his replacement could be found at pick No. 21 if Miami doesn’t re-sign him. Newton is a first-step magician who can either slip between blockers or straight-up run over them. The 6-foot-2 295-pounder had 7.5 sacks during the regular season while playing multiple alignments on the Illinois front. Put him at 3-technique in Miami, with a healthy cast of defensive ends such as Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips around him, and Newton has the goods to make a Grady Jarrett-like impact.

Robert Hunt, Connor Williams and Robert Jones all hit free agency this offseason, making it a near-lock that the Dolphins will add a guard or center early in the draft. Beebe played left guard at an expert level for Kansas State, but there has been chatter about his potential at center. His movement ability in the run game just so happens to be a perfect fit for Mike McDaniel’s offense, too.”

It makes a lot of sense to draft young talent for those positions rather than pay top dollar for those on the free agent market, but there’s always a risk that comes with that. We’ve seen Hunt and Wilkins do their jobs before, and we’ve seen them do it well. Expecting a pair of rookies to come in and play like borderline Pro Bowlers right away is a lofty expectation to put on young, developing players.

Still, it would be nice to have some solid pieces locked in at those key pieces for years to come on affordable rookie contracts.

2024 NFL draft: Vikings mock draft roundup 5.0: QBs and EDGEs dominate

Through five weeks, the Minnesota Vikings have been sent 16 different players across 106 mock drafts. See who experts sent the Vikings this week

Mock draft season is upon us and that means our mock draft roundup is back!

What we do every week is track the mainstream outlets mock drafts and aggregate how many times a player gets selected. Last season, we tallied up 545 mock drafts and that included a whopping 54 different players. With the Minnesota Vikings set to pick 11th overall, there will be a lot of discussions surrounding the quarterbacks in this draft along with trading up.

We will track them and try to determine trends and patterns, along with giving my own analysis on how they could fit with the Vikings.

Mock Draft Roundup 4.0

Daniel Jeremiah’s top five 2024 Big Ten NFL draft prospects

Daniel Jeremiah’s top five 2024 Big Ten draft prospects #GoBucks

It is NFL draft season and one of the most notable draft experts is Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com and the “Move the Sticks” podcast. Jeremiah is no doubt an expert in the field and I certainly consider him a must listen. He recently released his top 50 2024 NFL Draft prospects, but we only care about Ohio State football and the Big Ten here, so I wanted to isolate his top five Big Ten prospects on that list.

The NFL Draft starts on April 25th in Detroit, Michigan, which is almost three months away so it should be noted that these rankings could change the closer we get to showtime.

It should also be highlighted that rankings are not a mock draft and mock drafts include consideration for team slots, needs, and fits and these player rankings are just his top players overall. Now let’s dive into the top five Big Ten prospects that Jeremiah has ranked.

2024 NFL draft: Vikings mock draft roundup 4.0

The Minnesota Vikings were mocked 10 different players across 21 industry mock drafts including UNC QB Drake Maye and LSU QB Jayden Daniels

Mock draft season is upon us and that means our mock draft roundup is back!

What we do every week is track the mainstream outlets mock drafts and aggregate how many times a player gets selected. Last season, we tallied up 545 mock drafts and that included a whopping 54 different players. With the Minnesota Vikings set to pick 11th overall, there will be a lot of discussions surrounding the quarterbacks in this draft along with trading up.

We will track them and try to determine trends and patterns, along with giving my own analysis on how they could fit with the Vikings.

Mock Draft Roundup 3.0

Jaguars mock drafts: 9 prospects experts say could be the pick

There’s no consensus for what the Jaguars should do with the No. 17 pick, but a few prospects are standing out as good options.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will pick 17th in the 2024 NFL draft, but there isn’t much consensus about which direction the team should take.

At nflmockdraftdatabase.com, no one player has been paired with the Jaguars in more than 11 percent of the nearly 500 projections of the draft they’ve surveyed so far.

Still, there are a few needs that jump out as the potential top priority for the Jaguars in the offseason. Namely, the offensive and defensive lines, as well as wide receiver and cornerback.

With the draft now three months away, there are a group of prospects who experts have projected to be the likeliest candidates to be the Jaguars’ pick in April:

2024 NFL draft: Vikings mock draft roundup 3.0

From Jayden Daniels & Michael Penix Jr. to Laiatu Latu, the latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft Rouondup for the Minnesota Vikings is mostly defense

Mock draft season is upon us and that means our mock draft roundup is back!

What we do every week is track the mainstream outlets mock drafts and aggregate how many times a player gets selected. Last season, we tallied up 545 mock drafts and that included a whopping 54 different players. With the Minnesota Vikings set to pick 11th overall, there will be a lot of discussions surrounding the quarterbacks in this draft along with trading up.

We will track them and try to determine trends and patterns, along with giving my own analysis on how they could fit with the Vikings.

Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

2024 NFL mock draft roundup: Who experts are projecting Chargers to pick

Who could the Chargers look to add to the roster in the first round next year?

The Chargers own the No. 5 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

Now that we know where Los Angeles will be picking, let’s take a look at who draft experts are pairing with L.A. in the first round.

NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah — WR Rome Odunze, Washington

Odunze is my favorite player in the draft. He’s a complete receiver. The Chargers have salary-cap decisions to make with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. This would be a home run addition for Justin Herbert.

CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso — WR Malik Nabers, LSU

“I think Nabers is every bit of an elite WR prospect as Harrison. Seriously. Once he learns the entire route tree, he’ll be a star at the next level. Explosive athlete with plus hands.”

Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings — OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame

“You don’t always see the Chargers picking tackles early in 2024 NFL Mock Drafts, but Justin Herbert got injured in 2023, and right tackle Trey Pipkins leaves much to be desired. With Joe Alt‘s rare recovery athleticism, flexibility, length, and leverage acquisition skills, Herbert’s right side would be secure — and the run game would get a boost, too.”

CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards — TE Brock Bowers, Georgia

“Mike Williams is 29 years old coming off a season in which he was limited to three games. His salary cap hit for the 2024 campaign is north of $32 million. If Los Angeles, which has $-44 million in salary cap space when the new league year rolls over, moves on from him, it would save $20 million. The addition of Bowers, a California native, absorbs some of that loss.”

Sports Illustrated’s Luke Easterling — WR Malik Nabers, LSU

College Wire staff — WR Malik Nabers, LSU

The Chargers are looking for a new head coach, which could switch up their draft process. However, I still believe they can’t pass on the opportunity to get quarterback Justin Herbert some help out wide. Nabers can be a big-play threat for the Bolts.

The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer — EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama

“The Chargers need to be concerned that Khalil Mack will be 33 in February and Joey Bosa, who’s 28, simply cannot stay healthy to provide the needed impact. Going for Turner as a developing cornerstone makes sense as he has lot of former teammate Will Anderson Jr.’s game in him.”

The Draft Network’s Brentley Weissman — WR Rome Odunze, Washington

“As someone who watches an unhealthy amount of Pac-12 football, I am incredibly high on Rome Odunze. As a matter of fact, Odunze is graded as my third overall player in the class. He has it all: Smooth, sudden, explosive and physical. He would give the Chargers an elite No. 1 option as Keenan Allen ages.”

Vikings fortify DL and QB in latest Draft Wire mock draft

Jer’Zhan Newton and J.J. McCarthy would be quilte the haul for the Minnesota Vikings in April’s draft

The Minnesota Vikings have a myriad of needs going into the offseason and how they approach them will be interesting. Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire released his latest three round mock draft and had the Vikings addressing two of their biggest needs.

At 11th overall, the Vikings selected Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton. A dynamo on the interior, Newton was a tremendous player that would fit in like a glove on the defensive line. He specializes as a pass rusher where he explodes both through gaps and around blockers.

The second-round pick at 42nd overall gets the Vikings their quarterback of the future in Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. The second round would be a great spot to take McCarthy but he’s also not likely to be taken that late. The quarterback class has multiple options both at the top and in that second tier. With how many teams need a quarterback, McCarthy could easily go earlier.

The idea of McCarthy wearing purple is a good one. He has true dual-threat ability with experience both operating under center and in similar pro-style concepts. With a redshirt year being the best route for his future, McCarthy could be the successful option down the line.

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Vikings 2024 NFL draft scouting report: Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton

Jer’Zhan Newton is a potential option for the Minnesota Vikings. Tyler Forness breaks him down in his latest scouting report

Welcome to SKOL Search!

This series will be your guide to the 2024 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.

The focus of the draft class in this space will be on the Vikings’ major needs at quarterback, running back, defensive line and edge rusher. We will also focus on wide receiver since it’s a loaded class and an increased chance to get a Stefon Diggs-type steal in the later rounds.

The Vikings are slated to have 9 picks going into the NFL draft and they need to make the most out of them.

2024 mock drafts split on who the Saints will pick in latest roundup

The latest round of 2024 mock drafts are split on who the Saints will pick, but there’s a clear emphasis on one offensive lineman:

Everyone has an opinion on what the New Orleans Saints should do (or will do) in the 2024 NFL draft, so we surveyed the picks from 10 recent mock drafts to get an idea of which prospects are being linked to the black and gold.

And those opinions are split. Seven different players were suggested in those 10 different projections, but there’s one clear favorite. Here’s what we found: