Tag: Jordan Jefferson

5 one-tech DTs the Colts should target in 2024 NFL draft

Searching for depth at the 1-Tech for the Colts in the draft.

Until the Indianapolis Colts go through free agency, there isn’t a clear position that Chris Ballard needs to target in the upcoming NFL draft.

Free agency should help clear up some question marks surrounding the roster and one area on the defense that can end up becoming a big need is the one-technique defensive tackle position—if the team doesn’t re-sign Grover Stewart.

I am in the camp that Stewart has to be brought back in 2024 but even with him on the roster, Ballard should keep one-tech defensive tackles on his radar in the draft.

Stewart will be turning 31 during the upcoming NFL season so he doesn’t have much tread on his tires left. If Ballard re-signs him, then it will likely come on a 2-3 year deal so the future of his spot has to be kept in mind this offseason.

While Stewart has been very durable in his career, his six-game suspension in 2023 showed that the defense looks drastically different when he isn’t in the lineup. There needs to be quality depth beyond him if he were to miss time for any reason in 2024.

Here are five defensive tackle prospects that Ballard can target for the one-tech role in the draft:

2024 NFL draft: 4 DT prospects who could replace Larry Ogunjobi

If the Steelers move on from Larry Ogunjobi, here are some draft prospects to consider reaplacing him with.

One of the more obvious candidates for either a contract restructure or to be released is Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi. If Pittsburgh designates Ogunjobi for a post-June 1 release, it would save the Steelers $9.75 million. In a rebuild that is a huge amount of cap to spend elsewhere.

If the Steelers do choose to move on from Ogunjobi, it will mean a much larger role for Keeanu Neal but the Steelers will still need to add another interior player. Here are four guys in the 2024 NFL draft that fit the bill.

Titans 5-round mock draft: Taking a LT in Round 1

In our first mock draft of the offseason, the Titans address four big needs with their first four picks.

Since the Tennessee Titans’ season ended, we’ve covered mock drafts of experts from different media outlets, but now it’s time to bring you one of our own to give a local perspective of what the team could do once the 2024 NFL draft rolls around.

The Titans have a ton of needs on both sides of the ball, but the most glaring of the bunch are at wide receiver and offensive line, where the Titans must improve to put quarterback Will Levis in a better position to succeed.

In my first mock draft of the offseason, I have the Titans addressing both of those needs with their first two picks.

For this mock, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator and the only stipulation was that I only had one crack at making picks for Tennessee, so there weren’t any redos.

Here’s a look at how things shook out under that condition, and make sure to vote in our poll at the bottom to give your grade for this five-rounder (note: Titans don’t have a third-round pick).

PHOTOS: LSU’s Jordan Jefferson, Charles Turner participate in the Senior Bowl

The Tigers had a pair of representatives at the Senior Bowl this week.

It was Senior Bowl week in Mobile, Alabama, and a pair of former LSU Tigers were in attendance hoping to boost their draft stocks.

Both center [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] and defensive tackle [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] are viewed as likely Day 3 prospects, but they’ll hope their performances this week could change that.

Turner was a five-year player at LSU who started every game he appeared in at center over the past two seasons. In his career, he made 40 appearances with 27 starts.

Jefferson, meanwhile, was a transfer this season from West Virginia. He began the year as a rotational player but became a starter after [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] went down.

Here are the photos from both players at Senior Bowl practice and Saturday’s game.

Brian Kelly elaborates on roles for co-offensive coordinators Joe Sloan, Cortez Hankton

Joe Sloan will call the plays, but Brian Kelly said Cortez Hankton will still have a “major role.”

LSU will have a new offensive play-caller in 2024 after previous offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] left the Tigers to return to Notre Dame in the same role.

Rather than bring in an outside candidate, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] opted to promote from within. Quarterbacks coach [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] and receivers coach/passing game coordinator [autotag]Cortez Hankton[/autotag] were tabbed as the interim co-offensive coordinators for the ReliaQuest Bowl, and Kelly recently removed the “interim” tag from both their titles.

Visiting Senior Bowl practice on Thursday, where former LSU players [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] are participating, Kelly spoke to the media and addressed the roles those two coaches would occupy.

Sloan will be the primary play-caller, though Hankton will also have a “major role” Kelly said per On3’s Matthew Brune.

“Joe will take the chief responsibilities and certainly be the play caller,” Kelly said. “Cortez will have a major role as well but at the end of the day if you don’t like the play call you can see me or you can see Joe. I think we’ll have a clear delineation in terms of the roles. Both of them are outstanding. Joe will be the play caller, he’ll handle the quarterbacks and I think it’ll be a team approach. We’ve got great coaches. [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] does a great job with the offensive line, [autotag]Frank Wilson[/autotag], Cortez certainly, [autotag]Slade Nagle[/autotag] is an experienced offensive coordinator from Tulane who’s done great things and gives us an experienced play caller as well. I think we’re gonna lean on the group and Joe will get the lead in play calling.”

Both Sloan and Hankton are key recruiters for the Tigers, and keeping them on staff was a must, especially with the makings of an elite 2025 class. Now, we have some clarity on how the roles will be separated between the pair.

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LSU DT Jordan Jefferson explains his helmet swing at the Senior Bowl

LSU DT Jordan Jefferson explains his helmet swing at the Senior Bowl practice

During the afternoon practice session at the Senior Bowl on Wednesday, a scuffle broke out between LSU defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson and UConn offensive lineman Christian Haynes.

After a physical rep, the two locked horns again after the whistle. Jefferson wound up yanking Haynes’ helmet off and throwing it aside.

The scene was not pretty. Fortunately, Jefferson regained his composure before it escalated further.

Later in the afternoon, Jefferson joined us on the Detroit Lions Podcast. He did not shy away from talking about the incident.

“Just being the competitor that I am, I’m used to playing with that grit and passion,” Jefferson explained. “I let my emotions get the best of me a little bit.”

Jefferson quickly noted how out of character it is for him.

“That very rarely happens. It never happened at all that I can remember.”

The rest of the practice session proceeded without any issues.  Jefferson has turned in two strong days of practice during Senior Bowl week, showing off power, leverage and a high motor. That motor happened to burn a little too hit on one rep.

Jefferson’s full interview, which includes one of the best answers in any interview all week, is available via YouTube:

Pair of LSU standouts to represent school at Senior Bowl on Saturday

Charles Turner and Jordan Jefferson will look to boost their draft stocks in Mobile, Alabama, this week.

LSU has two players in Mobile, Alabama, taking part in Senior Bowl festivities this week: center [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] and defensive tackle [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag].

Turner opted to forego a sixth season of eligibility at LSU to enter the 2024 NFL draft. The Tigers’ starter at center since [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] arrived, Turner started all 25 games he appeared in over the past two seasons and appeared in 40 games overall during his five years in Baton Rouge.

Jefferson joined the team as a transfer from West Virginia and was elevated to a starting role when [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] went down midway through the season. He started six games, leading LSU defensive linemen with 36 tackles as well as seven for loss and 2.5 sacks.

His most memorable play perhaps came in the ReliaQuest Bowl, when he forced a strip sack in the fourth quarter.

Both will be in action in Saturday’s Senior Bowl, which begins at Noon CT and will be televised on the NFL Network.

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Report: LSU DT Jacobian Guillory did not enter 2024 NFL draft, plans to return to Tigers

LSU has seen some key losses along the defensive line, but it’s set to get a veteran back in 2024.

LSU has suffered some key losses along the defensive line, particularly its interior, this offseason. But the Tigers are reportedly set to get a major piece back at that spot in 2024.

According to On3’s Shea Dixon, Tigers defensive tackle [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] did not enter his name into the 2024 NFL draft prior to Monday’s deadline and instead plans to return to LSU for what will be his redshirt senior season.

A former four-star prospect from Alexandria, Louisiana, Guillory has mostly been a rotational player in his four years at LSU. He’s appeared in 39 games but made just three starts, two of which came in 2022 and one of which was this past season.

However, Guillory’s role will likely increase significantly in 2024. The Tigers saw both starting defensive tackles — [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] —declare for the draft. [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag], a graduate transfer from West Virginia who saw starting action when Wingo got hurt, is out of eligibility.

The defensive line will be a major question next season, but new coach Bo Davis will have a veteran piece to work with in Guillory.

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LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith declares for the 2024 NFL draft

Maason Smith made his return in 2023 after missing nearly the entire 2022 season with a torn ACL.

The Tigers have now lost both starters on the interior of the defensive line after defensive tackle [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] announced that he would be entering the 2024 NFL draft on Tuesday evening.

“Thank you to Louisiana State University for taking a chance on a kid from a small town like Houma. It has been an honor,” Smith said in his announcement on Instagram. “With that being said, my family and I have decided that it is time to take the next step in my career and declare for the 2024 NFL Draft.”

A junior and former five-star recruit from Houma, Smith appeared in nine games with four starts as a true freshman in 2021. He entered his 2022 season with high expectations, but he tore his ACL on the opening drive of the season against Florida State and missed the rest of the season.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C15eHjSsbIf/?hl=en

Smith’s return in 2023 was highly anticipated, but it took him a bit to get back to his pre-injury level of play, and he finished the year with fewer sacks (2.5) and tackles for loss (4.5) than he did as a true freshman despite starting all 12 games he appeared in.

LSU is losing all three of its primary interior defensive line players as [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] also declared for the draft and West Virginia graduate transfer [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] exhausted his eligibility.

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Bryce Underwood’s commitment solidifies LSU atop the QB market

Bryce Underwood’s commitment solidifies LSU’s spot atop the QB market

Not that long ago, LSU was stuck in quarterback purgatory.

Throughout the [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] era, LSU was stacked on defense and loaded up on skill position players. But that QB spot, it was tricky.

After [autotag]JaMarcus Russell[/autotag] was the best quarterback in the conference in 2006 and [autotag]Matt Flynn[/autotag] led LSU to a national title in 2007, Miles struggled to find a signal caller that moved the needle.

Sure, guys like [autotag]Jarrett Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] won a lot of games and in another era, they would have made perfectly adequate QBs, but the sport began to change.

As the sport grew more and more friendly to offense, you needed a professional quarterback. That doesn’t mean you needed [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag], but at least someone like AJ McCarron, who was a Heisman finalist and remains in the NFL today.

LSU didn’t have that. Zach Mettenberger’s 2013 campaign was a step up, but it became an outlier. In 2014, LSU sat dead last in the SEC in passing yards and completion percentage. The passing attack remained near the bottom in 2015 too.

In 2016, it got a little better with [autotag]Danny Etling[/autotag], but LSU was still in the bottom half of the conference in passing yards and completion percentage while getting shut out in the Alabama game.

Miles was fired after four games in 2016. [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] took over and he knew the deal. He had to find LSU a quarterback.

Well, he did just that. [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] transferred in and went on to win 25 games, a national title, and a Heisman trophy.

For the first time in years, LSU had a game-changer at quarterback. The narrative was flipped.

Burrow left and even as LSU struggled as a team in 2020 and 2021, the passing attack did alright.

Then [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] arrived with [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in 2022. All Daniels did was become one of the most dynamic players in the country, helping LSU upset Alabama in 2022 and winning a Heisman in 2023 with a historically productive season.

That brings us to the present, where LSU just got even richer at the QB position. QB [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], the top player in the 2025 class, committed to LSU last Saturday.

It’s the first time in this era LSU’s landed a quarterback like Underwood. LSU’s signed some legit blue-chips, including [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], but this is the first time LSU’s landed the guy. I’m talking about someone with the hype of Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields.

Five years ago, LSU wasn’t even competing for these types. The true five-star QBs were all going to Alabama and Clemson, places with a track record of legit offenses.

With Underwood’s pledge, LSU’s 2025 class includes the top quarterback, wide receiver and running back. When recruits think of LSU now, they think of offense.

With Nussmeier on deck for 2024, the trend should continue. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] is gone, but LSU’s staff remains well-positioned with assistants [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag], [autotag]Cortez Hankton[/autotag], [autotag]Frank Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag].

That’s what Underwood is buying in on. Recruits now see a program that’s developed two Heisman quarterbacks in the last five years.

LSU is out of quarterback purgatory, and perhaps there’s no bigger signal of that than Underwood’s commitment.

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