Tag: Julius Brents

Breaking down Colts’ picks in Todd McShay’s two-round mock draft

ESPN’s Todd McShay released a two-round mock draft. Here’s how the Colts fared.

What the Indianapolis Colts will do with their selections in the 2023 NFL draft is a mystery as the biggest month of the offseason arrives, but that’s not stopping analysts from making their projections.

In his latest mock draft, a two-rounder, ESPN’s Todd McShay had the Colts being aggressive while addressing the biggest needs on the roster entering the draft.

Before even making a pick, the Colts moved up to the No. 3 spot in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to secure the quarterback prospect they want.

Here’s a breakdown of the latest mock draft from McShay:

Chargers trade back, stack deck on both sides in 4-round mock draft

In our latest 4-round mock draft, the Chargers trade back, get an additional second-round pick and bolster both sides of the ball.

The Chargers are currently slated to pick No. 21 overall in the 2023 NFL draft, which is just over three weeks away, at least for now.

In a recent media availability, general manager Tom Telesco hinted at the possibility of a trade back.

“Certainly, when you’re in that late first, there’s probably a little bit more of a thought,” said Telesco. “Essentially, at that point, you’re taking a player that at least you have graded as a second-round player.

That’s all really subjective. But if you can trade back a little bit and pick up a pick and still get maybe even the same player or close to the same player, then it’s a pretty good deal to do.”

If they were to trade back, this would mark the first time that Telesco has done it in his tenure as Los Angeles’ GM.

So what if Telesco pulls the trigger? I did a mock draft that saw the Chargers trade the 21st pick for the Bengals’ 28th and 60th selections.

Let’s dive into the haul.

2023 NFL Draft: The top 11 cornerbacks

From Devon Witherspoon to Julius Brents, here are Doug Farrar’s top 11 cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL draft class.

The 2023 NFL draft presents one of the strongest cornerback classes in recent memory, to the point where some lucky NFL teams are going to get players at the position with a ton of starter traits all the way into the third day of the draft.

That isn’t always the case, and the thing about this class that seems particularly interesting is the number of bigger (over six feet tall) cornerbacks with positive traits and intriguing ball skills. Most classes tend to be more of a grab-bag in terms of the NFL’s preferred size profile, but in our Top 11, nine of the cornerbacks are at least 5-foot-11, and only two (Utah’s Clark Phillips III and TCU’s Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson) are obviously under the “You must be this tall to ride this ride” limit.

From there, it’s all about the traits you need. This class of cornerbacks has everything from press-man monsters with ridiculous wingspans to zone and match detectives who have perfected the art of working receivers into frustrations they didn’t quite expect.

So, it’s time to separate the skill sets for our Top 11 cornerbacks of the 2023 NFL draft class.

You can also read our list of the top nine safeties in the 2023 class right here.

2023 NFL Draft: The top 9 safeties

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).

(All prospect measurement percentiles courtesy of MockDraftable.com). 

Rams land standout CB Julius Brents in The Athletic’s new mock draft

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic has standout CB Julius Brents heading to the Rams in his latest mock draft

This is a great year for a team to need a cornerback because the incoming draft class is loaded with talented ones. That’s good news for the Rams, who parted ways with Jalen Ramsey in a trade with the Dolphins and also lost David Long Jr. in free agency.

Cornerback should be high up on their list of needs heading into the draft, right there with edge rusher, offensive line and safety. In Bruce Feldman’s latest mock draft for The Athletic, he projected Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents to land with the Rams at No. 36 overall.

Brents is a big, physical cornerback who weighed in at 6-foot-3 and 199 pounds at the NFL combine. He tested as one of the most explosive athletes in Indianapolis, too, jumping 11 feet, 6 inches in the broad and 41.5 inches in the vertical. He may not have the best straight-line speed, but Brents has all the tools to become a starting cornerback.

Feldman wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up being a first-round pick in April, which would make this a great pick for the Rams.

It wouldn’t shock me if Brents vaults into the first round. That may not line up with a lot of other media draft chatter, but the coaches I spoke to were really impressed with him last season. He also has ideal measurables for the corner at 6 feet 3, 199 pounds with 34-inch arms to go with jaw-dropping testing numbers at the combine: an 11-6 broad jump and a 41 1/2-inch vertical. Only Smith-Njigba ran quicker shuttle times. Brents’ 40 time was more modest: 4.53. On the field in 2022, the Iowa transfer had his best season, picking off four passes and making 45 tackles for the Big 12 champions. Brents was not physical at Iowa; he really matured at K-State, over time doing something of a 180 becoming way more physical and tougher. It’s really going to pay off for him, learning what it takes to become a top player.

Feldman is tied in at the college level and for this mock draft, he talked to coaches around the country about prospects. For Brents, one coach called him “the best corner we saw” and said “he made huge improvements over the last two years.”

Given the Rams’ need for a cornerback and Brents’ potential, he would fit very well in Los Angeles’ defense.

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Lions 2023 draft: A cornerback for every round

Identifying a cornerback projected from each round for the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL draft

The Detroit Lions have nicely fleshed out the cornerback position for 2023 in free agency this offseason. Long-term, however, there is still quite a bit of room for GM Brad Holmes to add more help at CB. Only newcomer Cameron Sutton, holdover starter Jerry Jacobs and little-used slot Chase Lucas are under contractual control beyond 2023.

Here is one cornerback prospect that fits the Lions from each round of the draft. Detroit doesn’t currently have any picks in the fourth or seventh rounds, but players from those ranges are included because trades happen all the time on draft weekend.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, just one from each range.

Broncos met with CB Julius Brents at NFL combine

The Broncos met with CB Julius Brents at the NFL combine.

The Denver Broncos met with Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents at the NFL combine earlier this offseason, according to Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.com.

Brents (6-3, 198 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds and a 20-yard shuttle in 4.05 seconds at the combine. He earned All-Big 12 recognition as a senior last season after totaling 45 tackles, four pass breakups, four interceptions and one forced fumble in 14 games with the Wildcats.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared Brents to Trumaine Johnson, who was a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Most mock drafts this offseason have Brents going off the board in the second round.

Barring a trade up, the Broncos would need Brents to fall to the third round, where Denver currently holds picks Nos. 67 and 68 overall. If selected by the Broncos, Brents would join a cornerback room that includes Pat Surtain, Damarri Mathis and K’Waun Williams.

The 2023 NFL draft will be held in Kansas City from April 27-29.

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5 defensive backs the Bucs should target in the 2023 Draft

Here are a few players Tampa Bay could target in the draft to make up for losses in the secondary this offseason:

The start of free agency took a toll on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ secondary. Their best bet to reload at defensive back is in the draft, where they have enjoyed no small amount of recent success.

A big reason for the Bucs’ defensive resurgence in recent years is general manager Jason Licht’s focus on drafting in the secondary since 2018 when the Bucs selected corner Carlton Davis and safety Jordan Whitehead in the second and fourth rounds. A year later, Licht took corners Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean and S Mike Edwards across the second and third rounds.

The selection of these five players correlates with significant improvement of the Bucs defense. In 2018, they were 32nd in the NFL in defensive DVOA. By 2020, they were fifth and have remained in the top half of the league since.

The Bucs re-signed Davis last season while losing Whitehead to the New York Jets. This offseason, they managed to lock up starting cornerback Jamel Dean, but have since lost safety Edwards and Murphy-Bunting.

The loss of Edwards and Murphy-Bunting leaves Tampa looking to replace 1244 defensive snaps and 171 special teams snaps. Edwards in particular is a major blow as he was effectively a starter at safety next to Antoine Winfield Jr.

In any case, the Bucs need multiple defensive backs, and it is likely that Jason Licht returns to the draft well to address their needs down the depth chart.

Here are five defensive backs the Bucs should target in this year’s draft:

5 CBs Colts could draft to replace Stephon Gilmore

Taking a look at five CB prospects the Colts could draft to replace Stephon Gilmore.

With cornerback Stephon Gilmore headed to Dallas, the Indianapolis Colts need young talent to replace him.

Additionally, with Brandon Facyson returning to Las Vegas and Kenny Moore’s future undetermined, the team is currently fragile at the position.

All eyes turn to the 2023 NFL Draft, where the Colts have nine draft picks and three in the fifth round alone. Unsurprisingly, general manager Chris Ballard has found great value in the later rounds, including cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr., who also enters a contract year.

Cornerback now becomes the second-most important position for the franchise.

Here are five cornerback prospects the Colts could draft to replace Gilmore:

Colts’ 7-round mock draft pre-NFL free agency

Here’s a 7-round mock draft for the Colts ahead of free agency in 2023.

The Indianapolis Colts are set to embark on the start of free agency Monday as the legal tampering period officially arrives. That means we’re one step closer to the 2023 NFL draft.

Though the Colts aren’t expected to be major players in free agency, we do expect them to address some positions, such as right guard. In this mock draft scenario, they used free agency to find their starting right guard.

Here’s an updated seven-round mock draft for the Colts, using Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator:

1 Prospect Cowboys showed combine interest for each day of draft

The Cowboys talked with a ton of prospects in Indianapolis, but these three players seem like ideal fits for each day of the draft, says @cdpiglet

With NFL free agency still a few days away, there’s still some exhaust fumes from the 2023 scouting combine to wade through. Dallas uses the draft more so than free agency to fill holes left on the rosters. Last year’s Conner Williams departure led to a need at offensive line, filled by Tyler Smith. Sam Williams was drafted as part of the plan to replace Randy Gregory.

Dallas has created a bit of wiggle room against the salary cap in order to make some signings, but it would be a great departure from tradition for them to be major players in the first stanzas of free agency. Wise fans know to keep their focus on the draft and so it’s only fair to look at prospects whose combine performances should’ve caught the club’s eye.