Tag: Kevin Zeitler

NFL.com predicts Giants’ Kevin Zeitler will be first-time Pro Bowler in 2020

Marc Sessler of NFL.com predicts New York Giants guard Kevin Zeitler will become a first-time Pro Bowlers in 2020.

The New York Giants have completely retooled their offensive line in recent years, which includes the acquisition of guard Kevin Zeitler, who came to East Rutherford as part of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

Zeitler has long been one of the league’s most consistent guards, but he’s yet to establish himself among the top few.

Marc Sessler of NFL.com expects that to change in 2020, predicting that Zeitler becomes a first-time Pro Bowler.

NEW YORK GIANTS: Kevin Zeitler, OG, ninth NFL season: Moving to the Meadowlands as part of the Odell Beckham Jr. swap, Zeitler’s presence made an immediate impact in New York, while his absence brought painful results in Cleveland. PFF’s seventh-highest graded guard, Zeitler has grown into a consistently valuable run blocker who shows no sign of losing moxie in his age-30 season.

There were some communication issues between the Giants’ guards and center last season, especially when Daniel Jones took over for Eli Manning and Jon Halapio went down with injury. And although Zeitler held his own, the trio was not nearly as sharp as they are expected to be in 2020.

With Marc Colombo now serving as the offensive line coach and a little additional continuity, the entire unit should see a bump in production, which may be exactly what Zeitler needs to finally get over that hump and land on a Pro Bowl roster for the first time in his career.

[lawrence-related id=651084,641013,637395]

Giants’ offensive line ranked 20th by PFF

Pro Football Focus ranks the New York Giants’ offensive line 20th in the NFL, but believes there is some real upside to the unit.

A year ago at this time, Pro Football Focus ranked the New York Giants’ offensive line 18th overall in the NFL. This year, despite several key improvements, PFF has Big Blue tumbling a bit.

In their NFL offensive line rankings, which were released on Monday evening, PFF now has the Giants at 20th overall — a two-spot fall from 2019.

20. NEW YORK GIANTS

The Giants weren’t as bad as the perception last season, finishing 17th in our regular-season rankings, and the line is heading in the right direction.

Despite the ranking of 20th overall, PFF sees a light at the end of the tunnel for New York, especially at tackle where Andrew Thomas will step in and start immediately.

At right tackle, fourth overall pick Andrew Thomas steps in after Mike Remmers tied for 10th with 40 pressures allowed. Thomas was the highest-ranked tackle on the PFF draft board and was the only player to rank in the top five as both a pass and run blocker in the draft class. Thomas should be able to step in as a solid right tackle and could eventually play on the left side if New York moves on from Solder. Another player to keep an eye on is third-round tackle Matt Peart out of UConn, a classic developmental prospect who performed well in college but still has room to grow. He had the No. 6 overall grade in the draft class last year at 90.2 and he just started playing football in high school.

PFF is also sold on the Giants’ interior, where Kevin Zeitler and Will Hernandez are slated to start, but they are understandably uncertain about the center position.

Ultimately, despite the low ranking, PFF believes the Giants’ offensive line could play their way into the top half of the league as early as this year.

The Giants have some volatility up front heading into 2020, but with positive regression in a few areas — plus a boost from Thomas if he’s as polished as expected — they could sneak into the top half of offensive line units this season.

If Nate Solder can have a bounce-back season, there’s no telling how well this unit could play. The good news is that there’s actual optimism for the first time in nearly a decade.

[lawrence-related id=651615,651606,651600]

Five Badgers included in Big Ten Network’s All-Decade second team

After releasing their All-Decade first team earlier this week, Big Ten Network released their second team yesterday and five Badgers made…

After releasing their All-Decade first team earlier this week, Big Ten Network released their second team yesterday and five Badgers made the cut.

Those players are running back Melvin Gordon, wide receiver Jared Abbrederis, offensive linemen Gabe Carimi and Kevin Zeitler and outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

This after Jonathan Taylor, Michael Deiter, J.J. Watt and Chris Borland were all on BTN’s All-Decade first team.

2010-2019 was a memorable decade for Badger football, and holding nine combined spots on the two All-Decade teams–good for second in the conference behind Ohio State’s 17–is an accurate representation of that success.

Wisconsin is NFL.com’s ‘Offensive Line U’

NFL.com released their offensive position-U rankings yesterday and, by no surprise, for offensive linemen the Wisconsin Badgers came in…

NFL.com released their offensive position-U rankings yesterday and, by no surprise, for offensive linemen the Wisconsin Badgers came in at No. 1.

The Badgers beat No. 2 Ohio State by 68 points thanks to impressive NFL production by names including Joe Thomas, Travis Frederick, Kevin Zeitler, Ryan Ramczyk, Rob Havenstein and Rick Wagner.

The rest of the top-10 in order was Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida, USC, Miami and Iowa.

The other top-10 the Badgers were included in was for the running back position where they fell at No. 8.

NFC scout offers optimistic take on Giants’ offensive line

An NFC scout recently offered a very optimistic take on the state of the New York Giants’ offensive line.

When Dave Gettleman took over as the New York Giants general manager in late 2017, he vowed a return to the dominating offensive lines of the past. The Giants had won four Super Bowls with a collection of “hog mollies” leading the way in the trenches.

Gettleman immediately sought to upgrade by signing left tackle Nate Solder in free agency and then drafted guard Will Hernandez in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The next offseason, he acquired guard Kevin Zeitler in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade with Cleveland.

This offseason, Gettleman continued his overhaul by using three of his first five draft picks on the offensive line (Andrew Thomas, Matthew Peart and Shane Lemieux), while also signing veteran swing tackle Cam Fleming in free agency.

That has led some critics to re-evaluate the status of the Giants’ line, which has been mired in the bottom half or bottom third of the league the past few years.

“In a short time, this has gone from a bottom-five offensive line that should rank in the top half of the league with a ceiling even higher due to the presence of (first-round pick Andrew) Thomas,” said a former NFC Scout as per SI.com. “In a short time this has gone from a bottom-five offensive line that should rank in the top half of the league with a ceiling even higher due to the presence of Thomas.”

There’s still a lot of tweaking to be done. Guards Hernandez and Zeitler are the only names cemented in going into training camp. The tackle positions are up for grabs with Thomas expected to displace Solder at left tackle at some point which would slide Solder over to the right side to compete with a slew of others, including Fleming, Peart and Nick Gates.

The center role is still very much in flux with Spencer Pulley the only experienced hand on the roster. The Giants intend to pit Lemieux and Gates against Pulley in camp along with last year’s starter, Jon Halapio, who is currently unsigned and rehabbing from an Achilles injury.

[lawrence-related id=650006,650000,649995]

Wisconsin’s 2nd-string offensive line in 2010 now costs more than $28 million

Wisconsin is known to be an offensive line factory for NFL teams, as year-after-year news comes out about a former Badger offensive…

Wisconsin is known to be an offensive line factory for NFL teams, as year-after-year news comes out about a former Badger offensive lineman in the NFL getting a big payday or signing their second or third contract with a team.

Just last year there were eight Wisconsin products up front for NFL teams with some of the highest earners being the Saints’ Ryan Ramczyk at $2.4 million, Kevin Zeitler at $5 million, Rick Wagner at $11.9 million and Travis Frederick at $10.97 million.

One of the most impressive and hard-to-believe stats about Barry Alvarez‘s football program being an incredible offensive line pipeline to the NFL: the 2nd-string offensive line to open the 2010 season in Madison is now worth more than $28 million.

The backup line, from left to right, was Robert Burge, Ryan Groy, Frederick, Zeitler and Wagner.

Four of those players, all except for Burge, were on NFL rosters in 2019 and their contracts were as follows:

Ryan Groy: $800,000

Travis Frederick: $10,975,000

Kevin Zeitler: $5,000,000

Rick Wagner: $11,900,000

That’s a combined $28,675,000 given to four players that opened the 2010 season not good enough to make the cut for the starting lineup.

With o-line contracts continuing to grow bigger and bigger–the highest-paid linemen now making upwards of $16 million a year–expect that number for later classes to continue to rise as the Wisconsin program continues to send their standouts up front to the next level.

Giants’ 2020 schedule released: 5 most intriguing games

The New York Giants’ 2020 regular season schedule has been released and these are the five most intriguing games.

On Thursday, the 2020 NFL regular season schedule was released. And although the New York Giants’ opponents have been decided for quite some time, we had all been anxiously awaiting news on when they would play each of those teams.

Of course, divisional games always have a little more intrigue surrounding them, but the Giants certainly have some other interesting games on their schedule this year.

Let’s take a look at the most intriguing games on Big Blue’s 2020 schedule:

SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network, USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Week 12 at Cincinnati Bengals

This is one of two games on the Giants’ schedule where two of the top five picks in this year’s draft will face off. The Giants will travel to Cincinnati to play top overall pick Joe Burrow.

Burrow and the Bengals will be going up against the Giants and Daniel Jones in his second season in the league. And with Eli Manning now retired, this is Daniel Jones team to run.

The Burrow/Jones matchup will be a battle of two of the young and talented quarterbacks in the league. Fourth overall pick Andrew Thomas will be protecting Daniel Jones as he tries to improve in his sophomore season.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

How the results of the draft affect former Badgers in the NFL

Much has been written about the five former Badgers that made it to the NFL last week–Jonathan Taylor, Zack Baun, Tyler Biadasz…

[lawrence-newsletter]

Much has been written about the five former Badgers that made it to the NFL last week–Jonathan Taylor, Zack Baun, Tyler Biadasz, Quintez Cephus and Chris Orr–and how their draft slot and landing spot affects their NFL future.

What hasn’t been nearly as documented is what effect the draft had on former Badgers already in the NFL, especially the ones who may have already been in a position where they needed to battle for a role on the team.

Now, a team using its 5th and 6th round picks on a player at the same position of a Wisconsin product doesn’t necessarily mean that player will soon be out of the door.

Once it becomes a high selection, though, is when the veterans in the league are sometimes cast aside in favor of the younger, cheaper option at the position.

Here’s how the 2020 NFL Draft affects the jobs and playing time of former Badgers already in the NFL.

 

T.J. Edwards (Philadelphia Eagles)

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards (57) warms up prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Edwards surprised many in Philadelphia as he finished the 2019 season as a starter at middle linebacker after making the team as an undrafted free agent.

Joining the starting rotation with low expectations after injuries to Kamu Grugier-Hill and Nigel Bradham, Edwards actually became the team’s best at the position and finished the season with a ProFootballFocus grade of 86.6.

During the NFL Draft, though, the Eagles used their third round pick on Colorado linebacker Davion Taylor, the highest the team has drafted a linebacker since 2015.

While it will take a year or two for Taylor to gain experience and learn the position–as he didn’t play in games until he reached college–and it may still be him and Edwards as the two starters, the Eagles brought in competition at the position and clearly view it as a need for the team going forward.

Edwards’ job isn’t in jeopardy with this move, but it adds competition to the room as Edwards tries to continue to prove wrong the teams that didn’t take a chance on him during the draft.

Edwards | Deiter | Jacobs | Dixon & Ogunbowale | Fumagalli | Nelson | Zeitler

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

On this date: Browns traded Kevin Zeitler for Olivier Vernon 1 year ago

It’s not a trade that has held up well for the Browns

One year ago today, on March 8th, 2019, the Cleveland Browns made their first big trade of the offseason with the New York Giants. A day after dumping veteran LB Jamie Collins, the Browns dealt away longtime starting right guard Kevin Zeitler to the Giants for EDGE Olivier Vernon.

One year later, it’s not a trade many in Cleveland would make again.

Vernon struggled with injuries in his first Browns season. He played in just 10 games, registering 3.5 sacks and a career-low 26 tackles with his new team. While Vernon played better than the raw statistics would indicate, he did not have the anticipated impact on the Browns’ defense.

Zeitler was his typical solid self in his first season in New York. Starting 15 games for a rejuvenated OL, Zeitler allowed three sacks and 16 QB pressures according to Pro Football Focus grading. He did register his highest overall season grade since 2016, his last year with the Cincinnati Bengals before joining the Browns. His replacements in Cleveland, which included Wyatt Teller and Eric Kush, scored considerably lower in PFF’s grades.

Technically the trade did not go down until the new league year began, but the 8th was the date of the announced agreement to make it happen. It was quickly overshadowed by the blockbuster Odell Beckham Jr. trade, a deal that the Giants allegedly “laughed at” before making this trade involving Zeitler and Vernon.

Giants could have more housecleaning to do

The New York Giants released a pair of linebackers on Wednesday, but that may only be beginning of their housecleaning.

The New York Giants released two veterans with bloated contracts on Wednesday, clearing approximately $13 million in salary cap space.

By cutting ties with linebackers Alec Ogletree and Kareem Martin the Giants freed up $8.25 and $4.8 million in cap space, respectively. That can be used to, let’s say, pay Leonard Williams’ salary this season. That is, if they can get Williams to agree to taking that amount.

The Giants may not be done cleaning house, however. There are several other players the team can release to gain some more valuable cap space.

After Wednesday’s min-purge, the Giants’ top three remaining cap hits are: Nate Solder ($19.5 million), Kevin Zeitler ($12.5 million) and Golden Tate ($10.5 million).

Don’t count on them releasing any of those three. Zeitler is a key cog on the offensive line and a piece the team plans to build around. Tate is only in the second year of a four-year deal. He is still a valuable receiver and built a rapport with rookie quarterback Daniel Jones last season.

Solder is grossly overpaid but the Giants may have no choice other than to keep him for one more season. They can save $6.5 million by cutting him, but will carry a dead cap charge of $13 million this season and $6.5 next season.

The only remaining cap casualty targets are: tight end Rhett Ellison ($5 million) and safety Antoine Bethea ($2.75 million).

Ellison missed six games last season with a concussion and the Giants like what they saw out of rookie Kaden Smith. The 35-year-old Bethea led the Giants in tackles (110) last year but that may not translate into a job on this year’s team.

[lawrence-related id=641470,641463,641457]