2024 NFL mock draft: Ravens reload in the trenches with depth at edge rusher

We’re doing a 2024 NFL mock draft roundup, and the Baltimore Ravens are projected to add depth at defensive tackle

The Baltimore Ravens are 13-4 and set to enjoy a week of rest after claiming the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a much-needed first-round bye.

Even with Lamar Jackson and company ready to roar into the playoffs, it’s never too early for a look ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft.

Baltimore currently has about $19,485,086 in salary cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $120+ million plus on the offensive side of the football.

The Ravens also have 27 players scheduled to hit free agency, and some tough decisions will be made regarding who returns to Baltimore.

With the Reese’s Senior Bowl fast approaching and draft coverage set to begin, we’re looking at an updated mock draft roundup for Wild Card Weekend. 

These are the 10 Best Arkansas Athletes of 2023

Who was the best player for the Arkansas Razorbacks this season?

The calendar year of 2023 for Arkansas sports as a whole was a bit of a mixed bag.

But on an individual basis, several Hogs athletes made the most of things and had seasons to remember.

Our annual Top 10 Arkansas Athletes list this year includes one baseball player, one softball player, two football players, one women’s basketball player, two men’s basketball players, two volleyball players and a soccer player.

On the honorable mention list: two softball players, one soccer player, one baseball player, one volleyball player, one basketball player.

Check out the complete list of our honorees for the 2023 calendar year below.

2024 NFL mock draft: Ravens add elite depth at the cornerback position

We’re looking at a 2024 NFL Mock Draft and the Baltimore Ravens are projected to land cornerback Quinyon Mitchell out of Toledo

The Baltimore Ravens are 11-3 and preparing for a gigantic Christmas night matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16.

Even with Lamar Jackson and company roaring toward the playoffs, it’s never too early for a look ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft.

Baltimore currently has about $6,150,461 in cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $120+ million plus on the offensive side of the football.

The Ravens also have 27 players scheduled to hit free agency, and some tough decisions will be made regarding who returns to Baltimore.

With the Reese’s Senior Bowl fast approaching and draft coverage set to begin, we’re looking at an updated mock draft roundup for Week 16.

Seven Arkansas football players named All-SEC by Phil Steele

Landon Jackson and Cam Little kept racking up honors.

The 2023 Arkansas football team had seven players on Phil Steele’s postseason All-SEC team announced Monday.

Defensive end Landon Jackson, kicker Cam Little and return specialist Isaiah Sategna headlined the group, while they were joined by linebacker Chris Paul Jr., offensive lineman Brady Latham, cornerback Dwight McGlothern and wide receiver Andrew Armstrong.

Jackson made the All-SEC second-team for Steele, the league’s media and was a first-teamer by the league’s coaches. Little was an honorable mention All-American and a first-team selection from the coaches. Sategna made Steele’s third team.

Paul, Latham, McGlothern and Armstrong were all named to the fourth team by Steele.

Of the seven players, Jackson, Sategna and Armstrong are the only ones returning in 2024.

Trio of Razorbacks voted All-SEC by conference football coaches

Three Razorbacks honored by SEC football coaches with all-conference selections.

Arkansas junior kicker Cam Little and junior defensive end Landon Jackson were each voted first-team All-SEC selects by the conferences coaches on Tuesday, with sophomore punter Max Fletcher pulling in second-team accolades.

The 6-foot-2, 179-pound Little, who recently announced that he would forgo his senior year to enter the 2024 NFL Draft, has been a consistent force for the Razorbacks over the past three seasons. The Moore, Okla., native was one of the top kickoff specialists in the country this season, kicking off 62 times for 3,981 total yards – tied for fifth nationally with a 64.2 kickoff average, while recording 53 touchbacks. As the Arkansas place-kicker, Little connected on 20-of-24 field goal attempts – 83.3 percent – and was perfect on all 33 of his point-after attempts. It marks the second consecutive year that an Arkansas kickoff specialist has claimed first-team honors, following Jake Bates nod last season.

The 6-foot-7, 281-pound Jackson, who transferred in from LSU two years ago, became a dominant forced on the Arkansas defensive line this season, and proved to be one of the nation’s most dominant pass rushers. He tallied 44 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and one pass break-up. He shined his brightest against Alabama on Oct. 14, when he recoded career highs with 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks. He drew praise from Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban following the game, while being named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. The Texarkana, Texas, native anchored a Razorback defense that ranked sixth in the SEC in tackles for loss and sacks, while leading the Hogs in both categories. He is the first Arkansas defensive lineman since Jake Bequette  in 2011, to earn a first-team selection.

The 6-foot-5, 174-pound Fletcher booted 59 punts this season, for an SEC-leading 2,770 yards. Fletcher is the first Arkansas punter since Dylan Breeding, in 2012, to receive All-SEC recognition. The Melbourne, Australia, native ranked fourth in the conference with 47 yards per punt, and his 19 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, ranked fourth in the SEC. Fletcher boomed 23 punts over 50 yards, including four punts the went more than 60. His longest was a career-long 71-yard missile against Auburn on Nov. 11.

The SEC postseason individual awards will be announced on Wednesday while the SEC All-Freshman Team is slated to be released on Thursday.

First Team All-SEC

Offense

QB –  Jayden Daniels, LSU

RB – Cody Schrader, Missouri

RB – Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss

WR – Malik Nabers, LSU

WR – Luther Burden III, Missouri

TE – Brock Bowers, Georgia

OL – JC Latham, Alabama

OL – Javon Foster, Missouri

OL – Will Campbell, LSU

OL – Tate Ratledge, Georgia

C – Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia

AP – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

Defense

DL – Darius Robinson, Missouri

DL – James Pearce Jr., Tennessee

DL – Justin Eboigbe, Alabama

DL – LANDON JACKSON, ARKANSAS

LB – Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M

LB – Dallas Turner, Alabama

LB – Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State

DB – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

DB – Malaki Starks, Georgia

DB – Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri

DB – Caleb Downs, Alabama*

DB – Terrion Arnold, Alabama*

Special Teams

PK – Will Reichard, Alabama

P – Matthew Hayball, Vanderbilt

RS – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

KOS – CAM LITTLE, ARKANSAS

LS – Hunter Rogers, South Carolina*

LS – Kneeland Hibbett, Alabama*

 

Second Team All-SEC

Offense

QB – Carson Beck, Georgia

RB – Ray Davis, Kentucky

RB – Jarquez Hunter, Auburn

WR – Brian Thomas, LSU

WR – Xavier Legette, South Carolina

TE – Caden Prieskorn, Ole Miss*

TE – Trey Knox, South Carolina*

TE – Rivaldo Fairweather, Auburn*

OL – Tyler Booker, Alabama

OL – Xavier Truss, Georgia

OL – Emery Jones, LSU

OL – Layden Robinson, Texas A&M

C – Eli Cox, Kentucky

AP – Barion Brown, Kentucky

Defense

DL – Mykel Williams, Georgia

DL – Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia

DL – Princely Umanmielen, Florida

DL – Shemar Turner, Texas A&M

LB – Harold Perkins, LSU

LB – Smael Mondon, Georgia

LB – Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri

DB – Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky

DB – Jaylin Simpson, Auburn

DB – Tykee Smith, Georgia

DB – Kamari Lassiter, Georgia

Special Teams

PK – Harrison Mevis, Missouri

P – James Burnip, Alabama*

P – MAX FLETCHER, ARKANSAS*

RS – Barion Brown, Kentucky

KOS – Will Reichard, Alabama

LS – Wesley Schelling, Vanderbilt

*Ties (ties are not broken)

Two Arkansas players earn All-SEC football honors

Landon Jackson and – get this – an offensive lineman, Josh Braun, were named All-SEC second-team.

Arkansas guard Josh Braun and defensive end Landon Jackson were each named All-SEC by the league’s media on Monday.

Braun was in his first season at Arkansas after transferring from Florida where he was a part-time starter. He fit into the starting lineup quickly with the Razorbacks, who needed plenty of offensive line help.

The group gave up a school-record 47 sacks and the team ran for its fewest yards per game since 2012. Less was on Braun than anyone else, though, as his pass protection grade checked out at 79.0, per Pro Football Focus.

Jackson was a legitimate disruptive force on Arkansas’ front. He had 6 1/2 sacks and 13 1/2 tackles for-loss, both ranking inside the Top 10 in the SEC. The TFL mark was actually tied for third among all Southeastern Conference players.

Both were tabbed to the All-SEC second-team and both could return to Arkansas in 2024. Braun seems more likely, as Jackson is expected to be an NFL pick were he to enter the draft. However, reports indicated last week that Jackson was leaning toward returning to Fayetteville.

Reports: Landon Jackson leaning towards staying for 2024

Keeping Landon Jackson for another year would be massive for the Arkansas defensive line.

Texarkana native Landon Jackson made a name for himself in 2023 on the defensive line, enough to get himself put on a variety of NFL Draft boards.

But the junior defensive end is considering sticking around another year to see if he can make any more noise.

Jackson led the team in sacks in 2023 and was sixth on the team in tackles with 44.

His highlight game was at Alabama in October, where he had 11 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Originally committed to LSU, Jackson played minimally there for a season before electing to get in the portal and transfer to Arkansas.

He has a little brother, Lance, who is also being highly recruited. He is a 2025 4-star recruit on 247 and is heavily linked to Arkansas, but is also being recruited by Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Mississippi State at Arkansas: Players to Watch on Saturday

Arkansas and Mississippi State will each be battling for their first SEC win of the season on Saturday.

Something must give Saturday inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, as two of the four remaining teams yet to win an SEC game, will go head-to-head.

It will be the first time in five weeks that the Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4 SEC) will be playing on their home turf, as they look to snap a five-game losing streak.

Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3 SEC) will also come limping in, losing three of their last four, but are fresh off of a 41-28 win over Western Michigan.

The game will feature two quarterbacks who had high expectations entering the season, but who have both struggled to have success in SEC games. Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson was voted second-team All-SEC in the coaches preseason poll, while Mississippi State’s Will Rogers was the third-team selection.

The game will also showcase the conference’s top three tacklers, in Razorback linebacker Jaheim Thomas, the conference leader, and Bulldogs’ linebackers Nathaniel Watson and Jett Johnson.

Here are 12 Players to Watch in Saturday’s showdown:

Landon Jackson named Bednarik Award national Player of the Week

No Arkansas defender had had a day like Jackson’s since Trey Flowers in 2012.

The honors continued for Arkansas defensive Landon Jackson on Tuesday.

The junior, just a day after being named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, Jackson was named as Bednarik Award Player of the Week for his performance against Alabama in Week 7.

Jackson’s 11 tackles led the team and included 3 1/2 for loss. All three of those drops behind the line of scrimmage were sacks of Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe. By doing so, Jackson became the first player in the SEC to register 3 1/2 sacks this season. They were also the most by a Razorbacks defensive lineman since Trey Flowers tallied that number against Auburn in 2012.

For the season, Jackson is fifth on the team with 30 tackles and he leads all defensive linemen in such. He also leads the team with 10 1/2 tackles for loss and sacks with 5 1/2, totals that rank him second (TFL) and fourth (sacks) in the SEC.

Arkansas will return to Fayetteville for its first game in over a month inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday against Mississippi State.

Hogs’ Jackson named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week

The Razorbacks’ junior edge rusher exploded for 3.5 sacks against the Crimson Tide on Saturday.

When Landon Jackson transferred to Arkansas from LSU prior to last season, much was expected of the 6-foot-7 defensive end. Jackson exceeded those expectations on Saturday, with a career day for the Razorbacks, in a narrow 24-21 loss to No. 11 Alabama.

Setting career-highs Saturday with 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss (minus-24 yards) and 3,5 sacks (minus-24 yards), the Texarkana, Tex., native has been named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

After finishing the 2022 season with 23 total tackles and three sacks, the junior edge rusher packed on nearly 45 pounds of muscles to his enormous frame in the offseason. That transformation to 281 pounds has led to 30 tackles and 5.5 sacks through seven games this season.

It was his first career game with double-digit tackles, and he became the only player in the conference with more than three sacks in a game this season. He used his power and speed, along with some nifty swim moves, to take down Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe throughout the game.

Jackson’s 3.5 sacks are the most by an Arkansas defender since Trey Flowers equaled that total against Auburn in 2012. It was also the most sacks ever by a Razorback against Alabama – the next closest being Antwain Robinson’s 2.5 sacks against the Tide in 2006.

After four consecutive SEC games away from home, Arkansas returns to the friendly confines of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m., to host SEC Western Division foe Mississippi State. The game will air on ESPN.