Tag: Lecitus Smith

3 of Cardinals’ Day 3 picks sign rookie deals

Sixth-round picks Keaontay Ingram and Lecitus Smith and seventh-round pick Jessee Luketa all signed their rookie deals.

The Arizona Cardinals announced they signed three of their eight draft picks on Thursday. They signed their two sixth-round picks and one of their seventh-round picks — running back Keaontay Ingram, offensive lineman Lecitus Smith and linebacker Jesse Luketa.

They get four-year contracts. We will learn the details of the deals in the next days and weeks.

Ingram and Smith were drafted in the sixth round. Ingram was the 201st overall pick, drafted out of USC. Smith was pick No. 215, drafted out of Virginia Tech.

Luketa was the 256th selection in the draft and played collegiately at Penn State.

Below are the player bios from the team’s press release:

Ingram (6-0, 221) appeared in 42 games at Texas (2018-20) and USC (2021) and rushed for 2,722 yards and 16 touchdowns on 495 carries while adding 671 yards and six touchdowns on 89 receptions. He ran for 100+ yards in eight games in his college career and had 12 games with 100+ total scrimmage yards. Last year at USC, Ingram was the Trojans leading rusher after setting a career-high with 911 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games, earning All-Pac 12 honorable mention. A Carthage, TX native, Ingram spent his first three seasons in college at Texas and appeared in 32 games (18 starts) and was a two-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Smith (luh-SEET-us) (6-3, 314) was a three-year starter at Virginia Tech and played in 45 games (38 starts), including starting in all 37 contests he played in to finish his collegiate career. A two-time All-ACC selection, Smith made 37 starts at left guard and one at left tackle during his career with the Hokies. He started all 11 games in each of the past two seasons, including in 2020 when he helped the Hokies lead the ACC in rushing (240.1 ypg) and run for 27 touchdowns. A Fitzgerald, GA native, Smith was a highly-recruited tight end coming out of high school and transitioned to the offensive line at Virginia Tech. 

Luketa (loo-KETT-uh) (6-3, 253) is an Ottawa, Ontario native who appeared in 46 games (18 starts) at Penn State and had 151 tackles, seven tackles for loss, a half sack, one interception (returned for a TD), eight passes defensed and a fumble recovery. As a senior in 2021, Luketa played in 12 games (eight starts) and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors after finishing the season with 61 tackles (27 solo) and 8.5 tackles for loss. He left Canada and attended high school at Mercyhurst Prep in Erie, PA prior to enrolling at Penn State.

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Cardinals believe rookie OL Lecitus Smith could be future Pro Bowler

The Cardinals’ Vice President of Player Personnel believes Lecitus Smith could be a Pro-Bowl type player for the team.

Every year, there are a handful of players taken on Day 3 of the NFL draft that exceed their pre-draft grades. Some go on to become perennial Pro-Bowlers, leaving teams wondering why they had passed on that player.

Arizona Cardinals vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris recently joined The Dave Pasch Podcast to talk about the recent draft haul for the team. Pasch brought up how, every year, some of those late-round picks turn into stars. He asked Harris who he thinks could become that Pro Bowl player for the Cardinals among their day three selections.

“I really like Lecitus Smith,” Harris said. “This guy is athletic, he’s an excellent puller. He’s tough, he’s physical.”

One of the traits that excites Harris the most is Smith’s quick-footed play style. He talked about how some NFL guards possess all the right traits but are held back from being slow-footed.

“This guy is everything,” he said. “He was a steal, in my opinion. He’s one guy that once he gets his opportunity, it’s going to be tough to remove him from the seat.”

The Cardinals could certainly use hitting on a seventh-round pick, particularly on the offensive line. They have almost their entire offensive line room set to hit the free agent market next season, so getting some young stability up front for Kyler Murray would do wonders.

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Rams 7-round mock draft: Final edition

With the draft coming up in just 2 days, here’s our final mock draft for the Rams, going all 7 rounds to project what Les Snead will do

It’s officially the week of the 2022 NFL draft (*proceeds to rub hands together*) and it’s always exciting to see where certain prospects land as they hope to live out their dream of playing in the NFL. Los Angeles Rams fans will have to wait a while until their team makes a selection, with their first pick not coming until No. 104 in the third round.

With it being days before the draft begins, I’ll be conducting my final mock draft for the Rams. Los Angeles currently owns eight total picks, though we all know that Les Snead loves to make trades during the draft to either move up or compile more draft capital.

Amidst all of the chaos and uncertainty before the draft, here is my final seven-round mock draft for the Rams. Just note that this is how I envision Los Angeles drafting and does not entirely reflect what I would do with each pick.

Ravens add plethora of talent in 7-round mock draft by ESPN

The Ravens added a plethora of talent in a seven-round mock draft by ESPN

The Baltimore Ravens will have plenty of tough decisions to make in a few weeks once draft weekend officially commences. The team has 10 draft picks including nine in the first four rounds, so they’ll have no shortage of opportunities to make the team better.

In a full seven-round 2022 mock draft, Jordan Reid of ESPN laid out each of the 262 picks slated to happen over the course of the draft’s three days. He selected a plethora of talented players for Baltimore, starting in the first round at pick No. 14, where he had them take edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II out of Florida State. Reid explained that his versatility as a pass rusher and a run defender would fit well on the Ravens’ defense.

“He is a ready-made run defender as well as a mature pass-rusher. Johnson is firm at the point of attack and has a determined mentality throughout games and a playing style that would fit well in Baltimore.”

At pick No. 45, Reid gave Baltimore cornerback depth in Tariq Woolen out of UTSA. He talked about how Woolen is as physically gifted of a cornerback as many have seen.

“The 6-foot-4 Woolen is one of the most physically gifted corners we’ve seen in the past decade. In need of depth on the perimeter, the Ravens could take a liking to him as a developmental player behind Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters and Iman Marshall.”

In the third round, Reid first took offensive tackle Rasheed Walker out of Penn State at pick No. 76 for Baltimore, discussing how he could be a nice developmental piece.

“After signing Morgan Moses, the Ravens still need developmental depth. Walker makes sense, as he has spurts of positive play, but his technique leaves him still far away from being ready to step in and play meaningful snap”

At pick No. 100, Reid has former Florida star defensive lineman Zach Carter being added to the Ravens, who he crowns a great run defender with starter potential if he can improve his pass rushing skills.

“A stout and consistent player at the point of attack, Carter is a 3-4 base end who is ready to play early as a run defender. If he becomes a more consistent pass-rusher, he could be a starter. He fits well in the Ravens’ odd defensive front.”

On Day 3 for Baltimore, in the fourth round Reid picks Cincinnati inside linebacker Darrian Beavers at No. 110, edge rusher Jesse Luketa out of Penn State at No. 119, wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. from Notre Dame at No. 128, edge rusher Sam Williams from USC at No. 139 and inside linebacker Damone Clark out of LSU at No. 141. In the sixth round, Reid rounded out the Ravens’ draft with guard Leticus Smith out of Virginia Tech.

Reid picked a balanced group of talented playmakers for Baltimore headlined by Johnson and Woolen, both of which could immediately fill in and take on big roles at positions of need. The other players taken in the mid/late rounds solidify multiple other areas of need, which is key as the team looks to build up their roster.

Giants select QB Matt Corral in latest PFN mock draft

In the latest mock draft from Pro Football Network, the New York Giants address the OL and LB positions while also landing QB Matt Corral.

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In the latest four-round mock draft from Pro Football Network, the New York Giants focus their attention on two very specific areas of need: offensive line and linebacker.

However, the Giants do make an interesting pick later on in the PFN mock draft. But we’ll get to that later.

At No. 5 overall, PFN has the Giants selecting NC State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu with Evan Neal already off the board.

Between the Jets and New York Giants, there wasn’t much to celebrate from a football perspective in the Big Apple this last year. The Giants will have a new head coach in place in April, and that could lead the franchise to move on from quarterback Daniel Jones. New coaches often want a clean slate on which to judge their tenure.

However, it would be wiser to avoid this quarterback class and focus on strengthening the trenches to maximize the potential on the roster. That starts with the selection of Ikem Ekwonu with the fifth overall pick in this 2022 4-Round NFL Mock Draft. A violent, mauling offensive tackle who has experience on the interior, the NC State lineman instantly upgrades the Giants’ offensive front no matter where they line him up.

We’ve gone over Ekwonu at length, so there’s no reason to beat a dead horse further.

At No. 7 overall, PFN has the Giants selecting another player who is become a familiar mock to them of late: Michigan linebacker David Ojabo.

There was a serious consideration to doubling up on offensive line prospects with the Giants’ second selection in this 2022 4-Round NFL Mock Draft. However, the defensive need is almost as pressing as the problems along the offensive line. Games are won and lost in the trenches, after all.

Michigan’s David Ojabo has become familiar with winning football games this season. Alongside teammate Hutchinson, Ojabo was a key component of the most successful season in recent Michigan Wolverines history. A fast, agile, pass rusher whose plethora of moves is impressive for a relatively inexperienced player, Ojabo will become a dynamic menace alongside Azeez Ojulari.

Again, we’ve offered our take on Ojabo recently. Plus, it’s the next couple of projected picks where things get really interesting for the Giants.

At No. 36 overall, the Giants land Alabama linebacker Christian Harris before nabbing Virginia Tech guard Lecitus Smith at No. 67 overall. Then, at No. 81 overall, PFN make the noisy pick for the Giants — Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral.

And finally, at No. 109 overall, PFN closes things out for the Giants with Cincinnati running back Jerome Ford.

36) New York Giants
Christian Harris, LB, Alabama

67) New York Giants
Lecitus Smith, G, Virginia Tech

81) New York Giants
Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss

109) New York Giants
Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati

There are some new names in this mock, which are always welcome. And with those — particularly Corral — will come controversy. So let us know how you’d feel about these picks in the comments section below.

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