Report: Saints to virtually interview big-time DT prospect Levi Onwuzurike

The New Orleans Saints plan to virtually interview Washington Huskies DT Levi Onwuzurike, a top prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft.

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The Draft Network’s Justin Melo reports that the New Orleans Saints are doubling back to speak with Washington Huskies draft prospect Levi Onwuzurike, one of the top defensive tackles in this year’s class. Melo adds that every team met with Onwuzurike at the Senior Bowl in January, so this would be New Orleans’ second chat with the Huskies standout.

It’s easy to see why they’re interested. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 283 pounds, Onwuzurike created 95 tackles (47 solo, 16 tackles for loss) in 34 games with Washington before opting out of his senior year to prepare for the 2021 NFL draft. While it’s early and draft boards are taking shape across the league, he’s a viable first-round prospect, as is N.C. State’s Alim McNeill, who Melo reported New Orleans also plans to interview.

Big changes are on the way for the Saints defensive line, so looking at high-profile options in the draft makes sense. Sheldon Rankins is a free agent, and Malcom Brown could be a salary cap casualty. Rankins played the second-most snaps among Saints defensive tackles last year (472) while Brown placed third-most (390). If New Orleans loses both players, they’d be left with David Onyemata (666) and a combination of Shy Tuttle, Malcolm Roach, Ryan Glasgow, and Jalen Dalton (639 combined snaps) under contract.

Onyemata is a force and that group has some promising youngsters, but adding a blue-chip prospect like Onwuzurike would help build some confidence. He logged a career pressure rate of 14.2% at Washington, per Pro Football Focus; for context, Onyemata led the Saints defensive tackles with a 7.3% pressure rate in 2020. So remember his name on draft day.

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McShay mock draft has Jaguars addressing a defensive need with No. 25 pick

Instead of selecting an offensive player to help Trevor Lawrence, Todd McShay has the Jaguars opting for help on the defensive line.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay has released an updated first-round mock draft, and he has the Jacksonville Jaguars addressing key areas of need on both sides of the ball with their two first-round picks.

Jacksonville picks first overall and again at No. 25, a pick received as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade with Los Angeles. Though the selection at 25 could be intriguing, there isn’t much mystery surrounding who the Jaguars will take with the first pick.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

Another mock draft, another Lawrence-to-Jacksonville projection. You won’t be seeing much of anything else, and for good reason. The 6-foot-6 big-armed quarterback has all the traits you want in a franchise guy, and he would be the focal point of what new coach Urban Meyer hopes to build. Only Washington has a lower Total QBR over the past three seasons than the Jaguars’ 41.6, but Lawrence has finished in the top 10 among all FBS quarterbacks in that category in every season of his college career. He will throw for scouts on Friday ahead of surgery on his non-throwing shoulder this spring, but consider him a lock for the top pick at this point.

Selecting Lawrence is a no-brainer for Jacksonville. The team has been desperately searching for a long-term answer at the quarterback spot since Mark Brunell’s departure in 2003, and Lawrence is perhaps the best prospect at the position since Andrew Luck in 2012.

He has the potential to be a franchise-altering player, but for that to come to fruition, Jacksonville will need to build around him. For that reason, many expect that the Jags will elect to use their second pick for offensive help, specifically an offensive lineman or receiver. But McShay has them addressing a different (but equally pressing) need.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (via LAR)

Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington

In theory, the Jags could immediately give Lawrence either an offensive lineman or a receiver outside, but my guess is they split their two first-rounders on offense and defense. The secondary has to be sorted and the run defense needs shoring up. We’ll look to the latter after Jacksonville was gashed for 153.3 rushing yards per game in 2020, the third most in the NFL. And if your argument is that much of that came in garbage time with opponents holding big leads, look no further than the 4.7 yards per carry allowed, a bottom-five number. Onwuzurike, an opt-out who impressed at the Senior Bowl, is a disruptive 3-technique with lots of quickness up the middle.

The Jags struggled mightily to defend the run game last season, and adding a player like Onwuzurike, who stands at 6-foot-3 and is pushing 300 pounds, could be a big help. He chose to opt-out of the 2020 season after finishing the previous year as a First Team All-Pac 12 selection.

He was on the watch list for every defensive trophy he was eligible for heading into this past season, and he had 45 tackles (six for loss) with two sacks in 2019.

Though he may not be the flashiest first-round pick, his selection would give Jacksonville immediate-impact help on the defensive line.

Jags Wire 2021 NFL mock draft: Post-Super Bowl LV edition

With Super Bowl LV over, the Jags are now on the clock and Trevon Moehrig is an option they should consider after the No. 1 overall pick.

The 2020 NFL season is officially over as the Tampa Bay Bucs became Super Bowl champions this past Sunday. That means the Jacksonville Jaguars are officially on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick.

After going 1-15, there clearly will need to be a significant addition of talent to the roster if new coach Urban Meyer wants to put together respectable results out of the gate. Of course, they will be able to add several veterans in March through free agency, but long-term answers could come from April’s draft.

With draft season officially starting late Sunday night, now is as good a time as any for our first 2021 NFL mock draft for the Jags. With the help of Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator, here’s a look at a full seven-round mock we completed for the Jags:

Senior Bowl: 10 defensive linemen for the Eagles to watch

Here are 10 defensive linemen for the Eagles to watch at the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl

The Philadelphia Eagles will face legit salary cap questions heading into the 2021 offseason and if the Birds move on from Brandon Graham or Derek Barnett, the defensive line could become a position of need.

The NFL draft starts in Mobile, and there are some heavyweight pass rushers and defensive linemen in attendance.

Here are 10 that Howie Roseman and company should keep an eye on.

Washington DL Levi Onwuzurike opts out of 2020 season

Washington defensive line prospect Levi Onwuzurike is opting out of the 2020 college football season to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft

Another top prospect is opting out of the 2020 college football season to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Washington defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike is the latest in a long line of top prospects choosing to get an early start on their preparations for next year’s draft, regardless of whether or not the Pac-12 ends up playing football this fall or in the spring.

One of the top interior defensive line prospects in this draft class, Onwuzurike could end up putting himself in the first-round conversation with a strong performance throughout the predraft process.

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8 Pac-Twelve prospects the Eagles should target in 2021 NFL Draft after the conference cancels season

8 Pac-Twelve prospects the Eagles should target in 2021 NFL Draft after the conference cancels season

Following the lead of the Big Ten Conference, Pac Twelve officials have also announced the cancellation of their 2021 football season.

With a star-packed class of prospects now free to decide if they’ll take their talents to the NFL, here are 11 Pac-12 prospects that the Eagles should do their due diligence on and target in the 2021 NFL Draft.

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1. AMON-RA ST. BROWN, WR, USC

Coming from a family of stud football players, St. Brown attended famed Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California.

A five-star recruit, St. Brown committed to the University of Southern California (USC) to play college football with former high school teammate JT Daniels.

The junior wide receiver started 12 of the 13 games last season, catching 77 passes for 1,042 yards and six touchdowns. He was expected to be one of the top wideouts in college football next season.

St. Brown is smooth in pretty much everything he does. He’s a crafty route-runner who’s also sneaky good after the catch. He broke 18 tackles last season.

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