Tag: lineman

This Chiefs lineman ranks seventh in QB pressures among all NFL defenders, according to PFF

Check out which Chiefs lineman has the seventh most QB pressures in the NFL through Week 9:

The Kansas City Chiefs pass rush has been one of the team’s best assets through nine weeks of the 2023 season, and one of its most effective players has been second-year defensive lineman George Karlaftis.

A Purdue product, Karlaftis’ penchant for harassing quarterbacks warranted his selection in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but nobody could have predicted his meteoric rise to become one of the best pass rushers in the NFL this year.

According to Pro Football Focus, Karlaftis ranks seventh among all defenders in the league with 47 pressures on the season.

This remarkable number contextualizes just how impressive the former Boilermaker has been through nine games, and is a good indication that Kansas City has a star on its hands up front.

With help from fellow linemen Chris Jones and Charles Omenihu, Karlaftis should be able to continue his mean streak to become a cornerstone of the Chiefs’ future.

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Cam Jordan gets another contract extension from the Saints

The 2011 draft class was stacked beyond reason

In some around-the-NFL type of news, the New Orleans Saints have extended their dominant defensive lineman Cam Jordan to a new contract. Jordan, who has been a staple on the Saints defensive front ever since he broke into the league in 2011, will remain in the Big Easy for two more years.

Originally the No. 24 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, Jordan was actually selected one spot before Seattle could pick at No. 25. Instead, the Seahawks took guard James Carpenter, who was a starter for several years and helped Seattle win their first Super Bowl.

Looking back at the 2011 draft class, it’s hard to not be awestruck by the incredible amount of talent available. I mean, just look at the first seven picks:

  1. Cam Newton
  2. Von Miller
  3. Marcell Dareus
  4. A.J. Green
  5. Patrick Peterson
  6. Julio Jones
  7. Aldon Smith

Also in the first round was J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Ryan Kerrigan, Mark Ingram II and Muhammad Wilkerson.

Of course, Seattle fans will remember the 2011 draft fondly, as it brought them Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright, Byron Maxwell, Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith, and Doug Baldwin as an undrafted free agent.

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Shane Waldron: Seahawks ‘mixing and matching’ OL reps for now

While Brown, Oluwatimi, and even Joey Hunt will certainly be in the mix for a starting role, the Seahawks are not close to determining their depth chart.

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For years the offensive line of the Seattle Seahawks has been a considerable weakness. In 2022, thanks to the help of stud rookie tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas, the line took drastic steps forward. However, it was still a liability at times, especially in the interior.

Seattle focused some of their efforts this offseason to improving their interior offensive line. They signed former Lions guard/center Evan Brown away from Detroit, and they selected Michigan standout Olu Oluwatimi late in the 2023 NFL draft.

While Brown, Oluwatimi, and even Joey Hunt will certainly be in the mix for a starting role, the Seahawks are not close to determining their depth chart. When asked about this, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron discussed at length where they’re at. Via Mike Dugar at the Athletic:

“We’re a pretty long ways away from finalizing any of the reps… Training camp, we’ll have a better idea of how we want to divide those up. Right now, (Brown, Oluwatimi and Joey Hunt) are mixing and matching like all the offensive linemen are. (We’re) mixing and matching some things so they get a good feel and good grasp for the offense. As we get closer to training camp, we’ll start to pare down how we want to approach the actual reps when we’re going against each other all the time.”

Seattle will need to improve even further at this position if they hope to progress past the Wild Card round. The 49ers and Eagles somehow improved their already ferocious defensive fronts, while Aaron Donald will be back on the Rams this year.

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Nation’s top offensive tackle to announce college decision Thursday night

Zach Rice, the nation’s top offensive tackle in the 2022 recruiting cycle, will announce his college choice on Thursday night.

The top ranked offensive tackle in the 2022 college football recruiting cycle is set to announce his college decision Thursday night and the good news for Notre Dame is that they’ve still got a seat at the table.

The bad news is there is stiff competition to land the commitment of five-star Zach Rice, a 6-6, 282-pound senior from Lynchburg (VA) Liberty Christian.  Rice ranks as the seventh player overall in the entire 2022 recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite.

Along with Notre Dame, Rice lists Alabama, North Carolina, Ohio State, and Virginia as his finalists.  We’ll know where Rice chooses at 8:15 p.m. ET tonight as he’ll announce his college decision on CBS Sports HQ.

Rice will be a great addition wherever he ends up attending but at this point it’d appear to be a bit of an upset if he chooses Notre Dame.

Related:

Notre Dame to host five-star quarterback and current LSU commit vs. USC

Ranking the top 10 college football coaching jobs

Notre Dame’s entire 2022 recruiting class

Notre Dame-USC: fun facts about epic rivalry

Notre Dame injury update ahead of USC game

Notre Dame releases depth chart for USC game

Four-star defensive end lists Texas in top five schools

Texas is one of five schools left in the hunt to land four-star defensive end Shemar Turner.

Texas is inching towards landing another highly sought-after defensive end prospect. Continue reading “Four-star defensive end lists Texas in top five schools”

3 things to know about Colts new OL Danny Pinter

Some things to know about the Colts new OL.

The Indianapolis Colts continue to add depth to their young roster by grabbing offensive lineman Danny Pinter out of Ball State with the 149th pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman is a great addition to one of the best offensive lines in the league and will be able to fill in at multiple positions.

The selection of Pinter shows that Chris Ballard is not done building a strong, deep roster in the trenches. Here are three things to know about Pinter:

1. The Indiana native comes home

Pinter returns home to the Hoosier state after being selected by the Colts in the fifth round. The South Bend native attended John Adams High School, but his hometown program Notre Dame did not recruit him. He ended up committing to Ball State in 2015 as a redshirt freshman.

Being an Indiana native isn’t something new for draft picks with the Colts. They keep plenty of tabs on the local prospects and the up-and-coming scene.

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