Tag: local

Michigan football makes the cut for elite 2024 running back

Can #Michigan get another elite RB duo through the 2024 recruiting class? #GoBlue

Michigan football is striving to create something of a force in its running backs room, similar to what we see today with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. However, the dynamic duo of lightning-and-lightning hail from different classes — 2020 and 2021.

The Wolverines are working to get a similar duo, but both in 2024.

The maize and blue already have elite running back Jordan Marshall committed, who surprised Ohio State by choosing to head north rather than remain in the Buckeye state. The rival schools are battling for 2024 Longview (Tx.) four-star Taylor Tatum, ranked the No. 33 player in the country, regardless of position, according to the 247Sports Composite.

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And both schools made the cut in Tatum’s top seven, along with Georgia, Oklahoma, USC, Texas, and Texas A&M.

There is currently one prediction in the 247Sports Crystal Ball for Tatum, and it indicates that he will wear a winged helmet in his future. He’s also rated the No. 2 running back in the country and the sixth-best player in the state of Texas.

247Sports’ Gabe Brooks has an evaluation:

Requisite height and frame with perhaps relatively leaner stature, but good build with space to add mass. Broad-shouldered and assembled well.

Instinctive lane-finder. Plays with patience. Presses blocks to allow for holes to materialize. Also knows how to buy a couple more strides of time on perimeter runs to help blockers re-route defenders.

Quick-footed in the hole. Regularly makes something out of nothing when penetration disrupts play in the backfield. Uses an effective hesitation to set up evasive measures in space.

Plenty functionally athletic to bounce runs, but plays with good discernment for a young back and keeps plays inside as needed. Flashes high-kneed, open-field speed to hit the big play. Run-finishing ability plays above listed size.

Outstanding production in junior season. Counting stats made huge jumps with higher volume, but per carry rate also remained high. Capable pass catcher who can flex to the slot and provide a true receiving threat.

Excellent athletic profile. Three-sporter who’s also a high-level baseball standout with hitting power and outfield range. Owns encouraging 200-meter track speed despite limited reps.

Knows how to shrink his target when anticipating contact, but runs upright at times. Shows some deceleration gear-down on occasion when redirecting. Will need to add some mass to maintain high-volume functionality and develop trustworthy pass-pro effectiveness vs. P5 talent.

Through junior season of high school, looks like one of the nation’s top running backs in the 2024 recruiting cycle. Physical tools and play style should fit myriad offensive schemes. Projects to the high-major level as an eventual impact starter with a long-term developmental ceiling that could lead to the earlier rounds of the NFL Draft.

There’s still a long way to go before Tatum is likely to make a commitment, but Michigan football has done a good job of pitching him to join the increasingly loaded 2024 class.

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MSU football season opener against Central Michigan moved to Friday, Sept. 1

Michigan State’s annual tradition of opening the football season on a Friday night will continue in 2023

Michigan State’s annual tradition of opening the football season on a Friday night will continue in 2023.

The Spartans officially announced on Monday that their season opener against Central Michigan has been moved from Saturday, Sept. 2 to Friday, Sept. 1. The official kickoff time and TV details for this non-conference matchup have yet to be announced.

This will be the Spartans’ ninth home Friday night season-opening game over the last 13 years. Michigan State opened the 2022 season on a Friday night against Western Michigan.

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Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

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Michigan football makes top 5 for elite safety in SEC territory

Fighting southern schools and the chief rival for this one. #GoBlue

Michigan football has had some success in reeling in top-flight players from the talent-rich state of Florida, but one particular safety would really be something of a coup.

The Wolverines have long been in on 2024 Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep four-star safety Zaquan Patterson, who is ranked No. 73 overall according to the 247Sports Composite, and is 247Sports’ third-best safety in the entire class. But the competition for his services have been stiff, to say the least.

However, Patterson released his top five on Sunday evening, and Michigan football made the cut. But so, too, did rival Ohio State, Florida State, Auburn, and Miami.

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247Sports’ Andrew Ivins’ scouting report:

A hard-hitting defender that has played mostly safety on Friday nights, but could eventually grow into a three-down linebacker. Made a name for himself as a youngster in the local parks for the Miami Garden Ravens before getting varsity snaps as a freshman at TRU Prep and then winning a pair of state titles as a sophomore and junior at Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna Prep. At his best when he’s asked to come downhill and make stops near the line of scrimmage as he’s a natural body striker that is quick to sift through traffic and meet the football. Has gotten more and more comfortable in both man and zone coverage over the years and has shown on the 7-on-7 circuit that he can hang with most large wide receivers and tight ends. Has assembled some of the best special teams highlights we have seen in recent years as he has blocked multiple punts and kicks at the prep level and flies down the field like a heat-seeking missile in both punt and kick coverage. Limited testing data makes it hard to paint the full picture, but should be viewed as a versatile back-seven defender with tweener measurables that could do a variety of different things and serve as a potential chess piece for a defensive coordinator. NFL upside in an era where so many teams want to spread it out.

If Michigan football is able to woo him, it would be another recruiting win over Ohio State. The Wolverines have had solid success in recent years acquiring top-notch safeties, from former five-star Daxton Hill to former four-stars Makari Paige, RJ Moten, Zeke Berry, and Keon Sabb — the latter of whom was a five-star for quite a long period in his recruitment.

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10 Cowboys Draft Commandments: Ranking rules Dallas will live by in 2023

Tried and true, @KDDrummondNFL’s annual compilation of the Cowboys’ tells and tendencies that provide the framework for how the 2023 draft will unfold.

The 2023 NFL draft is mere days away, and fans of the Dallas Cowboys are in a tizzy trying to figure out what the team will do. For the first time in a long time, Dallas has acquired premiere veteran help to fill their two biggest offseason needs. There have been unaddressed departures, but the two additions were at Money 5 positions while the departures were not. The Cowboys have needs and wants, but there isn’t a single position where it would be a catastrophe to leave the draft without.

That level of flexibility is rare and a testament to the work done by Mike McCarthy, Will McClay and Stephen Jones as the primary decision makers for the club. But there’s still work to be done, and how they will go about it is the focus now. Over the last decade, I’ve taken meticulous care to identify the club’s tells, tendencies and trends when it comes to making draft choices.

It’s not an end-all be-all, however. We’ve collected about 13 or so which have ebbed and flowed in their hierarchy over the years. The difficulty now that McCarthy is entering Year 4 of his regime are which ones still hold from the Jason Garrett era. Here are what we believe to be the 2023 Commandments.

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Mock draft watch: Peter King’s final projection get Lions an EDGE and a CB

Peter King of NBC Sports projects the Lions to land an EDGE and a CB in his final mock draft

The final edition of mock drafts are starting to drop. In his final edition that dropped Monday morning, NBC’s Peter King rolled out a set of projections that many Lions fans would love.

In King’s final mock draft via his Football Morning in America column, the Detroit Lions land Alabama EDGE Will Anderson at the No. 6 overall pick and Maryland CB Deonte Banks at No. 18.

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King lays out the same path to Anderson that we’ve noted here several times:

Three QBs, one team liking Tyree Wilson more than Anderson, and Jalen Carter in the top five.

For 18, King projects Banks over the likes of Florida QB Anthony Richardson, Tennessee OL Darnell Wright and Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr., who falls to 25 here.

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Cardinals have fielded many phone calls about No. 3 pick in the draft

Jonathan Gannon said the Cardinals have received calls from at least 10 teams.

The Arizona Cardinals own the third overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, which begins Thursday night. They are widely expected to trade the pick, as they can potentially acquire multiple picks in this year’s draft and beyond from a team looking to move up and select a quarterback.

There has been interest in the pick.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon did not give specifics but suggested on two occasions that the Cardinals have taken a lot of calls.

In the team’s predraft press conference on Friday, he gave a ridiculous but probably accurate number of every NFL team.

“I think all teams talk to all teams, so probably 31 calls,” he said after general manager Monti Ossenfort said he has been taking calls as far back as the combine at the beginning of March.

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But on Thursday night at the Cardinals’ big new uniform reveal, Gannon was slightly more specific, saying the number of teams interested in moving up to the third overall pick was “double digits.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Cardinals received calls from “at least six” teams.

Because any potential trade will likely be determined by what the Houston Texans do with the second overall pick, we won’t likely see anything happen until the Cardinals are on the clock Thursday night.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

7 top-50 prospects have player comps with former Cardinals

Find out which 2023 NFL draft prospects compare to former Arizona Cardinals players.

As NFL teams prepare for every NFL draft, they evaluate prospects and make player comparisons based on physical traits and also style of play.

The 2023 NFL draft begins this Thursday night and we will find out where prospects will land.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar gave player comparisons for the top 50 players in the draft class.

Seven of them comp with former Arizona Cardinals players.

Check them out below.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Dolphins’ draft history with pick No. 84

The last time they used No. 84 was in 2000.

In just a few days, the Miami Dolphins, led by general manager Chris Grier, will enter the NFL draft with the goal of improving their roster for the 2023 season and beyond.

Miami has just four picks this year for the second year in a row. Their first two selections are set to be made on Day 2 at picks Nos. 51 and 84.

It’s important to look back at history to see what these picks have turned into. For pick No. 51, we looked back at recent history in the league and what the Dolphins have used the pick on.

Now, when it comes to pick No. 84, the Dolphins have had this selection three times in their franchise history.

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In 1967, the AFL, which Miami was a part of, and the NFL held their first common draft. The Dolphins used that selection on Yale offensive tackle Bob Greenlee. Unfortunately for Miami, Greenlee never played for the team. Instead, he’d go on to be the bassist for Root Boy Slim and found an independent blues label “King Snake Records.”

It was 14 more years until Miami had pick No. 84 again, and in 1981, they took UNLV wide receiver Sam Greene. The string of bad luck with the pick continued, as Greene never suited up for the Dolphins. However, he did stick around in football, playing for the Denver Gold of the USFL and a few teams in the CFL.

2000 was the most recent draft where the Dolphins had pick No. 84. They selected Colorado cornerback Ben Kelly after three first-team All-Big 12 selections. Unlike the previous selections, Kelly did play for Miami, but it wasn’t for long.

He appeared in two games as a rookie. In the offseason between his first two seasons, he was charged with driving under the influence after hitting a parked police car. Then, two games into his second year, Kelly was late to a team meeting (not the first time) and was released.

The cornerback went on to play two games for the New England Patriots in 2001 and was technically on their Super Bowl roster, earning him a ring. He also appeared in seven games for Bill Belichick’s team in 2002. After that, Kelly jumped around from the Denver Broncos to the Arena Football League and the CFL.

History hasn’t been kind to Miami with pick No. 84, and if Grier were superstitious he may consider trading it for that reason. However, there could be some talented pieces that could find roles with the Dolphins in 2023 around that draft position, so it would behoove them to at least stick around and see how the board falls.

Hopefully, they can get someone who makes more of an impact than these three did.

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POLL: Grade Touchdown Wire’s most recent mock draft for Cardinals

The Cardinals don’t trade the third overall pick and select Will Anderson in latest projections from Touchdown Wire.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar’s latest mock draft has the Arizona Cardinals keeping the No. 3 pick in the draft.

The Cardinals are largely expected to trade the No. 3 pick to a team wishing to select a quarterback. However, in these projections, they are unable to make a deal.

With the third pick, they select Alabama edge defender Will Anderson, who had 27.5 sacks over the last two seasons.

What grade do you give this mock draft?

Vote in the poll and give your thoughts!

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Albert Breer: Colts have done ‘decent job’ of hiding QB preference

Albert Breer said the Colts have hidden their QB preference well.

When it comes to the projection of the Indianapolis Colts’ selection with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, there seems to be some difficulty in finding a consensus.

Maybe better than ever, the team has done a fantastic job of keeping the information of their preferred prospects in-house. All of the rumors and buzz we hear about the Colts have come from anonymous sources outside the team’s facility.

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Even Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said in his latest MMQB column that the Colts have done a good job keeping the rest of the league guessing.

What you need to know: There were some things over the last two months that hinted the Colts could look at a position other than quarterback—one being that they were lukewarm on the idea of trading up when the Bears were peddling the first pick, saying they needed to go through the process with the prospects first. But four days out, few believe the Colts will look anywhere else at No. 4. Which QB they’ll take is murkier. Levis has had a rough pre-draft process, but I’ve heard his name linked to the Colts over and over from other teams last week. And I heard he made a very positive impression with the Manning brothers at their passing academy last summer, and, obviously, owner Jim Irsay still listens to Peyton on these things. Then, there are rumblings that traits-happy GM Chris Ballard is intrigued with Richardson, while assistant GM Ed Dodds likes Stroud, who’s seen as the best fit for Shane Steichen’s offense. So obviously, the Colts have done a decent job of making others believe that all things are possible.

The pre-draft process has gone well for the Colts in this regard. All of the smoke suggests the Colts want Will Levis, but again, all of those sources are the opinions of people outside the team facility with little connection to the organization.

It may come down to the fact that the Colts simply don’t know who they will be able to draft because they don’t know what the board will look like Thursday night.

Now, they probably have a preference on their big board, but as of Monday, we have no idea who that truly is.

The rumor mill will be buzzing as strong as ever in the days leading up to the draft so it’s best to take every bit of news we hear with a grain of salt.

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