Tag: Max Mitchell

Duane Brown out for Sunday, George Fant and Max Mitchell to start

Duane Brown out Sunday, George Fant back to left tackle, Max Mitchell at right tackle

Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced left tackle Duane Brown will not play Sunday against the Ravens with a shoulder injury.

Making matters worse, Brown may land on injured reserve as a result. The severity of the injury is still to be determined. Saleh said they’ll more in the next 24 hours regarding the possibility of Brown heading to injured reserve, which would mean he would miss at least four games.

So for now, it’s George Fant at left tackle and Max Mitchell at right tackle.

Saleh was very impressed with the quick development of Mitchell, the rookie fourth-round pick, who will start over veteran Conor McDermott, who re-signed with the Jets this week after missing the initial 53-man roster.

“Max is much further along then we thought he’d be,” Saleh said.  “We’re very confident he’ll be able to step in and do his job.”

Fant moves back to left tackle in what will be his second position switch in a month, with a third coming when Brown returns from injury.

Its also possible the Jets also call up one of their practice squad linemen to the active roster to give them an extra body, particularly Eric Smith at tackle. McDermott is currently the only remaining reserve tackle with Brown out.

This is certainly a tough start for the offensive line as the Jets really hoped they had their offensive tackle issue figured out with Brown after Mekhi Becton suffered a season-ending knee injury in early August. Now, they may go a few weeks with Brown as well.

All that being said, Fant had a strong season in 2021 and should be just fine protecting Joe Flacco’s blindside. Mitchell also had a solid camp but will certainly be tested against the Ravens. He’ll be one to watch. Plus, the Jets still have a good interior offensive line with Laken Tomlinson, Connor McGovern and Alijah Vera-Tucker.

Jets officially sign 4th-round rookie Max Mitchell

Jets fourth-rounder Max Mitchell signed his first NFL contract this week

The New York Jets came away with seven players in the 2022 NFL draft, including three in the first round and another in the second. They’ve been working to get their rookies under contract before training camp and on Thursday, the sixth of the seven put pen to paper.

Fourth-rounder Max Mitchell officially signed his rookie contract, the team announced, a four-year deal for the offensive tackle out of Louisiana.

Mitchell was taken No. 111 overall and stands 6-foot-6 and 307 pounds. He was a starter at right tackle, left tackle and left guard in college, showing excellent versatility across the line.

He’ll compete for a roster spot this season, though a path to a starting spot could prove difficult.

Second-round pick Breece Hall is the only rookie left unsigned for the Jets.

4 takeaways from the Jets drafting Max Mitchell

Breaking down the Jets’ selection of Louisiana OT Max Mitchell with the 111th pick in the 2022 NFL draft:

The Jets used one of their two fourth-round picks to bolster their offensive line depth, selecting Louisiana tackle Max Mitchell with the 111th pick.

Mitchell was the best offensive lineman for one of the best Group of 5 teams in the nation in 2021, earning himself countless postseason accolades and plenty of pre-draft attention as a draft combine participant.

Let’s take a closer look at the Jets’ newest offensive lineman with four takeaways.

2022 NFL draft: Chargers’ biggest positional needs entering Day 2

Laying out the positions that the Los Angeles Chargers still need to address following their selection of Zion Johnson.

After adding Zion Johnson in the first round, the Chargers have filled their hole at guard.

But the show must still go on.

Here’s a look at Los Angeles’ biggest remaining positional needs on the roster entering Friday’s session.

Right Tackle

Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley both said on Thursday night that Johnson was drafted to be the team’s starter at right guard. Matt Feiler was also listed as being in the plans at left guard, which leaves the question of right tackle lingering. The Chargers seem to be comfortable with the thought of Trey Pipkins and Storm Norton battling it out for the starting job, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has L.A. selecting Washington State’s Abraham Lucas with the 79th selection. Other possible options in the draft include Louisiana’s Max Mitchell, Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere, or Penn State’s Rasheed Walker.

Cornerback

Staley’s defense places a huge amount of responsibility on the cornerback position, part of the reason why Washington’s Trent McDuffie seemed like a logical fit at 17th overall if Johnson was off the board. With JC Jackson and Asante Samuel Jr., the Chargers have two building blocks at corner, but the team seems to have lost some of the optimism about Michael Davis that resulted in his 3 year, $25.2 million extension prior to the 2021 season. A drafted corner could come in the form of a slot only type, with plans to keep Samuel on the outside, or it could be a lengthy outside corner, with Samuel kicking inside to the slot. Some options to keep an eye on during Day 2 include Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-Britt, Sam Houston State’s Zyon McCollum, Pitt’s Damarri Mathis, and Cincinnati’s Coby Bryant.

Edge defender

This is the direction I had the Chargers going in my final 7 round mock draft on Thursday morning. Depth behind Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack is questionable right now after LA chose not to retain Kyler Fackrell or Uchenna Nwosu. Chris Rumph II was a fourth round pick a season ago, but he’d need to make a big leap to fill those shoes. Luckily for the Chargers, this draft class is stacked with EDGE talent from top to bottom. Every player I ranked from 6-10 in my EDGE rankings on Wednesday is still on the board, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath for any of them to fall to LA at 79. Focus on names like DeAngelo Malone (Western Kentucky), Dominique Robinson (Miami (OH)), Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati), and Amare Barno (Virginia Tech). 

Wide Receiver

Josh Palmer made strides as a rookie, and there’s no reason to believe he’s not in LA’s long-term plans. But the Chargers still lack a burner who has the speed to get under Justin Herbert’s moonshots downfield. The most likely options on the roster currently are Jalen Guyton and return specialist DeAndre Carter, neither of whom should prevent Los Angeles from targeting the right receiver on Day 2. I’ll be watching the closest for Calvin Austin III (Memphis) or Danny Gray (SMU), but if neither of them makes it to 79, I like Tyquan Thornton (Baylor) or Isaiah Weston (Northern Iowa) a bit later in the draft.

Running Back

Perhaps Chargers fans can be saved from the curse of yet another Day 3 RB draft pick if LA opts to turn to the position on Friday night instead. Austin Ekeler is a showstopper in the backfield, of course, but young guys like Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree III have struggled to gain their footing behind him. With every running back still on the board entering Day 2, the Chargers could find themselves in a valuable position to take their pick of some of the best available. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper listed Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller and BYU’s Tyler Allgeier as prime targets at 79. I’d add Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, on the off chance that he slips down the board, as well as players worth later looks like Georgia’s Zamir White or Michigan’s Hassan Haskins.

Mid-round Match? Louisiana’s Max Mitchell may offer Cowboys solid alternative draft plan

If the Cowboys don’t invest a high-pedigree pick at OT, then they’ll need to throw enough darts at the wall to find a gem. Tyler Browning (@DiabeticTyler) puts the versatile OL under the microscope.

With the departure of La’El Collins to the Cincinnati Bengals, an aging and what seems like a consistently injured Tyron Smith; it’s all but a foregone conclusion the Dallas Cowboys will be addressing the offensive line during draft weekend. The Cowboys seem prepared to make a move during the first two rounds, but if the board dictates they go elsewhere, Louisiana’s Max Mitchell certainly seems an intriguing mid-round option for them.

Mitchell wasn’t the most highly recruited player coming out of high school, only having a two-star pedigree. He  saw action in all 14 games his freshman year in 2018. In 2019 he became a staple on the offensive line at started all 14 games. He helped lead the Rajun’ Cajuns to a year where they were dominant on the ground. Statistically, they ranked third nationally in yards per carry (6.28), fourth nationally in rushing touchdowns (42), sixth nationally in rushing yards per game (257.4), and seventh nationally in total rushing yards (3,604). In 20202, again he started in all 10 of his appearances and got experience at both tackle spots. We all know how much the Cowboys love positional flexibility, so does he fit with the Cowboys?

The most underrated prospects in the 2022 NFL draft class

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar reveals his most underrated prospects in the 2022 NFL draft class.

When we media yahoos talk about “sleepers” in any draft class, it’s true what NFL teams will tell you — it’s generally a case of the media simply catching up to what those teams have known about those prospects for months. Perception versus reality means that what we’re really talking about are prospects we’re just getting around to after the top-tier players at every position.

So, maybe it’s better to say for the purposes of this exercise that the prospects you see here are the ones whose tape stands out beyond the recognition they’ve gotten. With days to hours left until the 2022 draft, these players are the ones you may not have heard of, or have experienced in passing but haven’t watched, or have watched and wondered where they might be drafted.

Any of these guys going in the first round would be a longshot, but they each have remarkable attributes that show their professional potential, and could seal their NFL futures.

An offensive tackle for Chargers in each round of 2022 NFL draft

Laying out an offensive tackle for the Los Angeles Chargers in each round of this year’s draft.

The Chargers have a few positions that need to be addressed in the upcoming draft, but offensive tackle sits near the top.

Luckily, this year’s crop has starting-caliber talent from the first day of the draft until Day 3.

With that being said, here’s a tackle from each round that could fit in Los Angeles:

Round 1, Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

Mississippi State’s Charles Cross would be the guy slotted here, but I am trying to also keep this as realistic as possible with players that will still be on the board when the Chargers are on the clock, and I believe that Cross will likely be gone within the first 15 selections.

Penning checks off on the measurables, hovering at 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds with arms longer than 34 inches. Along with that, he possesses the athleticism, having run an elite 40 yard dash time of 4.89 seconds and 7.25 seconds in the three-cone drill.

On the field, while he needs to clean up his leverage and hand usage to avoid penalties in the NFL, Penning has the size, movement skills to match, and a nasty temperament in the run game to start opposite Rashawn Slater right off the bat.

Round 3, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State

Petit-Frere made 19 career starts with the Buckeyes, with seven coming at right tackle in 2020 and 12 at left tackle in 2021. During his college career, he allowed 36 pressures and three sacks while earning PFF run-blocking grades of 72.7 and 84.3 in his final two years.

At 6-foot-5 and 316 pounds with 33 5/8-inch arms, Petit-Frere looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle, and he plays with athleticism, flexibility and lower body explosion, controlling rushers in pass protection and moving bodies in the run game, but he will need to develop his anchor.

Round 4, Max Mitchell, Louisiana

Mitchell led all FBS tackles with a 94.8 PFF grade, as he allowed only 13 pressures and three sacks last season while racking up the third-most big-time run blocks. In addition, he never committed a penalty or missed an offensive snap.

While he did not test very well at the Combine and will need to continue to get stronger, Mitchell is a tough-minded tackle, with the positioning and foot quickness to mirror and match, great hand techniques to keep rushers at bay, and run-blocking consistency at the first and second levels.

Round 5, Braxton Jones, Southern Utah

Jones started 30 games, primarily at left tackle en route to earning First-Team All-American in his final two seasons.

He has outstanding size and length at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds with 35 3/8″ arms coupled with above-average athleticism, as evident with a 4.97 40 time and 4.84 short shuttle.

Jones will need to continue to get stronger, but he has solid foundation traits, with flexibility, footwork, and hand placement to be effective as a tackle at the next level.

Round 6, Zachary Thomas, San Diego State

Thomas was a three-year starter for the Aztecs at left and right tackle. At his best as a run-blocker, Thomas had a 90.1 grade on that front in 2020, fourth-best among FBS tackles, and an 89.6 grade in 2021.

Thomas shows functional athleticism, quality strength/leverage, comfortability as a reach and second-level blocker, and a high level of intelligence as far as picking up stunts/blitzes goes. Further, he has the potential to play some guard at the next level.

Round 7, Jean Delance, Florida

Delance possesses the ideal measurables and resume for an NFL offensive lineman at 6-foot-5 and 303 pounds with over 36-inch arms coupled with 37 SEC starts under his belt, playing both tackle and guard.

Delance was a key member of Gator’s starting five, keeping rushers at bay with his athleticism and vine-like arms, all while paving the way in the run game, as they ranked No. 4 in the SEC in rushing offense in 2021.

2022 NFL draft: The top 11 offensive tackles

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar breaks down the 11 best offensive tackle in the 2022 NFL draft class.

If you want to know the hit rate for the top offensive tackles in any draft class, consider this. Since 2010, there have been 44 players taken in the first round who were designated as offensive tackles in their draft classes. Just eight have at least one First-Team All-Pro selection. Only 14 have been selected to at least one Pro Bowl. Three (Isaiah Wilson, Tennessee Titans, 2020/Andre Dillard, Philadelphia Eagles, 2019/Derek Sherrod, Green Bay Packers, 2011) have not been primary starters in the NFL.

For every Trent Williams, Tyron Smith, and Ronnie Stanley — the guys who immediately and consistently define their offenses with their excellence — there’s a Jake Matthews, Nate Solder, or Luke Joeckel (players who have great moments, but tread water more than anything else), and there’s certainly at least one Ereck Flowers, Ja’Wuan James, or Andrew Thomas (the players who wind up making you wonder what everybody in the room was thinking).

This is not to specifically malign the players who do not succeed at the NFL level, despite having what some shot-caller in some front office determined to be first-round talent. It’s more to say that being a great left or right tackle in the pros is really, really hard to do. Different offensive systems require different things from their tackles, but for the most part, you’d better have aggressive hands, excellent, light feet, the mentality to dominate, the agility to take on the NFL’s best speed-rushers, and the intelligence and reaction ability to deal with blitzes and stunts.

Those are the basics. From there, the hope is that you’ll continue to excel despite any physical limitations. Maybe your wingspan isn’t what the NFL wants it to be. Maybe your upper-body strength isn’t exactly an advertisement for your college weightroom. Perhaps your college coaches didn’t teach you this or that technique that would help you in the NFL, and you have to hope that your NFL coaches will see these things and make them better.

Sometimes, you’re able to transcend these things. More often, you’re not.

This year’s offensive tackles appear to be part of a class that is top-heavy and deep. But there’s no guarantee that any of them will become true dominators at the NFL level, no matter how much they may have owned the defenders they faced in college.

Here are the top 11 offensive tackles in the 2022 NFL draft, the attributes that best indicate their transitions to the NFL, and the things that might get in the way.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated. All testing data comes from the 2022 scouting combine, with percentile per position, courtesy of MockDraftable.com). 

7 offensive tackles who can help Cowboys as position in flux for first time in

The Cowboys may need to go into the draft with a mission of finding a future starting offensive tackle. @TimLettiero reviews the possibilities.

If the Dallas Cowboys want to keep their $40 million quarterback Dak Prescott upright, preventing edge pressure is essential. All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith is an elite talent, but hasn’t played a full season since 2015 and is not getting any younger. On the right side, usual starter La’el Collins dealt with injury, inconsistent play and a maddening suspension over avoiding drug testing which ultimately saw his stint in Dallas run its course

Terence Steele showed solid development after being a liability in 2020, proving he is worth a look as a starting caliber tackle in 2022. With only young and unproven OTs Josh Ball and Aviante Collins remaining on roster, this should be the year Dallas finally decides to address the tackle position with a long-term vision in mind. Here are several players from the 2022 NFL draft who provide value at various points of the weekend.

Rams 2022 NFL mock draft: Post-combine edition

With the NFL combine wrapped up, here’s an updated projection of what the Rams might do in the 2022 draft

The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine has come to a close in Indianapolis and there were plenty of standout performances. Some prospects were able to improve their draft stock ahead of next month’s draft, while others may have put a dent in their outlook with poor testing numbers.

For the Los Angeles Rams, they have made it a common trend for Sean McVay and Les Snead to stay home instead of attending the combine. Even though the Rams don’t send their head coach and general manager to watch the incoming prospects, they still have their eyes on guys they’ll want to add in the 2022 NFL draft.

Before we get into my updated mock draft for after the combine, you can check out my pre-combine mock draft here so you can see the changes that took place between then and now. And as a reminder, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft machine to compile my mock draft.