McClendon Curtis – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Raiders OL McClendon Curtis named one of NFL’s top undrafted free agent signees

Every year there are players who unexpectedly fall out of the draft who many thought would be drafted. But not all of them are created equally. Many of them are somewhat high profile prospects from big schools who, for whatever reason, led NFL teams to see them as undraftable.

McClendon Curtis wouldn’t really be the kind of player one would consider “high profile”. He didn’t play at a power five school, but rather Tennessee-Chattanooga.

He received an invite to the 2023 Scouting Combine and was considered by many to be a mid-round caliber talent. Which, for a small school player, is pretty good.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had him as the 12th best guard in this draft with a 5th or 6th round projection. Just behind Nick Broeker and three spots ahead of Andrew Vorhees — both of whom were drafted in the two spots ahead of the Raiders pick (231) in the seventh round.

Yet Curtis was not drafted and quickly received a call from the Raiders who signed him to an undrafted free agent contract.

TouchdownWire put together a list of players they deemed to be the top undrafted players and Curtis was squarely among them.

The 6-6, 324-pounder started 30 games at right guard the past four years at Chattanooga. Three of those years, he was named First Team All-SoCom and this past year, First Team All-American. He projects best in a power-gap scheme.

As it happens, the Raiders has a major need at right guard for their power-gap scheme, which could be part of the reason when the Raiders came calling, Curtis accepted.

Granted, none of this means the Raiders literally got a 5th round pick as an undrafted free agent. Or that he is legit contender for the starting right guard spot. But he may be in the best position to have a shot at grabbing a roster spot, which is a good first step toward that goal.

10 potential undrafted free agents the Eagles could target after the 2023 NFL draft

We’re looking at ten potential undrafted free agents the Philadelphia Eagles could target after the 2023 NFL draft

The 2023 NFL draft is almost complete, and the Eagles are just getting started with filling their 90-man roster for this summer’s intense training camp sessions.

Howie Roseman has been open about previous undrafted free agent classes, with several big-named stars holding second-day draft grades.

One week after the 2022 NFL draft, the team announced the signings of 12 undrafted rookies ahead of the minicamp.

Four eventually found their way onto the 53-man roster at some point.

We reported last week that Philadelphia led all teams with $1.8 million spent in the previous year in post-draft contracts, and Howie Roseman annually is known as one being the biggest spenders after the draft.

Recent undrafted free agents who’ve had game action with Philadelphia include Reed Blankenship, Britain Covey, Josh Jobe, Corey Clement, Sua Opeta, Nate Herbig, Kayode Awosika, Joe Ostman, Jack Stoll, Brett Toth, Greg Ward, Marvin Wilson, T.J. Edwards, and future Hall of Famer Jason Peters, who originally signed with the Bills.

We’re previewing ten prospects Philadelphia could target at the draft’s completion.

10 best players for Jaguars to target in Day 3

The Jaguars still have 10 picks in the 2023 NFL draft. Here are 10 prospects who would make sense for the team:

The Jacksonville Jaguars surprised most when they opted not to address any of their defensive needs and instead picking offensive tackle Anton Harrison, tight end Brenton Strange, and running back Tank Bigsby in the first three rounds, respectively.

After accumulating 10 picks in rounds four through seven, the Jaguars still have a chance to address a lot of areas before the weekend is over.

But finding a star in Day 3 is tough.

Here are 10 players who stand out as prospects that could interest the Jaguars in rounds four, five, six, and seven:

Chargers 2023 NFL draft preview: Where does Los Angeles stand at offensive line?

Our Chargers’ NFL draft preview series continues with the offensive line.

After taking a steady approach in free agency, signing just one external player in linebacker Eric Kendricks and re-signing a handful of their own, the Chargers now have their sights set on the draft where they will look to bolster their roster with their selections and make a deeper run in 2023.

Before, we’re going position by position to break down where Los Angeles stands entering the draft.

Next up is the offensive line.

Catch the previous previews here:

One offensive guard for the Eagles in every round of the 2023 NFL Draft

We’re looking at one offensive guard for the Philadelphia Eagles in every round of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Eagles are set to retool the offensive line after losing a key contributor and a Pro Bowl-caliber starter in Isaac Suemalo.

The expectation is that former Nebraska center and 2021 second-round pick Cam Jurgens will slide to right guard.

Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman could decide to draft a more natural fit for the position to compete against Jurgens while adding more depth to the NFL’s most talented position group.

With the NFL draft quickly approaching, we’re looking at one offensive guard in every round of the selection process.

NFL Draft: 12 mid/late-round prospects that could be steals for the Eagles

We’re looking at 12 mid to late-round NFL draft prospects that could end up being steals for the Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have had success hitting on late-round picks in the past few years, with Jordan Mailata (2018), Kenneth Gainwell (2021), Jack Driscoll (2020), Quez Watkins (2020), Josh Sweat (2018), Nathan Gerry, Jalen Mills, and Jason Kelce being some of the late round picks who’ve played in a Super Bowl.

The 2023 NFL draft offers Philadelphia another opportunity to reload in the late rounds.

The expectation is that GM Howie Roseman will move around the board, acquiring draft assets and a large group of undrafted free agents.

With the draft just three weeks away, we’re taking an early look at 12 mid to late-round prospects that could end up as steals for the Eagles.

6 underrated prospects to watch for the Saints in 2023 NFL draft

Penn State TE Brendon Strange and San Jose State DE Viliami Fehoko are among 6 underrated prospects to watch for the Saints in the 2023 NFL draft’s third day:

Everyone knows the big names in the 2023 NFL draft: the first-round prospects who get fans excited and who draw swarms of scouts and coaches to their pro day workouts. But the New Orleans Saints have done well in the later rounds of the draft, and it’s important to identify players they could be looking at in rounds four, five, six, and seven — as well as undrafted free agency. They always seem to find some diamonds in the rough.

So who qualifies as a sleeper? Draft coverage is so oversaturated these days that even casual fans can recognize dozens of names, and some dedicated draftniks even have their own top-100 rankings (with the real sickos among them ranking hundreds of prospects).

To help thin out the herd, we’re only considering prospects who were ranked outside the top 150 at both NFL Mock Draft Database and Pro Football Network’s industry consensus big board. That gives us an opportunity to highlight some undersung players who should be available on Day 3 of this year’s event. These aren’t going to be perfect prospects, or even players who can step into a big role right away. The goal is to find guys with enough traits that can give them a shot at making the roster as a backup or on special teams, buying them time to develop into better pros.

Here are six underrated prospects we could see the Saints targeting on the draft’s third day:

Cardinals to have official visit with Chattanooga OL McClendon Curtis

After meeting with Chattanooga OL McClendon Curtis at the Senior Bowl, the Cardinals will have an official visit with him.

The Arizona Cardinals are interested in building their offensive line for the present and future. They already had a very good meeting with Chattanooga offensive line prospect McClendon Curtis at the Senior Bowl.

They will spend some more time with him.

They are scheduled to have an official top-30 visit with Curtis.

Curtis is almost 6-foot-6 and weighed 324 pounds at the combine, where he ran the 40 in 5.24 seconds, benched 225 pounds 25 times, had a 7.70-second three-cone, a 4.97-second short shuttle, a 26.5-inch vertical leap and 8-foot-9 broad jump.

His 35-inch arms are good for playing tackle and he has experience playing both guard and tackle on the right and left sides.

He is seen by many as a Day 3 prospect.

He is exactly the sort of player the Cardinals have targeted in late rounds over the last 10 years (Korey Cunningham, Josh Miles, Cole Toner, Will Holden, etc).

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

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Giants ran offensive line drills at Chattanooga pro day

The New York Giants ran offensive line drills at the Chattanooga pro day where guard McClendon Curtis participated.

The New York Giants have been extremely busy on the pro day circuit, not just attending and scouting 2023 NFL draft prospects, but actively running drills.

That trend continued earlier this week when the Giants ran offensive line drills at the Chattanooga pro day, reports Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network.

Among those participating was guard McClendon Curtis.

I’m told all 32 teams were in attendance for the Mocs’ Pro Day, as they have two OL prospects that teams are interested in. The highest-profile one is offensive guard McClendon Curtis.

Curtis just participated in position drills, which were run by the New York Giants. He projects as an early-fourth-round pick but could sneak into the late part of round three. Curtis is a perfect system fit for a power gap scheme.

The Giants certainly have needs along the interior of their offensive line, but their biggest issue comes at center and not necessarily at guard. Still, Curtis is an interesting prospect who NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein views as a long-term developmental project.

Guard prospect with the build of a long-armed offensive tackle. Despite his traits, Curtis has too many holes in his game to trust he will be ready to step up in competition early on. His struggles in trying to separate and sustain against Illinois’ interior defenders really shined a bright light on the work he needs to do to get stronger and more technically sound. Despite these concerns, Curtis is capable in pocket protection and is likely to be viewed as a Day 3 prospect requiring a plan and coaching to help him develop.

Any interest in Curtis aside, the Giants are going to benefit from their hands-on work at pro days over the past five weeks.

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Rams 2023 Draft Prospect Profile: McClendon Curtis (IOL, Chattanooga)

The Rams could use a Day 3 pick on an IOL in the 2023 NFL draft and McClendon Curtis is a formidable option.

The Los Angeles Rams underwent a plethora of issues in 2022, including injuries along the offensive line. Due to injuries and inconsistent play in the trenches on the offensive side of the ball, the Rams allowed 59 sacks this past season.

The interior of the offensive line is undetermined for the Rams this year with David Edwards headed to the Buffalo Bills in free agency. Given the need for depth on the offensive line, the 2023 NFL draft is a nice way for the Rams to bolster their current unit.

On Day 3 of the draft, McClendon Curtis out of Chattanooga would be a solid depth piece in the interior.