Tag: McClendon Curtis

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. Subscribe 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.

Breaking down ESPN’s 7-round mock draft for the Colts

Here’s a breakdown of ESPN’s 7-round mock draft for the Colts.

With the 2023 NFL draft just one month away, the mock drafts have only increased in volume, and the Indianapolis Colts are one of the teams setting the tone for the offseason’s biggest weekend.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid published a full seven-round mock draft going through all 259 picks, which means we now have the chance to break down the selections he made for Indy.

Reid’s collective haul for the Colts was impressive. The selections he made in the mock are very “Chris Ballard like” both in the value and the profiles of the prospects.

Here’s a look at the Colts’ haul from Reid’s full mock draft:

5 late-round prospects who deserve more love in the 2023 NFL draft

Our Jeff Risdon offers up 5 Day 3 prospects who deserve more love in the 2023 NFL draft

It can be hard to remember that the NFL draft extends out to seven rounds. Much of the focus goes to the first couple of rounds, the realm where teams are selecting mostly players that fans watched excel in college and all-star games. The later rounds don’t get as much recognition, often featuring prospects that are more under the national radar.

Here are five players who generally project in the final rounds of the draft, or perhaps even as a priority free agent, who should be ranked higher or shown more pre-draft love.

Connect the dots: Chargers’ coaching staff links to 2023 NFL draft prospects

These Chargers coaches have directly coached or recruited at least one 2023 prospect.

As the NFL continues to hire assistant coaches from the college ranks, familiarity with prospects is at an all-time high.

Some coaches and front office members just have schools they like: general manager Tom Telesco favors Notre Dame, head coach Brandon Staley likes Georgia, etc.

But other members of the Chargers staff have experience with a number of prospects in this year’s class, and connections could drive a potential selection in April’s draft.

These Chargers coaches have directly coached or recruited at least one 2023 prospect.

Jaguars 7-round mock draft: 9 potential targets post-NFL combine

The Jaguars have nine draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Who should they be eying?

The on-field drills at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine are in the books, but determining how much they matter is a challenging exercise.

While there’s obvious value in seeing exactly how athletic prospects are (otherwise, why do the drills), it’s also a little silly to let anything other than game tape determine how players stack up.

With that in mind, it doesn’t quite feel right to make many changes to the first-round mock draft published last week.

Instead, here’s a Jacksonville Jaguars-centric mock draft with a guess at nine players the team could target with their selections in the 2023 NFL Draft: