Tag: McClendon Curtis

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:

2023 NFL draft: 4 interior offensive linemen for Chargers to watch at combine

Here are a few interior offensive linemen at the NFL Scouting Combine that the Los Angeles Chargers could target in the draft.

The on-field portion of the NFL Combine is underway, marking the start of the testing circuit that propels some prospects into the stratosphere while ruining the stock of others.

On the interior of the offensive line, the focus is depth. Matt Feiler is a likely cap casualty, pushing Jamaree Salyer into the left guard spot. That leaves Brenden Jaimes as the only backup under contract as of this week.

So, while not a premium position of need after spending big over the past few seasons, expect a pick or two in the later rounds.

10 offensive linemen to watch for the Colts at NFL combine

Here are 10 offensive linemen to watch for the Colts at the NFL combine.

Watching offensive linemen at the NFL combine might not be the most enjoyable thing to do on a Sunday afternoon but this is still an opportunity for the Indianapolis Colts to find some draft prospects to help bolster their unit.

There were 51 offensive linemen that were invited to the combine but for the Colts’ purposes, there can be a focus more on the interior lineman over the tackles.

Braden Smith and Bernhard Raimann are set to be the bookend tackles for Indy in 2023. While Chris Ballard needs to find a swing tackle for depth purposes, a veteran likely will fill that role, and there are some versatile draft prospects that can play on the inside and outside of the line.

If there is one aspect of the testing of offensive linemen to pay attention to is their short shuttle. There is proof of players turning into at least quality starters in the NFL if they perform well at that drill.

As I mentioned, don’t expect to see tackles on this list of players unless they offer versatility to kick inside, and players that are expected to go early in the first round won’t be included.

Here are some names to watch for on Sunday:

2023 NFL draft: Chattanooga OL McClendon Curtis confirms interest from Chargers

Chattanooga offensive lineman McClendon Curtis revealed that the Chargers “always” sent scouts his way.

Draft season brings with it countless reports that player X has met with team Y, stirring up a frenzy of discourse about how that player-team fit must now be considered a lock. In reality, most prospects meet with every team during the pre-draft process, and gleaning information from the simple report that a team has met with a player tends to be a losing proposition.

But sometimes, there’s more information than that. Sometimes, it comes out that a team is consistently meeting with a player, or has been monitoring him all season, or even longer. That’s been the case with prospects in this draft already as it pertains to the Chargers: UCLA guard Atonio Mafi said Los Angeles has been watching him since his freshman season in 2018.

Now, we have confirmation about another trip LA has been taking all season. In an interview with The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Chattanooga offensive lineman McClendon Curtis revealed that the Chargers have “always” sent scouts his way and that in Mobile, AL for the Senior Bowl, Curtis was catching up with scouts he already knew.

Curtis mentioned a few other teams to who this applied as well: the Saints, Cardinals, and Jaguars. What makes LA’s interest in him well, interesting, is that Curtis has the versatility to play tackle or guard. The Chargers currently have some shuffling to do on their line, with an impending cap decision on guard Matt Feiler and free agency negotiations with tackle Trey Pipkins. 2022 sixth-rounder Jamaree Salyer will take one of those starting spots, but depth will be a huge concern. Adding a player like Curtis who can play four of five spots on the line allays those concerns to a large degree.

Curtis is currently projected to be a Day 3 pick by most major outlets.

Cardinals have ‘exceptional meeting’ with small-school Senior Bowl OL

Chattanooga offensive lineman McClendon Curtis had great meetings with the Cardinals and other teams at the Senior Bowl.

The Arizona Cardinals, like the rest of the NFL, is very busy with evaluating their own rosters and preparing to evaluate NFL draft prospects.

The Senior Bowl already occurred earlier in February and teams met formally or informally with basically every player in one way or another.

One meeting of note was one the Cardinals had with Chattanooga offensive lineman McClendon Curtis.

According to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Curtis had “exceptional meetings” at the Senior Bowl with multiple teams, including the Cardinals.

Curtis can play both guard and both tackle positions. He started more than 35 games for the Mocs. He is 6-foot-6 and more than 325 pounds.

He will likely be a Day 3 selection or free agent, depending on his testing numbers at the NFL combine.

He has the build and physical strength to play in the league. It will be a question of athleticism and technique.

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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Jaguars reportedly keeping close tabs on Chattanooga OL McClendon Curtis

The Jaguars “routinely sent scouts” to Chattanooga to watch McClendon Curtis.

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t shied away from showing interest in Chattanooga offensive lineman McClendon Curtis, according to a report.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Jaguars “routinely sent scouts” to Chattanooga to watch Curtis and had an “exceptional” meeting with the offensive lineman at the 2023 Senior Bowl.

Curtis started 38 games for the Mocs and earned FCS All-American honors in 2022. The versatile lineman started 30 games at right guard, seven at left tackle, and one at left guard. The 6’5, 331-pounder likely projects as a guard in the NFL.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks Curtis as the fifth best guard in the draft class and he’s projected to be a mid-round selection.

The Jaguars shored up the interior of their line last offseason by signing Brandon Scherff to a three-year, $49.5 million deal and drafting center Luke Fortner in the third round. Still, the team has some uncertainty at left guard with Ben Bartch and Tyler Shatley at the position. Bartch won a training camp battle for the role, but suffered a season-ending knee injury.

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Report: Saints had ‘exceptional’ meeting with Chattanooga OL McClendon Curtis

Report: Chattanooga offensive guard/tackle McClendon Curtis had ‘exceptional’ meeting with Saints, including long chat with head coach Dennis Allen

Every prospect in the 2023 NFL draft is going to have at least some kind of contact with the New Orleans Saints by the time the event starts in late April, so you don’t want to make too much out of every meeting and conversation. But you do want to tap in when you hear about “exceptional” visits with college prospects.

The Draft Network’s Justin Melo reports that Saints head coach Dennis Allen had an “extended” chat with Chattanooga offensive lineman McClendon Curtis, who performed well at Senior Bowl practices early in February. He’s a versatile player who only allowed four sacks on over 900 snaps in pass protection in college, and who has played capably at left tackle, right guard, and left guard with the experience to line up at right tackle.

Curtis fits the mold the Saints have been looking for in past drafts. He was selected as a team captain in 2022, and he has started 38 of his 49 career games. And he sure stands out from the crowd at 6-foot-5 and 331 pounds, with 35-inch arms and a 7-foot wingspan. New Orleans last drafted a player from Chattanooga in 2015, selecting pass rusher Davis Tull (though injuries kept him from ever getting on the field).

Melo adds that he’s drawn the attention of a couple of teams including New Orleans, the Arizona Cardinals, and repeat visits from the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s projected to be a fourth- or fifth-round pick, but he could continue to boost his stock with a strong combine performance this week.

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