Tag: Micah Parson

Former Ohio State star C.J. Stroud shows he’s not just a football player

On the court, the diamond or the football field, Stroud can do it all. #GoBucks

Over the last few days, we have started to see what kind of athlete former Ohio State quarterback [autotag]C.J. Stroud[/autotag] is.

One instance involved a story about him putting up 40 points against NBA player Jaime Jaquez in high school. Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parson has a podcast called The Edge, and Stroud was a guest recently. He told the current Dallas Cowboys star that he light up Jaquez while they were both prepping in California.

Jaquez went on to star at UCLA, gaining All-American honors, Pac-12 Player of the year in 2023, and was the first round pick of the Miami Heat.

That’s not Stroud’s only exploit away from the gridiron, as he participated in rapper Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Celebrity Softball Classic. To no one’s surprise, the NFL Rookie of the Year was ripping dingers.

Stroud is quite the impressive athlete and every is starting to see that he can do most things at a pretty high level.

Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X.

Browns DE Myles Garrett still dominating despite difficult assignments

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett leads the NFL in several advanced pass rusher stats.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett proved once again to be in a class above the rest of the NFL. The veteran pass rusher pushed his sack total to 8.5 on the year after the Browns’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8, which is tied for third in the league. Garrett also ranks second in quarterback hits with 17 and seventh in quarterback pressures with 21.

But more than that, Garrett is playing well and winning at the line of scrimmage in the face of more difficult assignments relative to the rest of the league.

Garrett’s Pro Football Focus pass rush grade over expectation relative to his blocking assignment outpaces the rest of the position by a sizable margin:

And his pass rush efficiency rate is also atop the league and ahead of other stars like Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals and Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys:

Garrett has done this all, again, in spite of some of the toughest assignments in the league. He’s been doubled teamed 28 percent of the time, per ESPN, which ranks second behind only Parsons. And yet, Garrett’s still managed to win at a league-high rate of 32 percent.

This isn’t new him, though. Garrett’s been one of the best at his positions since the Browns took him No. 1 overall in 2017. And he’s only gotten better with age. Garrett tallied at least 10 sacks in each of his past five seasons and recorded 16 sacks in each of the past two seasons. He finished the past three seasons with at least a 26 percent pass rush win rate, per ESPN, and Garrett’s 83 career sacks also rank second among all defensive players since 2017.

Garrett is clearly one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, and the hiring of Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator appears to have only ratcheted up Garrett’s ability on the defensive line.

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Former Texas A&M DL and current Baltimore Raven Justin Madubuike has more sacks this season than several NFL stars

Former Texas A&M standout DT and current Baltimore Raven Justin Madubuike currently has more sacks this season than multiple NFL stars.

Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike has been on a tear in 2023, as the former Texas A&M defensive star has come into his own in his third season with the Franchise. Sitting atop the AFC North at 5-2 after seven weeks, Madubuike has already accumulated 23 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and five tackles for loss, leading the team in sacks.

Tied for 9th with his impressive sack total, the athletic defensive lineman has already surpassed several notable defensive superstars with his total, including ascending Detroit Lions pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson (4.5 sacks) and star Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (5.0 sacks).

Given how he came up in the league, this current wave of high production isn’t surprising. As a 3rd-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Madubuike rose to underrated stardom, joining a deep Ravens defensive line filled with names, including nose tackle Michael Pierce.

Playing at the left defensive end in defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s 3-4 base system, he has wreaked havoc on opposing guards, consistently winning on bull rushes while showing impressive speed to track down the quarterback outside the pocket. Coming out of Texas A&M, from 2017-2019,  Madubuike recorded 105 tackles and 11 sacks, including back-to-back 5.5 sacks total in 2018-2019, and 24.5 tackles for loss.

During his time in Aggieland, Madubuike’s work ethic and natural ability made him a fan favorite during his three memorable seasons playing his last two for current head coach Jimbo Fisher. With ten regular season games remaining, who knows what kind of sack numbers the 25-year-old can finish with? At this point, the sky’s the limit.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

3 matchups to watch in Washington vs. Cowboys Week 16 rematch

Three key matchups to watch in Washington vs. Cowboys rematch.

The Washington Football Team is back on the road Sunday for another NFC East battle with the Dallas Cowboys. To say it’s been a strange December for Washington would be an understatement.

Sunday’s game in Dallas will be Washington’s second vs. Cowboys in 14 days — five days after playing a road game in Philadelphia on a Tuesday night. Washington’s roster has been ravaged with injuries and COVID-19 since just before its last meeting with Dallas on Dec. 12.

Washington enters Week 16 with more bad news on the injury front, as cornerback William Jackson III and safety Landon Collins are out. Facing the Cowboys wide receivers without your top corner spells trouble. Then, you have Collins, arguably Washington’s second-best defender the last 10 weeks.

Here are three critical matchups that will determine the outcome of this NFC East rematch.

Why you should place bet for Chargers’ Asante Samuel Jr. to win Defensive Rookie of the Year

Asante Samuel Jr. has the opportunity to earn the prestigious award.

This is typically a prime time for betting for the upcoming NFL season.

There’s an individual award that should intrigue sports bettors, as cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is tied for the eighth-best odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year at +3000, per Tipico Sportsbook.

That means if you place a $100 bet and Samuel wins the award, you pocket $3000.

The current favorite is Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons who was taken with the No. 12 overall selection.

Like offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, somehow teams let Samuel Jr. fall to Los Angeles’ lap in the second-round where they drafted him.

Size concerns likely forced the slide, but that never held him back at Florida State as he stymied top receivers on a weekly basis en route to posting 97 tackles, 29 passes defensed and four interceptions over 31 games.

Now in the best situation possible by playing for defensive guru Brandon Staley, Samuel has been shining this summer. Whether it’s been in coverage or in run support, his presence his been felt.

While he appears to be a long-shot, I wouldn’t rule out Samuel as a serious contender for the award. His ability to always be around the football would tally up the stat sheet, which would then increase his chances.

The last two winners at the cornerback position were Marcus Peters (2015) and Marshon Lattimore (2017). The two posted eight interceptions and 26 passes defensed and five picks and 18 passes broken up respectively.

The bottom line is that if you’re a bettor, this is one you should place now rather than later into the season. Again, bet $100 to win $3500. Nothing to lose here.

Daniel Jeremiah has Patriots staying at No. 15, selecting elite defensive player

In this mock draft, the Patriots remain at No. 15 and build up the defense.

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Following an unprecedented splurge during free agency for the New England Patriots, the focus is now on the NFL draft.

Re-signing Cam Newton checked a veteran quarterback off the Patriots’ list heading into next season, but it’s still possible they find someone in the draft to gear toward the future. Will it be in the first round? It’s hard to tell with all the moving pieces in the draft, but the Patriots likely would have to trade up to get one of the highly-touted prospects.

Trevor Lawrence is a surefire No. 1 pick, but the options of Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Trey Lance and Zach Wilson will all be on the table within the top 10. There’s a few quarterback-needy teams ahead of the Patriots and that’s why NFL media’s Daniel Jeremiah has Bill Belichick staying put at No. 15 and building onto his defensive unit.

Jeremiah wouldn’t be surprised if the Patriots traded up, but believes they will select Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

“The Patriots have been bold this offseason, so I won’t be shocked if they decide to trade up for a quarterback,” Jeremiah said. “If they stay put, Parsons has the versatility to fit in New England.”

Parsons appeared in recent mock drafts to fall to the Patriots and he’s one of the most versatile, talented linebackers in this year’s draft. He opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, but tallied 191 total tackles with 6.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in two seasons at Penn State.

He’s 6-foot-3, 245 pounds and runs a 4.43 40-yard dash — giving him the perfect sideline-to-sideline ability Belichick needs for his defense. If the Patriots drafted Parsons, he’d play alongside Dont’a Hightower, Matthew Judon, Kyle Van Noy, Chase Winovich, Josh Uche and other talented players.

The Patriots’ roster is revamped and lightyears better than 2020, but the addition of Parsons could take it to the next level.

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7 players Washington would be lucky to get in the 2021 NFL Draft

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we take a look at the 7 players who Washington would be lucky to grab in the first round of the 2021 draft.

To celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day, we figured it might be time to call on the luck of the Irish. The focus here is not free agency, though we might like a little bit of luck to swing in Washington’s direction when it comes to convincing some big-named players to come to D.C. for a year or two. Instead, we are looking at the NFL draft, and taking a look at 7 players who Washington would be lucky to grab.

For this exercise, we’re going to keep things restricted to the first round, because after that, any player that you’d be lucky enough to get has already been passed up on. You had your chance. Here are our 7 nominees: