Tag: nfl.com

Broncos’ 2022 draft class gets C- grade from NFL.com one year later

One year later, the NFL’s official website has given the Broncos a C- grade for their 2022 draft class.

The early returns on the Denver Broncos’ 2022 NFL draft class haven’t been great. Granted, it is early, but NFL.com’s Eric Edholm recently graded each class from last spring and the Broncos received a C- mark.

With their first pick, Denver selected pass rusher Nik Bonitto in the second round. He went on to start just one game and totaled only 1.5 sacks as a rookie. The team’s next pick, tight end Greg Dulcich, showed flashes of potential last year, and cornerback Damarri Mathis was a pleasant surprise.

The rest of the class is full of unknowns. Time will tell if DL Eyioma Uwazurike, DB Delarrin Turner-Yell, WR Montrell Washington, OL Luke Wattenberg, DL Matt Henningsen and CB Faion Hicks turn into key contributors for the Broncos down the road.

“[I]t would be a stretch to suggest that this group suddenly appears to be more than a middling overall lot with a few contributors,” Edholm wrote on NFL.com.

Elsewhere in the AFC West, Edholm gave a B+ to the Kansas City Chiefs, a C+ to the Los Angeles Chargers and a D+ to the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Ravens QB Lamar Jackson ranked outside of top 10 QBs by NFL.com

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was ranked outside of the top 10 in a list from NFL.com

Now that the 2022 season has come to end with the Kansas City Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, NFL.com has ranked all 68 starting quarterbacks who started at least one game.

Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, despite playing in only 12 games this season, came in at No. 12 on the list. Jackson was No. 14 in 2021, No. 7 in 2020 and of course first overall in 2019, his MVP season. Right above Jackson at No. 11 is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott with the now-retired Tom Brady at No. 10.

Greg Roman is out the door, replaced by a play-caller in Todd Monken with Air Raid roots and an open desire to throw the ball downfield. It’s fair to wonder what that means for Lamar after a string of injury-ravaged seasons inside a ground-heavy scheme that leaned hard on his magical legs. It’s also fair to wonder if Jackson, a pending free agent who seeks a Deshaun Watson-level sum of guaranteed cash, will remain in Baltimore. The Ravens can tag him, and I fully expect them to go that route if a long-term deal can’t be struck. Then again, we’ve got NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah pegging Florida passer Anthony Richardson to the club at No. 22 overall. Weird days ahead!

The top four quarterbacks on the list are Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. It’s quite possible that if the Philadelphia Eagles had won the Super Bowl that Hurts would’ve moved ahead of Mahomes for the top spot.

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Vikings get aggressive cornerback in latest NFL Mock Draft

The Minnesota Vikings need help at cornerback. On Friday, Cynthia Frelund sent them a physical corner in her latest NFL Mock Draft.

When Brian Flores was hired as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator for the upcoming season, fans immediately recognized that this would be a more aggressive-style defense. The Vikings will need that throughout their defense, but especially at cornerback.

On Friday, Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com released her latest mock draft and had the Vikings taking Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo.

“The Vikings’ secondary could benefit in particular from Ringo’s change-of-direction speed.”

Ringo is a big, physical cornerback who can help fill a need at cornerback for the Vikings. There are some concerns about his athleticism, though. While he does have good speed, there has been speculation that maybe he’d be better suited for the safety position. If the Vikings go this route and take Ringo, there will be some coaching involved in order to help him reach his full potential.

If the Vikings are successful in tapping into that potential, they could have their first lockdown corner since Xavier Rhodes.

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NFL.com’s Eric Edholm mocks cornerback Kelee Ringo to the Vikings

Getting a high-upside cornerback would be a fun move for the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings have a dire need at the cornerback position, especially with only Cameron Dantzler, Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans. The intriguing element with the position itself is that it is a weak link system. You don’t need a great cornerback, just don’t have a weakness there.

NFL.com’s Eric Edholm sees that the Vikings have a need and sent them a high-upside cornerback in Georgia’s Kelee Ringo.

“Patrick Peterson is a free agent, and the Vikings needed corner help last season with Peterson on the roster. Ringo isn’t a first-round prospect for everyone, but he’s gifted enough to gamble on here.”

The selection of Ringo is absolutely a gamble, but the athleticism is superb. His size at 6’2″ and 205 lbs is excellent when it comes to physicality and ball skills. The issue is that he isn’t a fluid athlete. He doesn’t flip his hips well and going laterally isn’t a strength, but he will thrive in drop zones.

Gregg Rosenthal ranks Drew Brees 12th among 66 all-time Super Bowl QBs

NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal ranked Drew Brees 12th among 66 all-time Super Bowl QBs, placing among what he calls “the best second tier ever”

The NFL is a week away from kicking off Super Bowl LVII, but how do the previous 66 quarterbacks to start in its 56 previous championship games stack up against each other? That’s an exercise NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal set out to answer, with the standard set from from No.1 (Tom Brady) to No. 66 (Rex Grossman). Where does New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV-champion Drew Brees slot in?

Brees was listed at No. 12 overall, in the second tier of quarterbacks to have played in a Super Bowl, but it’s honestly not bad company to keep. Brees makes up what Rosenthal deems “the best second tier ever” among Hall of Famers like Steve Young, John Elway, and Roger Staubach, as well as Green Bay Packers legend Bart Starr. Like Starr, Rosenthal reckons that Brees’ reputation takes a hit for the era he played in, writing:

“He only earned one first-team All-Pro nod, because he was so often behind Brady, Manning and Rodgers, but his longevity and consistency were remarkable. He was nearly always a top-five quarterback in New Orleans.”

Brees was outshined by media darlings who accomplished less with more help than Brees ever got in New Orleans, which cost him when it came time to vote for things like All-Pro lists and the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade team. It’s a shame that voters gravitated to overhyped quarterbacks who Brees often beat head-to-head, but it is what it is. They’ll all end up enshrined in Canton together anyway.

We’re forgetting someone, though. The other player listed in this second tier is a bit of an outlier compared to his peers. Kansas City Chiefs wunderkind Patrick Mahomes is listed at No. 10 after going 1-1 in Super Bowl matchups so early in his career. He’ll have an opportunity to improve to 2-1 in next week’s title game. Ironically, Mahomes could have taken the reins from Brees once upon a time had Sean Payton drafted him, which he’s so eager to remind us about. We’ll never know if Mahomes could have followed up Brees’ success in New Orleans, so we’ll just remind ourselves to be grateful for the memories and for what Brees accomplished in black and gold.

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NFL.com names 7 possible landing spots for Tom Brady in free agency

So, where would the GOAT go?

Tom Brady may have played his last snap for the Buccaneers. After being eliminated in embarrassing fashion by the Cowboys in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs, Brady reportedly made some observers feel like it was his last game in Tampa.

If that’s the case, it makes Brady one of the top free agents this year. Despite his age (he’s now 45) Brady is still playing at an obscene level and the Bucs’ struggles this year compared to the prior two seasons had to do with their supporting cast – not any fault of Brady’s.

So, where would the GOAT go?

Marc Sessler at NFL.com has some ideas. He has listed the following seven teams as potential destinations for TB12:

– Las Vegas Raiders
– Miami Dolphins
– San Francisco 49ers
– Carolina Panthers
– Tennessee Titans
– New England Patriots
– New York Jets

All of these teams have a case, but only one of them lost a first-round pick because they were willing to break the league’s tampering rules to get him. Miami should probably be considered the frontrunner if Brady does hit the market.

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NFL.com: Seahawks should pick up Jordyn Brooks’ fifth-year option

Consider us a no on this one.

The Seahawks have some tough choices to make this offseason. Among them, they have until May 1 to decide whether or not to pick up linebacker Jordyn Brooks’ fifth-year option.

Even though Brooks has struggled on the field and suffered an ACL tear a few weeks ago, Marc Ross at NFL.com, says Seattle should pick it up.

“Brooks has been a steady presence in Pete Carroll’s young defense. He came on strong in his second and third seasons, ranking second in the NFL with 183 tackles in 2021 and fourth with 161 in 2022. The ACL injury that ended his season in Week 16 might give some pause, but I would still exercise the option for a player who became one of the team’s defensive leaders following Bobby Wagner‘s exit last offseason. Presuming Brooks can return to form, he will be a cornerstone Seattle for a long time.”

Consider us a no on this one.

For one thing, it wouldn’t be cheap. Over the Cap is projecting that Brooks’ fifth-year option is worth $11,558,000. Moreover, picking Brooks at No. 27 overall was always the wrong call in our book. If they were dead-set on taking an off-ball linebacker at that spot they should have taken LSU’s Patrick Queen, who went to the Ravens with the next pick.

While he’s made strides in other areas in three years, Brooks has been unable to post a PFF coverage grade over 43.4. That’s proven to be where the Seahawks defense is most vulnerable – especially when facing the 49ers and the Rams twice a year.

Brooks’ recent ACL injury makes it even less likely that he’ll become a high performer at his position, where he ranked No. 131 this season according to PFF’s grades.

Given his expertise and experience with Sean Desai, trading for Roquan Smith would have been the best move to make – but once again Baltimore got the guy we wanted – dealing a second-round pick to the Bears for Smith before signing him to a five-year, $100 million deal.

Looking ahead, there are a couple quality free agents at this position that are about to hit the market, including Lavonte David and Deion Jones. The Seahawks could also decide to try out Tanner Muse, who would be cheap to re-sign. However, their best chance at resetting here is using a draft pick.

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Who are the experts predicting to win in Chargers vs. Jaguars?

Find out who national pundits are favoring in the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Los Angeles Chargers are 2-point favorites over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round. The over/under is 47.5 points, per Tipico Sportsbook.

That means oddsmakers are taking bets on whether the two teams will combine to score more than or fewer than 47.5 points.

My score prediction for the game is a 27-24 win for the Chargers, with a total of 51 points. So if I were putting money behind my prediction, I’d bet the over.

As for expert predictions, they are split, with the Jaguars slightly favored. Over at NFL Pick Watch, which compiles the list of expert picks, 51% are picking Jacksonville to win.

The showdown between the Chargers and Jaguars is arguably the most evenly matched.

Saturday’s game will begin at 5:15 p.m. PT and will be televised on NBC.

Who are the experts taking in Chargers vs. Titans?

Find out who national pundits are favoring in the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans.

The Los Angeles Chargers are 3-point favorites over the Tennessee Titans in Week 15 of the 2022 regular season. The over/under is 46.5 points, per Tipico Sportsbook.

That means oddsmakers are taking bets on whether the two teams will combine to score more than or fewer than 46.5 points.

My score prediction for the game is a 27-20 win for the Chargers, with a total of 47 points. So if I were putting money behind my prediction, I’d bet the over.

As for game picks, analysts are favoring Brandon Staley’s squad.

Expert Pick
Nate Davis (USA Today) Titans
Jarrett Bell (USA Today) Chargers
Mike Clay (ESPN) Chargers
Matt Bowen (ESPN) Chargers
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Chargers
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Titans
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Media) Chargers
Bleacher Report Chargers

Sunday’s game will begin at 1:25 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

Who are the experts taking in Chargers vs. Dolphins?

Find out who national pundits are favoring in the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins.

The Los Angeles Chargers are 3.5-point underdogs to the Miami Dolphins in Week 14 of the 2022 regular season. The over/under is 52 points, per Tipico Sportsbook.

That means oddsmakers are taking bets on whether the two teams will combine to score more than or fewer than 52 points.

My score prediction for the game is a 31-26 win for the Dolphins, with a total of 57 points. So if I were putting money behind my prediction, I’d bet the over.

As for game picks, analysts are favoring Mike McDaniel’s squad.

Expert Pick
Nate Davis (USA Today) Dolphins
Jarrett Bell (USA Today) Dolphins
Mike Clay (ESPN) Dolphins
Matt Bowen (ESPN) Dolphins
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Chargers
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Dolphins
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Media) Dolphins
Bleacher Report Dolphins

Sunday’s game will begin at 5:20 p.m. PT and will be televised on NBC.