Tag: NFL

2020 NFL mock draft: Updated 3-round projections

With NFL playoff runs and college football conference title games on the horizon, here’s an updated three-round mock for the 2020 NFL draft

The holiday season is upon us, which means crunch time across both levels of the football landscape.

Only four weeks remain the NFL regular season, which means the top portion of the league is jockeying for playoff position, while the league’s bottom-feeders are competing for draft position over the final month.

In the college football world, Rivalry Week is behind us and conference title games are next on the docket as top prospects and sleepers alike try to put the finishing touches on their on-field resumes to show NFL decision-makers this offseason.

Here’s an updated look at how the first three rounds of the 2020 NFL draft could shake out, using the latest updated order:

1. CINCINNATI BENGALS

Joe Burrow | QB | LSU

For the longest time now, it’s seemed Tua Tagovailoa was written into this spot with permanent marker. But Burrow’s performance so far this season has launched him into the No. 1 overall conversation, while a hip injury has ended Tagovailoa’s season. Burrow looks like the real deal in every way.

2. NEW YORK GIANTS

Chase Young | EDGE | Ohio State

This team has needs on offense if they want Daniel Jones to develop quickly, but there’s no way the Giants should pass on the best overall prospect in this class. Landing a rare talent like Young would be a huge steal, even at No. 2 overall.

3. WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Jerry Jeudy | WR | Alabama

This is a tough call between giving Dwayne Haskins a replacement for Trent Williams at left tackle, or this year’s most polished and electrifying pass-catcher. Jeudy is one of the most pro-ready prospects in this draft, giving him the slight edge here.

4. MIAMI DOLPHINS

Tua Tagovailoa | QB | Alabama

After his season-ending hip injury, Tagovailoa is obviously the biggest wild-card in this year’s class. He’s since had successful surgery, and is expected to make a full recovery. That being the case, I’m leaving him in this spot for now. If his recovery has any setbacks that cause him to miss key workouts leading up to the draft, his stock could still take a hit.

5. ATLANTA FALCONS

Jeff Okudah | CB | Ohio State

In today’s NFL, you can never have too many quality corners. The Falcons may have more pressing needs elsewhere, but with this pick, they land one of the fastest-rising prospects in the country. Okudah is keeping up the trend of sending blue-chip defensive backs from Columbus to the pros.

6. DETROIT LIONS

Derrick Brown | DL | Auburn

Matt Patricia’s defense needs more help across the board in the trenches, making this pick a choice between the best value at defensive tackle or on the edge. In this scenario, Brown’s incredible athleticism and limitless upside give him the nod.

7. ARIZONA CARDINALS

Andrew Thomas | OT | Georgia

The Cards need to protect their investment in 2019 No. 1 pick Kyler Murray, and that means getting him a franchise left tackle. Thomas is a polished, powerful blocker who could be a plug-and-play starter in one of the NFL’s most vastly improved offenses.

8. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

CeeDee Lamb | WR | Oklahoma

No matter who is playing quarterback for the Jags next year, that passer will need a blue-chip No. 1 receiver to make this offense reach its potential. Lamb has been a one-man highlight reel all season long, and has all the tools to be that player from Day 1.

9. NEW YORK JETS

Tristan Wirfs | OT | Iowa

The primary objective for the Jets here? Protect your investment in franchise quarterback Sam Darnold. They luck out in this scenario, landing one of this year’s top offensive tackles just inside the top 10. Wirfs is a pro-ready blocker who would be an immediate upgrade on either side.

10. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Justin Herbert | QB | Oregon

Philip Rivers is at the end of a Hall of Fame career, and it’s time for the Bolts to find his long-term replacement. Herbert could have been a high draft pick last year, but he returned to school to polish his game. He’s done just that, and should be plenty worthy of a top-10 pick.

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Cardinals sign DL Caraun Reid, promote Kylie Fitts, Tanner Vallejo to active roster

The Cardinals also released Pete Robertson.

The Arizona Cardinals made some roster moves Wednesday as they began the week of practice in Week 14. They had two open roster spots after waiving cornerback Tramaine Brock and running back Zach Zenner on Monday. They added a third vacancy by releasing linebacker Pete Robertson, who spent most of the season on the practice squad and promoted in November.

To fill those vacancies, they promoted two from the practice squad and signed a veteran.

They signed veteran defensive lineman Caraun Reid, as Jonathan Bullard is expected to miss a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury.

Reid has not been in the league this year. It is his sixth NFL season and he has played for the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys. He has played in 44 career games, starting 13. He has 46 career tackles, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two fumbles recoveries, both of which he returned for touchdowns.

The Cardinals promoted linebackers Tanner Vallejo and Kylie Fitts from the practice squad to the active roster.

Vallejo was signed to the practice squad last month after he was released by the Washington Redskins. He played nine games for them after he was released after the preseason by the Cardinals. He plays inside linebacker.

Fitts has been on the practice squad all season. He was a sixth-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2018 and played in seven games as a rookie. He is a 6-4, 260-pound outside linebacker.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Rams vs. Seahawks: 4 things to know for Week 14 matchup

The Rams and Seahawks will once again meet in prime time.

(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

The Rams and Seahawks will meet for the second time this season on Sunday, and once again, it will be in prime time. The Seahawks won the first matchup narrowly, escaping with a 30-29 win after Greg Zuerlein missed a potential game-winning field goal.

The Rams are back for revenge, needing a win to stay in the hunt for a postseason berth in the NFC. Here are four things to know ahead of this pivotal game.

Rams haven’t had trouble scoring vs. Seattle

The Seahawks are typically known for having stout defenses, but the Rams haven’t had any trouble scoring against them in recent years. In their last four meetings, the Rams have scored at least 29 points each time, going 3-1 in that span. The Seahawks have scored 30 points in each of their last three games against the Rams, but in Dec. 2017, they were held to just seven points in the Rams’ 42-7 rout.

Seattle’s defense hasn’t been very good this season, ranking 24th in yards per game. The Seahawks are stout against the run, though, allowing just 99.6 yards per game (8th in NFL).

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Steelers vs Cardinals: 3 players who must step up this week

We want to see big games from these Steelers vs the Cardinals.

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It seems every week we are wondering which new face will step up for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is the nature of the game when you are dealing with injuries and this week will be no different. The Steelers continue to hold onto a playoff spot despite playing without any of their top skill players on offense. Which guys will step up this week against Arizona?

WR Tevin Jones

Jones has bided his time on the practice squad and is finally getting his shot. It is hard to have expectations too high but with Devlin Hodges getting his third start it’s great Jones is starting to come into his own. We have seen Hodges and James Washington find their chemistry and this week we are counting on more from Jones as well.

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NFL Week 14 odds, betting lines: Titans favored over Raiders in match-up of playoff hopefuls

NFL Week 14 odds, betting lines: Titans favored over Raiders in match-up of playoff hopefuls

Sunday the Raiders return home following back-to-back road losses. There they will face a Titans team coming off three-straight wins, one of which was on the road in Indianapolis. Oddsmakers are clearly gauging these two teams by their recent performances and therefore have the Titans as 3-point favorites over the Raiders in Oakland.

Two weeks ago, the Titans were sitting at 5-5 and the Raiders were 6-4, coming off three-straight wins. Had these two teams met up then, the line would likely have been very different. But this is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ league and over the past couple weeks these two teams have headed in different directions.

The Raiders have been outscored 74-12 in New York and Kansas City while the Titans have outscored the Jaguars and Colts 73-37. And the game prior to that, they beat the Chiefs — a team that has blown out the Raiders twice this season by a combined score of 68-19.

The X-factor here is — outside of their 28-10 loss to the Chiefs in week two — the Raiders have played much better at home this season. They are 4-1 in Oakland. I don’t doubt the oddsmakers have factored that in when setting the line, but that doesn’t mean the Raiders can’t overcome it.

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The Eli Manning farewell tour is the perfect way to end this Giants season

Eli’s back!

Of course Eli Manning is back.

That’s the kind of season it’s been for the New York Giants. And now, with rookie QB Daniel Jones suffering what head coach Pat Shurmur deemed a “moderate high ankle sprain,” Manning — who was rightfully benched after too much checking down and some questionable arm strength, along with the fact that the Giants had spent a 2019 first-round pick on his replacement — will likely start, perhaps for the rest of the year.

It’s the footnote on a disaster of a year for Big Blue. After some magic from Jones in his first couple of starts (and Manning was all class throughout), there was Saquon Barkley returning from an ankle injury and not looking the same. There was the Jets fleecing the Giants with the Leonard Williams trade. The black cat invasion that made for a good punchline. And we haven’t even mentioned a defense that gives up big play after big play with a struggling secondary. There are calls for Pat Shurmur to be fired (and speculation about whether Dave Gettelman will hire his old Panthers pal Ron Rivera).

I figured Manning would play a series or two against the Eagles in the fourth quarter of their Week 17 matchup at MetLife Stadium, and that would be his presumed farewell that would end with the standing ovation he absolutely deserves. The storybook ending for a storied career, even if it didn’t land him in Canton.

But now — presuming the Giants do the smart thing and shut Jones down for the season — there will be Eli Face memes and jokes and “OMG did you see that dying duck throw that he tossed for an interception” tweets. It’s not the best way for Manning to finish his Giants career, but that’s likely what will happen in his quest to finish his career over .500:

There is a what if, one that would have the NFL world going nuts if he exploded in what could be his final games in the only uniform he’s worn in the league. What if he torches the very suspect Eagles secondary twice, takes it to the Redskins and throws for 350 yards against the Dolphins, who have a bottom-10 passing defense?

Would Tom Coughlin figure out a way to get rid of Nick Foles’ gargantuan contract to hand the backup QB keys to Manning? Would another team looking for a stopgap quarterback sign him in the hopes he could make some starts while a rookie waits in the wings?

Doubtful. Given the way things were going for the franchise and for Manning, it doesn’t seem likely he’ll find his inner 2012 Eli and flourish.

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‘Duck’ Hodges to start at QB for Steelers vs. Cardinals

Mike Tomlin likes what he has seen from the rookie QB on the road in a small sample size.

The Arizona Cardinals will face a rookie quarterback for only the second time this season when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. Head coach Mike Tomlin announced Tuesday that Devlin “Duck” Hodges would be the starter against the Cardinals.

Hodges is an undrafted rookie out of Samford. He is 2-0 as a starter and led the Steelers to a third win when he replaced Mason Rudolph in the second half of their game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tomlin has liked what he has seen from Hodges, especially on the road, although he recognizes his lack of experience.

“Duck will be our quarterback again this week,” he told reporters Tuesday. “He’s performed well in hostile environments but he just doesn’t have a big sample size. I like what I saw in L.A. I like what I saw in the second half in Cincinnati but he’s moving to his seventh quarter of road work.”

He was 14-of-21 passing for 212 yards, one touchdown and an interception on Sunday at home against the Cleveland Browns in a 20-13 win.

In his first NFL start, he led the Steelers to a 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on the road. He was 15-for-20 for 132 yards, one touchdown and one pick. In the second half in Cincinnati he completed 5-of-11 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.

The Cardinals have the league’s worst pass defense and have allowed over 300 passing yards in six of the last seven games and over 400 in their last two.

However, they only allowed 156 total passing yards to New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, the only game in the last seven they didn’t allow over 300 yards.

Hodges has been capable and has made big throws when he has needed to.

Pittsburgh will lean on their running game and defense to limit what he has to do.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Does Raiders QB Derek Carr need to be more aggressive?

Does Raiders QB Derek Carr need to be more aggressive?

One of the best things about Derek Carr throughout his career is his ability to complete a high percentage of his passes and not turn the ball over. The same is playing out this season as he has a completion percentage of 70.6 percent and has thrown only eight interceptions in 12 games.

However, Carr’s willingness to protect the ball rather than taking shots down the field might actually be hurting the Raiders’ offense. In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, the site discussed some of the reasons for the Raiders’ recent regression on offense. One of their biggest concerns was Carr’s average depth per target:

Speaking of regression, the Raiders came into the season with similar question marks at receiver, and despite breakout seasons from tight end Darren Waller and rookie wideout Hunter Renfrow, the lack of depth may be catching up. Oakland quarterback Derek Carr has not pushed the ball downfield nearly enough, especially during the blowout losses over the last two weeks where his average depth of target is only 6.4, third-lowest in the league during that time. Carr has all of the necessary big-time throws in his arsenal, but either his conservatism or perhaps a lack of downfield playmakers has hindered Oakland’s ability to create big plays in the passing game.

The lack of consistent receivers has certainly hurt Carr’s willingness to throw down the field, but their franchise quarterback needs to keep defenses honest. Opposing defensive coordinators know that Oakland wants to throw the ball short, and they are now able to take that away.

Over the next four weeks, the success of the Raiders’ offense might rely on Carr being able to throw the ball down the field with accuracy to create big plays. If that doesn’t happen, expect the team’s struggles on offense to continue.

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