Tag: Ochaun Mathis

Sean McVay revealed why the Rams haven’t brought in a veteran edge rusher

The Rams have yet to sign a veteran edge rusher this offseason and Sean McVay explained why.

The Los Angeles Rams took three edge rushers during the 2023 NFL draft and many believed they would still potentially add a veteran to round out the pass-rushing unit. The Rams reported to training camp without a veteran edge rusher on the roster this week and Sean McVay explained why the team has decided against adding an experienced outside linebacker thus far.

“I think there was,” McVay said of whether there was consideration given to adding a veteran edge rusher. “When the trajectory of the draft unfolded the way that it did that we were able to get three players that are all kind of different in their own right when you talk about Byron (Young), you talk about Nick (Hampton) and you talk about Ochaun (Mathis) from that outside linebacker position. In addition to watching Michael Hoecht continue to show himself, Daniel Hardy was a guy that did not get a lot of opportunities last year because of some health issues that really flashed in the spring. And so, because we have got so many young guys at that position that are really competing, it was something that we talked about but I think just based on the landscape of the roster and the way that we ended up drafting three players from that position you had some other young guys, did not want to go that direction and then there was some limitations in terms of alright, what are you able to do and what kind of player are you able to really bring in at a position like that?”

During this year’s draft, the Rams took Byron Young, Nick Hampton, and Ochaun Mathis in hopes to bolster their pass-rushing unit. All three of them bring different skill sets and there’s a chance that all of them get an opportunity to see meaningful snaps sooner rather than later.

Besides the rookies, McVay spoke about the emergence of Hoecht last season. He made the transition from interior defender to edge rusher in 2022, and he’s continued to take all of his snaps off of the edge this offseason.

Hardy, who was a seventh-round pick by the Rams in the 2022 NFL draft, is another name that McVay mentioned. Hardy was extremely productive in college, but injuries prevented him from seeing the field much as a rookie last season.

There are still some solid veterans available at the edge rusher position like Jadeveon Clowney, Yannick Ngakoue, Justin Houston, and Melvin Ingram. Even though the Rams could use experience at the edge rusher spot, McVay believes in the young guys the team currently has.

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Bathroom break caused Ochaun Mathis to miss Rams’ draft call

Ochaun Mathis missed the Rams’ draft call because he was in the bathroom, but he came out to a celebration

Ochaun Mathis was probably sitting with one hand on his phone for the last two days as he awaited a call from an NFL team telling him he’d been drafted. He got that call on Saturday afternoon when the Los Angeles Rams selected him with the 189th overall pick, but he missed it.

Because timing is everything, Mathis happened to be in the bathroom when the Rams called him to share the good news. When he came out, he was greeted to a celebration at his draft party.

It’s not the way he hoped his draft day would go, but hey, at least it makes for a funny story.

Mathis joins the Rams as the third edge rusher they’ve selected in the draft this year, along with Byron Young and Nick Hampton. He was somewhat of a sleeper after putting up poor testing numbers at the combine, but he should help the Rams’ pass rush as a situational player on defense.

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Rams select Nebraska OLB Ochaun Mathis with 189th overall pick in 2023 NFL draft

The Rams have used the 189th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft on OLB Ochaun Mathis out of Nebraska.

The Los Angeles Rams continue to make a concerted effort to turn their fortunes around when it comes to rushing the passer. To give them their third edge rusher in the 2023 NFL draft, the Rams have selected Nebraska outside linebacker Ochaun Mathis with the 189th overall pick in the sixth round.

Mathis spent the first four years of his collegiate career at TCU before transferring to Nebraska in 2022. In his lone year at Nebraska, Mathis tallied 48 tackles, five tackles for loss, and three sacks.

At the NFL scouting combine, Mathis registered a 4.74 40-yard dash and a 1.64 10-yard split. Mathis is a taller, lengthier edge rusher at 6-foot-5 with 35-inch arms, and despite his lack of sack production, he has the traits to develop into a formidable edge defender for the Rams.

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Does Texas football now have championship level defense?

We might be underestimating the Texas defense.

You have heard plenty about the Texas offense since the end of the 2022 season. Led by big-name talents Kelvin Banks, Xavier Worthy, Quinn Ewers and Ja’Tavion Sanders, the unit will rightfully garner attention. The state of the opposite side of the line of scrimmage merits recognition as well.

The Texas defense, led by Pete Kwiatkowski, went from awful to good last season. It has the ability to become great this season.

The Longhorns lost a handful of key pieces from that side of the football. Keondre Coburn, Moro Ojomo, DeMarvion Overshown, D’Shawn Jamison and Anthony Cook leave the biggest voids. However, the returning players paired with impact recruits and transfers make Texas a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side.

Let’s look at a few reasons Texas could have a championship level defense in 2023.

Prospect preview: Nebraska Huskers top prospects for Week Zero

Prospect preview: Nebraska Huskers top prospects for week zero

The 2022 college football season has arrived and we have been blessed with a pretty exciting match-up right off the rip in the Nebraska Huskers against the Northwestern Wildcats in a week zero Big Ten conference match-up. Now, most of the drama will be filled with talk of Scott Frost and his job security. In all honesty, Nebraska should destroy Northwestern, but for the purposes of Cleveland Browns fans, we will likely be watching this game to see any possible future Browns.

The Huskers have always had a fairly talented roster and last year featured stud offensive lineman Cam Jurgens and stud defensive back, Cam Taylor-Britt. Let’s see what Nebraska has for us this season.

Who are the most talented transfers entering the 2022 season?

Who are the most talented players to switch teams during the offseason?

Outside of conference realignment, the transfer portal has been a topic of conversation in college football. A system that once heavily restricted the ability of athletes to change schools has now become a world where athletes can leave their current school without penalty, and some coaches are even accused of actively recruiting other schools’ scholarship athletes. And one of the more aggressive teams in the 2022 transfer portal was the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

In fact, 247Sports ranked the Huskers as having the No. 7 portal class sandwiched between No. 6 Alabama and No. 8 UCLA. Nebraska ended up adding 16 new players overall to their roster heading into this year. The two biggest stars of the class are former Arizona State Corner Back Tommi Hill and former TCU Edge Rusher Ochaun Mathis. Did either of these two make the list of the “most talented transfers entering 2022?” Scroll below and take a look at who author Brad Crawford says are the most talented transfers of the upcoming season.

Top 25 Pass Rushers ranked by “Godfather of Recruiting”

A Husker made the list but where?

In 2021 the Nebraska Cornhuskers were one of the worst pass-rushing teams in the entire country. In 12 games, the team ranked 98th overall and only had 20 total sacks on the season for an average of 1.67 sacks a game. They were tied with those other elite pass-rushing units along with Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisiana Tech, Texas, and Washington.

A new list by the “Godfather of Recruiting” Mike Farrell of MikeFerrellSports.com recently ranked the Top 50 pass rushers in college football. One Husker has made the list and is placed in the Top 25, so we here at Cornhuskerwire have listed the Top 25 pass rushers in college football headed into 2021.

Nebraska used the transfer portal and “Name, Image, and Likeness” to improve their pass rush heading into the 2022 season. We’ll find out on August 27th if those offseason moves have made the difference or if the struggles from 2021 will continue into this season. Only time will tell.

Scroll below to look at the Top 25 and find out where the one Husker (you’ve probably figured out which one) is ranked.

Nebraska EDGE Named to Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List

A Nebraska Cornhuskers EDGE was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list.

On July 26, Nebraska Cornhuskers edge rusher Ochaun Mathis was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list. Recent winners of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy have included Zaven Collins, Chase Young, and Bradley Chubb.

Ndamukong Suh is the only Nebraska player to win the trophy. He won it in 2009.

Mathis transferred from TCU to Nebraska this offseason. At TCU, he played at an extremely high level. In 2020, he had eight sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in 10 games.

Mathis was a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2020 and 2021. He was also an Honorable-Mention Big-12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2020.

Mathis seems primed for a big season for the Cornhuskers.

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Iowa Hawkeyes 2022 schedule breakdown: Nebraska

What players do Iowa fans need to know about for the Hawkeyes’ regular-season finale against the Cornhuskers from inside Kinnick Stadium?

Here it is, the last game of the season! Hopefully, Iowa is standing at an 11-0 record with upsets over Ohio State and Michigan and the Cornhuskers represent their last stop before the Big Ten Championship… and then the national championship. Whether or not this is indeed the reality (we can certainly hope), Nebraska is a heck of a game to end the season on.

The Cornhuskers are an extremely interesting team with how they are portrayed in the media. Many have called Nebraska the greatest three-win team in college football history and suggesting that they were much better than their 2021 record suggested. If a few possessions swung the other way, Nebraska could have finished as one of the best teams in the conference!

At the end of the day, though, the Cornhuskers were still a 3-9 team last year, and coach Scott Frost is on the hottest of hot seats. As many have pointed out, Nebraska is a tough out. They gave multiple top teams a tough fight last year, including both Michigan and Michigan State. They feature a sturdy defense and hope the offense takes a step forward in 2022.

247Sports’ Nick Kosko predicts Nebraska to upset Iowa in the 2022 season finale

247Sports’ Nick Kosko likes the Nebraska Cornhuskers to upset the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2022 regular season finale.

Iowa has owned the series against Nebraska, winning the past seven contests against the Cornhuskers. It looked like the Hawkeyes’ dominance over Nebraska was set to come to a close last year in Lincoln, Neb., but a fourth-quarter Iowa rally was jumpstarted by Henry Marchese’s blocked punt that Kyler Fisher returned 14 yards for a touchdown.

That sliced Iowa’s deficit from 21-9 to 21-16. The Hawkeyes followed that special teams game-changer up by forcing Huskers backup quarterback Logan Smothers into an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone for a safety. Iowa’s Caleb Shudak added a 44-yard field goal on the ensuing possession and suddenly the game was tied.

Then, Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras capped off a six-play, 76-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge to give the Hawkeyes its first lead with 2:58 remaining. Hawkeyes cornerback Jermari Harris sealed the victory, intercepting Smothers to end any final threat from the Huskers.

In the process, Iowa registered its fifth consecutive victory in Lincoln, captured the Big Ten West crown and notched a 10-win season. 247Sports’ Nick Kosko isn’t buying into any of the recent series history in his game-by-game predictions for Nebraska’s 2022 season, though.

Kosko likes Nebraska to upset Iowa, 24-21, to end the 2022 regular season.

Yes, we’re picking an upset here. Nebraska puts a stamp on its bowl game date, whenever and wherever it might be. The upset over the Hawkeyes on the road will be the defining game of the 2022 season for Scott Frost. There’s gotta be one in there somewhere, and why not the final regular season game of the upcoming fall? Let’s do it. A late field goal puts Nebraska up by 10 (24-14) and the defense holds on as Iowa fails a late comeback. With the 7-5 record, Frost ensures a 2023 campaign and has a chance to win an eighth game in the postseason. – Kosko, 247Sports.

Obviously, this would be a reversal of what fans have seen in recent years. There’s a good chance that it has serious division implications for the Hawkeyes, too. The West feels like it’s wide open, and Iowa just might be hosting Nebraska for a return trip to Indianapolis in the 2022 edition to determine the fate of the Heroes Trophy.

If that’s the circumstances going in for Iowa’s Senior Day game, then the Huskers will have earned a difficult to come by victory, and it would further signal that Nebraska has made progress as a football program in 2022.

While Iowa is an interesting team heading into next season given the disparity between the team’s offensive and defensive production in 2021, Nebraska might have been the most intriguing, hardest to figure out team in all of the Big Ten last season. The Huskers finished 3-9, which is by definition bad. Still, Nebraska lost eight one-score games, which could indicate that the Huskers are ripe for a quick turnaround.

Time will tell on that front. One thing is for certain: Scott Frost needs 2022 to show tangible results if he’s to remain the Huskers’ head football coach. Frost brought in offensive coordinator Mark Whipple from Pittsburgh to help try and rejuvenate Nebraska’s offense. Last season’s backup quarterback in Smothers returns for Nebraska, but longtime starter Adrian Martinez is off to Kansas State.

Nebraska went ahead and brought former Texas quarterback Casey Thompson in to be the likely starter, and the Huskers added Florida State transfer signal-caller Chubba Purdy as well. The wide receiving corps features a series of transfers as well with Trey Palmer arriving from LSU, Marcus Washington from Texas and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda from New Mexico State.

Palmer had 30 grabs for 344 yards and three scores in 2021, Washington registered 18 receptions for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Garcia-Castaneda hauled in 37 passes for 578 yards and four scores. Add that in with Omar Manning’s returning 26 grabs for 380 yards and two touchdowns.

In the backfield, Nebraska will be looking for Rahmir Johnson, Gabe Ervin Jr. and Jaquez Yant to combine for the Huskers’ rushing attack. Last season, Johnson carried 112 times for 495 yards and four scores, Ervin Jr. rushed 37 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns and Yant tallied 47 totes for 294 yards and one trip to the end zone.

Defensively, Nebraska added two-time All-Big 12 second-team selection Ochaun Mathis at defensive end. Mathis has 135 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks over the course of his college career. He’ll team with Garrett Nelson, Ty Robinson and Alabama transfer Stephon Wynn Jr. At the second level, Nebraska linebackers Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich combined for 189 tackles last season.

The Huskers’ defensive backfield has its fair share of transfer additions as well, featuring Tommi Hill from Arizona State, DeShon Singleton from Hutchinson Community College and Omar Brown from Northern Iowa. That trio will join safety Myles Farmer and cornerback Quinton Newsome.

For a head coach in Frost that frankly is desperate for success heading into 2022, it makes sense to replenish the roster with a series of transfer portal additions and see if it works. While Iowa hopes to be fighting for the Big Ten West in the season finale, Frost just might be coaching for his job.

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