Tag: offensive tackle

Broncos met with OL Jedrick Wills at NFL combine

The Broncos met with Alabama offensive lineman Jedrick Wills at the NFL combine this week.

The Denver Broncos met with Alabama’s Jedrick Wills at the NFL combine this week, the offensive lineman confirmed during his media availability on Wednesday.

“It went really good, it was smooth,” Wills said of his interview with Denver, via Ryan Edwards of KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM. “[John] Elway, it was crazy to see him — growing up I’d seen him on TV — and knowing he was the GM, it was crazy to see him there. But it went really well, I feel like I had some confidence going into that meeting.”

Wills (6-5, 320 pounds) started 28 consecutive games for the Crimson Tide and earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press after allowing just one sack as a junior. He is the best offensive lineman in this year’s class, according to Luke Easterling’s 2020 NFL draft big board for Draft Wire.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has compared Wills to Jason Peters and described him as a draft prospect who is “tailor-made for the NFL.”

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Broncos met with OL Tristan Wirfs at NFL combine

The Broncos met with Iowa offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs at the NFL combine this week.

The Denver Broncos met with Iowa offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs at the NFL combine this week, according to The Denver Post‘s Ryan O’Halloran.

Wirfs (6-5, 322 pounds) earned second-team All-American honors from the Associated Press in 2019 after starting all 13 games (10 at right tackle and three at left tackle). Iowa awarded him their offensive Team Hustle Award and Big Ten Conference gave him the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award after his junior season.

Wirfs played tackle in college but many draft pundits believe he could transition to guard in the NFL. He is the 16th-best player and fourth-best offensive lineman in this year’s class, according to Luke Easterling’s 2020 NFL draft big board for Draft Wire.

Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills (No. 7), Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (No. 10) and Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton (No. 14) are the only offensive lineman ranked higher than Wirfs on Draft Wire’s big board.

If selected by the Broncos, Wirfs would be reunited with tight end Noah Fant. Wirfs and Fants were teammates with the Hawkeyes from 2017-18. Denver selected Fant with their first-round pick in last year’s draft.

The Broncos are scheduled to select 15th overall this year.

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Notre Dame Makes Top Nine for Texas Star ‘21 Offensive Tackle

Reuben Fatheree II named his top nine schools Sunday and good news for Notre Dame fans is that they’ve made this cut

Four star and top 125 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class (per 247 Sports) Reuben Fatheree II named his top nine schools Sunday and good news for Notre Dame fans is that they’ve made this cut.

Joining Notre Dame are the likes of Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas. Not making the cut were some powerhouses as well including but not limited to Alabama, Michigan, Auburn, Georgia and Oregon.

For what it’s worth, the recruiting experts at 247 who have made predictions on Fatheree’s future commitment have both picked Texas A&M.

That didn’t seem to faze Notre Dame commit Gabriel Rubio however as the 2021 commitment and St. Louis product took to Twitter to try and do his own recruiting.

“Too” vs. “to” remains quite the unfortunate rivalry these days. Nonetheless, an effort nonetheless.

As always, keep checking out FIW as we’ll share all the recruiting news and everything else in regards to Notre Dame athletics.

2021 Four-Star OT Announces Top Nine Schools

2021 Four-Star offensive tackle Reuben Fatheree II has announced his top nine schools, with Texas making the cut.

2021 Four-Star offensive tackle Reuben Fatheree II has announced his top nine schools, Texas made the short list. The Longhorns join Big 12 foes Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech in the running, while Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and Ohio State round out the top nine.

With 247Sports’ Crystal Ball currently projecting the Aggies, Texas may be losing a prospect to their bitter in-state rivals. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 305 pounds, Fatheree has already been compared to Mike McGlinchey of the San Fransico 49ers.

Coming out of Foster High School in Richmond, TX, Fatheree is the No. 15 ranked offensive tackle in the country. Listed as the 19th best player in the state of Texas, he misses out of a top 100 ranking by 18 spots.

When the recruiting class of 2021 is finished, it has the chance to be full of excellent offensive lineman for Texas. Already having the commitment for four-star OT Hayden Connor, the Longhorns are also favorite to sign the Brockermeyer twins. The protection for the quarterback post-Sam Ehlinger will be one of the best in the country if Texas can secure Fatheree’s signature.

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Who could be Dolphins’ trade partner in aggressive bid for an OT?

If the Dolphins wanted to trade up in the 2020 NFL Draft for an offensive tackle, who could be a potential trade partner?

If the Miami Dolphins really want to shake things up, their trade efforts for the 2020 NFL Draft will extend beyond just their first selection and boil down throughout the rest of the 1st-round of April’s NFL Draft. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller referenced that the Dolphins are eyeing offensive tackles with their second 1st-round pick — and one scout told Miller that he could even see the Dolphins trading up from 18 to ensure they get one.

If that materializes, who are some of the logical candidates for Miami to peg in phone calls to try to strategically pinball their way up the draft order to ensure they land a top tackle prospect?

Indianapolis Colts (13th overall selection)

The Colts are a team that loves to hoard NFL Draft capital just as much as the Miami Dolphins — so this could be a logical partner given Colts general manager Chris Ballard’s tendencies and draft philosophies. The downside to trading with the Colts is that you only move up 5 spots in the order. Picking 13th, the Dolphins would still have to worry about the Giants Chargers, Panthers, Browns and Jets all being in the offensive tackle market.

If all took a tackle, Miami would be no better off than picking at 18 — even if they jumped the Buccaneers and Broncos.

Jacksonville Jaguars (9th overall selection)

This trade could work well if the Jaguars don’t love what they see on the board. If Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons and Ohio State CB Jeff Okudah come off the board (they should be gone), Jacksonville could promptly slide down the draft order and pick up some extra picks for a rebuild of their own. Picking 9th, Miami would only have to worry about the Giants, Chargers and Panthers picking in the top-10 as primary threats for an offensive tackle and could potentially guarantee themselves one of the top four.

Carolina Panthers (7th overall selection)

This feels a bit ambitious, but hey — the Panthers are gearing up for their own Dolphins themed rebuild in 2020. More picks in the future could be helpful and perhaps Miami could leverage some of the Texans’ 2021 draft capital to prompt Carolina to buzz down the board? Picking 7th, Miami would likely see all but one or two offensive tackles available to them and would be poised to land a plug and play starter on the line.

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Mel Kiper NFL mock draft 2.0: Broncos select OT Josh Jones

In his latest 2020 NFL mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Broncos selecting Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones in the first round.

In his 2020 NFL mock draft 2.0, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Denver Broncos selecting Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones with the 15th overall pick in the first round (subscription required for link).

This marks a change from Kiper’s first mock draft, which had Denver selecting Alabama Henry Ruggs. Kiper now has Ruggs falling all the way down to the Bills at No. 22. He has fellow Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy going to the Raiders at No. 12 and Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb going to the Jets at No. 11.

Kiper believes that it’s time for Denver to bench left tackle Garett Bolles and replace him with a player like Jones. Kiper says Jones has the potential to become an All-Pro left tackle but it’s hard to imagine the Broncos moving on from Bolles in 2020.

Bolles has struggled with penalties but Denver’s staff has praised his ability to stay healthy and dress for every game. Bolles might not be the team’s long-term answer at left tackle but he’ll probably be a starter next season. That’s just my opinion though — a player like Jones would certainly be an upgrade.

Todd McShay, Kiper’s ESPN colleague, has the Broncos selecting Lamb in his most recent mock draft. Many mock drafts have the team selecting a wide receiver in the first round but there’s no denying that the offensive line also needs to be addressed this offseason.

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Broncos GM John Elway chimes in on Garett Bolles’ future

The Broncos have a contract decision to make on left tackle Garett Bolles.

As a former first-round pick, Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles has a contract option for a fifth year in 2021. Denver’s front office must decide by May if they are going to pick up the 27-year-old tackle’s option.

Broncos general manager John Elway told The Denver Post‘s Ryan O’Halloran at the Senior Bowl this week that “there’s no sense doing it early.” If the team does pick up Bolles’ option, it probably won’t happen until closer to the deadline.

Elway noted that Bolles was coached up well by offensive line coach Mike Munchak and assistant offensive line coach Chris Kuper but he reiterated that Bolles still has to show more improvement.

“He’s got to continue to get better because we can’t afford to have those holding penalties,” Elway told O’Halloran.

Bolles’ future beyond the 2020 season might be up in the air but his status for this season seems clear. He is set to earn $1,969,351 this season, which is a fair price for a player who hasn’t missed a single start in three years.

“One thing about Garett, he was available,” Elway said during his end-of-season press conference on Dec. 30. “He was there every play. I don’t think he missed a play this year. We talked about availability — he was there. He got off to a slow start, but I think that he continued to get better and better and better as the year went on.”

As the Broncos begin preparing for the offseason program, it certainly sounds like Bolles is part of their plans for 2020.

“Garett continued to get better [last year],” Elway said. “He got better and he was available, and that’s important.”

As for 2021, Denver is in no rush to make a decision on Bolles.

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Broncos sign OL Tyler Jones to reserve/future contract

The Broncos added depth to the offensive line by signing 6-3, 306-pound guard/tackle Tyler Jones to a reserve/future contract.

The Denver Broncos have signed offensive lineman Tyler Jones to a reserve/future contract, the team announced Wednesday. Jones will officially join the 90-man offseason roster when the new league year begins in March.

Jones (6-3, 306 pounds) entered the league as a college free agent out of North Carolina State University with the New York Jets last May. He earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors twice during his time with the Wolfpack.

After a short stint in New York, Jones went to training camp with Denver and spent part of the year on the Broncos’ 10-man practice squad. Jones also spent time on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad in 2019.

Jones bench-pressed 225 pounds 23 times at the NFL combine last year and ran a 20-yard shuttle in 4.82 seconds. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote that Jones has “the athletic ability” to transition to guard in the NFL.

Jones played mostly tackle in college but Denver likely views him as backup swing guard/tackle prospect. Jones is the 16th player the Broncos have signed to a reserve/future contract, joining a list of players that includes quarterback Brett Rypien and running back Khalfani Muhammad.

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LSU OT Saahdiq Charles declares for 2020 NFL draft

Another Louisiana State Tiger football player has declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. This time it was offensive tackle Saahdiq Charles.

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The Louisiana State Tigers haven’t even had 72 hours to celebrate their 2019-2020 National Championship before the underclassmen began declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft.

Now you can add offensive tackle Saahdiq Charles to the list of Tigers making the jump this offseason. Charles made the announcement via social media Wednesday.

Charles will join Justin Jefferson, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Grant Delpit, Patrick Queen and Jacob Phillips, who have also declared. Looks like head coach Ed Oregeron will have his work cut out for him as he looks to re-tool his team following this run of declarations on top of the seniors who will also be leaving the program.

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Chargers beef up offensive line in PFF’s latest mock draft

Chargers add much-needed offensive tackle in mock draft.

There are two positions that will be in contention for the Chargers’ first-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft — quarterback and offensive tackle.

On one hand, you have uncertainty with the future of Philip Rivers, leaving the team needing to find his potential replacement. On the other hand, you have a line that’s been hit with injuries and has struggled with consistency for years.

This year’s offensive tackle class is loaded with talent, but there are a select few at the top that could really draw the attention of Los Angeles.

One of the prospects is Alabama’s Jedrick Wills.

Pro Football Focus released their latest mock draft and felt that Wills and the Bolts would be the perfect matchmake with the No. 10 overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft.

Back-to-back Alabama offensive tackles in the top-10 and they’re both that good. The last time the Chargers drafted an Alabama right tackle, it didn’t work out so well, but Wills is a different breed from D.J. Fluker. At 6-5, 320 pounds, Wills is far more explosive than he is a brute in the run game. It’s a big reason why he earned a freaky 91.4 run-blocking grade this year.

By no surprise, Wills has been on our radar this season. He was included in our Scouting Notebook in Week 11.

Wills isn’t technically refined as Leatherwood in the pass protection department, but he is a strong, physical tackle who is an adept run blocker and has the tools to be a well-rounded NFL offensive tackle with more nuance in his footwork.

For Chargers fans, it’s easy to see an offensive tackle from Alabama and be swayed away because they have a clear memory of how D.J. Fluker panned out for him. But Wills is far more superior than Fluker coming out of college.

The best way to describe Wills is a “people mover”. Even though he’s stronger in the run blocking department, he’s got the wide base and length to keep defenders at bay in pass protection.

Whether it’s blocking for Rivers, Tyrod Taylor or the quarterback of the future, Wills would be plug-and-play right tackle for Los Angeles.

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