Tag: ohio state

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 39, Ohio State DL Michael Hall Jr.

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Ohio State defensive lineman Michael Hall Jr.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers have invested heavily in the defensive line during the past two NFL Drafts. Brian Gutekunst selected Devonte Wyatt in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft and drafted Lukas Van Ness in the first round the following year. Along with those two first-rounders Gutekunst has selected Kingsley Enagbare, Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks.

With those pieces in place around Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary and Preston Smith the Packers have the makings of a dominant front seven for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.

If the Packers opt to add another piece to the mix, a player they could target is Michael Hall Jr. The Ohio State defensive tackle checks in at No. 39 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.

After redshirting in 2021, Hall recorded 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks during the 2022 season. This past season, the Ohio native recorded two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. 

“The production didn’t match the number of snaps last year, but part of that was because of the attention he commanded,” Tony Gerdeman, the lead writer for Buckeye Huddle, said. “He was part of a two-man rotation at nose tackle with Ty Hamilton the past two years. He is more of a penetrating tackle than a run-stopping wall.”

Hall is juiced up. At Ohio State’s pro day, he clocked a 1.65 10-yard split and a 4.75 40-yard dash at 299 pounds. 

“His quickness is elite,” Gerdeman said. “He was an undersized nose tackle and I’ve always viewed him as more of a three-tech. But as he showed at the Senior Bowl, he has speed and quickness, which can also be turned into power because he gets too offensive linemen before they expect it.”

Hall fires out of his stance and quickly gets upfield with his initial burst off the snap. He’s naturally powerful and drives offensive linemen backward. While his first-step quickness is his trump card, Hall has a deep back of tricks he can turn to to keep offensive linemen off balance. 

“He has had some tremendous moments in his career, but he’s never been a consistent stat producer,” Gerdeman said. “Against Michigan State in 2022 he only played eight snaps because he was dealing with a shoulder injury. He had four sacks in those eight snaps. One of the sacks was negated because of a defensive penalty from a defensive end. He shared one of the other sacks, so he ended up with 2.5 sacks in that game, but he batted .500 on getting to the quarterback.”

With his quickness, Hall can get in the backfield before the running back gets a head of steam. While he may not always make the play, he throws off the timing. He has the lateral quickness to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage and chase down ball carriers. He uses his length and hands to keep himself clean. 

“Hall can disrupt things, which allows teammates to clean up the mess,” Gerdeman said. “Ohio State’s defensive line coach wants his defensive tackles to get upfield, which can sometimes make stopping the run a bit more difficult.”

Fit with the Packers

With the pieces already in place, the Packers don’t have a pressing need for another interior defensive lineman. However, a team can never have enough pass rushers and while Hall’s production doesn’t jump out at you, he’s dripping with tools and could develop into a more consistent force at the next level. Given his athleticism and age (20), Hall screams future Green Bay draft pick. 

“You can’t teach his quickness but you can put it to good use,” Gerdeman said. “He can be extremely disruptive and ruin a play before it even gets started.”

Hall is dripping with tools. He has the frame and athleticism to develop into a 3-tech wrecking ball. His quickness of the snap could cause offensive lineman fits and he could make a living in the opponent’s backfield. While the production didn’t always match the tools, that won’t stop the Packers from potentially rolling the dice on the toolsy Ohio State defensive linemen. 

Former Wisconsin 2025 commit Cody Haddad immediately receives crystal ball to Big Ten rival

This didn’t take long…

Former Wisconsin football class of 2025 commit Cody Haddad received a crystal ball prediction to choose Ohio State on Monday afternoon. The prediction took no time after the promising athlete decommitted from the Badgers earlier that day.

Haddad is 247Sports’ No. 527 player in the class of 2025, No. 37 athlete and No. 16 recruit from his home state of Ohio.

Related: Wisconsin football slides in early class of 2025 team recruiting rankings

Wisconsin originally earned a commitment from Haddad back on January 18. Ohio State was quick to offer after that date, which led to the Ohio native visiting his in-state school. The conclusion appears to be a commitment to Ohio State in the end.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 is down to seven commitments and is on the slide in the national rankings, though months still remain before the class is finalized.

I guess it shouldn’t a huge surprise that a program like Ohio State has the power to pull a promising commit from Wisconsin’s class.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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NEWS: Wisconsin football loses another member of its class of 2025

Another member of Wisconsin’s class of 2025 decommits

Class of 2025 athlete Cody Haddad de-committed from Wisconsin Monday afternoon, according to 247Sports’ Allen Trieu.

Haddad’s departure brings Wisconsin’s class of 2025 to seven total commitments — down from having nine just one week ago. The Ohio native is the second member of the class to decommit, joining three-star defensive lineman Torin Pettaway.

Related: Wisconsin football slides in early class of 2025 team recruiting rankings

Haddad is 247Sports’ No. 528 player in the class of 2025, No. 37 athlete and No. 16 recruit from his home state of Ohio.

This news drops after the safety/athlete recently visited Big Ten rival Ohio State, that after the Buckeyes extended an offer after his commitment to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 is on the slide in the national rankings, though months still remain before the class is finalized.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Commanders to host Notre Dame edge Javontae Jean-Baptiste on top 30 visit

The Commanders to host an intriguing pass rusher on a pre-draft visit.

The Washington Commanders continue to schedule pre-draft visits ahead of next month’s 2024 NFL draft.

According to Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report, the Commanders will host Notre Dame edge rusher Javontae Jean-Baptiste on a top-30 visit.

Jean-Baptiste is an interesting prospect. He originally committed to Ohio State out of high school, where he spent the first four seasons of his college career. During his time with the Buckeyes, he appeared in 33 games, recording 51 tackles, including 10 for loss and eight sacks. Due to Ohio State’s depth, he often played a part-time role, so he transferred to Notre Dame for his final season.

Jean-Baptiste took advantage of the opportunity, playing in all 13 games and finishing with 49 tackles, 10.5 for loss and five sacks.

Now, the 6-foot-5, 239-pound Jean-Baptiste has himself on the radar of NFL scouts. He had an impressive combine, running the 40 in 4.66 seconds. He has outstanding length and is the type of player NFL teams will love to select on Day 3 of the draft so they can develop. Jean-Baptiste is an ideal development candidate because he possesses many tools needed to be a starting edge rusher in the NFL.

Washington head coach Dan Quinn has had plenty of success with players of similar profiles as Jean-Baptiste.

As we mentioned with Boston College cornerback Elijah Jones, Quinn and GM Adam Peters are looking for players with high-level traits, which Jean-Baptiste has with his length and athleticism.

2024 National Recruiting Rankings: Updated top 25 football teams

Here are the complete updated top 25 teams, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Here are the complete updated top 25 teams as of March 25, 2024, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

The teams hold firm as the the recruiting cycle moves toward the spring, with no flips among the programs.

Saints linked to a 2024 draft linebacker at Ohio State pro day

The Saints were linked to a 2024 draft linebacker at Ohio State’s pro day. Steele Chambers could be a good pick to help replace Zack Baun:

Here’s an interesting draft prospect. The New Orleans Saints had dinner with Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers before his pro day workout on Wednesday, per Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline. New Orleans signed free agent linebacker Willie Gay to push Pete Werner for snaps but they could use more help with multiple players hitting free agency.

So what’s the story here? Chambers doesn’t fit the athletic thresholds the Saints have maintained at the position. He weighed in at 6-foot-flat and just 226 pounds with 30.5-inch arms at the NFL Scouting Combine, posting pedestrian numbers in the jumps and agility drills, without timing the 40-yard dash until his pro day (where he was clocked in the 4.6 to 4.65 range by scouts in attendance, per 11 Warriors’ Dan Hope). As fate would have it, Buckeyes linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, who briefly played for the Saints, conducted drills for Chambers at the school’s pro day.

While those numbers aren’t strong enough to get him drafted by the Saints early on, they shouldn’t eliminate him altogether. Chambers is projected to be picked in the the last few rounds of the 2024 NFL draft, and that’s generally where teams like New Orleans start to make exceptions for players they like who don’t hit their athletic targets in these drills.

And there’s a lot to like with Chambers. He’s only played linebacker for three years after spending his first two seasons in Columbus at running back, but he’s already totaled more than 1,700 career snaps across 39 games on defense. He has some ball skills with four career interceptions.

Importantly for the Saints, Chambers has played plenty of snaps on special teams. He’s ran with the return and coverage squads on both punts and kickoffs as well as the field goal block team. Zack Baun was a key player on special teams for New Orleans and they need to replace him, among others, in that capacity. Nephi Sewell won’t be ready for training camp after suffering a torn ACL in December, and other special teamers like Andrew Dowell, Ty Summers, and Ryan Connelly are all free agents. Maybe Chambers can win a role in the kicking game before developing into a quality backup. We’ll see where he ends up in April’s draft.

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Which jersey number is Chase Young going to use with the Saints?

Forget the contract and schematic fit. The real question is which jersey number is Chase Young going to use with the New Orleans Saints?

The New Orleans Saints made a splash in free agency by signing Chase Young, who could do a lot to change Cameron Jordan’s role and allow them to both play their best football. But beyond the salary cap ramifications of acquiring Young and how he’ll fit into the defense, we’ve got to consider the most important question: what jersey number is Young going to be wearing?

Young has worn two different numbers in the NFL, choosing No. 99 (with Washington) and No. 92 (with San Francisco). Right now, both of those are taken by Khalen Saunders and Tanoh Kpassagnon, respectively. Before he turned pro Young used No. 2 at Ohio State, and while that is available the Saints showed last year they didn’t understand the new rules by not allowing Jason Pierre-Paul to wear a linebacker number. They insisted he be listed as a defensive end, who are not eligible for wearing single digits.

Chris Olave has already shown an interest in switching to No. 2 (which he also wore in college at Ohio State), and there wouldn’t be any question about a wide receiver using it.

What about Young’s high school number? He transferred from St. Vincent Pallotti High School, where he wore No. 34, to DeMatha Catholic High School, where he switched to No. 9. Drew Brees’ number is unofficially retired, so we can scratch that out. Which means the only number Young has used before, No. 34, is also the only one still available. But it isn’t eligible for defensive linemen, so the Saints would have to list Young on the roster as an outside linebacker, which they’ve been reluctant to do before.

There are two numbers in the nineties that could appeal to Young: Nos. 91 and 97, last used by Kyle Phillips and Malcolm Roach. It’s also possible he could buy out his preferred number from Saunders or Kpassagnon, or go with something fresh altogether. It’s a curious situation, but honestly pretty low-stakes given everything else going on with this team and the world at large. We’ll keep an eye out for an update.

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Former second overall draft pick Chase Young visiting Saints

Former second-overall draft pick Chase Young is visiting the Saints on Friday. He might be the best pass rusher remaining in free agency:

The New Orleans Saints have scheduled a big free agent visit on Friday with Chase Young coming to town, as first reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Young might be the best pass rusher still on the market after bagging 7.5 sacks last season with the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders (with another sack in the playoffs). He was picked second overall in the 2020 draft right after Joe Burrow, having played college football at Ohio State.

And Young is a highly sought-after player. He already met with the Carolina Panthers and has lined up another free agent visit with the Tennessee Titans. There’s a good chance he meets with Saints brass, hears what they have to offer, and then heads out to continue gauging his value around the league. He’ll turn 25 next month and has a big decision in front of him.

We’ll see if the Saints can keep him from ever setting out for Nashville. They badly need a high-end pass rusher in the rotation who can replace Cameron Jordan on third downs and in obvious passing situations. The Saints tied for the fourth-fewest sacks last season, and Young could do a lot to help them. As with many things, though, this is going to come down to money.

Update: Young’s visit has been rescheduled, Underhill reports. Fans shouldn’t read into this one way or another until we have more information. It could be as simple as Young’s flight getting canceled. Either way, this story isn’t going to wrap up quickly.

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Chris Olave may be going back to his college jersey number

With the loss of Jameis Winston to the Cleveland Browns, Chris Olave has floated the thought of changing back to his jersey number:

The offseason is in full swing, and with that, the New Orleans Saints are reportedly going to be losing Jameis Winston to the Cleveland Browns. It’s an opportunity for wide receiver Chriis Olave to return to his old college jersey number.

In his first two seasons at Ohio State, Olave wore No. 17 as his teammate J.K. Dobbins was using  No. 2; however, Olave would snap it up in his junior and senior years. Then he had to move on to No. 12 in the NFL with Jameis Winston having already claimed it. However, with Winston reportedly gone, that frees up Olave to return to his preferred number.

Olave responded to Alontae Taylor, who wears No. 1, on Twitter when Taylor asked if he wanted to rep the “1 & 2 combo” and his brother Josh Olave would also send out a post about the potential number change:

If this number change were to go into effect, Olave would be the first wide receiver to wear it for the Saints. There have only been six others to wear No. 2 for New Orleans, all of whom were kickers or quarterbacks:

  • K Chip Lohmiller: 1995
  • QB Aaron Brooks: 2000-2005
  • K Olindo Mare: 2007
  • K John Kasay: 2011
  • K Zach Hocker: 2015
  • QB Jameis Winston: 2020-2023

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Panthers cutting former Saints safety Vonn Bell

The new Panthers GM is cutting many of his predecessor’s free agent signings, including former Saints safety Vonn Bell. Would a reunion make sense?

The Carolina Panthers are releasing veteran safety Vonn Bell, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who they just signed a year ago. Depending on whether or not the Panthers are designating Bell a post-June 1 cut, they’ll be paying $7.9 million to $9.8 million in dead money while Bell is playing elsewhere.

Could he return to the New Orleans Saints? Bell, who turned 29 in December, has developed into a well-rounded safety with better ball skills than he showed in his four years with the Saints. After intercepting just one pass (and breaking up 14 others) in his first 61 games, all in New Orleans, Bell has picked off opposing quarterbacks 6 times with 23 pass deflections in his last 61 games, all starts for the Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals.

Bell clearly knows the system Dennis Allen is running very well. He just had the misfortune of being stuck in Carolina during the middle of a regime change with new general manager Dan Morgan torching many of the contracts his predecessor handed out, including Bell’s. The Saints have to be looking for a replacement at free safety after deciding to release Marcus Maye, or at least competition for second-year pro Jordan Howden. Bell would fit the bill.

So this is something to watch in the days ahead. Bell is several years younger than Malcolm Jenkins was when he reunited with the Saints after a successful run on the Philadelphia Eagles, and he may still have something left in the tank. We’ll see if any interest materializes.

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