Tag: oregon ducks

Oregon OLB Mase Funa accepts mini-camp invite with New York Giants

Mase Funa is headed to the BLANK after signing as a UDFA.

Former Oregon Ducks linebacker Mase Funa did not hear his name called at the 2024 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean his NFL dreams can’t still come to fruition. On Sunday, one day after the end of the 2024 draft, Funa accepted a mini-camp invite with the New York Giants, according to a report from MLFootball.

Mini-camps are great opportunities for players who aren’t selected in the NFL draft to further their hopes at a pro career, but Funa is still a few steps away from earning himself a contract and making a 90-man roster going into training camp. If Funa can make the Giants’ roster, he’ll reunite with his former pass-rushing partner Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Funa played five seasons at Oregon, coming to the Ducks in the class of 2019. Funa was a 4-star recruit and the No. 96 overall player in his class according to 247Sports.

In his career, at Oregon, Funa played in a lot of different roles, especially after switching coaches from Mario Cristobal to Dan Lanning. In total, Funa tallied 140 tackles, 19 TFLs, seven sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception, in his five-year career.

That singular interception was the highlight of Funa’s Oregon career. In 2022 against the Washington State Cougars, the Ducks took the lead 37-34 after being down by 12 points to start the fourth quarter. The Cougars still had a minute of clock to work with, but on the second play of the drive, Funa picked off Cam Ward and took it to the house to secure victory for Oregon.

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Oregon K Camden Lewis receives a mini-camp invite from Denver

Camden Lewis is headed to the Denver Broncos after receiving a mini-camp invite.

Former Oregon Ducks kicker Camden Lewis did not hear his name called at the 2024 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean his NFL dreams can’t still come to fruition.

After the draft, Lewis is reportedly expected to receive a mini-camp invitation from the Denver Broncos, joining the team for offseason workouts and trying to earn a spot on the 90-man roster going into training camp.

Lewis had a historic career at Oregon, ultimately becoming the all-time leading scorer in school history after breaking the record held by Royce Freeman near the end of the 2023 season. In total, Lewis made 261-of-264 career PATs, and was 49-for-68 on career field goals.

Lewis’ career in Eugene was a bit up and down from start to finish. He started strong in 2019 as a freshman, but lost the starting job to Henry Kattleman as a sophomore after hitting just one of his first four field goals. Instead of transferring to another school, though, Lewis stuck around in Eugene and fought for the starting job, ultimately earning the honors once again in 2021, where he wouldn’t relinquish the spot until his graduation.

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Dan Lanning offers injury update on a few players after Oregon Ducks spring game

Dan Lanning offered a positive injury update after the Oregon Ducks’ spring game on Saturday.

The main goal in any game is to leave the facilities as healthy as possible when all is said and done, but that is particularly true for a spring scrimmage that means very little in the grand scheme of things.

Unfortunately for the Oregon Ducks, a few players were dinged up in the scrimmage on Saturday which made it so they couldn’t finish the scrimmage. Among them were safety Kobe Savage, linebacker Jerry Mixon, wide receiver Traeshon Holden, wide receiver Jurrion Dickey, and cornerback Dontae Manning.

While none of the injuries looked to be serious or to the level of threatening the season going forward, it was enough to draw a bit of concern for the fans, especially with so many happening to key players.

After the scrimmage, head coach Dan Lanning touched on the injuries.

“I think we have some dings here and there, but overall, you know, I think our team’s gonna be in good shape,” Lanning said.

When pressed further, and being asked whether or not it was frustrating to see the injuries in a spring game, Lanning talked about the nature of football, and the fact that this can happen.

“Football is football,” Lanning said. “I mean, is it frustrating for the player? You know, they get banged up, but football is football. The only way to bet better is by playing football. You only get a limited amount of time that you can actually go out there and play. We’ve got time to get healthy.”

If none of the injuries turn out to be serious, which Lanning felt good about on Saturday, then there should be no problems going into the fall season a few months from now.

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Oregon OL Steven Jones to sign UDFA contract with Jacksonville

Steven Jones is headed to the Jacksonville Jaguars after signing as a UDFA.

Former Oregon Ducks right guard Steven Jones did not hear his name called at the 2024 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean his NFL dreams can’t still come to fruition.

After the draft, Jones is reportedly expected to sign an undrafted free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joining the team for offseason workouts and trying to earn a spot on the 90-man roster going into training camp.

Jones came to Oregon as a 4-star recruit and the No. 14 guard — according to 247Sports — in the class of 2018. In every season of his six-year career, Jones made starts, although he only played in four games in 2019 due to a foot injury.

2023 was by far the best season of Jones’ career. The senior guard took 735 snaps — almost triple what he played in 2022 — and received a PFF pass-block grade of 90.8 — the second highest in FBS. Jones’s efforts last fall earned him AP first-team All-Pac-12 honors.

For the Ducks, the right guard spot is now up for grabs, with Indiana transfer Matthew Bedford and East Carolina transfer Nishad Strother competing for the starting spot.

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Former Oregon DT Popo Aumavae signs with Carolina as an undrafted free-agent

Popo Aumavae is headed to the Carolina Panthers after signing as a UDFA.

Popo Aumavae, a former defensive tackle for the Oregon Ducks, has signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent. Aumavae battled several injuries during his time at Oregon, but he has been a staple on the Ducks’ defensive line for the last seven years.

As a three-star recruit and the No. 49 ranked DT according to 247Sports, Aumavae came to Oregon in the class of 2017. In five seasons with the Ducks, Aumavae played in 43 games and took over 1200 snaps. In his career, Aumavae tallied 86 tackles, 12 TFLs, and 6.5 sacks.

Aumavae’s best season at Oregon was his 2021 campaign, when he played in all 13 of the Ducks games, taking 500+ defensive snaps. That season Aumavae registered 36 total tackles and received an 81.3 PFF defensive grade — a top 15 rank for DTs with 500+ snaps that season.

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Jay Harris does it through the air and the ground to earn Ducks Wire Player of the Game

Jay Harris did it through the air and on the ground o ear our Ducks Wire Player of the Game honors on Saturday.

The Oregon Ducks spring game has come to an end, with the Green team winning, 28-17. There were plenty of bright spots and plenty of great players, including Evan Stewart, Brison Cobbins and Teitum Tuioti.

But the Ducks Wire player of the game in the 2024 spring game is running back Jay Harris. On 11 rushes, Harris gained 52 yards. He also caught 3 passes for 34 yards. Harris sealed his MVP award with a 24-yard receiving touchdown in the game’s final minutes.

Harris is a transfer from Northwest Missouri State, a Division II school. All offseason, there has been speculation Harris would be one of Oregon’s best RBs in 2024, and on Saturday he showed how capable he is.

Harris’s counterparts in the running back room also performed well for the Ducks. Jordan James, Oregon’s presumed RB1, rushed for 51 yards on seven carries and caught five passes for 73 yards. Sophomore Jayden Limar gained 30 rushing yards and 20 receiving yards.

Noah Whittington, another Ducks running back, was absent Saturday, perhaps due to an injury he suffered last season. Hopefully, Whittington will be at full strength by the time the season rolls around. If he is, Oregon will have four running backs on their roster capable of making a big play at any time.

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Watch: Highlights of new Texans LB Jamal Hill

The Houston Texans are adding a speedy linebacker with the addition of Oregon’s Jamal Hill. Take a look at his highlights down below.

The Houston Texans are adding another thumper up the middle.

The Texans selected Oregon linebacker Jamal Hill with the 188th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday afternoon.

Hill, a two-year starter at safety for the Ducks, visited with the franchise earlier this month as one of Houston’s top-30 visits. Linebacker was a position of need after losing both Denzel Perryman and leading tackler Blake Cashman in free agency, but one expected to be targeted after the first three rounds.

Last season, Hill totaled 31 tackles, five for losses and two sacks as a senior and forced two fumbles. As a junior under then-coach Dan Lanning, he totaled 50 stops.

Hill said he plans on moving down to linebacker permanently in Houston and plans to be one of the top special team standouts as a rookie.

“I’ll do whatever they want me to do on special teams,” Hill said in a Zoom interview after being drafted by the defending AFC South champions. “I think that will be my path my first few years in the NFL. I’m just happy. I’m overwhelmed. I’m happy to be a Texan. The best part of my game is running and attacking.”

Hill joins a linebacker room headlined by newcomer Azeez Al-Shaair and breakout second-year player Christian Harris. The duo should lock down the starting roles, but there’s little depth outside of second-year standout Henry To’oTo’o.

The Texans still have four picks entering the final round of the draft after training the No.189 overall pick in the sixth round to the Detroit Lions in exchange for their 205th overall pick and 249th pick.

These highlights from Oregon show exactly what Hill brings to the Texans’ defense in 2024.

Oregon S Evan Williams selected by Green Bay Packers with No. 111 pick

Evan Williams is headed to Green Bay as the Packers select him with the No. 111 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Former Oregon Ducks safety Evan Williams received the call he had been waiting for on Saturday morning, when the Green Bay Packers selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft with the 111th pick.

Williams’ career at Oregon was short. He spent just one year with the Ducks after transferring from the Fresno State Bulldogs ahead of the 2023 season. But his time in Eugene was notable. Williams played in 13 games for the Ducks, racking up a team-high 82 tackles with 5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Williams had an incredibly productive career between the Bulldogs and Ducks, totaling 308 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 4 interceptions across five years.

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Oregon DL Brandon Dorlus selected by Atlanta Falcons with pick No. 109 in the NFL draft

Brandon Dorlus is headed to the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 109 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

The most versatile player on the Oregon Ducks defensive line has found his spot in the NFL.

On Friday night, defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 109 pick in the NFL draft. Dorlus earned numerous rave reviews after the NFL combine and Oregon’s pro day. Multiple NFL teams were intrigued by his ability to play both inside and outside at the next level.

Dorlus had a great career in Eugene, playing for five seasons and racking up 108 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.

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Oregon CB Khyree Jackson selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL draft

Khyree Jackson lands with the Vikings in the 2024 NFL draft.

Khyree Jackson, a former Oregon Ducks cornerback, was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings with the No. 108 pick.

Jackson played his senior season with the Ducks after transferring a couple of times earlier in his career.

Jackson wasn’t highly sought coming out of high school, and he started his college football career with Fort Scott Community College, where he played two seasons. After his sophomore year, Jackson was rated the No. 1 junior college CB by 247Sports. He transferred to Alabama, where he played two more seasons, before transferring to Oregon for his final year of eligibility.

Coming to Eugene proved a good decision for Jackson. The best season of his career came as a Duck. In 2023, Jackson played in 12 games, taking 520 defensive snaps, making 48 tackles, catching three interceptions and breaking up eight passes on his way to an All-Pac-12 first-team selection.

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