Tag: Owen Pappoe

Tight end Luke Deal announces return to Auburn football

Deal says that “unfinished business” is the reason that he is coming back to Auburn for a sixth season.

One of Auburn’s most experienced offensive players has announced that he will return to the program for the 2024 season.

[autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag], a former three-star tight end from the 2019 recruiting cycle, revealed Thursday that he will return to Auburn next season for his sixth season of eligibility.

Deal spoke with Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover shortly after announcing his decision. He tells Caldwell that he is strong enough to play for another season and is excited to see the progress that the team is expected to make. He also wants to take care of some “unfinished business” before he departs from the program.

“There’s a couple of games, the Georgia game and Alabama game, but especially the Bama game. That will stick in my mind for 364 days,” Deal said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “That’s something I can’t quite let go yet. My wife and I are here and we love it here. I’m blessed with another year of eligibility. I’m ready to lead this team next year. We’re going to have some serious dudes and we’re going to win some serious ballgames next year.”

His return makes him one of Auburn’s most experienced players. Since arriving in 2019, he has been involved in 1,302 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. He has also participated in 52 games with 16 starts over the last five seasons.

He was a part of Auburn’s 2019 class that was ranked No. 13 according to 247Sports. [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’varrius Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag], [autotag]Tyler Fromm[/autotag], and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] join Deal as members of the class who are still on Auburn’s roster. The class was headlined by linebackers [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] and [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], as well as former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag].

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn in the NFL: Week 7 Recap

Anders Carlson missed his first career kick, Derick Hall’s Seahawks best Owen Pappoe’s Cardinals, the Jets place Carl Lawson on the trade block, and Jamel Dean recorded a career-high 10 tackles for the Bucs.

The NFL season is officially heating up as we are now seven weeks through the schedule. As we do every week, Auburn Wire will take a look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

It was another slow week for former Tigers, but there were some interesting storylines that stood out this week, including [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag]’s first rough game, [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] getting the best of [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] in Seattle, the Jets placing [autotag]Carl Lawson[/autotag] on the trade block, and [autotag]Jamel Dean[/autotag]’s career day.

Here is a look at several headlines from Week 7 that feature Auburn’s top NFL players.

Cardinals 2023 preseason roster preview: LB Owen Pappoe

We look at rookie LB Owen Pappoe and his chances of making the final roster.

The Arizona Cardinals open training camp at the end of this month, so we will do a roster review, highlighting each player currently on the roster, going over last season, their salary and cap number, questions they face and what their expected roster status will be.

Next up is rookie LB Owen Pappoe.

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

Demarcus Riddick flips to Auburn, snaps Tigers’ five-star drought

He is set to be Auburn’s first five-star since they landed Owen Pappoe and Bo Nix in 2019.  

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has landed his first five-star prospect at Auburn. Flipping linebacker [autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag] from Georgia and Kirby Smart on Wednesday afternoon and beating out Nick Saban and Alabama in the process.

Stealing a recruit from your rivals is always sweet, but when it’s a player of Riddick’s caliber it’s even sweeter. If he signs with Auburn, he will be their first five-star signee since [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] and [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] in 2019.

Riddick is the No. 26 overall player and No. 3 linebacker in the 247Sports Composite ranking. The Clanton native is also the No. 3 player from Alabama.

He is Auburn’s 12 commitment of the class and their second top 100 player, joining quarterback [autotag]Walker White[/autotag]. Their class now ranks 27th in the country and 11th in the SEC.

His recruitment is exactly how Auburn can get back to competing for SEC Championships. While they have landed just two five-star prospects over the past five recruiting cycles, Alabama and Georgia both landed four last year alone.

That talent gap only increases over a four-year span and is a major reason why Auburn is currently riding a three-game losing streak against the Crimson Tide and a six-game one against the Bulldogs.

Riddick might not be the only five-star Auburn lands this year either, the Tigers are a finalist for [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag] and are pushing hard to flip five-star wide receiver [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] from Alabama.

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Cardinals rookie LB is fastest LB in ‘Madden 24’

Owen Pappoe’s 93 speed rating is the tops among linebackers in the new Madden game.

Player ratings have been released by EA Sports for the new “Madden NFL 24.” One important rating in the game is speed.

One Arizona Cardinals linebacker has it in spades.

Rookie linebacker Owen Pappoe, selected in the fifth round by the Cardinals in the 2023 draft, has the highest speed rating among all linebackers in the video game this year.

He has a 93 speed rating.

Pappoe’s athletic numbers at the NFL combine were off the chart.

Pappoe will get to potentially compete for a starting linebacker job as a rookie alongside Kyzir White, but at minimum should make an impact on special teams.

But with that speed on the video game, putting him on the field on defense should be fun.

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

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A look at Auburn’s top NFL draft prospects ahead of the 2023 season

Here’s a look at the five Auburn players who have the best chance of hearing their names called during the 2024 NFL draft.

After a disappointing 2022 NFL draft that only saw one player selected, Auburn had better luck in the 2023 edition with five players ultimately hearing their names called.

In a draft headlined by defensive talent, [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] kicked off the draft for Auburn by being selected No. 37 overall by the Seattle Seahawks. Fellow defensive players [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag] and [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] were selected in rounds No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. The lone offensive player to be taken was premier back [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], who was selected No. 88 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, with kicker [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag] rounding out the draft by being drafted in the sixth round by the Green Bay Packers.

What could the 2024 NFL draft look like for the Auburn Tigers? Ric Serritella of NFL Draft Bible shared his top five Tigers that have the best chance to be selected in next year’s draft with Lindy’s Sports.

Based on his picks, Auburn’s haul to the NFL draft will once again be defensive-heavy. Here’s a look at Auburn’s top five NFL draft prospects heading into the 2023 season according to Ric Serritella.

Who are Auburn’s top defensive players according to Pro Football Focus?

Expect Auburn’s secondary to be filled with plenty of experience in 2023.

Looking ahead to what Auburn’s defense could look like in 2023, it is clear that the Tigers will be heavily experienced in the secondary.

Auburn’s front seven needed the most attention following the departures of [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag], and [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag] to the NFL. Auburn also lost [autotag]Jeffrey M’Ba[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag], two players that were expected to fill those roles, to the transfer portal.

Auburn added players such as Elijah McAllister, Jalen McLeod, and Justin Rogers to play key roles in the front seven, but Auburn’s secondary will be filled with homegrown talent.

Players such as D.J. James, Nehemiah Pritchett, and Keionte Scott return to Auburn’s secondary. They should take a step forward and capitalize on last season’s performances in 2023.

Auburn fans can expect the aforementioned names to have solid seasons based on Pro Football Focus data.

From solid pass rushers to those who give opposing receivers fits, here’s a look at Auburn’s top defensive players ahead of the 2023 season based on last season’s PFF grade.

Contract details for 5th-round pick LB Owen Pappoe

Pappoe’s four-year rookie deal is worth a total of more than $4.08 million.

The Arizona Cardinals have signed seven of their nine player selections from the 2023 NFL draft. Among the first five to sign was linebacker Owen Pappoe, the team’s second fifth-round selection.

Pappoe, the 168th overall pick in the draft signed a four-year deal worth a little more than $4.08 million.

Here are the details of the contract from Over the Cap.

Pappoe receives a signing bonus of $244,980. For cap purposes, that number will be prorated equally over the four years of the contract.

His salary each season will be the league minimum:

  • 2023: $750,000
  • 2024: $915,000
  • 2025: $1.03 million
  • 2026: $1.15 million

His salary in 2026 can increase to the same as a restricted free agent tender if he meets playing time minimums over the first three seasons or if he hits a certain level of playing time in one season.

Salary cap implications

His cap hit each year will be his salary plus his signing bonus proration (25% of the total each year.

Here are his cap hit for each season:

  • 2023: $811,000
  • 2024: $976,000
  • 2025: $1.09 million
  • 2026: $1.21 million

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

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Cardinals sign 1st-round pick Paris Johnson, 4 other draft picks

Paris Johnson, Michael Wilson, Jon Gaines, Clayton Tune and Owen Pappoe all signed their rookie contracts before the start of rookie minicamp.

The Arizona Cardinals were able to get over half their 2023 draft class under contract before the start of rookie minicamp on Friday. The team announced five of their nine draft picks signed their rookie contracts, including first-round pick Paris Johnson.

These were the draft picks to sign on Thursday at the team’s headquarters in Tempe.

  • OL Paris Johnson (Round 1, pick 6 overall)
  • WR Michael Wilson (Round 3, pick 94 overall)
  • OL Jon Gaines (Round 4, pick 122 overall)
  • QB Clayton Tune (Round 5, pick 139 overall)
  • LB Owen Pappoe (Round 5, pick 168 overall)

Johnson’s contract, as a first-round pick, is four years with a team option for a fifth year.

The rest of the draft picks signed standard four-year contracts.

The following draft picks remain unsigned:

  • LB B.J. Ojulari (Round 2)
  • CB Garrett Wilson (Round 3)
  • CB Kai’Trel Clark (Round 6)
  • DL Dante Stills (Round 6)

With how rookie contracts are slotted and designed in the current collective bargaining agreement, there is no reason to think that the remaining draft picks won’t get signed in the near future.

Rookie holdouts are basically a thing of the past.

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

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Cardinals see a polished linebacker in 5th-round pick Owen Pappoe

Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis had great things to say about the second of the Cardinals’ two fifth-round draft picks.

The Arizona Cardinals were impressed by linebacker Owen Pappoe in the predraft process. He was one of their top-30 prospect visits and head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis both liked what they saw and heard.

They believe he has the skillset and intelligence to be successful in the NFL.

“Everyone has different things of what they like to do with linebackers in this day and age, but one of our huge criteria of linebacking play is being able to play in space,” Gannon said this last week. (LB) Kyzir (White) was a safety at one point in his career and he’s really no different. The ability to run from sideline to sideline, match routes and cover receivers is critical to that position.”

Pappoe is athletic. Moving in space, keeping up with guys in coverage and chasing sideline to sideline will not be a problem physically.

He also has the mental side down.

“I think one thing that I’m very excited about is his ability to process (and) diagnose,” Rallis said. “He’s got a natural feel to play in there and you could tell he’s played a long time at a high level in college football. You can see whether it’s the run play— getting to where I have to get to. ‘Oh, here comes this blocker. Let me transfer my eyes to the block, defeat the block and get back to getting to the ball carrier.’ He’s very polished with his skillset at that position.”

With rookie camp coming up and  and offseason  program going on, we will see soon how well he can do everything.

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