Tag: Pat Freiermuth

Chargers attain balance in Chad Reuter’s 4-round mock draft

The Los Angeles Chargers draft two offensive linemen, Hunter Henry and Melvin Ingram’s replacement and a cornerback.

NFL Media’s Chad Reuter released his latest four-round mock draft, where he sees the Chargers building around quarterback Justin Herbert with their first three picks and filling in the holes on the defensive side of the ball with their next two.

With their first-round selection, Los Angeles selects former Northwestern offensive tackle Rashawn Slater.

Slater is not the tallest or longest of offensive tackles, but he will be a solid starter at the next level. Not only will he help Justin Herbert’s development, but also open holes for Austin Ekeler and whomever else the Chargers line up in the backfield the next few years.

I feel like a broken record saying this but drafting Slater would be splash. Slater might be moved inside due to his lack of arm length, but he has the athletic skill set and overall technique to be an All-Pro blind-side protector in the NFL.

In Round 2, L.A. stays on the offensive side of the ball by selecting former Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth.

With Hunter Henry a pending free agent, the Bolts could be looking for his replacement if he signs with another team this offseason. Like Henry, Freiermuth is a versatile tight end to get the job done in the receiving and blocking department.

With their first selection of the third-round, the Chargers get an interior offensive lineman after finding their tackle of the future by drafting former Ohio State center Josh Myers.

With Dan Feeney set to be a free agent, the team could be looking to upgrade at the position. Myers is a seasoned run blocker who possesses good intelligence, athletic traits, and effort to block in space effectively, while possessing good strength to anchor down vs bigger rushers.

Los Angeles uses their compensatory selection at the end of the third-round to address another need, drafting former Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph. Joseph is an aggressive and physical corner who thrives in press coverage with his height, length and ball skills.

Finally, with their fourth-round pick, L.A. takes former Oregon State outside linebacker Hamilcar Rashed Jr as a replacement to Melvin Ingram, who is currently a pending free agent.

Rashed’s pass-rush arsenal lacks variety, and his production is based more on effort and athleticism than technique. However, Rashed is only scratching the surface of his ability and shows the athleticism, coverage skills, competitive toughness, and physical traits to be a productive player in the NFL.

Mel Kiper gives thoughts on Jags’ need for a TE

The Jags have several needs, but Mel Kiper feels tight end is one of the top ones they need to address this year.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a lot of needs after coming off a one-win season in 2020, and as a result, Urban Meyer and company will have a task on their hands when it comes to bolstering up the group to a respectable level. However, depending on what analyst fans get their information from, the team’s top needs vary, which has made trying to figure out the Jags’ direction interesting these last few months.

In a recent conference call, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. revealed one of the positions he felt was a top-3 need for the Jags, which is at tight end. Thankfully, Kiper feels there will be plenty of prospects to choose from, though, as the Jags have 11 picks in April’s draft.

“Yes, that is a need – and that is one of their top three needs overall,” Kiper said about the tight end position. […] “There will be a lot of tight ends. It depends on which ones they like. They’re all a little different, but they all certainly would be possibilities for Jacksonville in this draft.”

In addition to the draft picks they have, the Jags are projected to have a figure of over $80 million in available cap space. They could use that to sign a veteran like Jonnu Smith or Hunter Henry in a few weeks if they become available.

As for the draft, the top prospect is Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, who should be a top-10 selection. Of course, his ranking as an elite prospect would rule the Jags out unless they gave up significant compensation to move up.

What’s more likely is for the Jags to snag a tight end in Rounds 2-5. Pat Freiermuth is a popular name at the position who has a second-round grade. He also has ties to the Jags as his former position coach, Tyler Bowen, is on the staff. Other options include Brevin Jordan, Tre’ McKitty, and Hunter Long, who the Jags could snag in Days 2-3.

Regardless of what route the Jags go, it’s hard to see them not addressing their weakness at tight end as the position has proven to be important for quarterbacks. By addressing it this year, the team would be bringing in the tight end at the same time as probable No. 1 selection Trevor Lawrence, giving him a weapon at the position to build a bond with immediately in his young career.

2020 NFL Draft: Jags acquire help at LT, TE with Trevor Lawrence in 3-round mock

After acquiring Trevor Lawrence, the Jags still need to spend some draft picks on offense and acquiring a LT could be on the table.

Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars will have a hard time finding a recent mock draft that doesn’t have Trevor Lawrence going to their team first overall. However, a lot of those same mock drafts have the Jags addressing safety, defensive tackle, or offensive tackle with the No. 25 overall pick, but that was not the case for Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network this week.

In his most recent mock, Cummings had the Jags going with Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with pick No. 25 after getting Lawrence first overall. While the Jags already have a notable linebacker duo between Myles Jack and Joe Schobert, Cummings stated that Owusu-Koramoah is more of a hybrid player who could be moved all over the defense.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

Much like the Jets, the Jaguars’ early selection gives them the flexibility to use their later first-round pick on the best player available. With plenty of needs and no more pressure to find the franchise guy, the Jaguars can simply add talent from this point out. And with the No. 25 pick in this 3-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft, Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is an excellent addition.

Owusu-Koramoah rests near the boundary of linebackers and safeties when it comes to size and usage, and that’s opened up a debate regarding what his role will be at the next level. To me, his versatility is what makes him such an exciting prospect.

Cummings added that Owusu-Koramoah is a player the Jags don’t have to find a concrete role for, but instead, he’s someone they could draft and figure out a way to maximize his athleticism and explosiveness.

For the fans unfamiliar with the 6-foot-1, 215-pound standout from Notre Dame, he’s similar to Isaiah Simmons when he was coming out of Clemson, who played a mix of nickel back, linebacker, and safety. With a need for speed in today’s pass-happy league, Simmons ended up going eighth overall in 2020.

Per Pro Football Focus, Owusu-Koramoah has been used in a somewhat similar fashion, taking 195 snaps on the defensive line, 433 in the box, and 680 in the slot. However, with the Jags needing help within their secondary it seems he could help them a lot there while moving around.

33. Jacksonville Jaguars: Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas

With Cam Robinson likely leaving through free agency, it’s imperative that the Jaguars don’t wait too long to address the tackle position. With Trevor Lawrence now rostered, this position takes on added importance.

Samuel Cosmi can develop into an effective blindside blocker opposite Jawaan Taylor. He’s 6-foot-7, weighs over 300 pounds, and has the necessary length/athleticism combination to be a high-level starter with some development.

In Round 2, the Jags took Texas offensive tackle Sam Cosmi, who would be their left tackle of the future. Cosmi, who is 6-foot-7, 300 pounds, has great movement skills, but will need to add more muscle to his frame and become a bit more technical. If he achieves those goals, Cosmi could be a fine NFL tackle. Something else worth noting is that Cosmi brings versatility to the table, playing both right and left tackle in college.

The selection of Cosmi would make a lot of sense as the Jags have a decision to make on Cam Robinson, whose contract expired in 2020. He’s not quite where a team would want a left tackle to be in terms of pass protection, but he could get there in one more season. That said, the Jags may look for an upgrade or tag him. If the franchise tag is used on Robinson, adding Cosmi could be a smart plan to give Robinson some competition, or an eventual successor.

With the 45th overall pick, the Jags were given Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth, who would address another big need. Freiermuth is a player the Jags could view as a top target of the draft with his former positional coach, Tyler Bowen on the staff.

The tight end position has long been an issue for the Jags. It was an area former general manager Dave Caldwell could never find an answer at. Taking a swing at Freiermuth would give Lawrence a massive 6-foot-5, 250 pound, target who flourishes in snagging contested balls and picking up yards after the catch. However, he’s often been off the board by pick No. 45, so if the Jags could snag him here, it would be a steal.

Lastly, in the third round, the Jags were slotted defensive end Carlos Basham Jr. from Wake Forest. He’s a player who impressed at the Senior Bowl after being the Demon Deacons’ main source of a pass rush the last two seasons. At 6-foot-3, 281 pounds, Basham offers good size on the edge and made a name for himself by utilizing a mix of power, technique, and effort.

With new defensive coordinator Joe Cullen coming in from Baltimore, the Jags could look to have a heavy front seven rotation. A player like Basham would give them that though some analysts believe he could go sooner as a late first-round pick or as a second-round selection.

Ohio State vs. Penn State 2020 Football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State travels to Happy Valley to face the Nittany Lions for a prime time matchup on Halloween night. Here’s your preview and prediction.

Record

Ohio State (1-0), Penn State (0-1)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
Game Time: 7:30 pm EDT
Network: ABC
Venue: Beaver Stadium – Capacity – 106,572 (no fans permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions)
All-Time Series: Ohio State leads 20-14
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Penn State 28-17 in 2019

After a somewhat slow start, Ohio State took care of Nebraska the way we  thought they would. There is definitely work to do, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, but, overall, the Buckeyes looked as good as advertised.

A trip to Happy Valley looms this week, although the Nittany Lions don’t seem quite as fierce after a loss to Indiana and the absence of the vaunted “white out” crowd. Nonetheless, these two programs have slugged it out over the past several years and nothing can be taken for granted.

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Way too early 2021 mock draft: Ravens select ‘baby Gronk’

The Baltimore Ravens select their newest tight end in Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth in our early 2021 NFL mock draft.

It’s only the middle of the 2020 NFL season and so much is likely to change over the next few months, not only for the Baltimore Ravens but the rest of the league as well. But that’s not going to stop us from taking a peek ahead to the 2021 NFL Draft and what Baltimore could be looking to do to improve their team for another Super Bowl run.

Using The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator, I acted as Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and made Baltimore’s first-round selection. With the No. 30 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, I had the Ravens select Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth.

With so many more pressing needs, like at outside linebacker and the offensive line, you’d be right to question why I took a tight end in the first round. But with few interior offensive linemen available and Baltimore bolstering its pass rush by trading for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, adding another capable blocker and pass catcher for quarterback Lamar Jackson seemed like the wisest decision. And when you see what Freiermuth can do on the field and hear what pundits are calling him, it makes even more sense.

Frequently called “baby Gronk” for how similar he plays to former New England Patriots and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski, Freiermuth is the perfect fit for what the Ravens like to do. In Baltimore’s offense, they love big-bodied tight ends capable of acting as an extra tackle when blocking and fast enough to create problems as a pass-catching threat. Both Gronkowski and Freiermuth are adept at both phases of the game.

Draft analyst Kyle Crabbs is high on Freiermuth, helping put him 14th on The Draft Network’s big board. Just take a glance at some of the positives he saw in Freiermuth’s game.

“For a true sophomore, his polish is pretty stellar. He’s got a clear and firm grasp on the little things that can lie to defenders — whether that is stalk blocking into a delayed release to leak into space as a pass catcher, how to step around jams at the line of scrimmage with his hand in the dirt or how to attack the football in the air and dominate at the catch point. Nickname is “Baby Gronk” — and while the comparison is ambitious, you can see clearly where it came from.”

In just one game this season, Freiermuth caught seven passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. Over the last two years, Freiermuth has caught 69 passes for 875 yards and 15 touchdowns — an average of 4.6 receptions, 58 yards, and one touchdown per game at Penn State. When you see some of his college highlights, it’s easy to see how he’s so prolific.

Granted, the Ravens do have both Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle at tight end. However, Andrews’ rookie deal will wrap up following the 2021 season and he very likely will be too expensive to keep around. Likewise, Boyle’s contract has him set to hit free agency following the 2021 season. He too could be too expensive given his limited role as a receiver in Baltimore’s scheme. Drafting Freiermuth would give the Ravens a year with all three tight ends in the lineup and a chance to groom their rookie into a star before potentially having to move on from Andrews and Boyle.

Baltimore has frequently drafted players before they’re actually needed as it plays the long game in terms of acquiring and grooming top talent. Getting Freiermuth might not make as much sense as selecting a pass rusher, wide receiver, or interior offensive lineman; but it would pay off quickly to keep Baltimore’s offense flowing with Jackson under center.

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Jags come away with Justin Fields again, threat at TE in CBS sports mock draft

The Jags’ defense may be the worst unit on their team, however, the team was slotted some offensive help in CBS Sports’ new mock.

As the weeks go by, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2021 draft positioning becomes that much more interesting. The reason for that is because the product on the field seems to indicate that the organization is headed towards a top-2 selection, which would be the highest since the team’s inaugural season.

With that being the case, the Jags have been slotted highly in a lot of mock drafts including a recent one by CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson. With the No. 2 overall pick, he slotted the Jags a familiar face in Ohio State signal-caller Justin Fields, who will take the field for the first time in 2020 today.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars – QB Justin Fields, Ohio State

We’ll get out first glimpse of Justin Fields on Saturday when Ohio State faces Nebraska. And while we like Gardner Minshew, at this point in his career he’s better served as a spot starter.

There isn’t much for us to say about Fields that hasn’t already been said on Jags Wire. In a nutshell, he brings the perfect blend of arm talent and athleticism to the mix and has all the tools to build around.

When taking this pick into consideration, many have made the argument that the Jags’ defense is significantly worse than the offense. Those people wouldn’t be wrong.

However, if the Jags are picking second overall, there could be a new regime. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that they would want their own quarterback. Additionally, the defense could be addressed before the draft as the Jags are due to be No. 2 as far as available salary cap next year.

With the Jags’ second first-round pick (from the Los Angeles Rams) the Jags were wisely slotted a offensive weapon for Fields. That weapon was Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth, who many see as the second-best tight end in the draft.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars – TE Pat Freiermuth Penn State

Freiermuth isn’t as athletic at Kyle Pitts but he can line up anywhere and stress the defense at every level.

Tight end has long been an issue for the Jags and they still don’t have their guy at the position till this day. However, Freiermuth could potentially fix that with his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame.

The young tight end has been such a solid athlete that Penn State has used him on the boundary at times. Many scouts feel he’ll be a big time mismatch on the NFL level, too, which would add another dynamic to the Jags’ offense.

When looking at the current state of the Jags, these are certainly two picks that make sense for them. As always though, we’d like to hear from you all at home. Are these two picks you all can get behind, or should the Jags go in a different direction? Let us know on social media.

Players we’ll miss most from the Big 10 and Pac-12: Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth

Ranking the 10 football players we will miss watching the most from the Big 10 and Pac-12: No. 9 Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth.

The Big Ten announced its decision Tuesday to postpone fall sports. Minutes after, the Pac-12 made the decision to postpone its season as well.

With two of the Power Five conferences not playing, the entire college football season is now up in the air. The SEC, ACC and Big 12 still have plans to have their conference-only seasons, but there are a number of players, coaches and teams that college football fans will miss watching dearly.

The No. 9 player we will miss watching most this year from the Big Ten and Pac-12 is Penn State junior tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Freiermuth has caught more touchdown passes (15) than any other tight end in Penn State history, and he’s done that in only two seasons. He has also caught those 15 touchdowns on just 69 passes. This was going to be a big year for Freiermuth to get involved in the Penn State offense much more regularly.

Freiermuth, who stands at 6-foot-5, 259 pounds, is an excellent route runner with great speed, athleticism and blocking ability. His reception average went from two in 2018 to 3.3 in 2019. That number was expected to go up even more in 2020, making Freiermuth one of the top prospects in the 2021 NFL draft.

2021 NFL mock draft forecasts Saints to add another pass-catcher

The New Orleans Saints selected Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth in the latest 2021 NFL mock draft, pairing him with Adam Trautman.

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The New Orleans Saints shocked the football cognoscenti by trading all of their remaining picks to go get small-school prospect Adam Trautman in the 2020 NFL Draft, but the latest too-soon projection for next year’s event has them adding another tight end.

And there’d be little to argue with if that’s the way the Saints end up going. Luke Easterling over at Draft Wire has connected New Orleans with Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth, a rare tight end to be named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list — college football’s honor for the nation’s best pass-catcher, usually a wide receiver.

Freiermuth’s resume speaks for itself. The big underclassman listed at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds has already tied Mike Gesicki’s school record for touchdown catches (15) before his junior year, and he finished in second-place last season in every receiving category behind wideout K.J. Hamler, an eventual Denver Broncos second-round pick. While he’s known for his receiving ability, his eagerness to throw blocks at the line of scrimmage suggests he could develop quickly with pro-level coaching.

Affectionately called “Free Moose” by Penn State faithful, Freiermuth could team up with Trautman in a one-two punch to set the stage for overhaul at tight end in New Orleans. Jared Cook has been hyped up by the coaching staff all summer, but he’s entering a contract year after his 33rd birthday. Josh Hill, the nominal backup and blocking specialist, is also 30 and only under contract through 2021. It might make sense for Trautman to replace Cook next offseason with Freiermuth coming down the pipeline a year later.

Still, it’s far too soon to guess who the Saints might end up picking. Dozens of mock drafts failed to connect them with Cesar Ruiz ahead of this year’s event, even in the days leading up to the draft. The Saints themselves won’t know who is on their radar until the team has played out its season and navigated free agency. So keep Freiermuth’s name in mind once college games kick off in the fall — this isn’t much more than the start of our own watch list.

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2021 mock draft ships Cowboys TE with Rob Gronkowski comps

A mock draft gives the Dallas Cowboys a tight end at the back end of the first round.

The Dallas Cowboys tried to find, if not a replacement, a suitable facsimile of tight end Jason Witten for years. The front office drafted Gavin Escobar, Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett a round earlier than the future Hall of Famer. They tried finding hidden gems in the later rounds, hoping to steal some talent. Ultimately nothing they tried mattered, as Witten was able to outlast and outperform them all.

In Brent Sobleski’s most recent 2021 mock draft at Bleacher Report, he has the Cowboys trying their luck at the tight end position again, drafting Pat Freiermuth from Penn State with pick No. 28. Says Sobleski, “The 6’5″, 259-pound target, who caught 43 passes for 507 yards last season, continues to draw Rob Gronkowski comparisons.”

That’s high praise, to be sure. It would also be the first time that Dallas used a first-round pick on a tight end since David LaFleur in 1997. It’s not impossible to think that the Cowboys would continue to throw resources at weapons for quarterback Dak Prescott, but the team may already have their tight end of the future in the fold with Blake Jarwin, who signed an extension in March.

The team will likely have further pressing needs, particularly on the back end of the defense. And while Dallas eschewed the same needs for an offensive weapon in CeeDee Lamb in 2020, it’s hard to imagine them doing that in consecutive years when the sheer number of defensive backs scheduled to hit the free-agent market next off-season is mind boggling.

Four of the Cowboys’ projected contributors are free-agents-to-be. Cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie as well as the projected starting safety tandem of Xavier Woods and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix could all be in different uniforms come next year. That’s without mentioning the rest of the depth the team could be losing.

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