Position preview – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Spring Position Preview: CJ Verdell, Travis Dye lead Oregon’s experienced backfield

Led by CJ Verdell and Travis Dye, the Ducks running backs might be the best duo the country has to offer.

The Oregon Ducks have enjoyed the services of a lot of quality running backs in its history, but the dynamic duo of CJ Verdell and Travis Dye has the chance to eventually go down as one of the best.

Both are juniors that already have plenty of accolades attached to their names. Verdell has already gone on record as to saying he wants to rush for 2,000 yards this season. Oregon has never had a tailback go for 2,000 yards in a single season, but if someone has a chance to do it, Verdell could be the guy.

Oregon will most likely rely on its running game this season with an inexperienced Pac-12 quarterback calling the signals, so offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead will likely be calling Verdell’s number a lot throughout the year.

Having his number called in virtually every situation is something Verdell is used to. In his freshman season, he rushed the ball 202 times in 13 games for 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns. Verdell equaled his initial success his sophomore season with 198 rushing attempts for 1,220 yards and eight scores. In 2020, the junior was slowed by a couple of injuries that allowed him to just gain 285 yards (57 ypg) in five contests and three touchdowns.

Now fully healthy, Verdell believes he and his team is due for a monster season.

“The main goal here ever since Coach Cristobal took over the program and going in the direction we’ve been going is to definitely get into that playoff and win a national championship,” he said in a press conference last week.

If those goals are to be accomplished, Verdell is going to need Dye to shoulder some of the load. Dye is the speed back with Verdell’s power.

No longer considered Troy Dye’s younger brother, Travis has turned into a quality tailback himself and is a weapon receiving the ball as well. At 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, Dye has 37 career receptions for 467 yards and six touchdowns through the air.

When Verdell was sidelined much of the latter half of 2020 with a thumb injury, Dye became the starting tailback where he flourished. In those seven games, he gained 443 yards and averaged nearly seven yards per carry.

In goal-line situations, the Ducks relied on Cyrus Habibi-Likio, but the power back decided to move on to Boise State, leaving those situations to Verdell and Dye.

Behind those two main tailbacks, redshirt freshman Sean Dollars was looking to see more playing time, but he suffered a considerable leg injury, so he won’t see action until the middle of the season, according to Cristobal.

True freshman Seven McGee, a four-star recruit from Rochester, NY, won’t be on campus until June. So Aaron Smith, a 5-11, 205-pounder from San Jose, Calif. has received the other snaps in Spring practice. Whether he sees the field come September remains to be seen, but just being able to get those early reps in is going to be invaluable to him.

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Spring Position Preview: Anthony Brown leads an entertaining quarterback competition

Senior Anthony Brown is the starting quarterback, but freshman Ty Thompson isn’t going to make Mario Cristobal’s decision an easy one.

Nearly every head football coach wants a healthy positional competition in spring practices as it tends to make the players better, causing the cream to rise to the top.

If there is one spot on the football field the coach wants to be sure of it’s the quarterback. But if that all-important spot isn’t a sure thing, you want two talented players to compete.

That’s exactly what faces Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal, as he watches senior Anthony Brown and freshman Ty Thompson battle each other. It’s a decision that will be so close that Cristobal might not be able to make it until the fall.

Whatever that decision is, however, the Ducks will be in good hands.

Brown came to Eugene last season after a three-year career at Boston College. His time with the Eagles was hit-and-miss because of injuries, but when he was able to see the field, Brown was able to tear apart Big East defenses.

In those three seasons, Brown threw for 40 touchdowns and 4,738 yards. Those numbers would be bigger, but he suffered a season-ending injury after six games as a junior.

Once healthy again, Brown transferred to Oregon looking to start, but then the pandemic hit last year and put spring practices on hold. His progress in offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s system was hampered, so the staff went with Tyler Shough, the known quantity.

But Brown slowly worked his way onto the field as the season went along. He played well in the Pac-12 title game where he threw for two touchdowns against USC, and then again in the Fiesta Bowl. Despite the 34-17 loss to Iowa State, Brown rushed for two touchdowns and threw for 147 yards in part-time duties, splitting reps with Shough.

After the season, Shough transferred, making Brown the incumbent, but when Oregon recruited and signed the program’s first-ever five-star quarterback, the Ducks suddenly had a decision to make at quarterback.

Thompson is the Ducks’ first five-star signal-caller to sign. He stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 215 pounds. Thompson was Arizona’s top prep football player last season and was rated as the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the country.

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At Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Ariz., the two-time state champion ended his career throwing for 9,891 yards and 100 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,145 yards, averaging nearly five yards a rush and 20 scores.

It’s difficult to ignore a talent like that, and since Thompson is an early enrollee, it gives the freshman the best possible chance to start right away.

As the schedule is set, no one would blame Cristobal if he wanted to go with the upper-classman. Ohio State looms as the second game of the season in the 12-game slate and having a true freshman enter the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio might be too much to ask.

Oregon has the talent at the other positions to be the favorite to win the Pac-12 title and possibly sneak into the College Football Playoff if everything falls into place for the Ducks.

This one decision might determine the destiny of the 2021 Oregon Ducks football team.

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2020 NFL Draft: What the experts say about the top CBs

As free agency is set to begin on March 18th and with the draft just over two months away there is still plenty of work that needs to be

free agency is set to begin on March 18th and with the draft just over two months away there is still plenty of work that needs to be done to build this Cowboys roster. In the meantime the Cowboys have an important decisions to make about the cornerback position and it starts with former All-Pro Byron Jones.

With potential big money deals for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper there may not be enough available money left for Byron Jones which will create an immediate need at corner. In addition to Jones third year corner Anthony Brown is set to hit the open market. Luckily for this Cowboys team there are some intriguing cornerback prospects in a deep draft class that would be a great fit for this team. We take a look at seven cornerback prospects the cowboys could target in this years draft.

Jeffery Okudah, CB, Ohio St.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, the junior finished the year with 34 tackles, three interceptions, nine passes defended, and one forced fumble and has established himself as the top corner and and one of best defensive prospects in this draft. Okudah shows a very patient process at the line of scrimmage, with smooth hips to open, turn and run with receivers. He is an excellent man corner who stays in the pocket of receivers and crowds the catch point.

With his combination of length and speed to match receivers he projects as a Day 1 starter. The Cowboys would have to hope Okudah slides some and also be willing to package picks to come up to get him.

What the experts say:

Draft Network:

Jeff Okudah is going to be a star at the NFL level — there’s no coverage he can’t play, no role he can’t fill in the secondary. Okudah pairs prototypical size with trust in his technique and dynamic movement skills and should be a lockdown cornerback at the NFL level in just about any system. This is a top of the 1st-round caliber player that will excel in man or zone and can be used to mirror and erase the opposition’s best receiver in the NFL. A future Pro Bowl/All-Pro player.

Drafttek:

Okudah is a competitor, and at times he does get chatty, but I have yet to see it affect his play. Another admiral trait is his work ethic while he was more of a rotational corner. Okudah has only been a true starter for a year, having rotated with Kendall Sheffield quite a bit in 2018. Still, he played his role with confidence, and when his number was called, he was chomping at the bit. Not every player responds well to sharing a role or coming off the bench, but Okudah not only stay prepared, but he pushed himself to get better. His play on the field has him locked into being a first-round pick, but it’s little details like those that make a difference when teams are discussing the top players in this draft. I see him as a top-10 selection heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, and it wouldn’t shock me one bit if he were gone before we got to pick five.

NFL:

Head coach and general manager’s dream prospect with blue-chip physical traits, mental makeup and personal character. He has size, length and foot quickness to road-block press release and elite closing burst to close catch windows or eliminate yards after catch. He has room for improvement with his recognition and balance at the top of the route, but quarterbacks rarely target and beat him over the top. He has a rigid adherence to technique, but squeezing coverage even tighter and trusting his traits, talent and recovery speed could make him one of the top shutdown corners in the game.

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