Tag: Pro Football Network

Christian Gonzalez the latest cornerback mocked to the Vikings by Pro Football Network

With the Vikings’ need at cornerback, Pro Football Network addressed it with Tyler’s top cornerback in the class

The Minnesota Vikings are in need of cornerback depth for next season, as they only have three players currently under contract. Many expect the Vikings to address this need in free agency, but they could also look in the first round of the NFL Draft.

On Tuesday Pro Football Network’s Ben Rolfe released a mock draft that had the Vikings selecting Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. 

“The Minnesota Vikings desperately need to address their defense in a number of ways this offseason. Regardless of how they approach the CB position in free agency, there will always be the need to add more talent. Gonzalez definitely brings that talent and has a chance to be a starter immediately for a Vikings defense that needs immediate help.”

Many think Gonzalez is one of the best cornerbacks in this draft class, so if he were to fall to the Vikings in the late first round, it would be a steal and an immediate upgrade at the position. This is one that fans should be excited about.

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Pro Football Network has the Vikings taking USC WR Jordan Addison in latest Mock

The Vikings get some help at wide receiver in the latest mock draft from Pro Football Network

The Minnesota Vikings will have their work cut out for them this offseason trying to fill the holes on their roster as they prepare for the 2023 season. There are debates among fans and people who cover the team about which position has the biggest need, leading to a variety of selections in mock drafts for the Vikings.

On Thursday, Pro Football Network’s Joe Broback released a mock draft that had the Vikings drafting USC wide receiver Jordan Addison

“Jordan Addison likely won’t fall this far, but teams have other needs that aren’t wide receiver, so it’s not unlikely, either. Minnesota could use this pick on a corner, but there’s plenty of depth where they could wait and not pass on this kind of talent.

Justin Jefferson needs help, plain and simple. K.J. Osborn played well late in the year, but might not be the guy. Adam Thielen turns 33 in August, so the Vikings need a younger player to help. If Addison, an elite separator and route runner, is available with this pick, Minnesota shouldn’t hesitate to draft him.

If the Vikings were to select Addison with their first-round pick, it would give the Vikings’ wide receiver room two legit weapons for the next half-decade. As the offseason progresses and mock drafts change, be sure to come back to Vikings Wire as we’ll keep you updated on who the experts have the Vikings taking.

Latest PFN 2023 NFL mock draft has Vikings going IOL

Interior offensive line is a sneaky need for the Vikings

Mock drafts are a ton of fun and they give a lot of different ideas and scenarios to what could happen in the actual NFL draft.

Since the beginning of the calendar year, we have collected over 40 mock drafts and Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings has sent the Minnesota Vikings their 23rd different prospect in North Dakota State LT Cody Mauch, who Cummings projects will slide into guard at the next level.

“Disappointing finish aside, the Vikings showed promise in Year 1 under Kevin O’Connell. But if they’re going to ride out the rest of the way with Kirk Cousins at QB, the interior offensive line has to be impenetrable.

That means no settling at offensive guard. In Cody Mauch, they can get a mauler in the run game, with the strength to dominate in pass pro.”

In playing at NDSU, Mauch has already run a myriad of rushing concepts and has a chance to show that he can dominate higher level competition at the Senior Bowl in a couple of weeks.

Two former Tigers make list of NFL’s top players of 2022

With the 2022 NFL season right around the corner, Pro Football Network this week released its ranking of the top 100 NFL players for the upcoming campaign. A pair of former Clemson stars appeared on Pro Football Network’s list in Atlanta Falcons …

With the 2022 NFL season right around the corner, Pro Football Network this week released its ranking of the top 100 NFL players for the upcoming campaign.

A pair of former Clemson stars appeared on Pro Football Network’s list in Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Terrell checks in as PFN’s No. 21 overall player coming off his breakout 2021 season that saw him earn second-team All-Pro honors after tallying 81 total tackles (52 solo), a sack, a forced fumble, 16 passes defended and three interceptions in 16 games (16 starts).

A two-time All-ACC selection at Clemson, Terrell didn’t allow more than 32 yards in coverage in a game last season, allowed fewer than 20 yards in 13 games last season and also recorded the lowest passer rating allowed (47.5) and the lowest completion percentage allowed (43.9), according to Pro Football Focus. Additionally, per PFF, the Atlanta native and 2020 first-round draft pick yielded only 200 yards over the course of the entire season.

“Some discredit A.J. Terrell’s season because he didn’t travel with the opposing offense’s most dangerous weapons,” PFN’s Dalton Miller wrote. “But in a league where consistent cornerback play is as fleeting as the US economy, we need to acknowledge the unbelievable season he had in the situations he was put in.

“Terrell put up coverage metrics that might make Darrelle Revis blush. Terrell broke up 13 of the 66 targets coming his way (19.7%), allowing just 6.9 yards per catch and 200 total yards for the season. The longest completion against him went for 28 yards in Week 1.

“Terrell didn’t allow another 20-plus-yard reception ALL SEASON! Yes, we’d all like to see him playing press man on every play while traveling across formations to cover opposing No. 1 wide receivers. But when it comes to “doing the job,” nobody was better at it than Terrell was last season.”

As for Hopkins, the five-time Pro Bowler is ranked No. 35 on PFN’s list of the NFL’s top 100 players of 2022.

Hopkins played only 10 games last season due to a hamstring injury and then a season-ending MCL injury that he suffered in Week 14 in December, and he will have to sit out the first six games of this season as he serves a six-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

However, Hopkins had missed a total of just two games in the first eight years of his NFL career prior to last season. He finished the 2021 season with career lows in catches (42) and receiving yards (572), but still led the Cardinals with a team-high eight receiving touchdowns.

Over the previous four years, Hopkins had recorded no fewer than 96 catches or 1,165 receiving yards in any season. Over his NFL career (2013-21), Hopkins has amassed 789 receptions for 10,581 yards and 68 touchdowns.

“Aside from possibly Larry Fitzgerald, DeAndre Hopkins probably has the most natural hands of any receiver of this generation,” Miller wrote. “It’s constantly jarring to see his 4.94 Relative Athletic Score, given what we’ve seen from him over the past nine seasons.

“The fact that he’s only 6-foot-1 is the most mind-boggling metric. He has consistently been the best in the game with the ball in the air, disrespecting cornerbacks left and right. The “Hail Murray” was just the most glaring example of Hopkins’ freakish ball skills.

“Although it’s a small sample size, all one must do to understand Hopkins’ value is to look at Kyler Murray’s performance with and without the elite receiver. Hopkins helps drive that offense.”

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

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Pro Football Network names Iowa Hawkeyes’ Jestin Jacobs as 2023 NFL draft breakout candidate

Pro Football Network can’t get enough of Iowa’s linebackers. Jestin Jacobs has been listed as one of the 2023 NFL draft breakout candidates.

The well-warranted hype around the Iowa Hawkeyes linebackers seems to be continuing to rise and garner more national attention prior to the 2022 college football season. After a myriad of accolades for Jack Campbell, the leader of the Hawkeyes’ defense, his comrade in the heart of the defense, Jestin Jacobs, is on the receiving end of the kudos this time.

Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network has named Jacobs as part of his 2023 NFL draft breakout candidates among linebackers across the country. Cummings reiterates the unique and translatable skillset that Jacobs brings with him.

Jacobs could be a perfect fit and a highly-coveted player in a modern NFL that’s trending more toward versatility on defense. He’s listed at 6’4″, 236 pounds, with an outrageously long and burly frame. Jacobs is a long-strider in space, but he also has enough short-area athleticism to shade outside as an overhang slot defender. Plus, he can blanket receivers and tight ends alike with his size. With another year of seasoning, he could take the next step. – Cummings, Pro Football Network.

With another strong season in 2022, Jacobs could find himself skyrocketing up draft boards to join Campbell in the earlier rounds of the draft as he isn’t a one-dimensional linebacker. Jacobs is a true three-down linebacker that is multifaceted and able to be a Swiss Army Knife for defensive coordinators.

As Jacobs gears up for the 2022 campaign, he will be a leader among the entire Hawkeyes team. Iowa will rely on him to duplicate his performance thus far and one could expect him to surpass that.

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This Clemson defense listed among ‘scariest’ in college football since 2000

Pro Football Network recently published a list of what it sees as the scariest defenses in college football since the year 2000. PFN listed the defenses in chronological order, and Clemson’s 2018 defense – which featured a bunch of current NFL …

Pro Football Network recently published a list of what it sees as the scariest defenses in college football since the year 2000.

PFN listed the defenses in chronological order, and Clemson’s 2018 defense — which featured a bunch of current NFL players and helped the Tigers to a 44-16 beatdown of Alabama in that season’s national championship game — made the list.

Here’s what PFN’s James Fragoza wrote about that formidable Clemson defensive unit, which helped the Tigers to a perfect 15-0 record in 2018 while ranking first nationally that year in points per game allowed (13.6) and fourth nationally in yards per game allowed (294.7).

The Power Rangers were in full force in 2018. Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant, Christian Wilkins, and Dexter Lawrence made life hell for opposing backfields. While they were tormenting offenses up front, Isaiah Simmons, Trayvon Mullen, A.J. Terrell, and K’Von Wallace were enforcing a no-fly zone. They may not have pitched a shutout, but they allowed over 20 points (four) fewer times than they allowed less than 10 (seven).

Need some more numbers to tickle your fancy? Clemson allowed a 53.4 completion rate (10th lowest) and a 27.9 third-down conversion rate (fifth). Offenses struggled to move the ball down the field. The Tigers took care of business in the playoffs as well, trouncing Notre Dame 30-3 in the semifinal, and unseating Alabama 44-16 in the national championship.

Clemson’s 2018 defense ranked first in the country in total sacks (54.0) and tied for first in tackles for loss (136.0). The unit produced eight eventual draft picks, including current Arizona Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who went on to win the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2019, and current Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end in 2018.

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Six Alabama players selected in latest PFN four-round NFL mock draft

See where these six former Crimson Tide stars are projected to land

As we creep towards the end of the month of February, we close in on the NFL combine and the NFL draft. Until those events are here we are stuck with an influx of NFL mock drafts.

Like most draft seasons, the mock drafts are littered with former Alabama stars hoping to make a name for themselves at the next level. While there isn’t as much pure star power in the class from Alabama, there is a chance the No. 1 overall selection could be a former member for the Crimson Tide.

Let’s take a look at Pro Football Network’s latest four-round mock draft and where former members of the Tide are slated to land.

Alabama lands 5 in latest NFL mock draft from Pro Football Network

Alabama lands 5 in latest 3-round NFL mock draft from Pro Football Network

The NFL draft is one of my favorite sporting events each and every year. And of my favorite things about the draft is the endless supply of mock drafts that are released almost daily.

The draft isn’t an exact science so mistakes are often made during the process. That means that every franchise has immense pressure in making the correct decision come draft day. This is what makes all of the mock drafts so interesting.

So today we will look at Pro Football Network’s latest three-round mock draft in which we see five former Alabama players selected.

Pro Football Network mock draft shows Jags addressing several positions of need in top-4 rounds

This four-round mock shows a fairly even split between offensive and defensive players.

Jacksonville is set to pick first overall once again after a disappointing 3-14 season in 2021. Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s development was hindered by limited pieces around him and a questionable coaching staff, which is set for a revamp after the dismissal of Urban Meyer 13 games into the season.

Heading into the 2022 offseason, it’s clear that the team has several positions of weakness that it needs to prioritize, and in the latest mock draft from Pro Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson, the Jags address several of them. Here’s how Hodgkinson sees the first four rounds of this year’s NFL draft playing out for Jacksonville.

Seahawks expected to consider Nick Sorensen for defensive backs coach

Seahawks expected to consider Nick Sorensen for defensive backs coach

Now that the Seattle Seahawks have fired both defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and defensive backs coach Andre Curtis, they must find suitable candidates to replace them.

While the defensive coordinator job will receive more attention, Pro Football Network reporter Aaron Wilson stated that Seattle may consider a former Seahawks secondary coach for the position.

Nick Sorensen is currently the special teams coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but worked for the Seahawks from 2013 to 2020. He served as assistant special teams coach during his first three years, assistant defensive backs coach in 2016, and secondary coach from 2017 to 2020.

Sorensen’s future with Jacksonville is up in the air, as they had the worst record in the NFL this season and the entire coaching staff may be in for an overhaul. However, the organization will likely evaluate and reach out to multiple candidates as is standard with every coaching job in this league an sports in general. We will all see what happens soon enough.

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