Tag: ProDucks

Assessing Khyree Jackson’s performance at the 2024 NFL Combine

Assessing Oregon Ducks’ CB Khyree Jackson’s performance at the 2024 NFL Combine.

The 2024 NFL Draft Combine is well on its way in Indianapolis and Oregon Ducks’ cornerback Khyree Jackson led the way for the Ducks on Day 2 of the annual event.

Jackson, who transferred to Oregon from Alabama for his senior year, turned some heads, especially in the broad jump where he was near the top of the heap.

As for his overall grade, it was pretty good as the scouts rate Jackson as a solid backup for the potential to be a starter in the NFL. As with all things, it just depends on the team that selects him and what their specific needs are.

Here’s the breakdown of Jackson’s day at the combine.

Marcus Mariota on the cover? What could have been for NCAA Football 16

Oregon legendary quarterback Marcus Mariota could have been on the cover of EA Sports College Football 16 if franchise continued.

When nostalgia is done right, it can be epic, but when it’s done wrong, it can be a proverbial dumpster fire.

The gaming world is about to find out where the cookie crumbles when EA Sports’ College Football 25 comes out in July. All indications are there won’t be a dumpster fire to be found.

It’s been over a decade since EA has presented sports fans with a college football game due to legal reasons. Unfortunately, they had to stop right when Marcus Mariota was on the top of the world leading Oregon to a national title and holding a Heisman Trophy. CBS Sports says the Duck legend would have graced the cover of NCAA Football 16.

This was a very difficult cut to make, and it came down to a pair of quarterbacks that led their teams to a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff: Mariota and Florida State’s Jameis Winston. Both won the Heisman, with Winston following in Johnny Manziel’s footsteps as a freshman winner while also becoming the youngest player to ever take the Heisman home. What sets Mariota apart, however, is his consistent success. It also helps that Mariota plays for Oregon and its imminently marketable uniforms, which look great emblazoned on any promotional material. — Will Buckus, CBS Sports

Mariota would have been the best call here, but it would have been comical to have a picture of Winston spinning himself into oblivion in the Rose Bowl on the cover.

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PFF says wide receiver will be the focus of first round picks in draft

In the latest mock draft from PFF, Troy Franklin will go in the first round to Tampa Bay at No. 26.

According to the analytical website PFF.com, the one position that NFL teams will focus on in the first round is wide receiver.

It’s one of the best classes of receiver in quite some time and while quarterbacks are at a premium, they need elite athletes to throw to to make a difference.

In the latest mock NFL draft, PFF projects a total of seven receivers will be selected and one of those ball hawks will be Oregon’s own Troy Franklin. They think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are high on the 6-foot-3, 187-pounder from East Palo Alto, Calif.

Franklin blossomed as a player in his three seasons as a Ducks and really broke out in 2022 and 2023 with quarterback Bo Nix tossing him the pigskin. In those two seasons, Franklin caught 142 passes for 2,274 yards and 23 touchdowns.

PFF gives Franklin a grade of 84.9 overall and an 87.3 grade for receiving. Overall, he was the No. 29 receiver in the country.

The Buccaneers were in the lower third of the NFL where offense is concerned so it’s no surprise they’ll look for an upgrade in the receiver department and Franklin would certainly fit the bill here.

Troy Franklin lands with Super Bowl champions in latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft

Troy Franklin could be the missing piece to a three-peat puzzle for Super Bowl champs, according to latest mock draft.

As if the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t need another weapon in their arsenal.

According to the latest USA TODAY mock NFL draft, Oregon receiver Troy Franklin would fit in nicely with the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

Writer Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, Franklin would be the last pick of the first round in April. This was is analysis.

“The 6-3, 180-pound Franklin is not the surehanded target that one might expect Kansas City to target after a season of errors from its receiving corps,” he said. “But his deep speed and run-after-catch ability would add vital explosiveness to a passing attack that has grown far too stale.”

That passing attack wasn’t too stale to win another Super Bowl, but there was talk immediately afterward that the Chiefs could be in a great situation to win a third straight Super Bowl for the first time in league history.

Middlehurst-Schwartz also said that Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson will go in the middle of the first round at No. 21 to the Miami Dolphins.

“A unanimous All-American this past season, Powers-Johnson showed off at the Senior Bowl, making a strong claim to be the first interior offensive lineman selected,” he said. “Rugged yet refined, he sizes up as exactly the kind of figure that Mike McDaniel would covet to enhance this offense.”

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Three Ducks get selected in first two rounds of post-Senior Bowl NFL mock draft

In the latest NFL mock draft from ESPN.com, three Ducks get selected in the first two rounds in April.

It’s the heart of mock draft season and with the success of the Oregon football team in 2023, the Ducks are sure to be prevalent in the 2024 NFL draft.

ESPN.com writer and draft analyst Matt Miller predicted how the first two rounds of the draft in April will go. In his mock draft, quarterback Bo Nix, wide receiver Troy Franklin and center Jackson Powers-Johnson were included.

First off the board was Nix to the Denver Broncos as the No. 12 pick.

With Russell Wilson expected to be released, the Broncos are on the hunt for a new franchise quarterback. Nix is coming off a solid showing at the Senior Bowl, where team scouts raved about his interviews and the work he did in practice. Nix, who started for three seasons at Auburn before transferring to Oregon in 2022, is experienced and pro-ready, and he has the accuracy (nation-leading 77.4 percent completion rate) and second-effort mobility to work well with coach Sean Payton’s scheme. This might feel early for Nix, but quarterbacks always rise, and scouts keep telling me that he is going to get drafted earlier than expected. — Miller

The Broncos have never found another John Elway. Perhaps another quarterback from the Pac-10/12 will do the trick.

Powers-Johnson is the next Duck to be selected, No. 28 pick to the Buffalo Bills.

Powers-Johnson, who was one of the stars of the Senior Bowl before leaving midway through the second practice with a hamstring injury, has a great combination of agility and size. The 334-pounder would immediately be one of the largest centers in the NFL, but he moves like someone 20 pounds lighter. He is a downhill blocker, but Buffalo would love his size in the middle of an offensive line that has renewed its commitment to running the ball. — Miller

As for Franklin, ESPN sees the Duck receiver going to Vegas and playing for the Raiders with the No. 44 pick of the draft in the second round. Miller has Las Vegas drafting Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy in the first round, and his new favorite target could be Franklin.

“Let’s give new quarterback McCarthy some friends in the passing game. Franklin is a vertical threat with awesome speed and a 6-foot-3 frame,” Miller said. “He grabbed 14 touchdowns in 2023 and picked up 1,383 yards on 81 catches. With 31 percent of his routes classifying as deep routes, Franklin is ready to stretch the field in the NFL.”

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Brandon Dorlus is a player on the rise in NFL draft circles

Oregon nose tackle Brandon Dorlus could dramatically improve his draft stock with an impressive showing at the combine and Senior Bowl.

Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus is a throwback. He stayed at one school for four years and improved every season, making himself attractive to NFL scouts.

His draft stock is all over the board, however. Dorlus could be a fit for several teams at different positions and it’s somewhat of a mystery as to where he could eventually end up on the next level.

According to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, a draft analyst, Dorlus could be on the rise.

On an Oregon defense that saw many players significantly improve in 2023, Dorlus arguably took the biggest leap — especially as a pass-rusher (5 sacks). Whenever the Ducks’ defense needed a big play, it was Dorlus who made it happen, as we saw often in the Texas Tech game. Where do you play him, though? It’s the first question that scouts bring up when discussing his game. Dorlus is a bit of a tweener at 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, and while he can play any spot along the defensive line, there isn’t a consensus on which position he should play at the next level. Some scouts feel he can be a disruptive 3-technique, while others like him better in a three-man front. I lean 3-technique. — Jordan Reid

Dorlus is projected to be a Day 2 draft selection, but with the combine and the Senior Bowl which will give the Duck defender a chance to shine, that Day 2 could easily turn into a Day 1.

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ESPN’s Mel Kiper has one Oregon Duck in latest 2024 NFL mock draft

ESPN’s Mel Kiper has one Oregon Duck in latest 2024 NFL mock draft

Troy Franklin is a really good receiver.

Talk about about stating the obvious.

For the last three seasons, Oregon football fans watched Franklin blossom from a lanky freshman receiver into one of the best in college football. According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper, he turned himself into a late-first-round draft selection.

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In his latest mock draft, just one of seemingly several thousand you can find on the internet this time of year, Kiper says the Oregon star should prepare to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes as the Kansas City Chiefs will pick Franklin at No. 29 overall.

Franklin averaged 17.1 yards per catch in 2023 and had 23 receiving touchdowns over the past two seasons. He is a big, 6-foot-3 target with deceptive speed who can break tackles after the catch. This isn’t the first time I’ve projected Kansas City to land a receiver in Round 1 — I gave them Zay Flowers in my final 2023 mock — but the hole is too large to not fill here. By the way, this makes seven wideouts in Round 1, which would tie the record for most in a single draft (2004). — Mel Kiper, Jr.

Interestingly however, the quarterback who threw to Franklin all those times for the past two seasons, Bo Nix, was not included in Kiper’s first-round analysis.

He has four quarterbacks not named Nix going in the first round that will include Caleb Williams (No. 1, Chicago), Jayden Daniels (No. 2, Washington), Drake Maye (No. 3, New England) and JJ McCarthy (No. 16 Seattle). Not only did Kiper leave out Nix, he left out Washington’s Michael Penix as well.

Bucky Irving ranked among best RBs in 2024 NFL Draft

Pro Football Focus says Bucky Irving is one of the top tailbacks available in the NFL draft in a strong 2023 running back class.

For the 2024 NFL draft, it figures to be a fairly strong year for running backs with the likes of Michigan’s Blake Corum, and Florida State’s Trey Benson — a former Oregon Duck — leading the way.

Among the loaded group is Oregon’s own Bucky Irving, who dramatically helped his draft stock by staying in Eugene for the 2023 season. He was pretty good at Minnesota for the first of his college career, but once Irving stepped on the field as a Duck, his career went upward.

The analytical site PFF.com had to say this about the Oregon tailback.

Irving earned back-to-back 90.0-plus rushing grades to finish his college career, with his 90.8 mark from 2023 good for the third-best mark in the Pac-12. He’s averaged at least 3.9 yards after contact per attempt and forced at least 63 missed tackles in each of the past two seasons. — Trevor Sikkema

PFF ranks Irving as the No. 4 running back available to NFL teams in the draft, which is held in April.

As a Duck, Irving was outstanding. He played in 27 games and carried the ball 342 times for 2,238 yards (6.5 ypg) and 16 touchdowns.

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All the pro Oregon Ducks set to play in NFL Playoffs over next month

NFL fans watching the postseason is going to see many ProDucks trying to go to the Super Bowl.

The Oregon football program has always had players with the talent to play on Sunday and the 2023 NFL season isn’t any different.

Many of those players will be participating in this year’s NFL postseason, hoping to win a Super Bowl and the ring that comes with it. The Ducks will have alumni playing in most of the Wild Card games played this weekend and some Pro Ducks will have this week off awaiting for their chance the following round.

Jevon Holland of the Miami Dolphins probably had the ProDuck highlight of the year when he returned a Hail Mary pass 100 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Marcus Mariota received some playing time in the last game of the regular season for the Eagles and showed he still has some in the tank.

San Francisco doesn’t play until next week, but a pair of Pro Ducks, Arik Armstead and Deommodore Lenoir, anchors that defense. The 49ers are a favorite to win the NFC and advance to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas next month.

Here’s a look at all of the Oregon alums who are set to play in the playoffs this year.

Justin Herbert to have season-ending surgery for broken finger

Justin Herbert to have season-ending surgery after breaking finger against Denver last Sunday.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s season is over.

The former Duck will have season-ending surgery on his broken right index finger after suffering the injury this past Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

It was the second time Herbert has broken a finger, but the first time, in Week 4, was on his left non-throwing hand and he didn’t miss a game.

The Chargers are 5-8 for the season, but Herbert was having a good year. He has completed nearly 67 percent of his passes, 3,134 yards, 20 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

For his career, Herbert has thrown for over 17,000 yards, 114 touchdowns and 42 interceptions in four seasons with the Chargers.

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