Tag: ProDucks

Christian Gonzalez on of 17 prospects set to attend 2023 NFL draft

Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez should be one of those to hug NFL commish Roger Goodell a hug at the NFL draft.

One of the more unique things in sports belongs to the NFL when a player is drafted and gets to go up on stage and give Commissioner Roger Goodell a giant bear hug.

Goodell is one of the more maligned commissioners in sports, but in that moment with the draft picks, he is humanized and it’s quite the spectacle.

Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux was one of those players last spring and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Duck corner Christian Gonzalez should be the second Oregon defender in as many years to hug Goodell on stage.

Gonzalez is just one of 17 prospects that are currently expected to attend the 2023 NFL draft in person, which will be held in Kansas City. Here are those who should be in attendance.

Where every Pac-12 player lands in latest 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft

ESPN projects the Pac-12 will have 27 players selected with nearly every school represented in the upcoming draft.

In the latest mock NFL draft, ESPN went ahead to project all seven rounds and as expected, the Pac-12 should be well represented.

Ten of the 12 schools had at least one player selected with just Arizona and Colorado missing out. Oregon, USC, UCLA and Utah each had four players and the Beavers managed to have a trio of players listed.

A total of 27 Pac-12 players were listed and of course, many more will be signed as undrafted free agents. Oregon corner Christian Gonzalez was “picked” as the first player drafted from the Conference of Champions as he was projected to go to Atlanta at No. 8.

In reality, that total number of drafted players could be a little less or possibly even a little more, but one thing is for sure, the Pac-12 is a fertile ground for future NFL talent.

Endyia Rogers to end college career and enter WNBA draft

Oregon guard Endyia Rogers is leaving in pursuit of a professional career in the WNBA as she made her name available in the draft.

The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team will have a new point guard in 2023-24.

Endyia Rogers has decided to forego her one remaining year of eligibility and enter the WNBA draft. The transfer from USC played two seasons at Oregon and averaged 15 points, a little over four rebounds and 3.6 assists in her 58 games as a Duck.

This past season was her best college season as she led Oregon averaging 16 points and four assists per game. She also shot 39 percent from the three-point line.

To replace her, head coach Kelly Graves will have a few options at his disposal. He could go into the transfer portal to find a pure point guard. He could call upon Te-Hina Paopao to play more minutes at the position. Guard Chance Gray also played some minutes at the point, but she is more of a spot-up shooter from the wing.

Incoming freshman Sofia Bell, a McDonald’s All-American and the No. 5 wing player in the country, according to ESPN, could also see time at the point guard position as well.

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Christian Gonzalez remains in top 10 of latest mock draft

Former Oregon corner Christian Gonzalez remains a top-10 pick in this latest mock draft from USA Today.

A former Duck to the Atlanta Falcons didn’t work out so well in 2022 with Marcus Mariota playing just one season.

But according to the latest mock draft by Draft Wire, the Falcons could very well go back to the Oregon well again with corner Christian Gonzalez. Atlanta has the No. 8 pick in the 2023 NFL draft and its defense could use the help. A cover corner would go a long way for the Falcons’ return to the playoffs.

This is the analysis provided by Falcons Wire own Matt Urben.

While TCU WR Quentin Johnston was an option here, the Falcons have spent top-10 picks on skill position players in each of the last two drafts. Instead, the team continues to revamp its defensive secondary by adding Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez to a group that features A.J. Terrell, Jessie Bates III, Richie Grant and Mike Hughes. With the top edge prospects off the board and no first-round quarterback prospects remaining, Gonzalez isn’t a bad consolation prize for what should be an improved Atlanta defense this season.

Labeling Gonzalez as a “consolation prize” is just the bulletin board material he needs to prove he is the top corner in this class, whether Atlanta drafts him or not.

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Nike introduces ‘Sabrina1,’ the signature shoe for Oregon legend Sabrina Ionescu

Nike introduced the “Sabrina1” to celebrate its signing of Sabrina Ionescu as a signature athlete.

First came the Air Jordan. Then several other signature shoes with a professional athlete’s name attached. Now it’s Sabrina’s turn.

Nike announced that they signed Ionescu as a “Signature Athlete” and with it comes the new Sabrina1 shoe.

According to the press release:

To accompany the sneakers, Nike also cooked up a range of apparel items including a pullover hoodie, tees, shorts and socks. With this new initiative, Ionescu joins the likes of female signature Swoosh legends Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe and Naomi Osaka. The Nike Sabrina 1 is expected to launch during Summer 2023.

The Oregon legend is coming off her best WNBA season yet with the New York Liberty. She averaged 14.3 points, six rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. She also shot 40 percent from the three-point line.

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Assessing Jordon Riley’s performance at Oregon Pro Day

Oregon defensive lineman Jordon Riley had a nice Pro Day and now scouts have the big 338-pounder on their radar.

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Jordon Riley was most likely not on NFL scouts’ immediate radar, but after the Oregon Pro Day event held inside the Moshofsky Center, Riley might now be a blip on that radar screen.

The big 6-foot-5, 338-pounder showed his speed and agility with good times in the 40-yard dash and in the 10-yard split. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to show his strength as he skipped the bench presses.

But there’s much more to being an effective defensive lineman than raw feats of strength. There’s technique, determination and drive to get to the opposing quarterback or to make a big play when the team needs it the most. It’s called intangibles and Riley has plenty of those and then some.

Riley is projected to a free agent and hopefully he gets the chance to enter an NFL camp and show off those intangibles and get signed to a contract.

Assessing Chase Cota’s performance at Oregon Pro Day

Oregon WR Chase Cota showed what he could do in front of 31 NFL scouts at the Oregon Pro Day, putting up some impressive numbers.

No one can see the future, but if Chase Cota didn’t transfer to Oregon for his senior season from UCLA, today might not have happened.

Cota came to Eugene and had a stellar senior season and then obviously built upon that with a stringent off-season workout program to improve his size and speed. It paid off as Cota had an outstanding Pro Day in front of nearly every team scout in the NFL.

The 6-foot-3 receiver finished with the best 40-yard dash time of the day and showed his speed and agility in the workout.

According to The Draft Network’s Brentley Weissman, he is “an above-average route-runner (and) is a good technician and it shows that he is a son of an NFL player. Cota is tough as nails and is an excellent blocker. I expect him to be a very good special teams player as a kick coverage guy at the next level.

Assessing Bennett Williams’ performance at Oregon Pro Day

Oregon defensive back Bennett Williams had a nice showing at the Oregon Pro Day, which should improve his chances landing with an NFL team this spring.

With 31 of the 32 NFL teams represented with scouts (the Los Angeles Rams had better things to do apparently), Oregon conducted its Pro Day with players who did and did not go to the NFL Combine earlier this month.

Among those who did not go to Indianapolis was defensive back Bennett Williams, who had a nice day in front of the scouts.

He managed to have the second-fastest 40-yard dash and did the second-most bench presses.

Williams is projected to be either a late-round draft pick or a free agent, but with a good showing today, he may have slightly improved that status.

Bleacher Reports says the nation’s capital should be Mariota’s next stop

Bleacher Report says the Washington Commanders would be the best spot for Marcus Mariota to continue his NFL career.

It was once thought Atlanta was going to be the perfect landing place for former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. After a tumultuous stay in Las Vegas with the Raiders, the Ducks’ only Heisman winner signed a two-year deal with the Falcons and was named the starter almost right away.

Unfortunately what looked great on paper didn’t live up to reality.

Atlanta got off to a tough start and then benched Mariota in favor of rookie Desmond Ridder. Then Mariota left the team to nurse an injury and be with his wife has the couple welcomed their first child. Evidently, that didn’t sit well with the Atlanta brass and they released Mariota.

Now he’s looking for a new destination and according to Bleacher Report, the nation’s capital is the best landing spot for Mariota. Here’s an excerpt from what writer Maurice Moton.

Because of his experience, Mariota could have an edge over (Sam) Howell and at least start the season under center as he did last year with the Falcons. Mariota would play under offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who has experienced success in Kansas City, and with a defense that ranked seventh in scoring for the 2022 term. In Washington, he could win several games before the team hands the offense over to a younger, high-upside signal-caller.

No matter where he ends up, we can only hope Mariota can stay healthy and have a full season to show what he has left in the gas tank.

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Pro Ducks are prevalent through out the 2023 NFL playoffs

The NFL playoffs begin this weekend and there are plenty of former Ducks who will be on the field.

The Oregon Ducks football season may be over, but Oregon fans can still watch their favorite former Ducks in the NFL playoffs starting this weekend.

It all starts with 49ers hosting the Seahawks on Saturday and Arik Armstead and Deommordore Lenoir headlining the San Francisco defense.

But in reality, the majority of Duck fans will be watching former quarterback Justin Herbert’s first potential playoff run as he leads the Chargers against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.

There’s a total of 10 former Ducks who will be participating in the playoffs with the hope of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy Feb. 12 after Super Bowl LVII. Here are the 10 Pro Ducks in the NFL postseason.