Tag: Puka Nacua

7 wide receiver prospects for the Eagles to watch at 2023 Senior Bowl

We’re looking at 7 wide receiver prospects for the Philadelphia Eagles to watch at the 2023 Senior Bowl #TheDraftStartsInMobile

The NFL draft starts in Mobile, and even with the Eagles preparing to face the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, all eyes this week will be on Alabama, for the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

The wide receiver position is settled with A.J. Brown set to start the first year of his monster contract extension, and DeVonta Smith entering his third year, with a fifth-year option all but guaranteed to be picked up.

Quez Watkins will be in the final year of his rookie deal, while undrafted free agent Britain Covey should return as the primary punt returner.

Zach Pascal will be an unrestricted free agent, and Philadelphia could look to add a talented rookie on a cheap deal to an already blockbuster duo.

With kickoff from Mobile just 24 hours away, here are seven wide receivers to watch at the Senior Bowl on Saturday.

Stock up, stock down from Senior Bowl National team practice

The National team had some standouts on Tuesday afternoon’s first practice. @TheRealForno breaks down his biggest risers and fallers

The Reese’s Senior Bowl is a place where all 32 teams and numerous members of the media congregate to look at the best senior NFL draft prospects. The Minnesota Vikings have a contingent down there and are trying to gather information to help them make more informed draft decisions.

During the week, it’s all about practice and seeing how the players match up against their equals and see how they handle drills. After the first day of practice, here are 10 guys that saw their stock go up and down on Tuesday.

Wide receiver prospects for Chargers to watch at 2023 Senior Bowl

Profiling the wide receivers at the 2023 Senior Bowl that could be on the Chargers’ radar.

The Senior Bowl game kicks off on Saturday, February 4th, after a full week of practice, evaluation, and interviews for nearly 100 of college football’s top senior players. To get prepared, Chargers Wire will preview each position group set to compete in Mobile, Alabama, continuing today with the wide receiver group.

Los Angeles will, presumably, be looking for speed at receiver this offseason after failing to consistently stretch the field all season despite Justin Herbert’s talents. But Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley have been clear: speed is nice, but any future Chargers receiver also needs to be able to win at every level of the field.

2023 NFL draft watch: 10 players to know from rivalry weekend

Here are 10 players I’m focusing on with draft eyes on rivalry Saturday in college football

Thanksgiving weekend is a huge time for college football. Many historical rivalry games take place across the country, and those matchups will feature players who the Detroit Lions, among many NFL teams, will be watching keenly with an eye to the 2023 NFL draft.

Here are 10 players I’m focusing on with draft eyes on rivalry Saturday in college football. Special emphasis is on games where the Lions will have a scouting presence, confirmed to me by various sources.

Report: BYU’s Gunner Romney ruled out, Puka Nacua game-time decision vs. Oregon

The BYU Cougars will be without wide receiver Gunner Romney and may be without Puka Nacua as well against the Ducks on Saturday.

It looks like the BYU Cougars will be without at least one of their star receivers on Saturday afternoon, with ESPN’s Pete Thamel reporting that Gunner Romney has been ruled out for a third-straight game.

BYU’s other star, Puka Nacua, travelled to Autzen Stadium and is listed as a game-time decision. The plan is for him to try out his injured right ankle pre-game and see how he feels before head coach Kalani Sitake and the staff make a formal decision.

Nacua was out, alongside Romney, for BYU’s big game against Baylor last week which they ultimately won, 26-20, in double-overtime.

BYU is a dangerous team regardless of whether Nacua plays, thanks to an extremely talented, big, and experienced offensive line, as well as quarterback Jaren Hall and an elite group of linebackers on the defensive side of the ball.

Dan Lanning and the Ducks will have their hands full at home Saturday afternoon, although they can pull off a major victory if they can generate some pressure defensively and play disciplined in the secondary.

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Know the Opponent: An efficient offensive scheme and huge O-line pave the way for BYU

BYU brings a huge offensive line, a good quarterback, and an efficient offense into Autzen Stadium on Saturday.

The BYU Cougars offense isn’t going to jump off the page with big highlights. They’re not likely going to throw many bombs or try to trick a defense with fancy formations.

What they will do, however, is get first downs and go at their own pace and before you know it, they have plenty of points on the board.

BYU features a huge offensive line, perhaps the best line the Cougars have ever had. They’re led by 6-foot-8, 305-pounder Blake Freeland, who is definitely a future first-round NFL draft pick. Usually, a man of Freeland’s size wouldn’t have anyone that can look him in the eye. but in Provo, Utah, that’s not the case.

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The offensive line also features 6-foot-6, 305-pounder Clark Barrington and a name familiar to Oregon fans, Kingsley Suamataia, a 6-foot-6, 325-pounder who was a Duck last season before transferring to BYU. He was the top offensive lineman recruit in the country in 2020.

With protection like that, it makes it a lot easier for quarterback Jaren Hall to distribute the ball where he wants. He was a very accurate passer in 2021, throwing for 2,583 yards and 20 touchdowns with five interceptions. He also completed 64 percent of his passes.

[lawrence-related id=29158]

“Over time, they’ve been one of the most explosive offensive as far as getting the ball down the field,” Dan Lanning said when asked about BYU on Monday. “They really stretch the field. (Jaren) Hall does a great job of distributing the ball, he throws a good ball and understands their offense, but also has the ability to run so he presents some good challenges with his ability to scramble. But I’d say he’s a quarterback that looks to throw it and keeps his eyes downfield.”

Whether or not he has some of his favorite receivers available for this game is still in doubt. BYU went into the Baylor game without two of their leading receivers in Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney. Nacua missed last week with a sprained ankle and Romney hasn’t seen action this year due to what is being described as a lower leg injury.

It didn’t seem to hurt the Cougars all that much as Hall threw for 261 yards in the 26-20 double-overtime win over the once No. 9 Bears.

[mm-video type=video id=01gcy6xxshbvt04ccb9y playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01f1jz1vgtfhzk6ner image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gcy6xxshbvt04ccb9y/01gcy6xxshbvt04ccb9y-5731cfb1f9f3a5da5a782114cbf17c68.jpg]

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Know the Opponent: An efficient offensive scheme and huge O-line pave the way for BYU

BYU brings a huge offensive line, a good quarterback, and an efficient offense into Autzen Stadium on Saturday.

The BYU Cougars offense isn’t going to jump off the page with big highlights. They’re not likely going to throw many bombs or try to trick a defense with fancy formations.

What they will do, however, is get first downs and go at their own pace and before you know it, they have plenty of points on the board.

BYU features a huge offensive line, perhaps the best line the Cougars have ever had. They’re led by 6-foot-8, 305-pounder Blake Freeland, who is definitely a future first-round NFL draft pick. Usually, a man of Freeland’s size wouldn’t have anyone that can look him in the eye. but in Provo, Utah, that’s not the case.

[lawrence-related id=29213]

The offensive line also features 6-foot-6, 305-pounder Clark Barrington and a name familiar to Oregon fans, Kingsley Suamataia, a 6-foot-6, 325-pounder who was a Duck last season before transferring to BYU. He was the top offensive lineman recruit in the country in 2020.

With protection like that, it makes it a lot easier for quarterback Jaren Hall to distribute the ball where he wants. He was a very accurate passer in 2021, throwing for 2,583 yards and 20 touchdowns with five interceptions. He also completed 64 percent of his passes.

[lawrence-related id=29158]

“Over time, they’ve been one of the most explosive offensive as far as getting the ball down the field,” Dan Lanning said when asked about BYU on Monday. “They really stretch the field. (Jaren) Hall does a great job of distributing the ball, he throws a good ball and understands their offense, but also has the ability to run so he presents some good challenges with his ability to scramble. But I’d say he’s a quarterback that looks to throw it and keeps his eyes downfield.”

Whether or not he has some of his favorite receivers available for this game is still in doubt. BYU went into the Baylor game without two of their leading receivers in Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney. Nacua missed last week with a sprained ankle and Romney hasn’t seen action this year due to what is being described as a lower leg injury.

It didn’t seem to hurt the Cougars all that much as Hall threw for 261 yards in the 26-20 double-overtime win over the once No. 9 Bears.

[mm-video type=video id=01gcy6xxshbvt04ccb9y playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01f1jz1vgtfhzk6ner image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gcy6xxshbvt04ccb9y/01gcy6xxshbvt04ccb9y-5731cfb1f9f3a5da5a782114cbf17c68.jpg]

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