Tag: seventh round results

Deion Sanders tweets out to Patriots’ final draft pick

Deion Sanders applauded the Patriots’ Isaiah Bolden draft pick, while calling out 31 other teams.

Colorado coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders tweeted out a congratulations to his former player, Jackson State cornerback Isaiah Bolden, who was drafted in the seventh round to the New England Patriots on Saturday.

However, along with talking up Bolden, Sanders also called out the 31 other teams that passed on HBCU players.

“So proud is you [Isaiah Bolden],” Sanders posted on Twitter. “You deserved to be drafted much higher but I’m truly proud of u. I know how much u want this. I’m ashamed of the 31 other NFL teams that couldn’t find draft value in ALL of the talented HBCU players & we had 3 more draft worthy players at JSU.”

Bolden was the only HBCU player drafted this year after four were selected in the 2022 NFL draft.

There’s clearly a bunch of talent in HBCU schools that haven’t received the recognition they deserve, and in many ways, having a legendary name like Sanders tied to Jackson State, helped elevate those programs.

Bolden is an electric athlete that could pop immediately for the Patriots as a kick returner. He led the FCS in kick return average in 2021 with 36.9 yards per return.

So he’s certainly a player capable of helping the Patriots right out of the gates.

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Twitter had varying reactions to Patriots’ Day 3 draft picks

There were mixed reactions from Patriots fans on Day 3 of the NFL draft.

The New England Patriots had a busy start to Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft, selecting center Jake Andrews, kicker Chad Ryland and interior offensive lineman Sidy Sow with their first three picks in the fourth round.

There were mixed opinions on the heavy focus on the interior offensive line, rather than selecting a tackle or receiver.

But things started to take a turn in the sixth round with the Patriots selecting Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas. That’s when the excitement level started to jump again.

The Patriots addressed defense on the first couple of days and then turned to the offensive line, special teams and receivers on Day 3. Here’s what people were saying on Twitter after the final day of the NFL draft.

Patriots select Jackson State CB Isaiah Bolden in seventh round

The Patriots close the show by taking CB Isaiah Bolden in the seventh round.

For their final pick of the 2023 NFL draft, the New England Patriots selected Jackson State cornerback Isaiah Bolden with the No. 245 overall pick of the seventh round.

This selection makes it 12 players total the Patriots have taken off the board in this year’s draft.

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Bengals receive ‘A’ grade for Markus Bailey pick

NFL draft grades are in and like Markus Bailey to the Cincinnati Bengals.

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The Cincinnati Bengals have by and large had one of the better performances of any team in the 2020 NFL draft over three days.

That trend continued at the top of the seventh round with Purdue linebacker Markus Bailey.

Bailey is a value-buy of sorts given some of his injury history weighed against his immense production.

Here’s NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:

“Lunch-pail linebacker able to consistently chalk up production totals in a variety of columns despite a lack of top-tier athleticism. Bailey’s intent and play strength are factors that stand out in his success. His effort rarely wavers during a rep and he has the strength and football IQ to put himself in quality positions to make plays. He needs to process blocking schemes faster and take more chances, as his athletic limitations will show up more frequently against NFL competition. Knee injuries in 2015 and 2019 might hurt his draft standing a little bit, but he has middle-round talent as a quality three-down backup.”

Bailey is a very smart linebacker who tends to keep the action in front of him and is more than happy to get dirty making plays. 14.5 sacks, six interceptions and 89 or more tackles says it all.

While taking another linebacker smacks as redundant at this point after Akeem Davis-Gaither and Logan Wilson, Bailey was just that good of a value. And looking at the board after this pick, the Bengals weren’t missing out on much anyway.

With good value here at a problematic unit, the Bengals get some extra chances to make things right via Bailey.

Grade: A

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Instant analysis of Bengals’ picking Markus Bailey in seventh round

A quick look at new Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Markus Bailey.

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The Cincinnati Bengals used their last scheduled pick in the 2020 NFL draft to select Purdue linebacker Markus Bailey, their third linebacker pick of the event.

Maybe this shouldn’t have been so hard to see coming. The Bengals spent big in free agency all over the defense — except at linebacker, where veteran Josh Bynes was the only small add.

Cincinnati has apparently compensated for that in this draft with three linebackers. Bailey fits right in with the class as a whole too as a two-time captain and four-year starter.

Injuries bookended Bailey’s college career but he was an uber-productive guy with 89 or more tackles in three of his healthy seasons, never mind 14.5 sacks, six interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Big numbers, though Bailey could have a hard time sticking on the final roster depending on how many the Bengals decide to keep. But if he does stick, he’s likely going to be a force on special teams.

The reviews from experts, though, say quite a bit:

If he’s healthy, Bailey is a threat to make a roster, if not make some noise. That’s all the team can really ask for in the seventh round.

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Bengals select Purdue LB Markus Bailey in seventh round

The Cincinnati Bengals finished their draft class in the seventh round.

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The Cincinnati Bengals closed out their 2020 NFL draft at the top of Round 7 with Purdue linebacker Markus Bailey.

Bailey, a 6’0″, 235-pound redshirt senior, is a high-effort linebacker with limited athleticism whose high effort and IQ had him around the ball often in college — which naturally led to some big numbers.

Various knee injuries probably hurt Bailey’s stock a bit, though if the Bengals are grabbing him here he’s clearly near the top of their board.

Bailey is the third linebacker drafted by the Bengals in the 2020 class as the team revamps the position around Germaine Pratt.

That ends the Bengals draft class on a day where they added Akeem Davis-Gaither, Khalid Kareem and Hakeem Adeniji.

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