Tag: Tariq Castro-Fields

How bad were the Commanders in the first half vs the Jets?

Sam Howell was bad on Sunday, but in that first half, the entire team looked ridiculously bad.

Sunday, the Commanders coaches again pulled Sam Howell, but this game stands out in seeing just how bad Howell was against the Jets.

Howell was horrible, yes. But you should not simplistically think as bad as he was; it was all on him. In fact, you might be surprised to be reminded how bad the Commanders’ team was in the first half, Sunday.

On his first play, Howell hit Curtis Samuel right in the hands for what could have been a first down, but Samuel dropped it. On his second play of the game, Howell hit Logan Thomas in the hands, and the pass was then intercepted. Don’t you think that shakes up a young quarterback on the road in New York?

Tight end John Bates decided he would also contribute a dropped pass, so in the first quarter, Washington receivers dropped three passes on Howell. Isn’t it time we are as equally hard on the receivers for all of their dropped passes this season? Howell had a tough game, but it is true: the three drops in the first quarter were huge as well.

In addition, what was Terrell Burgess thinking on the Tress Way blocked punt? Five offensive plays, and Washington was down 10-0.

Early in the second quarter, Howell was about to start a possession in Jets territory because Jamison Crowder was returning a punt 24 yards, which he then mysteriously, with no contact, fumbled right back to the Jets. So much for that possession opportunity for Howell.

After a Casey Toohill fumble recovery, Chris Rodriguez scored to narrow the Jets lead to 20-7. The Commanders then put together an excellent defensive series, and the Jets were three out. Then, with the Jets in punt formation, Tariq Castro-Fields jumped offsides for some inexplicable reason.

The penalty provided the Jets a first down at their own 41, and they proceeded to drive the rest of the 59 yards for a touchdown, extending their lead to 27-7.

Yes, Sam Howell was bad Sunday. It was his worst game of the season, and the Commanders also contributed in various ways toward the worst first half of the season.

 

Commanders make roster moves ahead of Week 9

The Commanders added two players to the active roster Friday, including linebacker Jabril Cox.

The Washington Commanders had two open roster spots after the trades of defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young earlier this week. Ahead of Sunday’s Week 9 game against the New England Patriots, the Commanders filled those positions from within.

On Friday, Washington signed cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields and linebacker Jabril Cox from the practice squad. Castro-Field has been elevated from the practice squad multiple times this season and appeared in three games, playing on special teams.

Cox was elevated off the practice squad ahead of last week’s game vs. Philadelphia after the Commanders placed starting linebacker Cody Barton on the reserve/injured list.

Washington didn’t add any defensive ends to the roster, as it has five on the 53-man roster already: James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, Efe Obada, Andre Jones Jr. and K.J. Henry.

Jones has played sparingly on defense this season, while Henry has yet to make his NFL debut.

Best photos of Penn Staters in the NFL preseason

Check out some of the best photos from the NFL preseason of these former Penn State players.

While the college football season is about to get started, the NFL preseason is nearly in the books for 2023. And it has been a busy one for former Penn State Nittany Lions with a mix of veterans in new locations and rookies getting started has been the theme of the preseason, it seems.

Most teams have played at least two games in the preseason at this point, and Penn State fans have not had to look too far to find some of their former fan favorites around the league.

Here is a look at some of the best photos from the NFL preseason so far of some of the former Penn State players around the league.

Every NFL draft pick coached by James Franklin

Zac Stacy, Jordan Matthews, Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and every other NFL draft pick who played for James Franklin.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] got his first head coaching opportunity with Vanderbilt after the 2010 season despite previously being the head coach-in-waiting at Maryland. The Commodores are not necessarily known for producing a tremendous amount of NFL talent, but Vanderbilt managed to send a few players off to the next level by way of the NFL draft under the guidance of Franklin, who has experience as an assistant coach in the NFL.

In the years Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt, from 2011 through 2013, Vanderbilt had seven players drafted. And a few more who would go on to be drafted later on out of Vanderbilt were brought into the program initially by Franklin and his staff. The seven players drafted from Vanderbilt from Franklin’s three seasons with the program is the most draft picks from Vanderbilt in a three-year span in school history since 1957-1969 saw 11 players selected by NFL teams, in the days of a draft lasting at least 20 rounds.

Since arriving at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has seen a growing number of his players go on to be drafted by NFL franchises, including an offensive rookie of the year in running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] in 2018 and a defensive rookie of the year in linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] in 2021.

Here is a look at every player drafted by an NFL team that had James Franklin as a head coach in their last game before being drafted, beginning with Franklin’s time at Vanderbilt.

And once you are done checking out this list, here is a list of every Penn State player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since Penn State joined the Big Ten.

Joey Porter Jr. accepts invitation to attend 2023 NFL draft

Joey Porter Jr. says he has accepted an invitation to attend the 2023 NFL draft.

Penn State cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] is looking to be the next first-round draft pick to come out of Happy Valley, and he will be there in person when his name is ultimately announced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Porter confirmed he has been invited to attend the NFL draft, which will take place in Kansas City, MO. [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] was the most recent Penn State player invited to attend the draft two years ago, when he was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round.

Porter is widely expected to be drafted somewhere in the first round, although there is no clear consensus on what team will be the one making the draft selection, and he could go anywhere from the top 10 to the end of the first round according to a variety of mock drafts up to this point.

Porter is also looking to become the first defensive back out of Penn State to go in the first round in program history.

“It’s definitely amazing that I am going be the first,” Porter Jr., said at Penn State’s pro day, according to On3. “I’m going to go down in history at Penn State. So, that’s something I can come back and show my kids that. Definitely a special moment. I’m going to be the first, and really just set the tone for what’s coming behind me.”

Penn State had two of Poryter’s former backfield partners chosen in the 2022 NFL draft. SSafety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round and cornerback [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag] was picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round.

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Penn State makes top schools cut for four-star 2025 safety

Penn State is considered the early favorite for this four-star safety in 2025

The football recruiting cycle for 2025 is still a year away from taking the spotlight, but Penn State is hard at work on staying competitive for some of the nation’s top players in the Class of 2025. One of the top safeties in the recruiting class has Penn State among the top schools under consideration as his recruiting process begins to really take off.

[autotag]Faheem Delane[/autotag], a four-star safety from Maryland, revealed his top 11 schools on his Twitter account on Friday. Penn State was one of three current Big Ten schools and four Big Ten schools by the time he is set to sign his letter of intent with Ohio State, Maryland, and USC were all in the mix as well.

Delane is rated as a four-star player by On3 and Rivals. Penn State is also considered the favorite right now for Delane according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine. According to the On3 computers, Penn State has a 41.7% chance of securing the commitment from Delane. Delane has said previously he could commit as early this summer depending on how he is feeling about his recruiting process.

Other schools in Delane’s top 11 included South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Florida, Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, and LSU.

One thing that stands out about Penn State to Delane is Penn State’s track record of developing defensive backs for the next level. [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] is set to be a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag] was a draft pick in 2022. Penn State has also developed other defensive secondary players for the next level in recent years like [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] and [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag].

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How Ji’Ayir Brown fits with every team in the AFC North

Is there a team in the AFC North that could use Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown?

As the combine concludes, we now wait for Penn State’s pro day for key prospects like Joey Porter Jr., Parker Washington, and [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag].

The Nittany Lions have had plenty of talent come through State College throughout the years. Last year, wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was selected in the first round by the Washington Commanders. This year, the player to watch for Penn State is Porter Jr. Penn State cornerback [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag] was drafted by the 49ers in last year’s draft. He is now on the Commanders.

Speaking of Penn State’s secondary, another key player to keep an eye on to see where he gets drafted is safety Ji’Ayir Brown.

Brown, like current Chicago Bears safety and 2022 second-round draft pick [autotag]Jaquon Brisker[/autotag], is another JUCO product that really made a name for himself at Penn State. There are plenty of teams that could use a player like Brown.

Let’s take a closer look at how Ji’Ayir Brown fits with every team in the NFL, starting with the AFC North.

Top 2022 photos from former Penn State players drafted over the past two years

From Micah Parsons to Jahan Dotson, Penn State has packed a good amount of talent into the NFL the past couple of years.

The 2023 NFL Combine starts today, which means we are closer and closer to the NFL Draft. Penn State has had a plethora of talent get drafted into the NFL, many of which had or are currently having productive careers at the next level.

Current Nittany Lions prospect Joey Porter Jr. has had several draft analysts out of their seats with his talent and it is likely the star cornerback out of State College could be a first-round pick this spring.

Penn State wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was a first-round pick in last year’s draft to the Washington Commanders. Despite being sidelined for a few games due to an injury, Dotson still had a solid rookie season with the Commanders. The Nittany Lions have plenty of young talent at the next level, and Dotson is one of them.

The star of the past two draft classes out of Penn State though has been [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag]. The former linebacker with the Nittany Lions was the NFL’s unanimous winner for defensive rookie of the year in his debut season with the Dallas Cowboys, and he put up another strong season in his second season as he helped guide the Cowboys to a spot in the NFC playoffs and a victory in the wild-card round.

Let’s take a look at some of the key moments from former Penn State players who have been drafted over the past two years.

Joey Porter Jr. heads to NFC East in this mock draft

This mock draft has Joey Porter Jr. heading to the NFC East.

It’s mock draft Monday, and that means more features with Nittany Lions in the first round. Many of the mock drafts we have seen have featured [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] in the first round, and it’s easy to see why. He has all the tools and skillset to be a productive and elite cornerback in the NFL.

This week, we feature Porter Jr. yet again by an outlet that we have discussed before. That’s right, The Draft Network.

This week, they have Porter Jr. headed to the NFC East with the Washington Commanders with the 16th overall pick.

Let’s break this one down.

First, Washington has defensive talent. They just need to spice up some areas. One of those areas is their cornerback room.

The Commanders do have Kendall Fuller. But he is up for a new contract in 2024. On top of that, they also have a lot of unproven talent in their cornerback room. They youth is there, but neither of them have really shown much.

Oh yeah, another point worth noting. The Commanders also have not one, but TWO former Nittany Lions in their cornerback room in [autotag]Troy Apke[/autotag] and [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag].

The Commanders need an identity in their cornerback room, and Porter Jr. would provide just that for them. They don’t really have a true CB1 on their roster. By drafting Porter Jr., Ron Rivera would finally get his guy, and THREE former Nittany Lions in his cornerback room.

Porter Jr. has improved every year he has stepped on the field at Penn State. His production at State College has proved how capable he is of being an extremely productive corner at the next level.

As mentioned, the Commanders are a good team with some key holes to fill on their defense. The quarterback competition should be an exciting one, especially with the offensive weapons like Terry McLaurin and former Nittany Lion Jahan Dotson.

So, with the amount of offensive talent the Commanders have, much of their key holes to fill are on their defense.

Plus, if the Commanders do decide to move on from Fuller after next season, Porter Jr. would be a perfect replacement for them.

One of their other notable corners, Danny Johnson, is also set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Another corner, Christian Holmes, is under contract with Washington until 2026. However, neither of them have really shown they can be a true CB1. That is where Porter Jr. comes in for Washington.

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Ji’Ayir Brown accepts Senior Bowl invitation

Ji’Ayir Brown will have a great opportunity to improve his draft stock in the Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl has long been one of the best tools for college players looking to make the jump to the NFL to make an impact on their draft stock. Over the 75-plus year history of the game there have been 128 Penn State players to represent the Nittany Lions in Mobile, Alabama and this year they are adding another.

[autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] is officially going to Mobile, Alabama in January and into February to perform in front of 32 NFL teams as he looks to prove why he is worth the investment from a team. On Sunday, the Senior Bowl announced Brown had accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl.

Upon coming to State College as a JUCO transfer, expectations weren’t really set for the incoming junior. It was the heart of COVID-19 in 2020 when he made the transfer but that didn’t stop him from making adjustments and making an impact right away.

His second year on the team in 2021 saw his biggest impact. Brown would end up being tied for the lead in interceptions with five and would be a member of the All-Big Ten team.

Brown would follow that up with strong final season in State College where he would emerge as an overall player making plays both in the run and pass game. He would end up totaling 145 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3 sacks, and nine interceptions.

Brown now heads to Mobile as the first of potentially many Nittany Lions to be named to the Senior Bowl roster. Last year the team sent [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag], [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag], [autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag], and [autotag]Jordan Stout[/autotag]. All four players would end up hearing their name called during the 2022 NFL Draft and the same can be said for Brown heading into the 2023 NFL Draft season.

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