Tag: Tariq Castro-Fields

Every Penn State player on an NFL opening day roster in 2022

Here is every former Penn State plater on an NFL roster to start the new NFL season in 2022.

The start of a new season in the National Football League is here and there will be a good amount of Penn State flavor throughout the league this season. Penn State will have the eighth most players on an NFL opening day roster this season with 34 players appearing on an NFL team’s 53-man roster to start the season (plus two additional players on injured reserve and another on the physically unable to perform list). In all, Penn State claims 44 players are on NFL rosters to start the year with the inclusion of practice squad players.

That includes nine players who were on the Penn State roster in 2021, including wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag]. Dotson is one of four Penn State players on the Washington Commanders, the most of any NFL franchise to start the season.

Former kicker [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] continues to be the elder statesman of the Nittany Lions football family in the NFL. Gould, of the San Francisco 49ers, is entering his 19th season in the NFL.

Here is a look at every Penn State player on either an NFL team’s 53-man roster or practice squad at the start of the 2022 season.

Commanders waiver claims: The one time they struck gold

Washington has struck gold with waivers before. Could it happen again with either of the new cornerbacks?

What benefit will the Commanders receive from claiming two cornerbacks off of waivers last week?

Yes, the reality is both Rachad Wildgoose and Tariq Castro-Fields were not valued as the top 53 players on their respective teams. Consequently, Wildgoose was let go by the Jets and Castro-Fields by the 49ers.

Did you notice head coach Ron Rivera looked to GM Martin Mayhew while admitting, “I think he’s (Wildgoose) a second-year player from the Jets,” and Mayhew confirmed that was correct.

It illustrates the league has too many players out there for a head coach to know everyone available. This is why you hire scouts and rely on Mayhew and Marty Hurney. One man cannot do it all, nor should he attempt to.

Mayhew himself was a good corner in the NFL with Washington (1989-92) and Tampa Bay (1993-96). You don’t last in the NFL eight seasons (starting the vast majority of your games) unless you know much about the position and are a great athlete.

Mayhew spoke highly of Washington’s new corners. After all, would anyone else in the organization know as much about what it takes to play corner as Mayhew?

Most of the time you claim a player off waivers, and he reminds you why he was on waivers. But then there are times the guy was maturing and blossomed when provided another opportunity.

Such was the case when Washington drafted an offensive tackle in the 11th round (272 overall). It didn’t work out, he went to Kansas City, but they waived him a month later.

The next season the Cowboys claimed him, but he didn’t impress enough there either and was waived during the preseason. The very next day Washington claimed him off waivers, hoping it would work for him the second time around. 28 days later, they again waived him.

Thinking he could play, they tried again a third season. He broke through, making the roster, even starting 7 games. His fourth season he started every game, playing well enough he started at right tackle for 12 consecutive seasons.

When he retired he had played in 156 games (all for Washington) starting 146. He had become good enough to be the starting right tackle for 6 Redskins playoff teams, 2 Super Bowl teams and 1 Super Bowl championship team.

He deservedly became an original member of “The Hogs,” and the Washington football organization does not regret having claimed George Starke off of waivers.

 

Former Washington GM Scot McCloughan is a big fan of new Commanders CB Tariq Castro-Fields

Scot McCloughan is a big fan of Tariq Castro-Fields.

Scot McCloughan spent two years as Washington’s general manager under former team president Bruce Allen. While McCloughan’s personnel record was spotty at times, he remains one of the NFL’s best evaluators, even if he doesn’t work for a team.

McCloughan is always a popular interview around NFL draft time because of his deep knowledge of every prospect. Before his time with Washington, McCloughan was once the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers and remains plugged in with that franchise.

Earlier this summer, McCloughan was a guest on the “49ers Talk” podcast, where he discussed San Francisco’s 2022 draft class. One player McCloughan really liked was sixth-round corner Tariq Castro-Fields. The 49ers released Castro-Fields Tuesday, and he was claimed on waivers by the Washington Commanders Wednesday.

“I think their best bang for the buck was getting Castro-Fields,” McCloughan said per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think he’s a bigger version of Shawntae Spencer. I think he’s going to play, and he’s going to play well.”

The 6-foot-1, 197-pound Castro-Fields is a terrific athlete with plenty of college experience at Penn State. In addition to his ability on the field, Castro-Fields ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. His experience playing in the Big Ten is one of the reasons why McCloughan likes him.

“There are some good receivers who came out of the Big Ten the last couple of years, and he’s a 50-50 guy,” McCloughan said of Castro-Fields. “He competes with them. He doesn’t back down from them. I thought where they got him, that’s a steal. That’s the best pick they had in the draft just because of where they got him.”

There are no guarantees with anyone. But Castro-Fields is the type of player you take a chance with on waivers. He has good size and speed and produced plenty of good tape from his time with Penn State.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbykgy681k112p8 player_id=none image=https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Rivera, Mayhew excited about Washington’s two new young cornerbacks

Ron Rivera and Martin Mayhew are big fans of Washington’s two new cornerbacks.

When the Washington Commanders announced their first 53-man roster of the season on Tuesday, it included only four cornerbacks. And one of those cornerbacks was a seventh-round rookie, Christian Holmes.

No way the Commanders were going into the season with only four cornerbacks, right?

Washington head coach Ron Rivera was asked about the cornerback position on Tuesday and responded, “we are not done,” referring to his roster.

On Wednesday, the Commanders claimed a pair of cornerbacks off waivers in Tariq Castro-Fields and Rachad Wildgoose. Castro-Fields was a 2022 draft pick of the 49ers, while Wildgoose was a 2021 draft choice. To make room for the pair, the Commanders released linebackers David Mayo and De’Jon Harris.

How does Rivera feel about the two young cornerbacks?

“Tariq Castro-Fields, a young man that we picked up out of San Francisco, played at Penn state,” Rivera said. “He’s athletic. He’s long. He’s more of an outside guy for the most part. He had some pretty good tape.”

The 49ers apparently didn’t want to part with Castro-Fields and were hoping to re-sign him to their practice squad.

As for Wildgoose, Rivera likes his positional flexibility.

“Rachad Wildgoose, out of Wisconsin, he’s got terrific athletic ability and one thing he gives; he gives you position flex,” Rivera said. “He can play both inside and outside, at least that’s what we think. I think he’s a second-year player from the Jets.”

General manager Martin Mayhew, who also spoke with the media Wednesday, is also a fan of the young corners, particularly Castro-Fields.

“This guy has you know, size, speed, athleticism, very high ceiling,” Mayhew said of Castro-Fields. “Six foot, you know, 200 pounds ran 4.3 at the combine. I know his position coach at Penn State really well. Terry Smith was a receiver here for us when I played here, and I spoke to Terry about him during the draft process. But Tariq has a huge upside. Really good football IQ. Learns ball really well. Played 46 games at Penn State. A five-year player ]who] played a ton of football as a rookie coming in here. So, we’re excited by having him.”

Mayhew said he spoke to Jets head coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas about Wildgoose and both praised him.

These are smart, low-risk moves for the Commanders. Both players played big-time college football. Castro-Fields is a terrific athlete with a high ceiling. Wildgoose can come in and play inside or outside immediately.

Washington feels much better about the cornerback now than it did one day ago.

 

Commanders tight end Curtis Hodges going on IR

The Commanders made a pair of moves after claiming two players on waivers Wednesday.

The Washington Commanders continue to make moves one day after finalizing their initial 53-man roster.

The Commanders added two cornerbacks from waivers earlier on Wednesday: Tariq Castro-Fields [49ers] and Rachad Wildgoose [Jets].

Of course, when you add players from waivers, you must make the appropriate number of corresponding moves. Therefore, Washington placed undrafted rookie tight end Curtis Hodges on injured reserve, with a designation to return, per John Keim of ESPN.

In the second move, the Commanders waived linebacker De’Jon “Scoota” Harris, per Sam Fortier of The Washington Post. As of now, Washington’s roster sits at 53 players. The Commanders currently have 11 defensive backs on the roster with six at cornerback and five at safety. Washington has only four linebackers after waiving Harris.

The Commanders could still look to add another player at linebacker over the next two weeks.

Commanders claim a pair of defensive backs off waivers

The Commanders added two cornerbacks off waivers.

The Washington Commanders only kept four cornerbacks on their initial 53-man roster Tuesday. Afterward, when the media asked head coach Ron Rivera about keeping four corners, he replied, “we are not done yet.”

On Wednesday, waiver claims were revealed, and the Commanders claimed two defensive backs.

Washington claimed Tariq Castro-Fields off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers and Rachad Wildgoose from the New York Jets.

Castro-Fields was a sixth-round pick in this year’s 2022 NFL draft. Castro-Fields played collegiately at Penn State, where he appeared in 46 career games. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound Castro-Fields played high school football at Riverdale Baptist in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

The 49ers wanted to bring Castro-Fields back to the practice squad.

The 5-foot-10 Wildgoose was a sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2021. He was released during final cuts last year but re-signed to the practice squad. The Jets signed Wildgoose off Buffalo’s practice squad last November.

Wildgoose played collegiately at Wisconsin.

The Commanders have yet to announce any corresponding moves.

Penn State confirms player representatives for Big Ten Kickoff

Penn State confirms three player representatives for Big Ten Kickoff media event.

Conference media days are in full swing this month, and the Big Ten’s football media days are coming quickly. Penn State will be represented in Indianapolis next week by head coach James Franklin and three senior leaders on the roster.

Penn State confirmed it will be represented next week by quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag], and defensive tackle [autotag]PJ Mustipher[/autotag] in addition to Franklin.  The player reps should come as no surprise as each are considered the veteran leaders of the team on both sides of the football.

Clifford made the decision to return for a sixth season of football, taking full advantage of the extra year granted to all student-athletes impacted by the changes to the college sports schedule as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mustipher also made the decision to return for another season, although his decision was influenced in part by suffering a season-ending injury last season.

[listicle id=20302]

Brown also made a decision to return for another season after having a solid 2021 campaign that saw him lead the team in interceptions. But with [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] and [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag] off to the NFL, Brown will be one of the top veterans returning to the secondary this season.

Big Ten Network will be airing live coverage of the Big Ten Kickoff next week for the two-day event. Penn State’s representatives, including Franklin, are scheduled to meet with the media on Wednesday, July 27.

Penn State begins its 2022 season on Thursday, September 1 with a Big Ten road game at Purdue.

[listicle id=21062]

[lawrence-related id=21274,21266,21263,21261,21254]

[vertical-gallery id=18020]

[vertical-gallery id=17914]

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Penn State top 25 players for 2022: Kalen King

Penn State football’s top 25 players in 2022: Kalen King taking over at CB

Penn State’s roster for the 2022 season has a good mix of returning veterans and experience and fresh new faces expected to jump in and contribute this fall. Nittany Lions Wire will be taking a look at 25 of the most important players on the roster for the 2022 season all throughout the month of July by profiling one player each day.

Penn State has built a solid foundation in the defensive secondary in recent years. Even after losing [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] and [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag] to the NFL this season, the secondary looks to be in solid shape in 2022, and the continued rise of [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag]. The sophomore steps into a key role for the defense in 2022 as he takes over a starting job at cornerback, and there is a lot of excitement about his next steps in the role this fall.

ESPN not too high on future defensive outlook for Penn State defense

ESPN ranked the future defensive rankings. Where does Penn State rank over the next three seasons?

Penn State will have some new looks on the defensive side of the football this fall. After sending off four players through the NFL draft — [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag], and [autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag] — in the spring, the Nittany Lions will have some big shoes to fill in the fall. And with a new defensive coordinator, [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag], the fate of the defense is one to pay close attention to for Penn State in 2022. But despite all of the turnover on the entire defensive side of things, there are some good reasons to be excited about what the defense could be capable of doing this year.

But what about what happens after 2022? What might the Penn State defense look like in 2023, and again in 2024? ESPN took a look into its analytical crystal ball to see how the best defenses in the nation may stack up over the span of the next three seasons. And while things look pretty solid overall for Penn State, the ESPN ranking of future defensive strengths wasn’t particularly high on what Penn State will be doing on defense.

Penn State comes in at an otherwise respectable No. 17, matching its outlook in the 2021 version of this three-year window exercise. But compared to the rest of the Big Ten, Penn State has some catching up to do on defense.

Wisconsin has the best three-year projection on defense in the Big Ten according to ESPN’s ranking. The Badgers rank No. 5 overall in ESPN’s ranking, which is led by Clemson and followed by Georgia, Texas A&M, and Alabama before reaching the Badgers. Iowa has the second-best projection among Big Ten teams by coming in at No. 7, with only Notre Dame sitting between the Hawkeyes and Badgers.

Michigan checks in at No. 10 after an incredibly strong season en route to a Big Ten title in 2021. Just behind the Wolverines is Ohio State at No. 11 in ESPN’s ranking.

Penn State is the fifth-best Big ten team in defensive futures according to ESPN’s methodology here. No other Big Ten team managed to break into the top 25.

You can check out the entire future defensive ranking from ESPN with an ESPN+ subscription.

[mm-video type=video id=01g37pw9b9vzmtn16kb2 playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g37pw9b9vzmtn16kb2/01g37pw9b9vzmtn16kb2-632af56ffe84932e4c8a292347854522.jpg]

[vertical-gallery id=19493]

[listicle id=19442]

[lawrence-related id=19507,19503,19497,19488,19465]

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

 

Who will Penn State draftees be playing in their first NFL game?

The NFL schedule release lets us know when Penn State’s latest NFL draft class is set to make their NFL debut.

The 2022 NFL draft has come and gone and in doing so Penn State fans have new players to follow as they pursue professional careers.

This draft class saw eight Nittany Lions get drafted over the course of the drafts seven rounds. They then saw five more players get signed as undrafted free agents, sending 13 players to the NFL off of a college roster is no easy task. It speaks to what [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff have been able to do with their players and why he is seeing a recruiting boom taking place in Happy Valley.

After careers that saw them build themselves up at Beaver Stadium they now will begin the grueling travel of a 17-game NFL schedule. Take a look at who and where they will be playing in their first NFL games.