Tag: Thomas Harper

Raiders two newest DB’s may be asked to play multiple positions

Raiders two newest DB’s may be asked to play multiple positions

Following the roster cutdown to get from 90 players to 53 players, the Raiders made three more additions to the roster. Two of those were defensive backs. Both of whom have something in common — position versatility.

The first addition was undrafted rookie Thomas Harper, who was waived by the Los Angeles Chargers.

The 5-10, 195-pounder is a safety by trade, and his role could be dependent upon where he is needed.

“He does have a skill set to play both safety and nickel position,” Antonio Pierce said of Harper.

“I like his play style. What I saw on film was a guy with a burst, aggressiveness, kind of controlling the back end as a young player. I watched him in college. You just saw a guy each and every week get better in the preseason. And again, whatever you can do to keep building depth in every room, especially in the secondary for us, is critical.”

Not long after, after placing Brandon Facyson on injured reserve, they added cornerback Darnay Holmes.

Over four seasons with the Giants, he showed the ability to play both inside and outside cornerback. The inside cornerback spot for the Raiders was especially a need.

“Yeah, position flex. I mean, that’s key for us, right?,” said Pierce. “Really, the only guy we got that can go inside-outside or outside-inside is Nate Hobbs. So, when you can add another player like that . . . It makes us a better overall unit.”

Darnay has something in common with Jack Jones as well. In that he and Pierce go way back.

“I’ve known Darnay [Holmes] since he was 13,”Pierce added. “I coached him on the 7-on-7 team when he was a freshman. I know his father, I know his family well, followed him throughout his career, spoke to him throughout his college process.”

Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham knows him as well. Graham was the DC in New York when the Giants drafted Holmes in the fourth round and coached him for two seasons before joining the Raiders in 2022.

Depending on how quickly Holmes can get up to speed, he could soon be the next man up at cornerback after the starting three of Hobbs, Jones, and Jakorian Bennett.

While Harper will more likely focus on special teams alone while he has several players ahead of him on the depth chart at both safety and at the nickel, including Isaiah Pola-Mao who plays both positions as well.

Raiders claim 2 off waivers after roster cuts

Raiders claim 2 off waivers after roster cuts

Waiver claims have come through and with the 13th spot in the waiver order, the Raiders landed two of them.

The Raiders have claimed safety Thomas Harper off waivers from the Chargers and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu off waivers from the Colts.

Harper is an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame. He had played at Oklahoma State for four years before that. He had one pass breakups and two special teams tackles this preseason.

Laulu was a seventh round pick by the Colts last April out of Oklahoma. The 6-5, 292-pounder had 8.5 sacks of the past two seasons for the Sooners. He had four combined tackles this preseason.

The Raiders will need to make two roster moves in order to make room for the additions of Harper and Laulu.

Chargers 53-man roster projection: Who’s in, out ahead of final preseason game

Here’s how we see the Chargers’ roster shaping up ahead of the final preseason game.

The Chargers’ second preseason game against the Rams shed more light on some players and position battles.

Here’s an attempt at predicting the 53-man roster ahead of Los Angeles’ preseason finale against the Cowboys:

Quarterback (2): Justin Herbert, QB via trade or sign

I have a hard time believing that the Chargers’ backup quarterback is currently on the roster. Despite performing well as a starter in the final few games of last season when Herbert landed on injured reserve with a finger injury, Easton Stick has struggled all summer. Luis Perez has flashed, but I don’t think he’s ready for the backup role. I see Los Angeles adding someone like Tyler Huntley, Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Taylor Heinicke.

Running back (4): Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Jaret Patterson, Kimani Vidal

Nothing changes with the first three running backs from my last projection. Patterson has received most of the reps as the third back throughout the summer. I had Isaiah Spiller over Vidal after the first week of preseason, but that changed after Vidal led the team in rushing against the Rams. There’s no denying that Vidal is a talented player who could contribute in his rookie season.

Wide receiver (6): Josh Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, D.J. Chark, Derius Davis, Simi Fehoko

No changes to the first five wide receivers listed. But in this projection, I am giving the nod to Fehoko over Brenden Rice. Not only has Fehoko excelled on offense, as a pass-catcher and a blocker, but he’s also flourished on special teams.

Tight end (4): Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Donald Parham Jr., Tucker Fisk

Parham has been back on the field after missing some time with an injury early in the summer and has shown what he brings to the table as a receiver. I have Fisk over Stone Smartt and the undrafted free agents Luke Benson and Zach Heins because he showed some real juice as a blocker against the Rams last weekend.

Offensive line (9): Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Trey Pipkins, Joe Alt, Brenden Jaimes, Jamaree Salyer, Jordan McFadden, Foster Sarell

No changes.

Edge rusher (4): Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, Bud Dupree

In my last projection, Chris Rumph II made the roster as the fifth edge rusher. However, he suffered a foot injury in the preseason opener against and has been out since. I think he could end up on the injured reserve to start the season. Tre’Mon Morris-Brash has made his case to make the roster. But ultimately, I think he ends up being a practice squad candidate.

Defensive line (6): Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Teair Tart, Justin Eboigbe, Otito Ogbonnia, Scott Matlock

I had the Chargers rostering five defensive tackles before. But that changed when they signed Tart, who already flashed his playmaking skills this past weekend.

Linebacker (5): Denzel Perryman, Junior Colson, Daiyan Henley, Nick Niemann, Troy Dye

No changes.

Cornerback (6): Asante Samuel Jr., Kristian Fulton, Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, Cam Hart, Tarheeb Still

No changes.

Safety (4): Derwin James, Alohi Gilman, AJ Finley, Thomas Harper

The fourth safety spot between Harper and JT Woods will be a tough decision for the coaching staff. You can make the case for both players. While Woods has shown improvement and is getting reps at outside cornerback, where I believe he is better suited, Harper has made plenty of plays on defense and special teams to warrant a spot.

Specialists (3): K Cameron Dicker, P J.K. Scott, LS Josh Harris

No changes.

Chargers roster bubble: 4 players who helped their cause in preseason Week 2

Which Chargers helped themselves as a result of their performances in Week 2 vs. the Rams? Let’s take a look at who impressed.

There’s just a little over a week until all NFL rosters must be cut down to 53 players.

Which players helped themselves the most due to their performances in Week 2 against the Rams? With one preseason game left, let’s look at who impressed.

RB Kimani Vidal

Vidal did not play in the preseason opener as he was dealing with an injury. But in his first NFL game, he showed why he’s worthy of being a part of the running back rotation. The former Troy product finished with 49 yards on 11 carries. He gained 13 and 8 yards on his first two carries, respectively. Vidal displayed tremendous vision and burst to pick up yardage.

WR Simi Fehoko

I’ve had rookie Brenden Rice in my 53-man roster projections for the past month, but that will likely change. Fehoko has put together a solid summer, and he continued to show up on Saturday. He led all receivers with 52 yards on two catches. However, his performance went beyond what he did as a pass-catcher. Fehoko showed great effort as a blocker and made a huge tackle on kickoff coverage.

S Thomas Harper

AJ Finley has made his case for the third safety, but there should be one more spot in the position room. While JT Woods has shown improvement, Harper, the undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, has also impressed enough to be considered for it. Harper had a pass breakup on fourth down. In the first game of the preseason against the Seahawks, he had a sack.

TE/FB Tucker Fisk

The run blocking was good and Fisk played a part in it. Signed just last week, Fisk came in and was integral as a blocker at tight end and fullback, including on Vidal’s 13-yard run. If he continues to show up in this department in the preseason finale against the Cowboys, he could earn the spot as the fourth tight end.

Former Notre Dame safety Thomas Harper gets NFL preseason sack

Is this the start of something special for him?

[autotag]Thomas Harper[/autotag] was not among those taken during the 2024 NFL draft.

However, the Los Angeles Chargers saw some professional potential with the former Notre Dame safety, so they signed him not long after the draft’s conclusion. He got the chance to prove himself late in the Chargers’ preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

Late in the fourth quarter of a 16-3 Chargers loss, Harper blitzed and then sacked Seahawks quarterback P.J. Walker:

Harper obviously has a long way to go to prove he definitely belongs on an NFL roster. Still, this only can help him in making that a reality. We’ll see how much more playing time he gets this preseason and whether he even gets to the end of it.

Harper spent four seasons at Oklahoma State before transferring to Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility in 2023. In 11 games, he recorded 39 tackles, six tackles for loss and two sacks. He also defended three passes and forced one fumble.

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Another Notre Dame player opts out of Sun Bowl

Make that 20…

It wasn’t public knowledge but earlier this month Notre Dame defensive back Thomas Harper told the Fighting Irish coaching staff that he won’t play in the Sun Bowl versus Oregon State.

Tuesday’s practice was open to the public as the Irish get ready for the Sun Bowl on December 29.  Harper wasn’t there and when the media asked about his absence, Notre Dame officials confirmed his decision to opt out.

Harper is the seventh player opting out, instead focusing on the NFL draft.  He’s the 20th overall player that won’t be on the game roster for the Sun Bowl as 13 more have exited the program via the transfer portal.

Harper’s final numbers in one season at Notre Dame were as follows:

39 tackles
6 tackles for loss
2 sacks
1 forced fumble
3 passes defended

Notre Dame statistical leaders through 11 games

Hopefully, these players can end the regular season on a high note.

Notre Dame has one game left in the regular season against Stanford. Good luck finding a way to watch it on the Pac-12 Network, but that’s a topic for another day. Right now, let’s focus on who is most likely to help the Irish beat the Cardinal.

Statistically, here’s who is likely to factor in whether the Irish can get revenge for last year’s defeat in South Bend:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through 10 games

Here’s who to look for against Wake Forest.

Notre Dame has two games left to improve the quality of the bowl it will play in. That might not mean much given that the New Year’s Six bowls are out of play, but it still is something to shoot for. The first of these contests comes against Wake Forest.

Here are the players statistically leading the Irish going into their home finale, one of which knows the Demon Deacons very well:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through nine games

Here’s who to watch for in the next game.

Notre Dame is riding high after winning its past couple of games. Now, it will visit a Clemson team that looks nothing like it did the past few years. The Irish have to feel pretty good about their chances. Wouldn’t you?

Here are the statistical leaders for the Irish heading into November:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through eight games

In case you forgot after the week off.

Notre Dame has had an extra week to enjoy the blow it dealt to USC’s season. Now, it’s back to business with Pittsburgh coming to South Bend. With the gauntlet portion of the schedule behind the Irish, this hopefully will be the easiest game they’ve had to look forward to in a month.

For those who need refreshing after the week off, here are the Irish’s major statistical leaders: