Tag: Todd McShay

ESPN’s Todd McShay dishes what he thinks Bills should do at draft

ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Todd McShay on the Buffalo Bills’ outlook ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft and Ed Oliver.

ESPN Insider Todd McShay has been at the draft game for awhile. If you’re on board with the Bills adding some offensive firepower at the 2020 NFL Draft, you’re going to like what the world-wide leader’s man had to say.

With this year’s scouting combine going on this week in Indianapolis, McShay jumped on a segment with WKBW-TV’s Matt Bove. There, McShay attacked the Bills’ passing attack.

“They’ve got to get more consistent now in the passing game. I think they’ve got to get some depth and future, if you will, in the running back position, wide receiver, and playmakers on the offensive side, to go along with Josh Allen and that big arm,” McShay said.

You might be thinking, running back? Yes. McShay firmly believes that as he has the Bills selecting the first rusher off the board at the upcoming draft in Georgia’s D’Andre Swift.

While that pick might not be popular because of Devin Singletary, the NFL is very much a two-back league, and that’s something Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott subscribes to. Many might prefer a first rounder receiver, but having said that, the depth of the receiver class might allow Buffalo to land a first-round graded running back, such as Swift, and then add another first-round talent with a wideout pick in the second round. Only time will tell if the Bills are that bold.

But McShay also discussed the draft that was and two things are for sure, he likes the Bills defense and Ed Oliver.

“I think it was a good group. It really was,” McShay said of the Bills’ overall 2019 draft class. “Ed Oliver comes in and he’s going to continue to get better and his versatility up front, he really sets the tone defensively.

“Defensively is where (the Bills) really, I thought, continued to improve a year ago. They coach the defensive side of the ball so well in that organization.”

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Listen: Mel Kiper, Todd McShay throw down over Giants QB Daniel Jones

ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay removed their gloves and went 10 round over New York Giants QB Daniel Jones and his long-term viability.

Is New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones a franchise guy or does the team still have an issue at the position that must be addressed?

For anyone who watched Jones in 2019, the answer to that question is a simple one. But in the mind of ESPN’s Todd McShay, he saw something in Jones that no one else did during his rookie campaign, including fellow ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr.

The two ESPN personalities took the gloves off and went 10 rounds over Jones on Friday evening, with Kiper insisting he’s a franchise quarterback and McShay suggesting he “clearly” isn’t up to snuff.

Listen to the battle for yourself:

Kiper: “[The Giants] have a franchise quarterback, so now they just have to build the line up…”

McShay: “According to Mel Kiper.”

Kiper: “… well, according to anybody that watches the Giants except Todd. And you… let’s face it, you didn’t like him coming in, so you’re going to ride this false narrative through his career. Never give the kid credit…”

McShay: “It is honestly one of the most surprising things, and it shouldn’t be because I’ve worked with you for so long now, going on 15 years. It still is so shocking to me, because I thought this was going to be an easy one. Like ‘yeah, it’s his rookie year, but he clearly didn’t play as well as I thought..’”

Kiper: “He played unbelievable! Todd! Todd!”

McShay: “I just assumed that was going to be the narrative and you were going to come crawling back to me saying ‘I hope year two is better.’”

Kiper: “Are you delusional? You’ve got to be dreaming, delusional or drinking something other than your bottle of water.”

McShay: “I honestly think you’re delusional if we watched the same games.”

Kiper: “If we go back and watched every Giant game and saw the throws he made, I’d say ‘what are you looking at?’ You can say the same to me, tell me I don’t know what the hell I’m looking at?’ Because if I’m looking at the Giants week after week with what he had to deal with, with receivers in and out….”

McShay: “We spend plenty of time alone in that green room. I’d love to watch every single throw… let’s get somebody to cut it up.”

Let’s hope McShay and Kiper do break down Jones film and share it publicly, because Giants fans would love to see what the heck McShay is even talking about.

Yes, Jones had some hiccups during his rookie campaign, primarily when it came to ball control, but as it was with Lamar Jackson, that can be corrected with quality coaching and an improved offensive line. So if that’s McShay’s benchmark, then clearly he had a similar opinion of Jackson a year prior. . .  Right?

Hopefully the decision-makers at ESPN see the potential in this film session/debate and air it on ESPN2 or ESPN+ in the near future.

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Ohio State has three players appearing in 1st round of latest Todd McShay 2020 NFL Mock Draft

ESPN’s Todd McShay has released his revised 2020 NFL Mock Draft. He now has three Ohio State players going in the first round.

As we get close and closer to the 2020 NFL Draft, we continue to get more and more mock drafts coming out. One of the guys that we’ll see a lot of over the next couple of months is ESPN’s draft guru Todd McShay. He had a mock draft released at the tail-end of the year, but now he’s revised it a bit in his latest release of the top 32 players.

If you’ve been following any projections, you probably know at this point that both Chase Young and Jeff Okudah appear to be locks to go early in the first round, and it’s no different with McShay’s latest mock. In fact, he has both Young and Okudah going in the same slot, and to the same teams as what his sparring partner Mel Kiper does. Both have Young going second overall to the Washington Redskins, and Okudah right after him at the No. 3 spot to the Detroit Lions.

But there’s a new entrant to the first round for Ohio State — running back J.K. Dobbins. McShay didn’t have him as a potential late first-round pick a couple of months ago, but now has him being taken by the Kansas City Chiefs as the last pick in the round at No. 32 overall.

There’s no denying that Dobbins has first-round type talent, but running backs don’t have the appeal they used to prior to the lean towards big-time quarterbacks and defensive players.

It’ll be close on the all-time single-season rushing leader in Ohio State history going in round one. If he doesn’t, he might just be the steal of the draft.

Next … What Todd McShay says about all three players

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ESPN’s Todd McShay mocks linebacker to Seahawks at No. 27 overall

In his second mock draft for the 2020 season, ESPN’s Todd McShay projects a linebacker to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 27 overall in April.

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Just days removed from Super Bowl LIV, the draft pundits are ramping up their first mocks of the new season. The latest comes from ESPN analyst Todd McShay, who predicts the Seattle Seahawks select a linebacker in the first round of April’s 2020 NFL Draft.

Specifically, McShay projects outside linebacker Terrell Lewis out of Alabama to Seattle with the No. 27 overall pick.

“Along with Baun, Lewis helped himself a lot with a good week at the Senior Bowl,” McShay notes. “He might need some time to develop, but there’s no denying his pass-rush talent and burst coming around the corner when chasing the quarterback. He registered 16 QB hurries this past season at Alabama. And considering the lengthy list of front-seven free-agents-to-be on the Seattle roster, this pick makes all the sense in the world.”

 

“Jadeveon Clowney ‘s one-year franchise tag is up, and Jarran Reed, Ziggy Ansah, Quinton Jefferson and Al Woods are all set to join him on the open market,” McShay continues. “When you tally all of 28 sacks (tied for second worst) and then lose pretty much your entire defensive line, you’d better be fixating on pash-rushers in April.”

McShay joins his colleague, Mel Kiper, who also believes the Seahawks will select a linebacker with their first pick in this year’s NFL draft.

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Todd McShay mock draft 2.0: Ravens get a starter at ILB

The Baltimore Ravens answer one of their bigger defensive holes in the 2020 NFL draft via Todd McShay’s second mock draft of the offseason.

There are a handful of draft analysts that command attention whenever they do a mock draft and ESPN’s Todd McShay is one of them. With Super Bowl LIV wrapping up the 2019 season, McShay turned in his second mock draft of the offseason and changed things up for the Baltimore Ravens a little bit.

After previously picking Penn State pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos in his first mock draft, McShay handed the Ravens Oklahoma inside linebacker Kenneth Murray at No. 28 in the first round.

In his explanation, McShay noted Baltimore’s defense struggled quite a lot at inside linebacker this season and could use a definitive starter in the middle of the defense.

“The focus in 2019 was on Lamar Jackson and a dynamic offense, but the defensive unit quietly did more than hold its own, finishing in the top six in both pass and run defense. A trade for Marcus Peters added a jolt to the secondary, and Matthew Judon just missed double-digit sacks. What was missing? A chase-him-down, bring-him-down linebacker in the middle of the defense. Patrick Onwuasor and Josh Bynes led the front seven with just 64 and 46 tackles, respectively, and they’re both free agents. While Murray doesn’t have ideal coverage skills, he has great speed and tackling ability, manifested in his 102 tackles this past season at Oklahoma.”

McShay is right on the money here with his analysis. Murray is well known for being a big-hitting, run-stuffing linebacker that has great sideline-to-sideline speed and would fit perfectly into what the Ravens typically like at the position. Given the lack of depth there currently, Murray would likely become a Week 1 starter.

Where he falls down a little bit is in his coverage skills. Though Murray has the speed to handle a coverage role, it’s something he’s still a little too raw at right now. But with some development there, Murray looks like he could easily become a Pro Bowl linebacker in Baltimore.

With the physical tools and clear upside, some have Murray going significantly earlier than the Ravens’ No. 28 pick, including Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling, who had him going at No. 19. With many expecting Murray to blow the doors off the NFL Scouting Combine, we could see his draft stock rise well out of Baltimore’s range soon. So if the Ravens find him still on the board at No. 28, they’d probably be really happy with writing his name down on the card.

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Jets pick Louisville OL Mekhi Becton in Todd McShay’s post-Super Bowl mock

With four offensive linemen already off the board, the Jets opt for Louisville’s Mekhi Becton is Todd McShay’s second mock draft of 2020.

In Todd McShay’s latest mock draft, the Jets take a plug-and-play tackle and break tradition in the process.

In his second prediction of the first-round, New York breaks its 13-year drought of not taking an offensive lineman in the first round. McShay has the Jets taking Louisville OT Mekhi Becton with the 11th pick. In this mock, Alabama’s Jedrick Willis Jr., Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs and Houston’s Josh Jones are already off the board, leaving Joe Douglas to pick between Becton and Georgia’s Andrew Thomas.

Here’s McShay’s explanation for the pick:

This is another clear mix of need and value. First, the Jets allowed 52 sacks in 2019, the fourth-most in the NFL. Second, left tackle Kelvin Beachum is a free agent. Becton and that massive 6-foot-7 frame would not only help protect Sam Darnold’s blindside but also spark a Le’Veon Bell-led run game that never took off, finishing 31st in the league (78.6 yards per game), ahead of only the Dolphins. It makes a ton of sense, but don’t be surprised to see the Jets kick the offensive line problem down the road in favor of finding an impact pass-rusher or shutdown cornerback. The problem is finding one outside the top 10.

McShay, who knows Douglas from when the two were teammates at the University of Richmond, hinted that there’s a possibility that the Jets could pick a pass-rusher or cornerback. Obviously, that’s a possibility for Gang Green that cannot be overlooked, with there being 10 teams picking in front of them.

Becton has been a fast-rising player, especially because of his size, standing at 6-foot-7, 360 pounds. He’s an athletic blocker with the size, length and skill to become a top offensive lineman.

The Lousiville product’s footwork and lateral movement for his size is pretty impressive, as well as the power he shows off. He is a power-mover in the run-game. He has the feet to stay at left tackle but needs to keep his weight in check.

Jags boost DL, OL in Todd McShay’s new mock draft

Todd McShay has completed another mock draft and the Jags managed to land one of the draft’s tastes risers: Javon Kinlaw.

With Super Bowl LIV out of the way, ESPN’s Todd McShay released another mock draft for the 2020 season Tuesday and it had the Jags adding help in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

In the first round, the Jags were slotted arguably the draft’s fastest rising star in South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw. He unquestionably rose his stock at the Senior Bowl (which McShay attended) and with a need to get younger in the interior, McShay added that he’d boost the Jags’ pass-rush which already has at least one outside threat returning in Josh Allen.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars

Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina

If you don’t know about Kinlaw yet, do yourself a favor and go watch some highlights from his two days of Senior Day workouts. He is an absolute physical freak with the versatility to play on the interior or off the edge, and he has the power to walk offensive linemen back into the quarterback. The Jaguars missed on Taven Bryan when they took him in the first round in 2018, and they might not be able to keep Yannick Ngakoue in northeast Florida next season. Putting Kinlaw next to last year’s top-10 pick, Josh Allen, would help lighten the loss of Ngakoue and shore up a run defense that was the fifth worst in 2019 (139.3 yards per game).

While some would argue that linebacker, help for the offensive line, or tight end may be bigger needs, Kinlaw represents pretty good value at the No. 9 overall pick. It may look as though the Jags don’t need him now but Marcell Dareus is all but gone as he’ll be a cap hit of over $20 million (most feel he won’t be re-signed either), while Calais Campbell is the team’s oldest player. Besides, if there is anything we learned from the Super Bowl it’s the fact that a team can never have enough pass-rushers if they are to have a shot at beating the Kansas City Chiefs.

With their second drat pick in round one, McShay slotted the Jags some help on the offensive line.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR)

Austin Jackson, OT, USC

Kinlaw cleans up the defensive front, but the offensive side of the trenches warrants a look, too. The Jaguars struck gold when they caught the sliding Jawaan Taylor early in the second round last year, and they shouldn’t be done working on the unit. The desperate need for more help there means they’d be OK with reaching for Jackson, who is my No. 46 prospect. The 6-foot-6 junior is raw, but if given some time to develop, he can contribute in pass protection for whomever Doug Marrone starts under center.

While the Jags need help on the offensive line, Austin Jackson feels like a huge reach at No. 20, and besides, the Jags are more of a team that considers value with their early picks.

Based on who was available, the Jags could’ve grabbed Gardner Minshew II or Nick Foles a pretty solid receiver in Henry Ruggs III, Justin Jefferson, or Tee Higgins. On defense, Grant Delpit, who would be a tremendous value pick at No. 20, and Kenneth Murray were both available. Regardless, all are better overall players than Jackson, who should be more of an option for the Jags in the second round as opposed to the first.

Todd McShay NFL mock draft: Broncos select WR CeeDee Lamb

In Todd McShay’s second version of his 2020 NFL mock draft, Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb is selected by the Broncos in the first round.

In his 2020 NFL mock draft 2.0, ESPN’s Todd McShay has the Denver Broncos selecting Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with the 15th overall pick in the first round (subscription required for link).

This is a change from McShay’s first 2020 mock draft, which had the Broncos selecting LSU safety Grant Delpit. McShay’s first mock draft last year had Denver selecting Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise Brown late in the first round. His final mock draft of 2019 had the Broncos selecting Missouri quarterback Drew Lock.

Lamb (6-2, 189 pounds) caught 173 passes for 3,292 yards and 32 touchdowns during his three years with the Sooners. Teamed up with Courtland Sutton, Lamb would give Lock another explosive target.

McShay also mentioned Delpit, Florida cornerback CJ Henderson, and Alabama safety Xavier McKinney as options for Denver if cornerback Chris Harris and safety Justin Simmons are not re-signed this spring.

Simmons appears likely to return in 2020 (either on a franchise tag or multi-year extension) so it’s hard to imagine the Broncos selecting a safety in the first round. Lamb would be a logical pick for Denver.

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Eagles land Alabama WR Henry Ruggs III in Todd McShay’s second 2020 mock draft

2020 NFL draft: Eagles select Henry Ruggs in Todd McShay’s 1st mock

With the 2019 NFL season officially over after the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, draft season is in full swing.

With the draft season in full swing, Todd McShay has rejoined the slew of analysts and scouts set to break down college football’s best players.

Last month,  McShay released his first mock draft for the 2020 selection process and he predicted a Crimson Tide playmaker for the Eagles.

McShay just released his second mock on Tuesday morning, and he’s staying the course in his predictions, again sending Henry Ruggs III to the Eagles at pick No. 21.

21. Philadelphia Eagles
Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama

Zero Eagles receivers found their way to 500 yards in 2019, Nelson Agholor is a free agent, Alshon Jeffery will be 30 in two weeks and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside had a limited 10-catch impact in his rookie campaign. Carson Wentz likes to air it out, but he didn’t have the right personnel to do so. Coach Doug Pederson thought he had an answer in the vertical game with DeSean Jackson, but an abdominal injury limited the veteran speedster to 62 snaps. Ruggs, though, is a human torch — he could run in the 4.2s at the combine — and immediately gives Wentz a weapon in the passing game outside of Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders.

Ruggs, Miles Sanders and a healthy DeSean Jackson could give the Eagles weapons that would present matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. If J.J. Arcega-Whiteside can take the next step and Alshon Jeffery can return, the Eagles would present a formidable offense, capable of giving any defense in the league fits.

McShay’s draft order came from using ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) and it will continue shift as the season winds down and draft positions change.

Todd McShay’s latest mock draft has Cardinals landing OL

They take Iowa OL Tristan Wirfs over all the receivers and all the linemen except for Jedrick Wills.

What position is the most important for the Arizona Cardinals to draft? It is a wide receiver or a tackle? This debate will likely go on until the actual draft. Some mock drafts have them taking a receiver and others an offensive lineman.

In ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay’s new mock draft, he has them going with the offensive line with the eighth overall pick. He has them going with Iowa offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs.

The possibility of former Sooners teammate CeeDee Lamb running routes for Kyler Murray is going to be something to watch for at No. 8, but don’t forget that teams need to protect their quarterback first. The Cardinals gave up 50 sacks this past season (fifth-worst in the NFL), not something you want to see when you just invested a No. 1 overall pick on a 5-foot-10 QB. Throw in the fact that they could lose D.J. Humphries and Marcus Gilbert and the pass-protection upside of the 6-foot-5 Wirfs starts to make even more sense. Get a difference-maker in front of Murray and then worry about help out wide on Day 2, when plenty of pass-catchers will be waiting to be snatched up.

In this scenario, all the receivers are on the board. The only lineman already taken is Alabama’s Jedrick Wills. So the Cardinals, if they wanted a lineman, would have their choice or Wirfs, Josh Jones, Andrew Thomas or Mekhi Becton.

The logic is sound. The question will end up being what the Cardinals have already done in free agency to address the line.

Wirfs is a pick that makes sense. Does he make sense over the other linemen and over all the receivers, or even over a prospect like defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw, who wowed everyone at the Senior Bowl?

That is what will continue to be debated for the next two and a half months.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 257

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Ep. 256

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