Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
50 best available prospects for the New Orleans Saints on Day 3 of NFL draft, via @DillySanders
We’re on to Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft, and there are still players available who can help the New Orleans Saints in rounds four, five, six, and seven (to say nothing of the dozens of undrafted free agents waiting for their chance). Here’s our list of the top 50 remaining prospects as the Saints wait their turn to go on the clock.
New Orleans is scheduled to make five picks on Saturday:
And here’s the top 50:
Muhammad is the fourth top 50 player in Texas’ 2023 class.
Texas’ 2023 recruiting class has picked up a monster commitment in four-star cornerback Malik Muhammad. Continue reading “Elite 2023 CB Malik Muhammad commits to Texas over Alabama and Texas A&M”
Locked on Longhorns podcast returns on Tuesday to discuss the latest schedule release for the Texas Longhorns. Plus ESPN’s top 50 players.
Tuesday’s Locked on Longhorns Podcast discusses the recent schedule release from the Big 12 Conference. When will the Longhorns kickoff their season? Plus the times announced for the Texas Tech and Oklahoma games. Plus the Iowa State game was moved to Friday on November 27th. Plus the Sooners will charge $54.99 for fans to watch their opening game.
ESPN released their list for the Top 50 players in college football for 2020. which three Longhorns made the list. Plus our thoughts on if they rankings are justified. Who are dark horses who could be top 50 players by seasons end? Alfred Collins was named to the 247Sports Freshman Preseason All-American team. Are they sleeping on Bijan Robinson?
The Longhorns launched the new LEVERAGE program. How will this help student athletes? Does this have an impact on recruiting? Patrick breaks down the four pillars that make up LEVERAGE. Plus the Longhorns unveiled a new hashtag for the 2022 recruiting class, ICONIC22.
2021 running back recruit L.J. Johnson of Cy-Fair is expected to release his top four schools. The Longhorns are expected to be among them.
Two Longhorns are listed within 247Sports’ top 50 college football players this season.
The 2020 college football season is rapidly approaching. Continue reading “Two Longhorns listed among college football’s top 50 players”
The Kansas City Chiefs have more players on PFF’s list than any other NFL team.
The reigning Super Bowl champions have five players on Pro Football Focus’ list of the top-50 NFL players heading into the 2020 season. No teams have more players on the list than the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition, all of the Chiefs’ players are listed within the top-25 players.
This particular list seeks to use PFF grades and stats to determine how good a player is, regardless of position, heading into the upcoming season. They projected their outlook for 2020 based on an overview of previous stats and grades. Then they adjusted those projections based injuries and new circumstances surrounding the team.
Below you’ll find a look at what PFF’s Sam Monson had to say about each player and my thoughts on PFF’s ranking.
“If there’s a player who has a hope of rivaling Donald as the best in the league regardless of position, it’s likely Mahomes. What we’re seeing from the young quarterback has never been done before — not necessarily statistically, but stylistically. His feel for the game and ability to make special plays as a passer is absurd. Since Mahomes entered the league, his PFF passing grade on third-and-long alone is 91.4, and his passer rating is 125.3 — comfortably the best in the league. Nobody can do what Mahomes can right now, and 2020 should bring about an even better version than last year if he stays healthy.“
I have a feeling that Mahomes would’ve landed the No. 1 spot on this list had he stayed healthy. He only missed two games in the long run, but that shadow of doubt seems to be enough for Monson to rank Rams’ DT Aaron Donald over Mahomes at No. 1. Again, this list doesn’t take positional value into account, it’s merely a measure of how good a player is heading into the upcoming season. With that said, there’s no player in the NFL I’d rather have than Mahomes, regardless of position.
The New Orleans Saints still have many options to upgrade at linebacker and receiver on the second day of picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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The New Orleans Saints exited the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft with a prospect rated high on their board, having stood pat at the 24th overall pick to select Michigan offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz.
So which players could they target on the second day of the draft? Right now, the Saints have just one pick in rounds two and three (near the end of the third frame, at No. 88). But New Orleans also has all of their 2021 draft picks and several projected compensatory picks to use as trade bait, and maybe jump back into the second round.
Whatever the case, they must make the most of this opportunity. The top prospects remaining on our board with top-50 draft grades:
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Once again, the Cowboys reign supreme when it comes to popularity.
America’s Team indeed. No matter how many fanbases try to elevate their favorite team to the status, the efforts bear no fruit. Year after year, metric after metric, the Dallas Cowboys reign supreme, and the latest information from the sales department just confirms the undisputed title.
5 different Cowboys players landed inside the Top 50 sales list for the year-long period from March 1, 2019 through February 29, 2020.
If running backs don’t matter, no one has informed fans of the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott. As the only non-QB in the top five, the No. 4 overall pick from 2016 checks in at No. 4, after Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes, GOAT Tom Brady and 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson. Behind Elliott comes two more signal callers, Baker Mayfield (?) and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.
The next-ranked running back is the Giants’ Saquon Barkley, one of New York’s two entries (QB Daniel Jones, No. 28).
The Cowboys’ own QB, Dak Prescott, checks in at No. 12 on the list, five spots ahead of the Eagles’ Carson Wentz. The other 2016 draft class quarterback, the Rams’ Jared Goff, didn’t appear on the list. Eagles TE Zack Ertz represents at No. 31. No Washington Redskins player made the list.
Also represented as current Cowboys players are linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (No. 24) and wideout Amari Cooper (No. 30).
Rounding out the Cowboys Five is a player who returned to the field for what appeared to be one final hurrah. TE Jason Witten came out of retirement and a year as a broadcaster to play for Jason Garrett one more season. Now, he’s moved on to a supporting role in the new Las Vegas Raiders, but he ranked No. 36 in sales for 2019 with Dallas.
Just in case he ends up in a Dallas uniform for next year’s report, Jets safety Jamal Adams checked in at No. 41.
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New Orleans Saints quarterbacks Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater were the only Saints players on ESPN’s list of the top 50 NFL free agents.
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The analysts at EPSN ranked the top 50 free agents who will be on the market this offseason, and just two New Orleans Saints made the list. Worryingly, they both play quarterback: Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater.
Brees was named the third-best free agent set to hit the market in 2020, trailing only two other passers: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and New England Patriots legend Tom Brady. Here’s what ESPN had to say in ranking Brees so high among hist peers:
Brees produced the NFL’s third-best QBR (72.0) after returning in Week 10 from a torn thumb ligament, trailing only Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes during that period. His performance was a strong signal that he could play at a high level in 2020, even after a shaky outing in the Saints’ wild-card playoff loss to the Vikings. Brees has never been interested in leaving the Saints. Has anything changed? Would the Saints move on in favor of Teddy Bridgewater or Taysom Hill?
A few other free agent quarterbacks slotted in between Brees and Bridgewater, who ranked No. 29. That group includes Ryan Tannehill (No. 7), Philip Rivers (No. 16), and Jameis Winston (No. 25), with Marcus Mariota rounding out the group behind Bridgewater at No. 50. Bridgewater’s future — with the Saints or otherwise — figures to be one of the more interesting storylines of the offseason:
If there were any doubts, Bridgewater showed he can play at a winning level over an extended period of time. Three years after a catastrophic knee injury, Bridgewater helped the Saints to a 5-0 record after Brees injured his thumb. Bridgewater was picky last offseason, turning down the Dolphins’ starting job to return as a Saints backup. Would he do it again, assuming Brees returns? And can the Saints afford to give him a raise off the $7.5 million he earned this season?
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Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson ranks No. 14 in sales of all officially licensed NFL player-identified merchandise through November 2019.
The NFLPA recently updated its “Top Player Sales list,” which provides a verified ranking of all officially licensed, NFL player-identified merchandise sold online and in traditional retail outlets.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has moved into first place after sales calculated through November 30. Patriots signal-caller Tom Brady has finished in the top spot for the last two years and currently sits at No. 2.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson made the cut into the top 15, landing at No. 14. Here’s a look a who else made the list.
.@PatrickMahomes is the season’s new No. 1️⃣ on our Top 50 player sales list—beating out @TomBrady who had 17 straight appearances in the Top 3 since 2014 when the list was first introduced.
🔗: https://t.co/Qp3rvLJumA pic.twitter.com/dGcsAUz8Tu
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) January 20, 2020
NFLPA’s Top 15 among all officially licensed product sold:
1. Patrick Mahomes II, QB, Kansas City
2. Tom Brady, QB, New England
3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas
4. Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland
5. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland
6. Khalil Mack, LB, Chicago
7. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay
8. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas
9. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
10. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh
11. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans
12. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore
13. Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia
14. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle
15. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco
The current Top 50 can be found here.
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