Tag: Trey McBride

Trey McBride, 2 other draft picks sign rookie contracts

The Cardinals now only have their two third-round picks, Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders,

The Arizona Cardinals announced last week that three of their draft picks signed their rookie contracts. Another trio of draft picks has now signed their rookie deals, the team announced Wednesday.

The team announced that second-round pick Trey McBride and seventh-round picks Christian Matthew and Marquis  Hayes signed their four-year rookie contracts.

That leaves only their two third-round selections, linebackers Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders, as their only unsigned draft picks

These are the player bios the Cardinals gave in their press release for the signings.

McBride (6-4, 246) was the John Mackey Award winner in 2021 as the nation’s top tight end after starting all 12 games and finishing with 90 receptions for 1,121 yards, the fifth-most yards by a tight end in FBS history. He was also a unanimous first-team All-American selection last year, becoming the first player in Colorado State history to earn that honor. McBride appeared in 40 games (32 starts) in his college career and had 164 receptions for 2,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. He established school career and single-season records for receptions, receiving yards and 100-yard performances (8) by a tight end. A Fort Morgan, CO native, McBride was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Mountain West Conference selection while at Colorado State.

Matthew (6-2, 195) played in 42 games during his collegiate career at Georgia Southern (2016), Samford (2018-19) and Valdosta State (2021) and finished with 85 tackles, two interceptions, 22 passes defensed, a half sack and a blocked kick. Last year at Valdosta State, Matthew helped lead the Blazers to an appearance in the Division II National Championship game after appearing in 14 contests and collecting 37 tackles (26 solo), one interception and 15 passes defensed. A Columbus, GA native, Matthew played in 19 games at Samford and appearing in nine games at Georgia Southern as a freshman in 2016. 

Hayes (6-5, 318) played in 40 games (37 starts) at Oklahoma and was a three-year starter with the Sooners. In 2021, he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after starting all 13 games at left guard and helping Oklahoma average 451.5 yards per game and finish with 62 total touchdowns. As a junior in 2020, Hayes started all 11 games and allowed just two sacks on 416 pass-blocking plays according to Pro Football Focus. In 2019, he started all 13 games and helped the Sooners make the College Football Playoff. A St. Louis, MO native, Hayes was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection as both a junior and senior. 

[vertical-gallery id=468052]

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

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Rookie TE Trey McBride to participate in NFLPA Rookie Premiere

McBride is one of 42 rookie players selected to get early marketing opportunities.

Tight end Trey McBride, the Arizona Cardinals’ second-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft last month, will get an early jump on market opportunities as an NFL player.

He was selected as one of the 42 rookie players to participate in the NFLPA Rookie Premiere.

The NFLPA attempts to pair young players with marketing opportunities as they enter the league.

NFLPA Rookie Premiere provides partners with unmatched access to 40 of the NFL’s newest stars at their first major business and marketing event following the NFL Draft. This is one of the most valuable opportunities available to NFLPA partners because it’s the first time to connect directly with professional football’s most promising and marketable young players–all in one place—and build content and relationships that extend into the season and beyond.

These tend to often be offensive players. 38 of the 42 of this year’s group are offensive skill players.

[listicle id=468061]

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

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Cardinals view Trey McBride as younger, more athletic Maxx Williams

The Cardinals think that McBride, their second-round pick this year, is a complete tight end, able to catch the ball and knock guys off the line.

It was a bit of a surprise when the Arizona Cardinals selected tight end trey McBride in the second round of the NFL draft last month. However, the Cardinals are very excited about him. They love the potential he adds.

Many would say he is a younger version of Zach Ertz, whom they re-signed this offseason for three seasons.

They don’t see McBride as an Ertz clone. They see him as even more versatile.

“He’s more similar to Maxx Williams,” Cardinals vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris said on The Dave Pasch Podcast.  “A little younger, a little more athletic.”

Williams has not put up big numbers but was having what looked like a career season last year before his tore his ACL in Week 5. His blocking opened up the running game and he caught some passes. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has raved on multiple occasions about how Williams is a complete tight end.

“In this day in age, it’s really difficult to get a tight end who can catch the ball and be a receiver as well as run block,” Harris said. ?That’s why we love Trey so much because he’s a guy who can line (up) inline and knock people off the ball or he can flex out and be matched up versus a safety and feel good.”

McBride caught 90 passes for 1,121 yards and a touchdown for Colorado State last season. He was universally considered the best tight end in the draft.

Being a tight end like Maxx Williams is potentially important because Williams is coming back from his knee injury.

After McBride was drafted, it was revealed that Williams has no timetable for his return.

Both McBride and Williams ended up being the 55th pick in their respective drafts.

McBride is 6-4 and 246 lbs. Williams was 6-4, 249 coming out of Minnesota for the draft.

They profiled similarly athletically.

If McBride can be similar to Williams in effectiveness, he will have ended up being a fantastic draft pick.

[listicle id=467901]

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

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Cardinals slammed for draft class, get D from USA TODAY

USA TODAY’s Nate Davis questions the Marquise Brown trade and give the Cardinals a D for their work in the draft this year.

The Arizona Cardinals have had some pretty good reviews for the draft class they put together last weekend. They used their first-round pick to acquire receiver Hollywood Brown and then made eight other selections, including three pass rushers, two offensive linemen, a running back and a dynamic tight end.

Their grades have mostly been consistently a B for their work in the draft.

However, USA TODAY’s Nate Davis is not a fan. He gave the Cardinals one of the worst marks in the league in his draft grades.

He gave the Cardinals a D.

Mackey Award-winning TE Trey McBride (Round 2) is a sweet player, but are the Cards suddenly going base double-tight after re-signing Zach Ertz for three more years? But far more head-scratching was sacrificing their first-round pick to get “Hollywood” Brown, a teammate of QB Kyler Murray at Oklahoma, both former Sooners heading into their fourth seasons. Brown has scary speed and maybe didn’t get to showcase it enough on a Baltimore offense that wanted to run the ball. But hard to believe that GM Steve Keim didn’t severely overpay – especially since he’ll also presumably be on the hook for extensions for Brown and Murray any minute.

The McBride pick was odd, but not when you consider that Maxx Williams might not be ready to start the season. And now, with the suspension of receiver DeAndre Hopkins, having as many pass-catching weapons as possible is going to be needed.

We can expect to see plenty of both Ertz and McBride on the field.

How was the Brown trade overpaying? He is a perfect fit in the Arizona offense, had a 1,000-yard season in a bad offense for receivers and is cost-controlled for two seasons.

The Philadelphia Eagles had to give up two picks for A.J. Brown and then ink him to a four-year, $100 million deal.

Brown gives the Cardinals what they need in their offense and “is just scratching the surface.”

They added a necessary pass rusher in the third round and depth late in the draft in the sixth and seventh rounds.

This was not a super exciting draft like the New York Jets had, since they made three selections in the first round, but it was solid, considering the picks they made.

[vertical-gallery id=467821]

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

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Following NFL draft, Cardinals’ offensive ceiling has exponentially increased

Following the recent acquisitions of Trey McBride and Hollywood Brown, the Cardinals offense features a ridiculous group of playmakers.

Following a quiet free agency, many Arizona Cardinals fans were growing frustrated with the team’s lack of signings and additions. While they were able to re-sign most of their core free agents, they let two key players from last season go without replacing them, those being Chandler Jones and Christian Kirk.

In the past week, however, those sentiments have quickly changed for many. The Cardinals made a shocking trade Thursday night when they sent the 23rd overall pick for Ravens star receiver Hollywood Brown.

Perhaps an equally surprising move was their second round selection of Trey McBride, the consensus top tight end prospect from this year’s class. In a tight end room that already features Zach Ertz and Maxx Williams, it was initially shocking to see the Cardinals technically spend their first draft pick on a tight end.

Following the surprise and discontent from some fans, however, the McBride’s potential was very obviously too good to pass up. Many are comparing his game to that of 49ers’ star George Kittle.

The addition of two standout receiving threats gives the Cardinals a better group of offensive skill position players than they had in 2021, which is saying a ton considering they were the No. 1 statistical offense in the league prior to injuries to both Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins.

The wide receiver room now features Hopkins, Hollywood Brown, Rondale Moore and A.J. Green. Having Green, who had over 800 yards receiving last year (with some missed time) as WR4 illustrates the surplus of firepower general manager Steve Keim is providing the offense. Antoine Wesley, who flashed towards the end of last season, is also a notable name there.

The running back group took a hit with the loss of Chase Edmonds to Miami, but the lead man is still Pro Bowler James Conner. Third-year pro Eno Benjamin figures today to be the No. 2 back, though the team has recently looked at free agent RB Darrell Williams.

The tight end room is arguably as impressive as the receiving room, with 3x Pro-Bowler Zach Ertz leading the charge. Maxx Williams, who was playing great football prior to injury is an excellent complement in both the passing attack and run game. Both of those two should be great help to the newest member of the room in Trey McBride.

The group of skill position players is, as of right now, absurdly talented. Defenses will still focus primarily on containing Hopkins, but the plethora of other playmakers makes that so difficult to do. And if they do shift coverage away from Hop, leaving him one-on-one, that’s where the ball is going.

If the group can maintain relative health through next season, the Cardinals offense has the potential to be even better than they were prior to injuries last season.

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

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

10 NFL rookies who could have an immediate impact in the 2022 season

These potential stars are about to make their teams quite happy.

After a wave of picks, grades, winners (and losers!), the dust has settled: We’ve reached the end of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pro football can finally begin its real offseason.

In the coming weeks, we’ll analyze, break down, and, yes, overthink a lot of the player-team fits from this draft class. But for as much as we can question some team approaches, the top-end of the draft — with various potential stars — makes it seem like greatness is their destiny.

From a Detroit homer to a receiver who shares the same last name as his quarterback, here’s a rundown of some of the new rookies I expect to make an immediate impact during the 2022 season.

POLL: What do you think of the Cardinals’ selection of Trey McBride?

What are your thoughts on the Cardinals’ second-round selection of tight end Trey McBride? Vote in the poll!

In what is certainly a rather stunning move, the Arizona Cardinals selected tight end Trey Mcbride with the 55th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. McBride is the consensus No. 1-ranked tight end in this year’s class, as he’s coming off a season with 90 receptions and 1,121 yards. He ran a 4.54-second 40 at his Pro Day.

The Cardinals just re-signed tight end Zach Ertz to a three-year extension last month. They also re-signed Maxx Williams, who prior to injury was playing the best football of his career. It’s certainly a surprising move given the quality of players at the position, but general manager Steve Keim has always maintained the idea of taking the best player available, regardless of position.

Many thought the Cardinals should have addressed edge rusher or cornerback with this pick, or even traded up with their additional third-rounder from Baltimore. Nevertheless, McBride is an electric player who makes the Cardinals offense even better than it already is.

What do you think of the pick? Vote in the poll and give your thoughts in the comment section below the article.

[polldaddy poll=11104883]

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

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Indianapolis Colts’ final 2022 NFL mock draft

Our final mock draft for the Colts ahead of the 2022 NFL draft.

With the 2022 NFL draft set to begin Thursday night, the excitement is building for all 32 teams, including the Indianapolis Colts to add fantastic young talent to its roster.

There are sure to be many surprise trades, shocking selections and moves that will keep fans locked in throughout the weekend to see just how their favorite teams have improved.

With that hype spreading throughout the league, we will be attempting a final prediction of the upcoming draft using The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator. This mock will cover all picks that the Colts currently hold as of this writing.

We’ve looked at many scenarios and outcomes in previous mocks, including ones targeting quarterbacks and others trading back to add more picks, which seems to be a favorite move of Colts GM Chris Ballard in recent years. In this mock, however, we will attempt to simply predict the selections as they currently stand on the board.

With that, we will start the mock with Indianapolis’ first selection on Day 2 in the second round at No. 42 overall.

9 TEs the Colts should target in the NFL draft

Here are 9 TEs the Colts should target in the 2022 NFL draft.

When it comes to adding depth in the 2022 NFL draft, the tight end position will be one the Indianapolis Colts are likely to have an eye on throughout the biggest weekend of the offseason.

While there is no Kyle Pitts type of a prospect in this year’s class, there appears to be some solid depth with plenty of potential throughout. This class seems to offer a nice mix of traditional Y tight ends along with more athletic, F/Flex options in the passing game.

The Colts seem pretty bullish on their current room but they also know some depth needs to be added. Mo Alie-Cox was signed to a three-year extension taking over as the starter for Jack Doyle, and Kylen Granson enters his second season working in the “move” role as a pass catcher.

The Colts may prioritize other positions ahead of tight end considering the depth in this class and how they may feel about that starting duo, but there is plenty of talent to consider on Days 2 and 3 of the draft.

Here are nine tight ends the Colts should consider in the 2022 NFL draft:

Be sure to check out our articles on other positions ahead of the draft:

  • 10 wide receivers to consider on Day 2 (link)
  • 4 offensive tackles to consider on Day 2 (link)

2022 NFL Draft Profile: Colorado State TE Trey McBride

The Rams tight end showed out throughout his college football career and the pre-draft process. What do NFL teams like about him?

[jwplayer TtpJIvlc-sNi3MVSU]

2022 NFL Draft Profile: Colorado State TE Trey McBride

The Rams tight end showed out throughout his college football career and the pre-draft process. What do NFL teams like about him?

Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

The best at his position in this year’s class.

Trey McBride, the John Mackey award winner and Colorado State’s first unanimous All-American, is projected to be the first tight end taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. The 22-year-old from Fort Morgan, Colorado looks to follow in the footsteps of fellow Fort Morgan/CSU alum Joel Dreessen.

McBride could’ve left after the shortened 2020 COVID season and gotten drafted, but he came back to improve his draft stock and play one more year with his brother Toby.

It turned out to be a very good decision. McBride put up the best season for a tight end in Colorado State history with 90 catches, 1,121 yards (the first Rams tight end to go over 1,000 yards) and one receiving touchdown. He also added a 69-yard punt fake touchdown to his resume. He looks to parlay that performance into a long NFL career.

Measurables (taken from Mockdraftable)

Height: 6’4″
Weight: 246 pounds
Wingspan: 78″
Arm: 32 5/8″
Hand: 10 1/8″
40-yard time – 4.56 seconds
10-yard split time – 1.60 seconds
Shuttle time – N/A
3-cone drill time – N/A
Vertical – 33″
Broad Jump – 9’9″

Highlights

Strengths

McBride can be a nasty SOB. He prides himself on his physicality both blocking and after the catch. His ability to get downfield on blocks is another pride point for him. He’s shown the ability to make physical contested catches and athletic catches. To go along with those catch abilities is McBride’s ability to track the ball in the air.

He has above average speed and knows how to read defenses to know when to settle into the soft spots in zone coverage. And he has shown the ability to gain separation at the top of routes. He runs through tackles and doesn’t go down easy as he keeps his legs churning to gain a few more yards.

Weaknesses

McBride has shown inconsistency as a blocker at times. One play he’s pancaking a DL or LB into the ground and the next he’s on the ground because he didn’t have the right leverage and the defender pulled past him. McBride also has the tendency to duck his head into contact as a blocker.

He has below average speed out of the gate, at least on tape, and he doesn’t have consitent speed. McBride only had one touchdown in 2021 and as much as that was a product of the offense and double/triple teams in the red zone, he hasn’t shown a consistent finishing ability outside of one game against the Florida Gators in his freshman year.

NFL Comparison

Hunter Henry

McBride himself says he models his game after George Kittle and you can definitely see that in his game and in their similar measurements. However, Kittle has shown that he can outplay his college tape. McBride needs to show that and that is why Hunter Henry feels like a better comparison. McBride has the better college production and it still remains to be seen if he can live up to the Kittle reputation he put on himself.

Draft Prediction

McBride has the talent to be one of the top tight ends in the league. And plenty of analysts and scouts feel the same way. There are some doubts about his finishing and ability to be a consistent blocker, but he’s still the top tight end in this years draft. Expect him to be drafted from the late first to somewhere in the second round.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1365]

[protected-iframe id=”f7652191f99ba13728097498e8a79cd8-137729785-123448869″ info=”https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/show/48681pqFq0kB9dhrtPPoNd” width=”100%” height=”232″ frameborder=”0″]