Tag: tristan wirfs

Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs declares for 2020 NFL draft

Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs is leaving school early to enter the 2020 NFL draft

One of the top offensive tackles in the nation is making the early jump from college football to the pro ranks.

Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs is leaving school early to enter the 2020 NFL draft. He made his announcement via social media Tuesday.

Listed at 6-5, 322 pounds, Wirfs appeared in 35 games over three seasons with the Hawkeyes, establishing himself as one of the premier blockers in all of college football. Widely regarded as one of the top prospects at his position in this year’s draft class, Wirfs is currently projected to be a top-15 pick in April.

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Draft Wire’s newest mock draft has a prized offensive lineman coming to the Bucs

Find out who Draft Wire thinks will be the top pick by the Buccaneers in April’s NFL draft.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a great position heading into the offseason. With cap room to play with, the Bucs will hopefully be able to bring back a few of their prized free agents, while also restocking in the NFL draft in April.

After a 7-9 finish, the Bucs hold the 14th pick in the draft, much lower than last year when they held the fifth pick and used it to take linebacker Devin White. So, who would be a viable option at 14 for Tampa Bay? They’ve held the 14th pick just once before in the draft, and used it to shore up the offensive line.

And, according to Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, the Bucs will look to snag another prized lineman in the 2020 draft in Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs.

Here’s the reasoning:

“This is an ideal scenario for the Bucs, who need to upgrade at least one of their tackle spots this offseason. Regardless of who is playing quarterback in Tampa Bay next season, the protection needs to improve in a big way if that player is going to succeed. Wirfs is ready to start from Day 1, and would be a bargain at this spot.”

The Bucs used last year’s draft to rebuild their defense. It’ll be interesting to see if that trend continues come April.

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2020 NFL draft: Why Jets will have tough time addressing biggest need in Round 1

The Jets find themselves in an undesirable situation with the No. 11 pick and needing offensive line help in April’s draft.

While a 6-2 finish to the Jets’ season shows the franchise is headed in the right direction, the hot streak came with consequences.

Gang Green has the 11th overall pick in April’s draft. With the Jets needing to undergo a full rebuild on the offensive line, picking outside of the top-10 is less than ideal when it comes to this draft class.

Finding a franchise tackle remains a top priority for the Jets. With that said, there seems to be a consensus that three tackles will be selected in front of the Jets. Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills Jr. seem destined to go in front of New York.

Wirfs has yet to declare for the draft, while first-round prospect Alex Leatherwood announced his attention to return to the University of Alabama.

The Giants, Dolphins, Chargers, Cardinals and Browns all need considerable help on the offensive line. The Jets have to cross their fingers and hope that there is a run on talented receivers and potential franchise quarterbacks before the team’s pick.

Potential players available for the Jets picking at No. 11 could be Iowa edge rusher A.J. Epenesa, Penn State edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos, Stanford CB Paulson Adebo, Alabama CB Trevon Diggs, Alabama WR Henry Ruggs III and Clemson WR Tee Higgins.

In a pipe dream scenario the two most dynamic wide receivers in the class, Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy or Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, could fall to the Jets, but neither option seems plausible at this point in time. Even if that were the case, while the Jets need receiver help, the line is still the biggest issue.

The Jets may not be able to address the tackle position in the first round and they have to accept that. However, that should not prevent New York from attempting to fix the interior of the offensive line.

Wisconsin IOL Tyler Biadasz, Washington IOL Nick Harris and Oklahoma IOL Creed Humphrey all could be had in the latter portion of the first round if the Jets decide to trade back.

This draft is deep with wide receivers and cornerbacks and the Jets desperately need to add more talent on both sides of the football, especially on Joe Douglas’ first go around.

Whether it’s staying put or trading back, the Jets have to come away with offensive line help on Day 1 of the 2020 NFL draft. They have their work cut out for them this offseason and everyone in the organization knows that New York will only go as far as its play in the trenches.

Actually addressing those holes will be easier said than done, though. Especially in the draft.

2020 NFL draft: Chargers are officially locked into No. 6 overall pick

This will mark the third time that the Los Angeles Chargers have picked within the top-10 in the past 15 years. 

The 2019 regular season has come to an end for the Los Angeles Chargers and now all the attention has shifted to the offseason.

It’s official. The Chargers will pick sixth overall in the 2020 NFL draft. They were slated to pick seventh, but a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars bumped them up one slot.

This will mark the third time that the Bolts have picked within the top-10 in the past 15 years.

With how high they are picking, the Chargers will have plenty of the premiere prospects available when they are on the clock.

Whether or not Philip Rivers is back next season, L.A. will be in an ideal position where they could snag their future face of the franchise, with players like Tua Tagavailoa, Justin Herbert or Jordan Love.

The team could also look to address the offensive line with someone like Andrew Thomas, Tristan Wirfs or Jedrick Wills.

2020 NFL draft order: Jets have 7th pick after getting some help over weekend

The New York Jets are projected to pick No. 7 in the updated 2020 NFL draft order, according to Tankathon.

The Jets’ loss to Baltimore on Thursday Night Football wasn’t all bad.

Sitting at home over the weekend, New York got some help in the NFL draft pecking order. With the Falcons and Jaguars both winning on the road on Sunday, New York was able to better its position.

The Jets now have the seventh pick behind the Bengals, Giants, Redskins, Dolphins, Lions and Cardinals, according to Tankathon.

A shot at the top-five is still in reach with Pittsburgh and then Buffalo both still on New York’s schedule. With the Jets having only pride to play for in the next two games, it’s unlikely that they will be able to upset the Steelers and Bills. Both teams are still not locked into their playoff spots.

The Jets could play spoiler the next two weeks, but it would spoil having a top pick, which would hurt in the long run.

Picking in the top 10, the Jets will be in a position to take a plug-and-play starter and find an impact player. Names like Alabama WRs Jerry Jeudy and OT Jedrick Wills, Georgia OT Andrew Thomas, Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb, Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs and Ohio State CB Jeffrey Okudah come to mind.

The Jets will need more help moving up further in the draft order, but jumping a Cardinals team that still has Seattle and Los Angeles left on its schedule doesn’t seem all that feasible.

At this point No. 7 seems to be the highest the Jets can go, but stranger things have transpired.

2020 NFL draft order: Jets have 9th pick after Bengals loss

The New York Jets are projected to pick No. 9 in the updated 2020 NFL draft order, according to Tankathon.

Even though the Jets handed the 0-11 Bengals their first win of the season, New York’s 22-6 loss wasn’t all bad.

The Jets now have the ninth pick behind the Bengals, Giants, Redskins, Dolphins, Falcons, Lions, Cardinals and Jaguars, according to Tankathon.

The Jets’ recent winning streak took them out of prime position for a generational pass-rushing talent like Ohio State’s Chase Young, but there’s still some football to be played.

From here on out, the Jets don’t have many easy games and could very well find themselves back in the top-five. New York has the Dolphins, Ravens, Steelers and Bills remaining on its schedule and could very well lose out.

Picking in the top 10, the Jets will be in position to take a plug-and-play starter and find an impact player. Names like Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy, Georgia OT Andrew Thomas, Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb, Iowa EDGE A.J. Epenesa and OT Tristan Wirfs come to mind.

Wherever the Jets end up picking, with a top-10 selection all the more likely now, they will need Joe Douglas to hit a home run in his first draft as general manager.