Tag: virtual

Chiefs had virtual pre-draft meeting with LSU LB Micah Baskerville

The #Chiefs had a virtual pre-draft visit with a productive LSU linebacker, per report.

The Kansas City Chiefs are permitted to have virtual pre-draft visits with prospects all the way up until Day 1 of the 2023 NFL draft.

According to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, LSU LB Micah Baskerville is one of the latest players to speak with the Chiefs virtually. He also had recent calls with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Listed at 6 feet 1/2  and 221 pounds, Baskerville was a highly productive linebacker for the Tigers. He was a two-year starter with LSU, amassing 172 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups and two interceptions during the past two seasons. He has the makings of a three-down linebacker in the NFL, boasting inside/outside linebacker versatility and multi-phase special teams capability.

Baskerville did not test particularly well at the combine, but his tape shows that he might be a better athlete than the testing suggests. The Chiefs have an inside track to find out more information about any defender from LSU with their defensive coordinator being Matt House. He served as linebacker coach with the Chiefs from 2019 through 2021.

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Chiefs had virtual pre-draft meeting with Charlotte WR Grant DuBose

The #Chiefs met with DuBose at the Senior Bowl, but also had a recent virtual pre-draft meeting with him.

The period during which teams can conduct top-30 visits has now come and gone, but that doesn’t mean teams won’t continue to meet with players. Virtual meetings with draft-eligible prospects can take place all the way up to the first day of the 2023 NFL draft.

According to the Draft Network’s Justin Melo, the Chiefs recently had a Zoom visit with Charlotte WR Grant DuBose. This wideout started his NCAA career at D-II Miles College, but he eventually earned a tryout opportunity with the 49ers where he’d get a chance to play as a walk-on before earning a scholarship. Fast forward to now and he’s leaving for the NFL as Charlotte’s all-time leader in receiving yards (1,624), fourth all-time in receptions (126) and third all-time in touchdowns (15).

The 21-year-old DuBose is listed at 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds and ran a 4.57s 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. He’s someone who excels at creating separation in tight spaces with his physicality and route-running capability. He’s been his quarterback’s best friend in the red zone and I suspect with his size, the same will be true at the next level.

DuBose previously met with the Chiefs at the Senior Bowl, but he also mentioned to Melo that he had recent Zoom calls with Kansas City along with the Packers, Jets and Broncos. Maintaining contact with draft drawing near typically signifies a level of interest, be it in the late rounds of the draft or as a priority undrafted free agent following it.

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Packers meet virtually with Texas A&M S Leon O’Neal

The Packers will have a virtual Zoom meeting with Texas A&M S Leon O’Neal, a potential special teams standout at the next level.

Texas A&M safety Leon O’Neal will have a virtual meeting with the Green Bay Packers, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.

O’Neal (6-0, 204) played in 48 games and made 32 starts over four years at Texas A&M. He intercepted two passes each of the last two seasons, leading the team each year. He finished his collegiate career with 10 tackles for losses, 18 pass breakups and six interceptions.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks O’Neal as the No. 20 overall safety in the 2022 draft class and projects him to be a late-round draft pick.

The Packers could see O’Neal as a future subpackage safety with special teams potential. Brennen Rupp of Packers Wire included O’Neal among his 40 special teams standouts in the 2022 draft class.

At the combine, O’Neal hit 35″ in the vertical leap, covered 10-5 in the broad jump, finished the three-cone drill in 6.89 seconds and completed 15 reps on the bench press. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds on Texas A&M’s pro day.

From Rupp’s scouting report: “O’Neal is at his best playing closer to the scrimmage as an extra linebacker. He’s a solid run defender and has the quickness and toughness to match up with tight ends in coverage…may never be a starting safety in the league, but he has the size, quickness, and toughness to be a special teams standout.”

O’Neal, a Texas native, is 23 years old. He started at least 10 games each of his last three seasons at Texas A&M and later participated at the 2022 Senior Bowl.

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Packers meet virtually with UAB edge rusher Alex Wright

The Packers met virtually with UAB’s Alex Wright, one of the many intriguing edge rushers in the 2022 draft.

The Green Bay Packers met virtually and at the combine with UAB edge rusher Alex Wright, according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network.

Wright (6-5, 271) is one of many intriguing edge rushers in the 2022 NFL draft class.

He produced 19.0 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and three sacks over 35 games and 18 starts at UAB. Wright was a second-team All-Conference USA selection in 2021 after creating 7.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks in 13 games.

He put up 15 reps on the bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine. At his pro day, Wright hit 29″ in the vertical leap, covered 9-6 in the broad jump, finished the short shuttle in 4.42 seconds and three-cone drill in 7.42 seconds. He has a wingspan of almost 83″

Wright is still 21 years old. He doesn’t turn 22 until September. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com sees a high-ceiling player in need of major development, but the Packers – with Rashan Gary and Preston Smith entrenched as starters – could offer Wright an ideal landing spot.

“In a projection-based model where additional size, strength and technique improvements are likely, his athleticism becomes an even more impressive weapon as both a run defender and pass rusher. He will require a runway for development, but he’s worth a middle-round selection as a potential three-down starter for odd- or even-front teams,” Zierlein wrote in Wright’s scouting report.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks Wright as the No. 18 overall edge rusher and the No. 97 overall player in the class. The Packers have a need for a developmental edge rusher and also five picks in the top 100.

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Younger Seahawks players benefited from extra offseason attention

With most veterans opting out of the voluntary OTAs, the Seattle Seahawks’ young players benefited greatly from extra offseason attention.

The Seattle Seahawks rookies and younger players weren’t granted any extra practice time this offseason; however, they did get a lot more attention from the coaching staff during the workouts without the veteran players on the field.

“An incredible benefit,” coach Pete Carroll said during his final press conference of minicamp. “Last year at this time they had done nothing, they hadn’t done anything, hadn’t been here for anything . . . So this is the best group we’ve ever had as far as being ready for football.”

The majority of Seattle’s veterans participated in only the virtual portion of the offseason programming, opting to skip the voluntary, in-person sessions out of concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the veterans off the field, the newer players were able to capitalize on all the extra coaching attention.

“They’ve been smart, they’ve been strong, they’ve been consistent, they’ve been active, they’ve been juiced up, and they know they know a lot of football right now,” Carroll continued. “I don’t know what that’s going to mean as we put the team together in preseason and all that, but when those guys go in the game, man we aren’t going to hesitate, we won’t worry about them at all, they’re going to be ready to go, if—and let me send this message out—if they do a good job in the next six weeks staying in shape don’t screw it up.

“We kind of hammered them a little bit and want them to take care of business and come back to camp ready to go.”

With minicamp in the books, the Seahawks players won’t report back to the VMAC until the end of July when training camp kicks off the start of the new season.

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13 NFL prospects to attend draft on-site in Cleveland

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, only 3 NFL prospects will attend the draft on-site in Cleveland in 2021.

The 2021 NFL draft is going to look a little different once again this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The good news this season is that at least some of the draft activities will be in person, with select events even open to fans.

As of this date, 13 prospects will be attending the draft on-site in Cleveland, per the NFL’s press release.

Christian Barmore Alabama Gregory Rousseau Miami (Fla.)
Ja’Marr Chase LSU Rashawn Slater Northwestern
Caleb Farley Virginia Tech Devonta Smith Alabama
Mac Jones Alabama Patrick Surtain II Alabama
Trey Lance North Dakota State Jaylen Waddle Alabama
Micah Parsons Penn State Zach Wilson BYU
Kyle Pitts Florida

In addition, 45 prospects will be participating in the draft events virtually.

Carlos Basham Wake Forest Jalen Mayfield Michigan
Rashod Bateman Minnesota Quinn Meinerz Wisconsin-Whitewater
Nick Bolton Missouri Trevon Moehrig TCU
Tyson Campbell Georgia Elijah Moore Mississippi
Andre Cisco Syracuse Rondale Moore Purdue
Samuel Cosmi Texas Dylan Moses Alabama
Jabril Cox LSU Greg Newsome Northwestern
Christian Darrisaw Virginia Tech Azeez Ojulari Georgia
Jamin Davis Kentucky Joseph Ossai Texas
Wyatt Davis Ohio State Jayson Oweh Penn State
Landon Dickerson Alabama Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Notre Dame
Travis Etienne Clemson Kwity Paye Michigan
Justin Fields Ohio State Ronnie Perkins Oklahoma
Pat Freiermuth Penn State Jaelan Phillips Miami (Fla.)
Najee Harris Alabama Penei Sewell Oregon
Jevon Holland Oregon Trey Smith Tennessee
Jaycee Horn South Carolina Amon-Ra St. Brown USC
Creed Humphrey Oklahoma Chazz Surratt North Carolina
Brevin Jordan Miami (Fla.) Kadarius Toney Florida
Trevor Lawrence Clemson Tommy Tremble Notre Dame
Alex Leatherwood Alabama Jay Tufele USC
Hunter Long Boston College Alijah Vera-Tucker USC
Terrace Marshall LSU

 

Seahawks players opt out of voluntary, in-person workouts

The Seattle Seahawks players have opted out of voluntary, in-person workouts this offseason due to continuing coronavirus concerns.

The Seattle Seahawks players released a statement Tuesday afternoon via the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) opting out of voluntary, in-person workouts due to safety concerns surrounding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The players would prefer another virtual offseason instead.

The statement reads, in part:

For the protection of everyone’s safety, we the Seattle Seahawks are deciding to exercise our CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) right to not participate in voluntary in-person workouts. While many states in this country are still seeing rising COVID-19 numbers, we believe that a virtual offseason is best for everyone’s protection. Our hope is that we will see a positive shift in the COVID-19 data that will allow for a safe return for players when mandatory workouts are set to begin.

Phase One of the offseason programming is slated to begin on Monday, April 19.

The Broncos and Buccaneers players have both issued similar statements.

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Matthew Stafford was a virtual participant in Lions practice this week

While he was in isolation this week, the Detroit Lions used virtual technology to keep Matthew Stafford involved in practices.

After coming into close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was moved to isolation for safety purposes.

His daily tests all came back negative, and after he was removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list yesterday, he chartered a private flight to Minnesota for this week’s game against the Vikings. As long as yesterday’s test comes back negative today, he will be cleared to play.

As a 12-year veteran, Stafford likely doesn’t need much practice time to be ready for a game, especially one against an opponent he faces twice a season. But throughout the week, Stafford stayed involved virtually with the team, not only participating in every team/position group meeting but he was also able to get virtual reps during live practices.

According to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelliserro, the Lions combined some of their advanced football technologies with virtual technologies to keep Stafford involved in practice as it was happening.

A few years back, the Lions introduced a new system that can track practice reps and display them on large video boards as they happen. In training camp, we have seen instances where position groups run through drills, then shift over to the boards to review with coaches what just happened, allowing them to make immediate corrections during practices.

The Lions hooked Stafford up with this video feed of live practice, then connected his Zoom feed up to their audio system, and allowed him to talk to the team in real-time.

“Still quarantined and watching via Zoom,” NFL Network said, “Stafford called out the protections and checks against whatever defense was dialed up, and the rest of the offense communicated the call as if Stafford were in the indoor practice facility with them.”

Stafford may not have physically been taking reps, but the Lions did just about everything in their power to keep him involved and prepared for the Vikings.

Big 12 Media Days: Tom Herman and Texas players set for Sept. 10

The Big 12 has announced media days for the upcoming season. All 10 teams will speak with on ESPN+ with Matt Schick and Dusty Dvoracek.

The Big 12 has announced media days for the upcoming season. All 10 teams will speak with ESPN’s Matt Schick and Dusty Dvoracek over the course of five days. The network will be hosting the “Media Day” season preview show on ESPN+.

According to the press release, the show will “include comments from head coaches in addition to player interviews.”

Head coach Tom Herman will be speaking on Thursday, Sept. 10, two days before the season opener against UTEP. Texas has not announced which players will be available.

Here is the full schedule:

  • Monday, Sept. 7 – Baylor and Iowa State
  • Tuesday, Sept. 8 – Kansas and Kansas State
  • Wednesday, Sept. 9 – Oklahoma and Oklahoma State
  • Thursday, Sept. 10 – TCU and Texas
  • Friday, Sept. 11 – Texas Tech and West Virginia

Originally scheduled to be held in AT&T Stadium on July 20-21, media days were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Big 12 then announced the event would be held virtually without releasing a date.

51 days later and Herman will finally be speaking to the media.

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Chiefs announce annual 5K run with a catch

This year’s Kansas City Chiefs 5K run will be… virtual? Find out all the details here.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Arrowhead Events are hosting their ninth-annual 5K run this year, but it comes with a catch.

First, the annual event is being redubbed from the “Arrowhead 5K” to the “Red Friday Run” presented by team sponsor GEHA. That change also signals the major catch. This year’s run won’t be held at Arrowhead Stadium or any particular racecourse, according to the team press release. This year’s race will take place virtually and is set to coincide with the Red Friday celebration for the season opener vs. the Houston Texans on Thursday, Sept. 10. Since it’s a Thursday game, the race and Red Friday celebration will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

With a virtual racecourse, the Chiefs are hoping the race will be more inclusive to members of Chiefs Kingdom across the world.

“We are very excited to roll out this year’s 5K as part of our annual Red Friday celebration,” Chiefs Director of Events Jeremy Slavens wrote in the press release. “Shifting to a virtual race provides Chiefs fans from near and far the opportunity to connect with the team in a new and unique way as we kick off the 2020 NFL season here in Kansas City.”

Once participants in the race complete their 5K, the team asks that they take a photo in their Chiefs gear with their Red Friday flag and post it on social media using the hashtag #RedFriday.

All participants in the race will receive the following items:

  • A 2020 Red Friday Flag
  • A Red Friday Run T-shirt
  • A Red Friday Run Bib
  • Unique content via the RaceJoy app

Registration for the event is open at www.chiefs.com/redfridayrun. They have two registration options available: Early-bird and Pre-event registration. Early-bird is open today through Monday, Aug. 31, is $30.00 for the general public and $25.00 for Chiefs Season Ticket Members. Pre-event lasts from Tuesday, Sept. 1 through Sunday, Sept. 13, is $40.00 for the general public and $35.00 for Season Ticket Members.

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