Tag: Wanya Morris

Colts’ 7-round mock draft with trades

In this mock draft, the Colts make a few trades early on.

The Indianapolis Colts are less than a month away from the start of the 2023 NFL draft, which means there is going to be a lot of information and projections coming out of the woodwork over the next few weeks.

That includes conducting mock drafts and projecting what the Colts will do with their nine selections. We should expect a number of trades as general manager Chris Ballard has never gone through a draft without making a deal in some capacity.

We’ll be tracking the Colts’ reported interest in the 2023 draft class so be sure to keep up with latest updates via our tracker.

Here’s our latest mock draft projection for the Colts, included with a few trades:

Panthers 2023 mock draft 6.0: Post-free agency edition

Even after a productive dip into free agency, the Panthers still have some needs to address. We try to fill them here, starting with the most important one of all.

With the bulk of free agency and the quarterback pro day tour behind us—it’s about that time again, folks.

Let’s try to continue the Carolina Panthers’ journey to their revamped roster with this, our latest 2023 mock draft.

Where did Oklahoma Sooners land in ESPN 7-round mock draft?

Led by Anton Harrison, five Oklahoma Sooners were selected in Jordan Reid’s seven-round 2023 mock draft for ESPN.

The 2023 NFL draft is a month away and the Oklahoma Sooners look like they’ll be well-represented throughout the seven-round selection process.

The biggest question is will they have a return to the first round of the draft? After CeeDee Lamb’s selection in the 2020 draft, Oklahoma’s gone two-straight without a first-rounder. Offensive tackle Anton Harrison could change that.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid produced a seven-round mock draft (ESPN+), and five Oklahoma Sooners were selected. Where did they land? Let’s check it out.

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 34, Oklahoma OT Wanya Morris

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Oklahoma OL Wayna Morris.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.

David Bakhtiari is penciled in as Green Bay’s starting left tackle. At right tackle it will be Yosh Nijman, Zach Tom, or a potential draft pick. 

A potential offensive tackle that the Green Bay Packers could target in the 2023 NFL Draft is Wanya Morris. The Oklahoma offensive tackle checks in at No. 34 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.

A Tennessee transfer, Morris started 12 games at left tackle during his freshman season at Tennessee. The following season, Morris started seven games at Tennessee. After transferring to Oklahoma, Morris played 126 snaps in a reserve role. This past season, Morris started eight games at right tackle. 

A former five-star recruit, Morris looks like he was sent from central casting. Morris, who was named after Boys II Men artist Wanya Morris checks in at 6-5 with 35 ⅛” arms. 

“Wanya Morris’ greatest strength is the raw power he has with his hands, along with his athletic ability to mirror pass rushers,” Devin Jackson, a college sports reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer said. “His initial punch can shock defenders in their tracks while using his impressive arm length to keep defenders at bay.”

The Sooner offensive tackle plays with a physical edge as a run blocker. With his plus athleticism, Morris has excellent range as a run blocker and does a good job of sealing outside run lanes. He doesn’t labor climbing to the second level. When he gets out in space he hits his targets. 

“As a run blocker, Morris has an impressive ability to displace defenders with his power and lower body torque in Oklahoma’s multiple run scheme attack,” Jackson said. “He especially excels cutting off backside defenders, working with great speed to win the positional battle. It was especially impressive when Oklahoma had him pulling out in front of running backs.”

Morris is quick to enter his setup and the loose lower body to match edge rushers. He’s coordinated in his movements. With his arm length, he has outstanding reach to extend into rushers to slow them down. According to Pro Football Focus, Morris gave up two sacks and just eight pressures this past season. 

“As a pass protector, the mirroring ability he has with good footwork, coupled with his recovery speed allows him to never fully lose reps,” Jackson said. “While his playing leverage and pad level are inconsistent, Morris understands how to use his footspeed and length to keep defenders at bay and in reach in protection.”

Fit with the Packers

A team can never have enough talented offensive tackles. As it stands right now the Packers are set at offensive tackle and has adequate depth behind Bakhatiari and Nijman. 

Fast forward a season and that could all change. Bakhtiari could be playing in his final season in Green Bay. Nijman, if he isn’t traded, could be playing in his final season in Green Bay as well. 

Morris has excellent length, nimble feet, and experience playing both tackle spots. He has all the tools to develop into a team’s starting right tackle. At worse he could be a team’s swing tackle. 

“I would draft Morris because the upside is apparent for a player who played both sides in his college career with plenty of untapped potential, coupled with the athletic ability and size,” Jackson said. “Getting to talk with him personally, he’s a player who has a finisher’s mindset with swing tackle upside.”

The Packers have had a lot of success drafting offensive linemen on day three of the draft. With his skillset, Morris could be a potential day-three target for the Packers in the upcoming draft. 

Oklahoma No. 3 in ESPN’s future quarterback power rankings

With Dillon Gabriel returning and the arrival of Jackson Arnold, the Oklahoma Sooners have one of the best quarterback situations in the country.

With a number of losses on the offensive side of the football to the NFL draft, there’s reason to wonder how good the Oklahoma Sooners offense will be in 2023.

The Sooners lost their leading rusher, top two receivers, and a pair of starting offensive tackles that are likely to be top 100 picks in the 2023 NFL draft. And still, they’re returning the player that matters most to offensive success; the quarterback.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] returns for his second season in Norman in what will be his last hurrah at the collegiate level. Gabriel brings back the most returning production at the position in the Big 12. That sets the Sooners up to be able to better mitigate the sting of the departures of [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag].

With Gabriel for 2023 and [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] waiting in the wings, offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] has the Sooners set up really well at the quarterback position for 2023 and beyond. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg ranked the top 25 quarterback situations for 2023 and beyond (ESPN+), and the Oklahoma Sooners landed at No. 3.

The start of the Brent Venables era in Norman didn’t go well, but Gabriel wasn’t the problem. He passed for 3,168 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions, while adding 315 rushing yards and six scores. Despite missing a game and most of another, his numbers compared favorably to his first two seasons at UCF. He could play two more seasons at OU, which retained coordinator Jeff Lebby, and should continue to produce. Oklahoma seemingly is well-positioned for whenever Gabriel departs after signing Jackson Arnold, ESPN’s top dual-threat quarterback and No. 3 overall player in the 2023 class. Arnold earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors after passing for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns as a high school senior, while adding 921 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.

Arnold should help with depth, as Oklahoma struggled mightily without Gabriel in losses to TCU and Texas. OU lost a quarterback with Nick Evers transferring to Wisconsin, but returns veteran Davis Beville for another year. If Arnold delivers on the expectations around him, the Sooners should be in very good shape under center through 2025. – Rittenberg, ESPN

The Sooners landed one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting class in Jackson Arnold. He’s an ascending player, growing into a five-star player during his senior year, which included Elite 11 MVP honors and the Gatorade National Player of the Year Award. Arnold got a jump start on his collegiate career as a mid-year enrollee but will serve as a backup quarterback for the Sooners in preparation for his turn at the helm, likely starting in 2024.

Though he hasn’t committed yet, the Oklahoma Sooners are heavily favored to land 2024 four-star quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag]. Lebby and the Sooners will have to do battle with Sonny Dykes, Kendall Briles, and the TCU Horned Frogs, but are in a good spot to land the talented Hawkins when he commits on April 8.

The Sooners have already received their quarterback commitment of the 2025 recruiting class with the pledge of [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag]. He’s a talented dual-threat quarterback that will be a fantastic fit in Jeff Lebby’s offense.

The Sooners came in behind USC at No. 1 and Ohio State at No. 2.

The Trojans are set up well with Heisman trophy winner [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] and 2024 five-star signee [autotag]Malachi Nelson[/autotag]. They’ll be a force offensively for as long as Lincoln Riley is in Los Angeles. But will the defense make enough improvements to help the Trojans get into national title contention?

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Colts’ 7-round mock draft pre-NFL free agency

Here’s a 7-round mock draft for the Colts ahead of free agency in 2023.

The Indianapolis Colts are set to embark on the start of free agency Monday as the legal tampering period officially arrives. That means we’re one step closer to the 2023 NFL draft.

Though the Colts aren’t expected to be major players in free agency, we do expect them to address some positions, such as right guard. In this mock draft scenario, they used free agency to find their starting right guard.

Here’s an updated seven-round mock draft for the Colts, using Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator:

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners performance at the NFL Scouting Combine

Five takeaways from Oklahoma Sooners at the 2023 NFL Scouting combine.

One of the biggest weekends for the football world just came to completion. This weekend served as a massive evaluation tool for determining the future of the next stars of the NFL.

Oklahoma has no shortage of stars in the pro ranks at the moment but has the opportunity for a number of players to hear their names called in April.

Seven Sooners made the trek to Indianapolis to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine.

The Oklahoma Sooners, as a whole, put on a fine display of athleticism as multiple players put up great testing numbers. Social media was set ablaze watching [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], and [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] test. With the combine over, these former Sooners will begin preparing for their pro day.

Here are five takeaways about the Oklahoma Sooners from the NFL Scouting Combine.

Oklahoma landed one of USA TODAY Sports best transfer classes

USA TODAY Sports Paul Myerburg identified Oklahoma’s transfer classes as one of the best in the country this offseason.

The Oklahoma Sooners made a concerted effort to add talent and experience on both sides of the football in the 2023 transfer portal. The Sooners lost a lot of talent to the NFL in [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag], [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag]. [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag] is headed to Houston, so the Sooners have a lot of vacated snaps to fill.

According to USA TODAY’s Paul Myerburg, the Oklahoma Sooners brought in one of the best transfer portal classes in the country this cycle. [autotag]Dasasn McCullough[/autotag] was named as the Sooners’ best transfer addition.

This is another solid transfer class for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], this time joining one of the top-ranked traditional recruiting classes in the FBS. Stanford transfer [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] pencils into one of the open spots at left or right tackle after spending four season as the Cardinal’s starter on the blind side. After one season at South Carolina, tight end [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] has rejoined the program and figures to be the Sooners’ top option at the position. Former Michigan wide receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] had moments of brilliance with the Wolverines and will have the chance to play a major role as OU tries to replace roughly two-thirds of last year’s receiving yardage. Lastly, (Dasan) McCullough was one of the top freshmen defenders in the Power Five in 2022. – Myerburg, USA TODAY Sports

The Sooners added several impact players on both sides of the ball. Including McCullough, the Sooners landed several defensive front players that can effect opposing passing games and help solidify their run defense. McCullough is rumored to be slotted in at Cheetah for the Sooners, but Oklahoma will utilize his pass rush ability in their blitz packages.

[autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag] comes to Oklahoma with 13 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons at Wake Forest. [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag] had a productive first two years in Stillwater before being limited by injuries. Oklahoma also added [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag] and [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag] to help bolster the interior. Lacey comes from Notre Dame, and Sears was being pursued by Tennessee and Penn State before choosing Oklahoma.

Safety [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] rounds out the defensive additions for the Sooners. He brings a lot of experience and big-hitting ability that can add some extra physicality to the Sooners’ defense.

On offense, Oklahoma made important additions along the offensive line with Rouse and guard [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag]. Both players could slide into the starting lineup and bring a ton of experience to the offensive line room. Both were four-year starters at their previous stops and join an experienced group that brings back [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] and [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] along the offensive front as well. [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] projects to start at right tackle after playing the swing tackle role for Oklahoma in 2022.

[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] adds another talented wide receiver to their wide receiver competition opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]. Anthony has some deep-threat ability that will give him the opportunity to be an option to replace Marvin Mims.

Then there’s [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag]. The returning Oklahoma Sooners tight end will have an opportunity for a [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]-type breakout season in 2023. Though the Sooners are a little deeper now that [autotag]Jason Llewellyn[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] are in their second years in Norman, Stogner will get a vast majority of the opportunities this season.

Time will tell just how impactful this transfer portal class will be, but on paper, the Sooners landed a strong group of players that will be key to the Sooners 2023 season.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

How do Oklahoma and the Big 12 stack up in ESPN’s returning production for 2023?

Taking a look at how the Big 12 stacks up in ESPN’s returning production for the 2023 season.

Winter workouts are underway, and spring ball is right around the corner. It’s that time of the football schedule when teams are figuring out how to deal with the turnover they endured with NFL draft declarations and transfer portal departures.

Turnover is the name of the game in college football. The teams that consistently win are the teams that have had the best recruiting classes, which has allowed them to withstand that turnover.

Each offseason, ESPN’s Bill Connelly takes a look at the roster overhauls to determine which teams have the greatest amount of returning production (ESPN+). Returning production has had an impact in his SP+ ratings.

On average, teams returning at least 80% of production improve by about 5.8 adjusted points per game in the following season’s SP+ ratings. That’s a pretty significant bump! For a team ranked 25th in SP+ last year, adding 5.8 points to its rating would have bumped it to 10th. And in the past two seasons that weren’t majorly impacted by a pandemic (2019 and 2022), the average improvement for teams at 80% or higher is 6.8 points. – Connelly, ESPN

Not all programs are alike, however. Alabama, which ranked 125 in returning production, will be able to withstand losses a bit easier because they’ve recruited better than other teams in the bottom 33. We’ll have to wait and see if teams like TCU and Cincinnati are able to overcome their lack of returning production. Interestingly, those two schools each appeared in the College Football Playoff in the last two seasons.

Here’s how Connelly weighs the offense:

Broken out by position/player, you’re looking at roughly 29% for the quarterback, 6% for the running back and each of four wide receivers and/or tight ends and 9% for each offensive lineman. With each year of data, offensive line snaps become a heavier piece of the equation, which I find interesting. – Connelly, ESPN

So based on his equation, the Sooners lost 27% along the offensive line with the departures of [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag]. Toss in another 18% for the losses of [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], and the Sooners have lost roughly 45% of their offensive production from a year ago.

Now the Sooners did welcome transfer additions [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag] to replace two of their three departing offensive line starters, but given that Shaffer is coming from the Group of Five, his snaps don’t count as much as [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag]’s.

Conversely, here’s how he evaluates the defensive side of the ball.

Perhaps surprisingly, turnover in the back of the defense causes far more of a shift in a team’s SP+ rating from year to year than turnover up front. By position, defensive backs make up about 46% of the defensive formula, while linebackers are at 40% and the defensive line is at 14%. – Connelly, ESPN

The Sooners’ biggest departures were at the linebacker level with [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag] (transfer portal) and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] (NFL) moving on. They also lost [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag], but according to Connelly’s metrics, those snaps don’t weigh as heavily.

Oklahoma added some pieces along the defensive front to help bolster its pass rush and mitigate the losses. However, they are hoping for their young linebacker corp to take a step forward in 2023 to replace their veteran backers.

Here’s a look at how the Big 12 stacks up in terms of ESPN’s

Oklahoma’s Caleb Shaffer an underrated transfer portal add per On3

New Oklahoma Sooners offensive guard Caleb Shaffer has been named an underrated transfer portal add by On3

With offensive guard Chris Murray following tackles Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris to the NFL draft, the Oklahoma Sooners will have new faces on most of the offensive line for 2023. One of those new faces will be Miami (Ohio) transfer Caleb Shaffer.

The former three-star recruit has been starting for the RedHawks since his true-freshman season. He entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.

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Brent Venables and his staff have been quite busy in the transfer portal, so landing Shaffer perhaps slipped through the cracks. Well, the people at On3 noticed. Mike Huguenin named Shaffer as an underrated transfer portal add by Bill Bedenbaugh.

Caleb Shaffer (6-5, 333) was a four-year starter at guard for the RedHawks, earning a starting job early in his true freshman season and never losing it. OU has a vacancy at one guard spot with the departure of Chris Murray, and Shaffer should be considered the leading contender. OU also nabbed Walter Rouse (Stanford) out of the portal, and he figures to start at right tackle.- Mike Huguenin, On3

Keeping Dillon Gabriel upright in the pocket plays a key role in keeping him healthy. If Shaffer ends up starting at guard, he will end up being a vital part of that for the Sooners.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.