Tag: Will Fries

Every Penn State player on an NFL opening day roster in 2022

Here is every former Penn State plater on an NFL roster to start the new NFL season in 2022.

The start of a new season in the National Football League is here and there will be a good amount of Penn State flavor throughout the league this season. Penn State will have the eighth most players on an NFL opening day roster this season with 34 players appearing on an NFL team’s 53-man roster to start the season (plus two additional players on injured reserve and another on the physically unable to perform list). In all, Penn State claims 44 players are on NFL rosters to start the year with the inclusion of practice squad players.

That includes nine players who were on the Penn State roster in 2021, including wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag]. Dotson is one of four Penn State players on the Washington Commanders, the most of any NFL franchise to start the season.

Former kicker [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] continues to be the elder statesman of the Nittany Lions football family in the NFL. Gould, of the San Francisco 49ers, is entering his 19th season in the NFL.

Here is a look at every Penn State player on either an NFL team’s 53-man roster or practice squad at the start of the 2022 season.

Stock report following Colts’ first preseason game

Stock report following the Colts’ first preseason game.

The Indianapolis Colts have gotten through their first preseason game, which means it’s time to evaluate the stock of a number of players throughout the roster.

The stock reports are always fluid. It changes from player to player. A factor that might damage the stock of one player may not have the same impact on another. Most of it is circumstantial, and things can change on a dime in the NFL.

But with the first preseason game now behind us, we got a solid look at all three phases of the game.

Here’s the stock report following the Colts’ first preseason game:

Two Colts linemen had jerseys that read ‘French’ ‘Fries’ and it became an instant meme

Is anyone else getting hungry?

Some things in football are so perfectly random and beautiful, you struggle to explain them. Usually, we’d talk about some perfect bounce on a fumble or maybe a huge punt, but the Colts (-1.5) gave us something even more serendipitous during their preseason matchup against the Bills.

You see, after picking center Wesley French in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Colts now have the big man alongside one of last year’s draft picks … Will Fries. And amidst their game with Buffalo, the Colts had “French” lined up on the left side of “Fries,” and you get it.

You’re probably getting hungry right now, but you get it:

I know this is purely a happy coincidence, but my day is made. I can only hope that French and Fries — two current backups — become elite stalwarts in Indy so that this big man duo gets the arguably best nickname in NFL history.

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Colts’ offensive line features French Fries

Who doesn’t love French Fries? Everyone will on the Colts’ offensive line if a pair of players stick

There has to be an endorsement deal if these players stick on the Indianapolis Colts roster.

Feast your eyes on French Fries, yes, the Colts have linemen with the surnames French and Fries.

You could say they are super-sized. as Wesley French is a rookie from Western Michigan who is 6-foot-4 and 307 pounds. Will Fries comes from Penn State and was the 248th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He checks in at a mere 6-foot-6 and 309 pounds.

Someone somewhere in Indianapolis has to be getting ready to turn this tandem into a promotion and TV commercial.

Scrumptious.

Colts’ 2022 training camp preview: Interior offensive line

Previewing the Colts interior offensive line entering training camp.

The Indianapolis Colts are less than two weeks away from the start of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.

With a new quarterback in town for the fifth consecutive season, the offensive line is also expecting to look a bit different than it did in 2021. The core of the group remains intact, but one spot on the interior will have a new starter.

The departure of Mark Glowinski, who signed with the New York Giants, and Chris Reed, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings, left a void at the starting right guard spot this offseason.

Be sure to check out the other position previews ahead of training camp:

Wrapping up the offensive side of the ball, this preview will focus on the guard and center positions:

10 Colts to watch during preseason finale vs. Lions

Here are 10 players to watch in the Colts’ preseason finale vs. Lions

The Indianapolis Colts have their final preseason game before the 2021 regular season on Friday as they head to Ford Field to visit the Detroit Lions.

While the starters won’t be playing in this game, there are still a number of players battling for roster spots and bigger roles for the final time before rosters are trimmed down to 53 players, which will be by Tuesday afternoon.

Here are 10 players to watch during the preseason finale on Friday:

Rookie impact meter for Colts’ 2021 draft picks

How impactful can the rookie class be?

The Indianapolis Colts came out of the 2021 NFL draft with seven selections and several high-upside prospects that have been adding to the roster in hopes of making an impact.

Some of these picks will make an impact quicker than others. Some may not even make an impact at all. It takes time for rookies to develop into clear starting roles if they ever get to that point, but some have quicker paths than others.

Using a 1-5 scale for predicting the impact for draft picks from the 2021 class, here’s how it will break down:

  • 5: Full-time starter
  • 4: Heavily in rotation, seeing large chunk of snaps
  • 3: Rotational/depth player
  • 2: Mostly special teams with limited or no snaps at position
  • 1: Little to no impact or practice squad

Here’s a look at how much of an impact these rookies should be considered to make in 2021:

Penn State football 2021 NFL draft player signing tracker

How much are former Penn State players making on their rookie contracts in the NFL in 2021?

Penn State managed to send two players through the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, and one more in the second round. When all was said and done, a total of six Penn State players ended up hearing their names announced as NFL draft picks during the course of the 2021 NFL draft. But now that the draft is in the books, these players are already getting to work with their new NFL teams.

So, what now for these former Nittany Lions like linebacker Micah Parsons and tight end Pat Freiermuth? Signing those first NFL contracts! As is typical, the later-round draft picks are easier and quicker to sign their NFL contracts, as the higher draft picks tend to have a little more negotiating power even if rookie contracts can be relatively standard.

We’ll keep tabs on all of the draft pick contracts to be signed this year by Penn State players who have become NFL rookies in 2021, and we will update this information as needed when more information does become available. Contract details used here are obtained through the terrific sports contract resources available from Spotrac.

Colts sign 5 draft picks to rookie contracts

Colts sign five of their seven draft picks.

The Indianapolis Colts signed five of their seven selections from the 2021 NFL draft to rookie contracts, the team announced Thursday.

Among those rookies that signed include defensive end Kwity Paye, defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo, safety Shawn Davis, wide receiver Mike Strachan and offensive lineman Will Fries.

Paye is the first first-round pick to sign his rookie contract from the 2021 NFL draft.

The Colts rarely have any rookies hold out of their contracts and if there are any hold-ups, it’s typically due to the language of the contract.

The other two rookies who have yet to sign their rookie contracts are fourth-round tight end Kylen Granson and sixth-round quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

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Grading all 7 picks in the Colts’ 2021 draft class

Grading the draft class.

The Indianapolis Colts concluded the 2021 NFL draft with seven picks by the end of the weekend, hoping to find some new impact players on both sides of the ball.

We will just get this out of the way. Draft grades are as useless The Vision was in “Avengers: Infinity War.”

They don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things and because these players haven’t even stepped on an NFL field yet, it’s all projection. On top of that, it’s subjective to the writer based on their views of the value relative to team needs and how they felt about other prospects on the board.

But with that said, here’s how we graded the Colts’ draft class in 2021: