Tag: Yetur Gross-Matos

Seahawks select defensive end in Todd McShay’s post-combine mock draft

The Seattle Seahawks select defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos out of Penn State in ESPN’s Todd McShay’s first, post-combine mock draft.

Now that the analysts have taken a look at some of the top prospects at this year’s NFL scouting combine, many have updated their first-round mock drafts.

ESPN’s Todd McShay has the Seahawks selecting defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos out of Penn State with the No. 27 overall pick.

“Jadeveon Clowney might not return after his season under the franchise tag, and Ziggy Ansah is a free agent after barely playing in 2019,” McShay writes. “Seattle really needs to add an edge rusher – 2019 first-rounder L.J. Collier was disappointing in Year 1 – especially as it deals with other free-agency concerns within the front seven (Jarran Reed, Al Woods, Quinton Jefferson and Mychal Kendricks are headed toward the open market).”

“The Seahawks tied for second-fewest sacks in the NFL (28) last year, but Gross-Matos is an above-average pass-rusher who had 9.5 sacks last season with the Nittany Lions,” McShay continues. “He might need a little time to develop and refine his game, but he has a chance to be a problem for opponents when turned loose.”

McShay had the Seahawks selecting linebacker Terrell Lewis out of Alabama in his earlier mock draft.

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Bears have met with several edge rushers at NFL Combine

The Bears are doing their due diligence when it comes to edge rushers heading into the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Bears have a few needs to address on defense this offseason, among them edge rusher. While Khalil Mack saw a decline in production in an injury-riddled season for Chicago’s defense, he remains one of the best pass rushers in the league.

One of the things that general manager Ryan Pace hasn’t managed to do is find a productive edge rusher opposite Mack. Pace has a decision to make regarding Leonard Floyd, who is entering his fifth season with the Bears. He’s slated to make $13 million, but his production hasn’t been up-to-par with what was expected out of the former No. 9 overall pick.

Floyd’s sack production has dipped every season since he joined the NFL. Only, injuries weren’t to blame for his lack of production in 2019. Floyd had two sacks in the season opener against the Packers, but he managed just one sack in the final 15 games.

The Bears are doing their due diligence when it comes to edge rushers heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. Chicago met with several edge rushers at the NFL Scouting Combine.

K’Lavon Chaisson (LSU)

Yetur Gross-Matos (Penn State)

Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga (Florida)

Considering Floyd’s future with the Bears remains murky — they have until March 18 to release him to avoid paying his fifth-year option — there are several alluring options at edge rusher, including some of the ones they’ve met with above.

While it sounds like Pace is content with Floyd, that’s not stopping him from doing his homework on potential replacements. Even if Pace decides to keep Floyd under the fifth-year option, his future beyond that isn’t guaranteed.

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Bills select Yetur Gross-Matos in CBS Sports post-combine mock (2020 NFL Draft)

Buffalo Bills select Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos in CBS Sports mock draft following 2020 NFL Draft.

In CBS Sports‘ recent mock draft following the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, the Bills decide to pass on some wide receiver prospects that fall in order to take Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos.

Wideouts Tee Higgins and Justin Jefferson are among the receivers the Bills pass on in favor of the third pass rusher off the board in Gross-Matos.

Here’s how CBS Sports breaks down the pick:

Gross-Matos is a high-upside edge rusher who has yet to scratch the surface on his potential. The Bills have needs at WR too, and they just missed out on Ruggs, but the class is so deep that they can find weapons later in the draft. Also: Jerry Hughes is 31, Shaq Lawson’s contract is up and Trent Murphy’s contract is set to expire after next season.

As mentioned, there will certainly be a place for a first-round pass rusher in the Bills defense. The secondary has carried that side of the ball since head coach Sean McDermott took over in Buffalo, and it’s about time the defensive line caught up. Gross-Matos did not run the 40-yard dash at the combine, but he did have a solid 34-inch vertical jump. Often times many of the first-round prospects don’t want to hurt their draft stock, so they’ll skip an event or two. In that light, his 21 bench press reps for a defensive lineman wasn’t very impressive.

At Penn State last season, he led the team with 9.5 sacks. Gross-Matos is considered one of the more underrated first-round prospects at the upcoming draft. He certainly has the stature for the position at 6-foot-5 and 260-plus pounds.

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Possible first-round NFL Draft pick calls Michigan OT best he went against

The likely first-round NFL Draft pick claims that the former Wolverines tackle was the best he faced in college.

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One of the most common questions that prospective NFL players are getting at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is ‘who is the best player you went up against?’ at the college level.

We’ve already seen elite Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills mention a Wolverines defender as the best pass rusher he faced above all else, now a Michigan tackle is getting similar praise from a conference foe.

Jon Runyan Jr.’s ascension from being a former three-star recruit to a player riding the bench to a two-time All-Big Ten left tackle is an astounding trajectory. He all but neutralized star Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, only allowing one QB hurry in The Game this year.

Star Penn State DE Yetur Gross-Matos had a little more success than Young did when Michigan traveled to Happy Valley this past year, but his statline still wasn’t anything to brag about, with five tackles and one-half tackle for loss. In 2018, Gross-Matos had one sack and four tackles against Michigan.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Gross-Matos said that not only was Runyan the reason for that, but that he was the toughest competition he faced at Penn State.

Gross-Matos is seen as, at best, a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and, at-worst, a second-round pick.

Yet, Runyan, despite the accolades and the praise, isn’t getting nearly as much recognition, with some seven-round mocks having him going on the third day, if at all.

12 players Giants should watch carefully at 2020 NFL Combine

Workout at the 2020 NFL Combine will begin on Thursday, and here’s a quick look at 12 players the New York Giants should watch carefully.

The 20202 NFL Combine is being held this week in Indianapolis and the New York Giants, holders of the No. 4 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, will be seeking their next class of presumptive stars.

What will they be looking for and what the rest of the football world believes they should be looking for are two distinct and separate things.

If I ran the Giants, I’d be looking specifically for two types of players first: ones that can make plays on defense and ones that can protect my young quarterback.

What is going through general manager Dave Gettleman’s mind is anyone’s guess. Like most, I’m under the assumption he knows what his team in lacking, but you can never tell with him. He falls in love with players and ends up reaching.

Here’s some players the Giants should be interested in this week.

Offensive Tackles

  • Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama (JR, 6’5″, 320 pounds)
  • Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia (JR, 6’5″, 320 pounds)
  • Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville (JR, 6’7″, 369 pounds)
  • Tristan Wirfs, OT/OG, Iowa (JR, 6’5″, 322 pounds)

You can take them in any order you’d like. They all should be there at No. 4 when the Giants select. The favorite here is Becton, who is just so massive and imposing he’s hard to pass up. The question is can you trade down a few spots and still get one of these guys?

The answer is yes. Gettleman should trade back from No. 4 with a team looking for a quarterback, grab some draft capital and maybe take one of the above and perhaps one from the below list in Round 1:

  • Isaiah Simmons, Clemson (rJR, 6’4″, 225 pounds)
  • Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma (JR, 6’2″, 234 pounds)
  • Patrick Queen, LSU (JR, 6’1″, 227 pounds)
  • Zack Baun, Wisconsin (rSR, 6’3″, 240 pounds)
  • A.J. Epenesa, Iowa (JR, 6’6″, 280 pounds)
  • K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU (JR, 6’4″, 250 pounds)
  • Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State (JR, 6’5″, 264 pounds)
  • Terrell Lewis, Alabama (rJR, 6’5″, 258 pounds)

Any one of the above players would walk right onto the practice field in East Rutherford and take someone’s job Day 1. Simmons would be the optimal choice, but the Giants might have to stay at No. 4 to get him, pending his Combine performance.

I love Epenesa and Baun, but they aren’t Top 5 worthy. The rest could be mid-late first rounders or even second rounders, but I’m putting Becton, Simmons, Baun and Epenesa on my dance card. I’ll also be interested to see how Chaisson fares as well.

For those who are into the best available player theory, Alabama wideout Jerry Jeudy and Ohio State defensive back Jeffrey Okudah are two players to watch.

Titans select Yetur Gross-Matos in latest Touchdown Wire mock draft

Touchdown Wire’s Dour Farrar has the Tennessee Titans taking Penn State EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos in the first round of pre-combine mock draft.

It’s no secret that finding a pass-rusher is one of the Tennessee Titans’ biggest needs this offseason, which is why mock drafts routinely have general manager Jon Robinson taking one in the first round.

The latest example of this comes from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, who has the Titans taking Penn State EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft in his pre-combine mock.

As Pro Football Focus recently pointed out, “The Titans had nine players with 100 or more pass-rushing snaps [in 2019]. The only one with a pressure rate above 10% was Cameron Wake.” Wake, who just turned 38, also played in just nine games and had just 2.5 sacks. Linebacker Harold Landry is a rising star, and we all know how good defensive tackle Jurrell Casey is as a multi-gap force, but it’d be nice for Tennessee’s defensive coaching staff, still likely reeling from coordinator Dean Pees’ retirement, to have more options at the edge. Tremendously athletic at 6-foot-5 and 264 pounds, Gross-Matos needs help with his hand moves (which can be said of nearly every collegiate defensive lineman), but he’s got the potential to be the final piece in what could be a formidable group of quarterback disrupters.

If you were going to point to an ideal pick for the Titans in the first round, Gross-Matos would be it. Farrar is just one of many experts who has mocked Gross-Matos to Tennessee.

The Titans struggled to consistently get pressure on opposing quarterbacks during the 2019 season, particularly off the edge.

That was never more apparent than in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, when quarterback Patrick Mahomes carved up Tennessee’s defense thanks to a lack of pressure.

Outside linebacker Harold Landry had a breakout campaign with nine sacks, but the Titans could still use another pass-rusher opposite him in order to help their defense take that next step from solid to great.

Gross-Matos would fit the bill as a 6-foot-5, 264-pound EDGE who is long and athletic. The 21-year-old (22 on February 26th) totaled 17 sacks in his last two seasons with the Nittany Lions.

As Farrar points out, the Penn State product still has some developing to do, but he’d give the Titans a duo on the edge that could wreak havoc for years to come.

Adding a pass-rusher in the draft isn’t the Titans’ only option, though.

Free agency, which comes before the draft, is another opportunity for Tennessee to add to its stable of pass-rushers, and chances are the Titans won’t leave their biggest need to chance by just waiting for the draft to fill it.

5 EDGE prospects Bears should watch at NFL Scouting Combine

While defense isn’t the overwhelming concern for the Bears this offseason, but edge rusher still needs to be addressed.

While defense isn’t the overwhelming concern for the Bears this offseason, there are still position groups that need to be addressed, among them edge rusher.

Khalil Mack remains a force, despite a statistical dropoff in 2019, but the Bears need to find an edge rusher opposite Mack to really breathe life back into the pass rush. While Leonard Floyd remains on the roster — he’s due to make $13.2 million in 2020 — can the Bears justify retaining Floyd with his lack of production?

With that said, here are five edge rusher prospects the Bears should watch at the NFL Scouting Combine next week:

1. Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State

Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears need someone opposite Khalil Mack that can take advantage of one-on-one opportunities, and perhaps Penn State edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos is the guy for the job. Gross-Matos has a reputation for getting after the football and making plays, especially in pursuit. In the last two years at Penn State, he had 34.5 tackles for loss and 17 sacks.

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2020 NFL Draft: Bills take pass rusher in new CBS Sports mock

Buffalo Bills take pass rusher in CBS Sports mock draft via Yetur Gross-Matos.

The Buffalo Bills address their pass rush with Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos in CBS Sports’ latest mock ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Depending on the next month leading up to free agency, the Bills could absolutely use a pass rusher like Gross-Matos from their first pick at No. 22 overall.

Here’s why the Bills went that route per CBS Sports’ mock via Tom Fornelli:

I’m a big fan of Gross-Matos and had him going in the top 10 in my original mock. That might have been a bit optimistic. Still, he strikes me as a player who will impress during the combine and workouts, and he strikes me as a player Buffalo will like a lot.

While offense is certainly a popular pick for the Bills in Round 1, pass rusher is close behind. If the Bills do land Gross-Matos, they could take a guy that many draft analysts consider as one of the more underrated edge defenders in the 2020 draft pool. Gross-Matos is praised as a high-motor athlete, but concerns are over his frame. He is 6-foot-5 and 260-plus pounds, but adding more will help him. In 11 games played in 2019, he had nine sacks and 40 tackles, including 14.5 for loss. In 2018, Gross Matos had 20 for loss along with eight sacks.

In Gross-Matos the Bills land the fourth edge defender off the board in this mock draft, but depending on the way the Bills attack free agency, he could make plenty of sense. Not only could the Bills lose Shaq Lawson, they could stand to use more production overall from the position. Lawson led the Bills’ defensive end group with 6.5 sacks last season. That’s not good enough.

Worth noting based on the way things currently sit for the Bills, wide receiver is certainly in play with the way CBS Sports’ mock falls. Only two wideouts, CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy, are selected ahead of the Bills’ pick. In many mock drafts, up to to five are picked before Buffalo’s selection. That’d be a prime situation for the Bills to get a top-talent playmaker on offense.

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Should Seahawks keep an eye on Yetur Gross-Matos at the combine?

The Seahawks could select another defensive end in this year’s draft and should keep an eye on Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos at the combine.

The Seattle Seahawks, along with the rest of the teams in the league, will be keeping a close eye on this year’s prospects at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine later this month in Indianapolis.

Always seeking to improve their pass-rushing capabilities, the Seahawks could very well look to snag another defensive end in April’s draft.

In his recent piece on naming one player for each club to watch, NFL.com’s media analyst Charley Casserly believes Seattle should take a closer look at Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos.

“Jadeveon Clowney is a free agent and the Ziggy Ansah experiment did not work,” writes Casserly. “The success of Seattle’s defense starts with having a good pass rush. The athletic Gross-Matos is a playmaker, as evidenced by his 17.5 sacks and 35 tackles for loss as a two-year starter at Penn State.”

While Ansah and his injuries might have been a disappointment for Seattle, Clowney potentially signing a contract extension isn’t outside of the realm of possibility.

The combine kicks off Sunday, Feb. 23, so be sure and follow our complete coverage here at Seahawks Wire.

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Giants select hog molly, pass rusher in latest two-round PFF mock draft

Yes, New York Giants fans, it’s that time of year again. Mock draft season is in full swing with the 2020 NFL Draft about 10 weeks away. In Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft, the world is the Giants’ oyster as they hold the fourth and 36th …

Yes, New York Giants fans, it’s that time of year again. Mock draft season is in full swing with the 2020 NFL Draft about 10 weeks away.

In Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft, the world is the Giants’ oyster as they hold the fourth and 36th overall picks in the first two rounds.

Here’s who PFF has the Giants taking:

4. NEW YORK GIANTS — OT JEDRICK WILLS JR. ALABAMA

Wills is the most athletic tackle in a very athletic tackle class. He is a work in progress still in pass protection, but the strides he made toward the end of 2019 — when he allowed only four pressures over Alabama’s final six games — have us encouraged.

It should take wild horses to keep general manager Dave Gettleman from trading out of this spot, but he’ll likely stay put. That’s too bad. Although they really need tackle help, they can get that easily if they trade back plus add a few more players. This draft is loaded with quarterbacks and Gettleman’s phone should be ringing off the hook with teams looking to move up.

36. NEW YORK GIANTS – EDGE YETUR GROSS-MATOS, PENN STATE

Gross-Matos’ physical tools are too much to pass up here. He may not be an instant impact rusher, as his hands have a long way to go, but the Giants can afford to swing for the fences with their current roster construction.

This seems like a reach to me and the Giants can’t afford to be reaching. They really can’t be ‘swinging for the fences. They have to get players who are refined and ready tot hit the field running.

Gross-Matos has good size (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) and an excellent skill set, but so did Lorenzo Carter. A lot also depends on what defensive scheme the Giants want to play and where this young man would fit. I could live with this pick but it’s a long way from Chase Young, who they have going to Washington at No. 2.

If Gettleman trades out of the No. 4 spot and collects multiple picks in this draft, this would be a much better choice.

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