Tag: Zack Baun

BadgersWire Mock Draft 1.0: The most likely landing spots and best fits for the departing Badgers

With sports still on hold mock draft season is in full swing around the sports media world. Most mock drafts posted by NFL analysts and…

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With sports still on hold mock draft season is in full swing around the sports media world. 

Most mock drafts posted by NFL analysts and media members run through the first round of the draft, or a bit further, and predict which direction each team will go with their selections. These mock drafts vary a lot, and often do not incorporate trades into the draft position for each team and thought process behind each pick.

So, in order to do something a little bit different, here is the BadgersWire NFL Mock Draft 1.0, a mock only focusing on the recently departed Wisconsin Badgers by looking at their most likely landing spots, possible draft position and best fits for their skill sets.

 

Running Back Jonathan Taylor

Most likely landing spot: Miami Dolphins at No. 26

Projected draft position: Late first or early to mid second round

Best fits: New Orleans Saints at No. 24, Kansas City Chiefs at No. 32 or the Buffalo Bills at No. 54

 

There has been much debate about how to rank the top running backs in this year’s class. Recently, several NFL analysts have expressed their concerns with Taylor’s ball security and mileage and, as a result, have moved him down on their draft boards behind guys like J.K. Dobbins, D’Andre Swift and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. To me, the former Badger is hands down the most complete running back in the draft and, were he to find himself on the Chiefs, Saints or Bills come week one, has the potential to make a significant impact as a day-one starter. It is important to note, though, that whatever team drafts Taylor should have a developed pass-catching back to use on third downs when Taylor does need a breather.

Overall, Taylor’s strengths outweigh his weakness (yes, ball security is my one red flag) and he should be the first running back off the board come draft day.

(Taylor in Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes, that offense and Head Coach Andy Reid’s history with running backs? Talk about a fit)

 

Linebacker Zack Baun

Most likely landing spot: Baltimore Ravens at No. 28

Projected draft position: Late first or early second round

Best fits: Baltimore at No. 28, Green Bay Packers at No. 30, Kansas City Chiefs at No. 32, Miami Dolphins at No. 39 or the Houston Texans at No. 40

 

Almost every draft analyst loves Baun’s NFL potential and has him slated to be selected at the end of the first round or early in the second round. His specific draft position is a lot harder to predict given the amount of teams that need to upgrade at EDGE and the value that Baun will bring to a defense. I think his most likely landing spot and best fit is with the Baltimore Ravens at No. 28 as they have a need at the position and would be adding the former Badger to an already-loaded defensive front and stacked roster without many offensive needs.

No matter which team selects the Milwaukee product, though, his pass-rushing skills will provide solid production off the edge from day one while his versatility and athleticism will make him a valuable asset in pass coverage as well.

 

Center Tyler Biadasz

Most likely landing spot: Seattle Seahawks at No. 101

Projected draft position: Early to mid third round

Best fits: Denver Broncos at No. 95, Kansas City Chiefs at No. 96, Cleveland Browns at No. 97 or Seattle at No. 101 

 

Biadasz has an impressive collegiate track record as he was a centerpiece for the Badgers’ exceptional offensive lines in 2017 and 2018 that helped Taylor break records running the football. He also proved to be durable throughout his career at Wisconsin as he is entering the draft having started in 41 consecutive contests, though draft analysts have written that offseason hip surgery did affect his production a bit during the 2019-20 season. Regardless, the former Badger center will be a day one starter for whatever team selects him and his abilities would be put to great use by teams in need of interior offensive linemen including the Seahawks, Broncos, Chiefs and Browns.

 

 

Wide Receiver Quintez Cephus

Most likely landing spot: Philadelphia Eagles

Projected draft position: fifth round

Best fits: New York Giants at No. 150, Philadelphia at No. 168, Tennessee Titans at No. 174 or the Green Bay Packers at No. 175

 

Cephus is the biggest sleeper of the Badgers who are entering this year’s draft. Despite Wisconsin not being known to produce NFL-caliber players on the outside, Ohio State cornerback and projected top-5 pick Jeff Okudah called him the best wide receiver he faced during his time in college (compared to receivers including Clemson’s Tee Higgins, Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson and Penn State’s K.J. Hamler).

Cephus’ big red flag is missing the 2018 season with a legal issue, though he did return in 2019 and produce the best season we’ve seen from a Badger wide receiver in years. His best fits are with any team in need of a sure-handed wide receiver with experience and success against some of the nation’s top cornerbacks.

To me, the Eagles fit this bill perfectly and would be wise to select Cephus with one of their late-round selections.

 

Linebacker Chris Orr

Most likely landing spot: any team in need of a rotational/developmental linebacker prospect

Projected draft position: un-drafted

 

Orr is not projected to be selected in April’s draft though he should find himself signed as an un-drafted free agent and receive an opportunity to make an NFL roster come August.

Orr’s experience and skill set remind me of T.J. Edwards when he was coming out of Wisconsin a few years ago. Edwards went on after the draft to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, make the week one roster, crack the starting lineup during his rookie season and now is currently in line to start at middle linebacker for the team this season. Maybe a similar path will become available for Orr were he to go un-drafted later this month.

 

The NFL Draft is slated to begin on April 23 and run until April 25 in an entirely online format.

Seahawks Wire mock 3.0: Predicting Seattle’s picks in 2020 NFL draft

Seahawks Wire put together their third Seattle mock draft, and this one includes a pair of trades back the team could make.

We are less than two weeks away from the 2020 NFL draft, a spectacle that – thanks to COVID-19 – will happen completely virtually for the first time in NFL history.

The Seattle Seahawks are known for working the phones and making a lot of trades, so they will be particularly fun to watch in light of these new circumstances.

We at Seahawks Wire have already put together a pair of mock drafts, but version 3.0 is the first one to include potential trades – a staple of Seattle’s draft strategy in the John Schneider era.

Two trades occur during this mock draft, and below is a look at what trades they make, and who they end up with in our latest mock.

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Lions 2020 NFL draft: A pass rusher for every round

Lions 2020 NFL draft: A pass rusher for every round

Next up in the series of finding a draft prospect at a given position for the Detroit Lions in each round of the draft: pass rusher.

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Rather than just limit it to one specific position, the focus here is on generating pressure on the opposing quarterback. It can come from a hand-in-dirt DE, a stand-up OLB or a hybrid of the two, more commonly known as the EDGE position.

First round: K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU

Chase Young from Ohio State is the obvious choice, and the best player in the 2020 NFL Draft would look fantastic in the Honolulu Blue and silver. Presuming he’s off the board before the Lions pick at No. 3 overall, the focus turns away from Young and onto another option.

Chaisson is almost universally regarded as the second-best EDGE in this draft, and it’s for good reason. Athletically, he’s a marvel at 6-3, 254 well-chiseled pounds and one of the fastest firsts steps in recent memory. He’s got great bend and ankle flexion to sharply turn the corner and attack the QB. Chaisson can win inside too.

There are some drawbacks. He missed all of 2018 with a torn ACL and was hobbled by a foot injury last fall. Chaisson is still learning how to play football; just 20 years old, he didn’t play organized football until high school. His lack of game experience shows at times.

If the Lions trade back from No. 3, Chaisson should definitely be in play with the team’s first pick. He won’t last out of the first 10 or so picks.

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New destinations for Baun and Taylor in the latest USA TODAY Mock Draft

Taking a look at where former Badgers fell in the latest USA TODAY Mock Draft

[lawrence-newsletter][lawrence-auto-related count=2]Our friends at USA TODAY’s DraftWire site recently uploaded the latest edition of their 2020 Mock Draft series. 

Here is where the five Wisconsin Badger’s taken through the first four rounds fell:

Jonathan Taylor, RB — 29th overall to the Tennessee Titans 

The only Badger taken in the first round was Taylor, who by nearly all projections will be the first Badger off the board in a couple weeks. The two-time Doak Walker Award Winner had previously been slotted by USA TODAY to end up going 28th overall to Baltimore and 24th overall to New Orleans in the previous two mock’s respectively. The Titans do not seem like the most natural fit for Taylor given the play of bruising back Derrick Henry, but the Badger legend landing anywhere in the first round feels like a win.

Zack Baun, LB — 36th overall to the New York Giants 

This is the highest spot that the former Badger has landed in USA TODAY’s Mock Draft series so far. The first team all-Big Ten performer could make an immediate impact on a defense that needs help in New York. We also know that the Dallas Cowboys are interested in the linebacker with the 51st pick near the end of the second round given they interviewed Baun via Zoom last week.

Here is where the rest of the Badgers taken in the first four rounds fell:

Tyler Biadasz, OL — 78th overall to the Atlanta Falcons

Chris Orr, LB — 109th overall to the Detroit Lions 

Quintez Cephus, WR — 127th overall to the Philadelphia Eagles 

Trade for No. 1 pick changes things up for the Ravens in TD Wire’s latest mock draft

In a 2020 NFL mock draft, Doug Farrar has the Miami Dolphins trading up for the No. 1 pick, sending shockwaves down to the Baltimore Ravens.

The NFL Draft is one of the most hectic and chaotic events in football. Nearly every year we’ve seen shocking picks, reaches for players well before they should go and prospects that fall for some unknown reason. As is the case every year, we’ll likely see trades happen all the way to the final seconds before picks are made. One such trade that could completely alter the landscape of the 2020 NFL Draft is if a team trades up into the No. 1 spot.

Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire took that into account with his latest mock draft, having the Miami Dolphins trade for the Cincinnati Bengals’ first-overall pick and grabbing LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. It led to a bit of a shakeup down the first round.

The Bengals, after getting the Dolphins’ three first-round picks in the hypothetical trade, took a player many have mocked to the Baltimore Ravens in LSU linebacker Patrick Queen at No. 18. At No. 28, Farrar has the Baltimore Ravens sticking with defense, grabbing Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun.

It’s well-known that no NFL team has blitzed more over the last two seasons than the Ravens — they led the league with a 39.6% blitz rate in 2018, and doubled down with a 54.9% blitz rate in 2019. It worked well enough, but it also spoke to the defense’s need for more edge pressure from versatile players. Last season, Baun played 68 snaps of off-ball linebacker for the Badgers, and 664 snaps as an edge-rusher outside the tackles. He totaled 12.5 sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and 28 quarterback hurries, adding in just 112 yards allowed on 195 pass defense drops over the last two seasons, per Pro Football Focus. There are few better player/scheme/need fits in this draft, and Baun’s presence might be the difference between a Super Bowl and not for the Ravens if he can do what he did in college.

Baltimore does need to bolster their entire linebacking corps, from inside linebacker to outside linebacker. The Ravens’ only question marks on their defensive starting lineup are who will play inside and who will play opposite outside linebacker Matthew Judon.

Finding a defensive player like Baun, who can do a little of everything, is something Baltimore tends to covet. Defensive coordinator Don Martindale has also seemingly loved versatile players, moving them all over the field and out of normal position in order to create more confusion in opposing offenses.

With a high motor and explosive athleticism, Baun is the type of player the Ravens could easily be drooling over at the end of the first round.

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An example of the strange, quarantined NFL Draft process for Zack Baun

The former Badger star met with an NFL franchise via facetime, and we got to listen in to a portion of the interview

With nearly all sports on a worldwide shutdown, the NFL Draft is one of the few sporting events still pushing forward. Of course, there are major changes being made not only to the draft itself, but also to the process.

For the athletes, the NFL Draft is already a time of uncertainty. You are wondering where you will land, if you are a first round pick, or maybe if you will be drafted at all. There are a number of factors that go into the draft process, and there is a considerable amount of work to be done off the field as well as on. One of the main off the field tasks for prospective NFL players is the draft interview process. This is, after all, a full-time job that requires a job interview. You have to be ready for any and all questions.

This year, those interviews look very different, as instead of meeting with teams in person, players and teams have to conduct interviews over the internet. This morning, the Dallas Cowboys gave us an inside look at one of these interviews with former Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun. The Badger outside linebacker had a fantastic senior season in 2019, as he racked up 19.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks, and has been a second-round selection in most mock drafts.

The Wisconsin native met with the Cowboys organization today for a virtual interview. With Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and newly-hired Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on the line, we saw a glimpse of Baun talking about his motor and his love for the game of football thanks to the Cowboys Twitter account:

 

 

Wisconsin LB Zack Baun interviews with Cowboys ahead of 2020 NFL Draft

Jerry Jones, Mike McCarthy, and other Cowboys staffers have interviewed Zack Baun, a linebacker prospect from Wisconsin with big potential.

The Cowboys have pulled back the curtain just a bit further on their 2020 draft preparations. On Tuesday, the team’s social media department released a highlight package from their recent virtual interview with Wisconsin’s Zack Baun.

The outside linebacker was a first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2019. It was the Wisconsin native’s senior season as a Badger after a high school career that saw him excel at basketball and track as well as several positions on the football field.

The athletically-gifted Baun may not even remain at linebacker, according to some. It’s thought that with some added bulk, the 6-foot-2-inch Baun could become a nasty edge rusher. Whatever position he lines up at, Baun is, in the parlance of new Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, a football player. Perhaps that versatility helped convince owner Jerry Jones, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, linebacker coach Scott McCurley, Klein Kubiak from the scouting department, and others to also jump on the group Webex with the talented Butkus Award finalist.

Baun’s stock has been on the rise with draft experts. John Owning of The Dallas Morning News called him “the best pass rusher in this class outside of Ohio State’s Chase Young, displaying great burst, bend, hand technique, footwork and rush IQ.”

But it’s that motor Baun references that he prides himself on. To many, his high-energy play is reminiscent of Clay Matthews, a 2009 draft pick that McCarthy’s Packers traded up to acquire in the first round.

Any comparison at all to a six-time Pro Bowler is enough to sit up and take notice. Baun’s state pedigree almost certainly carries some weight with McCarthy, and at the very least, provides a degree of familiarity. And the fact that he hails from the same college program that produced the Watt brothers is an encouraging bonus. (One has to wonder if Jones still smarts over not drafting T.J. back in 2017.)

But Dallas sits at 17 on opening day of 2020’s draft. Is that too soon? “Some may lament that taking Wisconsin’s Zack Baun this early is a reach,” Owning writes, “but they’re wrong — oh-so wrong.”

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Scouting report from Lance Zierlein, NFL.com:

“Ascending prospect whose explosive production on the field has begun to mirror his explosive athletic traits. Baun’s twitchy get-off and deep bend at the edge is nightmare fuel for Big Ten tackles and he’s still at the early stages of pass rush development. He is aggressive to flow downhill in run support, has sideline-to-sideline range and is fluid dropping into coverage. He’s strong but a little light as an edge-setter so teams will need to figure out how best to align him. Baun is a scheme-diverse linebacker with high-impact potential whose best days are ahead of him.”

Scouting report from Kyle Crabbs, The Draft Network:

“Zack Baun will excel in a defensive system that capitalizes on his versatility and football IQ to place him in various roles in the defensive front seven. Baun has the quickness, burst and hand usage to win as a pressure player but early downs will serve him best working off the football to take advantage of his quick processor and short area quickness to step into gaps and fill versus the run. He can be a critical starter for a defense but needs to be moved around to play his best football.”

It is tantalizing to think about a Cowboys linebacker corps that starts with Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, and Sean Lee, and then adds a player of Zack Baun’s potential. Knowing he has the skills to step up and also wreak havoc from the defensive line makes Baun an even juicier proposition that could well be worth the team’s 17th pick.

Touchdown Wire’s 2020 NFL Draft rankings: Top 25 defensive players

Jeff Okudah of Ohio State leads a deep draft class of defensive backs. Xavier McKinney, Antoine Winfield and Trevon Diggs aren’t far behind.

Touchdown Wire’s 2020 NFL Draft rankings: Top 25 defensive players

Jeff Okudah of Ohio State leads a deep draft class of defensive backs. Xavier McKinney, Antoine Winfield and Trevon Diggs aren’t far behind.

With the 2020 NFL Draft fast approaching, it is time to start finalizing draft boards. Not just for NFL teams, but for the team here at Touchdown Wire. Here is Touchdown Wire’s list of the top 25 defensive prospects in the 2020 draft class.

1. Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State

(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

If there’s one thing NFL teams need more than anything else on defense right now, it’s the prototypical lockdown cornerback who can take an opponent’s No. 1 receiver through any route in any coverage. Of the cornerbacks in this draft class, Okudah is the one who raises no questions regarding his ability to do so. After playing 70% of his snaps in man coverage in 2018, per Sports Info Solutions, Okudah dipped down to 54% man coverage last season, upped his zone percentage and still allowed just 21 catches on 54 targets for 280 yards, three interceptions, one touchdown, and an opponent passer rating of 46.8. There may be more physically talented players in this class, but outside of the top quarterbacks, none are more positionally important.

2. Isaiah Simmons, Defense, Clemson

(John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)

In his 2019 season, per Pro Football Focus, Simmons played 299 snaps in the box, 262 snaps at slot cornerback, 132 snaps at free safety and 116 snaps at defensive line. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Simmons also played 13 snaps at outside corner, to make his versatility even more impressive. Asked at the scouting combing what his position was, Simmons simply responded, “Defense.” In the modern NFL, a player who can do everything from blitzing, to taking on the run game as a linebacker, to coverage as a slot defender and safety, is of prime value as defenses move to nickel and dime defenses as their base.

3. Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State

(Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

Young has often been compared to fellow Ohio State alums Joey and Nick Bosa, and from a traits perspective, those are pretty good matches. In 2019, Young put up 16.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits and 31 quarterback hurries. And if you’re concerned about his getting shut out in sacks through his last three college games, a cursory look at the tape will tell you that he still had a massive effect on opposing offenses.

4. Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina

(AP Photo/Sean Rayford)

At 6 feet 6 and 302 pounds, Kinlaw fits the physical profile of the ideal multi-gap defensive lineman who can get nasty everywhere from over the center to outside the offensive tackles. In 2019, he raised his sack total from four in 2018 to six in his final college season, adding seven quarterback hits and 28 quarterback hurries. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Kinlaw’s potential is that he’s turned himself into a wrecking machine without the benefit of advanced hand technique. Once he reaps the benefits of NFL-level coaching, he projects well as an All-Pro-level disruptor.

5. Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn

(John Reed-USA TODAY Sports)

Brown’s relatively weak combine performance might debit him in the eyes of those who haven’t studied his tape. Similarly, his total of 12.5 sacks over four seasons at Auburn could push him under other defenders in your mind if you’re just box-score scouting. But when you watch Brown do his thing on the field, the perspective is entirely different. At 6-5 and 326 pounds, Brown had 10 quarterback hits and 20 quarterback hurries in 2019, adding four batted passes and two forced fumbles to his statistical arsenal. Brown is an ideal three-down defender who can stop the run as well as he can blast through double teams.

6. Xavier McKinney, DB, Alabama

(Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

Multi-positional defensive backs are all the rage in today’s NFL, and Nick Saban has been grooming them at Alabama for a while. Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Steelers was an early part of paradigm, and McKinney is ready to follow in Fitzpatrick’s footsteps. Last season, per Pro Football Focus, McKinney played 285 snaps in the box, 271 snaps at free safety and 227 snaps in the slot. The 6-1, 200-pound McKinney also played 38 snaps on the defensive line and five snaps at outside corner. Playing all those positions, he allowed an opponent passer rating of 73.6 and came away with three interceptions, as well as 21 total pressures in just 71 pass-rushing snaps. If you can’t get Isaiah Simmons in your 2020 draft because he goes too early, McKinney is more than an acceptable substitute.

7. Patrick Queen, LB, LSU

(Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

In 2019, Queen established himself as one of the linchpins of the Tigers’ championship defense after lining up for just 255 total snaps in his first two collegiate seasons. The 6-foot, 229-pound first-year starter proved to be the model of the modern linebacker when he finally got his shot, playing 780 snaps in 2019 and showing the ability to excel everywhere from the box to the slot to the occasional go at outside cornerback. More impressively for Queen’s NFL future is his ability to face up against top running backs and make stops when stops are needed. Not every light linebacker can do that, and once Queen gets the hang of the intricacies of coverage (especially zone coverage), he could be one of the NFL’s best three-down linebackers.

8. Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota

(Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)

Winfield missed all but a total of eight games in his 2017 and 2018 seasons due to injuries, but he came back with a full head of steam in 2019, picking off seven passes and giving up just 11 catches on 22 targets and an opponent passer rating of 45.5. A healthy Winfield has all the athleticism and range you’d want in a deep-third safety, but what really makes him the best in this class at that particular designation is his ability to read offenses and coverages on the fly — as he detailed to me in a recent film session, he learned a lot from his father, who played cornerback for the Bills and Vikings from 1999 through 2012.

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Lions Wire-Detroit Lions Podcast interactive mock produces some surprises

The Lions Wire-Detroit Lions Podcast interactive mock produces some surprises with trades and unexpected selections in the first 35 picks

A collaborative effort between members of Lions Wire and the Detroit Lions Podcast on Wednesday night made for a fun and intriguing look at how the first 35 picks of the 2020 NFL Draft might play out.

From Lions Wire, Erik Schlitt, Scott Bischoff (also from WJR’s Lions coverage) and myself joined Chris and Case from DLP on a live, pick-by-pick stroll through the first round and the first three picks of the second round. The point of the exercise was to foster discussion about the picks and make it as realistic to what the NFL teams might do as possible.

After Joe Burrow went No. 1 overall to Cincinnati with no debate, the No. 2 pick produces quite a bit of consternation. After several scenarios were related, we wound up with the new regime in Washington opting to collect several more picks and trade back with the Chargers.

The Chargers tab Tua Tagovaiola, which means the Lions are staring both Chase Young and Jeff Okudah in the face. And a whole lot of serious, animated discussion which led to something unexpected.

We have a trade. The Lions accepted almost the exact same package the Colts did in 2018 from the Jets when New York moved up to snag Sam Darnold. Miami gives the Lions No. 5 overall, two second-round picks this year and a second-round pick next year. The Jets sent No. 6 and the later second-round pick was three spots higher than the ones the Lions get here.

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Miami moved up to land Oregon QB Justin Herbert. That left Chase Young at No. 4 for the Giants and that required zero discussion. Which brings us to No. 5.

The quick consensus pick was Jeff Okudah to Detroit. That was the easy part. The hard part was figuring out the next few picks.

We didn’t engineer any other trades, though Arizona at No. 8 moving up to try and snag Okudah or moving back to get where the next tier of CBs is prudent certainly made a lot of sense to everyone.

At No. 35, we wrapped it up with a fairly easy consensus pick: Wisconsin LB/EDGE Zack Baun. He can play the JACK role vacated by Devon Kennard, he can play the off-ball OLB role currently occupied by Christian Jones and Jarrad Davis, and he can even grow into moving into the role one of his Wisconsin predecessors, Joe Schobert, did as a cover backer in 2-LB sets.

Some other random notes:

  • Jerry Jeudy was the first WR, at No. 11
  • Isaiah Simmons fell to No. 12, over vociferous objection from Case
  • No running backs were selected in the first 35 picks

You can watch the whole proceeding here on YouTube: