Latest news with #ACCDefensiveRookieoftheYear
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Broncos CB Ronald Darby Announces Retirement from NFL
Former Broncos CB Ronald Darby Announces Retirement from NFL originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Veteran cornerback and Super Bowl LII champion Ronald Darby has informed the Houston Texans that he intends to retire from the NFL, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter. Darby had signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Texans earlier in the offseason. Advertisement Darby's professional career spanned 10 years and stints with six different teams – the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders (then, the Washington Football Team), Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars. Darby spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Broncos, making 16 total appearances during that time span. Although he did not force any turnovers during his time in the Mile High City, he recorded 63 tackles and defended nine passes while playing in the team's secondary. New York Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay (19) catches the ball over Denver Broncos cornerback Ronald Darby (21) during the second half at MetLife Carchietta-Imagn Images Over the course of his entire NFL career, Darby played in 118 games, where he made 419 tackles (including 354 solo stops) and defended 106 passes. He also picked off eight passes, returning them for 135 yards. Advertisement Darby received one major honor in the professional ranks – he was named to the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie Team in 2015 – but his crowning achievement was earning a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2017 season. He played an important role the championship game, defending two passes (tied for the most of any player on the team) and making four tackles in the Eagles' eventual 41-33 win over the New England Patriots. The Bills selected Darby with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft after three strong seasons at Florida State. Darby won a BCS national championship with the Seminoles in 2013, while also being named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and a FWAA Freshman All-American the year before. Related: Broncos' Free Agent Signing Draws Comparison to Pro Football Hall of Famer This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fox Sports
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2026 NFL Mock Draft: Expect a QB-heavy top 10
An NFL mock draft one year in advance? It's a fool's errand. This time last year, everyone had Quinn Ewers as a first-round pick and Carson Beck, too. Ewers went in the seventh round; Beck transferred to Miami for another year of college, something he certainly needs. The order below is based on 2025 NFL win totals. Let's get into it. 1. Cleveland Browns: Arch Manning, QB, Texas Before you get too excited about Arch Manning, just remember, he was the backup the last two years in Austin behind Ewers, who was drafted in the seventh round. Manning will be heavily scrutinized this season, but this time last year, nobody had Cam Ward as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft. 2. New York Giants: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State Another big (6-foot-5), strapping kid with a howitzer of an arm. If the Giants are drafting here, the coach and GM get fired, and it's safe to say the new regime will want its own QB. Allar only had two games over 250 passing yards last season. 3. New York Jets: LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina If you're going to champion a QB a year out and his name isn't Manning, make it Sellers. He looks a lot like Jalen Hurts when he's rolling out of the pocket and taking on defenders. I don't think the Jets will be this bad, not with that defense. 4. Tennessee Titans : Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama Mountain of a tackle at 6-foot-7, 360 pounds, who could use a nice year at Alabama to cement his top-10 status. Proctor was a freshman All-American in 2023, then transferred to Iowa for … four months … before coming back to Tuscaloosa. 5. Carolina Panthers : Nico Iamaleava, QB, UCLA We do this every year. We put QBs high up on the list a year in advance. As the season goes on, we poke holes and they drop. At 6-foot-6, Iamaleava is mobile and has all the tools, but also has just one game in his career throwing for over 300 yards. If the Panthers are drafting this high, that means Bryce Young didn't make the most of Year 3. 6. New Orleans Saints : TJ Parker, Edge, Clemson Parker is the best projected edge rusher in the country who is draft eligible heading into this Fall, following last year's 12-sack season. 7. Las Vegas Raiders: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State Missed the playoff thriller against Texas with a collarbone injury, but was magnificent last season (75 catches, 1,098 receiving yards, 10 TDs). Would slide in nicely as the No. 2 wideout in Vegas. 8. Indianapolis Colts: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami Poised for a breakout season after totaling 13 sacks in his first two years. Bain Jr. was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year as a freshman. 9. Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars): Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State This is the pick from the Travis Hunter trade, which could be top 10 or in the 20s if the Jaguars offense is great. The 6-foot-3 Tate will get many more looks as OSU's No. 2 WR, since Jeremiah Smith will attract so much attention. 10. Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons): Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU There's a weird buzz about him as a potential top-10 pick, but I haven't seen it yet. Then again, I didn't see it with Joe Burrow after his year one at LSU, either. Point is, the Rams could be in the market for a QB with Stafford turning 38 next February. 11. New England Patriots: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State Depending on what happens with all the QBs, the talented Downs could wind up being the highest-drafted safety since Sean Taylor, who went fifth in 2004, and Eric Berry was selected fifth in 2010. Downs might be the best defensive player in college football in 2025. 12. Dallas Cowboys: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington The Cowboys having nine draft picks last week and not selecting one WR was bizarre. It is clearly a need. Boston caught nine TDs last year. If, at 6-foot-4, he can run a 4.4 40, he'll be a first-rounder. 13. Seattle Seahawks: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami Seattle's OL wasn't great last year, and both tackles, fantastic as rookies, will be playing for their jobs this season. 14. Pittsburgh Steelers: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson Yes, that is probably too many QBs in the first round, but assuming Aaron Rodgers plays for Pittsburgh and lasts a full season, the Steelers will have a big need at QB next offseason. 15. Minnesota Vikings: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame Not sure the analytically-inclined Vikings would grab a running back here, but a young QB's best friends are the tight end and the running game. I'm extremely bullish on the Vikings this season — like NFC Championship-caliber — so I think they'll be picking in the 20s, which makes more sense for Love. 16. Arizona Cardinals: Drew Shelton, OT, Penn State The Cardinals spent six of their seven picks on defense, and they're a sneaky wild-card team if Kyler Murray can stay healthy and consistent. Paris Johnson has been great at LT. RT is a bit more of a question mark. 17. Chicago Bears: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn After an offensive-heavy draft in 2025, they go back to their defensive roots with a pass rusher. Faulk went from one sack as a true freshman to seven last year, and next year will be the first Auburn player selected in the first round since 2020. 18. Miami Dolphins: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson It's an annual issue — Miami needs offensive line protection. Miller has started at RT since he got to Clemson. If his measurements check out, the transition to left tackle should be smooth. 19. Cincinnati Bengals: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee Jim Thorpe Award finalist didn't give up a TD last season, and could sniff the top 10 — assuming he returns to form after ACL surgery earlier this calendar year. 20. Tampa Bay Bucs: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson The Bucs run a 3-4, and with Vita Vea clogging the middle. Does Woods fit? Well, he provides depth, but he's also probably going to grade out higher than the edge rushers available here. Woods was a top-10 prospect out of high school and enters his junior season as perhaps the best DT in college football. 21. Green Bay Packers: Isaiah World, OT, Oregon Didn't love the Packers' 2025 draft, despite adding two tackles last week. It's still a position of weakness, and World, who dominated for three years at Nevada and has transferred to Oregon for the upcoming season, could be the guy. 22. Denver Broncos: Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia Electrifying talent, but where does a 5-foot-10, 175-pounder fit into an NFL offense? If you have a smart offensive coach, he works everywhere. Sean Payton will find a place for him. 23. Houston Texans: Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon Interesting career, going from unranked recruit, to Wyoming, to second-team All-Big Ten at USC. Now he'll play a sixth season in college at Oregon. The Texans offensive line is expected to be below average. 24. Washington Commanders: Anthony Hill, LB, Texas Bobby Wagner was excellent in 2024 for Washington, but can we expect the nearly 35-year-old to do that again? Hill goes into next season as the premier inside linebacker in college football. 25. Los Angeles Rams: Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State With two first-round picks, the Rams are in a position to do something big in the 2026 draft. You can always draft a Penn State edge rusher — they all seem to deliver. Dennis-Sutton registered 8.5 sacks last season. 26. Los Angeles Chargers: Caleb Banks, DL, Florida The Chargers did get an edge rusher in the draft to start the post-Bosa era, but the interior still needs work. Banks has All-American potential, and at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, if he has a big senior year, he'll cement himself as a first-rounder. 27. San Francisco 49ers: Spencer Fano, LT, Utah I'm stunned the 49ers didn't try to find Trent Williams' replacement in the 2025 draft. They lost their backup to the Chiefs! They need to start to plan for a future without the Hall of Fame tackle. 28. Detroit Lions: Tyreak Sapp, DE, Florida The Lions keep taking swings at a bookend for Aidan Hutchinson, and Sapp might be the next guy to have a shot. After a slow start, he popped in 2024 with seven sacks. 29. Baltimore Ravens: LT Overton, DL, Alabama Former five-star recruit spent two years at Texas A&M, then transferred to Alabama. Ravens have gone defense with picks in the first round for three of the last four years. 30. Kansas City Chiefs: Jack Endries, TE, Texas Mildly surprised the Chiefs didn't look for a tight end to replace Travis Kelce, especially considering how his production fell off and he disappeared in the final three playoff games. Endries was a walk-on at Cal and started to stack good numbers. He will play for the Longhorns this fall, where he is expected to have a big year. 31. Philadelphia Eagles: Christen Miller, DT, Georgia The Eagles have been the best drafting team in the league the last three years, shopping almost exclusively in the SEC early. Miller had a productive 2024 season, and if he builds on that, he's a first-round pick in 2026. 32. Buffalo Bills: Austin Romaine, LB, Kansas State One of the top linebackers in the country registered 43 run-defense stops last season and has a strong case for preseason All-American status. Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst who also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead. Follow him on Twitter @JasonRMcIntyre. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
5 reasons why Philadelphia should be excited about drafting Longhorns DB Andrew Mukuba
5 reasons why Philadelphia should be excited about drafting Longhorns DB Andrew Mukuba Andrew Mukuba is now a Philadelphia Eagle The former Longhorns defensive back was picked 64th in the second round of the NFL Draft. Mukuba is the 5th Texas Ex taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. Here are five reasons the Eagles should be excited to have Mukuba on their roster: Desire to Improve Mukuba left his hometown of Austin for Clemson after high school. The DB spent three seasons in South Carolina, earning Freshman All-American and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. But something was missing. Mukuba didn't think he was getting any better. 'I felt like I wasn't getting better,' Mukuba said on Alex Okafor's 'Behind the Facemask' podcast. 'I wasn't being pushed enough where I could reach my potential and my peak.' In his one season at Texas, Mukuba totaled 69 tackles, four tackles for loss, five interceptions, and 11 passes defended. Good Reads At safety, Mukuba showed awareness and athleticism to accurately survey the field before making decisive plays. He operates best when he has the opportunity to read the quarterback and react. Versatility Mukuba has played across the secondary during his college career. He has played nickel and free safety and worked out at cornerback during the Texas Pro Day. Physicality While the Austin native excels at the mental aspect of the game, he's also very physical. A physical tackler, Mukuba isn't afraid to get downhill and fill the alley. Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
BREAKING: Former Texas Longhorn DB Andrew Mukuba drafted by Philadelphia Eagles
BREAKING: Former Texas Longhorn DB Andrew Mukuba drafted by Philadelphia Eagles Former Texas Longhorns defensive back Andrew Mukuba has been drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Austin native was taken 64th in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Mukuba was the final pick in Round 2. Mukuba started his college career at Clemson, where he played for three years and was a Freshman All-American and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Mukuba felt he wasn't improving enough, so he transferred to his hometown Longhorns before the 2024 season. In his only season at Texas, Mukuba totaled 69 tackles, four tackles for loss, five interceptions, and 11 passes defended. One of his strengths is versatility, playing nickel, free safety and cornerback in his career. Mukuba is also a physical tackler who isn't afraid to run downhill and fill the alley. Mukuba was an all-conference player for both Clemson and Texas during his collegiate career. He made 149 tackles and 20 pass breakups during his time with the Tigers. At Texas, he led the SEC with five interceptions. Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire.
Miami Herald
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
After an ‘eventful' sophomore season, Hurricanes' Bain ready to ‘learn and grow'
Corey Hetherman still remembers seeing him for the first time. Hetherman was the linebackers coach at Rutgers and his team was going through warmups on Dec. 28, 2023, for the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankees Stadium against the Miami Hurricanes. While Hetherman's focus was figuring out how to limit Miami's offense, one player in particular who wasn't on his scouting report immediately caught his eye. 'When he came on the field,' Hetherman said, 'I was like 'Who's that?'' That player was defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr., one of the top players on the Hurricanes' defense that Hetherman is now leading as defensive coordinator. Bain, now a junior, will be integral to Hetherman's defense, which relies on a four-man front to create pressure and wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage to create turnover situations for the back end of the defense. But to do that, Bain will need to round back into the form he showcased during his freshman year before taking a slight step back last season. Bain, a four-star prospect coming out of Miami Central High, excelled his first year of college football. He was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and a Freshman All-American after recording 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. The hope, the expectation, was that Bain would build on that in Year 2. It didn't happen, not completely. Bain sustained an injury on the first drive of Miami's season opener against the Florida Gators and missed the next four games before returning for the Hurricanes' come-from-behind victory against Cal and starting all of the final eight games. He still put up decent numbers — 23 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks — but the explosiveness and disruptiveness at the line of scrimmage that he showcased as a rookie wasn't always there. Bain simply called last season, which Miami finished 10-3 after starting 9-0, 'eventful.' 'And that's not always a good thing,' Bain said, 'but do you learn and grow? Got hurt, came back, was able to see some things, take a look at things and learn from it. It wasn't our best year as a team. But, you know, we get to live and learn now. We get to come back again, go to the drawing board, be a better team and better player.' Now fully healthy and playing in a new scheme that should suit his style of play, Bain is ready to show that he can be that dominant version of himself that he showcased as a freshman. He dropped 10 pounds during the offseason to be 'a little more mobile, more flexible, have a faster twitch.' He has put in extra work off to the side with defensive line coach Jason Taylor in order to 'pick the brain of a Hall of Famer' and 'soak up all the game I can.' 'It's just me and him 1 on 1,' Bain said. 'I get to really key in on the small stuff.' Hetherman said the Bain he has seen through the Hurricanes' first three practices is reminiscent of the player he saw on the opposite sideline two years ago. 'He's very talented, and you can see it,' Hetherman said. 'He hit a move on Monday in practice that you can tell it's just natural. He went, moved, didn't win, countered back, and he's right on the quarterback immediately. He just plays fast, and then just the reps that he's had, the speed that he plays at and then how physical he is at the point of attack, that's a guy that's going to set the tempo for the team. Every day, we need to make sure he takes it right from flex through stretch into team [drills] and the walk-throughs. There are other guys that are gonna watch that, and that's going to continue to build the team.' While the Hurricanes figure to have an experienced bunch starting on the defensive line — Bain and sixth-year senior Akheem Mesidor on the edge, with Louisiana Tech transfer David Blay and redshirt junior Ahmad Moten Sr. likely getting the bulk of the run at defensive tackle — Miami will be relying on a group of younger players to serve as valuable depth. Chief among them are sophomores such as Justin Scott, Armando Blount and Cole McConathy II. Bain said the underclassmen have been 'real savvy guys who are eager to learn.' 'They're in the film room as much as me. They're doing extra work as much as me,' Bain said. 'They see that they've got an actual shot to have some playing time this year, and they've got the right head on to come in and make a make an impact. They don't want to be in a rotation. They want to take my spot and that's what I like.' Even at that, those younger players are looking up to Bain to set the standard. 'Rueben's one of those reliable guys,' Scott said. 'You know he's always gonna come in and make that play. ... You he ain't gonna mess up.'
