Latest news with #DefensiveRookieoftheYearAward
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jihaad Campbell lands behind Eagles rival in early ranking of DROY candidates
Jihaad Campbell lands behind Eagles rival in early ranking of DROY candidates Jihaad Campbell lands behind an Eagles' rival in an early ranking of early DROY favorites. If you're a Philadelphia Eagles rival, you're probably hoping that Howie Roseman's luck will run out and, at some point, things will stop breaking his way. If you're a Birds fan, you're probably hoping that never happens. You have to love what you've been seeing, especially recently. Whether it's the trade that brought A.J. Brown to town (or one that shipped Bryce Huff elsewhere), the Eagles' GM seems to be made of magic. Howie seems to have mastered the salary cap and the NFL Draft. He navigates both like he invented them. Let's discuss the past three offseasons. First, he landed Jalen Carter as a ninth-overall selection. No one said much because we were aware of the circumstances. The winning streak continued. Somehow, in that same draft, he also landed Nolan Smith in Round 1. Fast forward to 2024. It seemed impossible that Philadelphia would have a shot at acquiring Quinyon Mitchell because they were picking so late in Round 1. They landed him with the 22nd-overall selection. Then, they also added Cooper DeJean. Wait! How did they get both guys? And, while we're on the subject, how did the Eagles wind up with Jihaad Campbell this past April at 31? Some projected him as a top-15 selection. The answers are simple. Howie is a genius. Sometimes, teams get lucky. Fortune falls on the well-prepared. Jihaad Campbell named among five Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates. If there's one knock on Campbell, it's the injury history. There are discussions about past shoulder and knee injuries. He underwent labrum surgery this past March, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that's what wound up influencing his Round 1 slide. No one seems to be worried, though. Philadelphia is home to one of the league's best medical teams. If they're willing to give Campbell a passing grade, there is seemingly no need to argue, so the focus can be shifted to how much he'll be asked to do as a rookie and how high he can soar. Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano recently stacked five candidates for the 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Campbell ranks second, right behind a rival on the New York Giants' roster, edge rusher Abdul Carter. Here's some of the explanation: "It bodes well that one of the most successful GMs of the past decade did everything he could to ensure Campbell landed in Philadelphia. Strangely, some teams don't value off-ball linebackers as high as other positions, but that ended up being a benefit for GM Howie Roseman, who only needed to trade up one spot after surprisingly seeing Campbell still available at No. 31." Here's more: "Roseman reportedly had multiple failed attempts to go up higher to nab the versatile playmaker from Alabama. Campbell could have a dominant rookie season playing for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, while lining up next to first-team All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun and behind dominant defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Teams might be kicking themselves for allowing Campbell to fall to the defending Super Bowl champions." Two things are interesting. One, Malaki Starks, someone the Birds' fans hoped would land, wasn't on this list. James Pearce Jr. (Atlanta Falcons), Nick Emmanwori (Seattle Seahawks), and Will Johnson (Arizona Cardinals) round out the top five. Another interesting fact is unrelated to the ranking. It's more about Carter landing with the hated Giants. Carter is from Philly. He grew up an Eagles fan and attended Penn State. Sadly, he's now the enemy. Oh well... Maybe the G-Men hold on to Joe Schoen. Maybe he screws everything up when Carter becomes eligible for free agency. That way, he can come to Philadelphia and terrorize Big Blue a la James Bradberry (in 2022), Saquon Barkley, and, hopefully, Azeez Ojulari.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NFL analyst projects 49ers edge rusher to win major NFL award in 2025
The San Francisco 49ers have been at their best, in recent years, when they have a dominant pass rush, and in 2024, they recorded sacks on just 6.69% of opposing quarterback dropbacks, ranking 18th in the NFL last year. This offseason, San Francisco made some moves to their defensive front, including watching Leonard Floyd (8.5 sacks in 2024) and Dre Greenlaw (120 tackles in 2023 before injury) sign with the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos, respectively, while allowing De'Vondre Campbell, Khalil Davis, Drake Jackson and Alex Barrett to remain unsigned over two months into the start of the new league year. Advertisement The 49ers made just one veteran addition to their front, signing Luke Gifford, who played 19.2% of the defensive snaps for the Tennessee Titans last season. San Francisco's biggest swing at improving their pass-rush in recent months came in the 2025 NFL draft when they used their first-round pick (No. 11 overall) on Mykel Williams. Now, ESPN's Ben Solak has predicted Williams will take home the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2025. "Mykel Williams will win Defensive Rookie of the Year," Solak wrote. "If the 49ers unleash him as a pass rusher in a way that Georgia never did -- and if his left ankle is healthy -- he has a great pass-rush profile for early success. He'll also rarely see double teams opposite Nick Bosa. A 10-plus-sack season is well within the cards." Williams, 20, was a five-star recruit out of Hardaway High School in Columbus, Georgia, prior to joining the Georgia Bulldogs. Over the last three years, he won a national championship and earned second-team All-SEC honors twice while recording 67 tackles (23 for a loss), 14 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 40 games. Advertisement There's a chance that Williams steps into the role on the other side of Bosa and finishes with more sacks than he did in any single season at Georgia (five sacks in 2024 was his career-high). If he does that, he'll have a chance to run away with this award that gone to a pass rusher in five of the last six years (Sauce Gardner winning in 2022 is the lone exception). More 49ers: 49ers rookie draws mixed reviews from college coaches This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers Mykel Williams projected to win Defensive Rookie of the Year
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL analyst projects 49ers edge rusher to win major NFL award in 2025
NFL analyst projects 49ers edge rusher to win major NFL award in 2025 The San Francisco 49ers have been at their best, in recent years, when they have a dominant pass rush, and in 2024, they recorded sacks on just 6.69% of opposing quarterback dropbacks, ranking 18th in the NFL last year. This offseason, San Francisco made some moves to their defensive front, including watching Leonard Floyd (8.5 sacks in 2024) and Dre Greenlaw (120 tackles in 2023 before injury) sign with the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos, respectively, while allowing De'Vondre Campbell, Khalil Davis, Drake Jackson and Alex Barrett to remain unsigned over two months into the start of the new league year. The 49ers made just one veteran addition to their front, signing Luke Gifford, who played 19.2% of the defensive snaps for the Tennessee Titans last season. San Francisco's biggest swing at improving their pass-rush in recent months came in the 2025 NFL draft when they used their first-round pick (No. 11 overall) on Mykel Williams. Now, ESPN's Ben Solak has predicted Williams will take home the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2025. "Mykel Williams will win Defensive Rookie of the Year," Solak wrote. "If the 49ers unleash him as a pass rusher in a way that Georgia never did -- and if his left ankle is healthy -- he has a great pass-rush profile for early success. He'll also rarely see double teams opposite Nick Bosa. A 10-plus-sack season is well within the cards." Williams, 20, was a five-star recruit out of Hardaway High School in Columbus, Georgia, prior to joining the Georgia Bulldogs. Over the last three years, he won a national championship and earned second-team All-SEC honors twice while recording 67 tackles (23 for a loss), 14 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 40 games. There's a chance that Williams steps into the role on the other side of Bosa and finishes with more sacks than he did in any single season at Georgia (five sacks in 2024 was his career-high). If he does that, he'll have a chance to run away with this award that gone to a pass rusher in five of the last six years (Sauce Gardner winning in 2022 is the lone exception). More 49ers: 49ers rookie draws mixed reviews from college coaches
USA Today
26-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Longhorn Jaydon Blue makes bold prediction for rookie season with Dallas Cowboys
Former Longhorn Jaydon Blue makes bold prediction for rookie season with Dallas Cowboys Jaydon Blue has high expectations for his rookie season In just a few months, former Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue will start his first NFL season. Following a productive run at Texas, Blue was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He is poised to become a key piece of the Cowboys offense. After making headlines with his play in college, Blue has high expectations for his rookie season. Last Wednesday, Blue made his rookie of the year predictions to B/R Gridiron when speaking with Dallas Cowboys writer Tommy Yarrish. The former Longhorns star predicted that he will win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and that Jahdae Barron will win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Although Barron winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award would be no surprise, Blue has a harder path. He is third on the Cowboys depth chart behind veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. Williams began his career with the Broncos, and Sanders spent time with the Eagles and Panthers. All three are trying to fill a void left by Rico Dowdle, who signed with Carolina free agency. After being drafted 20th overall, Barron will be one of the most-watched rookies in the NFL. In his final year at Texas, the talented defensive back won the 2024 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award. It is given annually to the best defensive back in the nation. His competition includes Giants edge Abdul Carter and Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham. If the two former Longhorns can add to their trophy cases, they would make history. Players from the same college have only won the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards three times. The last time it happened was in 1997. The Longhorns also have a plethora of former players poised for big roles, including Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden, Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba, and Saints offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. While Longhorns fans have plenty to watch for this NFL season, Blue has just raised the stakes for himself and one of his former teammates.
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Watch: Rams release awesome behind-the-scenes footage from the 2025 draft
Watch: Rams release awesome behind-the-scenes footage from the 2025 draft One of the best parts of the offseason each year is the rollout of 'Behind the Grind', which is the Los Angeles Rams' video series where fans get an exclusive look inside the building – from free agency to the draft to training camp. The Rams released Episode 2 of this season and it mostly centered around the 2025 NFL Draft. It started out with Jared Verse receiving his Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and then transitioned into preparing for the draft, setting up at the LAFD headquarters and then making the picks. It's fascinating to see how Les Snead and Sean McVay work in the war room, with the help of Tony Pastoors and Nicole Blake when it comes to making trades and moving around the board. The Rams traded back from No. 26 to 46 in a deal with the Atlanta Falcons, and it's clear they couldn't have been more excited about getting a 2026 first-rounder in return. 'That was great. Couldn't have worked out any better,' Snead said. It's also clear the Rams were targeting Terrance Ferguson all along after trading back. 'The question is, how do we get back up in here, while staying at 46 and 90, if at all possible. Let's just say it's Ferguson, we get him,' McVay said as Day 2 was getting underway. The Rams always have complete buy-in when they draft a player, making that selection with conviction and a vision for how he's going to contribute and fit in on the depth chart. That was the case with Ferguson, as well as every other player the Rams drafted. There's no question about that with Josaiah Stewart, who McVay loves. 'This is like (Braden) Fiske and (Jared) Verse. This guy transferred up, overachiever,' he said, before excitedly saying, 'That's right, Les!' and playfully shoving his partner in crime. The Rams love the six players they came away with in this class and this behind-the-scenes footage only makes that more obvious.
