Latest news with #NFLMockDraftDatabase
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
BREAKING: Steelers Add Bruising Running Back Kaleb Johnson
From Steelers Now: Kaleb Johnson, Iowa Athletics The Pittsburgh Steelers are selecting Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson with the No. 83 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are adding to their running back core after losing Najee Harris to the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, drafting Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson with the No. 83 overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Advertisement Johnson, 21, immediately fills the void left by Harris. He stands at 6-foot-1, 224 pounds and fits perfectly into offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's offense. In 2024, Johnson led the Big Ten with 1,279 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had 22 catches for 188 yards and two more scores. Kaleb Johnson, Iowa Athletics Johnson fell a bit further than expected ranked as the fifth-best running back and No. 56 overall player on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board. However, that was likely due to his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine. In Indianapolis, Johnson ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, earning himself a 64 athleticism score. That ranked 27th overall among running backs at the combine. Advertisement Johnson joins running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell in Pittsburgh, but he provides a long-term option at the position since Warren and Gainwell are both set to play on one year deals in 2025. This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: BREAKING: Steelers Add Bruising Running Back Kaleb Johnson
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ben Roethlisberger Makes Bold Prediction for Steelers Day 3 Rookie
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Jack Sawyer at practice on May 9, 2025. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sees big things in the future of Pittsburgh's fourth-round pick Jack Sawyer. The Pittsburgh Steelers passed on other positions of need to strengthen their already star-studded outside linebacker room with Ohio State's Jack Sawyer in the fourth round (No. 123) of the 2025 NFL Draft. But former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn't think they'll ever come to regret that decision. Advertisement 'You can see that that dude has every potential to be a captain at some point on this team' Roethlisberger said on the latest episode of 'Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.' 'Dude is gonna be good, I think. I almost forgot about him in the draft. When we picked him, I was like, 'Oh, I remember. Yeah, that's a good pick.'' Sawyer, 22, did come at great value ranked as the No. 67 overall player on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board. So it wouldn't be a surprise if he was the highest-rated player on Pittsburgh's board. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defender recorded 59 tackles (25 solo), nine sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception and six passes defensed while leading the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2024. Advertisement His most notable play came in the Cotton Bowl when he strip sacked Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and returned it for an 83-yard touchdown to seal the game. Jack Sawyer, Ohio State Athletics However, Sawyer is joining a very crowded room, which already includes T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. That's why many question what his impact will be as a rookie or even in the next couple of seasons. Roethlisberger is not among those, though. Instead, he thinks it will be a good thing for Sawyer's long-term development. 'I think it's great because he's going to get to learn behind some studs, maybe one of the greatest to ever play the game in T.J., Alex, who's a high-motor, high-quality, high-character guy that is a really good football player as well,' Roethlisberger said. 'And he's all for learning. He's not coming in being like, 'I'm the dude.'' Advertisement In four seasons at Ohio State, Sawyer registered 144 tackles (68 solo), 23 sacks, six forced fumbles, one interception and 10 passes defensed. This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Ben Roethlisberger Makes Bold Prediction for Steelers Day 3 Rookie
USA Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL teams told Quinn Ewers he's 'too big of a name to be a clipboard holder,' per agent
NFL teams told Quinn Ewers he's 'too big of a name to be a clipboard holder,' per agent It wasn't a huge surprise that quarterback Quinn Ewers had to wait until the final day of the 2024 NFL draft to hear his name called. But the seventh round was much later than most, including Ewers, anticipated. "It was very unexpected, and I think that the toughest part about it is just the amount of unexpected occurrences there were," Ewers told ESPN's Todd Archer last week. "But I'm glad that I ended up where I ended up. To go as late as I did, I'm glad it's a good spot." So why did the former No. 1 high school recruit have to wait until No. 231 overall before the Miami Dolphins gave him call? According to his agent, Ron Slavin, his client's fame may have played a part. Via Archer: The day after the draft, Slavin said he reached out to "half the league" to find out what happened. "They thought he was a third- or fourth-round pick, but too big of a name to be a clipboard holder," Slavin said. "Which I think is chickens---." Ewers landed in the fourth round in most mock drafts, per NFL Mock Draft Database, and the quarterback was even hopeful that Round 2 would be a possibility. But in the days after the draft, the former Texas passer has said he couldn't be happier with his landing spot. "[At Texas], we run a lot of stuff that Miami does," Ewers told reporters shortly after he was picked. "I'm excited to go into this facility, this franchise and learn kind of how they do it because I know we see it on film and we're like, OK, it looks like this is the first read, but I want to go see to the furthest extent how they teach that sort of stuff." Ewers finished his collegiate career with a 27-9 record as a starter with 9,128 passing yards, 68 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dillon Gabriel, Isaac TeSlaa and the biggest reaches of the 2025 NFL Draft
Dillon Gabriel, Isaac TeSlaa and the biggest reaches of the 2025 NFL Draft No one, from NFL executives to the most experienced expert, gets their NFL Draft board completely right. Few people, for example, could have predicted Shedeur Sanders' slide from potential top three selection to unwanted man for three straight rounds. But a massive tide of pre-draft data does help us better understand how scouts value players and who is likely to have a bigger NFL impact than others. So when a player with a seventh round grade winds up hearing his name called in Round 3, it's a rogue wave crashing across an already unpredictable sea. Thanks to the NFL Mock Draft Database, we've got a dense tome of player rankings and ratings from experts across the draft landscape. That's enough to help us understand which players may have only been valued by the teams that rose up to pick them. So who were, per expert evaluations, the biggest reaches of the 2025 NFL Draft? There's still time to add to the list, but these six players stood out on Day 2. 6. QB Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns Pick selected: Round 3, 94th overall Consensus big board rank: 178th After being linked to Shedeur Sanders in the pre-draft process, the Browns passed on the Colorado star early in rounds two and three. Then they finally dialed up a young, development quarterback… and it was Gabriel. That gave Cleveland a prolific NCAA quarterback (63 starts!) who is also 5-foot-11 and struggles to generate big plays downfield. Gabriel is a fine quarterback, but he's also 25 years old and may already have hit his peak as a gunslinger. 5. WR Pat Bryant, Cleveland Browns Pick selected: Round 3, 74th overall Consensus big board rank: 162nd Bryant went off the board before Iowa State's Jaylin Noel or Utah State's Jalen Royals, two similarly efficient college wideouts who had higher pre-draft grades than the Illinois star. But Bryant's size (6-foot-2) and continued improvement was enough to convince Cleveland his peak was still well in the future. The All-Big 10 wideout rose up to the moment in Champaign, hauling in three different game-winning touchdowns – and that clutchness helped blast him into Day 2. 4. LB Nick Martin, San Francisco 49ers Pick selected: Round 3, 75th overall Consensus big board rank: 170th Martin wasn't the best linebacker available when the Niners made their third round pick Friday night. He wasn't even the best linebacker available from the state of Tennessee. But Martin's lack of size didn't stop the Oklahoma State Cowboy from being drafted ahead of Nick Stutsman as part of San Francisco's defensive overhaul. At 6-feet and 221 pounds, he'll have to fill a hybrid role between LB and safety in Kyle Shanahan's lineup. That tweener body type makes him a risk – but one the 49ers were happy to take early. 3. WR Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions Pick selected: Round 3, 70th overallConsensus big board rank: 168The Lions dealt away two third round picks to move up and target a player many expected to linger into Day 3. TeSlaa has the athletic traits of a solid NFL starter: But those numbers haven't led to big performances against top competition. He spent two seasons at Arkansas after transferring from Division II Hillsdale. He had 62 catches and 897 receiving yards total in 25 games as a Razorback. 2. CB Justin Walley, Indianapolis Colts Pick selected: Round 3, 80th overall Consensus big board rank: 186th Walley brings oodles of experience to the Colts line after starting 40-plus games for Minnesota in four seasons. But his average size (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) and aggressive style painted him as a player who excelled in college but could struggle in the pros. After starting his draft with two solid value picks (Tyler Warren and JT Tuimaloau), general manager Chris Ballard cashed in some of his house money to pick a player with a solid resume but, potentially, limited capacity for growth. 1. CB Jaylin Smith, Houston Texans Pick selected: Round 3, 97th overall Consensus big board rank: 220th Credit to the Texans; they've done a great job identifying and developing defensive back talent lately. But guys like Derek Stingley, Jalen Pitre and Kamari Lassiter are all Day 1 or 2 draft picks who were pegged to go early. Smith, despite a solid resume, was in danger of waiting until the final round. Instead, Houston used 2025's first compensatory pick for a cornerback with three career interceptions in 43 games. He's small-but-effective… but also plays a position where the Texans are already loaded with young talent.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Drafting Tyler Shough is Saints GM Mickey Loomis's latest fireable offense
Drafting Tyler Shough is Saints GM Mickey Loomis's latest fireable offense Mickey Loomis has gotten away with a lot of terrible decisions as general manager of the New Orleans Saints, and many of them would have gotten GM's fired by more-engaged ownership. Trading a first round pick to move up for Marcus Davenport. Hiring Dennis Allen as head coach with his 8-28 Raiders record weighing him down. Restructuring Derek Carr's contract without giving him a physical first and setting $40 million on fire. His latest bad move should cost him his job. Loomis drafted quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round, which by itself isn't a notable move. But Shough spent seven years in college football with just one season of starting experience. He lost his job at Oregon to Anthony Brown, a QB who was not drafted and who is currently completing 48% of his passes for the UFL's Houston Roughnecks. He didn't last at Texas Tech, either. And his 12 starts at Louisville weren't impressive -- he only threw 23 touchdown passes along the way. The Saints told anyone who would listen that they weren't going to be pressured into reaching on a quarterback in this draft, but that was a lie. Nowhere you'd look has Shough ranked 40th overall. Not NFL Mock Draft Database, where he was ranked 70th. Not Pro Football Focus, where he was ranked 133rd. The Athletic's Dane Brugler had him at 50th. Daniel Jeremiah put him at 75. The Saints could have waited a round to get Shough but they were desperate for a quarterback so they reached on him. They were scared he wouldn't make it to their next pick at No. 71. And this should be the last decision Loomis gets to make as Saints general manager. He's wasted too many draft picks on too many busts and made too many bad signings with Gayle Benson's money to get to continue. It's beyond obvious at this point that Drew Brees and Sean Payton were responsible for the success he found; without them, his record is 49-66. Yes, it's true that Kellen Moore should get to draft his own quarterback. But if the value isn't there, and it wasn't, Loomis should step in caution against it. He didn't do that. And when taken with all of his other mistakes, it should cost him his job.
