Latest news with #Wehr
USA Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Could This Rookie Minicamp Tryout OL Be A Missing Link For Seahawks?
Could This Rookie Minicamp Tryout OL Be A Missing Link For Seahawks? Although John Schneider is one of the most well-respected GMs around the NFL, the main caveat of his often stellar draft performances has been the lack of successful offensive linemen. In recent years, the Seahawks have struggled mightily to find a steady group of offensive lineman that work well as a unit. They got the bookend tackles figured out in the 2022 Draft, securing a foundation of Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas that are young and effective when healthy. However, the interior has been tougher to address long-term. They drafted Anthony Bradford, a project guard with elite size and ferocity in the 4th Round of the 2023 Draft, and Christian Haynes, a seemingly well-rounded early-starter at guard in the 3rd Round of the 2024 Draft. Bradford has been injured numerous times, and hasn't moved well enough at his size to pass protect at a starter caliber level, making him a more dependable depth option. Haynes struggled to beat out UDFA Sataoa Laumea, leading Seattle to pick two more Guard prospects in the final two rounds of the 2025 Draft in Bryce Cabeldue and Mason Richman. While they'll certainly make it to the preseason, it's interesting to see the Seahawks bring in Montana State OG Marcus Wehr for a tryout. He stood out at the East-West Shrine Bowl, gaining steam as a late-round guard value as he held up against top DL prospects in 1-on-1s- similar to Seattle's 1st Round Pick Grey Zabel at the Senior Bowl. Wehr still went undrafted, but bears similarities to Zabel that could allow him to rise similarly in camp. For starters, they're both two-time FCS All-Americans, who played tackle in college, but are expected to kick inside to guard. They posted the 1st- and 2nd- ranked PFF Grades among all FCS offensive linemen who played at least 80% of their team's offensive snaps, with Zabel slightly edging Wehr out 90.4 to 89.2. They each anchored an offense who made the FCS National Championship, in which North Dakota State beat Montana State 35-32. But most of all, Zabel and Wehr are 1-on-1 warriors. While Cabeldue and Richman were drafted on athletic testing and profiles, Wehr and Zabel truly have the mean streak that you can't teach. Even though Rookie Minicamp doesn't display OL hitting in pads, Wehr has a shot to stick around until that point in Training Camp and make the OL depth decisions hard come preseason.
USA Today
21-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 NFL Draft: 10 Small-School prospects the Ravens should consider
The Baltimore Ravens have started their off-season plans. As the organization looks to regroup and keep its Super Bowl window open, it'll need to retool through the draft, and it has 11 picks in April's selection process. Every NFL Draft has numerous hidden gems that eventually emerge from the smaller colleges and universities. These under-the-radar prospects typically don't make a name for themselves until Pro Days. Plenty of small-school gems have been drafted over the years, and with the Ravens needing some retooling, here are 10 sleeper prospects who could interest Eric DeCosta. WR Efton Chism III, Eastern Washington Chism could develop into a reliable WR3/WR4 option with solid hands and short-area quickness. He wins in the slot and offers value as a return specialist. EDGE Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly Ponder tested very well at his Pro Day workout. He recorded a 4.57-second 40-yard dash time, hit 41 inches on the vertical jump, and did 24 reps on the bench press. Ponder is a very experienced prospect who has played almost 2,500 career snaps, including being a key member of the Cal Poly defense for four seasons. His most productive season came in 2023 when he recorded 51 pressures and nine sacks. According to PFF, Ponder tallied 38 pressures and seven sacks last season. CB Isas Waxter, Villanova Waxter is a big corner who won't shy away from playing the physical game against opposing receivers. During his final season at Villanova, Waxter earned Honorable Mention Associated Press FCS All-American and first-team All-Coastal Athletic Association. He was tied for sixth in the FCS with 3 FFs and played in 11 games with 10 starts (33 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 PBUs). DB Tyron Herring, Delaware He's a classic safety who has the size to match up against bigger receivers and tight ends. TE Carter Runyon, Towson Runyon is an excellent blocker, and as a receiver, he's shown the ability to work himself open against zone coverage in the underneath passing game. Last season, he became only the second player in Towson football history to head to the Hula Bowl, and he was named All-CAA First-Team tight end. OL Marcus Wehr, Montana Wehr started his career at Montana State as a defensive lineman before switching to the offensive line in 2022. In his first season, he started five games before suffering a season-ending injury. The following season, Wehr started 11 games at right tackle and one game at right guard. This past season, Wehr started all 16 games at right guard for Montana State. He's one of the best offensive linemen in the FCS, based on his accolades (All-America first team, unanimous All-Big Sky Conference first team) David Walker, OLB, Central Arkansas Walker is a highly productive FCS prospect, logging 31 sacks and 63 tackles for loss in three seasons while making numerous All-American teams. Walker was a 2024 United Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-UAC, FCS All-American, and FCS Defensive Player of the Year. LB Aaron Smith, South Carolina State Smith plays with impressive sideline-to-sideline fluidity and is arguably the top HBCU prospect in the class. OL Charles Grant, William & Mary The Ravens are looking to get younger along the offensive line and hosted several intriguing prospects on Top 30 visits. William & Mary offensive tackle Charles Grant was a two-time FCS All-American. Grant allowed just two sacks over the past three seasons combined and started his final 36 collegiate games at left tackle. Grant, a former high school wrestler, was invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl all-star game and scheduled visits with the Houston Texans, Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons. OL Nash Jones, Texas State Jones began his career at Incarnate Word before finishing it at Texas State. A versatile prospect, he played left tackle, right tackle, and left guard during his career. In 2024, he didn't allow a sack on his 458 pass-blocking snaps at left guard and also earned a 71.1 PFF run-blocking grade. DT Joe Evans, UTSA Evans began his career at LSU before landing at UTSA. A season-ending injury in 2024 limited him to five games, but in 2023, he posted a 91.2 PFF run-defense grade. OL Carson Vinson, Alabama A&M Vinson was named First Team All-SWAC for his play in 2024 and a First-Team FCS All-American. He accepted an invitation to the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl and was the lone invite from an HBCU program at the 2025 NFL Combine. Vinson plays with a physical, aggressive mentality and loves to set the tone in the run game. The North Carolina native was a four-year starter at left tackle and projects as a developmental talent at the NFL level. Vinson measured 6-6 304 pounds in Mobile and started 48 games at offensive tackle during his career.
USA Today
21-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 NFL Draft: 10 Small-School prospects the Eagles should consider
2025 NFL Draft: 10 Small-School prospects the Eagles should consider With so many under-the-radar and small-school players flourishing in the NFL, we're looking at 10 prospects for the Eagles to consider in the draft The Eagles are no strangers to targeting small-school players in the NFL draft, and the results have mostly been positive. Philadelphia analyzed Carson Wentz at the 2016 Senior Bowl, and Howie Roseman used the No. 2 pick on the former North Dakota State star. Dallas Goedert, Todd Herreman, Jeremiah Trotter, and Brian Westbrook also make the list of success stories. Plenty of small-school gems have been drafted over the years, and with the Eagles in need of some retooling, here are 10 sleeper prospects who could interest the Birds. WR Efton Chism III, Eastern Washington Chism could develop into a reliable WR3/WR4 option with solid hands and short-area quickness. He wins in the slot and offers value as a return specialist. EDGE Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly Ponder tested very well at his Pro Day workout. He recorded a 4.57-second 40-yard dash time, hit 41 inches on the vertical jump, and did 24 reps on the bench press. Ponder is a very experienced prospect who has played almost 2,500 career snaps, including being a key member of the Cal Poly defense for four seasons. His most productive season came in 2023 when he recorded 51 pressures and nine sacks. According to PFF, Ponder tallied 38 pressures and seven sacks last season. CB Isas Waxter, Villanova Waxter is a big corner who won't shy away from playing the physical game against opposing receivers. During his final season at Villanova, Waxter earned Honorable Mention Associated Press FCS All-American and first-team All-Coastal Athletic Association. He was tied for sixth in the FCS with 3 FFs and played in 11 games with 10 starts (33 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 PBUs). DB Tyron Herring, Delaware He's a classic safety who has the size to match up against bigger receivers and tight ends. TE Carter Runyon, Towson Runyon is an excellent blocker, and as a receiver, he's shown the ability to work himself open against zone coverage in the underneath passing game. Last season, he became only the second player in Towson football history to head to the Hula Bowl, and he was named All-CAA First-Team tight end. OL Marcus Wehr, Montana Wehr started his career at Montana State as a defensive lineman before switching to the offensive line in 2022. In his first season, he started five games before suffering a season-ending injury. The following season, Wehr started 11 games at right tackle and one game at right guard. This past season, Wehr started all 16 games at right guard for Montana State. He's one of the best offensive linemen in the FCS, based on his accolades (All-America first team, unanimous All-Big Sky Conference first team) David Walker, OLB, Central Arkansas Walker is a highly productive FCS prospect, logging 31 sacks and 63 tackles for loss in three seasons while making numerous All-American teams. Walker was a 2024 United Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-UAC, FCS All-American, and FCS Defensive Player of the Year. LB Aaron Smith, South Carolina State Smith plays with impressive sideline-to-sideline fluidity and is arguably the top HBCU prospect in the class. OL Charles Grant, William & Mary The Eagles are looking to get younger along the offensive line and hosted several intriguing prospects on Top 30 visits. William & Mary offensive tackle Charles Grant was a two-time FCS All-American. Grant allowed just two sacks over the past three seasons combined and started his final 36 collegiate games at left tackle. Grant, a former high school wrestler, was invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl all-star game and scheduled visits with the Houston Texans, Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons. OL Nash Jones, Texas State Jones began his career at Incarnate Word before finishing it at Texas State. A versatile prospect, he played left tackle, right tackle, and left guard during his career. In 2024, he didn't allow a sack on his 458 pass-blocking snaps at left guard and also earned a 71.1 PFF run-blocking grade. DT Joe Evans, UTSA Evans began his career at LSU before landing at UTSA. A season-ending injury in 2024 limited him to five games, but in 2023, he posted a 91.2 PFF run-defense grade. OL Carson Vinson, Alabama A&M Vinson was named First Team All-SWAC for his play in 2024 and a First-Team FCS All-American. He accepted an invitation to the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl and was the lone invite from an HBCU program at the 2025 NFL Combine. Vinson plays with a physical, aggressive mentality and loves to set the tone in the run game. The North Carolina native was a four-year starter at left tackle and projects as a developmental talent at the NFL level. Vinson measured 6-6 304 pounds in Mobile and started 48 games at offensive tackle during his career.
New York Times
26-03-2025
- New York Times
After Heathrow Debacle: Who Pays for a Ruined Vacation?
Last Friday's power outage in Heathrow Airport disrupted vacations across the world, causing countless thousands of travelers to miss prepaid reservations and forgo long-anticipated adventures. Among them were Sheila Addison, a therapist from Seattle, who missed out on a four-day whisky-tasting in the Scottish Highlands, forfeiting a $500 nonrefundable hotel room and a rare break from her work routine; Zachary Wang and friends from Brown University, who lost $260 in 'Les Misérables' tickets, $180 from an Airbnb reservation and two days of spring break in London; and Steve Wehr of Hyde Park, N.Y., who missed two days in Jordan — including the first day of a cruise — a loss of about $1,500. Who pays when your vacation gets ruined through no fault of your own? The answer, all too often, is you. Though travelers can recoup some losses through refunded flights and vouchers for meals and hotel stays, airlines generally do not pick up the tab for reservations that can't be canceled, expensive last-minute flights that must be booked, or missed family events like weddings. Unfortunately, there is no perfect way to protect yourself, but there are three imperfect ones. Here's what you can do: Find the right travel insurance Mr. Wehr does not expect to recover that $1,500 he lost by missing two days in Jordan. 'We didn't have trip insurance,' he lamented in an email. It probably wouldn't have mattered. Travel insurance is generally a 'covered peril' type of policy, meaning that the fine print has a list of events that you are covered for, like illness, hijacking and natural disasters. Guess what is almost never on there: airport power outages. 'It covers a lot. It doesn't cover everything,' said Stan Sandberg, a co-founder of an online marketplace. Companies try to update policies to match the current travel environment, he said, but only one he knew of covered what happened at Heathrow. Indeed, Travel Guard's Deluxe and Preferred plans specifically protect against airport closures caused 'by a fire or a power outage.' But they 'must result in a delay of the Insured's Trip for at least 48 consecutive hours,' according to the policy. So even if Mr. Wehr had chosen one of those plans, he would have had to show that his delay was long enough. Claims adjusters are sticklers by nature. Comparison shop on sites like or its competitor SquareMouth, and make sure the policies best cover the risks that fit your own circumstances (infirm relatives) or your destination's (hurricanes). It is usually best to avoid policies offered at checkout by airlines and online travel agencies, which are generally one-size-fits-all, and to not put too much hope into policies included with some credit cards. Another option is a Cancel for Any Reason, or CFAR, plan that typically allows you to back out of a trip, no questions asked, though you often don't get a 100 percent refund. But most require you to cancel 48 hours before the trip starts, Mr. Sandberg said — which wouldn't have helped the typical Heathrow strandee. But Iris Planamento of Manchester Township, N.J., was not typical. She was on her way to see London, Paris and Normandy with E.F. Go Ahead Tours when her flight got canceled. The company's CFAR plan is AnyReason Protection, a $75 add-on that offers trip credit, not your money back — but that expires only at airport check-in. Ms. Planamento was delighted to confirm she was covered and plans to rebook soon. 'Give a plug to the company,' she said — not a common sentiment among stranded travelers. Leave yourself enough time Losing one day of a weeklong trip to Paris is a shame, but don't ask the rest of us for sympathy. Missing a wedding or a cruise ship departure is another story. Here's a basic rule: Book flights that are scheduled to arrive at least 24 hours in advance of anything you can't miss. You'll want to extend that cushion based on a number of factors, like how crushed you'd be to miss the wedding and whether your cruise ship's next port of call is reachable by 20 daily flights or one monthly tugboat. You'll also want to consider your backup plan. If you're headed from New York to Chicago and your flight gets canceled, there's a pretty decent chance you'll be on another flight that day from the same or another area airport, or, worst case scenario, you could drive overnight. There are fewer options if you're headed from Hawaii to Dubrovnik, Croatia, to catch an island-hopping cruise. The carrier you choose matters. As you book, look at how many flights a day each airline has, and lean toward the one with the most flights, even if it's somewhat more expensive. Airlines are often very stubborn about booking you on competitors, sometimes even if they're in the same alliance. Your wallet size matters, too. Those with a financial cushion need less of a time cushion: If you'd be willing to plunk down a few grand for a new last-minute flight, a 24 hour cushion might be plenty. Fight, efficiently and politely Gloria-Jean Masciarotte's flight to London turned around midflight and returned to Boston. She and her family were able to cancel most of their plans, but 'the fly in the ointment,' she said, was their $3,146 Airbnb rental. Airbnb did not declare the outage a 'major disruptive event' — nor should they have, given the company's definition of that term. But after two days of texts and phone calls, she said, she was able to finagle a $2,730 credit. Once something does go wrong, take action. Be the person who waits in line at the customer service desk while on hold with the customer service line and writing the airline via social media. Get in touch with hotels as soon as possible to ask for a refund, but settle for a partial one. Realize that if your prepaid plans include a vacation rental, it is your host, in most cases, who must grant a refund, not the company. They also stand to lose money through no fault of their own, so be really, really nice. Actually, be nice to everyone, even if you happen to run into, say, the people in charge of Heathrow's backup power supply. They're already stressed enough. Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2025.
