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USA Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Arizona Cardinals UDFA profile: TE Oscar Cardenas
2025 Arizona Cardinals UDFA profile: TE Oscar Cardenas What there is to know about Cardinals rookie free agent tight end Oscar Cardenas The Arizona Cardinals, following the 2025 NFL draft, signed six rookie free agents who went undrafted. They round out the 90-man offseason roster and, at the end of this week, will get their first NFL experience with rookie minicamp. Before that takes place, we will go over each player, their traits and college career, so you know more about them. We continue with UTSA tight end Oscar Cardenas TE Oscar Cardenas college career Cardenas spent six season at UTSA. He played in 65 games, starting 40 and finished as the school's all-time leader among tight ends in catches (65), receiving yards (1,138) and receiving touchdowns (9). He was a three-time all-conference selection. In 2024, he was a semifinalist for William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist given to a player with the best combination of academics, leadership and on-field performance. Dane Brugler had him as the No. 124 tight end in the draft class. NFL Draft Diamonds writes that he is a good blocker at the line of scrimmage. TE Oscar Cardenas physical traits Cardenas is 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds. He has 9 1/4-inch hands and 32 7/8-inch arms. He did not do athletic testing at his pro day, except for 22 reps of the bench press. He had a knee injury. NFL Draft Scout projects his 40 time at 4.89 seconds. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oscar Cardenas offers the Arizona Cardinals another intriguing option at tight end
Happy Wednesday one and all. The Arizona Cardinals have been busy filling out their 2025 NFL roster, and they added six undrafted free agents to their 2025 NFL Draft class. Today we start by looking at an experienced tight end from UTSA who has been a nice receiver for the Roadrunners. Advertisement More about Cardenas from the team: Cardenas (CAR-den-iss) (6-4, 265) played six seasons at the University of Texas at San Antonio and finished his career as the school's all-time leader among tight ends in receptions (65), receiving yards (1,138) and touchdowns (nine). Last season, he was a second-team all-American Athletic Conference selection and was a semifinalist for William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist given to a player with the best combination of academics, leadership and on-field performance. Cardenas appeared in 65 games (40 starts) at UTSA and was a three-time all-conference selection. From NFL Draft Diamonds: Massive size and carries it well Blocks very well on the line of scrimmage Is very athletic and has good quickness for his size Has very good hands and playmaking ability Massive size and carries it well Blocks very well on the line of scrimmage Is very athletic and has good quickness for his size Has very good hands and playmaking ability Cardenas has some intrigue, but athleticism is so limited for an NFL tight end, he will need to lose 15-20 pounds likely to be able to move enough to be more than a third tight end that is seen as a blocker. Welcome to the desert, Oscar. More from
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals add 6 rookie free agents after NFL draft
Arizona Cardinals add 6 rookie free agents after NFL draft Arizona, after drafting seven players, added 6 rookie free agents: three OL, a WR, a TE and a DL. The Arizona Cardinals added seven players in the 2025 NFL draft over the weekend. They have now added another six rookie free agents. After the draft was completed, they worked out deals with three offensive linemen, a receiver, a tight end and a defensive lineman. They announced the following players agreed to deals, pending physicals. Arizona Cardinals undrafted rookie free agent signings Florida State OL Jeremiah Byers UTSA TE Oscar Cardenas Ohio State OL Josh Fryar Wisconsin WR Bryson Green Connecticut OL Valenin Senn Tennessee DL Elijah Simmons We knew four of the additions — all but Green and Senn — by Saturday evening after the draft. Rookie free agent contracts are pretty standard. They are for three years and the league minimum. What can vary is how big a signing bonus and how much of the first year's salary is guaranteed. Fryar's deal includes $269,000 in guaranteed money in salary and signing bonus. Green's reportedly includes $264,000 guaranteed. The Cardinals, with their seven draft picks, have 86 players on the roster. The addition of these six mean that, when their deals become official, one player will need to be cut so the roster is at 91 (90 plus the international exemption of tight end Benhard Siekovits). Player bios These bios come from the Cardinals' press release. Byers (6-4, 320) appeared in 23 games (22 starts) at right tackle over the past two seasons with Florida State after playing four seasons at UTEP where he started 30-of-33 games played at right tackle. Last year with the Seminoles, he played nine games with eight starts at right tackle and was given the Bobby Bowden Leadership Award. In 2023, Byers helped Florida State win the ACC Championship while starting all 14 games. While at UTEP, he was a first-team All-Conference USA selection in 2022. Cardenas (CAR-den-iss) (6-4, 265) played six seasons at the University of Texas at San Antonio and finished his career as the school's all-time leader among tight ends in receptions (65), receiving yards (1,138) and touchdowns (nine). Last season, he was a second-team all-American Athletic Conference selection and was a semifinalist for William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist given to a player with the best combination of academics, leadership and on-field performance. Cardenas appeared in 65 games (40 starts) at UTSA and was a three-time all-conference selection. Fryar (6-5, 320) played five seasons at Ohio State (2020-24) and appeared in 54 games (30 starts). He reunites with Cardinals offensive line coach Justin Frye, who was his position coach at Ohio State the past three seasons. Last year, Fryar started all 16 games at right tackle for the National Champion Buckeyes and earned honorable mention all-Big Ten honors. He was one of only two offensive linemen to start all 16 games for Ohio State last season. In 2023, Fryar started all 13 games at right tackle for Ohio State and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. Green (6-1, 207) played the past two seasons at Wisconsin after spending the first two years of his collegiate career at Oklahoma State. He is a native of Allen, TX and played at Allen High School, the same high school as Kyler Murray. Green appeared in 42 total games and finished his college career with 97 receptions for 1,422 yards and 11 touchdowns. At Wisconsin, he played 19 games and had 49 receptions for 699 yards and four touchdowns while also adding all-Big Ten academic honors. In his first two seasons at Oklahoma State, Green played 23 games and had 48 receptions for 723 yards and seven touchdowns. Senn (6-7, 310) is a native of Volders, Austria and was a three-year starter at left tackle at Connecticut. He appeared in 41 games for the Huskies the past four years after beginning his collegiate career at Colorado. Prior to college, Senn played three seasons for the Swarco Raiders in Tirol, Austria. Last season he started all 13 games for the Huskies and helped them win the Fenway Bowl after starting all 12 games in 2023. Simmons (6-1, 334) played six seasons at Tennessee (2019-24) and appeared in 55 games, collecting 59 tackles, seven tackles for loss three passes defensed and a half sack. Known for his ability to stop the run, Simmons played all 13 games last season for Tennessee and had 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss while helping the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff. In 2023, Simmons appeared in nine games and had 19 tackles and three tackles for loss. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
New York Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why the Seahawks couldn't resist Jalen Milroe, both the player and person: ‘He's unique'
RENTON, Wash. — In February, John Schneider said that for the Seattle Seahawks to draft a quarterback this offseason, the board would have to speak to them on draft weekend. Hearing from the longtime general manager and coach Mike Macdonald on Friday night, it sounds like what spoke volumes was Jalen Milroe's game film — and his personality. Advertisement 'He's a unique, special young man, special athlete,' Schneider said. Seattle selected with Milroe, a two-year starter at Alabama, with the No. 92 pick, which the team received from the Las Vegas Raiders in the Geno Smith trade. He's the third quarterback Schneider has selected in 16 drafts with the Seahawks (Russell Wilson and Alex McGough are the others). Milroe was the third and final pick made on Friday by Seattle, which gave up pick Nos. 52 and 82 to draft safety Nick Emmanwori at No. 35, then acquired tight end Elijah Arroyo with pick No. 50. Milroe is the splash of the class. For years, Schneider has talked about the importance of drafting a quarterback every year, only to never do it, barring those two exceptions. There had to be something special about Milroe to snap the streak. There were two things, it turns out: who he is and how he plays. Speaking to the latter, Macdonald described Milroe as a defense's worst nightmare. 'Quarterbacks who can extend the play are incredibly difficult to defend,' Macdonald said. 'The worst thing in the world is you play the first (part) of the play perfectly on defense, and you're like, 'All right, sweet, we did it.' And the guy still has the ball, and you've got to defend the next play, and then sometimes a third play. 'He can kill you in the first play, he can kill you in the second play, he can kill you in the third play. It's not a fun existence to live in consistently. He has that ability.' Milroe visited Seattle ahead of the draft and loved it. Seattle loved him, too. The two sides talked football on the visit, but the other purpose of bringing him to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center was to learn about the young man under the helmet. Schneider brought up Milroe winning the William V. Campbell Trophy (also known as the Academic Heisman), his work ethic and the influence of being raised by a mother who was in the Navy and a father who was a Marine. In short, they loved Milroe the person as much as Milroe the player. Advertisement 'You feel the urgency and the passion for his vision he wants for his career, where he wants to go,' Macdonald said when asked about Milroe's visit. 'He's incredibly determined. This guy is a tireless worker, highly respected by his teammates, highly intelligent and he's just really determined to become a great player and a great quarterback.' The mental makeup of the quarterback is obviously important because of the leadership required to play the position, but more specifically, it's notable given Seattle's current setup. Milroe is not slated to be Seattle's starting quarterback. (Assuming full health, Sam Darnold will take 90 percent of Seattle's snaps this season, Macdonald said, even if Milroe could play situationally because of his mobility.) He might not even be Seattle's backup quarterback. And he might not even be QB3 until the team trades Sam Howell. Much like Russell Wilson when he arrived as a third-round pick, Milroe will have to operate with the humility to put his head down and learn from the veterans while also possessing the confidence to believe he can eventually unseat them when given the opportunity. 'I'm coming in to learn, grow and bring nothing but positive vibes to the offense and fulfill all that is (necessary) with my role on the team,' Milroe said. 'Of course, once I get there, I'll understand my niche, for sure. But ideally, I'm competing. No matter what day it is, no matter how many reps I get, I'm competing for when an opportunity presents itself at the quarterback position.' That's the humble Milroe. But he also doesn't lack confidence, either. When asked about his message to the teams that passed on him in the draft, Milroe dropped a modern-day colloquialism athletes use to express that anyone in their path has a beatdown coming. 'Belt to ass.' Advertisement Seattle's other two picks Friday were less flashy but have the potential to be more impactful in the immediate future. Seattle considered Emmanwori so special that the team nearly traded back into the first round to select him on Thursday night. 'He's been a guy our whole staff has been excited about the whole process,' Macdonald said. 'How do you watch his tape and not see the potential of what he can become?' Emmanwori's versatility will give Seattle depth at safety, and he projects similarly to Baltimore's Kyle Hamilton, an All-Pro player because of his size and ability to impact the game near the line of scrimmage as a slot defender, with the range to play at the third level and keep a lid on the defense. 'I can do it all, honestly,' Emmanwori said. 'I don't want to put myself in one box. But I think I can do it all. I can play in the back end; I can play towards the box. I can line up at nickel. I don't really want to pencil myself in. A lot of people probably have me penciled in as a box safety. 'I am a little bit more dominant towards the box, but I also can be dominant in the post.' Seattle's first-round pick, Grey Zabel, built a connection with Hall of Fame guard Steve Hutchinson. One of its second picks has a connection to another former Seahawks star: Kam Chancellor. Both Emmanwori and Chancellor were coached by Torrian Gray, a longtime Virginia Tech defensive backs coach who currently holds the same position at South Carolina. Gray used to tell Emmanwori he was very similar to Chancellor, a player once considered a 'tweener' due to his unique size for a safety. 'Kam Chancellor is one of my favorite safeties ever,' Emmanwori said. 'Used to watch him all the time on TV, used to pull up his highlights before games. It's crazy.' Even crazier: Chancellor, according to Emmanwori, sent the draft hopeful a direct message on Thursday. He told Emmanwori about his pre-draft journey, which included teams and pundits pigeonholing him as a box safety. Chancellor, of course, proved many detractors wrong, and he expressed that he looked forward to Emmanwori doing the same. Advertisement 'That was crazy,' Emmanwori said. 'One of my football idols shot me a text, shot me a follow, so it was great.' Much like the selection of Zabel, the Arroyo pick marked a deviation from Schneider's previous draft trends. He had never taken a first-round guard before Zabel, and prior to Friday night, he had never selected a second-round tight end. So, what made Arroyo different? 'This guy can run an extensive route tree,' Macdonald said. 'To have to account for a tight end body on the field and him also being able to split out wide, do 'X' receiver type of things, bigger body than we probably have right now on our roster, it just provides a ton of value. And then he's going to go in there as a tight end inline and create some of the bigger personnel formations. (That) is the vision we have for him.' Schneider began his opening remarks Friday night by declaring this a 'cool day in Seahawks history.' He was beaming when he said it, like a child who received everything on his Christmas list. Schneider had a similar grin on his face later in the evening when summarizing the feeling of landing Zabel, Emmanwori, Arroyo and Milroe. 'All four, the people, the competitors, the athletes, I can't describe it any differently other than to say they feel special,' Schneider said. 'They feel different. It's a great thing.'
New York Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Seahawks draft Alabama QB Jalen Milroe: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel
The Seattle Seahawks selected Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe with the No. 92 pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Seattle's Day 2 selection of Milroe, a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide, adds an interesting wrinkle ahead of training camp to a QB room that currently includes Sam Darnold, Drew Lock and Sam Howell. Advertisement An explosive 6-foot-2 playmaker with tantalizing, dual-threat potential, Milroe went 21-6 at Alabama after taking over for Bryce Young in 2023. Despite a down 9-4 campaign in 2024, Milroe, the recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy (awarded to the college football player with the best combination of academics, leadership and on-field performance), solidified himself as an intriguing draft prospect and green room invitee with more impressive play. Milroe turned in a career year with 2,844 passing yards, 726 rushing yards and 36 total touchdowns (16 passing and 20 rushing). The numbers eclipsed his electric first year as a starter, when he burst onto the scene as a redshirt sophomore with 2,834 passing yards, 531 rushing yards and 35 total TDs (12 rushing). The 2023 second-team All-SEC selection led the Tide (12-2) to a College Football Playoff semifinal berth, as well as a victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship, when he also earned MVP honors. Milroe ranked No. 73 in Dane Brugler's top 300 big board. Here's what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide: 'A dangerous weapon on zone reads, options and powers, Milroe is an explosive athlete with the speed to rip off big gains at any moment (20 percent of his 2024 carries resulted in gains of 10 yards or more). As a passer, the ball shoots out of his hand to drive the ball to every level, but he throws with too much heat and needs to develop his changeup. His disjointed mechanics disrupt the rhythm in his drops, which leads to inconsistent accuracy, anticipation and processing. 'Overall, Milroe is unpolished as a passer, both physically and mentally, but he is a dynamic athlete with a unique blend of speed, arm strength and intelligence, making him an intriguing developmental option for a patient coaching staff. His upside is tough to measure, but it is higher considering he has the tools to switch positions if his time at quarterback doesn't pan out.' MILROE TIGHTROPES DOWN THE SIDELINE 🔥@AlabamaFTBL x 📺 ABC — Southeastern Conference (@SEC) September 29, 2024 Come back later for more analysis of Milroe.
