The Daily Briefing Friday, November 18, 2022

NFC NORTH

DETROIT

Dan Pompei of The Athletic breaks down why the Lions hit on WR AMON-RA ST. BROWN as the 16^th receiver taken in the 2021 draft.  An edited version:

On a Thursday afternoon well into the season, Lions coach Dan Campbell leaves his team with some encouraging words, the circle breaks and the players make their way from the practice field to the locker room.

One player, however, isn’t going anywhere.

Amon-Ra St. Brown starts running sprints as if they are routes in a no-huddle offense. He goes about 10 yards forward, 5 yards to the left or right and 10 yards ahead before jogging back to the starting point and beginning again.

By the time he finishes the sprints, sweaty and breathing hard, he is one of the last remaining on the field. Then he walks to the sideline and turns on the Jugs machine, which makes a faint whirring sound. As the balls hit his hands, a clap and an echo.

St. Brown won’t leave the field until he catches 202 balls. He has done this almost every day since he was in high school. The number is 202 because he saw another player with good hands catching 200 balls, and he wanted to be better.

This commitment is why St. Brown, through 25 games, has caught more passes than any player in league history who was not selected in the first three rounds of the draft.

“He works like it’s the last day he’ll ever be able to play the game,” Campbell says. “Every rep he takes, he works the detail of the route. He catches and he finishes every play. There’s never a catch and then he just kind of glides through it. He’s trained himself that practice is very much game-like to him. His approach to the game is as good as I’ve been around.”

It’s almost too good. At times, Campbell acknowledges, he has to limit St. Brown’s practice reps — “save him from himself,” he says — because St. Brown wants to take every last one, and what’s most important is that he’s fresh for the game.

St. Brown understands his coach’s concerns. That’s why he sleeps eight or more hours nightly and nine or more the night before a game.

But when he pads up, he gives no thought to self-preservation.

“What makes Ra who he is isn’t what everybody sees,” says fellow Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond, who is as close to him as anyone on the team. “It’s what people don’t see.”

This is what you saw: That 40-yard dash time of 4.61. St. Brown ran the 40 at USC’s pro day in the spring of 2021, and many NFL stopwatches had him at that time. At the combine that year, 48 receivers ran faster.

This is what you didn’t see: St. Brown running his practice routes so intensely that he looks like the most challenging player to cover on the field.

St. Brown believes getting open and making plays is about more than a 40-yard dash time, so he works on his route running — really works.

His position coach, Antwaan Randle El, says St. Brown’s route running is one of his finest attributes.

“He gets in and out of routes really fast,” Randle El says. “For him to stop only takes him ‘pop-pop’ versus ‘pop-pop, pop-pop, pop-pop’ for most guys.”

He is in the upper tier of receivers at stop and start, change of direction, acceleration, body control and ability to get off the line — skills that are especially helpful in the slot, where St. Brown makes his living.

St. Brown also is proficient at theater.

“As a receiver, I feel we’re actors out there,” he says. “We have to make the DBs believe we’re doing something we’re not. If we want to go left, we have to make them think we want to go right. The whole position is almost like an art to me.”

The other way he offsets what he lacks in speed is with resoluteness, which is evident in a stare that could level a defender.

Campbell was on the receiving end of it after one of St. Brown’s first practices. Campbell told him if he wanted a job, he could have it if he earned it.

“The way he looked at me, you could tell he believed it,” Campbell says.

At USC, St. Brown was a day-one starter after being a five-star recruit. But in the NFL, 16 wide receivers were drafted before he went in the fourth round.

“I can name all 16 if you want me to,” he says.

We settle on the four he had never heard of before the draft.

“D’Wayne Eskridge, Nico Collins, Dez Fitzpatrick, Josh Palmer,” he says.

St. Brown has the 16 names written on his notebook, and he reviews them before every practice. At the end of every football Sunday, he checks the box scores to see how each did.

As Lions general manager Brad Holmes prepared for the 2021 draft, he thought more about St. Brown’s intangibles than his lack of track speed.

Before coming to Detroit, Holmes was part of the Rams front office that drafted Cooper Kupp in the third round despite Kupp running a 4.62 40-yard dash.

“It was easy to envision with Amon-Ra because we were around Kupp,” says Holmes, who had a third-round grade on St. Brown. “I’m not saying he’s Kupp, but watching him play, he reminded me of Kupp and Robert Woods. They aren’t the fastest, but they are very quick and sudden, explosive in a short area and physical.”

This is what you saw: St. Brown setting an NFL record with at least eight catches and a touchdown in eight straight games.

This is what you didn’t see: St. Brown possibly setting a record in team meetings by asking more questions than any player in Lions history.

“He’s asking questions through the meeting, and he’s asking questions afterwards,” Randle El says. “Always questions.”

– – –

When Randle El saw St. Brown throw a block that buried a defender, he started calling him “Hulk.” As far as we know, St. Brown has not been exposed to gamma rays, but like the big green fella, he is absurdly strong.

“He lifts sometimes, and I’m like, ‘Dude, you can’t be putting that much weight on the bar at this point of the season,’” Raymond says. “Nobody else is.”

Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise, given he started weight training in kindergarten and was trained by his father, a two-time Mr. Universe and three-time Mr. World.

His father also started him early on a red-meat diet. St. Brown still eats red meat daily, and he plays like it.

His affection for blocking began at Mater Dei High School when opponents belittled him and his brother Osiris, a teammate at the time. The St. Brown boys decided to punish the offending players, so they ran them over, then blocked them into a sideline bench. It was, he discovered, amusing and gratifying.

“Now I love blocking,” says St. Brown, 6-foot and 199 pounds. “It puts fear in the DB’s heart, depending on who he is. I feel I can block anyone; I don’t care who it is. I might not get it done every time, but I’m going to make sure he feels everything I have. I especially love blocking bigger guys because they always try to take it easy or think I’m not going to do much.”

The mentality reminds Randle El of his former Steelers teammate Hines Ward, known as one of the best blocking receivers ever.

“I go back to talking about a football player,” Randle El says. “That’s what Hines was. The toughness they both have, that’s the comparison. If the rules today were like back in the day, they’d be changing them because of this guy (St. Brown).”

– – –

In their first draft, Holmes and Campbell were looking for gritty, physical players who could help define their team. They found one with the 112th pick.

“He fits what we’re about,” Holmes says of the California kid who seems so at home in the city that gave us pickup trucks and muscle cars. “He just happens to play the wide receiver position. He’s a building block.”

This is what you saw: In a drill during his first padded practice as an NFL player, St. Brown responded to the aggressive tactics of Lions cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu by throwing a few haymakers.

This is what you didn’t see: St. Brown cracking up the room with a spot-on imitation of Randle El.

As the youngest of three brothers, St. Brown has been standing up for himself almost as long as he’s been standing up.

“I always had that fighter in me,” he says. “Excuse my language, but I’m no p—-. If anybody tests me, I’m not afraid to fight anyone.”

As much as he is a threat to lead the league in combativeness, St. Brown also can lighten the mood in the locker room. Raymond says he has a switch that flips.

St. Brown and Lions receiver DJ Chark have gone back and forth about the size of their heads. Chark tells St. Brown his considerable noggin reminds him of a balloon. St. Brown chirps back, saying Chark’s undersized head could fit on a dime.

When St. Brown gets a barb in, he cracks a little smile and looks back over his shoulder.

St. Brown’s eagerness to laugh, as well as his willingness to fight, makes his teammates grateful he’s on their side.

St. Brown, his father’s son in many ways, probably could have made his name on a Las Vegas stage, spray-tanned, oiled-up and posing in a front lat spread. But he has always been drawn to competing as part of a team.

Goff, who worked with St. Brown in the offseason in California, has called him a “friendly target” because he comes back to the ball, catches away from his body, understands what Goff is looking for and always is where he’s supposed to be.

St. Brown also earns his quarterback’s trust because he doesn’t often drop passes. According to Randle El, St. Brown had only two drops in 2021. His two-season catch rate of 75.6 percent is sixth best in the league among receivers with at least 80 targets, according to TruMedia.

St. Brown credits it to his work on the Jugs machine. “If I drop a ball, I’m not worried about it,” he says. “I’ve caught so many balls in my lifetime that one is not going to affect me. I’m on to the next play.”

This is what you saw: St. Brown dancing in the end zone after a 26-yard touchdown run against the Seahawks last season.

This is what you didn’t see: St. Brown practicing the dance in the Lions locker room and in his living room the week before the game.

St. Brown loves to dance. When he was a kid, he tried to imitate Michael Jackson’s moves. Now he learns his moves on TikTok. He says he can learn a dance by practicing it about 10 times. St. Brown taught Raymond to do “The Smeeze.”

When John Brown participated in bodybuilding competitions, he was a revolutionary in that he incorporated dance moves into his poses. So dancing isn’t just letting loose for his son. It’s part of being a professional.

Now St. Brown goes into every game with a dance prepared for a touchdown, which he expects to score.

His touchdown dances don’t just happen.

St. Brown makes them happen — sprint by sprint, catch by catch from the Jugs machine, question by question and crunch by crunch.

GREEN BAY

QB AARON RODGERS used to top 300 passing yards with some regularity.  No more.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

After throwing for just 227 yards on 39 attempts in Thursday night’s loss to the Titans, Rodgers has gone 16 consecutive games without reaching 300 passing yards.

Rodgers’ last 300-yard game was in Week 13 of the 2021 season against the Bears. After that he came up short of 300 yards in the final four games of the regular season, in the Packers’ playoff loss to the 49ers, and then in all 11 games this season.

This is the longest streak of consecutive games without 300 yards in Rodgers’ career.

Great quarterbacks just don’t go this long without a 300-yard game in today’s NFL: Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have each had eight 300-yard passing games since Rodgers last had one.

For that matter, bad quarterbacks don’t usually go this long without a 300-yard game: Davis Mills has had three 300-yard games since Rodgers last had one. Carson Wentz also has three. Joe Flacco has two. Josh Johnson, P.J. Walker and Zach Wilson have all had a 300-yard game more recently than Rodgers.

When the Packers signed Rodgers to his $50 million a year contract extension this offseason, they were expecting him to continue to play at an MVP level. He has actually played at about the level of a quarterback who’s about to get benched.

When you have lost six of the last seven games (and gone to overtime in the one that was a victory), you would think there would be plenty of passes and completions to get to 300.

Rodgers has thrown 35 or more passes in seven games this year, but not averaged more than 7.29 yards per attempt in any of those seven.

NFC EAST

WASHINGTON

With Republicans taking over the House and shutting down the Democrats pursuit of Dan Snyder, the political action vs. the Commanders has shifted to the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.  John Keim of ESPN.com:

The District of Columbia’s attorney general on Thursday filed a second lawsuit against the Washington Commanders, alleging that the team has cheated its residents out of “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in unreturned security deposits for season-ticket holders.

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine said in a statement that Commanders executives engaged in “egregious mismanagement and illegal conduct.”

The latest lawsuit alleges the team has held onto potential refunds to season-ticket holders whose contracts with the team had expired. It claims the team still holds “nearly $200,000 in unreturned security deposits” paid by D.C. residents.

The suit alleges that the Commanders have engaged in — and continue to engage in — misleading business practices when it comes to security deposits, making them tough to receive. It said their acts were in violation of the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act.

According to a statement from a Commanders spokesperson, the franchise has not accepted security deposits on premium tickets for more than 20 years, nor have they taken deposits for suites in “over a decade.”

The team said it began returning deposits in 2004. Ten years later, the spokesperson said that management, as part of a comprehensive review, was instructed to send notices to more than 1,400 customers who held deposits. Team management was instructed to return all security deposits requested.

The lawsuit alleges that Washington only sent out those letters to avoid violating a Virginia law regarding withheld property.

“The team engaged an outside law firm and forensic auditors to conduct an extensive review of the team’s accounts which found no evidence that the team intentionally withheld security deposits that should have been returned to customers or that the team improperly converted any unclaimed deposits to revenue,” the Commanders’ statement on Thursday said.

Racine’s office is not the only one looking into financial improprieties by the Commanders. The Virginia Attorney General’s office announced in the spring that it had opened an investigation after the House Oversight Committee had sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission following allegations of financial improprieties by a former Washington employee. The team strongly refuted the charges.

Also, on Nov. 2, ESPN reported that the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia has opened a criminal investigation into allegations that the Commanders engaged in financial improprieties.

Unstated is whether any individual or entity, much less one headquarters or living in the District, has actually complained about not being able to get their deposit back.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

The Chiefs have put WR MECOLE HARDMAN on IR.  Tyler Sullivan of CBSSports.comon his unusual injury:

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without deep threat Mecole Hardman for the next month. The club announced Thursday that it has placed the wideout on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least the next four weeks.

Hardman already missed Kansas City’s Week 10 matchup with the Jaguars due to an abdomen injury, and now the earliest he’d be eligible to return to game action would be Week 15 against the Texans. Over the next four weeks, the Chiefs will travel to L.A. to face the Chargers, host the Rams, take on the Bengals in Cincinnati and play the Broncos at Mile High.

Hardman was coming off his best game of the season when he caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown against the Titans in Week 9. He’d also been on a three-game touchdown streak that’ll now be put on pause for the foreseeable future.

As it relates to Week 11, the Chiefs may be shorthanded at the receiver position. Along with Hardman landing on IR, JuJu Smith-Schuster has missed back-to-back practices due to a concussion. However, fellow wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling did return to practice on a limited basis Thursday after missing Wednesday’s session due to an illness.

The club also has Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson at receiver on the 53-man roster.

AFC SOUTH

TENNESSEE

The Titans had a great offensive showing in Green Bay on Thursday night, with a vibrant game plan and effective passing.  OC Todd Downing apparently celebrated too much on the plane going home.  Terry McCormick of Titans Insider:

Tennessee Titans Offensive Coordinator Todd Downing was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and speeding early Friday morning in Williamson County, hours after the Titans 27-17 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

According to a source, the Tennessee Highway Patrol confirmed that Downing was pulled over at 3:49 a.m. He was was taken into Williamson County jail at 4:39 a.m. and released from custody at 6:46 a.m. this morning, according to the app Mobile Patrol. 

Downing could be subject to suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, which states that a first offense DUI could be punishable by a three-game suspension without pay.

Titan Insider reached out to the Titans for comment but has not received a comment back from them. Head coach Mike Vrabel is scheduled to have a Zoom media session at 11:30 a.m.

Downing’s offense had one of its better games of the season Thursday night in Green Bay as quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 22 of 27 passes for 333 yards and a pair of scores. Included in those yards was the first 100-yard receiving game in the career of rookie receiver Treylon Burks.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

With a Snow-magedeon predicted for Buffalo, the NFL moves the Bills Sunday home game to Ford Field in Detroit.  Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com with a full report:

The Buffalo Bills’ home game against the Cleveland Browns is being relocated to Detroit due to a winter storm with lake effect snow that is expected to hit western New York over the next couple of days.

The game remains scheduled for 1 p.m. ET Sunday.

The Buffalo area is expected to get up to five feet of snow from Thursday night through Saturday night, with thunder and other inclement conditions also expected.

The team said the decision to move the game from Highmark Stadium was done “in consultation with the Buffalo Bills and local and state authorities as the region prepares for the storm.” The final decision came from the league office, but there has been communication with all parties involved.

Wind gusts are also expected to make traveling more difficult. It is not expected to be snowing during the actual time the game is scheduled to take place.

“The decision to move the game to Detroit has everything to do about safety,” Bills executive vice president and chief operating officer Ron Raccuia said. “Safety first has been what we’ve been talking about here, really for the last 48 to 72 hours.”

Moving the game was not finalized until Thursday afternoon, with the Bills practicing outside Thursday in anticipation of the game. The team did practice in its indoor fieldhouse Wednesday.

The Bills were hoping to keep as normal a schedule as possible for an away game but canceled practice Friday due to the weather and are meeting virtually. They plan to fly to Detroit on Saturday, return to Buffalo on Sunday after the game, if weather allows, and have a short practice week before heading back to Detroit to play the Lions on Thanksgiving.

“[Coach] Sean [McDermott] does a great job of messaging and making sure our guys understand it’s still going to be a football game,” Beane said. “Everything else is the same. It’s a short flight. We’re going to try to keep it as routine as possible. Is it a little disruption? Yes. But I think our guys are pros. They understand it.”

The team is planning to use the visitors side of everything in Ford Field so that it is the same when they return for the game four days later.

League spokesperson Brian McCarthy confirmed that the move had nothing to do with the Bills’ stadium being an outdoor facility without a dome and said the priority is that resources are not diverted from the community.

The decision was made in part to have resources available for other needs in the community and for the safety of people in the area and fans. The team had a major snow game in Orchard Park in 2017, and the Bills beat the Colts in overtime 13-7.

Buffalo had a home game against the New York Jets moved to Ford Field in November 2014 due to a snowstorm. The Bills won that game 38-3. That game was pushed back to Monday after being scheduled for a Sunday, but the Bills’ Thanksgiving game in Detroit makes the schedule this year less flexible.

With the news that the Browns-Bills game has been moved from Buffalo to Detroit, all previous bets made on the game are voided, per Caesars Sportsbook’s house rules.

The total, which moved from 47.5 to 42 (it had risen to 43 when the bets were voided) before the site change, attracted significant betting interest all week. The Browns-Bills under got more bets than any team to cover the spread besides Thursday night’s game between the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers. It’s rare that totals attract more bets than the point spread.

With the game now in Detroit, Caesars Sportsbook is listing Buffalo as a 7.5-point favorite and the game has a total of 48.

Those with tickets to the game in Orchard Park will have their money reimbursed. New presale tickets for the game in Detroit will go on sale at 2 p.m. ET Friday for a cheaper price than normal game tickets with Bills season-ticket holders and fans getting first access.

“We are hoping for this to be still a home-field advantage away,” Beane said. “Luckily, it’s not across the country. We know Bills Mafia is all over, and hopefully those that are in Michigan area will definitely come, and hopefully the ones here that want to get out of the snow will drive over there.”

Buffalo also is dealing with several illnesses on the team. Three players — defensive back Cam Lewis, wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips — missed Thursday’s practice with illnesses. Beane confirmed that the players are dealing with an illness other than COVID-19 and are expected to be back for the flight to Detroit.

With the loss of this week’s home game, the Bills will not play in Orchard Park again until Dec. 11 against the Jets.

We see that they think they are flying, but if the Bills are allowed to pass through Canada by medical authorities, it would normally be about a 4 ½ hour drive to Detroit.  If compelled to go south around the bottom of Lake Erie, about 6 hours.

Cleveland to Detroit can be done on the ground in under 3 hours.

NEW YORK JETS

QB ZACH WILSON is feeling feisty as he gets ready to take on fellow Class of 2021 QB MAC JONES.  Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:

For the first time in his young career, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was subjected to intense criticism following his three-interception game against the New England Patriots on Oct. 30.

Preparing for the rematch Sunday, Wilson, perhaps emboldened by a nice rebound performance, took a swipe at his critics.

Asked to recall his emotions from the previous New England game, Wilson said Thursday, “I thought they were good emotions. I mean, I was frustrated. I still believe that nobody outside of this building knows what they’re talking about.”

Wilson threw for a career-high 355 yards and two touchdowns in that game, but that was overshadowed by the turnovers that undermined the Jets in their 22-17 loss.

The former No. 2 overall pick quieted much of the noise with his best game of the year in the Nov. 6 upset of the Buffalo Bills, but Wilson’s coach still seems chafed by the fallout from the New England game. Robert Saleh said people are “holding him hostage” for a few bad plays.

“From a narrative standpoint, to try to attack a young man for four or five plays that are four or five teachable moments, in my mind, I think we’re missing the big picture on it,” Saleh said. “That’s all.”

The stakes are huge as the AFC East rivals meet again. The Jets (6-3) would move into first place with a win over the Patriots (5-4) at Gillette Stadium.

Wilson has yet to solve the Patriots. In three starts, including an injury-shortened game, he has seven interceptions and only two touchdown passes. The Jets failed to score more than 17 points in any of those games, all losses.

“I don’t necessarily feel like I have to prove anything, like, ‘Last game didn’t go great and I have to do something different this time,'” Wilson said.

Wilson said he learned a lot from the previous meeting. Such as: “When I throw the ball away, I’ve got to throw the ball away” — a reference to a careless interception in which he threw it to safety Devin McCourty while attempting to sail it out of bounds.

Another interception by McCourty came when Wilson forced the ball downfield into coverage, trying to make something out of nothing.

Another lesson learned.

“Even in a moment of feeling like you want to make a play and have something happen, you can’t just throw a ball up like I did,” Wilson said.

To his credit, he rebounded with a clean game against the Bills — 18-for-25, 154 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. It was the Jets’ biggest win in seven years.

Wilson is 5-1 since returning from a preseason knee injury and, even though he hasn’t posted gaudy passing numbers, he has avoided interceptions in four of his six starts.

“This kid is very, very resilient,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “He cares about winning football games, he cares about getting as good as he can possibly be, he cares about his teammates. It’s cliché, but I swear by it, and that’s why I believe in this kid so much, because he is extremely resilient.”

THIS AND THAT

2^nd YEAR STARS

Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders has his best 2^nd-year players by position – and JUSTIN FIELDS of the Bears is NOT his quarterback:

I’ve picked out a top player at each position based on a combination of advanced stats from Football Outsiders, ESPN Stats & Information and Sports Info Solutions. Some players make great strides in Year 2 after a forgettable Year 1, and others just continue the momentum they built.

These are the players having the best second seasons through the halfway point of the 2022 campaign.

QUARTERBACK

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Your choice for the best second-year quarterback comes down to how much you value a signal-caller’s ground gains compared with his passing ability.

Lawrence has had a very typical second-year season, with an expected improvement. He’s a normal quarterback, mostly gaining yardage through the air — he ranks 16th in both Football Outsiders’ passing DVOA and ESPN’s Total QBR.

Then there is Justin Fields, whose running ability is dynamic and game-changing. Total QBR really likes quarterback rushing because those runs tend to have very high EPA (expected points added) value. So QBR has Fields higher than Lawrence, putting him 11th overall.

However, Fields has not been a good passer overall this year — at all. He ranks dead last in passing DVOA among qualifying quarterbacks and 31st in the passing value incorporated into QBR. Even since he started playing much better in a Week 7 win over New England, Fields still has minus-8.7% passing DVOA. If Fields can play like this the rest of the season, the running value will more than outweigh that slightly below-average passing performance.

But if we’re naming an all-sophomore team based on the whole season so far and not just the past month, I’m going to give the quarterback slot to Lawrence.

RUNNING BACK

Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

Football Outsiders stats put Stevenson and Jacksonville’s Travis Etienne Jr. very close together.

Etienne has 94 combined rushing and receiving DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement), while Stevenson has 63. However, Sports Info Solutions’ total points metric loves Stevenson, rating him the No. 3 running back of the season, behind Josh Jacobs and Nick Chubb.

What does total points see about Stevenson’s 2022 performance? First of all, if yards before contact is any indication, Etienne is getting better blocking. After all, ESPN’s analytics has the Patriots at a dismal 31st in run block win rate. Etienne averages 2.8 yards before contact and 2.7 yards after contact. Stevenson averages just 1.4 yards before contact but a higher 3.4 yards after contact. In addition, Stevenson has more receiving production on fewer routes run, with 1.43 yards per route run compared with 1.19 YPRR for Etienne.

It’s worth noting that both Stevenson and Etienne are probably not quite as good as they have looked this year, as each back has faced a fairly easy schedule of opposing run defenses.

WIDE RECEIVER

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

Waddle is impressive in standard stats, with 51 catches for 878 yards and six touchdowns. He’s even more impressive in our advanced metrics, currently No. 1 in receiving DVOA (value per play) and No. 2 in receiving DYAR (total value) behind teammate Tyreek Hill. They would be the first pair of teammates to finish 1-2 in receiving DYAR since Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne in 2006.

I will note that Ja’Marr Chase (75) and DeVonta Smith (69) do better than Waddle (65) in ESPN analytics’ new Receiver Tracking Metrics. But it’s hard to argue with just how productive Waddle has been through the first half of this season.

TIGHT END

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

The Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth has more catches and yards than Pitts this season, and he ranks above Pitts in Football Outsiders’ DVOA and DYAR stats.

However, the Football Outsiders stats are based on all targets, and Pitts’ problem is that he gets thrown a lot of uncatchable balls. Sports Info Solutions lists Pitts with only 29 catchable passes on 53 targets. Freiermuth has 41 catchable passes on 55 targets. Part of the difference is where they are getting these passes thrown to them. Freiermuth’s average depth of target is 8.3 yards, a little higher than the average for tight ends (6.9). But Pitts’ average depth of target is 14.7 yards, by far the highest among tight ends. So Pitts is making fewer catches, but he’s doing it on much more difficult passes.

Pitts also has significantly improved his run-blocking this season, lining up more often as a standard in-line tight end and playing a role in the Atlanta running game, which ranks eighth in the NFL in DVOA.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions

We’ll take Sewell narrowly over Minnesota’s Christian Darrisaw because he’s been the better all-around blocker this season. Sewell ranks 22nd in pass block win rate and 19th in run block win rate among tackles. Darrisaw is better on runs (11th in RBWR) but much lower on passes (43rd in PBWR). The one downside on Sewell is that he has five penalties, while Darrisaw only has one.

INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE

Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs

Humphrey ranks third among all centers in ESPN’s PBWR and second in RBWR. He’s earned only two penalties, while Sports Info Solutions has only charged him with nine blown blocks — and only three on pass plays.

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE

Osa Odighizuwa, Dallas Cowboys

This is not the strongest position for the class of 2021. Christian Barmore is probably the best of last year’s interior defensive linemen, but he has played only three games this year due to injury. Odighizuwa is clearly having the best season out of the healthy defensive linemen. He’s not racking up tons of stats — just two sacks, six hurries and 17 run tackles — but he plays an important role in a very good defense.

EDGE RUSHER

Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

The only question with Parsons is whether we should be listing him as an edge rusher or an off-ball linebacker. As a rookie, he played more off the ball. This year, he’s been more of an edge rusher. Parsons is tied for sixth in the league with 8.0 sacks. He leads all defenders with a 30.1% PRWR and 37 hurries, according to ESPN Stats & Information charting.

OFF-BALL LINEBACKER

Nick Bolton, Kansas City Chiefs

Pete Werner of the New Orleans Saints has improved this year and is the better linebacker in coverage, with just 4.0 yards allowed per target.

But Bolton has been the better linebacker overall. He has a role in a higher percentage of his team’s plays (17% vs. 15% for Werner) and fewer broken tackles (just two vs. seven for Werner). He also has 16 defeats — a stat combining turnovers, tackles for loss and plays to prevent conversion on third or fourth down. Werner has 10.

CORNERBACK

Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos

This is a much harder choice than you might realize because Tyson Campbell of the Jaguars has been phenomenal this year. Compare Campbell to Surtain, according to Sports Info Solutions charting:

PLAYER                       TEAM   G          TGT/G  C%       YD/TGT            INT       RUN TKL

Tyson Campbell JAX      10         4.6        46%      5.2                      2        15

Pat Surtain II                  DEN    9          3.9        43%      3.4                      0        6

Which is worth more? Campbell’s two interceptions and bigger role in stopping the run? Or Surtain’s lower yardage allowed and slightly better ability to prevent quarterbacks from throwing his way in the first place? I lean toward Surtain, who is part of a better overall defense in Denver, but this is really close, and both players deserve All-Pro consideration.

SAFETY

Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco 49ers

You may remember Hufanga from our preseason Top 25 Prospects list of lower-drafted players ready for a breakout. And he certainly has broken out big, making big plays right from the start of the 2022 season. Hufanga leads all defensive backs this year with 15 defeats. He’s second among safeties in Sports Info Solutions’ Total Points metric, behind only Budda Baker of the Cardinals. Hufanga excels against both passes (5.1 yards allowed per target) and runs (average depth of tackle just 3.7 yards, second among safeties with at least 20 run tackles).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Zech McPhearson, Philadelphia Eagles

None of the second-year specialists really deserve accolades this season. Evan McPherson was a hero of the Bengals’ AFC Championship run last season but has negative value on field goals and extra points this season. So does Detroit kicker Riley Patterson. Pittsburgh punter Pressley Harvin is near the bottom of the league in gross punt average.

So, let’s bring some attention to Eagles cornerback Zech McPhearson, who currently has seven special teams tackles, one behind the league leaders.

2023 DRAFT

Todd McShay of ESPN.com offers his top 32 players in the 2023 draft:

We’re nearing the end of the 2022 college football regular season, and the 2023 NFL draft is a little over five months away. A lot will change over the rest of the season and during the pre-draft process in terms of how the top prospects stack up and who is considered a first-round talent, but this class is loaded. We’re talking franchise quarterbacks, playmaking offensive stars, sack-happy edge rushers and ball-hawking defensive backs.

I ranked my top 32 prospects for the 2023 class, which includes a handful of quarterbacks who I think can be NFL starters. Grades for each player are listed, too, along with previous rankings from my last update in early October. Let’s dive in, starting with a standout edge rusher.

Note: Underclassmen are marked with an asterisk.

1. Will Anderson Jr., OLB, Alabama*

HT: 6-foot-4 | WT: 243 pounds | Grade: 96 | Prev. rank: 1

Anderson’s combination of an explosive first step and quick, powerful hands is dangerous, and he has fast eyes like a quarterback. He frequently wins by overpowering blockers, but he’s capable of winning one-on-ones in a multitude of ways. Against the run, he excels in stacking, locating, disengaging and pursuing relentlessly. And there aren’t enough good things to say about his instincts for the game. Anderson has eight sacks (tied for 10th in the nation), 18.5 tackles for loss (fourth), 39 pressures (tied for first) and 16 run stops (tied for 10th). He has 32.5 career sacks and 65 tackles for loss over 38 career games.

2. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama*

HT: 6-0 | WT: 194 | Grade: 94 | Prev. rank: 4

A fast processor, Young shows very good ball placement on the perimeter at all three levels, and he has the ability to lead receivers to yards after the catch. His advanced understanding of the QB position really stands out on tape. He is sudden with quick feet and a fast release. However, he needs to improve his consistency on anticipation throws over the middle of the field, and durability at his size will be a concern for many NFL teams.

While he is a pocket passer first, he has the mobility to generate more production with his feet — and his ability to extend plays and create is the biggest reason he has jumped ahead of C.J. Stroud this season. On the season, Young has 2,443 passing yards, 22 TD throws and just four interceptions, and his 83.0 Total QBR is 10th in the country.

3. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State*

HT: 6-3 | WT: 218 | Grade: 94 | Prev. rank: 3

Stroud has excellent instincts and shows solid decision-making. He sees the entire field at an NFL level and trusts his fast eyes. While his ball placement is a bit inconsistent at times, Stroud has a large catalog of remarkably accurate throws under pressure, and his touch and timing are outstanding. He has a smooth delivery with good arm strength. Through 10 starts this season, Stroud has the nation’s best Total QBR at 90.8. He also has 2,750 passing yards, 34 touchdown throws (most in the FBS) and four interceptions.

4. Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia*

HT: 6-3 | WT: 300 | Grade: 94 | Prev. rank: 2

Carter has battled injuries this season but has made a big impact since returning from a knee injury. He fires off the ball with a quick first step, and he shows very good torso flexibility and excellent strength to advance his rush while engaged. He has every tool in the box necessary to emerge as a top-tier NFL pass-rusher early in his career, even if the sack totals aren’t there yet (two this year and three in 2021). He’s highly adept at working the edges of offensive linemen and is very efficient with his hands and angles. Against the run, he’s active and disciplined, and he rarely gets stalemated in one-on-one situations. He has been limited to 126 snaps this season and has 22 tackles, nine pressures, three run stops and a forced fumble.

5. Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson*

HT: 6-5 | WT: 275 | Grade: 93 | Prev. rank: 6

With 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 17 pressures in 2022, Murphy drives back offensive tackles when rushing the passer — and he’s effective ripping under the tackle’s inside arm and powering upfield. He takes too wide an arc at times, but he has the bend and closing burst to win with speed off the edge. His strength, quickness and active hands make him a problem when he kicks inside, too, though he doesn’t always seem to have a plan or counter ready. Murphy also has experience dropping in coverage (two pass breakups this season) and shows the strength and length to stack and shed offensive tackles defending the run (five run stops). His tape is a little inconsistent, but he has an impressive tool box.

6. Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson*

HT: 6-5 | WT: 305 | Grade: 93 | Prev. rank: 8

There’s no denying the talent on Bresee’s tape despite just 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss this season. He is a dominant run defender with the upper-body strength to stack and shed. He also has the quick hands and feet to slip and split blockers. He locates the ball quickly and is an effective tackler, too. Bresee is powerful and flashes as a hands fighter when rushing the passer (12 pressures), and he’s effective running stunts and getting his hands up in passing lanes (two pass breakups). He missed some time earlier this season for a kidney infection and personal reasons.

7. Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State*

HT: 6-6 | WT: 321 | Grade: 92 | Prev. rank: Outside top 32

Fashanu is a third-year sophomore who started just one game before becoming the Nittany Lions’ starting left tackle this season. I just recently really dug into his tape, and it’s impressive. He has the length, quickness and foot speed to develop into an elite pass-blocker — though he does set high and initially give too much ground at times. Fashanu is quick enough to get into position and strong enough to move defenders off the ball in the run game, and he has the range and footspeed to develop into an effective zone blocker.

He’s developing quickly and seems to improve with each game, but he’s not a technician at this point, and his hand placement is still a bit inconsistent. Fashanu hasn’t given up a sack in his career, and he has allowed just one pressure.

8. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas*

HT: 6-0 | WT: 220 | Grade: 92 | Prev. rank: 5

Robinson is a patient runner with quick feet and excellent burst through the hole. He has outstanding contact balance and the core strength to push the pile. Robinson makes defenders miss both at the line of scrimmage and in space, evidenced by his FBS-leading 69 forced missed tackles. He’s also an effective route runner, a natural hands catcher and a threat after the catch. But he needs to improve his pass protection. He has 1,158 rushing yards (10th in the country) and 12 rushing TDs (tied for 16th).

9. Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia*

HT: 6-2 | WT: 210 |Grade: 92 | Prev. rank: 12

A former track sprinter in high school, Ringo has outstanding top-end speed. He has an excellent catch radius and the elite length to bat down passes when reaching around receivers. But his route recognition and eye discipline are still works in progress, and while he shows flashes of reading receivers’ routes in man-to-man, he looks lost too often in zone. In run support, Ringo has ideal size and length to keep blockers off his frame and to lasso ball carriers in space. He has 25 tackles, one interception and a pair of pass breakups on the year.

10. Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech

HT: 6-6 | WT: 275 | Grade: 92 | Prev. rank: 31

Wilson has great length and finishing power. He can shoot his hands and overpower pass-blockers, and while he doesn’t have elite bend, he has improved as a hands fighter. Wilson displays the strength to stack blockers and set a hard edge against the run, and he chases with good effort and flashes good stopping power. The Texas A&M transfer has seven sacks, 73 tackles, 15 tackles for loss (tied for eighth in the country), 34 pressures (fourth) and 15 run stops (tied for 14th) on the season.

11. Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State*

HT: 6-6 | WT: 310 | Grade: 92 | Prev. rank: 11

Johnson started all 13 games at guard last year but moved to left tackle for 2022. And he has excelled there, allowing just five pressures and zero sacks in nine starts. His footwork and hand placement have improved, and he has a quick set with balance. When he lands his punch, it jars defensive linemen. He’s an easy mover when mirroring and sliding, and he shows excellent lower-body flexibility. As a run blocker, Johnson fires out of his stance quickly, and as long as he latches on properly with inside leverage, he has the strength to move defenders off the line.

12. Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern*

HT: 6-4 | WT: 315 | Grade: 91 | Prev. rank: 18

Over 31 career starts at left tackle, Skoronski has allowed just three sacks and “blown” 11 run blocks. He’s sudden with elite mirror-slide quickness in pass pro, he has excellent quickness in his set, and he’s almost always in balance. Skoronski shows patience and has a lot of snap in his punch. He does a great job of keeping his hands inside and generating leverage with his placement. As a run-blocker, he takes excellent angles, has vast range and is fundamentally sound. He’s not an overpowering run-blocker but almost always gets into great position, stuns with initial contact and has enough technique and lower-body flexibility to get movement with good torque.

13. Will Levis, QB, Kentucky

HT: 6-3 | WT: 232 | Grade: 91 | Prev. rank: 7

A transfer from Penn State, Levis has a relatively quick release, and the ball jumps off his hand. He has a strong arm to drive the ball outside the hashes and vertically, but he’s more consistent with ball placement when he’s driving it on a rope than he is on touch throws that require him to layer the ball. He is light on his feet and shows good agility eluding the rush, knowing when to climb or slide to extend, but he has taken 34 sacks on the season.

I’d like to see more reps featuring full-field progression reads and downfield anticipatory throws, and he needs to cut down on the interceptions (nine in nine games this season, and 13 in 2021). The decision-making remains a problem that will need to be coached up in the NFL. He has 2,012 passing yards and 16 touchdown throws while completing 66.1% of his passes.

14. Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame*

HT: 6-4 | WT: 265 | Grade: 91 | Prev. rank: 10

Mayer’s best traits are his toughness and strength after the catch. He’s a bulldozer with the ball in his hands, and he generates yards by breaking tackles and carrying defenders. Of his 647 receiving yards, 280 have come after the catch. He is not a speedster but shows a lot of savvy setting up defenders at the top of stem and locating soft spots in zone. Mayer also has a big catch radius and reliable hands, and he does a very good job adjusting to the ball outside his frame. He has an edge as a blocker, too, though his technique is still a work in progress. Mayer has seven TD catches this season.

15. Jordan Addison, WR, USC*

HT: 6-0 | WT: 175 | Grade: 91 | Prev. rank: 9

After transferring from Pittsburgh, Addison has 40 catches for 587 yards and seven trips to the end zone for the Trojans. He has the second gear to stretch the field and can win 50-50 balls downfield even though he has a slight frame. He’s an instinctive open-field runner with good burst, and he flashes good contact balance for his size. Addison is not a nuanced or polished route runner, but he consistently separates thanks to his burst and fluidity. He returned to the field last Friday against Colorado after missing two games because of a lower-body injury.

16. Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU*

HT: 6-4 | WT: 215 | Grade: 91 | Prev. rank: 23

Johnston can stretch the field with his speed and then has the body control and catching radius to win 50-50 balls. He’s not as dangerous after the catch but flashes good contact balance (22 forced missed tackles). He runs away from coverage on crossers and locates pockets over the deep middle working against zone looks, but he’s a little tight and struggles to separate on sharp breaking outfits.

Johnston has 716 yards and five TD catches on 45 receptions. After starting the 2022 season with four straight TD-less outings of under 50 receiving yards, he has now gone over 60 yards and caught a touchdown in five of his past six.

17. Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon*

HT: 6-2 | WT: 201 | Grade: 91 | Prev. rank: 24

Gonzalez was a two-year starter at Colorado before transferring to Oregon, and he has an impressive blend of size, length and speed. There’s room for improvement when it comes to turning to locate the ball, but he’s an effective press corner. Gonzalez is strong and long enough to reroute receivers, and he’s fast enough to stay in their back pocket. He can also get off blocks and flashes good stopping power as a tackler. And he’s versatile enough to line up over the slot and play safety, though he fits best on the outside. Gonzalez has three interceptions (tied for 24th in the country) and seven pass breakups.

18. Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State*

HT: 6-2 | WT: 198 | Grade: 90 | Prev. rank: 20  

Porter is instinctive and excels in press-man but also shows the recognition skills necessary in zone coverage. He has fast eyes when diagnosing screens and runs, and he uses his long arms, solid technique and physicality to reroute receivers off the line of scrimmage. He also plays with very good body control, but he does have some tightness and tends to get handsy when he feels himself getting out of phase. Porter knows when to attack the receiver and when to attack the ball, too. His 11 pass breakups are tied for 11th in the nation, though he is still looking for his first pick of the year.

19. Brian Branch, S, Alabama*

HT: 6-0 | WT: 193 | Grade: 90 | Prev. rank: Outside top 32

Branch has 60 tackles (six for loss), seven pass breakups, seven pressures, six run stops and two sacks on the season, impacting multiple areas of the game. He is just a complete football player, with the ability to play in the box, line up as a single-high safety or hold up in a lot of one-on-one matchups. Branch has great natural instincts and supports the run like a linebacker. And his versatility will be a big asset in the NFL.

20. Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa*

HT: 6-5 | WT: 269 | Grade: 90 | Prev. rank: Outside top 32

Van Ness has followed up his seven-sack 2021 season with six more in 2022, along with 23 pressures, 11.5 tackles for loss and nine run stops over 10 games. He is an excellent pass-rusher who continues to improve with more game experience — he has only 24 career games. Van Ness has the length, quickness and power to make a difference at the next level, and he can play inside or outside.

21. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama*

HT: 5-11 | WT: 200 | Grade: 90 | Prev. rank: Outside top 32

Gibbs — who transferred in from Georgia Tech — is an elusive runner who can stop and start in a hurry, with the vision to string together multiple cuts (43 forced missed tackles). He has good burst out of those cuts and solid balance to absorb contact but lacks a second gear to run away from defenders in space. Gibbs does get a little impatient at times and bounces too many carries to the outside. He is also a reliable pass-catcher who can adjust to throws outside his frame and transition upfield quickly — but his pass protection technique needs work.

He has turned 119 carries into 774 rushing yards (6.5 per rush) and six TDs, but Gibbs has truly popped in the pass game, hauling in 40 of 49 targets for 370 yards and another three TDs.

22. Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina*

HT: 6-0 | WT: 188 | Grade: 90 | Prev. rank: 19

Smith is a versatile defensive back with experience on the boundary, at nickel and at safety, and he’s at his best in zone coverage. He is highly instinctive and frequently gets early jumps by reading quarterbacks’ eyes, and he shows excellent foot quickness and fluid hips. Smith is a ballhawk (one interception, five pass breakups this season) with excellent vertical leap, length and soft hands, and he does a great job of using waist-up technique to knock the ball free when in the trail position with his back to the quarterback. But he frequently gets too handsy at the top of receivers’ stems.

23. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State*

HT: 6-1 | WT: 200 |  Grade: 89 | Prev. rank: 17

With just 42 routes and 43 yards in three games, Smith-Njigba has been limited this season by a hamstring injury. But he is extremely agile with precise route-running skills and has a great feel for soft spots in zone. He tempos his route stems like a pro and is very quick getting in and out of cuts, frequently gaining separation with acceleration. Smith-Njigba also shows soft hands and very good body control, though he tends to be a body catcher. He shows good lateral agility and can string multiple cuts together to make multiple defenders miss in space.

24. Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M*

HT: 6-3 | WT: 195 | Grade: 89 | Prev. rank: 26

Often playing the big nickel position, Johnson has good coverage instincts when diagnosing route combinations. His leverage in underneath zone is good — though he has little experience playing as a single-high safety — and he has fast eyes that read receivers’ routes. Johnson can carry most one-on-ones with tight ends down the field due to his quickness, agility and length, and he has an impressive closing burst once the ball is in the air. He’s aggressive in run defense and has excellent tackling form.

Johnson has been limited to seven games this season, returning Saturday with 10 tackles against Auburn. He has 56 tackles — including four for loss — and a forced fumble on the season.

25. O’Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida*

HT: 6-5 | WT: 347 | Grade: 89 | Prev. rank: 28

Torrence started in 36 games at Louisiana before transferring to Florida (eight more starts). He’s a wide-based blocker who rarely gives up ground to powerful rushers, but he lacks ideal mirror-and-slide agility and can get in trouble with mobile 3-techniques. He hasn’t given up a sack since 2019, and he has allowed just six pressures over nearly 1,000 pass-blocking snaps since then. As a run-blocker, Torrence does a great job of latching on and controlling defensive linemen while moving laterally in zone-blocking scheme, though his second-level range is only average.

26. Nolan Smith, OLB, Georgia

HT: 6-3 | WT: 235 | Grade: 89 | Prev. rank: 15

Smith is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, finishing with three sacks, seven tackles for loss and 16 pressures in eight games. As a pass-rusher, Smith has obvious upside but is very raw. He has an effective outside-in move and is able to occasionally get offensive tackles off-balance with effective stop-start moves. He has very good closing burst to the quarterback, quick hands and some snap, too, but he frequently lacks a plan and simply tries to win with speed. He also lacks the strength to threaten with power, which allows offensive tackles to overcompensate to deal with his speed. Smith is a menacing run defender, though. He explodes off the snap and creates a lot of havoc with how quickly he penetrates the backfield.

27. Jared Verse, DE, Florida State*

HT: 6-4 | WT: 251 | Grade: 88 | Prev. rank: 29

The snap in Verse’s hips and hands jumps out on tape, and he’s at his best overwhelming offensive tackles with speed-to-power when rushing the passer. The Albany transfer mixes in an effective inside move and can beat interior offensive linemen clean when he kicks inside. He shoots his hands, stacks bigger blockers and gets off blocks defending the run — even though he’s on the leaner side. And he has the active hands and footspeed to slip blocks and disrupt plays in the backfield. A big riser this season, Verse has piled up 6.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and 16 pressures through nine games.

28. Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia*

HT: 6-4 | WT: 310 | Grade: 88 | Prev. rank: Outside top 32

Jones came into the season with just four career starts, but he has started nine times at left tackle for the Bulldogs this season, allowing zero sacks and only two pressures. He has quick feet, mirrors and slides with ease and has no trouble with pure speed off the edge. Jones shows explosive upper-body power when he lands his punch, but he needs to improve hand placement, not let his pads rise too high and increase lower-body strength. As a run-blocker, he fires out quickly and has a lot of snap in his initial contact, frequently knocking defensive linemen back with power, and he shows very good range as a second-level blocker. There will be questions about whether Jones projects better as a guard in the NFL.

29. Trenton Simpson, ILB, Clemson*

HT: 6-3 | WT: 240 | Grade: 88 | Prev. rank: Outside top 32

Simpson’s range and closing burst stand out. He covers a lot of ground quickly, wraps up on contact and flashes good stopping power. That said, he occasionally takes questionable angles when tackling. Simpson is an instinctive pass-rusher who reads the quarterback and shows good range playing the overhang, although he needs to win with physicality to hold up in man coverage. He has 52 tackles (just 0.5 for loss), eight pressures, three run stops, three pass breakups and a forced fumble this season.

30. Clark Phillips III, CB, Utah*

HT: 5-10 | WT: 183 | Grade: 88 | Prev. rank: Outside top 32

Phillips has the oily hips, quick feet and balance to shadow slot receivers, and he closes well and limits production after the catch when breaking on passes. He reads the quarterback well but gets nosy and caught out of position at times. And while Phillips uses his frame to widen out receivers, his size raises concerns about his ability to win 50-50 balls downfield. His five interceptions — tied for second in the country and including a pair of pick-six TDs — might prove otherwise, though.

31. BJ Ojulari, OLB, LSU*

HT: 6-3 | WT: 250 | Grade: 88 | Prev. rank: Outside top 32

Ojulari has elite speed for his stature, showing great take-off burst and good bend. He has developed some effective pass-rush moves with his sudden hand, and he puts a lot of pressure on opposing offensive tackles with his change-of-direction quickness. But his speed-to-power moves frequently stall, and he needs to improve his lower-body strength to drive opponents back into the pocket. Against the run, Ojulari has great range and will make plays in backside pursuit, but his pads rise too quickly, which gives offensive tackles a big target to hit. He has five sacks, 12 run stops and 28 pressures (tied for 17th in the FBS).

32. Andre Carter II, OLB, Army*

HT: 6-7 | WT: 260 | Grade: 87 | Prev. rank: 14

Carter has the strength and length to prevent tackles from getting a good hit on him rushing the passer, and while he doesn’t have elite get-off, he bends well enough to win with speed. He’s also a disruptive run defender who flashes the ability to slip blocks and shoot gaps. Carter is a heavy hitter, but he’s tight and an inconsistent finisher in space. He’s primarily an upfield player. After posting 15.5 sacks last season, Carter has three in 2022, along with 13 pressures and 37 tackles.

Just missed: Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame; Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina; Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor; Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU; Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee