May 7, 2021
CINCINNATI The Bengals hope they gave their pass rush a boost last week when they drafted Texas edge rusher Joseph Ossai in the third-round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
He compiled 5.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss last season in nine starts. He was a first-team Associated Press All-American and a first-team all-Big 12 selection.
Ossai was interviewed by Bengals team reporter Marisa Contipelli after Cincinnati took him with the 69th pick. She asked him which AFC North quarterback he was looking forward to sacking the most?
“I want to go with Big Ben because he was one of the very first football games I ever watched when I first moved to America, but then there’s a natural rivalry with Baker (Mayfield) and me with the Texas and OU, so it’ll be interesting, but all of them would be great. Sacking all of them would be awesome and I think I’m going to go with that.”
This is huge. HUGE.
The Vikings have invested more in their offensive line in the last couple drafts than any team in the NFL. A first rounder on Garrett Bradbury, a second rounder on Ezra Cleveland, and second on Brian O’Neill, etc. The jury is still out on Cleveland who did well in the run game but was bad against the pass rush. People have already labeled Bradbury a bust, but to be fair he hasn’t had much support around him these last couple of seasons.
With Darrisaw and now the steal of the draft in Davis, the Vikings will have a young, powerful offensive line with two shining new players in Darrisaw and Davis that were particularly known for not giving up sacks in college. If you’re reading this article, you know just how important that is. Davis was also particularly known for being an absolute beast in the run game, which, again, you know what that means.
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The San Francisco 49ers traded back five spots with the Las Vegas Raiders from their original No. 43 overall pick and acquired Nos. 48 and 121. With the trade, the 49ers managed to beef up their offensive line with guard Aaron Banks out of Notre Dame.
Banks earned a spot on the first-team Associated Press All-American team in 2020 as well as first-team All-ACC notice while starting 12 games for the Fighting Irish. According to Pro Football Focus, Banks allowed only two sacks and 19 total pressures in 443 true pass sets over three seasons at Notre Dame.
Banks becomes the second Notre Dame product along the 49ers offensive line, joining tackle Mike McGlinchey. Banks played primarily at the left guard position during his time at Notre Dame. He could potentially compete with Daniel Brunskill for the vacant right guard spot.
Creed Humphrey Biography
Humphrey grew up watching the Sooners and wrestling like his father, Chad, who grappled at the University of Central Oklahoma. The first-team all-state pick at Shawnee High School redshirted in 2017 before taking over the starting center spot in 12 of 14 games played in 2018, when he earned Freshman All-American and honorable mention All-Big 12 honors while helping the front five win the Joe Moore Award as the nation s top offensive line. Humphrey sat out spring 2019 practices due to injury but was ready for the fall, garnering Rimington Trophy finalist, second-team Associated Press All-American and Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year accolades as a 14-game starter. The 2020 team captain and 11-game starter was named a third-team AP All-American, Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and first-team all-conference center as a junior. He accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl.
Nick Bolton Biography
Bolton played in all 13 games as a true freshman (22 tackles, one sack) after earning Dallas Morning News first-team all-state honors at Lone Star High School (130 tackles, 16 for loss, five interceptions). He went from promising youngster to SEC star in 2019, earning first-team all-conference honors after leading the league with 8.9 tackles per game (107 total, 7.5 for loss), intercepting two passes and breaking up eight others in 12 starts. He was named second-team Associated Press All-American, first-team All-SEC and a Butkus Award finalist in 2020, leading his defense with 95 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss (including two sacks), while breaking up five passes in 10 starts. Bolton s father, Carlos, played football at Louisiana Tech.