Kudos to the Bears for leaning heavily on improving the offense with how they went about drafting last weekend. And caps off to you, our wonderful readers, who made it this far in our series. We have reached its conclusion. And what a ride it has been!
Selecting Khyiris Tonga put a bow on Chicago’s 2021 NFL Draft class. And did so in a large way. Tonga was one of only two defensive players chosen by the Bears last week. But the pick is one that fits what the team is all about in the trenches. We’ve seen how putting a large human who eats space and blockers in the middle of the line of scrimmage does for Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and others. So while I don’t believe Tonga is coming for Eddie Goldman’s job any time soon, it’s nice to see the Bears draft depth at what is clearly an important position on their defense.
Breaking Down DE Patrick Jones II
A closer look at the Vikings 3rd round DE pick
The Vikings selected defensive end Patrick Jones II out of Pittsburgh with the 90th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. This was the pick the Vikings acquired from Baltimore after trading Yannick Ngakoue to the Ravens mid-season last year.
The Vikings are looking to upgrade the right defensive end position, and between the re-acquisition of Stephen Weatherly in free agency, the selection of Patrick Jones, and Janarius Robinson later in the 4th round, the Vikings hope to create the competition to do just that.
Jones was ranked 105th on
STATS TO KNOW
• 2020 stats: Did not play
• Career stats: 40 games, 183 total tackles (143 solo), 10.5 tackles-for-loss, 1. sack, 8 interceptions, 1 defensive touchdown
• Accomplishments: Senior Bowl (2021), Second-team PFF All-Pac-12 (2019), Second-team AP All-Pac-12 (2018)
• Position ranking: 31st (ESPN), 12th (Pro Football Focus), 17th (The Draft Network), 24th (Pro Football Network)
HIGHLIGHTS
THREE STRENGTHS (FROM NFL.COM’s DRAFT PROFILE)
• “Impressive ball production as three-year starter.” … What stands out most in Graham’s profile is that he was a three-year starter and Oregon. That’s impressive, especially when you consider he was starting as a true freshman in the Pac-12. Teams don’t often hand true freshmen starting gigs off the bat. Doing so says a lot about Graham and what coaches thought of his talent and upside..
I’ll admit I was getting worried when the Bears had arrived to the sixth round without taking a receiver.
It’s not that I didn’t like their first four picks. Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins were gimmes. Larry Borom was a sensible selection given the need to add depth and the player’s prospect pedigree. Even Justin Herbert made sense on some level. But still … the Bears had a need at receiver that hadn’t been addressed. So it was good to see them do it in Round 6. And pretty neat that Newsome was their guy.
Newsome checks boxes for Matt Nagy’s offense. His game speed looks faster than his timed speed, which was in the 4.5s. And that game speed shows up when he has the ball in the open field. Phil Longo’s offense at Carolina sprinkled in screens, jet sweeps, and deep targets in a scheme that allowed Newsome to tap into his athleticism at a highly productive level.
Eight Penn State football lettermen
joined NFL teams this weekend. With the 2021 NFL Draft now all wrapped up, it’s never too early to turn toward 2022’s main event.
Penn State offensive tackle Rasheed Walker is projected as a first-round pick by many “draft experts” in their way-too-early 2022 mock drafts, which would make him the first Nittany Lion lineman drafted in the first round since Levi Brown in 2007.
Without further ado, here’s where some draft analysts have Walker landing during the 2022 draft cycle.
Ian Cummings (Pro Football Network)
Ian Cummings has the Carolina Panthers selecting Walker with the No. 13 overall pick in