Georgia DL Travon Walker Meeting With Commanders
As the 2022 NFL Draft draws ever nearer, options are becoming clearer and clearer. That’s why it’s a little odd to see Ben Standig of The Athletic report that the Commanders will travel to meet with Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker. 
There’s nothing wrong with doing due diligence and making sure you’ve done your research on a prospect, but it’s hard to imagine any scenario where the fourth-best prospect on The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s prospect rankings falls to Washington’s first-round pick at 11th overall. There’s always a chance the Commanders could trade up to move into a better position to draft the versatile lineman, but it’s likely they’re just preparing for multiple scenarios with high hopes that one of the top prospects slips their way back to them.
Of all the prospects Washington has conducted visits with in the Draft process so far, the highest-ranked are Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson, and USC wide receiver Drake London. They also plan to meet this week with Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks. It’s extremely likely that one of these five prospects will be available to them at 11, and they may even be able to move back a few picks, to acquire a little extra draft capital, and still be able to get a prospect they covet.
The three receiver prospects make a lot of sense for Washington to look at. After bringing in quarterback Carson Wentz this offseason, the Commanders would love to add a talented pass-catcher to pair up with star receiver Terry McLaurin. With Landon Collins departing in free agency, Washington would be more than content to bring in the versatile Hamilton to pair up with Kamren Curl in the secondary.
Another reason the Walker visit is a little surprising is that the defensive line was a strength for Washington last year and the key pieces are all returning. It could be speculated that Walker would be a nice addition in preparation for the Commanders to eventually lose one of those returning contributors. Jonathan Allen recently signed a four-year deal, but Daron Payne is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Both young ends, Montez Sweat and Chase Young, have impressed in their first few years and are likely looking forward to big contracts in the near-future.
Walker spent most of his time in Athens at defensive end, but bounced all around the line with his large, strong frame. The high draft projections are mostly based on potential, as he didn’t have a ton of production as a Bulldog. In three seasons with the team, Walker started 15 of 36 games and racked up only 9.5 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss. Despite the lack of output, it’s viewed as extremely unlikely that Walker drops past the third-overall pick, with some even speculating that he could be the first-overall pick in the Draft.
Still, the Commanders have put themselves in an enviable position. At eleventh-overall, Washington has a litany of options available to them to help improve their team.
NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Liberty QB Malik Willis
The story of Malik Willis is the story of a second chance, the story of finding where you fit best. After making a move that most would’ve viewed as a demotion or a resignation that the NFL was not in his future, Willis proved the doubters wrong and became one of the Draft’s most sought-after quarterbacks from the smallest of stages. 
Willis came out of Roswell HS in Atlanta as a consensus three-star athlete. His recruitment was fairly quiet, as he only received offers from fourteen schools with only three of them being from Power 5 conferences. Willis didn’t receive much attention until the offseason after his junior year and he committed to Virginia Tech that summer. Unfortunately for the Hokies, Auburn made a late push for Willis, flipping him in late December, a week before he arrived on campus in Alabama as an early-enrollee.
Willis spent two years at Auburn backing up Jarrett Stidham. In a recent interview with Tzvi Machlin of Sports Illustrated, Willis admitted that his immaturity at the time likely kept him from succeeding at Auburn. After two years, he decided to transfer and found his way to joining Hugh Freeze at Liberty University, a school that had only joined the FBS ranks two years prior.
After sitting out for a year, due to transfer rules, Willis was named the team’s starting quarterback and decided to set the college football world on fire. In his first season at the helm of the Flames’ offense, Willis had eye-popping numbers, despite the COVID-shortened season. In ten games, Willis completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,250 yards, tossing 20 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. He tacked on a casual 944 yards rushing, nearly averaging 100 yards per game, along with 14 additional touchdowns on the ground. The Flames were ranked as high as 21 throughout the season with their only loss being a one-point road defeat at NC State. In their bowl game, they were matched up with fellow small-market phenom Coastal Carolina in an exciting overtime affair that left Willis victorious over the Chanticleers.
Willis decided to return for his redshirt-senior year and led the Flames to an impressive 8-5 against a tougher schedule than the prior year. Despite constant pressure from a less than reliable offensive line, Willis put up career passing numbers throwing for 2,857 yards with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He again added a huge component on the ground, racking up 878 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.
The obvious asset that Willis brings to the table over the other quarterbacks in the Draft is his legs. He has a quick burst and excellent vision on designed runs and options. The Cardinals, Ravens, 49ers, and plenty of other teams have shown that an offense that incorporates run-pass-option plays (RPOs) can have a ton of success in the NFL if you have a quarterback who can run it effectively.
That being said, Willis is a quarterback, and a good one at that. He’s impressed NFL teams in meetings with his intelligence and ability to pick up on NFL concepts. He has elite arm strength and flashes the ability to fit the ball in tight windows. There are some technique/coaching issues that may help him improve his consistency and touch. He can take some gas off the ball effectively but needs to improve the arch he puts in the ball’s flight. There are quite a few things for Willis to improve on, but he has so many tools already that the potential from these improvements gives him the highest ceiling of any quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft.
It’s become a popular thought around the league that two quarterbacks will be taken in the Top 10 picks of the Draft with their likely destinations being with the Falcons, Panthers, Giants, and Seahawks. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Willis ranked as the 27th best overall prospect in the Draft and Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Willis just behind fellow quarterback prospect Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh at 32nd. Despite ranking behind Pickett in both rankings, most analysts agree that Willis has the higher ceiling of the two and, due to his potential, Willis has every right to expect to be the first quarterback taken off the board later this month.
NFL Coaching Notes: Rams Complete Staff, Colts Hire QC
The Rams put the finishing touches on their 2022 coaching staff, announcing the completion earlier this month. Along with many other promotions and hires that we’ve already reported on this site, the following staff changes were unveiled:
- Thad Bogardus, who served last season as the assistant linebackers coach, was promoted to outside linebackers coach. He previously spent the 2020 season as assistant defensive line coach, a promotion after serving previously as assistant defensive line/defensive quality control coach.
- Lance Schulters, who spent last season as a coaching fellow, earned a promotion to defensive assistant for the upcoming season. Schulters is a former NFL safety with 19 career interceptions to his name. He started his coaching career as a defensive assistant for the Falcons in 2020.
- Chris Shula, who oversaw linebackers last year, will now serve as pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach for Los Angeles. Shula has worked with the Rams’ linebackers in some capacity since 2017, debuting in the NFL as a defensive quality control coach in San Diego after bouncing around a few college jobs.
- Chris Beake was hired as the Rams’ new inside linebackers coach after nine seasons in Denver. After holding a variety of roles on the Broncos staff, he spent his final season there as the defensive pass game specialist.
- Kenneth Black was brought on as a coaching fellow for the Rams this season. Black spent the last two years as co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for Florida A&M.
- Skyler Jones was hired as assistant defensive line coach. Jones spent seven seasons coaching at the college level, most recently in the role of defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Norfolk State.
- Jeremy Springer was brought on in the role of special teams assistant. Springer has been a special teams coordinator at the college football level for the last four years, spending last year at Marshall and the previous three seasons with Arizona.
The Colts also announced a hire at the end of the month from the college level:
- Brent Jackson will join the Indianapolis staff as a defensive quality control coach, according to Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports, after spending last season as Oregon’s defensive backs graduate assistant. Jackson has spent time on the staffs at Auburn, Illinois, and Louisiana, as well.
NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett‘s status as one of the top quarterback prospects available in the 2022 NFL Draft is the result of hard work and an example of taking advantage of every opportunity presented. He will have a chance to continue overachieving later this month when he is likely to hear his name called early on the first night of the Draft. 
Pickett will watching the Draft with his family and fiancé from his hometown in New Jersey. Jersey was where it all started for Pickett, a consensus three-star recruit from Ocean Township HS. Despite ranking as 247Sports’ 10th-best pro-style quarterback of the 2017 class (33rd-ranked pro-style quarterback in the site’s composite rankings), Pickett only fielded offers from eleven schools, only four of them from a Power 5 Conference. He received his first offer from nearby Temple shortly following his sophomore year of high school, but, not content with only one scholarship offer, Pickett attended several camps starting with in-state Rutgers and branching out to several ACC schools like Boston College, Duke, North Carolina, and Virginia.
After receiving more offers from the likes of Toledo, Monmouth, Buffalo, Texas State, UConn, and Coastal Carolina, Pickett made the decision to commit to the first school that offered him and joined the Owls’ 2017 class. About a month later, following the conclusion of his junior year, his first Power 5 offers came in from Boston College and then Pittsburgh, about two weeks apart. Five days later, Pickett de-committed from Temple, intrigued by the momentum of larger schools. Three days after opening up his recruitment, Pickett took his first unofficial visit of the summer to Pitt. He returned two weeks later and the Panthers landed a commitment from the rising-junior. Pickett graduated high school early and enrolled at Pitt in January of 2017, eager to get to work.
Pickett spent most of his freshman season on the bench behind starter Ben DiNucci and backup Max Browne, who transferred in from USC. He made his debut late in a Week 6 loss to Syracuse and appeared twice more for late relief work in losses to NC State and Virginia Tech. With the season all but over and Pittsburgh sitting at 4-7 going into a season finale against the ACC Coastal Champion Miami Hurricanes, who were ranked #2 in the College Football Playoff rankings at the time, Pickett became the first true freshman to start a game for Pittsburgh at quarterback since Pat Bostick in 2007. Pickett ruined Miami’s victory lap finale completing 62.1% of his passes for 193 yards and a touchdown while adding 60 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in a 24-14 upset of the second-ranked Hurricanes in his first start.
Pickett took that starting opportunity and never relinquished it, returning to start every game of his sophomore season and leading the Panthers to their first ever ACC Coastal Championship with a 7-5 regular season record (6-2 in the ACC). Pickett’s stats didn’t jump off the page as he only threw for 1,969 yards, throwing 12 touchdowns to 6 interceptions.
Pickett took a large step forward in his development in his junior season with new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple increasing the emphasis on the Panthers’ passing attack. The Panthers once again finished the regular season 7-5, but this time with Pickett throwing for 3,098 yards with 13 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. In Pickett’s COVID-shortened senior year, he put up similar production with 2,408 yards and the exact same number of touchdowns and picks as the previous year in three fewer games.
Due to COVID-19, Pickett was given the rare opportunity to return for one more year of eligibility, and it was easily the best decision of his career to do so. Pickett had a prolific season, leading the Panthers to their first ever ACC Championship. He was named a first-team All-American and finished 3rd in Heisman voting. Pickett’s statistics in his last year exploded off the page as he threw for 4,319 yards with 42 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, adding 233 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground.
Pickett now enters the Draft as one of the top quarterback prospects on the board, commonly grouped with Liberty’s Malik Willis as one of the top-2. Pickett has a lot of variables that NFL teams covet: ideal size, excellent accuracy and anticipation, and impressive athleticism that allows him to escape trouble. He can throw from multiple arm angles, something that’s become popular in the NFL lately, and is comfortable throwing on the move. He has a tendency to get antsy and throw the ball before getting his feet set, which can affect ball-placement, and some in NFL circles have talked about his hand size and the fact that he throws with gloves on. It’s a fun news story, but most people in those circles do not view his hands as an issue, as the acceptable NFL ball size-range largely overlaps with the NCAA ball size-range and shouldn’t affect his ability too much at the next level.
It’s looking more and more likely that at least two quarterbacks will be taken in the Top 10 picks of the Draft with their likely destinations being with the Falcons, Panthers, Giants, or Seahawks. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Pickett ranked as the 24th best overall prospect in his rankings and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Pickett at 31st overall. Pickett should get used to the idea of being a first-round draft pick, as it is all but certain at this point, and might want to start trying out the moniker of “Top-10 draft pick,” as that’s looking more and more likely every day.
NFC Notes: Packers, Cousins, Seahawks, Kaepernick
Following the mass exodus of the Packers’ staff this offseason, longtime NFL quarterbacks coach Tom Clements received a phone call from his old player, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as reported by Ryan Wood of Packers News.
Rodgers had just watched the dissolution of the Packers’ 2021 coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett departed to Denver for a head coaching position. Passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy took an offensive coordinator job for the rival Bears.
Clements was enjoying retirement, looking forward to heading into Year 2 of armchair quarterbacking like the rest of us. Clements claimed he “didn’t have the itch to come back,” but after conversations with Rodgers and Packers head coach Matt LeFleur, Clements found himself back in the NFL, returning to his longest tenured home from his first stint in coaching.
Here are a few other notes from around the NFC, starting with another note from the North:
- Following a shiny new deal from the Vikings, quarterback Kirk Cousins appears content to finish his NFL career in Minnesota, according to The Athletic’s Chad Graff. Cousins certainly didn’t need an early extension. He set an example years ago for how a player can bet on himself, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to be franchise-tagged in consecutive years then signing the league’s first ever (and highest at the time) fully-guaranteed contract. Despite this history, Cousins agreed to a deal that freed up some cap space for Minnesota. When asked why he agreed to this deal, Cousins simply stated, “The short answer is: I want to be a Minnesota Viking.”
- Jason La Canfora wrote a piece Friday asserting his belief that two quarterbacks will go in the Top 10 picks of the 2022 NFL Draft, notably that he expects Atlanta and Carolina to select one of Liberty’s Malik Willis or Pitt’s Kenny Pickett. If either NFC South franchise ends up addressing another position, though, La Canfora expects Seattle to fulfill his prediction with the No. 9 overall pick. Should neither quarterback be available to the Seahawks, several executives believe that Seattle would trade back, allowing teams who are hungry to select a specific prospect to relinquish some of their draft capital while keeping alive the Seahawks ability to draft a value-player without reaching.
- Should Seattle not find a quarterback in the Draft, one option they’ve kicked the tires on is former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick hasn’t played since January of 2017, but has stayed in shape amidst lawsuits and accusations against the NFL that settled in 2019. A connection was reported with the Seahawks in March after some comments from head coach Pete Carroll. Carroll gave an update, as reported by USA Today’s Scooby Axson, saying that, while not much has progressed in terms of a contract, Carroll notices the work Kaepernick has put in and admires the 34-year-old’s desire to compete. No deal seems imminent, but Kaepernick remains a possibility should Seattle strike out in the Draft later this month.
Panthers’ Draft Plan
Carolina’s draft plans are becoming foggier and foggier each day as the Panthers are either really running through all of their options or else they are throwing up one heck of a smokescreen. Supporting a rumor we posted almost two weeks ago, Carolina will host NC State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu and Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross this Tuesday for their 30 visits, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. 
Breer goes on to posit what many have deduced at this point from Carolina’s actions: if either of two of the Draft’s top offensive linemen fall to the Panthers’ first-round pick at sixth overall, Carolina would be expected to pounce at the opportunity to select them. This would fill a huge need at offensive tackle for the Panthers, but would leave another position need behind center unaddressed. The assumption is that, if the Panthers draft Ekwonu or Cross, they would address their need at quarterback by going after a veteran option like Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo.
This take seems to be diametrically opposed to multiple other takes we’ve heard in the last four days alone. On Wednesday, we heard that Carolina was considering trading their No. 6 overall pick to grab a few additional draft picks. Yesterday, we reported on rumors that “the consensus of the people in this league” is that Carolina is going to draft one of two quarterbacks: Malik Willis out of Liberty or Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh. Six hours later, we reported that the Panthers were reversing course on statements made in March about their lack of interest in Mayfield and, in fact, had the inside track to acquire the Browns’ quarterback.
That last report is the only one that lines up with Breer’s assertion from this morning. That could either point to some much anticipated clarification on the Panthers’ draft plans or it could be some expert mind-trickery by general manager Scott Fitterer and head coach Matt Rhule. Sandwiched between the Giants’ two top-seven picks (No. 5 & No. 7), the Panthers’ draft needs are not far off from those of New York. So these mind-games could be targeted specifically at one franchise. Those early reports that Carolina would draft Willis or Pickett could’ve been aimed to put pressure on New York to take a quarterback with their first pick, increasing the odds that an offensive lineman like Ekwonu or Cross falls to them at six. Similarly, the increased reports that the Panthers want Ekwonu or Cross and will sign a veteran quarterback may be aimed to take that pressure off of New York, lulling the Giants into selecting an offensive lineman and giving Carolina more options at quarterback in the first round.
It’s a lot to follow and mostly going in circles, I know, but Carolina can afford to focus this much attention on their No. 6 pick because, with no selections in the second or third round, their second pick of the draft comes at the end of the fourth round slotted as 137th overall. While the scouting brass may have plans to acquire extra picks, their current situation makes their decision surrounding the sixth pick their most important decision of the offseason.
I honestly don’t know whether to tell you to expect things to get clearer or muddier as we get closer to the 2022 NFL Draft. The idea that Carolina is purposefully driving the narrative could even be proved false and we may find out that they truly have no idea what they want to do. Stay locked in as I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll hear out of Carolina in the next week and a half.
NFL Draft Notes: Hutchinson, Willis, London, Hall
Rumors about what Jacksonville is likely to do with it’s top overall draft pick later this month have been pretty far-ranging. Last month it was looking like new head coach Doug Pederson had his sights set on NC State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu. Some of their moves since around the opening of free agency, though, have Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer thinking differently.
Right before free agency, the Jaguars placed a second-consecutive franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson. They then went and spent good money on offensive guard Brandon Scherff. This has Breer thinking that Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke may be content to address the offensive line through free agency and use their number one pick on Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
It’s long been assumed that Hutchinson won’t make it past his hometown Lions at number two overall, but, unless the Jaguars decide to triple-down on building the offensive line up around quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Detroit may not even get the chance to take Hutchinson.
Here are some other rumors surrounding the 2022 NFL Draft, starting in Lynchburg, VA:
- We talked in December about the top quarterback prospects in the Draft this year with evaluators back then thinking Pitt’s Kenny Pickett or Ole Miss’s Matt Corral were the most likely to hear their names called first. Breer seems to believe that the current leader of that race is Liberty’s Malik Willis. After seeing players like Patrick Mahomes come up from a below-average Texas Tech team and Josh Allen make the leap from a Wyoming team with talent far below the NFL squads he would eventually lead, teams are putting more stock into unproven quarterbacks with high ceilings, and Willis fits the bill. His meetings with teams have done more than enough to convince most that he is ready to take the next step and handle NFL-level schemes.
- One of the top wide receivers in the Draft, USC’s Drake London, will make his way to DC this week to be hosted by the Commanders, according to John Keim of ESPN. With Washington’s top receivers after Terry McLaurin last year being running backs J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson, followed by now free agent wide receiver Adam Humphries, London would fill a huge position of need for the Commanders. Having a big-bodied, sure-handed, NFL-ready wide receiver like London opposite McLaurin could pay big dividends for the Commanders’ offense this year.
- Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reported that the University of Houston’s Logan Hall visited the Bengals yesterday. Hall was named first-team All-AAC after producing 13.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks as a defensive tackle for the Cougars last year. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Hall as the 33rd best overall prospect this year, while NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah slotted him at 50th overall. The Bengals have defensive tackles D.J. Reader and B.J. Hill under contract through 2024 and 2025, respectively, but Hall may be viewed as a long-term replacement, in case one of the two moves on.
Draft Value On C Linderbaum, Other Offensive Linemen
Despite being the top-ranked center on nearly everybody’s boards going into the 2022 NFL Draft, Iowa lineman Tyler Linderbaum may not hear his name called on Day 1 of the Draft. According to Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network, not one team he spoke to had a first-round grade on Linderbaum. 
Analysts’ early looks haven’t quite reflected this grade. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Linderbaum as his 17th best overall prospect, placing him firmly as a first-round talent. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah’s most recent rankings are a bit more in line with Pauline’s assertion, placing Linderbaum as the 32nd best prospect in the Draft, a borderline first-rounder. Pauline claimed that every team had early second-round grades on the 22-year-old.
The top center in last year’s Draft was Alabama’s Landon Dickerson, who was chosen by the Eagles with the fifth pick of the second round. In 2020, Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz was taken by New Orleans with the 24th pick of the first round. Both players have spent most of their playing time at guard, starting most games for their respective clubs. Before that, Garrett Bradbury was selected by the Vikings with the 18th overall pick in 2019. Frank Ragnow and Billy Price were chosen with back-to-back picks by the Lions and Bengals, respectively, the year before. While Price no longer wears orange and black after being traded to the Giants, all three have become starting centers, with Ragnow earning Pro Bowl honors at the position.
All this to say that returns on top-drafted centers are hard to read. Some end up as utility interior linemen on teams with already established centers; Ruiz shifted to the side of Erik McCoy and Dickerson playing around Jason Kelce. They may be the heir apparent once their predecessor departs, but for now they’re too talented to keep off the field. Price lost his starting center position in Cincinnati, but regained snapping duties in New York. Bradbury and Ragnow have both been solid-to-good starters for middling teams.
There may just not be a huge need for centers right now. Like quarterbacks, a team only utilizes one center on a regular basis, meaning there are usually no more than 32 starting jobs in the league. If every team is completely comfortable with their situation in the middle, then a first-round pick might be too high a price to bring in Linderbaum. Yet, seeing how consistently Rimington Trophy finalists have come in and produced, this could just be a reflection of how teams view his talent. Linderbaum may just be a Day 2 pick.
Pauline also reported that his research of teams’ offensive line boards show college tackles like Kentucky’s Darian Kinnard, UCLA’s Sean Rhyan, Central Michigan’s Luke Goedeke, and North Dakota State’s Cordell Volson as guards on most teams’ boards. This is not entirely uncommon, especially for Goedeke and Volson, being from smaller market schools. Being a dominant offensive tackle at the NFL level demands much more than at the college level. Consistent pressure from NFL-sized defensive linemen requires size, strength, and length that isn’t always necessary in the NCAA. It’s fairly commonplace to see good tackles who maybe aren’t first-round talents make their case as a larger guard with frequent success.
Eagles, 3 Other Playoff Teams Made Run At Gilmore
After discussing deals and meeting with several teams that made the playoffs in the 2021 NFL season, cornerback Stephon Gilmore ended up signing with a team that just missed the playoffs in Week 18 last season joining the Colts. Well, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, the teams that pushed the hardest for the two-time All-Pro were playoff teams from last season: the Eagles, Raiders, Rams, and Bills. 
Philadelphia “made a hard play” for the ten-year veteran in their efforts to replace departing starter Steven Nelson. Nelson started alongside Darius Slay in the Eagles’ secondary last season before signing with Houston this offseason. Without Nelson, the Eagles will likely count on Avonte Maddox to take another step in his development after being a strong rotational player for the past four seasons. They may turn to the 2022 NFL Draft to address the position, but, currently sitting at 15th, they would likely miss out on the Draft’s two most exciting cornerback prospects: Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner and LSU’s Derek Stingley. Those two are even less likely to fall to Philadelphia with Baltimore sitting one spot in front of them wanting to add some depth to the position after spending most of last year without starters Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey.
Las Vegas had an impressive showing from their cornerback group last year despite losing Damon Arnette due to multiple lawsuits and behavioral issues and only seeing Trayvon Mullen play five games. The Raiders saw Casey Hayward, Nate Hobbs, and Brandon Facyson step up and contribute to a strong defense. With Hayward going to Atlanta and Facyson joining Gilmore in Indianapolis, the Raiders made addressing the cornerback position a priority. Luckily, despite missing out on Gilmore, the Raiders made strong additions acquiring Rock Ya-Sin from the Colts in exchange for Yannick Ngakoue and signing Anthony Averett, who started much of last year for the Ravens with Peters and Humphrey injured. Ya-Sin and Averett will join a hopefully full-health Mullen and Hobbs to round out a solid cornerback room.
The Rams pursued Gilmore in an attempt to replace departing starter Darious Williams after he signed with the Jaguars this offseason. Los Angeles returns star Jalen Ramsey and role players David Long and Dont’e Deayon, but they likely would’ve preferred to add another bona fide starter opposite Gilmore. Unlike the Eagles, the Rams probably won’t turn to the Draft to fill this role. They’ve made an example in the league trading draft capital for experienced veterans and won a Super Bowl doing so. Not only is it more on brand for them to seek a replacement through the trade and free agent markets, but, even if they wanted to use the Draft, they don’t have a selection in the Draft until the 104th pick.
The Bills would’ve liked to bring Gilmore back home to Buffalo after losing starter Levi Wallace to free agency. Buffalo brings back plenty of contributors from last year in Tre’Davious White, Taron Johnson, Dane Jackson, and Siran Neal, but bringing back Gilmore would’ve allowed them to slip him into the void left by Wallace without asking too much of Jackson or Neal to step up. The Bills could try to slot in another veteran free agent cornerback like Joe Haden, Kyle Fuller, or Chris Harris, or, with a later first-round pick, they could try to take a flyer on one of the Draft’s less elite corners like Washington’s Trent McDuffie or Florida’s Kaiir Elam.
The targeting of Gilmore by these playoff teams speaks to his current value in the NFL. It shows something that teams contending to win it all believe he can add value to their defense. There’s also something to be said that these teams usually have a nearly complete roster, seeking Gilmore to fill in one of their last positions of need. While Gilmore may not be able to anchor a defense by himself on a fledgling defense, he can make strong contributions when surrounded by talented teammates. In Indianapolis, he’ll team up with Kenny Moore and Facyson to lead an otherwise inexperienced group of corners.
XFL Partners With NFL Alumni Academy
The development of the XFL continues as it strives to return in 2023. Earlier this week, the league announced a partnership with the NFL Alumni Academy, according to Josh Alper of NBC Sports.
The NFL Alumni Academy was established in 2020 to create a sort of pool of “NFL ready” free agents that teams can draw from in-season in case of injuries. They classify themselves as “an elite in-season training program” operating at the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame Village in Canton, Ohio.
The thought process is that, on average, NFL teams end up seeking to replace up to 500 active roster players each season. Many talented players are unable to make the 53-man rosters or 16-man practice squads to start the season. The Academy offers an environment for those players to be completely prepared to return to the NFL at a moment’s notice. In this environment free agents are taught, coached, and mentored by former NFL coaches and players.
Partnering with the Academy is an extremely advantageous deal for the fledgling league in establishing a solid foothold. Having a continuous source of players is an important step in making sure that the XFL is sustainable long-term.
XFL president Russ Brandon called the partnership “monumental…for the entire football ecosystem.” The terms of the partnership have not been specified, but it’s easy to see how the deal can benefit both organizations substantially.