Trevor Penning

AFC Draft Notes: Chiefs, Jaguars, Texans, Steelers

April 26th, 2022 at 7:45pm CST by Ben Levine

We’re only two days away from the NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at some assorted draft notes out of the AFC:

The Chiefs are armed with 12 selections in the upcoming draft, including picks No. 29 and No. 30. According to Albert Breer of SI.com, Kansas City’s front office has started to call teams in the 20s about trading up. Breer opines that a potential deal could precede a second trade up the draft board.. Breer speculates that the Chiefs could be eyeing one of the league’s top receivers, but he also cautions that the front office could make “an aggressive move” for a cornerback or pass-rusher.
We can add two more teams to the list of Trevor Penning suitors. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com, the Titans and Chiefs are among the teams being mentioned as landing spots for the Northern Iowa left tackle. Kansas City would likely have to trade up in order to acquire the lineman. The Ravens, Titans, and Panthers have previously been linked to Penning.
Four prospects are believed to be in play for the Jaguars at No. 1 overall, but ESPN’s Todd McShay is hearing a lot of buzz around Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker. Sources believe the Jaguars prefer Walker’s “upside and traits” over Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson‘s “proven production, motor, and leadership.”
The Texans are high on Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson, according to McShay. However, the Texans won’t take the wideout at No. 3, and they’d probably have to trade up from No. 13 in order to select Wilson. If that ends up being an unrealistic path, McShay could also envision the Texans trading out of the No. 13 spot.
The first QB off the board could end up going to the Steelers at No. 20, according to McShay. Pittsburgh is apparently eyeing Liberty’s Malik Willis, and the signal-caller could end up falling in their lap. However, the reporter seems to be cautioning that the Steelers may not be able to pull off “a Bill Belichick” (referring to last year’s Mac Jones pick), meaning the front office may have to trade up if they want Willis.

Seahawks Open To Duane Brown Return, Interested In Trevor Penning

April 24th, 2022 at 11:25am CST by Rory Parks

We heard in March that the Panthers were pursuing free agent LT Duane Brown, though nothing has materialized on that front just yet. Brown, who spent the last 4+ seasons as Russell Wilson‘s blindside blocker in Seattle, could still return to the Seahawks, according to head coach Pete Carroll (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times on Twitter).

While Carroll has said the door to a reunion remains open, Condotta expects the team to wait until after the draft (which is now just four days away) to make a decision with respect to Brown or other veteran OTs. Indeed, the Seahawks hold the No. 9 overall pick in the draft as a result of the trade that sent Wilson to the Broncos, and they may want to use that pick on a collegiate left tackle from a class that offers a great deal of high-upside talent at the position.

Alabama’s Evan Neal and NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu are widely expected to be off the board by the time Seattle is on the clock with its No. 9 selection, and none of the sources that Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network has spoken to believe that Mississippi State’s Charles Cross will fall past the Panthers’ No. 6 choice. Assuming the ‘Hawks do not have a chance to draft any of those players, Pauline hears that the team is prepared to pull the trigger on Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning.

The small school product did not necessarily profile as a top-10 prospect at the start of draft season, but his stock has risen considerably since the Senior Bowl, and his 6-7, 321-pound frame certainly projects well to the professional ranks. And, although his FCS competition level should certainly be taken into account when evaluating his NFL future, Pro Football Focus’ analysis of Penning includes a 99.9 run-blocking grade, the highest mark that PFF has ever given out.

The Seahawks and Panthers are the only teams to be connected to Brown thus far this year, and if both clubs fill their LT vacancies with high-end rookies, one would assume that they would no longer be interested in the five-time Pro Bowler. Still, there will be teams with a left tackle need once the draft is over, and Brown should be able to find a starting role on a short-term contract despite the fact that he will turn 37 in August.

Draft Rumors: Panthers, Penning, Commanders

April 23rd, 2022 at 9:10pm CST by Ely Allen

Throughout the offseason, the Panthers have been linked to either drafting an offensive tackle or a quarterback. Carolina’s draft position is intriguing as they hold the sixth overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and then, barring any trades, won’t make another selection until the 137th pick at the end of the fourth round.

While the options are plentiful in this year’s Draft, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports that other teams in the league are convinced that Carolina will select a quarterback this Thursday. Breer thinks the Panthers would prefer to trade down, exchanging their high pick for some draft capital to close the gap to their second pick, but points out that teams just don’t seem to be dying to trade up for any position or player this year.

Here are a few more rumors leading up to the Draft this Thursday, starting with a prospect out of Cedar Falls:

Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning visited with the Titans this week, according to Matt Miller of ESPN. Tennessee has been rumored to be looking at addressing the offensive line this upcoming Thursday. The Titans return Ben Jones at center, Nate Davis at guard, Taylor Lewan at tackle, and brought in Jamarco Jones from Seattle to fill in at the other guard position. They also return backups in Dillon Radunz, Corey Levin, and Aaron Brewer. Radunz is probably who they hope will fill in opposite Lewan at tackle, but he failed to catch on in a rookie year that presented him with plenty of opportunities. Drafting Penning will either light a fire under Radunz and kick him into gear or provide the Titans with a secondary option to start at tackle.
In the article linked above, Breer addressed the Commanders’ approach to their 11th overall pick and pointed out that Washington has diligently done their homework on the wide receivers in this year’s class. After star receiver Terry McLaurin, Washington’s top receivers were running backs J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson, followed by now free agent wide receiver Adam Humphries. Pairing another talented pass-catcher with McLaurin is a must if they want newly acquired quarterback Carson Wentz to succeed in DC. So who does Breer predict the Commanders will select to place opposite McLaurin: none other than McLaurin’s former Ohio State teammate, Chris Olave.

Jets, Ravens Eyeing Tackles In Draft

April 7th, 2022 at 5:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joining the Giants in the historically exclusive club of holding two top-10 picks in a draft, the Jets appear to be targeting the same position as their Big Apple rivals. The Giants have done extensive work on this year’s tackle crop; the Jets are interested in bolstering that position as well.

Despite the Jets having chosen Mekhi Becton in the 2020 first round, Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com reports they are zeroing in on this position entering this draft. Jets brass has informed several players the plan is to select a tackle early. Although it is not certain the Jets will use one of their first-rounders (Nos. 4 and 10) on the position, Joe Douglas is a fan of a tackle who figures to be on the board at No. 10.

Douglas has been high on Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning since the Senior Bowl, Pauline adds. The 6-foot-7 Division I-FCS product slots behind Ikem Ekwonu, Evan Neal and Charles Cross on most tackle prospect rankings. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranks Penning 25th, while NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah slots him 22nd. It is unlikely Penning drops that far.

The Ravens are also interested in Penning, per Pauline, who adds they scheduled a visit and are aiming to exit this draft with a potential future tackle starter. Baltimore’s No. 14 overall pick should represent Penning’s floor, Pauline notes. Baltimore has Ronnie Stanley coming off another significant injury and signed ex-Jet Morgan Moses in March. Moses’ three-year, $15MM deal includes $5.5MM in guarantees, giving the Ravens flexibility after 2022.

This is not the first report to indicate the Jets using one of their first-round picks on a tackle is in play. New York is eyeing an extension with George Fant, who moved to left tackle to replace the injured Becton last year. The 363-pound lineman’s stock has nosedived since his promising rookie year. Becton’s weight has been a consistent problem, and he reported to camp out of shape last year. Becton suffered a knee injury in Week 1 and did not play again in 2021. While the Jets may try the mammoth blocker at right tackle, their patience is wearing thin. A first- or second-round tackle would crowd this position group.

Release Candidate: Ravens OT Alejandro Villanueva

February 27th, 2022 at 10:12pm CST by Ely Allen

In the week before the 2021 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens gave in to the wishes of Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and traded him away to the Chiefs. This trade left a hole on the Ravens’ offensive line opposite All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley. To address this issue, the Ravens signed Alejandro Villanueva, a free agent whom the Steelers felt ready to move on from.

After not falling in love with any of the tackles the Draft had to offer at their position in the early rounds, Baltimore opted for a stopgap solution, signing Villanueva to a two-year deal worth $14MM. Villanueva had performed admirably over his sevens years in Pittsburgh, but was never really considered an elite tackle. His best years saw him make consecutive Pro Bowls in the 2017 and 2018 NFL seasons.

As a Raven, Villanueva did his job, and then was asked to do more. After four years of starting at left tackle as a Steeler, Villanueva struggled initially when asked to fill in at right tackle. He got to go back to his more natural position after ankle surgery sidelined Stanley for the all but one game of the 2021 season.

Villanueva had an up and down year. Often Villanueva’s age showed during some rough outings, but the 33-year-old showed some resiliency, playing through some discomfort knowing that another absence for the injury-devastated Ravens could spell disaster. He seemed to find his footing with time, though, playing a pretty good stretch of football to end the season.

But was Villanueva’s performance in 2021 worthy of a $9.25MM cap hit in 2022? Likely not. The Ravens will hope for a strong return for Stanley and they signed Ja’Wuan James to a low $9MM, two-year contract knowing that he likely would be out with a torn Achilles tendon for much of the 2021 season. The likeliest scenario sees Baltimore cutting Villanueva loose to rely on a combination of Stanley and James to bookend the offensive line. The Ravens also recently signed utility offensive lineman Patrick Mekari to a three-year extension. The former undrafted free agent has started at all three offensive line positions for Baltimore and could continue to fill in at right tackle until the next franchise tackle shows up.

Baltimore could also opt to address the position in the 2022 NFL Draft. While, with the 14th overall pick, the Ravens are not in a position to take one of the Draft’s more exciting tackle prospects like NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu or Alabama’s Evan Neal, if Mississippi State’s Charles Cross were to fall to Baltimore, the Ravens, who are known for drafting for value over fit, would likely find it hard to pass on Cross’s potential. Cross, who ranks as the 8th best Draft prospect on The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s Top 100, impresses many evaluators, but, reportedly, hasn’t convinced the entire league that he’s a top ten draft pick. If the Ravens were to trade back later into the first round, another common move by the draft-savvy franchise, they could find smaller school prospects like Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning or Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann falling into their laps. They could even wait until their second-round or third-round selections come up and opt to take a flyer on Minnesota’s massive Daniel Faalele or Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere, respectively.

Regardless, most paths that make sense for Baltimore don’t entail the team stomaching a $9.25MM cap hit for a tackle that struggled much of the year for them. Turning 34 at the beginning of the 2022 season, Villanueva could save the Ravens the trouble and simply retire. Whether retired or released, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we don’t see Villanueva in purple and black next season.