the college football season imminently approaching
Youth Andre Reed Jersey , it’s never to early to look ahead to the 2019 Draft and explore which position groups are deepest, and which players are worth watching, starting with the offensive side of the ball. While it’s very early, this year looks to be deep along the offensive line, especially at offensive tackle. On the flip side, most of the skill position groups appear to be lacking when compared to previous years.QuarterbackUnlike last year with Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Sam Darnold, no one is really sure which signal callers deserve to be anointed as first-round prospects. Surprisingly, the SEC is the conference to watch when it comes to quarterbacks. Missouri’s Drew Lock, Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham, and Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald are all talented, but they have various flaws that keep them from being in the first round conversation at this time. Lock needs to improve on his sub-60% completion percentage, Stidham needs to work on his pocket presence, and Fitzgerald needs to learn to read the whole field. Other players to watch are West Virginia’s Will Grier, NC State’s Ryan Finley,and Oregon’s Justin Herbert.Running backNFL fans have been spoiled in recent years with the amount of high quality running backs coming from the college ranks, but 2019 may break that trend. Though Alabama’s Damien Harris, Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill,and Florida Atlantic’s Devin Singletary are good prospects, none of them have been as dominant as Ezekiel Elliott or Saquon Barkley were in college. Others prospects have dominant athleticism, but need to prove that they can handle a starting workload. Oklahoma’s Rodney Anderson and Florida State’s Jacques Patrick fit that description. However, keep an eye on Iowa State’s David Montgomery. His running style reminds some of a young Marshawn Lynch.Wide receiverIt’s safe to declare Ole Miss receiver AJ Brown, with his dominant hands and strength in the open field, as a top prospect regardless of position. Outside of Brown, Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry’s 6’4” frame makes him a dominant red zone target. Closer to home, University at Buffalo’s Anthony Johnson puts up great numbers in the MAC conference, but he needs to answer questions about his long speed. This year’s premier deep threat is Marquise (Hollywood) Brown, who must continue to be productive despite losing Baker Mayfield to the NFL. Similar to the quarterbacks, this group of wideouts carries a lot of uncertainty and a fair share of question marks.Tight endIowa has been an NFL tight end factory for a while now, but their product this year might be their best ever. Hawkeye Noah Fant is an athletic freak who can do it all as a blocker and a pass catcher. In returning from a 2018 injury
Ed Oliver Buffalo Bills Jersey , UCLA’s Caleb Wilson needs to show that his elite speed and receiving skills haven’t left him. The best tight end tandem in the nation, however, may be the one at LSU. Senior Foster Moreau has some soft hands and is a good stalk blocker, but Thaddeus Moss (son of Randy) could be the star of the show as a receiving option.Offensive Tackle2018 was a weak year for offensive tackles, with only three (Mike McGlinchey, Kolton Miller, Isaiah Wynn) selected in the first round. This year promises to be quite different, with up to five prospects already being anointed as potential franchise players. The list starts with Alabama’s Jonah Williams, who has been able to lock down the blind side for the Crimson Tide for a number of years. Ole Miss tackle Greg Little is more potential than finished product, but his potential at 6’6” and 325 pounds is massive. Washington’s Trey Adams is returning from a knee injury, and he has drawn comparisons to Jack Conklin of the Tennessee Titans. Clemson’s Mitch Hyatt is undersized at 6’5” and 311 pounds, but he is saved by his quickness and technique. Finally, Wisconsin right tackle David Edwards needs to work on his pass protection, but his run blocking appears to be elite.Interior Offensive LineThe interior offensive line group this year promises to be solid overall. As one would expect, Wisconsin leads the way with pro-ready prospects at both center (Michael Deiter) and guard (Beau Benzschawel). If you like watching dominant offensive line play, watch Wisconsin football. Alternatively, you can tune in to the SEC, specifically to Florida and Arkansas who sport insatiable run blocker Martez Ivey and Frank Ragnow-sucessor Hjalte Froholdt, respectively. NEW YORK (AP) 鈥?Start them right away? Ease 'em in? Have them sit a whole season?When it comes to developing young quarterbacks in the NFL, it all depends on who you talk to.Some teams think it's best to throw rookie QBs into the fire to learn on the job. Others prefer to gradually work them into the offense. Some say it's more beneficial to have them grab a cap and clipboard and take it all in from the sideline."I think every position is the same," Jets offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates said. "If someone can't handle it mentally, then you don't want to put them on the field, because naturally they'll play slower and be thinking instead of reacting."Sam Darnold clearly passed that test for New York, and the No. 3 overall pick in April was under center to start the season."If a player shows the athletic ability, the talent and has the mental capacity to handle a gameplan and go into a game and be successful," Bates said, "then he's ready to play."That doesn't mean things have necessarily gone smoothly for the former USC star.Darnold's 14 interceptions lead the league and have contributed to the Jets' 3-6 start. So have his 55.0 percent completion rate and 68.3 quarterback rating, which also rank among the worst in the league. Still, some point to these early struggles as crucial building blocks for the future."I'm going to continue to learn," Darnold said Sunday after a 13-6 loss at Miami in which he threw four INTs. "There's always lessons to be learned."Of the 32 quarterbacks currently listed as starters for their teams, 12 were under center in Week 1 of their first season.On the flipside
Buffalo Bills Jersey 2019 , some veteran superstar QBs waited a while before they got their chances.Aaron Rodgers was stuck behind Brett Favre in Green Bay before finally starting in his fourth season. Philip Rivers didn't start with the Chargers until his third year, when Drew Brees went to New Orleans. Even Brees didn't get his first NFL start until his second season.Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Alex Smith weren't Day 1 starters, either."In an ideal world, it gets to be like Drew, who had a chance to watch a little, or Tom Brady and Aaron," said former quarterback Rich Gannon, the 2002 NFL MVP and now an analyst for CBS Sports and SiriusXM NFL Radio.Patrick Mahomes sat behind Smith in Kansas City until Week 17 as a rookie last year, and now is a leading MVP candidate as one of the NFL's top gunslinger s with a league-leading 29 TD passes for the 8-1 Chiefs. "We knew that Patrick was very talented, but any time that an NFL team goes with a young quarterback, usually it's a very challenging endeavor," Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. "Sometimes it takes time, several years, but as we've seen, Andy (Reid) had Patrick ready to go Week 1."Gannon thinks the Chiefs provide the perfect blueprint."Mahomes had a chance to watch a master of his domain for a year," he said. "Alex Smith knew that system inside and out, has great huddle command and leadership skills. Maybe he doesn't throw it like Mahomes does, but this is a guy who was willing to share and help him for that year, and we're seeing the fruits of it now."That's the best situation you can have."Again, that depends on who you ask.In the past three drafts, 11 quarterbacks were taken in the first round 鈥?including Darnold, Cleveland's Baker Mayfield, Buffalo's Josh Allen, Arizona's Josh Rosen and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson this year.Jackson is the only one to not yet start at least one game. Baltimore has Joe Flacco leading the huddle, but Jackson has still been used in the offense and is the Ravens‘ second-leading rusher.The Browns wanted to have Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick this year, sit and learn behind Tyrod Taylor. But like most plans in Cleveland, it backfired.Taylor got hurt in Week 3 and Mayfield was thrust into the lineup, helping the Browns rally to beat the Jets in a nationally televised game and end a 19-game winless streak. Mayfield has shown poise and promise
Color Rush Ed Oliver Jersey , but lacks playmakers and is dealing with a coaching change after Hue Jackson was fired.In Buffalo, the Bills weren't anticipating Allen starting in the second week. They were taking what coach Sean McDermott called a "calculated" approach. But after AJ McCarron was traded before the season opener and Nathan Peterman bombed in Week 1, McDermott was left with no choice but to turn to Allen.The rookie has been dealing with a sprained right elbow , and is uncertain to play Sunday against the Jets."When you draft a quarterback like we did, there's a part of it where you have to say, ‘Hey, he's going to play either A, B, or C 鈥?early, middle, or late or next year.'" McDermott said. "You have to be OK with all of that."The initial plan in Arizona was to have Rosen learn behind Sam Bradford. All that changed when the veteran was ineffective and benched in favor of the No. 10 overall pick.Rosen took his lumps with some turnover-filled performances. Then, Mike McCoy was fired as the Cardinals‘ offensive coordinator and Bradford was later cut 鈥?leaving the job to Rosen."His demeanor allows him to have success," new offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said. "Quarterbacking in this league is hard and when things go bad, this kid tends to be fine."But, some say too many adverse situations could end up having long-term deleterious effects on a young player."When you put them in before they're ready, they also get hurt: Josh Allen, Josh Rosen," Gannon said. "The speed of the game is way too fast for them. … Or they have a bad experience, like what wound up happening with (the Jets') Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith, or going back to Ryan Leaf (with the Chargers). They play right away before they are physically or mentally ready or maturity-level ready. They get benched and booed and maybe run out of town, the coach gets fired, and then the next thing, they're on their third or fourth team. They think he will be a savior and he's not ready to play."How is that being responsible from a coach and ownership standpoint? It's doing a tremendous disservice."Tampa Bay's Jameis Winston and Tennessee' Marcus Mariota started right away after being the top two picks in 2015, but the jury's still out on both.For those who preach patience, 25 of the 32 current QBs started a game at some point in their rookie season. And, several held on to the job from there.Quarterbacks such as the Rams‘ Jared Goff (No. 1 in 2016) and the Bears‘ Mitchell Trubisky (No. 2 in 2017) started and struggled as rookies, but benefited from changes in coaching staffs and philosophies and took leaps in their second seasons.So, who's right?Well, all of the above."There's certainly valuable experience when you stand and watch," McDermott said. "But we all know there's no substitute for the experience when you're actually behind the wheel. There's a lot of value to that."