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2022 NFL Mock Draft 3.0: Derek Stingley Jr. climbs up draft board, Jets trade up to select first wide receiver

April 30, 2022 Bella

Georgia

• 6’5″

/ 275 lbs

Projected Team

Jacksonville

PROSPECT RNK

13th

POSITION RNK

1st

The market shifted wildly Monday with Walker now the favorite. I’m actually sort of mad at myself for not moving Hutch out of here earlier. Hutch’s arms don’t meet Trent Baalke’s requirements in terms of length, and he played for Jim Harbaugh in college. No chance Baalke gives Harbs that shine at first overall. There is still a small chance this could still be an OL (Ickey most likely), but I’ll ride with Walker.

Oregon

• 6’5″

/ 258 lbs

Projected Team

Detroit

PROSPECT RNK

6th

POSITION RNK

2nd

The easy move is to put Hutch here, and he may very well be the No. 2 overall pick. But Thibs has massive upside and Brad Holmes was laser locked in on him through this process. The Lions also have intel via his former teammate Penei Sewell. Too much is made of the Michigan stuff and Dan Campbell making the selection of “one of his guys” here.

Projected Team

Houston

PROSPECT RNK

5th

POSITION RNK

2nd

I’ve been thinking OL here for the Texans for a while now, or maybe even the best available EDGE player. But this is a “bad” draft class and there aren’t many elite players. One guy who might flip that narrative is Sting, who would have been a stone-cold lock at No. 1 this year if the only thing people saw was his 2019 tape. Skills are repeatable, so why wouldn’t the Texans reach for the stars with one of their first-round picks?

Michigan

• 6’6″

/ 265 lbs

Projected Team

N.Y. Jets

PROSPECT RNK

1st

POSITION RNK

1st

Shocking drop here for Hutchinson given how the draft process has played out, but it’s not really that unrealistic to think he

2022 NFL Draft: 10 underrated sleepers who won’t be picked early but will turn into quality players

April 27, 2022 Bella

The bulk of the hype entering the NFL Draft is typically centered on who will go in the first round, as fans generate visions of immediate stardom for the players their teams will pick. But the draft, which is set for Thursday through Saturday in Las Vegas, is a seven-round affair that offers more than just a single pick for teams to try and get rich quick.

If played right, teams can find value throughout the draft, both with immediate contributors and long-term fits who may have slipped through the cracks of the first round after poor showings at the combine or for other reasons. Take Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, for example. The former USC star went in the fourth round to the Detroit Lions in last year’s draft and proceeded to catch 90 passes as a rookie.

Defensively, one example of a steal is Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo, who was a third-round pick out of Stanford last season. Adebo made 17 starts as a rookie, picked off three passes and would almost certainly be taken higher in a re-draft of the 2021 class. As it stands, he’s a mid-round steal for the Saints to build around moving forward.

So who are the overlooked potential difference makers in the 2022 NFL Draft pool? Here is a a look at 10 underrated sleepers to watch on Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft.

DL DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M

You’re telling me that an Associated Press First-Team All American capable of playing multiple spots on the defensive line after a strong three-year run at a great college program has no chance of going in the first round? That seems to be the consensus among draft experts, which means that Leal is going to be a steal for someone when

2022 NFL Draft insider notes: The surprising No. 1 pick some GMs expect, why two QBs will go top 10 and more

April 25, 2022 Bella

The NFL Draft is now less than two weeks away, and there is no clear consensus first overall pick. And certain scenarios that may have seemed unusual or extreme early in this process, to those actually involved in it, just may come to be rote by the time the Jacksonville Jaguars actually make their initial selection.

That’s a complicated way of saying that Michigan pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who many would have penciled in with this pick weeks or months ago, might not be the guy for the Jags. And Georgia pass rusher Travon Walker, who blew up the combine with ridiculous athletic feats but who doesn’t necessarily have the game film to back it up, just may end up being the first name called. At this point, to the evaluators I spoke with this week who are preparing to make picks, neither scenario would be shocking.

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke has a history of gambling on talent, and in particular on being heavily influenced by athletic metrics. He was rarely afraid to trust his gut or take a shot on an injured player or be a contrarian of sorts, and while it ultimately had a lot to do with his demise in San Francisco, there is little indication to his peers that Baalke has changed to any great degree. Furthermore, the Jaguars have long been an organization that has focused on the numbers – and testing scores – as a major factor in player selection, and Walker is obviously the darling of that cohort.

Does Baalke look at Walker and see Aldon Smith, the 49ers former pass rushing savant, only without the off-field issues that derailed what may have been Smith’s Hall of Fame career? Is he captured by Walker’s boundless upside, and intent on taking him, with

2022 NFL free agency grades, Day 3: Raiders earn high marks for multiple moves; Ravens, Bills add pass rushers

March 20, 2022 Bella

We are now officially in the midst of the 2022 league year in the NFL. At 4 p.m. ET, the league rang in the new year, meaning teams are now able to make all of their free-agent agreements they reached during the two-day legal tampering period official, along with any trades that have occurred to this point. Of course, there has been plenty of action leading up to the start of the new league year, and several superstars are going to officially land with their new teams Wednesday.

While it’s technically the first day of free agency, it’s really Day 3 when factoring in the legal tampering period and the deals that have been agreed to over the last few days. In this post, we’re going to dive into the top new moves that were made Wednesday and hand out our grades for those transactions across the league.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Von Miller leaves Rams for Bills

Von Miller was traded from the Broncos to the Rams in the middle of last season, and he helped L.A. win a Super Bowl. Buffalo is hoping Miller can do it again, as the Bills stole him from the West Coast with a six-year, $120 million deal that includes $51.345 million guaranteed, per CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson. The deal is constructed a bit differently, as it’s not $20 million per year. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says the deal is backloaded, and averages $17.5 million over the first four years.

The length of the deal and the dollar amount are pretty shocking, but the bottom line is that this makes the Bills immediately better. It took a lot to steal Miller away from the Rams, Broncos, Cowboys and other suitors, but they were able to find a way to do

2022 NFL free agency team-by-team grades: Raiders, Bills, Buccaneers, Chargers, Rams and Jets among winners

March 18, 2022 Bella

The 2022 NFL offseason is officially upon us. Several big-name quarterbacks found new homes ahead of the kickoff of the legal tampering period Monday, but now dozens of notable veterans are actually hitting the market, free to negotiate with other teams. From blockbuster moves to bargain-bin shopping, we’ve got you covered below with a running tracker of every team’s 2022 additions, including external signings and trade acquisitions:

Acquisitions:

It’s not that the players the Cardinals added or retained are bad; Conner and Ertz are vital to their offense. But paying those two a combined $50M+ on long-term deals? What is this, 2017? Arizona went all in on older and/or injury-prone veterans a year ago, but it’d be nice to see the team go a little greener if its gonna spend big money. It has also got pass rusher to address.

Locking up one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers is fine. But they’ve got lots of holes still to fill, especially if they plan on competing with Matt Ryan (or, somehow, Deshaun Watson) at QB. Letting Russell Gage walk may haunt them. They did recently take a step in the right direction by inking Casey Hayward to a two-year deal to be the team’s No. 2 corner.

There are other areas (OL, DL) that need addressing, but Williams is a top-flight ball hawk who will instantly improve their defense in transition, especially alongside a healthier Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, etc.

Von Miller will be a huge difference maker on defense. They basically swapped out Daryl Williams for Saffold, which isn’t an obvious upgrade. Settle is a solid pickup for the D-line, as is Howard for the offense.

Foreman gives them big-bodied insurance for Christian McCaffrey, which is smart. And Corbett is their best O-line investment in two years. Woods, meanwhile,

NFL free agency 2022: Davante Adams franchise tag dynamics, plus chances of a Packers trade or long-term deal

March 5, 2022 Bella

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst referred to using a franchise tag on Davante Adams as a last resort last week when meeting with the local Green Bay media. The All-Pro wide receiver is exactly the type of player that typically gets franchised, although the last time the Packers used the designation was in 2010 on defensive tackle Ryan Pickett.

Adams is the NFL’s most productive wide receiver since signing his expiring four-year contract extension at the end of the 2017 season. He leads the NFL in receptions (432), receiving yards (5,310) and touchdown catches (47) during this span. Adams set the Packers single season record for receiving yardage with 1,553 yards in 2021. He also had 123 catches to break his own team record along with 11 receiving touchdowns.

The Packers have less than a week to avoid the last resort scenario. The deadline for NFL teams to designate a franchise player is 4 p.m. ET on March 8. Gutekunst indicated there’s been “constant communication” with Adams and his representatives during his media session on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

The Packers already have a challenging salary cap situation without a $20.12 million franchise tag for Adams. After entering the offseason approximately $50 million over the projected $208.2 million 2022 salary cap, the Packers have started decreasing the overage by restructuring multiple contracts (tackle David Bakhtiari, defensive tackle Kenny Clark, running back Aaron Jones). The overage doesn’t factor in Adams’ franchise tag. The $20.12 million would become a Green Bay salary cap charge as soon as the designation is made.

Could the Packers and Adams reach a long-term deal?

The Packers and Adams weren’t close to reaching an agreement during negotiations last offseason. Adams wanted to replace DeAndre Hopkins as the NFL’s highest paid wide receiver. The