Good teams almost invariably have good quarterback. Bad teams pick near the top of the draft and have the opportunity to select a top signal-caller. But what about teams in the middle, teams that are neither championship contenders, nor poor enough to have a chance at a franchise-changing QB? The 2016 Philadelphia Eagles found themselves…
Cornerback Chris Harris, Jr. is making headlines for his current contract impasse with the Denver Broncos. However that shakes out, it’s bound to end with him signing a deal making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive backs. It’s an opportune time to review Harris’ journey from undrafted free agent to one of football’s best…
NFL teams prepare two draft boards in preparation for the NFL draft, a horizontal board and a vertical board. The horizontal board shows not only a round grade for each prospect but their rank within the position. This helps a team understand alternatives available at various points in the draft. If they pass on a…
NFL teams prepare two draft boards in preparation for the NFL draft, a horizontal board and a vertical board. The vertical board distills the scouting grade, need at the position, positional value, and any other relevant factors into one ranked list of the “best player available.” The first 11 players are gone? Take player 12.…
Since 2000, every franchise had selected a wide receiver in the first round—except the New England Patriots. That streak ended Thursday night, when New England tabbed Arizona State wideout N’Keal Harry with the 32nd selection. The Patriots’ spotty track record choosing receivers, along with concerns about elements of Harry’s game, raises some interesting questions. In…
The 2019 NFL wide receiver draft class is as diverse as an NFL playbook. Whether you are a looking for a true X, an undersized speedster, a big slot receiver, a contested catch monster, or a special teams maven, this draft class has something for you. We’ll borrow a page from high school yearbooks and…
African-American NFL coaches and general managers have had a tough off-season.. Head coaches Todd Bowles, Hue Jackson, Vance Joseph, Marvin Lewis, and Steve Wilks were all fired in the past calendar year, and only one black coach, Brian Flores, was tapped to fill any of the eight total openings. The NFL Network’s Jim Trotter pointed…
Dave Gettleman is not the most popular man in the greater New York area these days. After the Giants started his general manager tenure 1-7, ultimately finishing his first year 5-11, Gettleman began cleaning house, trading defensive end Olivier Vernon and superstar wideout Odell Beckham, Jr., in separate deals to the Cleveland Browns. The Beckham…
Since 2008, former NFL scout Dan Shonka of ourlads.com has been capturing “ball velocity” of quarterbacks throwing at the NFL combine, and posting it online. Some in the media have taken notice of the results and drawn conclusions from the historical data. “There has never been a QB who threw less than 54 mph with…
For the Patriots, as with everyone else, the draft is a critical time to address your needs. Not only their success but also Bill Belichick’s emphasis on versatility makes his drafting strategy one of interest. So, Dave Archibald wonders, what the heck is with the fifth round? On Friday, the New England Patriots traded a 2020 fifth-round…
Something about the numbers in Super Bowl LIII doesn’t add up. The Patriots had 407 yards of total offense. Tom Brady averaged nearly 7.5 yards per attempt on his 35 passes—basically his career (and 2018) average—and was only sacked once. The Patriots carried the ball 32 times for 154 yards, an impressive 4.8 average (and…
In the aftermath of Monday night’s contest between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, several people have pointed out the outstanding numbers Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota compiled in a losing effort: Anyway you slice it, those numbers are crazy. While sports-analytics nerd (his words, not mine) Adam Steele pointed out that Adjusted Net Yards /…
The thing about losing legends is that you can’t even pretend there’s any way to replace them. In the sports world, the only constant is change, with players and coaches hopping from team to team throughout their careers. Media companies, especially with the financial challenges affecting them in recent years, have seen similar turnover. But…
The Los Angeles Rams showed the most dramatic offensive turnaround in the history of the NFL in 2017, more than doubling their point total (224 to 478) as they jumped from the 32nd-ranked offense to number one. They show no signs of slowing down in 2018, rising to 4-0 with a 38-31 victory over the…
No quarterback had more deep passing attempts than Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck did from 2012-2014, and between deep drops, a suspect offensive line, and a propensity to hang on to the football, Luck took a lot of hits. He spent much of the next three years dealing with injuries, with shoulder surgery keeping him…
On a recent Locked On Patriots mailbag, LOP Host and ITP Lead Writer Mark Schofield answered a question about New England’s pick of Georgia running back Sony Michel in the first round. Pats fans have been divided by the pick, with some fans excited about what Michel can bring to the offense and others (such…