NFLPA Collegiate Game Starts All-Star Week

  Opens Week for East-West and Senior Bowl Games

 Jan. 29 – NFLPA Collegiate Game – Rose Bowl, Los Angeles, Ca.–  
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will have their 10th edition of its game today January 29, 2022. Originally slated for the week before, the new date best allows the Collegiate Bowl to once again provide participants with the world-class experience that’s made it the premier postseason all-star showcase. After going virtual for the 2021, the game will once again be played at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium and be televised on NFL Network. Former NFL head coaches, Jeff Fisher and Marvin Lewis have been selected to lead the American and National teams for the 2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. The 10th annual game will take place at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in California and air live on NFL Network.

DraftInsiders.com will have a detailed scouting report from NFLPA practices and game in the Feb Newsletter

Special Package available for 12 Issues – $69.95!!   Order at draftinsiders.com  upper right

Players to Watch

Pos Name /                 School /                    Ht | Wt | Hand | Arm | Wingspan
Offense

QB Zerrick Cooper, Jacksonville St:              6026 | 234 | 948 | 3300 | 7938
QB Chase Garbers, California:                      6020 | 218 | 900 | 3138 | 7468
QB Cole Kelley, Southeastern Louisiana:      6072 | 248 | 958 | 3438 | 8228
RB Greg Bell, San Diego State:                     5106 | 198 | 900 | 3100 | 7168
RB Stephen Carr, Indiana:                             5111 | 212 | 958 | 3228 | 7448
RB Shermari Jones, Coastal Carolina:          5117 | 214 | 968 | 3178 | 7678
RB Julius Chestnut, Sacred Heart:                5111 | 226 | 900 | 3138 | 7378
WR Corey Sutton, Appalachian State:           6017 | 206 | 858 | 3068 | 7538
WR Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa:                6037 | 212 | 918 | 3300 | 7948
WR Braylon Sanders, Mississippi:                 6000 | 190 | 1000 | 3158 | 7548
WR Taysir Mack, Pittsburgh:                          6016 | 198 | 948 | 3248 | 7778
WR Dai’Jean Dixon, Nicholls State:               6024 | 203 | 958 | 3258 | 7928
WR Jequez Ezzard, Sam Houston State:      5093 | 194 | 928 | 3038 | 7278
WR Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan:
TE Austin Allen, Nebraska:                            6076 | 259 | 948 | 3418 | 8168
TE Trae Barry, Boston College:                     6060 | 242 | 1000 | 3600 | 8548
TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, FAU:                      6044 | 256 | 968 | 3528 | 8278
TE Jake Tonges, California:                           6043 | 239 | 1000 | 3338 | 7938
OG Greg Long, Purdue:                                 6033 | 299 | 978 | 3338 | 8068
OG Josh Rivas, Kansas State:                       6051 | 327 | 900 | 3268 | 7878
OG Josh Sills, Oklahoma State:                     6050 | 330 | 978 | 3468 | 8268
OT Jarrid Williams, Miami:                             6061 | 322 | 1048 | 3548 | 8568
OT Lewis Kidd, Montana State                      6056 | 314 | 978 | 3468 | 8178
OT Jalen McKenzie, USC:                             6046 | 307 | 1028 | 3428 | 8048
OT Aron Johnson, South Dakota State:         6050 | 303 | 1000 | 3478 | 8118
OT AJ Arcuri, Michigan State:                        6071 | 308 | 1068 | 3468 | 8400

Defense
DE Sam Williams, Mississippi:                       6034 | 252 | 978 | 3418 | 8058
DE T.D. Moultry, Auburn:                               6014 | 262 | 900 | 3228 | 7748
DE Tre Williams, Arkansas:                            6043 | 252 | 948 | 3378 | 8158
DT Curtis Brooks, Cincinnati:                         6023 | 273 | 1000 | 3200 | 7818
DT Jayden Peevy, Texas A&M:                     6050 | 319 | 1038 | 3618 | 8568
DT Jonathan Ford, Miami:                              6050 | 338 | 900 | 3638 | 7978
DT Roderick Perry II, Illinois:                          6012 | 312 | 1078 | 3378 | 8018
DT Tariqious Tisdale, Mississippi:                  6047 | 281 | 928 | 3548 | 8268
OLB Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State:   5110 | 227 | 928 | 3028 | 7258
OLB Joshua Ross, Michigan:                         6006 | 220 | 918 | 3138 | 7468
OLB Arron Mosby, Fresno State:                   6023 | 248 | 978 | 3300 | 7638
OLB Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers:                   6015 | 241 | 948 | 3328 | 7828
OLB Jack Gibbens, Minnesota:                      6032 | 239 | 928 | 3300 | 7728
OLB Segun Olubi, San Diego State:              6003 | 229 | 748 | 3258 | 7738
OLB Deandre Johnson, Miami:                      6030 | 253 | 1028 | 3318 | 7838
OLB Chauncey Manac, Louisiana-Lafayette: 6030 | 249 | 1048 | 3438 | 8100
OLB Cameron Goode, California:                  6030 | 237 | 848 | 3458 | 8148
CB Leonard Johnson, Duke:                          6005 | 191 | 738 | 3178 | 7618
CB Julius Faulk, Delta State:                         6004 | 211 | 878 | 3318 | 8048
CB Tre Swilling, Georgia Tech:                      6006 | 202 | 948 | 3268 | 7800
CB Obi Eboh, UCLA:                                      6010 | 195 | 828 | 3238 | 7918
FS Zyon Gilbert, FAU:                                    6003 | 177 | 868 | 3058 | 7528
FS Isaiah Pryor, Notre Dame:                        6013 | 218 | 868 | 3248 | 7678
FS Kekaula Kaniho, Boise State:                   5113 | 181 | 8058 | 3028 | 7238
SS Markquese Bell, Florida A&M:                  6022 | 200 | 948 | 3300 | 7648

NFL Draft 2022 – First Round Mock Draft  2.0

January, 2022
* Underclassmen – Pre-Senior & East-West All-Star Games

All underclassmen had until Jan. 17^th to declare for the NFL Draft. Players have three days to rescind their decision.
x – Playoff teams will finalize their positions after each postseason round.

1st Round

  #         Team            W/L          Player                      Pos      Ht/WT    School  Class
1         Jacksonville      2-14      Kayvon Thibodeaux       DE       6-5/260             Oregon             Jr
2         Detroit              2-13-1   Aidan Hutchinson            DE       6-6/265             Michigan           Jr
3         Houston            4-12      Kenny Pickett                  QB       6-3/220             Pittsburgh       Sr
4         Jets                  4-12      Derek Stingley                   CB        6-1/195             LSU          Jr
5         Giants               4-12      Kyle Hamilton                  S          6-4/220             Notre Dame    Jr
6         Carolina            5-11      Evan Neal                          OT        6-7/350             Alabama        Jr
7         NY Giants (Chic) 6-11    George Karlaftis             DE       6-4/275             Purdue             Jr
8         Atlanta              7-10      David Ojabo                     DE       6-5/250             Michigan     RSoph
9         Denver              7-10      Matt Corral                        QB       6-2/205          Mississippi     Jr
10         NY Jets (Seattle) 7-10    DeMarvin Leal               DT        6-4/290             Texas A&M       Jr
11         Washington       7-10      Garrett Wilson                WR       6-0/190             Ohio State        Jr
12         Minnesota         8-9        Nakobe Dean                 ILB       6-0/225             Georgia          Jr
13         Cleveland          8-9        Ikem Ekwonu                 OT        6-4/320            North Carolina St Jr
14         Baltimore          8-9        Tyler Linderbaum          C          6-3/290             Iowa          Jr
15         Phil (Miami)       9-8        Devin Lloyd                   ILB       6-3/235             Utah          Sr
16         Phil (Indianapolis) 9-8    Charles Cross               OT        6-5/310          Mississippi St  RSoph
17         LA Chargers      9-8        Kaiir Elam                      CB        6-2/195             Florida       Jr
18         New Orleans     9-8        Andrew Booth               CB        6-0/195             Clemson           Jr
19       Philadelphia      9-8        Treylon Burks                WR       6-3/225             Arkansas          Jr
20       Pittsburgh         9-8-1     Kenyon Green               OG       6-4/325             Texas A&M       Jr
21       New England    10-7      Nicholas Petit-Frere      OT        6-5/315             Ohio State        Jr
22       Las Vegas        10-7      Jameson Williams         WR       6-2/190             Alabama           Jr
23       Arizona             11-6     Kenneth Walker             RB        5-11/210            Michigan State Jr
24       Dallas               12-5      Bernhard Raimann        OT        6-7/305             C. Michigan       Sr
25       Buffalo             11-6      Christian Harris              ILB       6-2/235             Alabama        Jr
26       Tennessee        12-5      Drake Jackson              OLB      6-4/250             Southern Cal     Jr
27       Tampa Bay       13-4      Jahan Dotson                WR       5-11/185            Penn State        Sr
28       Green Bay        13-4      Chris Olave                    WR       6-1/190             Ohio State        Sr
29x       Miami (San Fran) 10-7   Jordan Davis             DT        6-6/340             Georgia            Sr
30x       Cincinnati          10-7      Ahmad Gardner         CB        6-3/200             Cincinnati          Jr
31x       Detroit (Rams)   12-5      Drake London            WR       6-5/210             Southern Cal     Jr
32x       Kansas City      12-5      Isaiah Spiller                 RB        6-1/215             Texas A&M   Jr

NFL Draft 2022 – Underclassmen Pro Prospects

NFL Office Announces 73 Players Granted Special Eligibility for NFL Draft

NFL.com

Each of the players listed below have met the league’s three-year eligibility rule and have renounced their college football eligibility by submitting written notification to the league office on or before the January 17th deadline.  Consequently, they are eligible for selection

The list of 73 players granted special eligibility for entry to the 2022 NFL Draft was released by the NFL on Friday.

Each of the players granted special eligibility has met the league’s three-year eligibility rule and has submitted to a written application in which he renounced his remaining college football eligibility. The deadline for receiving applications was Jan. 17.

The 73 players granted special eligibility for the 2022 NFL Draft

NFL Draft 2022 is scheduled to be held April 28-30 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU
Alec Anderson, OT, UCLA
Matt Araiza, P, San Diego State
David Bell, WR, Purdue
Dane Belton, DB, Iowa
Nik Bonitto, LB, Oklahoma
Andrew Booth, DB, Clemson
Gabe Brkic, K, Oklahoma
Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin
Lewis Cine, DB, Georgia
Snoop Conner, RB, Mississippi
Matt Corral, QB, Mississippi
Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
Nick Cross, DB, Maryland
Tyrion Davis-Price, RB, LSU
Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
William Dunkle, G, San Diego State
Jerrion Ealy, RB, Mississippi
Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State
Kaiir Elam, DB, Florida
Kaleb Eleby, QB, Western Michigan
Noah Elliss, DT, Idaho
Martin Emerson, DB, Mississippi State
Erik Ezukanma, WR, Texas Tech
Cordale Flott, DB, LSU
Ahmad Gardner, DB, Cincinnati
Tyler Goodson, RB, Iowa
Kyler Gordon, DB, Washington
Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M
Ben Griffiths, P, USC
Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
Kyle Hamilton, DB, Notre Dame
Christian Harris, LB, Alabama
Kevin Harris, RB, South Carolina
Daxton Hill, DB, Michigan
Christopher Hinton, DT, Michigan
Drake Jackson, LB, USC
Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska
Zonovan Knight, RB, N.C. State
DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M
Drake London, WR, USC
Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA
Trent McDuffie, DB, Washington
Ja’Quan McMillian, DB, East Carolina
John Metchie, WR, Alabama
Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
Jalen Nailor, WR, Michigan State
Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
David Ojabo, LB, Michigan
George Pickens, WR, Georgia
Makai Polk, WR, Mississippi State
Sean Rhyan, OT, UCLA
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky
Dare Rosenthal, OT, Kentucky
Brandon Smith, LB, Penn State
Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa
Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M
Chris Steele, DB, USC
Derek Stingley, DB, LSU
Tyler Vrabel, OT, Boston College
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State
Travon Walker, DT, Georgia
Dohnovan West, C, Arizona State
Devon Williams, WR, Oregon
Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
Kyren Williams, RB, Notre Dame
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
Alex Wright, LB, UAB
Mykael Wright, DB, Oregon
Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M
Cade York, K, LSU

The following 27 underclassmen have in timely fashion under NFL rules officially notified the league office that they have fulfilled their degree requirements. They are eligible for selection:
 
Jalyn Armour-Davis, DB, Alabama
Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma
Kevin Austin, WR, Notre Dame
Slade Bolden, WR, Alabama
Jashaun Corbin, RB, Florida State
Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA
Joshua Ezeudu, G, North Carolina
John FitzPatrick, TE, Georgia
Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati
Vincent Gray, DB, Michigan
Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue
Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
Verone McKinley III, DB, Oregon
Kyler McMichael, DB, North Carolina
James Mitchell, TE, Virginia Tech
Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State
Kyle Philips, WR, UCLA
Tyler Snead, WR, East Carolina
Carson Strong, QB, Nevada
Isaac Taylor-Stuart, DB, USC
Master Teague, RB, Ohio State
Luke Tenuta, OT, Virginia Tech
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State
Zamir White, RB, Georgia

The following players inquired about their draft status and are eligible for selection without the need for special eligibility:

Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut
Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson
Jermaine Waller, DB, Virginia Tech
Josh Watts, P, Colorado

Draft Insiders’ – NFL Power Poll – Playoffs Week 19
NFL Power Poll – Wild Card Week

Bills Bomb Patriots, Bucs Crush Eagles
Ram’s Matthew Stafford Burns Cardinals

Teams of the Week 
Bills Behind Josh Allen Crushes Patriots, 47-17
49ers Clinch Playoff spot with Win over Rams – 27-24 OT
Raiders Get Wild Card Spot with Win over Chargers – 35-32 OT
    
Players of the Week
  Offense – QB Josh Allen – Bills        
  Defense – LB Von Miller – Rams
 
Games of Week 20 – Divisional Playoff Week  
Saturday – Jan. 22
Bengals @ Titans
49ers @ Packers
 
Sunday – Jan 23
Rams @ Bucs
Bills @Chiefs

NFL Team Power Poll – Draft Insiders’ Staff

Ranking /Record /Team

#1 – 13-4 Packers
The Packers sat out week 1 with a playoff bye. Hosting the banged up 49ers this Saturday night. Packers played with purpose this season and look to take care of business.

#2 – 14-4 Bucs
Bucs toasted the outmanned Eagles in the opening round. Host the Rams in the divisional round, relying on the Brady magic to continue their repeat march.

#3 – 13-5 Chiefs
Chiefs bombed the Steelers on Sunday night behind Patrick Mahomes. Host the hot Bills in a terrific matchup of gun slinging QBs.

#4 – 12-5 Titans
The Titans are rested after their playoff bye. Host the surging Bengals in a matchup of different styles.

#5 – 12-6 Bills
Bills rocked the Patriots with their explosive offense behind Josh Allen. They scored at will vs the veteran Pats’ defense and hope to retain their offensive pace vs the equally hot Chiefs’ attack.

#6 – 13-5 Rams
Rams crushed the Cardinals behind the hot hand of QB Matthew Stafford who dissect their defense.
They travel to Tampa to face Tom Brady, hoping to repeat their early season 34-24 victory.

#7 – 11-7 Bengals
Bengals jumped the Raiders early and walked away with their first postseason win in 31 years. Travel to Nashville, looking to keep their momentum vs the AFC leader.

#8 – 11-7 49ers
The 49ers beat the Cowboys behind a strong ground game and tough defense. Their defense is banged up for their trip to Titletown to face Aaron Rodgers on Saturday night.

#9 – 11-7 Cardinals
Cardinals lost to the Seahawks to complete their rocky closing stretch. QB Kyler Murray struggled in the spotlight and failed in big spots repeatedly over the late season.

#10 – 12-6 Cowboys
The overrated Cowboys played lousy vs the balanced 49ers. QB Dak Prescott was erratic as usual vs a good defense. Boys imploded with little discipline especially when they were behind.

#11 – 10-8 Patriots
The Pats defense was smoked by Buffalo’s Josh Allen. They never got their offense in motion and the defense failed repeatedly to contain the potent Bills attack.

#12 – 10-8 Raiders
The Raiders tried to comeback vs the Bengals, but lacked the firepower to deliver in the red zone.
Club hung together through a difficult second half to make the playoffs.

#13 – 9-8-1 Steelers
Steelers were outmatched vs the Chiefs. It ended the Ben Roethlisberger era that included two Super Bowl titles.

#14 – 9-9 Eagles
The Eagles were crushed by Tom Brady and the Bucs who jumped to a 31-0 lead. Eagles went much further than expected this season and have a foundation to build upon for next season.

Hula Bowl 2022

Saturday January 15, 2022 – 12 pm noon EST
UCF Bounce House Stadium
Orlando, Florida – CBS Sports Network

Team Aina – Head coach: Mike Smith
Team Kai – Head coach: Brian Billick

Rosters
https://www.hulabowl.com/events/athlete-roster-2022.html

Hula Bowl Heads New All-Star Postseason

A full schedule of postseason All-star games return this year with the Hula Bowl kicking off the prime postseason events. Many All-star games were closed down last year except the Senior Bowl Classic. The Covid 19 virus cancelled a wide range of events, making the scouting process very difficult and limited. The past NFL Draft 2021 class will be interesting to evaluate in a few more seasons and seeing if a higher number of early draft selection bust out and more late round sleepers emerge over their first three or four seasons.

Both dates and locations of several events have changed in many cases for the major All-star venues, in addition to several small college All-star events. DraftInsiders.com scouting staff will be at many All-Star events plus the NFL Combine 2022 and school Pro Days. Each All-star event will have announcements thru the postseason with player and coaching updates.

The 2022 Hula Bowl is a postseason college football all-star game scheduled for January 15, 2022, with kickoff at 12:00 noon EST, at Bounce House in Orlando, Florida. It will be the first all-star contest of the 2021–22 bowl games and, while not restricted to FBS players, one of the final games of the 2021 FBS football season. Television coverage will be provided by CBS Sports Network. This will be the first playing of the Hula Bowl outside of Hawaii, due to Aloha Stadium near Honolulu being closed for renovations.[2] The games rosters players into Aina and Kai teams, the words for land and sea in the Hawaiian language.

Hula Bowl Players to Watch
QB Cole Kelley | Southeastern Louisiana | 6066 | 248
QB Anthony Brown | Oregon | 6013 | 227.8
RB Julius Chestnut | Sacred Heart | 5111 | 224.4
RB Isaih Pacheco | Rutgers | 5102 | 208
RB Stephen Carr | Indiana | 5113 | 210.9
WR Jalen Virgil | Appalachian State | 6001 | 211
WR Mike Harley | Miami (FL) | 5103 | 172.9
WR Isaiah Weston | Northern Iowa | 6033 | 208
WR Keith Corbin | Jackson State | 6006 | 188.5
WR Lujuan Winningham | Central Arkansas | 6030 | 189.3
TE Jamal Pettigrew | McNeese State | 6062 | 251
TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe | Kansas State | 6031 | 241
TE Andrew Ogletree | Youngstown State | 6053 | 256.1
OT Sam Schlueter | Minnesota | 6057 | 313
OG Cain Madden | Notre Dame | 6021 | 316
OG Cole Schneider | Central Florida | 6031 | 309.1
OC Liam Shanahan | LSU | 6042 | 305
OC Matt Allen | Michigan State | 6023 | 311.8
DE Isaiah Chambers | McNeese State | 6035 | 260
DE Scott Patchan | Colorado State | 6043 | 257.7
DE Owen Carney | Illinois | 6031 | 265.5
LB Isaiah Graham-Mobley | Boston College | 6006 | 223
LB Teddy Gallagher | Coastal Carolina | 6000 | 234.9
LB Drew White | Notre Dame | 6002 | 228 |
CB Christian Benford | Villanova | 6003 | 196
CB Deane Leonard | Ole Miss | 6007 | 182 |
CB Tristin McCullom | Sam Houston State | 6004 | 190.4
CB Tayler Hawkins | San Diego State | 5117 | 198
CB Deane Leonard | Ole Miss | 6007 | 182
S Bydarrius Knighten | Auburn | 5114 | 196
S Tariq Carpenter | Georgia Tech | 6024 | 227

NFL Postseason Schedule – 2022
Wild Card Playoff Starts New Postseason Format

The opening week of the NFL playoffs begins with the Wild Card weekend. This year the NFL playoffs has been expanded with the addition of one more Wild card team per conference. The format expands to six games this weekend including a triple header on Saturday and the first Monday night playoff game in history. There is only one team per conference who received an opening week bye – the Packers in the NFC and the Titans in the AFC. Both teams will retain the home field advantage throughout their conference playoffs.

   Saturday, January 15

AFC Wild Card Playoffs
Matchup                                  Time (est)         TV        Location
Las Vegas vs Cincinnati             4:30 PM            NBC     Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
New England vs Buffalo             8:15 PM            CBS     Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park

   Sunday, January 16

NFC Wild Card Playoffs
Philadelphia vs Tampa Bay        1:00 PM            FOX     Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
San Francisco vs Dallas             4:30 PM            CBS     AT&T Stadium, Arlington

AFC Wild Card Playoffs
Pittsburgh vs Kansas City          8:15 PM            NBC     GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City

   Monday, January 17

NFC Wild Card Playoffs
Arizona vs Los Angeles             8:15 PM            ESPN/ABC SoFi Stadium, Inglewood

Draft Insiders’ – NFL Power Poll – Week 19
NFL Power Poll – Wild Card Playoff Week

Raiders & 49ers Clinch Wild Card Berths
Steelers Win in OT vs Ravens for Final Wild Card Place

Teams of the Week 
49ers Clinch Playoff spot with Win over Rams – 27-24 OT
Raiders Get Wild Card Spot with Win over Chargers – 35-32 OT

Upset of the Week
Detroit Lions (3-13-1) Edge Green Bay Packers (13-4) – 37-30
    
Players of the Week
  Offense – QB Dak Prescott – Cowboys        
  Defense – LB Uchenna Nwosu – Chargers
 
Games of Week 19 – Wild Card Playoff Week – Saturday thru Monday
Postseason Begins with New Format

NFL Team Power Poll
Draft Insiders’ Staff

Ranking /Record /Team

#1 – 13-4 Packers
The Packers gained #1 seed and sat out several starters in loss to Lions. Earned bye week and will host lowest winner in Titletown.

#2 – 13-4 Bucs
Bucs begin their SB title defense with the Eagles coming to town. Brady is still money especially in the postseason.

#3 – 12-5 Chiefs
Chiefs host the Steelers on Saturday. Club began to peak over 2^nd half and looks to strong run in the postseason.

#4 – 12-5 Titans
The Titans edged the Texans in the finale to earn the #1 seed and bye. Host the lowest winner looking to get healthy for a run at the title.

#5 – 12-5 Rams
Rams lost to the 49ers in OT in the finale that matches them up with AFC West rival the Cardinals. They host the first Monday night playoff game in NFL history.

#6 – 11-6 Cardinals
Cardinals lost to the Seahawks to complete their rocky closing stretch. Face the Rams in LA and must improve or expect a quick postseason exit.

#7 – 12-5 Cowboys
The Cowboys look like world beaters vs mediocre clubs. Host the hot 49ers in a game that will test their meddle to the fullest.

#8 – 11-6 Bills
Bills host the Patriots in their three peat matchup. Weather could define this again. Interesting coaching battle between Belichick and McDermott.

#9 – 10-7 Bengals
Bengals rested veterans with their home playoff game secure. Rematch with Raiders who are coming off a thrilling OT game vs Chargers.

#10 – 10-7 Patriots
Pats return to Buffalo where their late December victory highlighted once again the brilliance of Bill Belichick.

#11 – 10-7 49ers
The 49ers beat the Rams to claim an NFC Wild card berth. Travel to Big D to face the Cowboys looking for postseason victory for first time since losing SB in 2020.

#12 – 10-7 Raiders
The Raiders hung together for a wild stretch run and won a huge game vs the Chargers. Travel to Cincinnati hoping to rebound from being crushed by Bengals at midseason.

#13 – 9-8 Eagles
The Eagles were crushed by Cowboys in finale but had claimed a Wild card spot. Travel to Tampa to face Tom Terrific hoping to give a strong performance vs the defending champions.

#14 – 9-7-1 Steelers
Steelers slipped into the postseason in Ben Roethlisberger’s final season. Travel to KC where their defense will be fully tested by the explosive Chiefs attack behind Patrick Mahhomes.

#15 – 9-8 Chargers
The hot and cold Chargers lost a thriller in OT to the Raiders that eliminated them from postseason. They have the core talent to press for a SB title, though not a finished product yet.

#16 – 9-8 Colts
The Colts crushed over final two weeks. Losing in Jacksonville in finale will linger during the postseason.

#17 – 9-8 Dolphins
Dolphins were eliminated despite beating Patriots in finale. The firing of HC Brian Flores makes no sense.

#18 – 9-8 Saints
The Saints stayed alive for the postseason through finale beating the Falcons but came up short. Club played hungry despite starting four QBs

#19- 8-9 Ravens
Ravens lost another close one this time in OT to the Steelers. First sub .500 season since 2015.

#20 – 8-9 Browns
Browns beat the undermanned Bengals in finale. They came up short again this year with key injuries and a lack of cohesion on both sides of the ball that must be addressed.

#21- 7-10 Broncos
The Broncos finished with another close loss and must address the QB problem. They actually have playoff talent throughout and might look for a blockbuster move for a veteran star QB.

#22 – 7-10 Vikings
Vikings fired both HC Zimmer and GM Spielman to begin a new era. Expect many roster moves this offseason.

#23 – 7-10 Falcons
Falcons come up flat vs the Saints to finish sub .500 for the three consecutive season. Ready for a complete rebuild after trying to unsuccessfully fix different areas.

#24 – 7-10 WFT
The WFT failed to repeat in the East and will look to address the QB position this postseason. They struggled keeping pace in high scoring games.

#25 – 7-10 Seahawks
Seahawks finished with a few wins, but could face a big turnover of talent especially if they part ways with QB Russell Wilson.

#26 – 6-11 Bears
The Bears have begun their house cleaning with both HC Nagy and GM Pace fired. They have a tough road with no #1 pick, but have a big overhaul to get to playoff levels.

#27 – 5-12 Panthers
Panthers collapsed after a good opening month. They have to make a decision on QB Sam Darnold and have to improve a struggling offense to compete in the NFC South.

#28 – 4-13 Texans
Texans fell to the Titans in the finale to complete a horrible season. More major changes expected prior to training camp and they must answer the question of QB Deshaun Watson.

#29 – 4-13 Jets
Jets completed their development season and actually improved over the late season. They hope they have the foundation inline to build on with a critical postseason to take another step.

#30 – 4-13 Giants
The Giants finished with a 6 game losing streak behind an inept offense. The house cleaning has started with firing of HC Judge and retirement of Gettleman.

#31 – 3-13-1 Lions
Lions beat the Packers sub package to complete a difficult season. They played hard throughout, but must improve their talent level to take a step up.

#32 – 3-14 Jaguars
Jaguars earned the top overall selection again this year off a horrible performance that included firing first year coach Urban Meyer at midseason. Trevor Lawrence is the foundation despite a challenging rookie season.

NFL Draft 2022 Selection Order – The Jaguars are ‘On the Clock’ (Again)!

Jaguars Lions, Texans, Jets & Giants Hold Current Top 5 Selections
                         Eagles Hold Three #1 Selections,
               Giants and Jets Hold Two #1 Draft Choices

The Jacksonville Jaguars are ‘On the Clock’ with the first overall selection for the NFL Draft 2022. They earned the top overall draft choice again currently off a horrible 3-14 record. Rookie head coach Urban Meyer was fired in early December. Their recent overall draft decisions have been weak.

Detroit currently holds the 2nd overall selection off a poor 3-13-1 record with the Texans, Jets and Giants completing the top five selections. There is a logjam with nine clubs between 4-13, 7-10 and 9-8 that will impact the top  selections.

Jets (#4 & #10) and Giants (#5 & #7) hold two first round picks each with both top ten selections. The Eagles hold three #1 selections (#15, 16 & 19) with all from the middle of the round back.

A teams’ opponent’s W-L record will determine all tie situations. Teams that are still tied will flip though none necessary this year. Playoff teams will shuffle according to their postseason results to determine the final top 32 selections.

NFL teams look to both the veteran Free Agency period and the NFL Draft 2022 to improve their rosters. The salary cap went up after  in years with a $175 million cap range per team expected. It will dictate the movement of many veteran players this offseason and have an impact among the premier draft selections.

        Playoffs – Super Bowl game will determine final position
                postseason determines the final two positions

#            Team               W-L / Opp W-L %
1          Jacksonville          3-14     .512
2          Detroit                  3-13-1  .528
3          Houston                4-13     .498
4          NY Jets                 4-13     .512
5          NY Giants             4-13     .529
6          Carolina                5-12     .512
7          NY Giants (Chic)   6-11   .524
8          Atlanta                  7-10     .476
9          Denver                  7-10     .484
10         NY Jets (Seattle)   7-10   .519
11         Washington           7-10   .529
12         Minnesota             8-9     .507
13         Cleveland              8-9      .517
14         Baltimore              8-9     .528
15         Phil (Miami)         9-8      .464
16         Phil (Indianapolis) 9-8    .495
17         LA Chargers      9-8          .510
18         New Orleans     9-8          .512
19         Philadelphia      9-8          .472
20         Pittsburgh         9-7-1       .521
21         Cincinnati          10-7        .472
22         New England    10-7        .481
23         Miami (San Fran) 10-7   .500
24         Las Vegas        10-7          .510
25         Buffalo            11-6           .472
26         Detroit (Rams)   11-6     .490
27         Dallas               12-5         .491
28         Arizona            12-5        .483
29         Kansas City      12-5       .538
30         Tampa Bay       13-4      .460
31         Tennessee        12-5        .472
32         Green Bay        13-4       .479
 
               *** April 28-30 – NFL Draft 2022 – ***
 
Team tie-breaking procedure for the NFL Draft
If two or more clubs are tied in the selection order, the strength-of-schedule tie breaker is applied, subject to the following exceptions for playoff clubs: The Super Bowl winner is last and the Super Bowl loser next-to-last. Any non-Super Bowl playoff club involved in a tie shall be assigned priority within its segment below that of non-playoff clubs and in the order that the playoff clubs exited from the playoffs. Within a tied segment a playoff club that loses in the Wild-Card game will have priority over a playoff club that loses in the Divisional playoff game that in turn will have priority over a club that loses in the Conference Championship game. If two tied clubs exited the playoffs in the same round, the tie is broken by strength of schedule. If any ties cannot be broken by strength of schedule, the divisional or conference tie breakers, when applicable, are applied. Any ties that still exist are broken by a coin flip.

Senior Bowl Names Lions & Jets Staffs for All-Star Classic

The Reese’s Senior Bowl today announced that NFL Football Operations has assigned the Detroit Lions and New York Jets as the coaching staffs for the 73rd annual Reese’s Senior Bowl to be played on Saturday February 5, 2022, at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama.

The game will be aired live on the NFL Network at 1:30 CT.  The Lions own the No. 2 pick, while the Jets own the Nos. 4 and 10 selections in the 2022 NFL draft. NFL teams are offered the opportunity to coach the two Senior Bowl squads based on draft order, unless they are transitioning coaching staffs. The Jaguars hold the No. 1 pick of the draft but with the club in search of a coach did not quality. The Lions hold the #2 overall pick, while the Jets have the #4 overall selection. The Lions last coached the Senior Bowl in 2020 under then-coach Matt Patricia. The Jets have not coached a Senior Bowl team since 1979 under coach Walt Michaels.

       Go to   seniorbowl.com   for this years Player list

Draft Insiders.com will attend all events and have in-depth coverage in Feb Newsletter

The Senior Bowl is coming off a record-breaking year in which 106 players were selected in the 2021 NFL draft, which represents 41% of the entire class. Over the past three drafts (2019-2021), 88.4% of the players wound up making an active 53-man NFL roster at some point during their rookie season.

The Senior Bowl has long been the nation’s most prestigious college all-star game and it is the only one coached by entire staffs from two NFL clubs.  NFL Football Operations smartly uses the draft order to select participating clubs because it serves as a valuable mechanism of parity for competitive balance in the league each year.

For the first time in the game’s rich history, head coaches will serve in more an advisory capacity while promoting select assistants into leadership roles on the staff (e.g. running backs coach to head coach, secondary coach to defensive coordinator, etc.). This new change will offer position coaches and coordinators developmental opportunities in a setting that showcases their skills in front of peers from all 32 clubs.

In addition, Senior Bowl leadership is excited to announce that four coaches from Historically Black Colleges & Universities will be a part of Senior Bowl coaching staffs in this year’s game. Coaches selected to take part in this minority fellowship program will be a part of on-field coaching, position meetings, and nightly staff evaluations.  The primary goal of this new initiative is to connect HBCU coaches with NFL decision-makers in hope that it leads to future career opportunities, while also giving the rest of the league’s teams four individuals to contact for information on Senior Bowl participants.

The three recent rosters have included the following standouts: QB Justin Herbert (Chargers), QB Mac Jones  (Patriots), QB Jalen Hurts (Eagles),  DS Jeremy Chinn (Panthers), WR Deebo Samuel (49ers), WR Chase Claypool (Steelers), WR Brandon Aiyuk (49ers), (Eagles), DB Kyle Dugger (Patriots), RB Elijah Mitchell (49ers), RB Antonio Gibson (WFT), WR Terry McLaurin (WFT), OL Chris Lindstrom (Falcons),  OL Elgton Jenkins (Packers), DL Montez Sweat (WFT), RB Najee Harris (Steelers), RB Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots), RB Michael Carter (Jets), WR Kadarius Toney (Giants), WR Devonta Smith (Eagles), OL Quinn Meinerz (Broncos), and OL Creed Humphrey (Chiefs).

College Football Playoff National Championship
Bama vs Bulldogs in Classic Title Matchup

The 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game is set for Lucas Stadium in Indianapolis Indiana. It’s a rare rematch of the SEC title game between Alabama and Georgia just four weeks ago. Bama had a dominant title game winning 41-24 with the score no indication of the matchup. The final features #1 vs #2 with both clubs 13-1. Georgia was undefeated entering the SEC title game and is quietly looking for revenge for the disappointing performance. Each team had an impressive Semi-final win, Bama vs Cincinnati 27-6 and Georgia 34-11 over Michigan. Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young outclassed the Bulldogs QB Stetson Bennett in the title game and had Georgia trailing from early in the contest. Young gives the Tide the trump card that has spelled the difference in big matchups.

The college football season comes down to the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs squaring off in the College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The eighth final of the College Football Playoff will truly represent the top two teams. The Tide is seeking their 7th national championship in the past 13 seasons and their second back to back title. The Bulldogs are seeking their first since 1980. Georgia HC Kirby Smart hopes to break a winless streak (0-4) against his former boss, Alabama coach Nick Saban. Georgia lost to Bama in the 2018 Championship game after leading at halftime 13-0. Bama behind Tuo Tagovailoa spearheaded the comeback in overtime with a thrilling 41 yard TD pass to another Bama Heisman Trophy winner wideout DeVonta Smith.

It will be Alabama’s 6th appearance in the national final in the past seven years, including last year’s title-winning contest. The Tide has won the last seven meetings between the teams under legendary coach Nick Saban. Tide rolls behind the magic of QB Bryce Young.

Prediction: Alabama 27 – Georgia 13