Raiders and 49ers Coaching Staffs Direct Senior Bowl Teams

The Senior Bowl announced this week that the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers have been selected by the NFL as the two coaching staffs for the 2019 All-star classic in Mobile, Ala. They are the two highest teams drafting with coaching staffs intact for the upcoming 2019 season.

 This marks the 70th year the NFL will send two of its full coaching staffs to the game’s premier all-star and pre-draft event. Reese’s Senior Bowl week starts on Monday, January 21st and concludes with the 70th annual Reese’s Senior Bowl on January 26th at 1:30 pm CT at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

*** Senior Bowl Game – Jan 26, 2019 Mobile, Alabama – 1:30 pm CT- NFL Network ***
                             Weigh-in- Practices – Monday Jan 21st thru Thursday Jan 24th
                       For Complete Senior Bowl info including updated Roster acceptances
Go to https://www.seniorbowl.com/

 “The Reese’s Senior Bowl is excited to have the two Bay Area teams coaching in our 70th annual game,” said Reese’s Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy.  “The Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers are both iconic franchises. With eight Super Bowl victories between them, the Raiders and Niners are historic brands of the league and the Senior Bowl is honored to have them at our game this year.”

 The 49ers will coach the South team and have coached the Reese’s Senior Bowl five times, last coaching in the game in 2008, ending a stretch of three consecutive coaching appearances (Mike Nolan 2006-08). They also coached in 1975 (Dick Nolan) and 1981 (Bill Walsh).

 The Raiders, who will lead the North team, have also coached in the Reese’s Senior Bowl five times previously – 1992 (Art Shell), 1999 (Jon Gruden), 2005 (Norv Turner), 2008 (Lane Kiffin) and 2013 (Dennis Allen).

 Both the Raiders and 49ers finished with 4-12 records in 2018. The 49ers hold the second overall pick and the Raiders will select fourth in April’s 2019 NFL Draft.

 Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden will be coaching in the Reese’s Senior Bowl for the fourth time. He coached the North team as the Raiders head coach in 1999, falling to Bucs’ coach Tony Dungy and the South, 31-21. He then coached in the game twice as the head coach of the Bucs, in 2005 and 2007, going 1-1 in those games.

  “We’re fired up to have Jon Gruden back in Mobile,” Nagy said. “He brings such rare energy and passion to the game of football.  This is a unique opportunity for our fans to see and hear coach Gruden at field level during our practice week.”

 Gruden, 55, returned to coaching this season after spending nearly a decade in the broadcast booth. Gruden compiled a 95-81 (.540) regular season mark in his 12 seasons as a head coach with the Raiders (1999-2001, 2018) and Bucs (2002-2008) and a 5-4 postseason mark, which includes a victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.

 When he was initially hired by Al Davis with the Raiders in 1998, he was the youngest coach in the league at age 34 and posted a 38-26 record, leading the silver and black to back-to-back AFC West titles in 2000 and 2001, including a trip to the AFC Championship game in 2000.

 “The Oakland Raiders are excited to coach in the premier all-star game in the land,” Gruden said. “The opportunity to interact with the Senior Bowl rosters and help these great young men achieve their dreams has the entire Raider staff galvanized. We could not be more pumped to get to Mobile.”

 Shanahan, 39, who will coach the South, will be making his head coaching debut in the Senior Bowl, but coached twice in the game previously as an assistant. Ironically, his first coaching experience in the Reese’s Senior Bowl was in 2005 as the Offensive Quality Control Coordinator for Gruden with the Bucs. In 2012, he returned to Mobile as the Offensive Coordinator of the Washington Redskins, under his father Mike Shanahan.

 “Our players are lucky to have the opportunity to be around coach Shanahan and his staff for a week,” Nagy said. “He is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game today and the Reese’s Senior Bowl is excited that our fans will get an up-close look at how he prepares players.  In addition, we are excited to have a great football man like General Manager John Lynch around our game all week, as well.”

 “The Senior Bowl is a tremendous opportunity for NFL teams to get a firsthand look at some of the top college prospects, and the City of Mobile has always been a gracious host,” Lynch said. “The opportunity to coach these young men is an invaluable asset to our evaluation process and one that we are excited to have. We look forward to getting to know these guys personally while working with them on the practice field, in meetings and even in the dining facilities.”

 Shanahan has 15 seasons of coaching experience in the NFL, the past two as the 49ers’ head coach, where he has compiled a 10-22 record. Prior to his first head coaching position, he served as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons (2015-2016), Cleveland Browns (2014), Washington Redskins (2010-2013) and Houston Texans (2008-2009).

 Following the 2016 season, in which the Falcons appeared in Super Bowl LI, Shanahan was named the Associated Press Assistant Coach of the Year.

NFL Draft 2019 – First Round Mock Draft –

Frank Coyle – Head scout
* Underclassmen expected to declare for the NFL Draft 2019
       Exact draft order to be determined at close of postseason
        x – Division winner      y – made playoffs

December Newsletter – Two Round Mock Draft –
Top 100 Prospects for NFL Draft 2019

1st Round
1 Arizona         3-13      – * Nick Bosa                    DE            6-3, 265         Ohio State
2 San Fran       4-12      – * Quinnen Williams    DT            6-3, 295         Alabama
3 NY Jets          4-12      –  Josh Allen                     LB            6-4, 250            Kentucky
4 Oakland         4-12      – * Ed Oliver                    DT           6-2, 290             Houston
5 Tampa Bay    5-11      – * Greedy Williams      CB           6-1, 180                         LSU
6 NY Giants      5-11      – * Dwayne Haskins       QB          6-2, 215                         Ohio State
7 Jacksonville  5-11      – Clelin Ferrell                DE                    6-4, 260                         Clemson
8 Detroit           6-10      – * Rashan Gary              DE                    6-4, 280                         Michigan
9 Buffalo          6-10      – * Jonah Williams          OT                    6-5, 300                         Alabama
10 Denver         6-10      – Drew Lock                     QB                    6-3, 225                          Missouri
11 Cincinnati    6-10      – * Devin White              LB                     6-0, 245                         LSU
12 Green Bay   6-9-1     – Montez Sweat              LB                     6-4, 245            Mississippi State
13 Miami          7-9        – * Raekwon Davis          DT                     6-7, 315                          Alabama
14 Atlanta         7-9        – * Derrick Brown           DT                     6-3, 325                         Auburn
15 Washington 7-9        – Deandre Baker           CB                    5-11, 180                        Georgia
16 Carolina      7-9        – * Greg Little                 OT                    6-5, 320                         Mississippi
17 Cleveland    7-8-1     – * AJ Brown                  WR                   6-1, 225                         Mississippi
18 Minnesota   8-7-1     – Zach Allen                   DE                    6-4, 285             Boston College
19 Tennessee   9-7        – * Jeffery Simmons       DT                    6-3, 305             Mississippi State
20 Pittsburgh   9-6-1     – * Brian Burns              LB                     6-3, 265                         Florida State
21 Philadelphia 9-7      – * Byron Murphy          CB                    5-11, 175                       Washington
22 Indianapolis 10-6     – Jerry Tillery                DT                     6-4, 310                         Notre Dame
23 Seattle         10-6      – * Deionte Thompson   FS                     6-0, 215                         Alabama
24 Oakland (Dallas) 10-6 – * N’Keal Harry     WR                   6-2, 215                         Arizona State
25 Baltimore    10-6      – * Jachai Polite             LB                     6-2, 242                         Florida
26 Houston      11-5      – Lukas Denis                   FS                     5-11, 190            Boston College
27 New England 11-5   – * Daniel Jones              QB                    6-5, 220                         Duke
28 Oakland (Chicago)  12-4 – * David Edwards  OT                    6-7, 320                         Wisconsin
29 LA Chargers 12-4    – * Dexter Lawrence      DT                     6-3, 340                         Clemson
30 LA Rams     13-3      – Austin Bryant                DE                    6-4, 265                         Clemson
31 Kansas City 12-4     – Kelvin Harmon            WR                   6-2, 220            North Carolina State
32 Green Bay (New Orleans) 13-3 – * Taylor Rapp  SS               6-0, 215                        Washington

Cardinals Hold 1st Overall Pick Selection After Final NFL Weekend

Frank Coyle/ Publisher – Head Scout

NFL Draft 2019 Selection Order – The Cardinals are ‘On the Clock’!

The Arizona Cardinals are ‘On the Clock’ with the first overall selection for the NFL Draft 2019. They earned the top overall draft choice off the horrible 3-13 record. Rookie head coach Steve Wilks inherited a roster in transition with top pick, QB Josh Rosen struggling through his initial campaign. Their recent overall draft decisions have been weak. Wilks was fired on Monday after only one season

Arizona finished with the #1 selection off their 3-13 record. The 49ers earned the 2nd overall selection off opponent’s won/loss records, though tied with #3 Jets and #4 Oakland at 4-12. The Bucs, Giants and Jaguars hold the #5 thru #7 overall choices on the merit of their poor 5-11 records. There is a logjam with four clubs at 6-10 that will impact the top half of the first round over the final Sunday of the 2018 season. Detroit, Buffalo, Denver and Cincinnati hold the #8 through #11 selections.

Opponents’ W-L record 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.

Teams’ upcoming decisions in both veteran Free Agency and the NFL Draft 2019 will dictate the movement of many players this offseason especially among the premier selections.

     Playoffs – Conference & Super Bowl games determine final positions
               x – division winner         y – playoff berth

   #  Team                        W-L  / Opp W-L %
1 Arizona                         3-13      .527
2 San Francisco           4-12      .504
3 NY Jets                        4-12      .506
4 Oakland                      4-12      .547
5 Tampa Bay                5-11      .523
6 NY Giants                   5-11      .527
7 Jacksonville              5-11      .547
8 Detroit                         6-10      .504
9 Buffalo                        6-10      .523
10 Denver                      6-10      .523
11 Cincinnati                6-10      .535
12 Green Bay                6-9-1     .488
13 Miami                        7-9        .469
14 Atlanta                      7-9        .482
15 Washington              7-9        .486
16 Carolina                    7-9        .508
17 Cleveland                    7-8-1     .516
18 Minnesota                  8-7-1     .504
19 Tennessee                    9-7        .520
20 Pittsburgh                  9-6-1     .504
21 y Philadelphia            9-7        .518
22 y Indianapolis           10-6      .465
23 y Seattle                        10-6      .484
24 x Oakland (Dallas)    10-6      .488
25 y Baltimore                  10-6      .496
26 x Houston                      11-5      .471
27 x New England              11-5      .482
28 x Oakland (Chicago)   12-4      .430
29 y LA Chargers               12-4      .477
30 x LA Rams                       13-3      .480
31 x Kansas City                  12-4      .480
32 x Green Bay (New Orleans) 13-3    .482

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.

January All-Star Games 2019 Postseason Schedule

Jan. 5-9 – College Gridiron Showcase, Fort Worth, Texas

Jan. 13 – Tropical Bowl – FBS All-star Game – Daytona Beach, Florida
                      http://www.tropicalbowl.com/

Jan. 19 NFLPA Collegiate Game –
      Rose Bowl, Los Angeles, Ca.– FS1

     Jan. 19 – East-West Shrine – St. Petersburg, Florida – 3 pm est – NFL Network
     For Complete East-West Shrine All-star Game info including updated Roster acceptances
Go to http://www.shrinegame.com/
 
*** Senior Bowl Game – Jan 26, 2019 Mobile, Alabama – 1:30 pm CT- NFL Network ***

                       Weigh-in- Practices – Monday Jan 21st thru Thursday Jan 24th
For Complete Senior Bowl info including updated Roster acceptances
Go to https://www.seniorbowl.com/

NFL Power Poll – Week 17

Frank Coyle/ Head Scout

NFL Power Poll – Final Regular Season Games
Cowboys Clinch East Division, Seahawks Earn Wild Card Berth

Team of the Week  
    Ravens rip Chargers, 22-10

Upset of the Week
  Seahawks outlast Chiefs, 38-31

Players of the Week
  Offense – RB Christian McCaffrey – Panthers     
  Defense – LB Jaylen Smith – Cowboys
 
Rookies of Week
    Offense – RB Sony Michel – Patriots
    Defense – LB Tremaine Edmunds – Bills

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Game of Week #17 – Colts (9-6) at Titans (9-6)  
Winner Earns Final AFC Wild Card Berth

Draft Insiders’ – NFL Power Poll – Week 17

NFL Ranking /Record /Team
#1 – 13-2 Saints
Saints’ earned the home field advantage plus bye thru NFC playoffs.

#2 -12-3 Rams
Rams’ stopped their two game losing streak, holding 2^nd spot in NFC playoffs.

#3 – 11-4 Chiefs
Chiefs’ lost a tough game to the Seahawks. Host the Raiders with AFC West title in the balance.

#4 – 11-4 Bears
The Bears can knock the Vikings out of the playoffs this week and claim #2 spot.

#5 -11- 4 Chargers
Chargers are here to stay. Hoping to clinch West title with win over Broncos and Chiefs loss.

#6 – 10-5 Texans
Texans’ lost to the Eagles on the last play of the game that may cost them a bye week in playoffs.

#7 – 10-5 Patriots
Pats won their 10^th straight AFC East title with win over the Bills. Nothing ever changes in this division.

#8 – 9-6 Seahawks
Seahawks came up big and beat the Chiefs that earned a wild card berth.

#9 – 9-6 Cowboys
The Cowboys win the East division title with some big plays on both sides of the ball.

#10 – 9-6 Ravens
Ravens beat the Chargers in an impressive display of defense and one of the emerging teams in the AFC currently.

#11 – 9-6 Colts
QB Andrew Luck brought the Colts back from a big deficit. Face the Titans in a winner takes all wild card spot in the AFC.

#12 – 8-6-1 Steelers
Steelers’ lost to the Saints in a must win situation. Host the Bengals in must win spot but also needs the Browns to beat the Ravens to win the North title.

#13 – 9-6 Titans
The Titans took care of the Jets to complete a New York sweep.

#14 – 8-7 Eagles
Eagles won huge matchup with Texans. Travel to the Capital in must win situation while hoping Vikings lose to Bears.

#15 – 8-6-1 Vikings
Vikings beat the Lions for another big win. Face the Bears in their final must win game situation for playoff hopes.

#16 – 7-8 Redskins
The Redskins host the Eagles, hoping to end their repeat dreams.

#17 – 7-7-1 Browns
Browns had a great season and could finish over .500 with a win over the tough Ravens on the road.

#18 – 7-8 Dolphins
Dolphins lost to the Jaguars that ended their slim playoff hopes.

#19 – 6-9 Falcons
Falcons wacked the Panthers for a respectable late run.

#20 – 6-9 Broncos
Broncos came up empty once again with another horrible loss this time to the Raiders. Big changes this offseason.

#21 – 6-9 Panthers
Panthers have been inept over the 2^nd half of the season. This club needs a fairly big overhaul.

#22 – 6-9 Bengals
Bengals’ lost to the Browns for a Cleveland sweep this season for the first time since the 2002 season.

#23 – 5-10 Giants
The Giants allowed the Colts to get back into the game and gave away another contest late in the 4^th period.

#24 – 5-9-1 Packers
The Packers came back and beat the Jets in overtime. Expect an active offseason here.

#25 – 5-10 Lions
Lions failed to show up vs the Vikings. Close season at Green Bay to end a very disappointing campaign.

#26 – 5-10 Bucs
Bucs came up short vs Cowboys. Club has failed to improve and continues their 10 year+ playoff drought.

#27 – 5-10 Bills
Bills turned the page with rookie QB Josh Allen at the helm, but a lot of rebuilding necessary to establish themselves as a contender.

#28 – 5-10 Jaguars
Jaguars’ ended the Dolphins playoff dreams last week. This offense needs new leader and playmakers.

#29 – 4-11 Jets
Jets’ lost to the struggling Packers in overtime. Finish in New England with slight improvement to build on going forward.

#30 – 4-11 49ers
The 49ers played the Bears tough, but continue to struggle with weak scoring offense.

#31 – 4-11 Raiders
Raiders beat the hated Broncos. Hope to parlay that with a victory in Kansas City in Sunday’s finale.

#32 – 3-12 Cardinals
Cardinals’ inept offense scored their only TD on a Larry Fitzgerald scoring pass. Finale in Seattle could be ugly.

Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with NFL and college coaches, scouts and player agents. He is a member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards – Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe, Biletnikoff etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for CBS, ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year-round basis related to NFL and College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites

Cardinals Hold 1^st Overall Pick Selection Entering Final  NFL Weekend

Frank Coyle/ Publisher – Head Scout

 With just one game remaining in the 2018 season, the first round order for the NFL Draft 2019 is shaping the selection process. Currently, 16 clubs still have mathematical chances to earn playoff spots. All NFC division winners have been decided, though one wild card playoff club remains to join Seattle. The AFC playoff picture is more complicated with only the Patriots claiming a division title. The three other AFC divisions are still open with eight teams vying for the five remaining playoff positions.  

 Arizona has the #1 off their 3-12 record. The 49ers remain at the 2^nd overall selection off opponent’s won/loss records, though tied with the Jets and Oakland at 4-11. The Lions, Bucs, Bills, Giants and Jaguars hold the #5 thru #9 overall choices on the merit of their poor 5-10 records. There is a logjam with four clubs at 6-9 that will impact the top half of the first round over the final Sunday of the 2018 season.

 This weekend features a few key matchups, Atlanta at Tampa and Detroit at Green Bay that can shuffle the top 10 selections for all of those clubs. Arizona, San Fran, Jets and Raiders all have road divisional games that will determine the final draft order at the very top of the selection process.

 Opponents’ W-L record will be posted next week after all 16 opponents for each team and the final draft order.  Teams that are tied are currently ranked in the order of their opponents won/loss record.

Current First Round Draft Order

# / Team / W-L /
1 Arizona          3-12
2 San Francisco  4-11
3 NY Jets          4-11
4 Oakland         4-11
5 Detroit           5-10
6 Tampa Bay    5-10
7 Buffalo          5-10
8 NY Giants      5-10
9 Jacksonville   5-10
10 Atlanta         6-9
11 Carolina       6-9
12 Denver         6-9
13 Cincinnati     6-9
14 Green Bay    6-8-1
15 Miami           7-8
16 Washington  7-8
17 Cleveland     7-7-1
18 Philadelphia 8-7
19 Pittsburgh    8-6-1
20 Tennessee    9-6
21 Minnesota    8-6-1
22 Indianapolis  9-6
23 Seattle         9-6
24 Oakland (Dallas)       9-6
25 Baltimore     9-6
26 Houston       10-5
27 New England            10-5
28 Oakland (Chicago)    11-4
29 L.A. Chargers           11-4
30 L.A. Rams    12-3
31 Kansas City  11-4
32 Green Bay (New Orleans)      13-2

Frank Coyle is a longtime member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years. He was a 20 year Scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl.

Merry Christmas from Draft Insiders’ Staff

Declared Underclassmen for the NFL Draft 2019

The upcoming NFL Draft is attracting another strong group of underclassmen. Last year a record number of underclassmen decided to turn pro with well over a 100 prospects entering the NFL ranks. This year may break those numbers with almost a month before the Jan. 15^th deadline approaches. Expect many new additions here over the next few weeks as we get deeper into the bowl season. This draft class will be a very heavy defensive talent group from both the underclassmen and senior classes.

In addition, to the large number of underclassmen entering the pro ranks, many players are opting out of their bowl game to prepare for the demanding NFL Draft postseason, both the All-star weeks and NFL Combine and pro day events. These players have increased in recent years and this is a disturbing recent development with key players ending their college careers with their team’s most important postseason game on the agenda.

Underclassmen who have declared for the NFL Draft 2019
Dec. 24th

Position / Player / School/ Class
Offensive Players

QB Jarrett Stidham                    Auburn              Jr
RB Benny Snell                         Kentucky          Jr
RB Justice Hill                           Oklahoma St     Jr
RB Devin Singletary                  Florida Atlantic  Jr
RB Mike Weber                         Ohio State        Jr
RB Darrell Henderson                Memphis           Jr
RB Rodney Anderson                Oklahoma         Jr
RB LJ Scott                              Michigan St       Jr
RB Alex Barnes                         Kansas St         Jr
RB Kerrith Whyte                       Florida Atlantic  Jr
RB Bolu Olorunfunmi                 UCLA                Jr
WR AJ Brown                            Mississippi       Jr
WR Kelvin Harmon                    North Carolina St Jr
WR N’Keal Harry                       Arizona St         Jr
WR DK Metcalf                         Mississippi       RSo
WR Preston Williams                 Colorado St      Jr
WR Greg Dortch                       Wake Forest     RSo
WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams      North Carolina   Jr
WR Antoine Wesley                   Texas Tech       Jr
WR Jovon Durante                    Florida Atlantic  Jr
WR Jazz Ferguson                    Northwestern St  Jr
TE Noah Fant                            Iowa                 Jr
TE Caleb Wilson                       UCLA                Jr
TE Alize Mack                           Notre Dame      Jr
TE Dax Raymond                      Utah St             Jr
TE Keenen Brown                     Texas St           Jr
TE Dawson Knox                      Mississippi        Jr
OT Greg Little                           Mississippi       Jr
OT Tyler Roemer                       San Diego St    RSo
OT Andre James                       UCLA               Jr
OT William Sweet                      North Carolina   Jr
OG Nate Herbig                        Stanford           Jr

Defensive Players
DE Nick Bosa                           Ohio St Jr
DE Jordan Brailford                   Oklahoma St     Jr
DE Maxx Crosby                       Eastern Michigan Jr
DT Ed Oliver                             Houston            Jr
DT Rashan Gary                       Michigan           Jr
DT Dre’Mont Jones                   Ohio St             Jr
DT Ed Alexander                       LSU                  Jr
DT Amani Bledsoe                    Oklahoma         Jr
OLB Brian Burns                       Florida St          Jr
OLB Quart’e Sapp                     Tennessee        Jr
CB Greedy Williams                  LSU                  RSO
CB Justin Layne                        Michigan St         Jr
CB Sean Bunting                       Central Michigan Jr
CB Xavier Crawford                   Central Michigan Jr
CB Blessuan Austin                   Rutgers               Jr
FS Chauncey Gardner-Johnson  Florida                Jr

Frank Coyle is a longtime member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years. He was a 20 year Scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl.

NFL Power Poll – Week 16

Frank Coyle/ Head Scout

NFL Power Poll – Bears Clinch NFC North Division
Chargers Clinch Playoff Berth – Tied With Chiefs for AFC West Division

Team of the Week  
    L.A. Chargers edge Kansas City Chiefs, 29-28

Upset of the Week
Philadelphia beats LA Rams, 30-23

 Players of the Week 
  Offense – QB Philip Rivers – Chargers     
  Defense – DE Melvin Ingram – Chargers

Rookies of Week
    Offense – RB Jaylen Samuels – Steelers
    Defense – LB Darius Leonard – Colts

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Game of Week #16 – Baltimore Ravens (8-6) at LA Chargers (11-3)  
Both clubs still alive for divisional titles

Draft Insiders’ – NFL Power Poll – Week 16

NFL Ranking /Record /Team

#1 – 12-2 Saints
Saints’ returned to the victory column quickly vs the Panthers.

#2 -11-3 Rams
Rams’ are starting to look ordinary the past few weeks.

#3 – 11-3 Chiefs
Chiefs’ lost a shootout to the Chargers. Go to Seattle in a huge matchup for both clubs.

#4 – 11-3 Chargers
Chargers have been relentless, showing the maturity to win key contests.

#5 – 10-4 Texans
Texans’ returned to the winning column vs the Jets. Look to clinch AFC South with win in Philly.

#6 – 10-4 Bears
The Bears beat the Packers in last one to clinch North title.

#7 – 9-5 Patriots
Pats lost their second game in a row. Probably lose home field advantage beyond the first round of playoffs.

#8 – 8-6 Seahawks
Seahawks lost to the 49ers in overtime that may cost them a playoff berth.

#9 – 8-6 Cowboys
The Cowboys were shutout by the Colts after five straight wins. Host the Bucs hoping for division title win.

#10 – 8-5-1 Steelers
Steelers’ beat the Patriots in a must win situation. Travel to New Orleans in another huge game to hold their AFC North leadership.

#11 – 8-6 Ravens
Ravens beat the Bucs to pressure the Steelers. Face the Chargers on the West coast Saturday that can define both divisions.

#12 – 8-6 Colts
Colts’ Andrew Luck came up big again, this time vs the Cowboys. Host the Giants in another must win situation on Sunday.

#13 – 8-6 Titans
The Titans shutout the GMen. Host the Skins this Sunday and must win to stay abreast in crazy AFC wild card race.

#14 – 7-7 Dolphins
Dolphins caved on to the Vikings in last one. Host Bucs holding on to long playoff chances.

#15 – 7-7 Eagles
Eagles refuse to die and won huge matchup with NFC leading Rams. Host the tough Texans in their next must win spot.

#16 – 7-6-1 Vikings
Vikings beat the Dolphins in a big win. Face the Lions in a must win trap game situation for any playoff hopes.

#17 – 7-7 Redskins
The Redskins edged out a win vs the Jaguars. Travel to Tennessee in a tough game that can end their playoff hopes.

#18 – 6-7-1 Browns
Browns are a tough out and beat the Broncos to stay mathematically alive for wild card spot.

#19- 6-8 Broncos
Broncos came up empty again with another horrible loss this time to the Browns. Face the Raiders playing only for pride vs a hated rival.

#20 – 6-8 Panthers
Panthers were inept again offensively, losing their sixth straight game this time to the Saints.

#21 – 6-8 Bengals
Bengals’ beat the Raiders in a meaningless game, holding on to respectability.

#22 – 5-9 Giants
The Giants played poorly last week vs the Titans that ended any playoff mathematical chances.

#23 – 5-8-1 Packers
The Packers were eliminated by the hated Bears last week. Expect a huge offseason turnover here.

#24 – 5-9 Lions
Lions lost to the lowly Bills. Host the Vikings hoping to play spoiler.

#25 – 5-9 Falcons
Falcons wacked the Cardinals in the basement bowl. Face Panthers in the disappointment bowl.

#26 – 5-9 Bucs
Bucs came up short in Baltimore. Travel to Big D dreaming of keeping Cowboys on the outside of the playoffs.

#27 – 5-9 Bills
Bills beat the Lions with rookie QB Josh Allen at the helm. Travel to New England in a huge test for their first year starter.

#28 – 4-10 Jaguars
Jaguars’ lost to the struggling Skins. They look to end the Dolphins playoff dreams this week.

#29 – 4-10 Jets
Jets’ lost to the Texans. Host the struggling Packers this Sunday in maybe their last chance to taste victory in 2018.

#30 – 4-10 49ers
The 49ers shocked the Seahawks in overtime. Host the tough Bears this Sunday.

#31 – 3-11 Cardinals
Cardinals’ pathetic offense came up short vs the Saints. Playing out the string, hosting the Rams this week.

#32 – 3-11 Raiders
Raiders will try to suck it up vs the hated Broncos. Huge roster turnover will continue this offseason.

Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with NFL and college coaches, scouts and player agents. He is a member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards – Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe, Biletnikoff etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for CBS, ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year-round basis related to NFL and College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites

 

Declared Underclassmen for the NFL Draft 2019

The upcoming NFL Draft is attracting another strong group of underclassmen. Last year a record number of underclassmen decided to turn pro with well over a 100 prospects entering the NFL ranks. This year may break those numbers with almost a month before the Jan. 14th  deadline approaches. Expect many new additions here over the next few weeks as we get deeper into the bowl season. This draft class will be a very heavy defensively talent group from both the underclassmen and senior classes.

In addition, to the large number of underclassmen entering the pro ranks, many players are opting out of their bowl game to prepare for the demanding NFL Draft postseason, both the All-star weeks and NFL Combine and pro day events. These players have increased in recent years and is a disturbing development with key player sending their college careers with their team’s most important postseason game on the agenda.

Declared Underclassmen for the NFL Draft 2019

   Dec. 17th

Position / Player / School

Offensive Players

QB Jarrett Stidham                    Auburn              Jr

RB Benny Snell                         Kentucky          Jr

RB Justice Hill                           Oklahoma St     Jr

RB Devin Singletary                  Florida Atlantic  Jr

RB Mike Weber                         Ohio State        Jr

RB Darrell Henderson                Memphis           Jr

RB Rodney Anderson                Oklahoma         Jr

RB LJ Scott                              Michigan St       Jr

RB Alex Barnes                         Kansas St         Jr

RB Kerrith Whyte                       Florida Atlantic  Jr

RB Bolu Olorunfunmi                 UCLA                Jr

WR AJ Brown                            Mississippi       Jr

WR Kelvin Harmon                    North Carolina St Jr

WR N’Keal Harry                       Arizona St         Jr

WR DK Metcalf                         Mississippi       RSo

WR Preston Williams                 Colorado St      Jr

WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams      North Carolina   Jr

WR Antoine Wesley                   Texas Tech       Jr

WR Jovon Durante                    Florida Atlantic  Jr

WR Jazz Ferguson                    Northwestern St  Jr

TE Noah Fant                            Iowa                 Jr

TE Caleb Wilson                       UCLA                Jr

TE Alize Mack                           Notre Dame      Jr

TE Dax Raymond                      Utah St             Jr

TE Keenen Brown                     Texas St           Jr

OT Greg Little                           Mississippi       Jr

OT Tyler Roemer                       San Diego St    RSo

Defensive Players

DE Nick Bosa                           Ohio St Jr

DE Jordan Brailford                   Oklahoma St     Jr

DT Ed Oliver                             Houston            Jr

DT Rashan Gary                       Michigan           Jr

DT Dre’Mont Jones                   Ohio St             Jr

OLB Brian Burns                       Florida St          Jr

OLB Quart’e Sapp                     Tennessee        Jr

CB Greedy Williams                  LSU                  RSO

CB Justin Layne                        Michigan St       Jr

CB Sean Bunting                       Central Michigan Jr

CB Xavier Crawford                   Central Michigan Jr

FS Chauncey Gardner-Johnson  Florida                Jr

Frank Coyle is a longtime member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe, Fred Biletnikoff and Eddie Robinson awards annually for 25 years. He was a 20 year Scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl.

NFL Power Poll – Week 15

Frank Coyle/ Head Scout

NFL Power Poll – Bears and Cowboys Take Commanding Leads in NFC Divisions
Saints Clinch NFC South Division

Team of the Week  
    Chicago Bears edge LA Rams, 15-6

Upset of the Week
Miami beats New England, 34-33
 
Players of the Week
  Offense – QB Andrew Luck – Colts     
  Defense – LB Justin Houston – Chiefs
 
Rookies of Week
    Offense – RB Saquon Barkley – Giants
    Defense – LB Darius Leonard – Colts

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Game of Week #15 – Dallas Cowboys (8-5) at Indianapolis Colts (7-6)  
Cowboys Can Claim NFC East Title with victory

Draft Insiders’ – NFL Power Poll – Week 15

NFL Ranking /Record /Team
#1 -11-2 Rams
Rams’ drilled the Lions to win NFC West title.

#2 – 11-2 Chiefs
Chiefs’ playing for ‘Mahomes’ Field advantage in the AFC.

#3 – 11-2 Saints
Saints’ returned to the victory column quickly vs the Bucs.

#4 – 9-4 Patriots
Pats lose on the ‘Miami Miracle’ that has them coming back to the pack in the AFC playoff possibilities.

#5 – 9-4 Texans
Texans’ ended their nine game winning streak, losing a big division game to the Colt’s Andrew Luck.

#6 – 10-3 Chargers
Chargers are still only one game behind Chiefs in battle for AFC West title.

#7 – 9-4 Bears
The Bears were very impressive in their victory over the Rams Sunday night.

#8 – 8-5 Seahawks
Seahawks found a way to beat the Vikings Monday night.

#9 – 8-5 Cowboys
The Cowboys win their fifth straight game with huge victory over the Eagles in overtime.

#10 – 7-5-1 Steelers
Steelers’ lose their second straight to the lowly Raiders. Host the Patriots in a must win situation.

#11 – 7-6 Ravens
Ravens lost heartbreaker to Kansas City. In a dog fight for North title and final wild card playoff hopes.

#12 – 7-6 Colts
Colts’ Andrew Luck came up huge vs the Texans. Host the Cowboys Sunday that may decide any postseason hopes.

#13 – 7-6 Titans
The Titans beat the Jaguars last Thursday night. Rested for trip to play the GMen.

#14 – 7-6 Dolphins
Dolphins won huge miracle game vs the Patriots. Travel to Vikings hoping to catch them on the downswing.

#15 – 6-7 Eagles
Eagles lost a vital matchup to the Cowboys. Travel to LA to face the NFC leading Rams.

#16 – 6-6-1 Vikings
Vikings continue their slide with loss to the Seahawks. Host the Dolphins in a must win situation for any playoff hopes.

#17- 6-7 Broncos
Broncos came up empty in a horrible lose to the 49ers. Host the Browns with the loser virtually eliminated.

#18 – 5-8 Giants
The Giants played well again last week vs the Skins. Host the Titans for any playoff mathematical chances.

#19 – 5-7-1 Packers
The Packers beat the fading Falcons. Face a must win situation in Chicago on Sunday.

#20 – 6-7 Panthers
Panthers were inept losing their fifth straight game to the Brown. Host the Saints Monday night.

#21 – 6-7 Redskins
The Redskins were wacked by the GMen behind Mark Sanchez. Hoping for mathematical miracles over final three games.

#22 – 5-8 Bengals
Bengals’ will have some major changes this offseason after another lackluster effort.

#23 – 5-7-1 Browns
Browns beat the struggling Panthers last Sunday. Browns are 3-2 under interim HC Greg Williams.

#24 – 5-8 Lions
Lions beat the equally disappointing Cardinals. Travel to Buffalo in another winnable matchup.

#25 – 4-9 Falcons
Falcons were wacked again, this time by Green Bay. Host the Cardinals in a basement bowl contest.

#26 – 4-9 Jaguars
Jaguars’ were pounded by the Titans in last one. Host the Skins in a game that might determine the cellar in two divisions.

#27 – 5-8 Bucs
Bucs failed to show up vs the Saints. Travel to Baltimore in a difficult matchup this week.

#28 – 4-9 Bills
Bills lost to the Jets in the East basement bowl. Host the Lions in another meaningless matchup.

#29 – 4-9 Jets
Jets’ ended their six game losing streak. Host the Texans this Saturday in a huge test for young QB Sam Darnold.

#30 – 3-10 Cardinals
Cardinals’ pathetic offense gives them little chance to win in most games. Travel to Atlanta though in another winnable contest.

#31 – 3-10 49ers
The 49ers shocked the Broncos in last one. Host the tough Seahawks this Sunday.

#32 – 3-10 Raiders
Da Raiders surprised the Steelers last week. Travel to Cinny for another basement bowl matchup.

Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with NFL and college coaches, scouts and player agents. He is a member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards – Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe, Biletnikoff etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for CBS, ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year-round basis related to NFL and College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites