NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Colorado players in transfer portal: Wave of Buffaloes exploring exit after Deion Sanders’ spring game debut

    Colorado players in transfer portal: Wave of Buffaloes exploring exit after Deion Sanders’ spring game debut

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    Colorado enjoyed what was considered a wildly successful spring game this past weekend under first-year coach Deion Sanders, but despite that, the Buffaloes roster is poised to look massively different by the time fall rolls around. On Monday, a slew of players hit the transfer portal with the exodus including everyone from star players in 2022 to once-promising prospects who are now looking for new homes away from the Coach Prime era in Boulder. 

    Wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig is one of the highest-profile players to make the decision to leave Boulder. The junior made waves on Saturday by catching three passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns during the first spring game for coach Deion Sanders. One of those passes was a 98-yard score from transfer quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Inglewood, California, was the Buffaloes second-leading receiver last season with 23 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

    Fellow wide receiver Jordyn Tyson also announced Monday that he is hitting the portal after a successful first season in Boulder. Tyson finished last season as the top receiver on the roster with 470 yards on 22 receptions after joining the program from Allen (Texas) High School. 

    Deion Smith, last season’s top running back, also entered the portal on Monday. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior led the team with 393 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns last season. He had 653 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns during his four seasons with the Buffaloes.

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  • NFL Draft 2023: Full list of Eagles picks, plus potential fits, first-round trades, more

    NFL Draft 2023: Full list of Eagles picks, plus potential fits, first-round trades, more

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    The Philadelphia eagles have a rare opportunity to capitalize on the 2023 NFL Draft, thanks to having two first-round picks in an offseason following a Super Bowl appearance. Philadelphia holds the No. 10 and No. 30 overall picks in the draft, the first team since the New England Patriots in 2008 to have a top-10 draft pick the year following a Super Bowl appearance. 

    Philadelphia has interviewed plenty of offensive and defensive linemen amongst its top 30 visits in recent weeks, so that could be the direction the franchise will lean toward at No. 10. The Eagles have also conducted pre-draft interviews with running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, adding even more intrigue Philadelphia could take them 10th. 

    With no picks from the fourth through sixth rounds, the Eagles are also candidates to trade down and acquire more picks for Day 3. Philadelphia has four premium picks on Days 1 and 2 (two in the first round, one in the second, one in the third) and five premium picks in 2024 (one first, two in the second, and two in the third — one is a projected compensatory). 

    The Eagles will certainly be active in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here are their selections heading into Thursday night: 

    More Eagles pre-draft stories

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  • USA TODAY Sports’ SEC power rankings following spring practice season

    USA TODAY Sports’ SEC power rankings following spring practice season

    Florida football wrapped up its spring practice season on Thursday, April 13, with the conclusion of the annual Orange and Blue game — the pinnacle of the program’s intrasquad scrimmages. Since then, the remainder of the Southeastern Conference’s member schools also wrapped up their spring schedules after the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers played theirs last Saturday.

    The SEC has at least four — and potentially as many as six or seven teams – with legitimate playoff hopes, including the Tennessee Volunteers and even possibly the Texas A&M Aggies who cratered in 2022. Unfortunately, things still are not looking great for Billy Napier’s Gators.

    With spring football ostensibly in the rearview mirror, take a look at how Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports ranks the conference schools along with his biggest question for each respective team ahead of the 2023 season.

    Georgia Bulldogs

    Joshua L. Jones-USA TODAY NETWORK

    Who is the starting quarterback?

    The competition to replace Stetson Bennett continues past the end of spring practices even as junior Carson Beck seems to stack some distance between himself and competitors Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton. For Kirby Smart, the possible benefits to extending this competition are to push Beck to raise his game before the season opener and to give all three quarterbacks the chance to get more comfortable with any changes new coordinator Mike Bobo has made to Georgia‘s offense. But Beck remains the heavy favorite to draw the starting nod.

    Alabama Crimson Tide

    Vasha Hunt/AL.com

    How do the new coordinators mesh?

    For all the hubbub around this offseason’s coaching moves — Bill O’Brien and Pete Golding are out, Tommy Rees and Kevin Steele are in — don’t ignore just how often this has happened to Alabama and coach Nick Saban. Including his debut season in…

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  • 5 takeaways from GM Andrew Berry’s pre-draft press conference

    5 takeaways from GM Andrew Berry’s pre-draft press conference

    As he does every year, general manager Andrew Berry sat down with the media to give his pre-draft press conference. With the 2023 NFL draft now less than a week away, the Cleveland Browns will be looking to maximize their eight draft picks despite not having a first or second round pick.

    He discussed free agency, his philosophy on making trades, the Browns’ draft board, and more. What can we take away from Berry’s presser? We highlight five points that stood out as he and his team prepare to welcome another group of young players to the Browns.

    We dive in here. All quotes can be found in the transcript provided for Berry’s presser.

    The Browns are not looking for day-one contributors in the draft

    “I think every general manager in this sport has to have a foot in the present and a foot in the future.”

    Despite the public perception, the NFL draft is meant to add talent for the future. In some cases, teams even ease in first round picks into their starting lineup to make their transition from the college level to the NFL level stress-free. And for a team that does not have a single pick in the top 70 of the 2023 NFL draft, Andrew Berry is looking for players who can bring value to the roster further down the road than the 2023 season.

    “Ideally, you want to be in a position as a roster where you’re not relying on rookies to have major roles… We really want to make sure that as we’re in this lifecycle of the team, we’re in a position where younger players can maybe intergrade into the NFL and develop in the NFL at maybe more of an appropriate pace.”

    The Browns addressed their starting roles in free agency so that no rookie selected in the middle rounds is forced to start right away. A defensive tackle may find a rotational role. An edge rusher will contribute on a rotational basis, and a wide receiver will do the same if selected. However, outside of injuries, the Browns will not put a rookie in a position to see significant snaps like Alex Wright had…

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  • 2023 LSU football spring game live stream, TV channel, watch online, start time, storylines to follow

    2023 LSU football spring game live stream, TV channel, watch online, start time, storylines to follow

    LSU surprised many college football fans last season when the Tigers won the SEC West over perennial favorites Alabama in coach Brian Kelly’s first year as coach of the Tigers. Kelly arrived at LSU with high expectations, and his debut season only raised the level of the optimism that followed his arrival. What will he do for an encore? We’ll get a glimpse on Saturday in the Tigers’ annual spring game.

    Quarterback Jayden Daniels came on strong late last season and was one of the driving forces behind the Tigers’ return to national prominence. The dual-threat star was so impressive, in fact, that he is +1600 to win the Heisman Trophy, according to the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Defensively, rising sophomore linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. burst onto the scene with 73 tackles — 14 of which went for a loss. That performance earned him Freshman All-SEC honors from the conference’s head coaches. 

    What should you be looking out for on Saturday? Let’s take a look.

    How to watch 2023 LSU spring game live

    Date: Saturday, April 22 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
    Location: Tiger Stadium — Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    Live Stream: SEC Network+

    2023 LSU spring game storylines

    1. Does a RB1 emerge? Daniels was the Tigers’ leading rusher last year with 885 yards, and no running back had more than 536 yards. Granted, Josh Williams, Noah Cain, Armoni Goodwin and John Emery Jr. worked well as a committee, but it’s risky to have Daniels take over the primary role. Kelly’s history suggests that he wants a quarterback to move, but not necessarily one who’s the focal point of the rushing attack. Will any of the running backs emerge as a true No. 1? Do any of them really have to if Kelly wants to go the committee route again? We should get a good idea of Kelly’s plans…

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  • Tom Brady threatens to sue comedians over AI-generated special impersonating him

    Tom Brady threatens to sue comedians over AI-generated special impersonating him

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    Legal representatives for NFL legend Tom Brady have sent a cease-and-desist letter to comedians Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen, threatening to sue them if they did not take down an AI-generated comedy special impersonating Brady. The hour-long special, titled “It’s Too Easy! A Simulated Hour-Long Comedy Special” had featured an AI version of Brady doing standup and telling jokes that were crass in nature. 

    According to the cease-and-desist letter, Brady’s attorneys claimed that the special “blatantly violated” the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s rights and demanded that the hosts of the podcast either remove the video posted to their Patreon or face a lawsuit.

    The pair acquiesced, but not without raising objections on their podcast, pointing out that the AI-generated impersonation of Brady was clearly satirical in nature and analogous to impersonations of celebrity on sketch comedy shows.

    “Again, I think this is First Amendment, freedom of speech-type s–t that we’re dealing with here,” Kultgen said. “This is obviously a parody… This is what all impressionists do. You watch hours of tape of that person to get their mannerisms and stuff like this down. It’s literally the same.”

    Interestingly, Brady seems to not have an issue with jokes being made at his expense in a certain context: Last May, it was announced that Brady would be the subject of a roast special on Netflix.

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  • Redshirt freshman S Trejon Williams, former 4-star recruit, no longer with Oregon program

    Redshirt freshman S Trejon Williams, former 4-star recruit, no longer with Oregon program

    The Oregon Ducks saw more roster turnover this week as a former member of the 2023 recruiting class was deemed no longer with the program, a UO spokesperson confirmed.

    Trejon Williams, a former 4-star safety, has been removed from the team’s roster online, and was not seen with the team at Oregon’s 10th spring practice on Thursday inside the Moshofsky Center. After redshirting as a freshman in 2022, Williams leaves the Ducks having played zero snaps.

    Williams was an Oregon native, playing his high school ball at Jefferson High School in Portland. He came to the Ducks rated as the No. 30 safety in the 2022 class, and No. 363 overall player in the nation.

    He is the fourth player to leave the Ducks since the transfer portal opened on Saturday, joining Keith Brown, Jalil Tucker, and Treven Ma’ae.

    More Football!

    Spring Ball Takeaways: Ducks move indoors for 10th practice of spring season

    National brand makes recruiting at Oregon easier for Ducks’ coach Chris Hampton

    ‘I wish I did it earlier;’ Jamal Hill discusses move from safety to linebacker

    Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire

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  • 49ers could use 2023 NFL Draft to fill important needs for 2024 season

    49ers could use 2023 NFL Draft to fill important needs for 2024 season

    49ers could use 2023 draft to fill needs for future seasons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

    The 2023 NFL Draft for the 49ers could end up being more about the 2024 season and beyond.

    The 49ers enter next week’s draft with 11 picks. But their first selections don’t come until after the regular phase of the third round with compensatory selections slated for Nos. 99, 101 and 102 overall.

    With starting spots tentatively filled at every position on both sides of the ball, the 49ers have the luxury of being able to look ahead to see where they might require more help in the future.

    This same strategy served them well in the 2021 NFL Draft with the selections of guard Aaron Banks, cornerback Deommodore Lenior and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Those players saw little action as rookies but they all rose to prominent starting roles and big contributors in Year 2.

    Again, the 49ers are in a position where they do not necessarily need rookies to step in and contribute right away. But with a roster that usually has a 40-percent turnover from one season to the next, some long-term planning is necessary.

    Here are the positions where the 49ers could look to bring on a player (or two) to develop for the 2024 season:

    Wide receiver

    Brandon Aiyuk enters the final year of his original contract, but general manager John Lynch has already stated the club will pick up his fifth-year option for the 2024 season at a cost of more than $14 million.

    Meanwhile, Deebo Samuel’s base salary jumps next year to nearly $21 million.

    Can the 49ers afford to have two highly paid No. 1-caliber wide receivers on the team?

    Clubs around the league, sensing the 49ers might have to make a difficult decision, have reached out to see if Aiyuk is available in a trade, Lynch said.

    This is a big season for Samuel. Next year, his cap figure jumps to $28.5 million. After this year, the club will have to determine if he continues to be worth that big price. With a post-June 1 release, the 49ers would save more…

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