By: Tim Rodriguez

Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler is as talented as they come. His arm strength, athleticism, and accuracy are all above the threshold you would want in a franchise quarterback. However, his time at Oklahoma has left some to be desired by those evaluating his draft status. Going forward, Rattler will have to show that he’s wired like an NFL quarterback. Being consistent and making smart decisions are the things that matter this year for Rattler. Everyone knows about the traits already, and they aren’t going anywhere.  

Concerns 

Spencer Rattler is immensely talented, but as of right now, is more hope than anything right now. Rattler’s traits show up in spades, but the consistency is not there yet, especially when it comes to decision-making. Last week’s matchup with Tulane is the perfect example. On his home field against an incredibly subpar opponent, a potential number one overall pick should be expected to play well, at the very minimum. Unfortunately, Rattler threw two interceptions, with one being a completely unnecessary ball in double coverage. Rattler has another opportunity this weekend vs Western Carolina to show out against the lesser competition. The up and down roller coaster of the Spencer Rattler experience is something that may turn off several NFL teams.

Something else that has come into question about the Sooners’ star is his character and leadership qualities. Many of those criticisms come from his time on a Netflix show called “QB1” which chronicles the senior seasons of three top quarterbacks each year. Rattler appeared on the show before enrolling at Oklahoma and many believe that the way he carried himself was off-putting and not the way you would expect a quarterback to act. There was also a suspension thrown in there which raised even more questions. While a quarterback is inherently a leader, it’s hard to judge Rattler based on things he did in high school, especially when many of them are perceptions of him as opposed to actual incidents. However, Rattler cannot answer any character or leadership questions about himself this fall. The only thing he can do is show that he can make good decisions with the ball and play consistently enough to warrant a high draft pick being used on him.

The ultimate investment 

Taking a quarterback with a first-round pick is a massive investment, even more so with the number one overall pick. The first pick is a golden ticket and does not come around that often for teams. Getting that pick typically requires losing at least 13 games. When making that type of investment in a player, coaching staff and front office needs to be sure they can trust that player with the keys to their franchise, as well as their jobs. The young, talented, highly drafted quarterback will almost always outlast the coach that drafts him. Blake Bortles, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Jared Goff, Mitchell Trubisky, Ryan Tannehill, and Sam Darnold all outlasted the coaches that drafted them before the organization finally decided that they were no longer an option. When a team makes an investment in Rattler, they will certainly need quite a few questions answered. Take the Houston Texans for example. Houston is most likely going to pick first and currently has a circus surrounding disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson. With much uncertainty around Rattler, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the new-look Texans opt for a safer option like Nevada’s Carson Strong, or even pushing quarterback to 2023 and taking one of the excellent defensive players that this class has to offer.   

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By: Cody Molla (@Cmolla1)

Football is back! NFL preseason is wrapping up, NCAA Football is kicking off and soon the real NFL season starts. This 2021 NFL season will feature seven coaches making their head coaching debut in the NFL. Nearly a quarter of the league will be under the new direction on the field. Many of these new guys have previous NFL coordinator experience and coaching experience in the NFL. One in particular however has none. Urban Meyer, new Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Meyer has a historic collegiate coaching career. One of the most prolific coaches in recent history and ever in college football. In 17 seasons Meyer has a record of 187-32. A winning percentage of .853 across a few years at Bowling Green University, University of Utah, University of Florida, and Ohio State University. We all know his success from the last two stops. To summarize his career, he won two BCS titles at Florida, won the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship with Ohio State, became the first coach to lead a BCS non-AQ conference team to a BCS bowl at Utah, coached a Heisman Trophy winner at Florida with Tim Tebow, and coached a number one overall pick in the NFL draft with Alex Smith.

The biggest question is how will his previous college success translate to the NFL and what does it mean for future NFL coaching candidates? Meyer’s success or failure will have an impact on future coaching candidates across the NFL. Meyer is notorious for the spread offense. It’s what he ran at all of his college stops. We know the NFL game is not like the college game. Does Meyer try and force the spread offense as Chip Kelly did in his NFL tenure? Does he adapt to the NFL game? Either way, the Urban Meyer coaching experience will impact how the NFL views coaches purely from the college ranks. We will dive into three coaching candidates from the college ranks that could make the jump to the NFL in a near NFL coaching carousel.

Lincoln Riley ”“ Oklahoma

Riley has been a head coach for four years in his young career. He took over as head coach at OU in 2017. He has compiled a record of 45-8 good for a .849 winning percentage. In his first three seasons, Riley and the Sooners lost in the semifinal of the college football playoff. Last year was his first bowl win in the Cotton Bowl, it was not part of the college football playoff.

Despite his limited experience as a head coach, his hat was in the ring for becoming the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys prior to the 2020 season. Riley is currently 37 years old. The NFL has not shied away from young coaches and Riley is one of the candidates for a future NFL job. Sean McVay took the Rams to the super bowl at age 33, the youngest age ever for an NFL coach. The Browns recently hired Kevin Stefanski who is 37 as well and went to the playoffs in his first season. The Arizona Cardinals also hired Kingsbury before turning 40 and after having a losing record as a college head coach!

The reason Lincoln has been linked to the Cowboys job was because of his close ties with Jerry Jones. The two got close after Riley had done some recruiting of Jerry’s grandson John Stephen Jones. Besides his connections, Riley has groomed some successful college players who have become bright stars in the NFL. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray played under Riley at OU. Both of them won the Heisman trophy then became number one overall picks in the NFL draft the next year. Continuing the success at quarterback is Jalen Hurts. Not as much buzz in his NFL game as the other two but he is likely to start for the Eagles in his second year as an NFL player after playing for Riley at Oklahoma to close his college career. The Eagles were also rumored to be interested in Riley going into the coaching search knowing Hurts success with Riley in the past.

For the immediate future, Riley has the Heisman favorite as his quarterback in Spencer Rattler. Another successful college year is ahead for the Sooners and Riley which will likely leave him a top candidate for the NFL in 2022. I doubt he leaves for the NFL in 2022. However, come 2023 and the years after I can see him making the jump to the NFL. He will always be a candidate for the Dallas Cowboys.

Based on what I’ve seen in hard knocks Mike McCarthy is not going to be the head coach much longer. Even with a winning season, it’s Super Bowl or bust for Jerry Jones. If Jerry sees a way to improve the team he will do it, replacing the head coach is very easy for him.

Riley seems to be enjoying his time at OU and will likely want to win a championship before making the jump. Riley is one of the best quarterback coaches in the nation right now and seems to have a knack for coaching players to be successful at that position in the NFL.

Matt Campbell ”“ Iowa State

Campbell was a candidate that intrigued a few NFL franchises in the last hiring season. He reportedly turned down a large offer from the Lions. He was also rumored to be of interest from the New York Jets.

Campbell has never had NFL coaching experience but has been a college head coach since 2011. He was given his first head coach job at the University of Toledo in 2011. He coached there till 2015 and went 35-15. He was the head coach for two bowl game wins, one his first game as the interim head coach in 2011 and one as the official head coach in 2014. In his last two years with the Rockets he was tied for first place in the MAC.

Campbell was named head coach at Iowa State in 2015 and has been there ever since. An impressive season last year included winning the Big 12 conference, a win in the Fiesta Bowl, for a 9-3 season, and a nine by their name to finish the year. Campbell is 35-28 at Iowa State. After struggling his first year the Cyclones have had a winning season every year since.

Campbell is a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year Winner. He likely plans on being at Iowa St. for some time after turning down the contract from the Lions he signed an extension through 2028 with the Cyclones. I think he will be at Iowa St. until they are the team to beat in the Big 12.

Last year was their breakout season. The roster has lots of young talent that Campbell has recruited to his program and will likely want to see that building of a program pay off. The Cyclones are a strong team and for the next few years Campbell will continue to build his resume at Iowa St. He will also continue to be a candidate in the back of NFL minds. He is likely not willing to make the NFL jump for another year or two but may soon after that.

Jim Harbaugh- Michigan

Harbaugh has had success in the NFL and college ranks as a head coach. His only tenure as an NFL head coach was in 2011-2014 with the 49ers. Harbaughs NFL experience with the 49ers may have ended sour but it was sweet the first three seasons.

The 49ers would make three straight NFC Championships, winning one in 2012 where the lost in the Super Bowl to the Baltimore Ravens. It is impressive that their season ended three straight years to the Super Bowl champs. He compiled a record of 44-19-1 in the regular season and a playoff record of 5-3.

His college head coaching career started back in 2004 at the University of San Diego. At the time a Division One FCS school where he went 29-6 in three seasons.  Following the success at San Diego, he was hired by Stanford.

At Stanford, Harbaugh struggled to win games in 2007 and 2008. The Cardinal finished in 7^th and 6^th in the conference. However, with the emergence of Andrew Luck, Stanford became a conference title contender and finished second in 2009 with an 8-5 overall record then second again in 2010 with a 12-1 record and Orange Bowl win.

From Stanford, he made the jump to the NFL. After the NFL he returned to coach at his alma mater The University of Michigan. Hired in 2015, Big Blue was expected to compete for national championships. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been that way for Harbaugh. Harbaugh has only won one of five bowl games. The lone win was a Citrus Bowl victory in 2015.

Harbaugh has been average at Michigan. Never making a conference title game appearance and an 0-5 record vs rival Ohio State. We all thought the program at Michigan would explode onto the scene yet it has yet to detonate and even flare. Three ten win seasons and four times finishing in the top 20 rankings isn’t good enough in these circumstances. A rather disappointing 2020 season left Harbaughs status in the air.

With many NFL jobs opened up the return was widely thought to happen. Jim comes with a fiery, combative, and demanding personality. Because of this, he rubs people the wrong way and his stays at his previous stops have been cut short. Is this something NFL executives are holding against him?

His football knowledge and experience certainly qualify him as a head coach candidate for NFL teams. I think a bounce back year at Michigan would be satisfying enough for Jim. He certainly would love to do it to make Paul Finebaum eat his words and keep quiet.

Harbaugh is a name we hear every coach search season I think he finally returns back to the NFL after this year. He has a wide range of connections from his own NFL playing days, his coaching days, and his brother. It would be cool to see the brothers square off in another Super Bowl down the line!

Honorable Mention  

PJ Fleck- Minnesota

Luke Fickell- Cincinnati

Pat Fitzgerald- Northwestern

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By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

The start of the college football season is now less than a month away. That means it is time to start looking at who the top contenders are for the Heisman Trophy this year. This long-running tradition of awarding the trophy to the top college football player in the country began in 1935 and will of course continue for the 2021 season. A quarterback has been the winner in 12 of the last 15 seasons and there is a very good chance that one of them will take home the award again this upcoming season. Here are the current top three candidates to win the Heisman Trophy this year.

1. QB Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma

According to the Draft Kings Sports Book, Spencer Rattler is the current favorite to win the award with a +600 betting line. Rattler is looking to become the third Oklahoma quarterback to win it in the last five years, joining Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield. Head Coach Lincoln Reilly has turned this program into a factory for quarterbacks and his offensive system really allows them to shine at the college level. Rattler has all of the tools to be the next Sooner star and his expectations are sky-high for the 2021 season.

After a slow start to the 2020 season, Rattler came alive and helped Oklahoma win their final eight games of the season. On the year, he completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 3031 yards and 28 touchdowns while also contributing an additional 6 rushing touchdowns. If he continues to progress as expected and fully utilizes the extremely quarterback-friendly system of Reilly to his advantage, Rattler is going to be a very special player this season. If all goes according to plan, he will not only be the front runner for the Heisman Trophy but also for the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft next year.

2. QB DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson

According to the Draft Kings Sports Book, DJ Uiagalelei is the second favorite to the Heisman Trophy at +750 betting odds. He has only started two games at Clemson so far, mostly serving as the backup to Trevor Lawrence, but that was enough for him to demonstrate his potential as one of the top quarterback prospects in the country. In those two games alone, he completed 59 of his 85 passes for 781 yards and 4 touchdowns against zero interceptions while also contributing an additional two touchdowns in the rushing game. Expectations are through the roof as he enters his first season as the starting quarterback.

Head Coach Dabo Swinney has built Clemson into one of the top college football programs in the entire country. They will enter this season as the second favorite behind only Alabama to win the National Championship. The team expectations for success, as well as the giant shoes to fill of Trevor Lawrence, are a very tall order but Uiagalelei has the talent to live up to them and a ton of weapons around him to help him achieve greatness. He is a massively sized quarterback at 6’4 and 250 pounds so he is built to dominate his opposition. If he can play for a full season the way he did for two games last year, he will surely be right in the mix to win the award.

3. QB D’Eriq King, Miami

According to the Draft Kings Sports Book, D’Eriq King has the seventh best odds to win the award with a +2000 betting line. This qualifies him as a bit of a sleeper pick and one that is an excellent value selection. King classifies as a traditional “college style” quarterback because of his relatively small size but astronomical athletic ability. Interestingly, this type of player was once seen as unfit for the NFL game but recently that theory has been proven wrong by the success of quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray. A true dual threat, but measuring at just 5’11 and 195 pounds, puts King in that same category in terms of style.

After spending four years in Houston, King transferred to Miami for the 2020 season and put up some excellent numbers. He completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 2686 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding another 538 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. When combining his career passing and rushing numbers, he has totaled nearly 10,000 yards and over 100 touchdowns, and even more than that if his receiving totals are factored in as well. He is an absolutely electrifying player who could take another step forward this season now that he has had over a full year to settle in to his new system. If he does indeed do so, his name could be firmly planted in the Heisman Trophy winner discussion at the end of the season.

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by Michael Obermuller

If you were wondering whether or not the Los Angeles Rams have a first round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft ”” they don’t. In fact, the franchise that has not had a first round selection since drafting Jared Goff in 2016 is not scheduled to have another until 2024.

Rams general manager Les Snead has preferred trading his first rounders for proven NFL talent, which has had mixed results over the years. His most recent decision to acquire quarterback Matthew Stafford actually reversed a previous deal he made to move up for Goff in 2016 (a mistake that would normally get a GM fired), but the Rams sustained success has lengthened the leash on Snead’s strange tenure.

Now that the Goff era has met its end in LA, we all finally get to see what Sean McVay can do with a top 15 quarterback talent. Here are the other major ins and outs that the Rams have made so far this offseason.

As you can see, the cap-stretched Rams franchise has not had much flexibility in free agency after their recent trades for stars like Stafford and Jalen Ramsey. Necessary extensions for Aaron Donald, Robert Woods and others have not helped either. That all makes the NFL Draft crucial for Los Angeles, and they’ll have six picks to hit on from rounds two through seven (headliners are one second and two thirds).

With holes on the roster and not much money left to fill them, what areas should the Rams target with their top picks in 2021? Here are a few dream prospects for LAR in rounds two and three at positions of need.

3. Nick Bolton, ILB (Missouri)

Some analysts have Nick Bolton falling to the third or fourth round due to his 2020 season, while others rave about his consistency as a run-stopper and tackler at Missouri. Pro Football Focus has him as the second-highest graded linebacker behind Micah Parsons the past two seasons, so the potential is there so long as the pro-fit is right. I believe it could be in Los Angeles.

The Rams need an inside linebacker that does nothing but tackle, and Bolton totaled 198 of those during his Junior and Sophomore campaigns combined. During those two seasons, 16.5 of those stops were for a loss, with an added three sacks and three turnovers forced (two interceptions). Considering the Rams have been cycling through sub-par inside backers like Micah Kiser, Kenny Young and Troy Reeder for years now, Bolton could be an asset that immediately steps into a major role on this defense.

2. Creed Humphrey, C (Oklahoma)

With the departure of center Austin Blythe in free agency, Snead is left with a glaring problem at the heart of his offensive line. Brian Allen could be slated to start in 2021, but the former fourth round pick has yet to prove he can perform at the NFL level (58.6 PFF grade in 563 snaps in 2019). LAR needs to draft it’s center of the future, and that could be Oklahoma Sooner Creed Humphrey.

The 2020 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year did not allow a sack on 401 passing plays. His intelligence and toughness help project him as a prospect that should go somewhere from rounds two to four, and his durability marks another trait for the Rams to rely on (compared to a talent like Landon Dickerson out of Alabama).

1. Aaron Robinson, CB (UCF)

Assuming no trades occur, the Rams first selection in 2021 will be at No. 57 overall, and they should really consider using this pick on a versatile defensive back like Aaron Robinson. The UCF product generally lined up in the slot in college, but scouts think he could play outside if need be. He’s a 5’11” press-corner that thrives at in your face man-to-man coverage, and his intensity should get him some looks in the second round (15 pass breakups the past two seasons).

Robinson would slot in behind Ramsey and Darious Williams in 2021, as the Rams nickel CB (replacing Troy Hill). His style is similar to the All-Pro CB1 in LA, and Ramsey could even assist in the development of the rookie as a mentor of sorts. It’s possible Robinson may not make it to No. 57, but some other similar options at interior corner or CB/S hybrid include names like Asante Samuel Jr., Jevon Holland and Shaun Wade.

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