Latest news with #Classof2021
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
‘Excited for him.' The Chop Robinson-Dante Trader Jr. connection goes beyond the Dolphins
Whether you're a doctor, teacher or professional athlete, it's always good to have a friend at a new job. Not only does it help ease the transition but makes work fun. Such is the case between Miami Dolphins edge rusher Chop Robinson and safety Dante Trader Jr., whom the team recently picked in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. 'I already talked to him,' Trader told reporters May 9. 'I said, 'I don't care if we're the same age, you're going to help me and figure this whole thing out, because I don't know anything.' I'm a sponge, so I'm going to be under his wings, under any vet. So that's the biggest plan, is get a vet, just be a rookie, shut up and work. That's my mind-set right now.' Robinson and Trader's relationship goes back to the University of Maryland, where the second-year edge rusher actually started his collegiate career before transferring to Penn State. The two were both part of the Class of 2021 — Robinson ranked 39th while Trader ranked 40th at his position, according to ESPN — and arrived at campus around the same time. 'Me and Dante were kind of real close when I was there,' Robinson said Wednesday. 'I remember coming in first day, we both sat down in the front row in the team meeting. So just him being a pro and seeing that at a young age and he's still being that guy, I'm excited for him.' Despite being freshmen, both players saw the field in each of the Terrapins' 12 games. In Robinson's lone season at Maryland, he accumulated 19 combined tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Trader contributed 16 total tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass deflection. It wasn't until later in their respective college careers that they began to stand out. After transferring to Penn State, Robinson registered 9.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles in his final two years. Trader stayed in College Park, Maryland and had 174 combined tackles, five interceptions and 14 pass deflections during his final three seasons. That the two were able to reconnect in South Florida as Dolphins draft picks in consecutive years is nothing short of impressive. Robinson was the Dolphins' first-round selection in 2024 while Miami drafted Trader 155th overall. Another Terrapin — defensive tackle Jordan Phillips - was selected just 14 picks prior. And while Robinson was only moderately familiar with Phillips due to him being class of 2022, Trader and his fellow rookie Terrapin have already been in the lab. 'We've already got a plan together that we're going to go over stuff,' Trader said of Phillips. 'He's teaching me the fronts and things like that and we're just watching. Just being in the film room together, learning the new NFL process.' After a an impressive rookie year in which he ranked second among first-year players in sacks (6) and quarterback hits (14), Robinson certainly can give Trader a bunch of advice about how to make an impact early. Trader, however, appears ready to soak up all the tips and tricks from not just Robinson but also everybody in his position group. 'They're respectable players,' Trader said of safeties Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu. 'They did their time in the league and they're in the league for a reason. They've started for a reason. I'm just worried about me and my process. I'm going to lean on them guys and try to get the most out of them.'
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Jaxson Dart, Caleb Williams headline 23 first-rounders from Class of 2021, but who remains?
Not every top-ranked recruit has their NFL Draft dreams play out the way they envisioned. Quinn Ewers certainly did not. Texas' starting quarterback went from being a prospect with a perfect score in the 247Sports Composite to the 233rd selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, a far cry from what was expected when he graduated high school early to sign with Ohio State. Advertisement Ewers, however, avoided becoming the second No. 1 recruit in the modern era to go undrafted. Former Georgia defensive lineman Trenton Thompson (Class of 2015) earned that distinction in 2018. So, how have Ewers' fellow Class of 2021 recruits fared in the NFL Draft? In all, 140 recruits in the cycle have been drafted over the last two years, including 23 first-rounders. Others still have eligibility and are returning for their fifth year of college football (more on them shortly). Here's a closer look at where things stand with the top-100 recruits in the cycle: In all, 70 players in the 2021 class were taken on the first or second day of the draft (first three rounds) over the last two years. Twenty-five were former top-100 recruits. Sixteen other top-100 recruits were Day 3 selections: Seven top-100 recruits who entered the draft were not picked: More than half (54) of the top 100 recruits in the cycle transferred at least once in their college careers. Of the 41 top-100 prospects who were drafted, only seven were transfers. Four were quarterbacks: The others: At this point, most of the top-100 recruits in the cycle who are still playing college football have transferred at least once. Center Bryce Foster, who has 40 career starts, including 12 last season at Kansas after transferring from Texas A&M, is the most experienced returning top-100 recruit. In all, there are 14 players with at least 15 career starts returning next season. Here are the remaining returning standouts: Clemson offensive tackle Tristan Leigh (five-star, No. 14): The Fairfax, Va., native has started 23 games over the last two seasons at left tackle after playing only 70 snaps his first two years in college. Arkansas linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. (five-star, No. 26): The Florida native started two games in three years at Georgia before leaving for Arkansas last season. He led the Razorbacks with 99 tackles, including 9.5 for loss and two sacks. Advertisement Ole Miss defensive back Sage Ryan (five-star, No. 30): Ryan started 21 games for the Tigers — 10 at cornerback, four at safety and seven at nickel — before leaving for Ole Miss in the winter portal window. He had 24 tackles in 2024. USC defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver (five-star, No. 31): The Rocky Mount, N.C., native signed with North Carolina but didn't start a game in two seasons. He started 23 games, including all 12 last season, in two years at Kentucky. He's now at his third school. Arizona State edge rusher Clayton Smith (four-star, No. 38): The Texas native played in only eight games in two seasons for Oklahoma before leaving for Tempe. He started 12 games last season for the Big 12 champions and led them with 4.5 sacks and six tackles for loss. Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson (four-star, No. 52): The Crimson Tide's second-leading tackler likely would have been drafted had he not suffered a season-ending knee injury in a loss at Oklahoma late in the 2024 season. He was a third-team All-SEC selection in 2024. Nebraska offensive lineman Rocco Spindler (four-star, No. 60): The Michigan native started 23 games at right guard over the last two years for Notre Dame before leaving to join the Cornhuskers this winter. SMU offensive lineman Savion Byrd (four-star, No. 64): Byrd started five games at Oklahoma before leaving to join the Mustangs last season. He started 12 games at left tackle for SMU in 2024. Texas A&M linebacker Scooby Williams (four-star, No. 74): The Birmingham, Ala., native spent his first three years at Florida, where he started a total of 10 games. He transferred to Texas A&M last year and finished fourth on the team with 43 tackles in 10 starts. Nebraska cornerback Ceyair Wright (four-star, No. 80): The Los Angeles native left USC for Lincoln after starting 15 games for the Trojans through the 2023 season. He started eight games last season for the Cornhuskers and is expected to be a key part of the secondary in 2025. Advertisement Texas Tech defensive lineman Lee Hunter (four-star, No. 81): The 2024 second-team All-Big 12 selection switched league schools this winter, transferring from UCF, where he started 23 games, to Texas Tech. The Alabama native began his career at Auburn. Michigan offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi (four-star, No. 88): The Michigan native started 13 games at right guard last season for the Wolverines after playing mostly on special teams in his first three seasons in Ann Arbor. Florida defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp (four-star, No. 100): Sapp, a Fort Lauderdale native, has started 20 games in his career, and he led the Gators with seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2024. We mentioned more than half of the top 100 recruits in the 2021 cycle have changed schools at least once. None have moved more than receiver Agiye Hall, defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye and quarterbacks Sam Huard and Jake Garcia. They're all either at or headed to their fourth school. Hall signed with Alabama, transferred to Texas a year later, left for UCF in 2024 and is now at Sacramento State. Adeleye signed with Texas A&M, left for Michigan State two years later, played for Texas State last season and is now at UNLV. Hall has yet to start a game in college, and Adeleye started three games for the Spartans. Huard, a former five-star Washington signee, left Utah for USC this winter. Huard made nine of his 10 career starts for Cal Poly in 2023. Garcia, who made one start in two seasons with Miami, never saw the field at Missouri in 2023 and started six games at East Carolina last season before re-entering the portal this spring. He still hasn't found a home. In all, eight of the top 100 recruits in the 2021 cycle have yet to start a game after four seasons in college. Here are some other notable players still looking to make a bigger impact: Fresno State defensive lineman Korey Foreman (five-star, No. 2): It was a big deal when Foreman signed with USC over Arizona State, Clemson, Georgia and LSU. He produced 2.5 sacks in three years for the Trojans before landing at Fresno State last year. He had 24 tackles, three sacks and three forced fumbles while making one start for the Bulldogs in 2024. Advertisement Penn State offensive lineman Nolan Rucci (five-star, No. 16): Rucci left his home state to sign with Wisconsin but played a total of 70 snaps in three seasons. He returned home to play for the Nittany Lions last season and started six games at right tackle. He's competing to be a starter in 2025. Tulane tight end Ty Thompson (four-star, No. 40): Thompson appeared in 17 games as a backup quarterback in three years at Oregon and then departed for Tulane after the 2023 season. He finally made his first college start, in a Gasparilla Bowl loss to Florida last December, but is now angling to be Tulane's starting tight end this fall. UNLV receiver JoJo Earle (four-star, No. 47): He spent two seasons at Alabama and two at TCU and will finish his career playing for Dan Mullen at UNLV. He has 47 career catches for 579 yards and five touchdowns. Syracuse offensive lineman Terrence Ferguson II (four-star, No. 58): The Georgia native began his career at Alabama, where he started one game in three years. Last year at Florida State, Ferguson started seven games at left guard. He's now fighting for a role with Fran Brown and the Orange. Arizona State cornerback Nyland Green (four-star, No. 72): He played 143 defensive snaps in three seasons at Georgia before finally getting on the field regularly for Purdue last season. Green started seven games for the Boilermakers in 2024 but departed for Arizona State in January. Western Michigan receiver Christian Leary (four-star, No. 75): The Alabama signee spent the last two years at Georgia Tech before leaving for Kalamazoo. In four seasons, he's made three starts and has 31 career catches for 346 yards and two touchdowns. Louisville quarterback Miller Moss (four-star, No. 76): Moss spent three years waiting for his turn at USC. He finally got it in 2024, but was benched after starting nine games. He's 5-5 as a starter with 3,469 yards passing, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. (Top photo of Jaxson Dart: Petre Thomas / Imagn Images)
Boston Globe
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Drew Kendall picked by Philadelphia Eagles, becoming third member from Boston College to be drafted
He joins defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku (44th; Cowboys) and Ozzy Trapilo (56th; Bears) to form the first BC draft class with at least three players selected since 2019. Kendall, a 6-foot-4-inch, 308-pound force from Norwell, starred at Noble & Greenough School and was the No. 1 recruit from Massachusetts in the Class of 2021. He redshirted as a freshman, started 11 games as a redshirt freshman, then started all 13 games as a redshirt sophomore. Kendall was a captain and all-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team selection this past season as a redshirt junior, anchoring a reliable unit alongside childhood friend and teammate Trapilo. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'It's really special,' Kendall said of his shared journey with Trapilo. 'It's awesome. It's a little more comforting knowing you've got someone doing it at the same time as you, especially someone who's one of your best friends since you were little.' Advertisement Kendall posted a team-best 83.1 pass block grade as well as a 76.8 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus this past season. He allowed just five pressures out of 350 drop-back snaps and helped the offense post four games of 200-plus rushing yards and two games of 300-plus. Kendall is the first BC center drafted since Andy Gallik went to Tennessee in 2015, and the fifth Eagles center drafted since the NFL moved to a seven-round format in 1994. Advertisement His father, Pete Kendall , also starred at BC and went 21st overall to the Seahawks in the 1996 NFL Draft. Pete, a guard and center who started 188 games over 13 seasons, retired in 2008. 'I've really tried to listen to him my whole youth career and in high school,' Kendall said. 'That's a big part of where I am today.' O'Brien said at BC's Pro Day he thinks NFL lineage does play a role in molding strong pro players. He said in a release that Kendall is a smart, tough, dependable player with tremendous leadership qualities, calling him the 'best center in the ACC' last year. 'He is a bright guy who made all the calls up front on every play,' O'Brien said. 'He has a tremendous work ethic to go along with a consistent approach to his daily life.' Much like his father, Kendall is diversifying his skill set so he's primarily a center and could also play guard 'in a pinch.' He trained with Trapilo, former Eagle and NFL star Chris Lindstrom , and offensive line expert Dante Scarnecchia in the months leading up to the draft. Kendall said his focus in recent months has been ensuring he's in the best football shape possible and mastering technique with Scarnecchia's guidance. 'He's a legend,' Kendall said. 'He's a Patriots legend. He's an NFL legend. He's an offensive line guru. It's just learning from him, focusing on a lot of things he saw in my game.' At Pro Day, Kendall said he would be happy to go anywhere. He was projected to go in the middle-to-late-rounds, which is how it unfolded. Advertisement Kendall joins an offensive line that has established itself as one of the best in the league and is fresh off a dominant showing in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs. He's elated to live out a childhood dream and eager to maximize the opportunity. 'It's all about the opportunity we get,' Kendall said. 'Doesn't matter if you're a second-round pick, a fifth, or a sixth, or undrafted. It's about when you get in the building, what do you do with that opportunity?' Mullings heading to Titans Kalel Mullings , the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts while at Milton Academy, went 188th overall in the sixth round to the Titans. Mullings, a 6-foot-2-inch, 226-pound running back who grew up in West Roxbury, won a national championship with Michigan in the 2023-24 season. He started his collegiate career primarily at linebacker and on special teams, then added running back to his repertoire as a junior and senior. This past season, as a graduate student, he racked up 185 carries for 948 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Former Deerfield star drafted Wide receiver Elic Ayomanor , who helped Deerfield Academy win the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A Bowl in 2021, went 136th overall in the fourth round to the Titans. The 6-foot-2-inch, 206-pound Ayomanor, originally from Alberta, Canada, was a top-10 recruit in Massachusetts in the Class of 2022. He made his presence felt at Stanford and earned second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors this past year as a redshirt sophomore. Also headed to NFL Jackson Hawes , a Georgia Tech tight end who started his career at Yale, went 173rd overall in the fifth round to the Bills. Hawes, a 6-5, 253-pound pass-catcher originally from Utah, was a two-time all-Ivy League second-team selection. Advertisement Ajani Cornelius , a 6-5, 310-pound offensive tackle who started his collegiate career at the University of Rhode Island before transferring to Oregon, went 204th overall in the sixth round to the Cowboys. Moments later, Chase Lundt , a 6-7, 304-pound offensive tackle who starred at the University of Connecticut, went 206th overall to the Bills.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Penn State safety Jaylen Reed drafted by Houston Texans
Penn State safety Jaylen Reed drafted by Houston Texans Houston Texans use sixth-round pick to draft Penn State defensive star Jaylen Reed. The wait is finally over for Penn State safety Jaylen Reed. Reed was selected by the Houston Texans with a sixth-round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday afternoon. Reed is coming off a 2024 season in which he saw his role increase a bit in light of an injury to a teammate, and he handled the job well. Reed was a second-team All-Big Ten player for the Nittany Lions in 2024 and a key player helping Penn State play for the Big Ten championship and reach the College Football Playoff semifinal. The Detroit, Michigan native committed to Penn State in the Class of 2021 and declared for the NFL draft following Penn State's playoff run this past January, which was to be expected. Reed finished his college football career with 181 total tackles, including 101 solo tackles. He had 3.5 total sacks and five interceptions in his career with the Nittany Lions. Reed is the fourth Penn State player to be selected in the NFL draft. He joins first-round draft picks edge rusher Abdul Carter (no. 3, New York Giants) and tight end Tyler Warren (no. 14, Indianapolis Colts). Fellow safety Kevin Winston Jr. was a third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans. You can check out our updated NFL Draft tracker for more on Penn State's 2025 NFL draft class. Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Report: Nets could be Kuminga sign-and-trade destination for Warriors
Report: Nets could be Kuminga sign-and-trade destination for Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Jonathan Kuminga's future with the Warriors quickly has become cloudy after recently falling out of coach Steve Kerr's rotation. Advertisement If a divorce occurs this offseason, NBA contributor Marc Stein reported in his latest Substack that the Brooklyn Nets could be a potential landing spot for the 22-year-old forward, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. 'The Brooklyn Nets have long loomed as a potential suitor that the Warriors have been monitoring given the Nets' projected cap space,' Stein wrote. 'Brooklyn's true level of interest remains to be seen, but Kuminga could not come to terms with Golden State last fall when he was seeking a contract higher than the $30 million in average annual salary that went to fellow Class of 2021 first-round draftees Jalen Suggs (Orlando) and Jalen Johnson (Atlanta). 'The Nets, at present, are projected to be the only team with $40 million in salary cap space this summer, theoretically positioning them to mount a firm Kuminga pursuit if they wish. That lack of abundant cap space has led various team strategists this week to suggest that a sign-and-trade could be the ultimate mechanism that delivers the former No. 7 pick out of the Bay Area come July.' Stein also reported, citing league sources, that Kerr and other Warriors decision-makers have been hoping for more development from Kuminga since selecting him No. 7 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Advertisement Kuminga hasn't played in Golden State's last three games, but in 47 contests (10 starts) this season, he averaged 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting, with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes. He played some of the best basketball of his career from late December through early January before suffering an ankle injury that kept him off the floor for two months. And after Golden State acquired six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, Kerr admitted it's been difficult to find a rotational fit for Kuminga. Draymond Green expressed confidence that Kuminga would get some action during Golden State's current first-round playoff matchup with the young and athletic Houston Rockets. Kuminga was a DNP in Game 1, and how this series unfolds could be telling for his future with the team. Kuminga and the Warriors attempted to work out an extension entering the 2024-25 season, but both sides weren't able to reach an agreement before last October's deadline. Brooklyn finished the regular season 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 26-56 record and is focused on building toward the future. The Nets have the financial flexibility to pry Kuminga away from the Warriors. Advertisement Given Kuminga's restricted status, Golden State will have the opportunity to match any offer that the forward receives in free agency. But what could that look like? Only time will tell. Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
