I would say this game is about letting Russell Wilson cook, but he already is doing. So the question is will he carry on in a Sunday Night Football showdown with the Vikings? The Seahawks come into this game at 4-0 for the first time since Russell Wilson first took over the job in 2013, when they went on to beat the Broncos 43-8 in the SuperBowl. Will we get a de ja vu? Seahawks fans will definitely hope so. On the other side of the ball the Vikings got their first win of the season, defeating the Texans 31-23 which was effectively the Cook and Thielan show, the 2 combined for 268 of the Vikings 400 offensive yards.
The spread in this game started at +6.5 and has drifted up to the 7 mark, this season the Seahawks are 4-0 ATS and are 3-1 O/U. The Vikings are currently 2-2 ATS and are 3-1 O/U. The Vikings have covered the spread their last 2 games. The highest total of the Vikings this season is 52.5 (v Texans), the Seahawks highest total is 58 ( v Dallas).
Back to when we had crowds in 2019
The Seahawks are 4-0 and cooking this year, they look a very good team. Especially on offence. Russell Wilson leads the league in Touchdown passes with 16 through 4 games and is on pace for 48 TD passes….. which is absurd to say the least. He is the MVP favorite at 2/1 and rightly so. Last week they scored there lowest points of the season, and they still scored 31. Tyler Lockett is on pace for his 2nd consecutive 1000 yard season and 2nd year sensation DK Metcalf who is on pace for over 1500 receiving yards and he currently averages 25.2 yards per catch, if you listen to our podcast (Flea Flicker Betting) you will know we love taking Metcalf’s longest catch to be over 23.5 yards weekly, it is a bet you have to take. The bet has landed 16/22 matches that DK Metcalf has played in. The stats show that you will make money backing this bet.
An interesting stat for this matchup is the Seahawks lead the NFL in Yards Per Attempt, Wilson averages 9.4 YPA, while Cousins averages 8.8 YPA which puts him in 3rd. Since Cousins and the Vikings had their disaster-class against the Colts, they started to stretch it down the field to Adam Thielan and rookie WR Justin Jefferson. They also started to run the ball and since they started doing that, in the last 2 games Cook has had 345 scrimmage yards and 3 TD’s. They arguably should of beaten the Titans when they lost 31-30 and they did beat the Texans. So they could be 2-2.
The problem for both these teams is that defending is proving hard. The Vikings are allowing 31 PPG and the Seahawks are allowing 27 PPG. With the over landing a combined 6-2 between these teams I would be taking the over in a thriller on Sunday Night Football – the Seahawks played the Patriots on SNF in week 2 and it finished with 65 points. My first bet is – Over 57 total match points at 10/11 all bookies.
My 2nd bet is – DK Metcalf longest reception over 23.5 yards at 10/11 – this bet is getting backed because the stats of this line landing in 16/22 games, match that together with this game possibly becoming a very high scoring game (I hope for Bet 1 that it is) and the fact that the Vikings defensive backs are not good at all. This is a great bet.
After going 1-1 on the Bears v Buccs game with Foles landing and Mooney ending on 2 catches 😦 – Lets hope we can go 2-0 here. Good Luck all!
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After a shambolic start to our first preview of the season, @BeefyLayd17 looks to bounce back. The 3-1 Buccs travel to the 3-1 Bears, who got found out on Sunday as predicted by myself on the Flea Flicker Betting Podcast. Lets deep dive into this game and find some great value bets! The line for this game started at Buccs -6 but has drifted down to -4.5 so the Bears have clearly been getting attention. Do I think this is right? Find out by reading below!
Foles getting take down by Bobby Okereke
The Bears were the shock team of the league at 3-0 before coming into Sunday’s match with the Colts and were probably the only ever team to bench there starting QB when they are unbeaten. However, in came Foles and Mitch Trubisky dropped to the bench and the Bears rallied to score 20 4th quarter points to somehow win in Atlanta. Not to my surprise but every man and his dog were riding Foles and the Bears. My NAP of the week on the podcast was Colts -2.5 which landed easily as they won 19-11. The Bears offence, who ran the ball very well in the first 3 weeks against average/bad defenses, struggled this week against a good defense. In the first 3 weeks they ran for 440 at almost 5 YPC, against one of the leagues best defenses, they ran 16 times for 28 yards. It wont get any easier this week against the Buccs who are 2nd best D against the run, they allow 2.9 YPC and haven’t allowed a rushing TD in the last 2 weeks.
The Buccs defense is also T-3rd in Interceptions with 5 through 4 games, the leaders are the Colts with 7. According to Next Gen Stats, Nick Foles has 2.52s TTT (Time to Throw) per attempt which is 5th quickest in the league. He only got sacked 2 times on Sunday so he is avoiding the pressure by getting the ball out early to his receivers, his main receiver being Allen Robinson. In the first 2 games Robinson had 8 catches for 107 yards, since Foles has come in he has had 23 targets, 17 receptions, 224 yards and 2 TD’s. Another interesting stat per NGS is that 22.5% of Nick Foles’s throws are ‘aggressive’ (Aggressiveness is shown as a % of attempts into tight windows over all passing attempts) that % is 3rd highest in the league behind Ryan Fitzpatrick (23.2%) and Mitch Trubusky (31.4%). 2 of the Bears QB’s are in the top 3… The reason for this is because the WR’s are not getting separation. Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller average 2.2 yards ranking #84 and #86 respectively. The highest Bears receiver is rookie Darnell Mooney, he ranks #55 and averages 2.7 yards. The highest is Robert Tonyan (TE Packers) with 5.2! This is why so many of Foles’s throws are classed as aggressive.
Bears rookie WR Darnell Mooney getting tackled after making a catch
The TB12 lead Buccs are coming off a very nice comeback win against the LA Chargers were they were down 2 TD’s in the 3rd and managed to win the game 38-31 after posting a shut out in the 4th. Brady himself threw for 5 TD’s and his star WR Mike Evans had 7 REC, 122 yards and a TD despite his noticeable knee injury. With Fournette out, Rojo also stepped up and had 128 scrimmage yards. This week the belief is that Fournette will be a game-time decision which means Rojo could heavily feature again if Fournette doesn’t play and even if he does play, depending on if the Buccs want to risk him or if they just want to ease him in. WR Chris Godwin is expected to miss this clash with a hamstring injury, the loss of OJ Howard means Cameron Brate will get more of a role in this offence with Gronk.
The TB12 lead Buccs are coming off a very nice comeback win against the LA Chargers were they were down 2 TD’s in the 3rd and managed to win the game 38-31 after posting a shut out in the 4th. Brady himself threw for 5 TD’s and his star WR Mike Evans had 7 REC, 122 yards and a TD despite his noticeable knee injury. With Fournette out, Rojo also stepped up and had 128 scrimmage yards. This week the belief is that Fournette will be a game-time decision which means Rojo could heavily feature again if Fournette doesn’t play and even if he does play, depending on if the Buccs want to risk him or if they just want to ease him in. WR Chris Godwin is expected to miss this clash with a hamstring injury, the loss of OJ Howard means Cameron Brate will get more of a role in this offence with Gronk.
The TB12 lead Buccs are coming off a very nice comeback win against the LA Chargers were they were down 2 TD’s in the 3rd and managed to win the game 38-31 after posting a shut out in the 4th. Brady himself threw for 5 TD’s and his star WR Mike Evans had 7 REC, 122 yards and a TD despite his noticeable knee injury. With Fournette out, Rojo also stepped up and had 128 scrimmage yards. This week the belief is that Fournette will be a game-time decision which means Rojo could heavily feature again if Fournette doesn’t play and even if he does play, depending on if the Buccs want to risk him or if they just want to ease him in. WR Chris Godwin is expected to miss this clash with a hamstring injury, the loss of OJ Howard means Cameron Brate will get more of a role in this offence with Gronk. Yesterday (Tuesday) Evans, Godwin, Miller and Watson all missed practice and Gronk was limited. The Buccs will have some interesting decisions to make come Thursday night.
The Best bet I have in this game is for the Bears WR Darnell Mooney to have over 2.5 receptions at all bookies. He played the 2nd most snaps at WR behind Allen Robinson on Sunday and had the Bears longest catch of 33 yards. He is welding into his job on the offence and could take over Anthony Miller as WR2. The fact that Tarik Cohen is also on IR means he could be the gadget player for HC Matt Nagy. He is 4/1 to score a TD at Bet365, around 3/1 and 5/2 in other places
The 2nd best bet I have is for Bears QB Nick Foles to have over 36.5 pass attempts, he had 42 last week and had 29 in 2 quarters against the Falcons. If the game flow tends to head to the Buccs he will have to throw like he did on Sunday and I can see this bet landing. I was close to tipping the longest pass completion under 37.5 yards, I will have a dabble on this but will not tip it.
After a 0-4 start I really hope we can bounce back with a 2-0 here.
Well, where to start? The 0-3, yes the 0-3 Atlanta Falcons travel to take on the unbeaten Green Bay Packers. To start of I’m sure Falcons fans are hoping that they don’t witness another antagonizing defeat from the jaws of victory again on MNF for the 3rd straight week. Whereas the Packers are hoping to move to 4-0 on the season joining the Bills and Seahawks there.
The Packers are 3-0 thanks to wins against the Vikings, Lions and Saints and are currently atop of the NFC North. It has been a great start to the season for the Packers and the Aaron Rodgers Revenge Tour is in full flow as we head into this MNF thriller. Rodgers has currently thrown for 9TD’s to 0INT’s and has a 121.1 passer rating through 3 games. The call in the off-season was the Packers would draft a WR in the draft, instead they drafted QB Jordan Love, which left Rodgers feeling no love. He has been dealing with the weapons that he has. Last week they were without star WR Devante Adams which meant Allen Lizard had to step up, he had 6 catches for 146 and a TD. This week, Adams has been announced as OUT so for the 2nd straight week Rodgers be without his star WR against a Falcons defense that has allowed 1390 yards in 3 games. The Packers will turn to RB Aaron Jones for help with no Adams, a destructive force in both the rushing and passing game, he is averaging 100 YPG rushing and has had 10 receptions for 95 yards in the passing game as well as his 5 total TD’s.
Matt Ryan with his head down after game sealing INT
The Falcons……. Well where to start? They are somehow 0-3 on the season which makes this game tonight a MUST WIN for them. They welcome back Julio Jones and the hope is that Calvin Ridley, who was questionable, will also play. Ridley, who has 21 receptions on 35 targets for 349 yards and 4 TD’s is arguably becoming as big of a threat as Julio Jones. They have Todd Gurley in the backfield who still isn’t really being properly utilized, he’s averaging 65.6 YPG and has only had 3 receptions all year. But the offence isn’t the problem for the Falcons. Their defense is their Achilles heel. The Falcons cant stop the pass and they would be well respected here in the UK, because their secondary definitely adheres to the 2 meter social distancing, especially from their opponents WR’s!
This game has got a shootout written all over it, the Falcons offence will score points and the Packers offence certainly will. For a couple of longshots – The bet of both teams 2 TD’s in each half @ 12/1 with Paddy Power stands out, as does my favorite both teams 1 TD and 1 FG in each half at 15/1 also with Paddy Power.
However my main bets for the night are the Falcons to cover the 6.5 point spread they are getting, with all the pressure that is on Dan Quinn and the fact that it is a primetime game he will have his guys fired up for a massive game. Last season, the guys kept his job by the way they finished the season and they will have that attitude tonight against the Packers.
The 2nd best bet comes in the form of a Kicker….. yes Kickers do matter. Elliot Fry (Kicker – Atlanta Falcons) – to have over 2.5 successful extra points @ 1/1 – In a game that should be full of touchdowns I have faith that Mr Fry will kick over 2.5 Extra Points, he kicked 161/162 extra points at South Carolina – so lets hope he has a good start here!
I will keep a profit and loss sheet for each selections put up in reviews – don’t forget to follow me on twitter @BeefyLayd17 and follow my podcast page @BettingFlea which does 2 podcasts a week about NFL Betting with myself and co-host @skybluechiefs. Thanks for reading and lets hope for some winners!
After a heartbreaking loss in OT against the Texans on Wildcard weekend, The Bills and McDermott knew they were close, but they also knew how important the upcoming off-season was. The Bills knew they needed to add more weapons around Josh Allen and on the 16th March they did that, they traded their 2020 1st round Pick to the Vikings for WR Stefon Diggs. Not only was this a great trade for the Bills it was also an excellent trade for Diggs, in Minnesota it was publicly known he did not have the best relationship with Zimmer or with Cousins and was frustrated with the lack of action he was getting. Alongside Diggs, the Bills also added LB A.J Klein who played his last 3 years for the Saints, in the last 2 years in NO, he started all but 1 game and had 193 and 6.5 sacks as well as 18 TFL’s. He now comes into Buffalo to match up with Pro Bowler Tremaine Edmunds.
AJ Klein returning an Interception against the Panthers
As well as adding Klein to a defence that ranked 11th against the run they added former Panthers DT Vernon Butler, Butler who had a breakout here starting 9 games and had 6 sacks and 7 TFL’s joins this defence as the Bills look to replace Jordan Phillips, Corey Liuget. It will be interesting to see what impact Butler has against the run, Carolina had one of the worst run defences in the league last season. The Bills also signed Mario Addison DE/OLB from the Panthers, Addison who has had at least 9 sacks in his last 4 years at Carolina, also seemed to struggle against the run. A good pass rusher but not so good against the run. Another signing the Bills have made on defence is DE Quinton Jefferson from the Seahawks. Jefferson, who started 24 out of the last 32 games for Seattle but mostly rotated along that stacked Seattle D-Line and adding more depth onto this Bills line.
As well as strengthening the defence the Bills also added former Panthers OT Daryl Williams. Williams, who is coming of one of his worst seasons ever after allowing 12 sacks last season. Will be hoping for a rejuvenated season to kick start his career again.
Onto the draft now and with the Bills having no 1st round pick we move straight into the 2nd round were the Bills selected Iowa DE A.J Epenesa. Epenesa was reportedly who the Bills would’ve drafted in the 1st round if they would of had a 1st round pick, so for him to slip this far was a steal in the Bills eyes. Over his 3 years at Iowa Epenesa had 26.5 sacks and 30.5 TFL’s as well as a crazy 9 FF. He comes swooping off the edge and has the wingspan to get up and around to knock the ball out of opposing QB’s hand. When watching tape he also showed he is capable of splitting double teams on a regular basis and not only that, everyone knows that guys from Iowa are well educated! A great selection by the Bills who were extremely pleased that Epenesa slipped this far! He was named PFF’s biggest Steal of the draft!
Epenesa playing for Iowa v the USC Trojans
In round 3 the Bills selected RB Zach Moss the RB out of Utah, and it’s fair to say i really like this guy. After looking on Twitter when the Bills selected Moss i saw Michelle (@BallBlastEm) going on about how good this selection was. I saw people pointing out that Josh Allen scores and runs the most in the Redzone, and then i saw the reply as following “Gore had 11 goal line carries last year T-13th most in the NFL, Singletary had 2 and Allen had 5 and yet Gore only scored 2 TD’s which is terrible”. Zach Moss is a bigger and stronger Devin Singletary and to say that he will be a good person to back at the start of the year would be an understatement. The bookies always get rookies lines wrong at the start of the year so i will be looking closely to see what they have him up at.
In round 4 the Bills selected WR Gabriel Davis WR out of UCF in his final year at USF, Davis posted great numbers having 72 REC, 1241 Receiving yards and 12 TD’s. Standing at 6ft 3in he fits in great as a big redzone target to match up with speedster John Brown and newly acquainted WR Stefon Diggs. Most of the scouting reports on Davis say he has great hands and could easily take a slant to the house with his speed. So this guy is tall and has jet speed? An interesting prospect for sure.
Davis making a contested catch for USF
In the 5th round the Bills selected Jake Fromm QB from Georgia, Brandon Beane is a strong believer in drafting talent no matter the position and it was clear when he drafted Fromm in the 5th round he was selecting the best player on his board. Fromm passed for 8236 yards at Georgia with a 78:18 TD:INT ratio at a completion rate of 63.3%. The knock on Fromm is that he does not have the strongest arm, his combine performance hurt his draft stock for sure and it was apparent as the 2/3rd round prospect fell down into the 5th. He goes to cold and windy Buffalo were the elements are hard anyway so it will be interesting to see how he gets on there.
In round 6 the Bills took kicker Tyler Bass from Georgia Southern, not much on this one apart from a key fact. Bass, consistently drills 50yard FG’s while taking no steps and drills 60yard FG’s with 1 step. Be interesting to see how he gets on kicking for the Bills in the tough elements! The Bills also selected Isaiah Hodgins WR out of Oregon State in the 6th round, adding more depth at the receiver position they drafted 2 in the draft. In his 3 years for the Beavers, Hodgins had 176 REC, 2322 Receiving yards and 20 TD’s. In his final year he doubled his stats for the previous 2 years, showing he has progressed and could be ready to take the next step into the NFL. His 13 TD receptions in 2019 led all PAC-12 receivers!
With their final pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Bills selected Dane Jackson – CB – Pittsburgh. After picking up the 5th year option on Tre White before hopefully extending him and resigning Levi Wallace the Bills wanted to add depth and they did that in the 7th round. In college Jackson recorded 4 INT’s and 39 PD’s in his 3 full years starting at Pitt. A nice addition to the Bills secondary and a good special team player.
All in all the Bills off-season and draft was a good one. They got additional talent and replaced players that needed to be replaced, they have a great HC in Sean McDermott (one of the best in the league in my opinion) and they will hope they can progress from a disappointing loss to the Texans and get further next year. That starts by winning the AFC East and with the Patriots without a starting QB they are the favourites in my eyes. The bet of this article is The Bills to win the AFC East at 8/5 @ Unibet/888 – the Patriots may yet add a QB which could boost the odds a little but with how well the Bills did last year and by making that offence stronger with Moss and Diggs i believe they can finally take down a Brady-less New England!
Other Markets include Josh Allen passing TD’s o/u at 20.5 @ PaddyPower and his passing yards is at 3249.5 also at PaddyPower both 5/6. There are no other markets for Bills players yet but hopefully towards the start of the season we may see more.
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Going into the NFL the Baltimore Ravens who finished as the #1 seed in the AFC, the best running team we have seen in the NFL in many many years. They don’t have many holes on this defence, but the missing part that stood out to me was at WR. They lost to the Titans in the Division round because Jackson was forced to pass and they didn’t have enough talent on the outside to catch passes. They drafted Hollywood Brown last year and adding some more talent/depth for the MVP would help massively. Marshall Yanda retiring was a hole but the Ravens have signed former Seahawk D.J Fluker to fill his gap on the O-Line that ended 2019 as the 2nd best in the league per PFF. So the O-Line again, does not look much of a problem and with Jackson’s slickness in the pockett does it matter anyway? Going onto the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens already have key play-makers such as Earl Thomas, Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, Matthew Judon and have now added Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe. This is a team that is getting better and better and the only position they needed was a ILB. They have not had one since the team let C.J Mosley go into FA and it is definitely a position of need. The only one i can think of!
Ingram and Jackson celebrating against the Texans
With the #28th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select Patrick Queen – LB – LSU – per Daniel Jeramiah this was the top value selection in the first round, DJ had Queen ranked 15th best player in the Draft and yet he slipped all the way down to #28 and saw Kenneth Murray and Jordyn Brooks go before him. Queen’s football IQ is second-to-none and when you watch little bits of his tape it is easy to see why he is a first round pick, his quickness of the line and his awareness to what is happening in front of him and around him is phenomenal. He was a clear leading on this LSU defence and ended the season with 85 tackles (3rd), 12 TFL’s, 3 sacks and 1 INT. He is not the tallest of players but he showed he can guard the biggest of guys at the college level. This is a great pick by the Ravens who have not had a stand out LB since they let C.J Mosley walk last year. So they fill a position of need with Queen who is compared to Myles Jack and Roquan Smith.
Queen in the 2020 National Championship game v Clemson
With the #55th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select J.K Dobbins – RB – Ohio State – Dobbins who rushed for 2000 yards in his final year at Ohio State and had 23 total touchdowns is a monster not only on the ground with his elite quickness and change of speed but his catching out of the backfield. He had 23 REC and 247 receiving yards in his final year averaging 10.7 YPR out of the backfield. Over his 3 years with the Buckeyes he had 43 touchdowns and 5104 scrimmage yards. You are putting Dobbins into a backfield that already has Jackson, Ingram, Edwards and Hill is insanity and the best rushing attack in football just got better. This seems like a pick of taking the best player at the time they picked, it was not a position of need but yet when you’re roster has good depth and you don’t have any outstanding needs, these are the picks you can make that make you’re team even stronger.
With the #71st pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select Justin Madubuike – DL – Texas A&M – Madubuike, who stands at 6ft 3in and weighs 304lbs is the Ravens saying to the rest of the NFL that they are not going to be beaten by the run. Madubuike adds to the numerous additions they have already made on the DL joining Campbell and Derek Wolfe. In college, Madubuike was known for playing in the B-Gap role, so he wont play NT he will probably play next to the nose tackle allowing him to shoot the Gap, he does lack the reach which is needed to play NT in the NFL. However, his tackling is very good and his mobility for such a big man is easy to see watching his tape. A good selection and it beefs up a front that is already beefed up and it just got bigger. Statement pick by the Ravens.
With the #92nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select Devin Duvernay – WR – Texas – straight after making this selection HC John Harbaugh was on NFL Network discussing the work he has done so far and it was clear to see how much he likes Duvernay, for a small guy he had some insane contested catches in college and his physical ability is definitely undervalued because of his height 5ft 11in and the fact he only weighs 200 pounds. His hands are what really made his stock rise at the combine. His smaller frame makes him very good after the catch and is difficult to bring down. He will fill a need at WR for the Ravens and although the Ravens will be a run first team it will be interesting to see what prop lines are available with him at the start of the new season.
Devin Duvernay making a catch against Utah
With the #106th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select – Malik Harrison – LB – Ohio State – Harrison was the Ravens 3rd pick in the 3rd round and they traded up to get him, he led the Buckeyes in tackles with 75 and came 2nd in their sack listings with 4.5 behind you guessed it, Chase Young. He had 4 PD’s in the 2019 season which was tied-3rd on the team. The Ravens who drafted Queen in the 1st round add another very good LB who can compete to be an instant starter with Queen in the NFL. He was known as an excellent run stuffer for the Buckeyes which again plays into pattern with what the Ravens are trying to do, stop the run. He is always running downhill and is an impact tackler who does not miss many (led team with 75) he can be used as a QB spy as he has the speed to keep up with QB’s in the NFL (well maybe not his own) he can play ILB or in a 4-3 possibly become an OLB.
With the #106th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select – Tyre Phillips – G – Mississippi State – Phillips is great in the run game and is amazing when he gets to the point of attack. He is a big build and his fit is in a power, gap scheme and playing inside as a run blocker. The Ravens who had the best rushing attack in football in 2019, got themselves a G who loves to run block and will only get better learning from some good O-Linemen in Baltimore. He lets himself down in the pass aspect of his blocking but like i said with time and development he could clean it up and become a starter in the NFL.
With the #143rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select Ben Bredeson – G – Michigan – The ravens go OL and more specifically G in back to back picks, a suggested that they feel they needed to add some depth with good talent at the position. Bredeson was a 4yr starter at Michigan who was known for his leadership skills for the Wolverines. He is best suited, again no surprise here, when he is firing out and leading a power based rushing attack. The problem he has and it shows on tape is he struggles against quick rushers and he will need to sort that out to become a starter in the NFL.
With the #170th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select Broderick Washington – DL – Texas Tech – Washington was a 3yr starter and a 2yr team captain with the Red Raiders and he has a so called “Dirty dog mentality”. He is not the biggest guy but he shows grown man strength when you watch his tape. His size and length is probably why he fell this far in the Draft and he does not offer much rushing the passer value he only had 7.5 sacks in his 4 years at Texas Tech and 14 TFL’s but will offer good rotation which is what the Ravens are trying to build. Worth noting the Ravens got this pick when they traded kicker Kaare Vedvik to the Vikings so not bad value for the Ravens at all.
Washington playing for the Red Raiders
With the #201st pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select – James Proche – WR – SMU – Proche adds more depth at the WR position for the Ravens and in his 4 years at SMU he had 301 REC, 3949 receiving yards and 39 TD’s. In his last 2 seasons he had 204 receptions and 2424 receiving yards as well as 27 TD’s he doubled his career stats at SMU in his last 2 years, an excellent selection at this point in the draft. Proche is known for his extraordinary ball skills at SMU, he does not have the quickness and the elite speed but his ball skills are excellent. He is amazing at tracking the ball and winning contested catches but he does have elite separation skills to get him away from opposing defenders.
With the #209th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Baltimore Ravens select Geno Stone – S – Iowa – Daniel Jeremiah has this listed as the steel of the 7th round, he had Stone ranked as the #123rd best player in the draft, he ended up going 96 selections later to the Ravens. Stone had 70 tackles in 2019 as well as 3 INT’s. The only down point on Stone is that he likes to play the ball before the ball has been fired, so with a quick pump-fake he could be out of position and leave his zone/man marking wide open. Good value and he can learn from one of the best to ever do it in Earl Thomas.
Every-year it seems like we say the same thing, the Ravens have had a great draft, they always get the best value and they manage to get all the best players. It shows the value they got when 2 of their selections are in DJ’s top 7 value picks of the draft. They got great depth in positions of need and added good strength at the WR position as well as adding 2 exciting young LB’s. As we look ahead to some of the Bets for the 2020 seasons the Ravens win total currently sits at 11 @ 888. They finished last year as the #1 seed and finished 14-2, it seems the AFC North has got a bit stronger and i would not be too keen to bet this, although it is available if you like it. If you fancy Lamar Jackson to do the MVP double he is second FAV @ 6/1 and you can back this in most places now. Not the best value and I will not be backing him but teams will need to adapt like the Titans did to stop his run game unless he very well could do the double. Jackson’s season figures stand at o/u 3250.5 passing yards @ 888/unibet and then his passing Touchdowns are at 26.5 also @ 888/unibet – these are both at 10/11. Bear in mind it is ONLY passing TD’s so rushing ones do not count, he ended last year on 36 Passing TD’s so people the bookies do not think he can repeat it, although with the talent they have added on offence and the strong Play Action game they will no doubt have – The bet i am tipping up is Jackson to have OVER 26.5 passing TD’s. He is getting better and better and i think once again this year the Ravens team will be very good.
That is now 2 bets @BeefyLayd17 has tipped up on these articles (one from the Browns article) and the Jackson one here. If you did get this far thank you for reading and I will be back tomorrow previewing the Bills and the Patriots drafts. Once again, thank you for reading and be sure to check out our Twitter @BettingFlea as we have a NFL Draft Review Podcast coming out in around an Hour or so.
The Cleveland Browns, the hype champions of the 2019/20 season had a pretty disappointing one in the end, they went 6-10 and finished 3rd in the AFC North. Going into the draft the Browns needed to add an OL, going into the season the Browns had the No2 ranked O-Line per PFF. However, the decision to trade Zeitler to the Giants and with no other plan to replace Zeitler at RG and other problems along the line saw them end the 2019/20 ranked as PFF’s No22 O-Line. Wyatt Teller and Eric Kush, had a very low passing grade and match that with the fact that the whole O-Line had a bottom 10 run blocking grade, which was also top 10 the year before. It has moved them down the list significantly and highlighted the need to improve at the position. They upgraded and signed T Jack Conklin in FA but there was still a need on the OL, they also signed TE Austin Hooper to partner up with David Njoki in HC Stefanski’s 2 TE sets. You look on the defence and you look at the run defence, i felt they lacked beef up the middle and could do with adding some help here. Then you look at S, losing Randall to FA means they have to address that, as well as losing LB Joe Schobert.
The Dawg Pound in Cleveland
With the #10th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Browns selected Jedrick Wills – OT – Alabama. This pick is exactly what the Browns needed, he can partner up with Jack Conklin and play LT while Conklin plays RT, a stellar start to upgrading an OL that definitely needed it. He has started everygame for the last 2 seasons and his growth as a Tackle has just got better and the stats back up that theory, he only allowed 1 sack in 13 games last year. I’m sure Baker Mayfield was happy with this pick.
With the #44th pick the Browns selected Grant Delpit – S – LSU. Delpit fills a big need at S for the Browns after losing Randall to FA. Delpit earned First-Team ALL SEC recognition in consecutive seasons, Delpit is incredibly versatile and joins the likes of Denzel Ward and Myles Garrett on the Browns defence. His tackling was a concern in the 2018 season but after watching his tape of the 2019 season it’s clear he became a more consistent tackler. There were several mock drafts that thought he might slip into the first round. He can play anywhere in the back seven and does not just play S, he has quick feet and he is very athletic for his size and build!
Grant Delpit at LSU
With the #88th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Browns selected Jordan Elliot – DL – Missouri – Elliot was best known for stopping the run at Missouri, he was known to anchor at the point of attack and to fight straight through his gap. This is his best asset as he is labelled a ‘slow burner’ when going after the QB. This is an excellent selection by the Browns as they had lots of problems stopping the run last year, this should help there cause!
With the #97th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Browns selected Jacob Phillips – LB – LSU – When preparing this article i watched film on all the players selected and Phillips was the one who was least effective, his speed is quick and he has great competitive toughness, however after watching film and reading some reviews on him it seems he struggles in coverage (man or zone) and will need a lot of work before becoming a starter in the NFL. Obviously you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, but its a good bit of depth after losing star LB Joe Schobert through FA.
With the #115th pick the Browns selected Harrison Bryant – TE – Florida Atlantic – Bryant’s hands were some of the best among TE’s in draft, he’s at his best when he’s making catches up the seam. His route running gets him free, the question is can he do it at the highest level, the talent is definitely there. The more intriguing thing is this now gets the browns 3 good TE’s, they have Njoki and Hooper and now have Bryant, we know how much Stefanski loves his TE’s so it’s no surprise they have 3 good TE’s on the roster, what’s surprising is that Bryant is not the best In-line blocker so he maybe used for primarily pass catching situations.
Bryant at FAU
With the #160th pick in the NFL Draft the Browns select Nick Harris – C – Washington – Harris was a 3 year starter at Washington and is a good all round blocker. When it comes to the run he widens gaps and opens lanes, which is great news for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, he can move into space and has good feet to slide up on the line to help others block. Good bit of depth for the Browns in a massive position of need.
With the #187th pick in the NFL Draft the Browns select Donovan Peoples-Jones – WR – Michigan – this is an exceptional pick in round 2, the Browns have got a steal this late in the draft. Many experts expected him to go late 4th but for him to slide into the 6th was good news for the Browns. Peoples-Jones is tall, has great hands and is exceptionally athletic, when you watch his tape in college the way he makes adjustments to the ball when it’s in the air is brilliant. He just lacks the quickness and separation skills. But with time to develop around some of the best in the game, he has got time to learn!
Peoples-Jones at Michigan
That concludes all of the Browns selections in the 2020 NFL Draft, they addressed key needs on the OL and added some good talent at WR and on the DL as well as drafting a great Safety in Delpit. Looking ahead to the 2020 season the Browns once again look a great team on paper, and with a new HC it will be interesting to see how they get on which leads me to my first bet I am putting up in these Articles. If i see a bet I like I will put it in this column at the bottom. – Baker Mayfield to have over 23.5 passing TD’s at 888/Unibet/PP @ 10/11 – he had 27 in his Rookie year when his O-Line was good, the slip in O-Line ability was a contributing factor in why Mayfield struggled so much last year. He was sacked 40 times T-7th league most and yet he still threw 22 TD’s. I believe he can get over this target now that his O-Line LOOKS good again. If you back with 888/unibet and the season gets withdrawn or we lose games (for example if we go to a 16 game season to a 14 game season due to COVID-19) the bet will be void. If you want to take a go at his passing yards line, that is currently at 3787.5 at 888/Unibet with the same rules re the season.
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The 2020 NFL Draft was Mike Tomlin’s 14th Draft with the Steelers. Heading into the draft the Steelers needed to address the following needs at WR, DL (after losing Javon Hargrave), a few OL to build the depth on the roster as well as an extra RB to help depth there. The big problem for the Steelers last year (apart from missing Big Ben) was that their run game was below par to average, the 3 main running backs together averaged 3.5 YPC and only had 7 rushing touchdowns all season which was #30th in the league, only in front of the Jets (6) and the Jaguars (3). Their main RB James Conner was injured most weeks of the season so the need for back-up at the position is highlighted on if Conner can keep healthy. Tie that alongside the fact that they averaged 18.1 PPG (ranked 27th) their offence was one of the worst in the league (once again without Big Ben) and yet this team still managed to get to 8-8 phenomenally, but that was because the Steelers had one of the best defences in the NFL, they have playmakers all over the board and have managed to bring back star pass rusher Bud Dupree who had 11.5 sacks to match back up with TJ Watt who had 14.5 sacks. The Steelers are without a 1st round pick this year, as they traded it to the Dolphins to get S Minkah Fitzpatrick, which turned out to be one of the best trades of the Year. With all parts of this defence returning the only thing to address was the offence and the depth on the team.
Steelers Defence celebrating the 27-3 win vs the Bengals
The Steelers first selected at pick #49 and with that pick they selected Chase Claypool – WR – Notre Dame. Chase Claypool is a big guy, he stands at 6ft 4in and weighs almost 240 pounds, the Redzone threat the Steelers have been asking for. This is an amazing pick, last year Chase had 66 REC, 1037yards and 13 TD’s, this was his best year in all categories in all his 4 years at ND. He joins new new Steelers TE Eric Ebron (also 6ft 4in) in a revamped Steelers offence. Big Ben will have been happy with this pick as he adds another Redzone threat to join up with Juju Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Diontae Johnson in the WR room in Pittsburgh, a room which is getting better because of this pick!#
With pick #102 the Steelers selected Alex Highsmith – DE – Charlotte, this is an amazing pick by the Steelers, Highsmith who had 15 sacks in his final year at Charlotte gets to learn off TJ watt, Cameron Heyward and Bud Dupree. If the Steelers can develop Highsmith it leaves them with an excellent player to replace the damage that Dupree does if the Steelers cannot work out a long term deal. Highsmith could potentially start right away, he will definitely contribute from Week 1 that’s for sure.
New Steelers DE Alex Highsmith whilst at Charlotte
With pick #124 the Steelers drafted RB Anthony McFarland JR – RB – Maryland. The depth at RB was finally covered when the Steelers went running back in Round 4, the Steelers opted not to draft a RB on day 2 even though some of the big names such as J.K Dobbins (who ended up at the Ravens) means they are moving forward with Conner as RB1 but required some additional depth at the position. McFarland is only 5ft 9in and 198 pounds and is coming of a dip in his final year at Maryland, in 2018 he had a 1000 yard season at 7.9 YPC, compared to 2019 where he had only 614 yards and averaged 5.4 YPC… However he doubled his touchdowns from 2018 having 8. McFarland will add depth in case Conner gets injured and push other RB’s Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels for snaps. One thing to note about this pick is when the Steelers selected there were still some good OL on the board. So an interesting one at where the Steelers believe they are in that department, but the Steelers had another pick in only 11 picks time.
With the #135 pick the Pittsburgh Steelers selected – Kevin Dotson – G – Louisiana. Dotson played 4 seasons for the Cajuns, he was touted by NFL analysts as “Explosive of the ball” and can execute both Combo blocks and Kick-out Blocks with ease, although he wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, Dotson has never missed a game for the Cajuns. This adds more depth on the OL which the Steelers needed, they didn’t need an instant starter since they signed Stefen Wisniewski but with the loses of Ramon Foster (retirement) and B.J. Finney (Free Agent) they did need to address the depth and they did in the 4th round. It is worth noting that for the Cajuns he played both Tackle and Guard but is primarily a Guard. The Steelers have good expectations of him and do believe he can compete for a Starting job at LG.
Dotson (#75) playing for the Cajuns
With pick #198 the Steelers selected Antoine Brooks Jr – S – Maryland. Brooks Jr stands at 5ft 11in and weighs 213 pounds. With his physicality Brooks Jr can play S and LB for the Steelers and Steelers secondary coach Teyrl Austin says Brooks Jr is more comfortable playing in the box and hitting people with his physical traits. Austin also says that he can see Brooks Jr being a core special teamer for the Steelers.
With pick #232 the Steelers selected Carlos Davis – DL – Nebraska. The Steelers needed to address the DL position after they lost Hargrave to the Eagles in Free Agency the Steelers needed someone to fill the void left. Davis 6ft 2in and 320 pounds is a hugely athletic individual who also played Basketball for Nebraska. In his final year for the Cornhuskers he had his career high in sacks (4) and started every game bar 1. He has only missed 2 games in his entire time at Nebraska and as a multi sport athlete he adds good depth for the Steelers at DT.
Davis playing for Nebraska
Overall the Steelers had a sucessful draft and i think they will have been happy with the additions they made. They added an OL in Dotson and they added valuable depth on the defensive side of the ball, on the DL as well as getting a very good redzone threat in WR Chase Claypool.
The Steelers win total heading into the new season is Win total stands at 8.5 and they are 10/11 to qualify for the new 7 team NFL Playoffs. If the 7 team playoffs were a thing last year the Steelers would of made it, with key additions to the offence and adding key depth on that stellar defence, they could challenge again. They have the Ravens, who have just got better and better in the draft, as well as the Bengals (who we covered yesterday) and the browns. It is a hard division and you think it will be a challenge, but Tomlin is an exceptional coach so they have a chance. If you fancy them to make a Superbowl run, they are 28/1 @ 888/unibet. Too short in my opinion but its not me that will be betting it!
Thank you for reading Flea Flicker Betting’s Steelers Draft Review. If you enjoyed this write up please do follow us on Twitter @BettingFlea and dont forget to turn on tweet notifications. As after today there will be 2 Articles, YES 2 a day! Hope to catch you tomorrow where we will cover the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens! Thanks!
A different Draft like no other, this years NFL Draft was one of a kind, history was made on Thursday night as the 1st virtual Draft kicked off as the Cincinnati Bengals went on the clock at #1. To no surprise they selected QB Joe Burrow out of LSU, the Heisman winner and National champ was the sure fire #1 pick at 1/50 – the only question on this pick is will he start week 1 of the new season? With all that is going on with Covid-19 the future is unknown, and the rookies face a harder path than usual at getting ready for their NFL debut’s.
The #1 overall pick Joe Burrow
In the 2nd round the Bengals gladly selected Tee Higgins – WR – Clemson. The guy who tied Deandre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins touchdown record at Clemson was arguably the best selection in the 2nd round of the Draft. The Tiger who is a Bengals fan who said he has “modelled his game after AJ Green” will surely be a instant starter for the Bengals and leaves questions on what will happen with John Ross and/or AJ Green. It will be interesting to see the prop markets for him in the early stages of the season!
In the 3rd round the Bengals selected Wyoming LB Logan Wilson. A clear position of need for the Bengals, the LB had 90+ tackles in each of his 4 years at Wyoming. He is a good coverage linebacker and should be competing for the starting job in Cincy. Leading on to the Bengals 4th selection where they selected Appalachian State LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, an intriguing pick as Davis-Gaither can play LB or S, his tape is probably higher than a 4th rounder but the stress fracture in his foot were cause for concern for GM’s, but it was definitely worth the risk in round 4.
Davis-Gaither at Appalachian State
In the 5th round the Bengals selected Notre Damn edge rusher Khalid Kareem, the powerful edge rusher who registered an insane 84-inch wingspan also weighs 265lb and is 6ft 4in should be a very powerful force of the edge, he gets to learn of one of the best in Carlos Dunlap.
In round 6 the Bengals selected Kansas OL Hakeem Adeniji, the talk is this kid is very athletic and played T for Kansas in college but may be able to go inside to G for the Bengals. The versatility presented by Adeniji means he will probably be on the 53 man roster as a back up lineman that can learn and possibly mature into a starting lineman to protect Joe Burrow.
With the 7th and final pick of the Bengals 2020 NFL Draft they selected LB Markus Bailey out of Purdue, if you watch film on Bailey you will say how is this guy available in the 7th round…. well that’s because he has tore his ACL in his right knee and his left Knee. If the Bengals can keep this guy healthy and on the field, it could turn out to be an amazing selection in the 7th round.
Markus Bailey at Purdue
Overall the Bengals had a massively successful draft, they got the best linebacker in the draft and upgraded a LB core that needed an upgrade. They got a brilliant WR in Tee Higgins to partner up with Tyler Boyd, AJ Green and possibly John Ross to add to the amazing talent they have with Joe Mixon at Running Back. The only downfall is they only drafted 1 OL, they could have done with possibly drafting another. But it is a start.
Bets – William Hill have lots of lines on Burrow as shown below :
I would not be too quick to back any of them just yet as we have no idea what the future holds with all the uncertainty at the moment, but the one i think has a very good chance is Burrow to win rookie of the year. Tua will probably sit behind Fitzmagic for a year so that leaves him the and Herbert as the 2 QB’s but we know how high the Chargers are on Tyrod, so i could see Herbert sitting too. You may be able to get a better price elsewhere in the next few weeks/months, so make sure you shop around to find the best price!
If you enjoyed this write up we will be back with the Steelers draft review tomorrow! Dont forget to follow us on twitter and go subscribe to our podcast – Flea Flicker Betting – Thanks for Reading!
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