When it was created, the vision of the Practice Squad Power Rankings was multifaceted and ambitious - an attempt to get fans to care about players they don't typically know, with a weekly opportunity to break away from the football-jargon-heavy to solve pieces that I usually write. In order to be successful, reading and writing had to be fun.
And we're going to have some fun with it.
While trawling through the league's practice teams, probably my favorite activity of the week, I noticed that we've got our hands on some famous practice teams this season. And not just "famous because they're famous in the NFL" - coach rosters with celebrity fathers. Celebrities of varying degrees of fame, of course, but for some reason their names popped up this week.
And they're legitimately talented NFL players. Remember, I'm only highlighting the practice teams that I think can actually contribute on Sundays.
The Giants have Tyrone Wheatley Jr. on their practice team, and if you're over 30 years old, that name goes back to Lloyd Carr's 1990's Michigan Wolverines when his father Tyrone Wheatley Sr Big Ten.I'm speaking of the two tight-end I formations of the national power Wolverines. After averaging 6.4 yards per carry with nine touchdowns as a freshman, Wheatley rumbled to three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at Ann Arbor. He was No. 17 Overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft and enjoyed 10 seasons in the league, playing for the Giants and Raiders.
Now his kid is an offensive project with the Giants. Incidentally, Wheatley Jr. was originally a four-star tight end recruit, played the position at his father's alma mater, moved to Stony Brook, then Morgan State, and was barely on the draft radar this April. But NFL bloodlines and inherent athletic traits — along with his 6-foot-6, 325-pound frame — have earned him a spot on a practice team.
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Then there's Elijah Holyfield, who I just can't stop with. Of course, his father is The Real Deal, Evander Holyfield, former undisputed world champion in cruiser and heavyweight boxing. Holyfield was boxed with Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D'Andre Swift buried on Georgia's depth chart but went at 6.4 yards per 1,000 yards in 2018. His combine and pro-day workouts left a lot to be desired, so he went undrafted. Holyfield managed to keep his head above the treacherous NFL He's on his third team now, and as someone who loved Holyfield's college film, I'm eagerly awaiting his first professional carry in an NFL game.
And if the heavyweight boxing champion wasn't cool enough for you, how about the three-time multi-platinum rapper? Yes, the father of Bill's cornerback Olaijah Griffin is none other than Warren G. His song "Regulate" is an iconic 90's hip hop track that still definitely resonates to this day.Trust me.
And Griffin can play! He was a prolific defensive back at USC and made some splash plays in boot camp and preseason for Buffalo.
Heading into the weekend, THE CALL is now at three. We're moving. Not in a hurry. But we're moving.
If you hear from a PSPR member receiving The Call, message me @ChrisTrapasso on Twitter and use the hashtag #PSPR.Thanks in advance.Your next drink is on me.For a refresher, teams can take up to Have 16 players with up to six "veterans" on the practice team, players with no limits on the number of seasons accumulated in the NFL.
In a way, I run the Practice Squad Power Rankings alongside the NFL. That means like last year, I won't be featuring "veterans". To tell you that Le'Veon Bell finally made a useful call to action for the running game the Ravens could be was certainly not the PSPR's primary intent.
In order to continue to maintain the integrity of the PSPR, I will only include practice groups that are rookies, sophomores or third-year players. That's it.
And as you'll see below, given the increase in practice teams this season, I couldn't resist adding more players to the rankings. To keep up with the league numbers, I'm hoping about 16 people every Friday to write: 10 official in the ranking and six honorable mentions.
1. Javian Hawkins, RB, RamsIn preseason, he amassed 97 yards on 20 carries with one score, and three of those 20 carries were over 10 yards. And it's not like he's just a small-volume scatback with fantastic speed. Hawkins carried the rock in 2019 Louisville 264 times at a clip of 5.8 yards-per-carry. He plays larger than his height.
2. Carson Green, OT, TexanI had a fourth round green a few months ago. He checked most of the boxes I have for a mid-round blocker who can come in and start right away. And he tested like a top athlete. For reasons unknown to me, Green didn't get drafted .But he protected like a—you guessed it—early preseason Day 3 pick with an allowed press on 43 pass-blocking snaps. The Texans, of course, released him on Cutdown Day because Houston is all on offense discontinued and does not need young and talented blockers.Yes, exactly.
3. Phil Haynes, OG, Seahawks
Haynes was Seattle's 2019 fourth-round pick, and after starting his rookie season at PUP due to sports hernia surgery, he was knocked down the field in the Seahawks' wildcard round win over the Eagles in Philadelphia. And he looked solid out!He spent most of last season with yet another injury at IR but he's healthy now and was dominant in preseason - mainly against backups. He's also been testing in the combine like a high explosive security guard.
4. Travis Fulgham, WR, EaglesAdding Fulgham to the practice squad is no way to treat your acting team leader on receiving yards. But here we are. The way Eagles was rebuilt, Fulgham relinquished in late August, which was odd to say the least. Sure, they've been investing a lot in young wideouts lately, but, um, Fulgham is a young wideout who made the most of his chance in 2020 with 539 yards and four touchdowns at 14+ yards per dig. I think Fulgham's the next is DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin in Philly? No, probably not. But he deserves a place in the PSPR.
5. Cam Lewis, CB, BillsThe Bills snapped Lewis from nearby Buffalo University during the unbridled free-agency frenzy immediately after the 2019 draft. And he's quietly gone about his business in two preseasons, allowing just 91 yards in 10 receptions has, and he's clinging to a practice rig in Buffalo because he's a super-stable tackler in space. Head Coach Sean McDermott loves that from his corners.
6. James Wiggins, S, CardinalsNothing against Deionte Thompson or Jalen Thompson, the Cardinals are clearly backing up star Budda Baker in the back, but let's let Wiggins run a bit, cliff. Wiggins is a 6-foot, 205-pounder who THREE TIMES ON THE FREAKS LIST WAS, REMEMBER?!
7. Jacoby Stevens, S, EaglesStevens is a 6-1, 212-pound safety/linebacker hybrid who plays faster than he tested at LSU Pro Day a few months ago. On this amazing 2019 Tigers national title team, Stevens, the was a monster recruit, 92 tackles with three picks and six pass rises.
He's poised to be that versatile defender in the Philadelphia defense.
8. Ron'Dell Carter, EDGE, CardinalsCarter has the scale, leverage, burst and just enough pass rush moves to be productive when he gets The Call in Arizona. I'm very high on him.
He's ranked 8th this week solely because of the experienced edge-rasing talent ahead of him in the 53-man Cardinals roster.
9. Elijah Holyfield, RB, BengalHolyfield averaged 4.6 yards per carry on 20 deaths in Philadelphia this preseason and 4.0 yards per carry on with the Panthers in 2020. He's a compact build, decently agile back with light feet and good vision. The Bengals backfield is a bit of a mess right now. Holyfield can help.
10. Dazz Newsome, WR, BearsIt will be more than a first year cut before I can drop my #TrustTheTape design crush from the 2021 course.Newsome looked electric in the film but flopped at North Carolina Pro Day.Then he broke his Off-season the collarbone. Things have gone sideways for Newsome after he left the field at Chapel Hill. On the field, however, he's a raunchy slot-wideout with some serious YAC juice useful in today's Separation/YAC-based NFL can be.
Award
David Moore, G, Browns
Moore is a Mauler with a natural offensive touch that coaches dream of in REM sleep. He was just under 6-2 and 330 pounds on his pro day before the draft. After a stellar career at Grambling State, Moore received an invite to the senior Bowl and thrived in Mobile. He won't be the most athletic blocker if you're running a zoning scheme, but he's fast enough on the ball to be effective on gap runs and he's coming very close to being NFL strong. Also, no defensive tackle will rise up and under him to drive him into the quarterback.
Kenny Robinson, S, Panther
Robinson is another safety - like Wiggins - with a rather unusual travel history. After playing in his first two seasons for the Mountaineers with seven interceptions in West Virginia, he was expelled from school due to an academic cheating problem, but instead he decided to play in the XFL. Robinson decided to go down that path so he could be paid to pay for his mother's cancer treatments. And he had two picks in five games for the St. Louis BattleHawks. Robinson was then selected in the fifth round of the 2020 draft by the Panthers.
Olaijah Griffin, CB, Bills
After a solid career with the Trojans in Southern California, I had a late fifth round at Griffin. He had nine pass separations in 2019 and three more in an abbreviated 2020 campaign. He's a fluid mover with serious punching power when planting and driving on the football.
Cade Johnson, WR, SeahawksThe Seahawks are the NFC's patriots because they love late and undrafted free agent receivers. Johnson will be the next beating-the-buck story in Seattle, a short, crisp route runner who's feisty after the catch and catches up with anything thrown its way. Sounds like a new prolific Seahawks receiver?
Stephen Sullivan, TE, Panthers
Sullivan was buried on receiving chop order at LSU, and the Seahawks were trying to turn him into a defensive end after picking him in the seventh round two years ago. Returning to his natural position in Carolina, Sullivan has the Chance to make a splash without a bunch of stars in front of him. He weighs 6-5 and 248 pounds with 4.66 speed and a catch radius the size of a Chevy Tahoe.
Tyrone Wheatley, OT, Giants
I've been fascinated by Wheatley's journey, from marquee tight end recruit - who entered Michigan campus massively - to a boosted offensive tackle. The tight end to tackle convert is always with me compelling because I know you have the athletic traits you need to excel at edge blocking.
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