The Las Vegas Raiders new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham likes big-bodied defensive tackles who can two-gap, and Arkansas’ John Ridgeway matches that invoice. Ridgeway carries a mid-round projection for this yr’s NFL Draft, so he’s actually on the desk for the Raiders.
DT | Arkansas | 6’5 1/8” and 321 lbs | Bloomington, IL | Could seventh, 1999 (22.9)
Overview:
Popping out of highschool, Ridgeway was a two-star recruit and the 202nd ranked offensive deal with within the nation for the 2017 class, per 247 Sports activities. He obtained no FBS scholarship gives and enrolled at FCS Illinois State, the place he flipped sides of the ball, was an FCS Freshman All-American, and honorable point out and first-team All-Convention picks. The previous Redbird transferred to Arkansas for his last season of eligibility and collected 39 whole tackles, 4 for loss, two sacks and 11 pressures in 2021.
Strengths:
Good measurement for an NFL defensive deal with with 33 3/8” arms, and he carries his body effectively with little dangerous weight
He’s proven the flexibility to place facilities on skates and power the ball out with a bull rush when he makes use of his fingers and initially of drives when he isn’t drained
Has the energy to develop a push-pull transfer down the street
Towards the run, he has some pop along with his fingers to shock the offensive lineman and get some elevate to assist get higher leverage on the block
Is also quick along with his fingers to make contact first and has stable placement on the entrance of the offensive lineman’s shoulder
Will get fingers on offensive linemen after they work as much as the second degree to disrupt their path to the second-level
Bends his knees and has low pad degree for his top when taking over blocks
He has loads of energy to get extension and lockout facilities, and when he does preserve his toes transferring he can stroll facilities into the backfield along with his energy and leverage
Towards double groups, he does a superb job of attacking the lineman he’s lined up throughout from
IS hole disciplined and locates the ball within the backfield effectively to assist put himself ready to make the play
Block shedding isn’t a lot of a difficulty along with his energy and extension
He wraps up the legs and has no points tackling operating backs, solely missed two tackles final yr, and he could make tackles with blockers hanging on him
Areas of Enchancment:
Poor athletic testing numbers with a 4.73 RAS rating
Doesn’t cross rush with a lot of a plan, he simply runs into individuals and if he does work a transfer, it normally doesn’t work and he quits
He tires and loses his cross rush motor shortly, particularly towards no-huddle
When bull-rushing, he hardly ever makes use of his fingers to get three factors of contact and stands up by his third step. Working to get on an edge may even assist him get a push extra persistently, he tries to go straight by way of the offensive lineman’s chest.
On finesse strikes, he both doesn’t use his fingers or is inaccurate with them to defeat the lineman’s fingers, and he’s just a little stiff within the hips to clear his decrease half
Because the looper in line video games, he’s gradual and lacks the agility to take an environment friendly path to the quarterback when working laterally
Whether or not he’s two-gapping or penetrating towards the run, he false steps and stops transferring his toes, inflicting his nostril to recover from his toes and ruining his base. Usually he received’t even take a primary step and his toes look caught in cement.
Along with his poor get off and late block recognition, he’ll get sealed versus attain blocks and on scoops
Facilities who can match his physicality and at the least keep their pad degree on the level of assault will be capable of flip their hips and create a dashing lane or get some drive on him as a result of he stops his toes
Towards double groups, he doesn’t anticipate the second blocker coming and consistently will get his shoulders turned or knocked out of his hole
When going through offensive linemen with good hand placement who get their fingers inside his, he doesn’t work to get the lineman’s fingers off him earlier than shedding
Total, his block destruction could be very reliant on him successful on the level of assault
His conditioning may use work, effort diminishes all through the sport and tires throughout drives simply. Not a man who’s going to issue right into a ton of gang tackles down the sphere.
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John RidgewayPicture by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photographs
Being a two-down participant with low athletic testing numbers is bringing Ridgeway’s draft inventory down. Minimal cross rush manufacturing and never exhibiting a lot potential to develop as a rusher will push nearly any defensive lineman into the Day 3 class. That being stated, he’s a powerful sufficient run defender to warrant an early Saturday choice for groups which might be on the lookout for a rotational defensive deal with.
Schematically, the Arkansas product could be greatest as a two-gapper and may lineup anyplace from a zero- to two-technique. That manner his energy on the level of assault can be greatest utilized, and his sub-par get-off can be considerably negated.
What do we have to know?
Can he begin to maintain his floor higher towards double groups? If Ridgeway goes to carve out a job as a run stuffer within the NFL, this can be by far his greatest space of enchancment and potential downfall. There have been far too many situations on tape the place he obtained washed out of his hole by doubles, and he has the energy to carry his floor, however his points with false stepping and anticipating the second blocker coming should get higher on the subsequent degree.
Match with the Raiders:
As talked about above, new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham loves his massive, two-gapping defensive tackles and that has confirmed with a few of Las Vegas’ free agent signings. Ridgeway matches that description and would add some youth to the place group, which might be particularly helpful because the gamers introduced in to fill that function are on the older aspect. It’s actually only a matter of if the group needs somebody who’s extra of a cross rusher, schematically at the least.
So far as the draft goes, the previous Razorback could be a stable possibility for the Raiders with both the 126th, 164th or one hundred and sixty fifth total picks.
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Movie Clips:
The easiest way to tackle a DBL staff/combo block is to beat the person you are lineup throughout from, John Ridgeway does that right here and makes a deal with for a 1-yard acquire pic.twitter.com/1fjbmzckbv
John Ridgeway (NT) is not constant sufficient with this however when he will get his fingers concerned and stays low on his bull rush, he is obtained loads of energy to place facilities on skates pic.twitter.com/XjT8KywE5u
Transfer guard Melo Sanchez committed to go on scholarship at Arkansas and is expected to be part of the 2024-25 team, his father said Tuesday.
Sanchez, 6-4 and 185 pounds, reported entering the NCAA transfer portal on May 2 after spending two seasons at Hawaii Pacific University, a Division II program in Honolulu. He made an earlier official visit to Arkansas with his parents and is back in Fayetteville.
Sanchez started all 29 games as a sophomore and averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He had 26 steals.
He shot 36% from the field, 34.6% from beyond the three-point line and 79.8% from the free-throw line.
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Sanchez averaged 14.4 points, 4 rebounds, 1.4 assist as a freshman. He attended Veritas Prep in San Diego prior enrolling at Hawaii Pacific.
He has two seasons of eligibility remaining and is eligible to have a redshirt season.
MILLER COUNTY, Ark. (KSLA) – Several educational groups in Arkansas are working together to make changes to amend the state constitution’s education clause.
Members with Arkansas Educational Rights brought their message to Miller County, saying they the amendment they are seeking will provide three critical things.
“First it provides universal access to the most proven educational standards that boost learning it requires any school that receive public financing to follow the same standards as public schools and the third potent take the existing Arkansas minimum education standards so future lawmakers can’t water down our educational qualities,” said Bill Kopsky, with Ark. Public Policy.
Before changes can be placed on the November ballot, they must collect over 90,000 signatures from at least 50 counties across the state. They say the petition drive is not without opposition.
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“There have been a lot of propaganda going out that’s been paid by the opposition to spread a message against what we are trying to do and a lot of time that’s disinformation or misinformation at best because they are trying to confuse the voters,” said Steve Grappe, with Stand Up Arkansas.
The group has until July 5 to get the necessary signatures for the amendment to be on the ballot.
Arkansas is suing Minnesota-based Optum Inc. and another pharmacy benefits manager, Express Scripts, for fueling the opioid crisis.
Court documents describe “the misuse, abuse, diversion and over-prescription of opioids” as “the worst man-made epidemic in modern medical history”.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said the companies, which run prescription drug coverage for insurers, should be held accountable “for their roles in a crisis that has ravaged our state.”
“The (companies) benefited financially from the opioid crisis in Arkansas by negotiating favorable deals with opioid manufacturers,” Griffin said in a news release.
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Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, denies the claims.
“Optum did not cause the opioid crisis or make it worse, and we will defend ourselves in this litigation,” the company said in a statement. “Optum takes the opioid epidemic seriously and has taken a comprehensive approach to fight this issue, including the Opioid Risk Management Program available to all Optum Rx clients, to address opioid abuse and promote patient health.”
Arkansas had the second-highest opioid prescription rate in the nation for many years, according to the suit, and remained the most commonly prescribed controlled substance as recently as 2022.
Pharmacy benefit managers “sit at the center of prescription-drug dispensing” and intentionally caused an oversupply of opioids in the state, the suit says.
The lawsuit accuses Optum and Cigna-owned Express Scripts of “colluding with Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers to increase opioid sales through favorable placement on national formularies in exchange for rebates and fees.”
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Formularies are lists of drugs covered by insurance plans.
The state is seeking unspecified damages and restitution for claims of creating a public nuisance, negligence and unjust enrichment.
