Thursday, March 28, 2024

Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace Spotted Personally Working Out a Prospect

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Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are two men of the same kind. They don’t know any such thing as an offseason. They’ve been hard at work since last season ended at Soldier Field against Philadelphia trying to find ways to improve for 2019. Pace did some early work in free agency signing the likes of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Buster Skrine, and Cordarrelle Patterson. However, the past several days have been quiet.

Now there may be an explanation. It seems Pace was indisposed, taking time to personally attend the Ohio State pro day on March 21st. He wasn’t alone. Nagy was there too and it appears the two men wished to be there for a private meeting with a particular prospect. His name is Mike Weber, a running back for the Buckeyes.

Garrett Stepien, a staff writer who covers Ohio State, spotted the two men running Weber through drills including Nagy’s personal favorite. A swing pass out of the backfield down the sideline. It’s apparent as ever that the coach is searching for options who can open up that part of his offense.

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Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace personal attendance says a lot

Weber is an interesting prospect. He’s versatile, quick, and tough. He battled a hamstring injury in 2017 and a foot injury in 2018. Yet he only missed one game. His first year playing, he ran for over 1,000 yards but has failed to do so since. Part of that is the health setbacks but also the combined issue of playing in a committee backfield and the offense shifting to a pass-first approach with the arrival of Dwayne Haskins at quarterback.

The fact is Weber averaged 5.9 yards per carry in his college career. He had some of his best games against top opponents too including Michigan, Michigan State, and Oklahoma. In six games, he scored at least two touchdowns. Here’s what Kyle Krabbs of The Draft Network had to say about him.

“Weber’s controlled patience makes sense in an inside zone. Weber’s contact balance can allow him to garner a share of touches, but his limitations in physical explosiveness make him a modest play in the long run. Weber’s role is likely one of a spot starter, but he’s got the football IQ to maximize his tools and be a worthy piece of a backfield. Should not be considered for full-time RB status, however.”

Almost everybody agrees that Weber is less a feature back and more of a chess piece that a creative offensive coach can move around the board to create matchups. Given what Nagy did with Tarik Cohen and Taquan Mizzell last year, this makes perfect sense.

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