MSL to NFL: Five MSL Products On NFL Rosters
Broncos' Palczewski Looks to Join Garoppolo, Saubert, Miller and Van Ness With Regular-Season Game Time
NFL teams put together their initial 53-man rosters earlier this week. Five players from the Mid-Suburban League - wide receiver Scotty Miller and defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness (Barrington), offensive lineman Alex Palczewski (Prospect), quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (Rolling Meadows) and tight end Eric Saubert (Hoffman Estates) - are looking to be on the field every given Sunday of the 2024 season.
“Palcho” Part of Young, Hungry Broncos
The Broncos are excited about their “young and hungry” group of players that includes 2017 Prospect grad Alex “Palcho” Palczewski, who made their initial 53-man roster. The 6-foot-6, 314-pound tackle was a Daily Herald All-Area pick in 2016 before starring at Illinois and got one of the backup spots in their nine-man offensive line group.
Palczewski was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent last year but spent most of his rookie season on injured reserve with a knee injury. He was designated to return from IR just before Christmas and was activated to the 53-man roster but didn’t play in the season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Broncos open their season against the Seattle Seahawks and Palczewski will be looking to join offensive linemen Randy Clark and Mike Scully and quarterback Jeff Francis as Prospect grads who appeared in a regular-season NFL game.
Garoppolo Loves L.A.
Seems like yesterday watching Jimmy Garoppolo slinging it around at Rolling Meadows during a mud-bogged senior season so it’s hard to believe he’s starting his 11th season as an NFL quarterback. And Garoppolo seems happy to be doing it with the Los Angeles Rams as the backup to Matthew Stafford after he finishes a two-game suspension because he said he “messed up” the league’s Therapeutic Use Exemption (T.U.E.) when he got to Las Vegas last season, according to numerous published reports. Players can use the T.U.E. for certain substances banned by the NFL.
Garoppolo played 7 games and started six last year in Las Vegas and threw for 1,205 yards with 7 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Head coach Josh McDaniels was fired after a 3-5 start and Stevenson product Aidan O’Connell wound up starting 10 games and throwing for 2,218 yards with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his rookie season out of Purdue.
Garoppolo spent three-plus seasons with the New England Patriots before he was traded to San Francisco during the 2017 season. He has thrown for 94 touchdowns in his career and seems to like the atmosphere with the Rams and head coach Sean McVay.
“This place allows you to be yourself, too, which is different than other places I've been," Garoppolo said in a story by The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. “You're getting pressed with a sense of urgency but in a good way. Obviously, everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to perform well. They do it in the right way here. They push you positively. There's just a lot of good things going on, man. I'm enjoying every bit of it. Even the meetings are a good time. Everything is going good right now."
Miller Time in Pittsburgh
Barrington product Scotty Miller hopes being reunited with Steelers’ offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and working with Russell Wilson will lead to big plays coming his way in his sixth NFL season. Miller was in Atlanta last year with Smith as his head coach and played all 17 games with 11 catches for 161 yards and 2 TDs.
“I think the No. 1 thing I bring is big-play ability, something I’ve been able to show in my career,” Miller said during spring OTAs in a video on the Pittsburgh Steelers website. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have speed as well here, but that (threat) is something I can be and hopefully just reliable.”
Miller caught 8 passes for 74 yards in the preseason and was one of five wideouts kept by the Steelers, who lost their wild card playoff game to Buffalo last season. He spent his first four years in Tampa Bay (2019-22) and in 67 career games has 85 catches for 1,085 yards and 6 TDs.
Van Ness Poised to Break Out with Pack
Lukas Van Ness had a solid rookie season on the Green Bay defensive line with 4 sacks and 8 tackles for loss in the regular season and another sack in the postseason. Bigger things may be in store for the former Barrington star as he made the NFL.com 2024 all-breakout defensive team of former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks.
Brooks wrote that new Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley “could unlock Van Ness’ dynamic talents.” Brooks thinks the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 draft could be one of the top edge rushers in the NFC “if he takes the next step as a playmaker after finishing his rookie season with a bang.” Hafley’s “see-ball, get-ball” approach could help Van Ness stand out as an impact player, according to Brooks.
The Packers are shifting to a 4-3 defense for the first time since 2008. Van Ness had 3 tackles and a sack in the preseason opener.
“Coach Hafley has done a fantastic job implementing this defense and getting to know the guys,” Van Ness said in a video on the Packers’ website. “I think he’s a guy we all trust and look up to and I’m excited to see what we can do.
“I love having my hand in the dirt. That’s football … and that’s what it means to be a D-lineman.”
Saubert’s Wild Ride With 49ers
Former Hoffman Estates star Eric Saubert probably felt like he was on a cable car ride of San Francisco’s famous hills at the start of this week. The 6-foot-5 tight end initially didn’t make the 49ers’ 53-man roster on Tuesday but then was re-signed to a one-year contract and added to the 53-man roster on Wednesday when two players were placed on injured reserve.
Veteran 49ers reporter Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area wrote that a source said Saubert was part of “roster gymnastics.” Maiocco said Saubert is expected to be the No. 2 tight end behind standout George Kittle for a team that lost the Super Bowl in February 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Saubert split time last year with Dallas and Houston and also caught 2 passes in 2 games for the Bears in 2019. He played his first two NFL seasons in Atlanta (2017-18), spent a year in Jacksonville (2020) and two in Denver (2021-22). Saubert has played 84 games with 36 catches for 292 yards and 2 TDs.