NFL locals: Raheem Mostert leads league in TDs, Tank Dell shines before injury
The 2023 NFL season is over, following a mostly disappointing day for Florida football fans.
The Jacksonville Jaguars squandered a shot at a second straight AFC South title and missed the playoffs altogether. Sucker punched by a 95-yard Deonte Hardy punt return, the Miami Dolphins fell at home to Buffalo and failed to end a 15-year AFC East divisional title drought.
Football fraternity: Tank Dell among long list of Volusia-Flagler NFL draft picks
On a positive note, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers emerged victorious in a 9-0 slugfest against hapless Carolina to clinch the NFC South crown. Tampa Bay and Miami will open the postseason against last year's Super Bowl participants; the Bucs host the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Dolphins travel to defending champion Kansas City.
Daytona Beach might not have a specific dog in the fight, but the area had six active pros on rosters throughout the winter — five local high school graduates, and another hailing from one of its two Division I FCS football programs.
Let's see how those six players, including one Pro Bowler, performed throughout the year.
Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans
Mainland grad Dell formed immediate chemistry with No. 2 overall pick CJ Stroud in their respective rookie years, a key development in the Texans' turnaround and AFC South championship.
Dell caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns before suffering a season-ending fibula fracture the first weekend of December. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound receiver's left leg was caught in a pileup while blocking for running back Dameon Pierce.
Dell looks like a key piece for the Texans' future. According to Pro Football Focus, he had the 15th-highest grade among all wide receivers (83.4), and Stroud produced a passer rating of 115.2 when targeting the Daytona Beach native.
Darrynton Evans, RB, Miami Dolphins
It was an eventful 2023 for New Smyrna Beach grad Evans, one in which he signed for four NFL franchises — Indianapolis, Buffalo, Chicago and, most recently, Miami.
The 25-year-old, fourth-year pro has suited up for seven games, five for the Bears and two for the Dolphins. Evans ran 14 times for a season-high 48 yards in Chicago's Oct. 22 victory over Las Vegas, and he scored his lone touchdown the following Sunday night in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Evans is currently signed to the Dolphins' practice squad, behind Raheem Mostert, De'Von Achane, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Chris Brooks on the depth chart.
Cole Holcomb, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Signed as a free agent in the spring from Washington, Holcomb's debut Steelers season was cut short due to a gruesome injury. The 27-year-old New Smyrna Beach product was carted off the field during a Nov. 2 game against Tennessee with a season-ending left knee injury, sustained in a collision with teammate Keanu Neal and Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Holcomb registered 54 tackles (31 solo) with four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. PFF issued Holcomb a 64.2 defensive grade — in line with his marks from each of his first four years in the league.
Pittsburgh benefitted from Jacksonville's late-season collapse, clinching the final AFC wild card when the Jaguars lost Sunday at the Titans. The Steelers visit No. 2 seed Buffalo at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins
Smashing conventional wisdom about running backs, Mostert produced his best numbers across the board in his age-31 season.
The former New Smyrna Beach track star tied for the NFL lead with 21 touchdowns, surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his nine-year career and earned a selection to the Pro Bowl.
Mostert logged 209 carries for 1,012 yards and caught 25 of 32 targets for 175 yards. However, Mostert (knee/ankle) missed Miami's final two games as the Dolphins lost shots at both the AFC's No. 1 seed and the AFC East title in back-to-back defeats to Baltimore and Buffalo.
Donald Parham Jr., TE, Los Angeles Chargers
Stetson's lone active NFL athlete, Parham, 26, set new career benchmarks across the board. He caught 27 of 41 targets for 285 yards and four touchdowns, and started eight of the 14 games in which he played.
Parham posted his best stat line of the year Sunday, catching five balls for 83 yards in the Chargers' 13-12 defeat to a Kansas City squad resting Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
With one year left on his contract, and due to count $1.35 million against the salary cap, Parham will have to impress the incoming regime to stay in L.A. Head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were fired in mid-December.
Leonard Williams, DL, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks beefed up their defensive line for a playoff push by sending a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round selection to the New York Giants for impending free agent Williams. However, Seattle went 3-5 in its final eight games and missed out on the playoffs.
Williams — a former All-American at Mainland — played well for the Seahawks, to his credit. He had 41 tackles, nine TFLs and four sacks in 10 games, earning a 77.5 PFF defense grade. It's the second time Williams has been traded mid-season, originally joining the Giants in a 2019 deadline swap with the New York Jets.
Turning 30 in June, Williams could hit the open market in March. According to Spotrac, the former No. 6 overall pick has earned more than $112 million across his nine-year NFL career.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NFL: Raheem Mostert, Tank Dell among Daytona Beach-area stars in 2023
