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2014 NFL Draft News & Rumors

Draft Visits: Bradford, Vereen, Shembo, Tripp

April 28th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

2014’s period of pre-draft visits for prospects and NFL teams came to an end yesterday. Players will no longer be permitted to visit clubs between now and the draft on May 8, though teams are still allowed to work out players. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com have some details on some players who made visits prior to yesterday’s deadline, so let’s round up the highlights….

  • Arizona State outside linebacker Carl Bradford worked out for the Falcons and visited the Steelers, 49ers, and Chargers, reports Wilson. The Jaguars and Dolphins were among the other clubs to meet with Bradford, who is viewed as a potential second-round target.
  • The Giants hosted Richmond wide receiver Ben Edwards for a visit, according to Wilson. Edwards, who caught more than 200 passes during his college career, had his Pro Day attended by 20 NFL teams. Wilson adds that Minnesota safety Brock Vereen also visited the Giants.
  • Notre Dame outside linebacker Prince Shembo visited the Packers and also privately worked out for the Patriots, Jaguars, and Falcons, league sources tell Wilson.
  • Wilson also has the latest on Florida cornerback Jaylen Watkins, the brother of Sammy Watkins. According to Wilson, the former Gators DB has visited the Redskins, Falcons, and Eagles, and worked out for the Panthers and Patriots. Watkins met with the Colts and Lions as well.
  • In addition to his previously reported visits with the Falcons and Eagles, Montana linebacker Jordan Tripp also had workouts for the Patriots and Panthers, tweets Caplan.
  • In a separate tweet, Caplan adds North Carolina State defensive back Dontae Johnson to the list of prospects who visited the Eagles.

Draft Notes: Whaley, Bills, Linebackers

April 27th, 2014 at 6:17pm CST by Peter Sowards

If the Bills want to draft Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins or Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews — who each have visited with Buffalo — they’ll likely have to trade up from the No. 9 slot to do so. And judging by comments made by general manager Doug Whaley, it’s a definite possibility.

“If we think this guy is going to get us over the hump and get us into the playoffs, which is our stated goal, why not make the deal?” Whaley said on radio station WGR-AM, according to Jason Butt of National Football Post.

The Bills are likely more than just a player away from making the playoffs in the AFC, but that won’t stop its GM from being aggressive in the upcoming NFL Draft.

More draft notes from around the league on a Sunday night…

  • Brent Sobleski of USA Today Sports ranked the top 10 linebackers in the draft, slotting Alabama’s C.J. Mosley, Ohio State’s Ryan Shazier and Wisconsin’s Chris Borland at the top.
  • Ranking the top 5 tackles was Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune‘s assignment, who likes Nevada’s Joel Bitonio as the No. 5 tackle behind the consensus top-4.
  • Indiana wide receiver Cody Latimer, who recently had a pre-draft visit with the 49ers, also visited with the Ravens, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Latimer is one of the fastest rising prospects in the draft and projected to be a first-round pick.
  • Heading to the Browns in Jeff Schudel of The Morning Journal‘s latest mock draft are Sammy Watkins and Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr at the No. 4 and No. 26 spots, respectively.

AFC Notes: Latimer, Colts, Dolphins, Jags

April 27th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Indiana receiver Cody Latimer’s name has been popping up all over the pages of PFR recently, as he continues to take visits with teams looking for a deep threat. Terez A. Paylor analyzes the factors that have contributed to Latimer’s rise from a projected mid-round selection to a potential late-first-round-pick, and quotes ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. in the process, who says of Latimer, “When you’re 6-2 1/2 and you’re 225 pounds and you run a 4.39 and you’re one of the strongest wide receivers you’ll ever come across, and you have real good hands and natural pass-receiving skills, that’s gonna push you up.” Paylor specifies that the Chiefs, at pick No. 23, would be a logical landing spot for the play-maker.

A few more notes from around the AFC:

  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com delves into the Colts’ offseason, during which they added the likes of Arthur Jones, Hakeem Nicks, and D’Qwell Jackson, and assigns them a grade of C+, noting that while the Colts’ free agent strategy may not be the most financially sound, the team does have the cap space to absorb large contracts, and needs to capitalize on being the best team in a weak division.
  • Twin UCF offensive guards Justin McCray and Jordan McCray each worked out for the Dolphins, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
  • Jackson also writes that the Dolphins have met with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of McGill University in Canada. Duvernay-Tardif, interestingly enough, wants to become a sports doctor, and only practiced football once a week due to a strenuous class schedule.
  • In a recent mailbag segment, ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco guesses that the Jaguars will come away from the draft with one of Sammy Watkins, Khalil Mack, or Jadeveon Clowney, though he cautions not to rule out Greg Robinson.
  • The Chargers will aim to emulate the Seahawks’ physical nature on defense, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. To do so, San Diego will need to add defensive talent in the draft, likely in the form of a first-round lineman or defensive back.

Prospect Profile: Khalil Mack

April 27th, 2014 at 4:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The University at Buffalo has produced NFL players before, but (with all due respect to James Starks and Trevor Scott) Khalil Mack is set to enter the league as the most acclaimed Bull in school history, with his talent and seemingly endless potential likely making him a top-five selection in next month’s draft.NCAA Football: Buffalo at Baylor

Graded as just a two-star recruit coming out of high school, Mack has always played with something of a chip on his shoulder. In the 2009 version of EA Sports’ NCAA Football, he was given an overall rating of only 46 (out of possible 99), making him one of the worst players in the game. Mack used this slight as motivation, choosing 46 as his jersey number throughout his dominating college years.

And dominate he did. In 2013, Mack’s second straight season as a Butkus Award finalist, he registered 100 tackles, 10.5 sacks, three interceptions, and five forced fumbles. The edge rusher was named the Mid-American Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, and a second-team All-American. He set a NCAA record with 16 career forced fumbles, and finished tied for first in career tackles for loss (75).

Explosiveness is the key to Mack’s game — his vertical jump is an astounding 40 inches, and his first-step quickness from the outside linebacker position is unparallelled in this draft. He rarely gets pancaked by opposing offensive lineman, and any OL trying to block Mack one-on-one, especially at the second level, will face severe difficulty. The 23-year-old is a master of many pass-rushing maneuvers, but the outside move is his specialty, as his almost flawless technique allows him to leave offensive tackles off-balance. Additionally, Mack has the speed, exhibited by a 4.65 40-yard-dash, to drop in pass coverage and, with a bit more experience, could be a nice weapon against physical tight ends running seam routes between the hash marks.

The primary concern for Mack, like most prospects from small schools, is the level of competition he faced. The MAC is certainly not the SEC, and it is not even comparable to the Pac-12 or the Big 12. However, Mack, in something of a coming-out party, did perform extraordinary well against Big 10 powerhouse Ohio State, showing that he can hang with elevated competition. Analysts have also noted that Mack has the tendency to play with reckless abandon at times instead of relying on his sound technique, indicating that harnessing his skill will be a critical test at the next level.

Mack, at 6’3″ and 251 pounds, could fit a multitude of defensive schemes — he probably makes the most sense as a 3-4 outside linebacker, but could also play OLB in a 4-3, or even, in a pinch, as a 4-3 defensive end. He is a dark horse candidate to go No. 1 overall to the Texans, as some believe that he is a better fit than Jadeveon Clowney for Houston’s 3-4 defense. The Jaguars, owners of the third pick, are looking for a pass rusher to stabilize their front seven, and teams like the Raiders, Falcons, Vikings, and Bills could all be interested in the dynamic edge player. Along with Clowney, Sammy Watkins, and Greg Robinson, Mack is considered one of the elite players in next month’s draft, and it would be surprising to see him fall out of the top five selections.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Finley, Redskins, Latimer, Bears

April 27th, 2014 at 3:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent tight end Jermichael Finley is scheduled to undergo a X-ray tomorrow, and if all goes well, MRI and CAT scans, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Finley, who is recovering from a spinal injury, will continue this process until he is fully medically cleared. The 27-year-old has drawn interest from the Seahawks and the Dolphins, but he will need to prove he is able to play before any team would be willing to sign him.

More news from around the NFC:

AFC Notes: Jags, Bridgewater, Claiborne

April 27th, 2014 at 11:51am CST by Rory Parks

The 2013 NFL draft was a curious one in several respects, with its most notable quirk being the lack of top-tier talent at the quarterback position. For twelve years, at least four QBs were taken in the first round of the draft, but in 2013, only one was selected (E.J. Manuel). The tradition of a quarterback-heavy first round figures to return in full force this season, with a bevy of signal-callers projected to be drafted early.

However, quarterbacks that might be taken on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft offer skill-sets that in many respects are equally as intriguing as their Day 1 counterparts, and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union wonders if the Jaguars would be better served selecting one of the “second-tier” QBs instead of targeting one of the players expected to go in the first round. Specifically, O’Halloran names SEC products Zach Mettenberger, Aaron Murray, and A.J. McCarron as possible solutions to Jacksonville’s quarterback woes. Such a selection would allow the Jags to land a truly elite talent with their No. 3 overall pick, rather than play the lottery with high-ceiling but concerning talents like Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, and Teddy Bridgewater.

Now for more from the AFC:

  • Speaking of Bridgewater, his quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator at Louisville, Sam Watson, believes the young QB is a “slam dunk” despite his oft-criticized Pro Day performance, writes Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. As Ulrich notes, the Browns, who are expected to take a quarterback with one of their two first-round choices (Nos. 4 and 26 overall) might be inclined to agree.
  • The Browns, however, are also interested in Aaron Murray, who visited with Cleveland on Wednesday and will work out for the team today, writes Jason Butt of the National Football Post.
  • ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes that if the Jets are unable to land a CB in the first round of the draft, they may be in the market for a veteran corner, possibly via trade. Although the Cowboys’ Morris Claiborne has been discussed as a trade possibility, the cap charge Dallas would have to absorb if they dealt Claiborne ($9.6MM) would probably make such a trade untenable.
  • In the same piece, Cimini writes that the Jets were interested in WR Julian Edelman before he re-signed with New England, and Rex Ryan was very intrigued with the possibility of stealing Edelman away from New York’s division rival.
  • ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss believes that, with the above-mentioned run on quarterbacks that is expected to take place in the first round of this year’s draft, a top-15 or even top-10 talent could fall to the Patriots at No. 29.
  • In the same piece, Reiss adds that Patriots VP of Player Personnel Nick Caserio is scheduled to meet with Illinois TE Evan Wilson early this week.

NFC Notes: Rams, Turner, Latimer

April 27th, 2014 at 10:34am CST by Rory Parks

Despite the concerns surrounding South Carolina standout Jadeveon Clowney, his potential will make it next to impossible for the Texans or Rams, who hold the top two picks in the draft, to turn him down, writes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Echoing those sentiments, ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner is hearing that Clowney will be the No. 1 overall pick, whether Houston drafts him or another team moves up to nab him (for what it’s worth, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets that even if Houston wants to trade out of the first pick, the team may be unable to do so).

As a result, the Rams will still be on the lookout for defensive tackles when they are on the clock with the No. 13 overall pick. We heard a couple of days ago from our own Luke Adams that Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald will have a number of teams interested in his services between picks No. 6 and No. 16, and, in a separate piece for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Thomas writes that Donald’s pass-rush skills would be a perfect complement to starters Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford.

Wagoner, meanwhile, thinks that even if the Rams miss out on Clowney, the team might nonetheless be inclined to trade down from its No. 13 overall selection, perhaps to a club like the Browns that wants to move up to secure a QB. Although St. Louis would also be interested in trading down from its No. 2 overall pick, Wagoner believes there is little chance of that happening.

A quick look at some other NFC clubs:

  • SI.com’s Don Banks thinks that the Rams will not be able to pass on Clemson WR Sammy Watkins with the No. 2 selection.
  • Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune provides a nice look at the approach new Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner is taking with his roster this spring, particularly his quarterbacks.
  • ESPN.com’s Andy Jasner writes that the Eagles‘ interest in Indiana WR Cody Latimer might be growing, but Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine has a hard time believing Latimer is a real possibility for the Eagles’ No. 22 overall pick. Kapadia is probably correct, but Latimer is one of the biggest risers in this year’s draft and probably would be a first-round selection in a year where the wide receiver class was not as deep.
  • Although ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett believes the Saints have quality run-stoppers on the defensive line, he does believe they need to get more athletic at linebacker over the course of the next several seasons.
  • In his latest mock draft, Jim Duncan of the Times-Picayune says the Saints will trade up seven spots to No. 20 overall to select Oregon State WR Brandin Cooks.

Sunday Morning Notes: Ravens, Suh, Visits

April 27th, 2014 at 9:24am CST by Rory Parks

Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore wonders if the Ravens should be wary of Alabama defensive players in the draft, including top prospects like Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and C.J. Mosley. Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome is an Alabama alumnus and has close ties with the school, ties that may have contributed to the Ravens’ selections of players like Jarret Johnson, Terrence Cody, and Courtney Upshaw.

Although Johnson was a standout performer in Baltimore, Cody has largely been a disappointment, and after a promising rookie season, Upshaw fell off in 2013. That’s not to mention, of course, non-Raven Alabama products like Kareem Jackson and Mark Barron who have failed to live up to expectations. As ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. observed, Alabama defenders play in an elite system with top-flight coaching and consequently “come into the league thinking they pretty much are as coached as they can be and basically they’ve hit the ceiling.”

Will the trend of Crimson Tide defensive standouts who fizzle in the NFL deter Newsome from drafting players like Clinton-Dix and Mosley if he feels they represent the best fit for his club? Given Newsome’s skill and reputation, probably not. But it is another storyline to consider as the first round of the draft unfolds in a couple of weeks.

Now for some more early morning notes:

  • Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin has been generating a lot of buzz in recent weeks, and we recently heard that Martin is expected to be off the board within the first 17 picks. Now, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah tweets that he would not be surprised if Martin went in the top 10, with Buffalo (No. 9 overall) being a potential landing spot.
  • As our own Luke Adams wrote several days ago, although the Lions might be willing to trade Ndamukong Suh, any such deal would be riddled with obstacles. As such, Suh seems likely to stay put in Detroit for at least 2014, but if he were to be traded, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk names the Jaguars and Raiders as the likeliest candidates.
  • Although the Falcons have shown a great deal of interest in Jadeveon Clowney and visited with the top prospect last week, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes that interest is a “smokescreen” to drive up the price for teams like Detroit that might want to move up in the draft. Ledbetter writes that Atlanta has too many holes to mortgage the future to move up for Clowney as they did for Julio Jones several years ago.
  • Stanford DE Ben Gardner visited with the 49ers and Raiders this weekend, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
  • The Bengals worked out Tusculum QB Bo Cordell, who also threw for the Eagles, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

NFC Notes: Saints, Benjamin, Thompson

April 26th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Saints are in win now mode, with stalwarts of the offense like Drew Brees and Marques Colston not getting any younger and new star Jimmy Graham on a one-year deal, and they could make a big move to trade up in the draft, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. It is not a certainty, and he believes the Saints would not move up for a specific position, but if one prospect catches their eye and the value is right, the team would definitely consider making a move.

Here are some more notes from around the NFC:

  • The Saints have seen receivers leave the team for years, this offseason has been particularly rough. Lance Moore left to sign the Steelers, Devery Henderson is a free agent, and Darren Sproles was traded to the Eagles. They will look to add a pass catcher in the draft, but could look for either a bigger receiver or a smaller, quicker slot type player, writes Triplett. While replacing Sproles with a smaller, faster player is an immediate need, finding a bigger more physical player is important as well as an eventual replacement for Colston. The team can select whichever type of receiver presents itself during the draft.
  • While on the subject of big, physical receivers, Florida State wideout Kelvin Benjamin took a visit to the 49ers, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. The 49ers have been rumored to be considering trading up for Texas A&M’s Mike Evans, who is also a large and explosive receiver who could handle the taller cornerbacks of teams like the Seahawks. Benjamin could be a possible back up plan if they are not able to find a trade partner that would allow them a shot at Evans.
  • The Packers have tremendous needs at safety and tight end, but Tim Silverstein of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel does not expect the team to target those positions in round one of the upcoming draft. He notes that in Ted Thompson’s years as general manager, he has never taken either a safety or a tight end in the first round. Also, if the history of Thompson is expanded to include his mentor Ron Wolf, that is almost 20 years without ever drafting a first-round safety, and only one tight end. That one exception was Bubba Franks in 2000, who did not justify the pick.

The Vikings’ Quarterback Situation

April 26th, 2014 at 9:50pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Vikings will not have to take a signal caller with their first-round pick in order to come away with their quarterback of the future, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Tomasson hopes to remind the hometown team that Drew Brees (second round), Russell Wilson (third round), and Tom Brady (sixth round) all achieved their Super Bowl rings and elite status without being drafted in the first round.

That could be a comforting feeling, considering the ghost of Christian Ponder still haunts the Minnesota football fans, writes Tomasson in a separate piece. It may not be Ponder’s ghost so much as his physical presence on the roster that would make fans and front office executives nervous. Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and Ponder came off the board during a run of quarterbacks in the 2011 draft, and all three players look to have been bad picks.

All three of those franchise are picking in the top eleven picks only three drafts later. Because of this, the Vikings could be smart to wait until the second round or later if they are not perfectly certain with the eighth overall pick.

The Vikings’ second-round pick will come at 40th overall. They also have two third-round picks, in addition to a selection in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

“Among those who could be available to the Vikings between the second and fourth rounds are Pittsburgh’s Tom Savage, Alabama’s A.J. McCarron, LSU’s Zach Mettenberger, Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo, Georgia’s Aaron Murray and San Jose State’s David Fales,” writes Tomasson.

The team did sign Matt Cassel to the largest contract of any free agent quarterback this offseason, so the urgency to take a player at the position is not at an dangerous level, although the team is expected to bring a quarterback in somewhere in the draft. Tomasson writes that even if they wanted to wait until very late, viable options will still be available, including Wyoming’s Brett Smith, Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas, Miami’s Stephen Morris, Clemson’s Tajh Boyd, Cornell’s Jeff Mathews, Ball State’s Keith Wenning and North Carolina’s Bryn Renner.

In the meantime, the Vikings could use their higher draft picks to strengthen other areas of the roster. While Ponder and Cassel will not provide any quick fixes, competency and consistency will be a huge improvement. With a strong running game in place, and usable pieces at receiver and on defense, a focus on trying to improve the roster across the board and good efforts from players already on the team such as Adrian Peterson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Greg Jennings, and Harrison Smith could bring about another playoff run like the one the team experienced in 2012.

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