HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Saints Sign Entire Draft Class

May 10th, 2019 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

That’s a wrap! On Friday, the Saints announced that they have signed their entire draft class:

All players will receive four-year deals. But, naturally, McCoy gets the biggest payout of the bunch. His draft slot at No. 48 overall gives him almost $6.1MM in total, with a signing bonus of nearly $2.5MM.

McCoy spent three years as the Aggies’ starting center, but he also made a pair of starts at guard in 2017. With the Saints, McCoy is expected to compete for the starting center job, though he could theoretically see time at left or right guard.

The Saints had a condensed draft class this year, due in part to the two trades they made to land McCoy and Gardner-Johnson. Last year, Gardner-Johnson made 71 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, and came away with a team-high four interceptions. He already has a relationship with secondary coach Aaron Glenn and couldn’t be happier to be in New Orleans.

“It’s the best all around team from top to bottom, offense and defense,”Gardner-Johnson said recently. “I’m just coming into a system where everything has a standard. I’m just going to come in and live up to that standard so everyone on the team and in the front office upstairs can be proud of me and say these guys are set.”

 

 

AFC Draft Pick Signings: 5/9/19

May 10th, 2019 at 10:21am CST by Dallas Robinson

The latest 2019 draft pick signings from around the AFC:

  • Tight end Trevon Wesco is now the first Jets rookie under contract, as the West Virginia product signed his deal today, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. A more-than-willing blocker, Wesco didn’t post much production at West Virginia, managing only a single reception in both 2016 and 2017 before totaling 26 catches last year. Still, in a New York offense that’s set to run through Le’Veon Bell, Wesco could see the field, especially given that incumbent Jets tight end Chris Herndon graded as one of the NFL’s worst run-blockers in 2018, per Pro Football Focus.
  • The Steelers announced that they’ve signed a pair of draft choices, inking both fifth-round tight end Zach Gentry and sixth-round linebacker Ulysees Gilbert to rookie deals. Of the two, Gentry likely has the easier path to playing time not only due to his draft status, but because Gilbert is stuck behind Devin Bush, Mark Barron, and Vince Williams, and Tyler Matakevich at linebacker. Gentry, who posted 32 receptions for 514 yards during his final season at Michigan, will likely see a good deal of special teams duty, but could be involved in Pittsburgh’s offense if Vance McDonald — who has never completed a full 16-game slate — goes down.
  • The Texans have signed fifth-round defensive end Charles Omenihu and sixth-round cornerback Xavier Crawford, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). Houston inked a number of draft picks earlier today, leaving only third-round tight end Kahale Warring unsigned.
  • The Chargers have signed seventh-round defensive tackle Cortez Broughton, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Broughton is the first Los Angels draft choice to sign his rookie deal.

Lions Sign 13 UDFAs

May 10th, 2019 at 10:12am CST by Zachary Links

On Friday, the Lions added 13 undrafted rookies to their roster. Here’s the full rundown:

The Lions did not select any offensive linemen in the draft, so they went ahead and inked four OLs in Benzschawel, Nelson, Pope, and St. Andrew. With that in mind, the players in this group may have decent odds of making the final cut from the 90-man roster to the final 53.

Vikings Sign Five Draft Picks

May 9th, 2019 at 9:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings made more selections (12) than any other team in the 2019 NFL draft, but they’re nearly done signing their entire rookie class. Only first-round center Garrett Bradbury and seventh-round long-snapper Austin Cutting remain unsigned after Minnesota recently announced the following first-year players have inked their rookie deals:

Mattison was considered something of an over-draft at the end of the third round, but he could see a path to playing time during his rookie campaign, as he’ll compete with Mike Boone, Ameer Abdullah, and Roc Thomas for work behind starting running back Dalvin Cook. Mattison, who stands 5’11” and 211 pounds, surpasses 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons, scoring a combined 29 touchdowns on the ground during that time. His four-year contract should be worth $3.342MM and come with a signing bonus of ~$822K.

Samia was one of four Oklahoma offensive lineman selected in last month’s draft. The four-year starter was named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2018, and also earned first-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-American nods. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com calls Samia a “very able zone blocker,” which could help him adjust to the NFL as the Vikings implement some form of new offensive consultant Gary Kubiak‘s zone-based scheme. Samia probably isn’t in line for starting work immediately, as Pat Elflein, Bradbury, and Josh Kline will handle Minnesota’s interior, but he’s likely penciled as the club’s top guard/center reserve.

First-round contracts often take a bit longer to work out, so it’s perhaps no surprise that Bradbury is still unsigned. But Cutting’s situations is tied to his status as an alum of the Air Force Academy. He hasn’t signed his rookie deal as he waits for the Air Force to decide if he’ll first need to fulfill his service requirement before playing in the NFL. President Trump is reportedly considering a waiver to allow service academy prospects to immediately play professional sports and delay their military obligations.

Packers Sign Two Draft Picks

May 9th, 2019 at 8:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers have moved one step closer to wrapping up their 2019 rookie class, as the club recently announced it has signed fifth-round defensive tackle Kingsley Keke and sixth-round cornerback Ka’dar Hollman.

Keke (6’4″, 305) projects as an interior rusher for the Packers, and his performance at the Senior Bowl was impressive enough for Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus to label the Texas A&M product one of the steals of the 2019 draft. During his final season with the Aggies, Keke posted 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss while ranking 16th in among all NCAA interior defenders in run-stop percentage. He might not see much playing time during his first season in Green Bay, as he’s currently behind Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, and Montravius Adams on the team’s defensive line depth chart.

Hollman may have an even more difficult path to playing time than Keke, as he’s stuck behind Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Josh Jackson, and a host of other defensive backs. However, Hollman does possess elite athletic traits, as his 9.23 Relative Athletic Score places him near the upper echelon of historical cornerback averages. As Kent Lee Platte of SB Nation recently noted on Twitter, Green Bay has been targeting prospects with excellent athletic testing results in each of the past four drafts.

With Keke and Hollman now under contract, the Packers have only two unsigned draft choices remaining: second-round offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins and third-round tight end Jace Sternberger.

Buccaneers Sign Five Draft Picks

May 9th, 2019 at 8:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers have begun to sign their 2019 rookie class, announcing that they’ve reached deals with the following five draft choices:

After ranking 3oth in pass defense DVOA last season, the Buccaneers needed to throw assets at the coverage game, and they did so by adding Murphy-Bunting on Day 2. The 2018 CMU Defensive Player of the Year, Bunting is a “long, lanky press corner,” according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, which should make him a good fit for Todd Bowles‘ aggressive scheme. Nelson might need to replace Jason Pierre-Paul‘s production after posting 9.5 sacks a year ago, while Gay should be in line to serve as the Bucs’ kicker during his rookie campaign.

Tampa Bay still has yet to sign first-round linebacker Devin White, third-round cornerback Jamel Dean, or third-round safety Mike Edwards.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/19

May 9th, 2019 at 8:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Jaguars Sign Jawaan Taylor, Four Other Draft Picks

May 9th, 2019 at 7:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jaguars have signed second-round offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Meanwhile, Jacksonville has also announced the following rookie signings:

Taylor was a projected first-round pick, and many observers believed he’d be a fit for the Jaguars at No. 7 overall. However, the Florida product fell because of injury concerns, although Taylor has since blasted that information as “false reports.” Jacksonville traded up to acquire Taylor on Day 2, and he’ll immediately step in as Jermey Parnell‘s replacement at right tackle.

While Minshew is an interesting developmental option after succeeding in Mike Leach‘s Washington State offense, Oliver is the non-Taylor prospect with the best chance to contribute in 2019. A solid athlete, Oliver posted 709 receiving yards during his final season at San Jose State, and only needs to beat out veteran Geoff Swaim for playing time.

Jacksonville now has only two rookies left to sign: first-round edge rusher Josh Allen and third-round linebacker Quincy Williams.

Panthers Sign Will Grier, Four Other Draft Picks

May 9th, 2019 at 7:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers announced that they’ve signed the following five draft picks:

Grier is unquestionably the most interesting name on the list, as he’ll give Carolina a more reputable backup quarterback than it had in 2019. Both Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen failed in their respective starts in relief of Cam Newton, so Grier will attempt to to improve on that production.

There’s good reason to think Grier has a chance at NFL success. Some draft analysts considered him the second-best quarterback in the draft behind Kyler Murray, although Grier’s advanced rookie age (24) is a knock against him. The West Virginia product threw with the highest velocity at the scouting combine, and ranked second behind Murray in Josh Hermsmeyer of FiveThirtyEight.com‘s completion percentage over expected, which attempts to value a quarterbacks’s production relative to the depth of his attempted throws.

With five members of their draft class down, Carolina needs only to sign first-round defensive end Brian Burns and second-round offensive tackle Greg Little.

Patriots Sign Three Draft Picks

May 9th, 2019 at 7:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots have signed three members of their 2019 draft class: second-round cornerback Joejuan Williams (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN), third-round offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), and fifth-round defensive tackle Byron Cowart (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Athletic). has signed his rookie contract with the Patriots, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link).

Williams is an exceptionally tall at 6’4″, and there’s at least some question as to how he’ll be deployed in New England. Over the past decade, only one cornerback — Brandon Browner — has started an NFL game at a height of 6’4″ or taller. Browner, of course, spent the 2014 campaign with the Patriots, leading to speculation that Williams could be used in a similar fashion.

Lance Zierlien of NFL.com praised Williams’ size in a pre-draft profile, but noted the Vanderbilt product’s lack of speed and ball skills. For now, Williams is behind Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones, and J.C. Jackson on the Patriots’ secondary depth chart.

Cajuste isn’t likely to see much action during his rookie campaign given that the Patriots are set at tackle with Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon, but the West Virginia product couldn’t have asked for a better developmental destination than New England, where he’ll get to work under revered offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia.

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