2020 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Patriots Sign Third-Round TE Devin Asiasi

May 8th, 2020 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are making headway on their 2020 draft class. They’ve signed third-round pick Devin Asiasi, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

On Day 3, the Pats moved up from No. 100 to the Raiders’ No. 91 choice for the UCLA product. With Asiasi, they filled a major need at tight end and netted their first offensive player of the weekend.

Asiasi offers speed and solid blocking technique, but scouts say he needs to spend some time in the gym in order to adjust to the pro game. He could wind up as the Patriots’ No. 1 tight end, ahead of Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, and fellow third-round pick Dalton Keene. Then again, there are several notable vets left in free agency and the Patriots could explore their options between now and the start of the season.

With Asiasi officially in the fold, the Patriots have now signed seven of their ten draft picks. The only rookies left to sign are second-round safety Kyle Dugger, third-round tight end Dalton Keene, and sixth-round guard Michael Onwenu. Here’s the full rundown, via PFR’s tracker:

2-37: Kyle Dugger, S (Lenoir-Rhyne)
2-60: Josh Uche, LB (Michigan): Signed
3-87: Anfernee Jennings, OLB (Alabama): Signed
3-91: Devin Asiasi, TE (UCLA): Signed
3-101: Dalton Keene, TE (Virginia Tech)
5-159: Justin Rohrwasser, K (Marshall): Signed
6-182: Michael Onwenu, G (Michigan)
6-195: Justin Herron, T (Wake Forest): Signed
6-204: Cassh Maluia, LB (Wyoming): Signed
7-230: Dustin Woodard, C (Memphis): Signed

Giants Sign Mr. Irrelevant, Tae Crowder

May 7th, 2020 at 6:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The last pick of the 2020 NFL Draft was one of the first to sign. On Thursday, “Mr. Irrelevant” Tae Crowder inked his rookie deal with the Giants, per a club announcement.

Crowder – a 6’3″, 245 pound athlete – came to the University of Georgia as a running back in 2015. Midway through his redshirt frosh season, he switched to linebacker. As time wore on, he got more and more burn with the Bulldogs. Last year, he set a new single-game career high with 12 stops against South Carolina and also managed a 60-yard fumble return against Tennessee. All told last season, he had 62 tackles, four for a loss, and four passes defended.

Towards the end of Day 3, Crowder was at the point where he didn’t expect to hear his name called. He certainly didn’t expect a call from the Giants, who had already taken three other linebackers over the course of the weekend. Even though he was likely to land a deal on the UDFA circuit, it was welcome news, especially since the selection reunited him with former UGA coach Kevin Sherrer, who now serves as the Giants’ outside linebackers coach.

Crowder will look to stay relevant in New York/New Jersey and stick on the 53-man roster as a special teams player. Still, it’s a crowded portion of the depth chart with a dozen linebackers vying for a handful of spots behind Kyler Fackrell, David Mayo, Blake Martinez, and Lorenzo Carter.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/7/20

May 7th, 2020 at 6:40pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s late round signings here:

The Ravens inked third-round pick Tyre Phillips. With the Mississippi State offensive lineman under contract, the Ravens have now taken care of seven of their ten draft picks. Phillips played tackle in college, but he’ll likely move to the inside with Marshal Yanda retiring.
The Texans signed offensive tackle Charlie Heck, their fourth-round tackle.
The Patriots signed third-round linebacker Anfernee Jennings (Alabama), sixth-round guard Michael Onwenu (Michigan), and seventh-round center Dustin Woodard (Memphis), according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Jennings wasn’t the most athletic rusher in this year’s class, but his hard-nosed playing style and technique made him a strong fit for Bill Belichick‘s defense. BB’s relationship with ‘Bama head coach Nick Saban likely helped to lead Jennings to New England. The Pats have also inked kicker Justin Rohrwasser, linebacker Cassh Maluia, and tackle Justin Herron (all of whom are Day 3 picks), leaving only three unsigned players in their ten-player draft class.
The Bills signed a trio of picks from the back of their draft, per a club announcement: sixth-round kicker Tyler Bass, sixth-round wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, and seventh-round cornerback Dane Jackson. Hodgins, out of Oregon State, managed 86 receptions for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final year on campus.
The Dolphins inked a pair of fifth-round edge rushers in Curtis Weaver (Boise State) and Jason Strowbridge (UNC), as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. The bulk of their 11-man draft class still remains unsigned, so there’s more work to be done.

Ravens Sign Second-Round RB J.K. Dobbins

May 7th, 2020 at 6:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have officially signed second-round running back J.K. Dobbins, per a club announcement. In addition to the Ohio State product, the Ravens also announced the signing of seventh-round safety Geno Stone. With those two in the fold, the Ravens have just four unsigned rookies left, including first-round pick Patrick Queen.

Dobbins was viewed as one of the best pure runners in this year’s class, but he saw four other running backs – Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Chiefs), D’Andre Swift (Lions), Jonathan Taylor (Colts), and Cam Akers (Florida State) come off the board before him. That fall might have bruised his ego, but the Ravens were happy to scoop him up at No. 55 overall.

Dobbins posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons at Ohio State and the Ravens believe that he can anchor the running game behind Lamar Jackson. Last year, he topped 2,000 yards with 23 total touchdowns. This year, he’ll fight for carries alongside Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill.

Per the terms of his slot, Dobbins will earn $5.7MM over the course of his four-year rookie deal. That pact includes a $1.7MM signing bonus and a low cap figure of $1.04MM for 2020.

Here’s the full rundown of the Ravens’ class, where Queen, Duvernay, Harrison, and Phillips stand as the only unsigned rookies:

1-28: Patrick Queen, LB (LSU)
2-55: J.K. Dobbins, RB (Ohio State): Signed
3-71: Justin Madubuike, DT (Texas A&M): Signed
3-92: Devin Duvernay, WR (Texas)
3-98: Malik Harrison, LB (Ohio State)
3-106: Tyre Phillips, OL (Mississippi State)
4-143: Ben Bredeson, G (Michigan): Signed
5-170: Broderick Washington Jr., DT (Texas Tech): Signed
6-201: James Proche, WR (SMU): Signed
7-219: Geno Stone, S (Iowa): Signed

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/6/20

May 6th, 2020 at 5:44pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s late-round signings here:

The Dolphins signed fourth-round offensive lineman Solomon Kindley, according to a team press release. Kindley, a redshirt junior out of Georgia, was able to make up for his so-so technique with 330+ pounds of bulk and a hard-nosed approach in the trenches. At the pro level, he’ll need some serious seasoning before becoming a regular. On the plus side, he held his own against South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw last year; Kinlaw was selected No. 14 overall by the Niners for his ability to overwhelm most offensive linemen. As the No. 111 overall pick, Kindley will collect roughly $4.1MM over the course of his four-year deal.

Patriots Sign Second-Round Pick Josh Uche

May 6th, 2020 at 1:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Josh Uche is now officially a member of the Patriots. On Wednesday, the second-round linebacker inked his rookie contract, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Uche notched 8.5 sacks in 2019 to lead the Wolverines in the category for yet another year. Pro Football Focus had him rated as one of the very best in the nation at generating pressure and that was further evidenced by his 11.5 tackles for loss.

Leading up to the draft, there was some concern about Uche’s size for the NFL level and some evaluators wondered whether he could last as a linebacker. That didn’t ward off the Patriots, who saw him power through blocks over and over in his highlight reel. Uche isn’t the biggest ‘backer out there, but he seems to find a way. Just ask first-round tackle Jedrick Wills:

“It was Josh Uche,” said Wills when asked to name his toughest matchup in college (video link). “He was a really good pass rusher. Has some counter moves, some speed to him. So it was a good matchup that I went against.”

With the No. 60 overall pick signed, the Patriots have many more deals to go. Here’s the full rundown of the Patriots’ draft class, via PFR’s team-by-team tracker:

2-37: Kyle Dugger, S (Lenoir-Rhyne)
2-60: Josh Uche, LB (Michigan): Signed
3-87: Anfernee Jennings, OLB (Alabama)
3-91: Devin Asiasi, TE (UCLA)
3-101: Dalton Keene, TE (Virginia Tech)
5-159: Justin Rohrwasser, K (Marshall)
6-182: Michael Onwenu, G (Michigan)
6-195: Justin Herron, T (Wake Forest)
6-204: Cassh Maluia, LB (Wyoming)
7-230: Dustin Woodard, C (Memphis)

Saints, Panthers To Be Sanctioned for Tommy Stevens Pursuit?

May 6th, 2020 at 11:56am CST by Rory Parks

Two division rivals were engaged in an interesting game of tug-of-war at the tail end of the 2020 draft, with the prize being Mississippi State quarterback Tommy Stevens. On Day 2 of the draft, New Orleans traded pick nos. 130, 169, 203, and 244 to the Vikings for the right to move up to no. 105 and select Dayton tight end Adam Trautman. That left the team with no Day 3 selections, so as Jeff Duncan of The Athletic writes, the Saints spent much of that day planning for the UDFA signing period.

One of New Orleans’ top UDFA targets was Stevens, who may ultimately fill the same QB2/gadget role that Taysom Hill presently occupies. But the Saints learned that the Panthers were interested in Stevens as well and were prepared to offer him a $15K signing bonus and guarantee $30K of his salary if he signed with Carolina as a UDFA. The Saints swooped in and offered a massive $144K in guaranteed salary if he would agree to sign with New Orleans, but then Stevens’ camp stopped answering the Saints’ calls.

Perhaps the Panthers topped the Saints’ offer, or perhaps Stevens viewed Carolina as a better long-term fit. But Saints head coach Sean Payton coveted the 6-5, 235-pound signal-caller, so he helped engineer a trade back into the seventh round of the draft to grab him, leaving the Panthers stunned.

This makes for an interesting story, one that may ultimately have no significance if Stevens, like most seventh-round picks, doesn’t pan out. The problem, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, is that both the Saints and the Panthers flagrantly violated league rules. Once the draft begins, teams are at liberty to let prospects know that they are interested in them if they go undrafted, but they cannot discuss financial details. The NFL drove that point home in a league-wide memo this year, perhaps because the UDFA signing period was expected to be even more frenzied than usual.

As Florio notes in a separate piece, the league has yet to comment on the matter, though the Panthers have said that their actions were in compliance with league rules. And these particular rules are surely violated all the time, probably by every team in the league. The casualness with which the Saints brass discussed the situation suggests as much. Nonetheless, a league source expects both teams to be punished, though it remains to be seen what that punishment will entail.

Broncos Notes: Draft, Lindsay, O-Line

May 2nd, 2020 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

At pick No. 83, the Broncos drafted center Lloyd Cushenberry. The starting snapper for national champion LSU is the early favorite to be Denver’s Week 1 center. However, he may well have been the Broncos’ second choice for this role. The Broncos had a deal in place to move up to No. 79, where they would have taken Temple center Matt Hennessy, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports. The Jets were set to drop from No. 79 to No. 83 and add a Day 3 pick from the Broncos to do so, Mehta notes. The Falcons, however, scuttled these plans by drafting Hennessy at No. 78. Instead of moving up for Cushenberry, the Broncos stood pat. Interestingly, the Jets’ signing of two-year Broncos starter Connor McGovern created a Denver need at center. With the Falcons interrupting a Jets trade-down maneuver, Gang Green took defensive end Jabari Zuniga at No. 79.

Here is the latest out of Denver:

Melvin Gordon‘s two-year, $16MM Denver deal surprised many, with the Broncos already featuring two-time 1,000-yard rusher Phillip Lindsay. Count Lindsay as one of those surprised by the move. “It caught me off-guard,” Lindsay said during an interview with NFL.com’s Terrell Davis (video link via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala). “It was like, ‘OK, I’ve put in work.’ It makes it seem like they don’t respect you enough to know the work you’re putting in. I was really upset at the beginning. I’m not gonna lie.” Lindsay said soon after he has since come around to the prospect of splitting time with Gordon, viewing the ex-Charger as another weapon in a retooled offense. As a 2018 UDFA, Lindsay is extension-eligible. He is set to make just $750K but has not indicated plans for a holdout.
Although the Broncos passed on Garett Bolles‘ $11MM fifth-year option, they did not draft a tackle. The team passed on both Ezra Cleveland and Josh Jones in Round 2, doing so to take Penn State speedster K.J. Hamler at No. 46. The Broncos passed on the blockers because they did not view either as having the chance to beat out Bolles or Elijah Wilkinson at left tackle, per Troy Renck of Denver7. Wilkinson, who played right tackle most of last season because of Ja’Wuan James‘ injury, is set to compete with Bolles for Denver’s starting left tackle gig.
Despite Bolles’ penchant for holding penalties and failure to thus far live up to his first-round billing, the Broncos are not in the market for a free agent tackle, Jhabvala notes (subscription required). Jason Peters, Donald Penn, Kelvin Beachum and Cordy Glenn are the most notable names available.

Chargers Liked Tua Tagovailoa At No. 6

April 28th, 2020 at 1:13pm CST by Zachary Links

With the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft, the Chargers found their new quarterback in Oregon product Justin Herbert. But, even if wasn’t there, GM Tom Telesco says he would have taken a QB, no matter what.

“We felt great about all three quarterbacks who went in the Top 6,” Telesco told Pat McAfee of Barstool Sports (Twitter link), referring to No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow and Dolphins choice Tua Tagovailoa. “Hopefully we won’t pick at No. 6 very often…if I do, I won’t be making very many picks here. If you’re going to pick this high and there’s a potential franchise quarterback, you have to take him.”

Burrow to the Bengals was long considered a sure thing and Tagovailoa was connected to the Dolphins for months. As the draft drew closer, whispers of the Dolphins’ interest in Herbert grew louder and louder. And, days before the draft, there was talk of the Dolphins trading up to the No. 3 pick to select an offensive lineman, rather than a quarterback. That’s one rumor that Telesco didn’t bite on.

“Every rumor I heard, I went through my head of, ‘How would we handle this if this happened?’,” Telesco told Pat McAfee. “Now, the whole, Miami taking a tackle at 3, maybe they really were, I just didn’t believe that one. You make plans, you talk with your head coach…you talk about trading up or down in certain situations. When you’re on the clock making the pick, you’re not discussing what you want to do, you’ve already decided.”

The opinions on Herbert are pretty mixed in the football world. Those that are high on him believe that his elite arm strength will allow him to succeed as a starter. Others are concerned about his pension for holding on to the ball for too long in the pocket. At the same time, Tagovailoa’s health remains a major question mark moving forward and Telesco says he would have been happy with either QB as the heir to Philip Rivers.

Latest On Packers, Jordan Love

April 26th, 2020 at 3:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

In a big win for pre-draft rumors, the Packers’ interest in Jordan Love was quite real. But their trade-up to No. 26 did not fully illustrate how much the franchise coveted the Utah State product.

The Packers had a deal worked out with the Seahawks, who picked at No. 27, but decided to climb up to 26 (via the Dolphins) to make the pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). This was not a case of the Packers changing course to take a falling quarterback; they were “adamant” on taking one, per Rapoport.

While the Packers’ fascination with Love could have induced another team to trade ahead of them at No. 30, Rapoport adds that it does not look like anyone else was pursuing him in that range. The Colts did not make any calls to move up for Love, Rapoport notes. They ended up drafting Jacob Eason in Round 4. The Packers traded a fourth-round pick (No. 136) to climb up four spots for Love. The Seahawks ended up taking linebacker Jordyn Brooks at No. 27.

Green Bay being able to execute the ultra-rare years-long developmental program before — when Aaron Rodgers developed from 2005-07 behind Brett Favre — has the franchise confident this latest effort can work. Rodgers, however, has made it clearer than Favre did at that point that he wants to play many more seasons. The 36-year-old passer has said on multiple occasions he wants to play into his 40s. The Love addition opens the door to the future Hall of Famer finishing his career elsewhere.

Rodgers’ contract runs through 2023. His cap numbers spike beyond $36MM in 2021 and ’22. Although Love could be a star-in-training like Rodgers once was, the Packers keeping Rodgers during most of Love’s rookie contract will negate the potential benefit the organization would gain from that rookie deal. That has been a key roster-building tool for several Super Bowl teams since the 2011 CBA went into effect.

2020 NFL Draft News & Rumors