2022 NFL Draft News & Rumors

Panthers’ Plans At Quarterback

March 26th, 2022 at 9:52pm CST by Ely Allen

After losing out on the Deshaun Watson-sweepstakes, the Panthers have maintained that they still intend to add another quarterback to the roster, according to Nick Shook of NFL.com. In a press conference covered by Shook and Joseph Person of The Athletic, general manager Scott Fitterer laid out the team’s plans moving forward.

Answering the obvious question, quarterbacks Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker are still under contract and will be afforded every opportunity to earn the starting job moving forward. The issue there lies in the fact that they’ve already been given such an opportunity and the question of future quarterback is still being asked as a result. Fitterer did inform reporters that head coach Matt Rhule had talked with a free agent signing from last year, Cam Newton. On the matter, Fitterer said, “The thing with Cam, it’s gotta be a fit for us and it’s gotta be a fit for him, just as well. He’s looking for a certain opportunity. The door’s still open for us.”

The free agent quarterback market really cleared out after Watson’s trade to Cleveland. There are still some NFL-experienced options in the trade market, though. As of now, Fitterer asserts that they haven’t heard from San Francisco or Cleveland about Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield. Since phones tend to have the ability to both send AND receive calls, it stands to reason that the Panthers not reaching out to initiate conversations over the available quarterbacks is a reflection of their level of interest. Still, Fitterer claims that they are open to receiving calls from the 49ers or Browns. They do have the luxury of waiting, possibly even until after the Draft, as there doesn’t seem to be any urgent interest in Garoppolo or Mayfield.

The most likely path, and the one most desired by Fitterer, is through the 2022 NFL Draft. Rhule and Fitterer were in attendance for Kenny Pickett’s pro day workout at Pitt and Malik Willis’ workout at Liberty. Rhule went to Mississippi’s pro day to watch Matt Corral. The only reason they didn’t go the Cincinnati to watch Desmond Ridder is because they already worked extensively with the Bearcat quarterback at the Senior Bowl and Combine. They still sent a scout and two personnel executives, though.

Suffice it to say that the Panthers have made it extremely clear that they are taking a good look at this year’s quarterback class. With the sixth pick in the first round of the Draft, Carolina could very likely take a quarterback and very well may the first team to do so, giving them their pick of the litter.

Fitterer preached a philosophy of building a team around a young quarterback on a reasonably low contract, like the Seahawks did with Russell Wilson during Fitterer’s tenure in Seattle. The only issue with this philosophy is that Rhule’s seat is getting hotter with each loss. He may not feel he has the leash to develop a young quarterback surrounded by veterans. If Rhule feels like he’s in a win-now scenario, he may push for the team to trade for one of the more proven assets like Garoppolo or Mayfield.

The route that ends up getting taken in Carolina will likely say a lot about the alignment of Rhule and Fitterer, who arrived one year after the head coach. If the team makes a move to trade for a league veteran, Fitterer likely wants to give Rhule the tools to keep his job. If the teams sits pat and waits until the Draft to address the position, it could be assumed that Fitterer is willing to let Rhule test his luck in order to build a team around his own philosophy.

Jaguars Considering DE Travon Walker At No. 1 Overall

March 25th, 2022 at 5:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Linked to either Aidan Hutchinson or an offensive tackle at No. 1 overall, the Jaguars appear to have identified a sleeper for the honor of being the draft’s first player selected.

Buzz is building on Travon Walker, per ProFootballNetwork.com’s Tony Pauline, who adds the Jaguars have identified the Georgia defensive end as a player they could select with the first pick. The Jags will use one of their allotted 30 prospect visits for a Walker meeting.

Walker tested well at the Combine, posting a 4.51-second 40-yard dash despite his 272-pound frame. This bettered Hutchinson’s 4.74 clocking. Hutchinson (260 pounds) bettered Walker in the 20-yard shuttle and three-cone drills. The Michigan product also is coming off a dominant senior season, registering 14 sacks and forcing two fumbles, finishing second in the Heisman voting. Used as less of a pure edge compared to Hutchinson, Walker recorded six sacks as a junior to help the Bulldogs to their first national championship since 1980.

ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranks Hutchinson as this draft’s top prospect, slotting Walker eighth. Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft sends Hutchinson to Jacksonville and Walker to Carolina at No. 6, though NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah moved Walker to the No. 2 overall pick. The Jags are “widely expected” to draft Hutchinson, ESPN.com’s Matt Miller adds, but Walker has at least crept into the equation.

Jacksonville using its franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson seemingly decreases the likelihood of a tackle pick. The team has used four first-round choices on defensive linemen since 2015 (Dante Fowler, Taven Bryan, Josh Allen, K’Lavon Chaisson), but the AFC South squad’s free agency spending spree did not include any edge rusher additions.

Michigan LB David Ojabo Suffers Torn Achilles

March 19th, 2022 at 9:21am CST by Ben Levine

One of the draft’s top pass rushers will be sidelined for at least the next six months. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), Michigan linebacker David Ojabo has suffered a torn Achilles.

Doctors pointed to Rams running back Cam Akers‘ six-month recovery from a torn Achilles, and they believe Ojabo will have a similar timeline. Doctors also expect a “full and complete recovery.”

Ojabo suffered the injury during his pro day yesterday. Per Albert Breer of TheMMQB (on Twitter), the linebacker suffered the injury during a standard pass drop. Per the reporter, Ojabo “caught the ball, planted, pushed off and went to the ground.” Teammate Aidan Hutchinson told reporters that the linebacker was “wincing in pain,” and the linebacker was ultimately helped off the field be trainers.

This is a tough break for a prospect who has rocketed up the draft boards following a breakout 2021 campaign. Ojabo finished the season with 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, helping guide Michigan to the College Football Playoff. ESPN’s Mel Kiper had the linebacker going in the first round of next month’s draft, and it’s uncertain how this untimely injury will affect his draft status (per ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren).

AFC East Rumors: Bills, Jets, Douglas, Jackson

March 6th, 2022 at 5:33pm CST by Ely Allen

On Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul made comments that all but guaranteed that an agreement for a new stadium for the Bills will be made soon, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports.

Highmark Stadium (previously Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium, and New Era Field) has been the home of the Bills since 1973. The Bills’ current lease on Highmark expires in 2023 and the franchise has been pushing with many government entities to build them a shiny, new stadium. The team has used the very real looming threat that there are plenty of other markets in the country that can support an NFL franchise.

Hochul commented on that threat saying, “That’s why we’re negotiating very intently, to make sure we have the right outcome for this community.” The new stadium will partially be funded by the public to the tune of about $850MM. The Governor claims that a deal will be done by April 1, in time for the annual budget.

Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC East, starting with a couple of notes that keep us in the Empire State:

The Jets are planning to use this offseason to add some weapons to the roster for quarterback Zach Wilson. They currently have Corey Davis and Elijah Moore sitting atop the depth chart. They would love to bring back Braxton Berrios as a fourth-receiver/gadget player and they haven’t yet given up on Denzel Mims. Still, New York will have ample opportunity to add a potential No. 1 receiver to the roster, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. The free agent market is home to many household names like Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson, Mike Williams, and, potentially, Amari Cooper. Players like Calvin Ridley and Cole Beasley have been rumored to be available via trade. The 2022 NFL Draft is also so rich in talented receivers that many believe some first round talent could fall to the second round where the Jets have two high picks, if they don’t choose to take a top prospect like Garrett Wilson or Drake London with the 10th overall pick.
That being said, Vacchiano also reports that, despite their vast spending ability, general manager Joe Douglas has been preaching the maintenance of financial flexibility. Though the Jets rank in the Top 5 in the NFL in salary cap space, Douglas rejected the notion that their $50-60MM in cap space will be dedicated to big spending in free agency. Douglas acknowledged free agency as just one of “a lot of different tools to improve your roster” and pointed to the Bengals as an example of responsible free agent spending. “I think Cincy did great in free agency last year,” he said. “They didn’t blow the doors off in terms of signing super high-priced guys. They brought in guys who fit exactly what they wanted to do.”
According to Mike Giardi of NFL Network, Patriots’ cornerback JC Jackson is likely headed for free agency with some lofty expectations. While Jackson still likes the Patriots, money is a big factor for the 26-year-old. Giardi claims that Jackson is strictly seeking compensation similar to Jalen Ramsey. New England won’t bring that money to the table and it sounds like they won’t be utilizing their franchise tag on Jackson, either. That information could lead to a tag and trade situation if other teams aren’t willing to shell out for Jackson in free agency.

Evan Neal, Derek Stingley Jr., Matt Corral Won’t Work Out At Combine

February 28th, 2022 at 3:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

After a threatened boycott of the NFL Combine was avoided, teams and prospects are indeed headed to Indianapolis for the annual event. Some of the class’ biggest names will not be conducting workouts there, however. Included amongst those are Alabama tackle Evan Neal, LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported (in a pair of tweets) the news about Neal and Stingley. The former, who is in contention to be picked first overall by the Jaguars, will participate in team interviews, he adds. The six-foot-seven, 350-pounder is generally seen as the top o-linemen in the class, and earned a PFF grade of 85.8 in 2021 en route to being named a consensus First-Team All American. He could slot in at either tackle spot, giving him plenty of value to other teams if Jacksonville passes on him.

Stingley, meanwhile, entered the draft cycle as the top cornerback when he declared in January. While there are some boards and mock drafts in which Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner has since eclipsed him for that position, the junior is still very highly touted. A starter in his freshman season, he helped the Tigers win the national title in 2019, notching six interceptions. Due to injuries (including a Lisfranc injury he had surgery on), however, he has only played 10 games since then. Still, at six-foot-one and 195 pounds, he has the size and pedigree to help any number of teams picking in the top ten.

Lastly, Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero tweets that Corral is still recovering from the high ankle sprain he suffered in the Sugar Bowl. He likely would have been a full participant if not for the injury, but he is nevertheless ahead of the original six-to-eight week recovery schedule. The redshirt junior finished in the top ten in Heisman voting, scoring 31 total touchdowns and leading the Rebels to a 10-3 season. He is among a handful of QB prospects at or near the top of the board in what is considered a weak year at the position.

All three players will wait until their Pro Days (March 30th, April 6th and March 23rd, respectively) to conduct on-field workouts.

Release Candidate: Ravens OT Alejandro Villanueva

February 27th, 2022 at 10:12pm CST by Ely Allen

In the week before the 2021 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens gave in to the wishes of Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and traded him away to the Chiefs. This trade left a hole on the Ravens’ offensive line opposite All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley. To address this issue, the Ravens signed Alejandro Villanueva, a free agent whom the Steelers felt ready to move on from.

After not falling in love with any of the tackles the Draft had to offer at their position in the early rounds, Baltimore opted for a stopgap solution, signing Villanueva to a two-year deal worth $14MM. Villanueva had performed admirably over his sevens years in Pittsburgh, but was never really considered an elite tackle. His best years saw him make consecutive Pro Bowls in the 2017 and 2018 NFL seasons.

As a Raven, Villanueva did his job, and then was asked to do more. After four years of starting at left tackle as a Steeler, Villanueva struggled initially when asked to fill in at right tackle. He got to go back to his more natural position after ankle surgery sidelined Stanley for the all but one game of the 2021 season.

Villanueva had an up and down year. Often Villanueva’s age showed during some rough outings, but the 33-year-old showed some resiliency, playing through some discomfort knowing that another absence for the injury-devastated Ravens could spell disaster. He seemed to find his footing with time, though, playing a pretty good stretch of football to end the season.

But was Villanueva’s performance in 2021 worthy of a $9.25MM cap hit in 2022? Likely not. The Ravens will hope for a strong return for Stanley and they signed Ja’Wuan James to a low $9MM, two-year contract knowing that he likely would be out with a torn Achilles tendon for much of the 2021 season. The likeliest scenario sees Baltimore cutting Villanueva loose to rely on a combination of Stanley and James to bookend the offensive line. The Ravens also recently signed utility offensive lineman Patrick Mekari to a three-year extension. The former undrafted free agent has started at all three offensive line positions for Baltimore and could continue to fill in at right tackle until the next franchise tackle shows up.

Baltimore could also opt to address the position in the 2022 NFL Draft. While, with the 14th overall pick, the Ravens are not in a position to take one of the Draft’s more exciting tackle prospects like NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu or Alabama’s Evan Neal, if Mississippi State’s Charles Cross were to fall to Baltimore, the Ravens, who are known for drafting for value over fit, would likely find it hard to pass on Cross’s potential. Cross, who ranks as the 8th best Draft prospect on The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s Top 100, impresses many evaluators, but, reportedly, hasn’t convinced the entire league that he’s a top ten draft pick. If the Ravens were to trade back later into the first round, another common move by the draft-savvy franchise, they could find smaller school prospects like Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning or Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann falling into their laps. They could even wait until their second-round or third-round selections come up and opt to take a flyer on Minnesota’s massive Daniel Faalele or Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere, respectively.

Regardless, most paths that make sense for Baltimore don’t entail the team stomaching a $9.25MM cap hit for a tackle that struggled much of the year for them. Turning 34 at the beginning of the 2022 season, Villanueva could save the Ravens the trouble and simply retire. Whether retired or released, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we don’t see Villanueva in purple and black next season.

NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Utah LB Devin Lloyd

February 26th, 2022 at 10:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Devin Lloyd is what happens when hidden talent works hard to shine. Lloyd was a 3-star recruit out of Otay Ranch High School where he had to play not only offense and defense but special teams, as well. His tape at safety, wide receiver, and punter earned him one Power Five offer: Utah. He chose to make the move to Salt Lake City, committing to Utah over UNLV, Colorado State, Sacramento State, San Jose State, and Utah State.

From there, Lloyd took the long way to the NFL. He redshirted his true freshman year and spent most of his redshirt-freshman year on special teams. As a redshirt-sophomore, Lloyd earned a starting spot at rover and led the team in tackles. Over Utah’s five-game 2020 season and full return to football in 2021, Lloyd never relinquished the title as the Utes’ lead tackler while moving to the team’s mac (middle) linebacker position. Over his last three years with the team, Lloyd tallied 249 tackles over 33 games, adding 43.0 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks.

It’s easy to see that Lloyd lit up the stat sheet as he gained more and more experience leading the defense. It’s harder to understand when watching his film. Lloyd’s defensive approach in a bit unorthodox. Film-watchers will note his inconsistency diagnosing plays or his sometimes indirect flow to the ball. Call it luck, call it instinct, call it raw talent, but despite those technical red flags, Lloyd’s production is consistent and dominant. The best comparison for this phenomenon that comes to mind is an offensive prospect from a few years back. Between his game film and horrible performance at the NFL Combine, Orlando Brown Jr. had scouts raising questions over the tackle’s technique. He dominated at the college level, but was the switch to the big leagues going to overwhelm his poor technique? Brown is currently the only offensive tackle to make the Pro Bowl each of the last three seasons. I don’t think it’s a stretch to expect similar success for Lloyd.

Despite his inconsistencies in technique and reading the offense, Devin Lloyd dominates. He’s an incredibly physical, every down linebacker. His wide frame and aggression make him hard to shake and, if you happen to sneak by him, he has great burst to pursue. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah called him “an angry missile with long arms.”

Lloyd tops The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s positional rankings for linebackers. In Brugler’s updated Top 100 big board, Lloyd sits near the top as the seventh overall player available in the 2022 NFL Draft. In mock drafts, Lloyd’s gone anywhere from 7th to the Giants to 9th to the Broncos to 14th to the Eagles.

Lloyd is a sure Day One-pick that will immediately be on watchlists for Defensive Rookie of the Year. The redshirt-senior from Utah will be ready to take his experience leading the Utes’ and use it to become the focal point of one lucky franchise’s defense.

Saints Looking To Bring Back QB Winston

February 26th, 2022 at 6:07pm CST by Ely Allen

After watching four different quarterbacks start games in New Orleans last year, the Saints are looking to address the position this offseason. According to the NFL Network’s Jim Trotter, the Saints will explore the avenues of the 2022 NFL Draft, trades, and free agency. If New Orleans decides to go the free agent route, it appears Jameis Winston could find himself returning to the Saints’ offense.

After spending a year as Drew Brees‘ back up, Winston was tabbed as the Saints’ starting quarterback to start the 2021 NFL season. In seven games, Winston put up impressive numbers passing for 1,170 yards and throwing 14 touchdowns to 3 interceptions en route to a 5-2 record. Winston’s impressive comeback year was cut short when he tore his ACL after a horse-collar tackle by Devin White in a Week 8 matchup with the Buccaneers.

Winston’s first one-year contract in New Orleans was valued at $1.1MM and last year’s deal was worth $12MM. With Winston recovering from his knee injuries, the Saints could potentially re-sign him for a bargain deal. This would allow the Saints to still possibly pursue one of the Draft’s quarterback prospects. Sitting at 18th in the Draft’s first round, New Orleans is uniquely positioned to watch the trends of the Draft early on and determine if they should utilize a Day One pick on a potential future quarterback.

With two years of the Saints’ offense under his belt, Winston should have a familiarity with Saints’ offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael that would allow him to comfortably slide back into a role at starting quarterback. Whether as a temporary filler or as the quarterback of the future, Winston provides New Orleans with an intriguing option to lead their offense.

Wisconsin K Collin Larsh Declares For NFL Draft

February 22nd, 2022 at 11:49am CST by Adam La Rose

Wisconsin kicker Collin Larsh has entered the NFL Draft, despite the deadline for declarations having long passed. In a tweet, he announced that he is forgoing his final year of eligibility and turning pro.

“Excited to announce that I will be pursuing my dream of playing in the NFL”, he wrote. “Beyond blessed to have spent my college career as a Badger and excited for my next opportunity”. As Michael Smith of Pro Football Talk writes, Larsh had already spent five seasons in Wisconsin, but was eligible for another campaign – just as all other college athletes of that age were – because of the 2020 season being cut short by COVID-19.

In his final year, Larsh made 17 of 22 field goal attempts, for a career-best percentage of 77.3%. Over the past three seasons, he made all but two extra point attempts. As Smith notes, those less-than-spectacular numbers should serve as essentially a guarantee that he won’t be drafted; still, his body of work could earn him at least a spot on an NFL practice roster this fall.

Will Jags’ Tag Cam Robinson Again?

February 19th, 2022 at 8:24pm CST by Ely Allen

Almost five years ago, the Jaguars drafted Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson. Seen by many as a potential first rounder, Robinson fell to the Jaguars’ second-round pick with some red flags from a previous arrest and some injury issues that held him out of the Combine and parts of his Pro Day.

Robinson immediately earned the starting left tackle position as a rookie and started 15 games in 2017. After suffering a torn ACL in Week 2 of the 2018 NFL season, Robinson missed the rest of his sophomore year in the league.

Once his rookie contract expired at the end of the 2020 season, it was rumored the Jaguars were going to allow Robinson to test the free agent market. Robinson was certainly not considered a top 5 offensive tackle, so tagging him and paying him the average salary of the top 5 players at his position seemed like a fairly large stretch. But with a lack of options to replace the young tackle and the price tag of what few options were available, the Jaguars bit the bullet and paid Robinson.

Now, a year later, Jacksonville is faced with a similar issue: Do they tag Robinson for a second straight year or trust the options available to them this year?

Tagging Robinson is a simple option. On the upside, it secures three sure starters for the 2022 season on the offensive line, they know exactly what it will cost them, and, while he wasn’t quite a top 5 offensive tackle, Robinson played the best football of his career this past season. The downside is that, when you tag a player two years in a row, you don’t pay the average of the top 5 players of the position in Year 2, you pay 120% of the previous year’s salary. With Robinson’s salary last year paying him $13.75MM, a 20% raise would net him $16.5MM in 2022.

If the Jaguars decide to let Robinson walk, they’re not bereft of options. Internally, they did draft Walker Little in the second round last year and saw him start three games in limited time this season. If they think Little can play up to or near the level of play of Robinson, he would be a much cheaper option. The Jaguars also hold the number one pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Many mock drafts have seen fellow Alabama-alum Evan Neal mocked as the top draft pick, but few see Neal as a true homerun pick at the top of the draft.

There’s lots of work to be done on the Jaguars’ offensive line, and new offensive line coach Phil Rauscher will likely have a say in the game plan. Jawaan Taylor has started every game since being drafted in 2019 and is expected to start at right tackle. Veteran and captain Brandon Linder should return to form after MCL and ankle injuries forced him to miss a large part of the 2021 season. Tagging Robinson would secure another tackle position and leave the guards as the only questions. With Andrew Norwell expected to hit the free agent market, Ben Bartch could fill one of the open guard positions, but the other would be open to either an unproven back up or a rookie.

Regardless of where it comes from, Robinson’s next paycheck is expected to be a large one. If the Jaguars decide not to tag or extend him, a team hungry for offensive line help is sure to take a flier and pay out for the 26-year-old tackle.

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