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WR Draft Rumors: Smith-Njigba, Flowers, Downs, Giants

April 14th, 2023 at 9:23pm CST by Ely Allen

We’ve recorded a number of visits for Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, one of the 2023 NFL Draft’s top wide receivers. So far, he’s visited (or reportedly made plans to visit) the Giants, Falcons, Ravens, Texans, Bills, and Cowboys. A new report, from Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, adds the Cardinals, Bears, Saints, and Panthers to that list.

Several NFL teams are looking past an injury-plagued final season at Ohio State and focusing on an outstanding sophomore season that saw Smith-Njigba vastly outperform last year’s first-round picks Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. In the 21-year-old’s strongest season, he led the team in receptions (95) and receiving yards (1,606) while reeling in nine touchdowns.

All four teams currently have some strong players in the receivers room, but Arizona could likely use the most help at the position with DeAndre Hopkins likely on his way out. The Saints currently roster Smith-Njigba’s former teammate, Olave, along with Michael Thomas and last year’s other rookie Rashid Shaheed. The Bears brought in D.J. Moore from Carolina and hope he will supplement Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, who both had disappointing seasons in 2022. Carolina won’t miss Moore too much after bringing in Adam Thielen and DJ Chark to play with Terrace Marshall.

Smith-Njigba could potentially play an exclusive role in the slot as a pro, which would really open up the playing opportunities on the outside for the players mentioned above. Regardless, it’s become clear to see that Smith-Njigba has been a hot name in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Here are some rumors concerning other top wideouts in the upcoming draft:

  • Likewise to Smith-Njigba, Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers has already had a number of reported visits including the Patriots, Giants, Cowboys, Raiders, and Saints. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the 22-year-old will be adding the Bills to that list. Buffalo currently boasts a strong top-two in Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, but with the departure of Isaiah McKenzie in free agency, they could use a strong WR3. At 5-foot-10, Flowers would be a perfect fit alongside Diggs and Davis, who excel on the outside.
  • In a strange sequence of events, North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs, who is expected to be a Day 2 draft pick, has reportedly not set up any official visits, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Over the past two years with Drake Maye at quarterback, Downs racked up 195 receptions for 2,364 yards and 19 touchdowns, leading the team in both categories both seasons. The lack of visits certainly doesn’t mean a lack of interest, but it likely won’t help convince teams to move him up their boards.
  • As for what teams may be interested in drafting these top prospects, we’ve heard the common teams like Baltimore, Green Bay, and Houston, but another team to watch is the Giants, according to Matt Miller of ESPN.com. Miller posits that, despite adding Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder and re-signing Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard, the wide receiver position is still dominating conversations around New York. He links Big Blue to Flowers and USC wide receiver Jordan Addison, specifically. The Giants have been connected to just about every top wide receiver in this draft, and it will certainly be interesting to see if the Joe Schoen–Brian Daboll regime takes that route months after trading Kadarius Toney.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/14/23

April 14th, 2023 at 7:40pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: OL Kevin Jarvis

Green Bay Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers

 

Muse’s career was in doubt early when the former third-round pick was waived by the Raiders just before his second year without him ever having played a snap for the team that drafted him. After joining the Seahawks practice squad in 2021, Muse worked to get back on track after an injury-riddled rookie season.

After working his way onto the active roster late into his first season in Seattle, Muse played in every game for the Seahawks in 2022. Serving primarily as a core special teamer, Muse even began to earn some playing time on defense late in the year.

NFL Workout Notes: Moore, Cards, 49ers

April 13th, 2023 at 9:57pm CST by Ely Allen

After a career year in Houston, wide receiver Chris Moore is seeking a new contract for 2023. The veteran looked at a division rival, visiting the Titans yesterday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Moore spent the first five years of his career with the Ravens, having his best offensive season with Baltimore in 2017 when he caught 18 balls for 248 yards and three touchdowns. His role diminished over time until he found himself contributing mostly on special teams. He returned to a role on offense with the Texans while still serving as a core special teamer. Over his two years in Houston, Moore has had two games over 100 receiving yards and several other strong contributions en route to 96 receptions for 775 yards and four touchdowns.

In Tennessee, Moore would be joining an extremely thin wide receiving corps that currently consists of Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Kyle Philips, Racey McMath, Reggie Roberson, and Mason Kinsey. He would likely slot in as a starter at WR2 or WR3 and could still provide for the Titans on special teams.

Here are a few more workouts from around the league:

Latest On Michigan DL Mazi Smith’s Draft Stock

April 12th, 2023 at 9:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Mazi Smith is turning into a popular name leading up to the draft. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Michigan defensive lineman has had more than 20 meetings or visits with teams.

The Bills were one of the most recent teams to meet with Smith, with Rapoport noting that the team had a top-30 visit with the prospect today. The Chiefs and Steelers previously met with the defensive lineman at Michigan, and Rapoport also connects the Bears, Eagles, Cowboys, Cardinals, and Saints to the player.

Over the past two years, Smith had 85 tackles and five tackles for loss in 28 games for the Wolverines. The 2022 campaign had majors ups and downs for the player. He was arrested in October after being found to be in possession of a gun without a license. The ensuing felony charge was later dismissed in favor of a guilty plea on a misdemeanor. Then, following the season, Smith earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, putting him firmly on the NFL map.

The six-foot-three, 323-pound lineman has been lauded for his size and athleticism. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com previously compared Smith’s “rough-and-tumble style” to that of fellow defensive line prospect Bryan Bresee‘s “finesse.” NFL.com ultimately gave him the third-highest combine grade among defensive tackles, although the site questioned his ability to produce behind the line of scrimmage. That lack of pass-rushing prowess could end up forcing Smith into the second round, but his growing collection of top-3o visits certainly bodes well for his chances of being selected on the first day of the draft.

USC Adds Kliff Kingsbury To Staff

April 11th, 2023 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

APRIL 11: USC has announced the hire. The former Cardinals and Texas Tech head coach is now in place on Riley’s staff, with the school confirming the hire is for a senior offensive analyst position.

APRIL 10: Kliff Kingsbury had been linked to a potential season off, but the ex-Cardinals leader did interview for multiple NFL gigs. Instead, the recently fired HC looks set to return to the college ranks.

Lincoln Riley is expected to add Kingsbury to his USC staff, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Kingsbury came to the Cardinals after having agreed to become the Trojans’ offensive coordinator. He did not last long with the Trojans previously but now intends to join a new USC staff. Riley and Kingsbury were briefly teammates at Texas Tech and later coached against each other in the Big 12.

Josh Henson is in place as the Trojans’ OC; Pelissero adds Kingsbury is expected to work with the Los Angeles-based program’s quarterbacks. The sides had been in talks for months, Pete Thamel of ESPN.com tweets. This will be an interesting time for that partnership, with USC rostering Heisman winner Caleb Williams, who is a candidate to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft. Kingsbury’s title is expected to be senior offensive analyst, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman tweets.

Upon returning from his much-referenced Thailand trip, Kingsbury interviewed for the Texans’ OC position and met with the Ravens about a potential job. The Patriots were also linked to the four-year Cardinals HC, but he appears fine with staying out of the NFL for a bit. This will be an interesting landing spot for Kingsbury, whom the Cards fired despite extending him in March 2022.

Kingsbury, 43, led the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2021, doing so despite injuries to key personnel (DeAndre Hopkins, J.J. Watt). But the Rams routed the Cards in the wild-card round, seemingly moving Kingsbury back toward a hot seat. Arizona instead extended both Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim ahead of free agency last year. Both are now gone, and the team is attempting to reboot after a 4-13 season. The Cardinals are on the hook for Kingsbury payments through 2027, though offset language could affect how much the NFC West team owes its former coach.

USC initially hired Kingsbury shortly after his 2018 Texas Tech ouster. The Pac-12 school brought in Kingsbury in November 2018, but the Cardinals somewhat surprisingly swooped in for a January 2019 HC hire. This has come under scrutiny, via Steve Wilks joining Brian Flores‘ class-action discrimination lawsuit, but Kingsbury did snap the Cards’ playoff drought. Kingsbury has spent all but the past four seasons coaching at the college level, leading the Red Raiders from 2013-18 and coaching at Division I-FBS programs for 11 years in total.

Riley being Kyler Murray‘s former coach adds a layer to this hire as well, but the ex-Oklahoma HC has now coached three Heisman-winning quarterbacks (Williams, Murray, Baker Mayfield) since 2017. This could put Kingsbury in position to move back onto the NFL radar soon, though it cannot be assumed he will be interested in returning to league in the near future.

Draft Rumors: Young, Panthers, Stroud, Texans, Colts, Smith, Lions, WRs, Cardinals, Titans, Falcons, Johnston, Jaguars, Vikings

April 10th, 2023 at 8:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers have not locked onto Bryce Young just yet, but the pendulum continues to swing toward the Alabama prospect over C.J. Stroud. David and Nicole Tepper spent extensive time with Young’s parents at Alabama’s pro day last month, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, and Michael Lombardi said during his GM Shuffle podcast the Carolina owner met with Nick Saban in the Crimson Tide HC’s office during the pro day. This comes after reports last week began to stray from the Stroud-to-Charlotte narrative, one that formed largely because Young stands 5-foot-10 and plays under 200 pounds (despite his 204-pound Combine weight).

Carolina will meet with Young on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, with Breer adding Young has already impressed Frank Reich in previous settings. It will be interesting to see if more smoke emerges here, as the Panthers do not exactly have to keep this a secret given their updated draft position, or if Stroud remains in the mix. Many scouts and execs polled by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said Stroud’s 6-3, 214-pound frame make him safer and will help him become Carolina’s choice, though that poll still produced a slim advantage for Young to go No. 1 overall. Despite the Panthers meeting with Anthony Richardson and Will Levis, it certainly looks like Young or Stroud will be the pick.

Here is the latest from the draft scene:

  • The Colts discussed the No. 1 pick with the Bears before the Panthers won out, but Breer adds Indianapolis was not ready to do a deal before free agency. The team was still in the process of evaluating the QB prospects and was not prepared to part with significant capital to move up from No. 4 to No. 1. Houston also backed out, having been farther down the road in trade talks with Chicago. Bears GM Ryan Poles spoke of his team trading down twice — moving from 1 to 2 to 9, allowing the Texans and Panthers to climb up for QBs — but Breer notes Nick Caserio‘s team became uncomfortable with the deal later in the process.
  • Texans ownership is more involved in this year’s draft process, per Breer, who is less bullish on Houston selecting a quarterback compared to how this situation looked ahead of the Combine. The Texans’ negotiations with the Bears unmasked them as being willing to trade up for one particular quarterback, potentially pointing to the team being high on either Stroud or Young but not as sold on the other. Since the Panthers obtained the pick, the Texans have been connected to possibly punting on their QB need and taking Will Anderson Jr.. A trade-down scenario, per Breer, should also not be discounted.
  • Nolan Smith is gaining steam during the pre-draft process, with Fowler noting some scouts are pegging the edge rusher as a top-10 pick. The Lions (Nos. 6, 18) have done homework on the Georgia outside linebacker, per Fowler, and the Patriots (No. 14), Buccaneers (No. 19), Ravens (No. 22) and Jaguars (No. 24) have met with Smith. Scouts view the 238-pound defender as a better fit for a team in a 3-4 scheme, and the Steelers (No. 17) — long users of that base alignment — have emerged as a potential Smith floor.
  • More teams are bringing in TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Following a report that indicated the Ravens, Cowboys and Chiefs were hosting Johnston, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes the 6-foot-3 pass catcher will meet with the Cardinals, Falcons (No. 8), Vikings (No. 23) and Jaguars. Most of these visits will occur this week, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds the Titans (No. 11) huddled up with the ex-Horned Frog on Monday (Twitter link). Barring a fall into Round 2 or the Cards moving down considerably from No. 3 overall, Johnston would not seem in their range. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has the Vikings selecting Johnston. This receiver class has generated mixed reviews, with NBC Sports’ Peter King adding teams have the higher-end wideouts in varying orders on their respective boards, but Johnston has consistently been mocked as a first-rounder.

Cardinals Sign CB Kris Boyd

April 10th, 2023 at 6:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Cardinals look to still need help at the cornerback position, they picked up some depth and a proven special teams contributor Monday. Ex-Viking Kris Boyd signed with the team.

Boyd played out his four-year rookie contract with the Vikings last season, finishing his walk year as one of the league’s most frequently deployed players on special teams. Boyd logged 403 special teams snaps for the Vikes in 2022, playing on 82% of Minnesota’s third-phase sequences.

The Vikings drafted Boyd, 26, in the 2019 seventh round out of Texas and primarily used him as a backup. Minnesota did turn to the former Longhorns defender as a starter in five games during the 2020 season, when he saw action on 343 defensive plays. Boyd allowed a 71.4% completion rate and a 121.4 rating while in coverage that year. The Vikings used him as a starter just once over the past two seasons but kept him a fixture on special teams. Boyd made 13 tackles last season and recovered a fumble, giving him four during his career.

Arizona did not retain Byron Murphy, who is now in Minnesota, and will enter the draft with a need at the position once again. The team has re-signed Antonio Hamilton and added ex-Chiefs cog Rashad Fenton, who finished his rookie deal with the Falcons. Two-year starter Marco Wilson remains on his rookie contract.

Cardinals Have Received Multiple Inquiries For No. 3 Pick

April 10th, 2023 at 1:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The top two selections in the 2023 draft – owned by the Panthers and Texans – are widely expected to be used on quarterbacks. The same is true of the Colts at No. 4, which has fueled plenty of speculation regarding what the Cardinals will do with the third overall pick. They will likely have a number of suitors if they choose to move down the board.

Arizona has received inquiries from “at least six teams” on the subject of the availability of the No. 3 pick, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). That comes as little surprise, considering the standalone value of that slot and what it represents in this year’s pecking order for teams eyeing a rookie signal-caller. Any team looking to jump ahead of Indianapolis to secure the third-best QB in the class (likely either Florida’s Anthony Richardson or Kentucky’s Will Levis) would need to send a sizeable package to Arizona.

The Colts themselves could guard against that possibility by moving up one spot, something which would guarantee the Cardinals having a free choice of the best defensive players available. Other teams – including the Raiders (scheduled to pick seventh) and Titans (11th) have been linked to a jump up the board, likely the third spot. That could result in a bidding war, something which would of course greatly benefit Arizona.

The Cardinals had a highly disappointing campaign in 2022, and have undergone a house cleaning in the front office and on the sidelines. Without many young, foundational pieces in place, anything which would allow Arizona to add draft capital in 2023 and/or future years would likely outweigh the immediate benefits of staying put. The Cardinals currently have four of the draft’s first 96 picks.

Schefter notes that the team remains undecided with respect to keeping or trading the pick. A decision will likely not be made until draft night itself, as teams have yet to complete their QB evaluations and those of other top prospects. Waiting to see how the first two selections shake out could allow new Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort to maximize his leverage against teams looking to move up. In either case, Arizona figure to be a team to watch as the draft draws nearer.

Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon Addresses Kyler Murray’s Recovery

April 10th, 2023 at 10:03am CST by Adam La Rose

Much of the speculation pertaining to the Cardinals at the moment is centered on wideout DeAndre Hopkins, but the health of quarterback Kyler Murray is a key storyline to monitor during the offseason. New head coach Jonathan Gannon recently spoke on the latter, who is continuing to recover from a torn ACL and meniscus.

The injury is expected to keep Murray off the field for at least the early portion of the 2023 campaign, with the team no doubt eyeing a cautious approach with the franchise signal-caller. Gannon offered a small but optimistic update on the subject of Murray’s recovery from surgery indicating that things are headed in the right direction early in the process.

“He was in Dallas with his surgeon [recently], and he’s doing well,” the rookie HC said, via Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. “They like where he’s at. He’s going to start doing some things in the strength room. He’s coming along well.”

Murray, 25, struggled along with nearly every Arizona player in 2022 as the team went through a disastrous campaign. The former No. 1 pick is under contract via the massive extension he signed last offseason, though, and is thus in the Cardinals’ long-term plans. Murray’s presence was a key factor in Gannon’s decision to depart the NFC champion Eagles for what is likely to be a rebuilding effort in the desert.

In the short-term, Gannon and the rest of his staff must decide on an interim starter under center until Murray’s return, something Gannon will have the final say on. Arizona has veterans Colt McCoy and David Blough as options, though the former has more familiarity with the team. In any case, a plan will be in place for the pocket passer tapped to fill in at the start of the season.

“Obviously whoever’s out there playing quarterback for us isn’t going to have the same skill set that Kyler has,” Gannon added. “So we’ll just tailor-fit what we’re doing with the offense around that guy, and then when Kyler gets back in, we’ll tailor-fit the offense around him.” 

Doing so will present a challenge to Arizona’s offensive staff led by first-time coordinator Drew Petzing. If Gannon’s optimism (which comes after that expressed by owner Michael Bidwill) ends up being well-placed, though, a relatively short absence on Murray’s part could be possible.

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