HEADLINES

A.J. McCarron

NFC West Links: McCarron, Rams, Jacobs

April 22nd, 2014 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up a few Tuesday morning items on NFC West clubs….

  • Although teams and draft prospects must complete pre-draft visits by Sunday, that doesn’t preclude clubs from working players out after that date. According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), the Rams will privately work out Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron in Tuscaloosa on May 1, one week before the draft.
  • In his latest piece at TheMMQB.com, Peter King examines the Rams‘ No. 2 pick, suggesting that the team would be better off passing on Jadeveon Clowney (if he’s available) and selecting an offensive player like Sammy Watkins, Greg Robinson, or Jake Matthews instead. In King’s view, the Rams need to fortify their offense more than they need to turn their formidable pass-rushing duo (Chris Long and Robert Quinn) into a formidable pass-rushing trio.
  • McNesse State tight end Nic Jacobs has visits lined up with two NFC West clubs, the 49ers and Cardinals, writes Gil Brandt of NFL.com. As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee notes, Jacobs is the latest tight end to visit the Niners, who have hosted 13 prospects by Barrows’ count.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com gives the Seahawks a grade of C+ for their moves in free agency, questioning the team’s decision not to retain offensive lineman Breno Giacomini.

King’s Latest: Draft, Texans, Jags, Cards, Rams

April 21st, 2014 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

As usual, Peter King of TheMMQB.com has kicked off the week by sharing a number of interesting tidbits that can be found in his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column. Let’s dive right in and round up several of the highlights from King….

  • Vikings general manager Rick Spielman on this year’s crop of quarterbacks: “There’s no Andrew Luck, no Peyton Manning. It is such a mixed bag with each player — every one of them has positives, every one of them has negatives. And if that’s the way you end up feeling, why don’t you just wait till later in the draft, and take someone with the first pick you’re sure will help you right now?”
  • One friend of Texans general manager Rick Smith tells King that the GM prefers Buffalo’s Khalil Mack over Jadeveon Clowney. King adds that he thinks Houston will try to choose a sure thing with the No. 1 pick, which could mean Mack, Clowney, or Greg Robinson, but may rule out the top quarterbacks.
  • At No. 3 overall, the Jaguars want a pass rusher “badly” and would be a good fit for Mack or Clowney, depending on who is still available, says King.
  • Top tight end Eric Ebron recently suggested he thinks the Lions will draft him, though King is skeptical the club would go that route with its first pick.
  • The Cardinals are “sweet on” signal-callers Derek Carr and A.J. McCarron. King says he expects Arizona to draft a QB within the first two rounds and the Rams to take one within the first three.
  • Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandin Cooks are drawing interest from the Steelers, who are weighing the possibility of drafting a wideout in the first round.
  • In King’s view, current draft risers include Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin, and Boise State defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. Players whose stock may be falling include Louisville signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater, UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, and Alabama tackle Cyrus Kouandjio.

AFC Notes: Pats, Browns, Sam, Chargers

April 16th, 2014 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up a few Wednesday updates from across the AFC….

  • Within his latest piece at Bleacher Report, Mike Freeman writes that the Patriots are considering adding a receiver earlier in the draft and that the Browns “really love” Derek Carr, who is a strong candidate for the club’s second first-round pick.
  • The Browns aren’t set on Carr yet though — Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that the club is privately working out Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron today, and Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer adds (via Twitter) that McCarron will also have a formal visit with the Browns next week.
  • Five of the six teams that have expressed the most interest in Missouri’s Michael Sam are AFC clubs, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who identifies the Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Browns, Jets, and Falcons as suitors for the edge defender.
  • Meanwhile, in a piece for the National Football Post, Wilson reports that Illinois State defensive end Colton Underwood has visited the Chargers and Chiefs, and also worked out for the Patriots.
  • After having visited the Cowboys yesterday, Oregon State defensive end Scott Crichton is visiting the Broncos today and the Chargers tomorrow, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • The Chargers are hosting Indiana wideout Cody Latimer and Montana linebacker Brock Coyle today, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter links). Coyle will visit the Seahawks next, Gehlken notes.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk attempts to discern what we can learn from the Alex Mack saga when it comes to future offer sheets for transition players.

AFC East Notes: Pats, McCarron, Jets, Bills

April 10th, 2014 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up a few brief items out of the AFC East….

  • Before heading to Jacksonville to meet with the Jaguars, Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron visited the Patriots yesterday, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com.
  • Jets offensive line coach Mike Devlin is at Bloomsburg’s Pro Day to work out offensive tackle Matt Feiler and guard Brian Clarke, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
  • We knew that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. would be visiting the Bills today, but the team also announced that it’s hosting two other draft prospects — Cumberlands running back Terrance Cobb and Rice cornerback Phillip Gaines.
  • The contract signed by punter Jake Dombrowski with the Bills is a three-year, minimum-salary pact with no bonuses, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Dombrowski will provide competition this summer for incumbent punter Brian Moorman.

Pre-Draft Visits: Jaguars, Beckham, Raiders

April 9th, 2014 at 5:50pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jaguars have been bringing in a number of notable prospects, including some of the draft’s top quarterbacks. Tomorrow they will add Alabama’s A.J. McCarron, LSU’s Zach Mettenberger, Fresno State’s Derek Carr, and UCF’s Blake Bortles, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

Here are some other visits from across the NFL:

  • LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has a visit scheduled with the Bills for Thursday, reports Sirius NFL XM Radio (via Twitter). Beckham met with the 49ers and Steelers earlier this week.
  • Clemson defensive back Bashaud Breeland met with the Raiders on Tuesday, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Breeland has played both safety and cornerback, and has already met with the Bills.
  • Nevada offensive lineman Joel Bitonio had his visit with the Rams today, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch (via Twitter). Thomas writes that Bitonio could be drafted somewhere as high as the late first round.

Jaguars Notes: Mack, Watkins, Clowney

April 9th, 2014 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars are still contemplating extending an offer sheet to free agent center Alex Mack, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Because Mack is the Browns’ transition player, the team would have the opportunity to match a Jacksonville offer, and as Kabot details, it sounds like team owner Jimmy Haslam is leaning that way.

“We remain optimistic that Alex Mack will be a Cleveland Brown for a long time,” Haslam said yesterday. “We want him to be. I think we’ve made it very clear that he’s the kind of person, the kind of player we want in our organization.”

As the Jaguars continue to mull an offer for the standout center, we’ll check in on one idea for how they could structure their offer, along with a few more draft-related updates out of Jacksonville…

  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com spoke to several agents and executives to try to get an idea of how the Jaguars could structure a contract for Mack that would make the Browns reluctant to match it. The best suggestion he heard involved a two-year deal with a base salary of $10MM for year one, and $1MM for year two, with a $15MM roster bonus early in that second year.
  • The specific dollar figures on that potential Mack offer aren’t as important as the structure — the Jags could conceivably restructure the deal in the second year to convert the big roster bonus into a more cap-friendly signing bonus, and the Browns would be reluctant to match since they’d be paying a premium annual salary for just two years of Mack. Additionally, if Cleveland were to match such an offer and then release Mack before his second-year roster bonus, the team wouldn’t receive future compensation when he signed elsewhere.
  • It’s a big week of pre-draft visits for the Jaguars, and we can add a few more notable names to the list of prospects who will be in town. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins will visit the Jags tomorrow, while Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets that South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney will arrive in town tonight.
  • More pre-draft visits in Jacksonville: According to Peter Schrager of Fox Sports (via Twitter), Texas A&M wideout Mike Evans is visiting the Jaguars today, and O’Halloran reports (via Twitter) that Alabama signal-caller A.J. McCarron will meet with the club tomorrow.

Browns Keeping Options Open At No. 4

February 20th, 2014 at 9:47pm CST by Peter Sowards

To say that the Cleveland Browns have struggled to find a franchise quarterback since their reinstatement in 1999 would be the grossest of understatements. 20 different men have started under center for the much-maligned franchise in the past 15 seasons, most in the league during that time. One would assume that the team would be locked in on one of the clear top three QB prospects in the upcoming player selection meeting: Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, UCF’s Blake Bortles or Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater.

Such may not be the case. Speaking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine, Browns GM Ray Farmer said he may go against conventional wisdom and ignore his team’s direst need.

“It could be safe [to say we’ll draft a quarterback], but we might not go that direction,” Farmer said, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “It may not be what everybody thinks it’s going to be. There is an opportunity for some curveballs.”

Of course, it wouldn’t do any good for Farmer to come right out and declare his draft strategy with more than two months to go. And there are still evaluations to be done, with combine workouts, pro days and individual workouts still yet to have taken place. Farmer identified winning as the No. 1 quality he’s looking for in a potential quarterback.

“First and foremost, I’m looking for a winner. He can help translate what we’re trying to do offensively to the field. People will talk about arm strength. They’ll talk about different athletic aspects, can he move in the pocket, etcetera. But I truly believe that a guy being able to accurately throw the football, make quick decisions and process [information] and throw from a crowded pocket, those are critical factors in my mind of what the quarterback needs to be able to demonstrate he can do.”

With regard to Brian Hoyer, who went 3-0 in limited play last season before being lost with a torn ACL in his right knee, Farmer said he believes in Hoyer’s traits but is looking to push him with some competition.

Ulrich names Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins and South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney as draftable candidates at No. 4 if the team does not go in the quarterback direction. Or, Ulrich suggests the Browns trade down and select a second-tier quarterback such as Fresno State’s Derek Carr, Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo or Alabama’s AJ McCarron.

Like Jaguars GM David Caldwell, Farmer said he’s willing to trade down and give his team more opportunities “to go to bat” in the draft.

Jaguars Notes: Henne, Draft, Clowney, Shorts

February 4th, 2014 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars coach Gus Bradley spoke with Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida-Times Union about free agency, the upcoming draft, and the importance of re-signing quarterback Chad Henne.

“The competition that took place with [Henne] and Blaine Gabbert during OTAs and minicamp and training camp, he didn’t really flinch through the whole process and when he got his opportunity, he took advantage of it and we thought he made really good process,” Bradley said of Henne. “We think, having a year under his belt, he will have a better understanding of the system and we’re really excited as far as what he brought to us leadership wise.”

Here’s more from Bradley’s interview and other notes on the Jaguars..

  • Bradley won’t jump to conclusions over talk that quarterback A.J. McCarron might not throw at the draft combine in Indianapolis, saying that it’s not always a red flag when a player opts out of working out. However, he did admit that there’s a part of him that likes to see an athlete take every opportunity to compete.
  • Bradley mentioned Auburn defensive end Dee Ford and Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr when asked what players stood out at the Senior Bowl and spoke glowingly of Jadeveon Clowney.
  • The Jaguars should pass on tapping a quarterback early in the 2014 draft, writes ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco. DiRocco reasons that defense wins championships and a young QB needs the right pieces around him to succeed – something that Jacksonville doesn’t have at the moment.
  • More from DiRocco, who writes that Jacksonville should wait on extending Cecil Shorts as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.