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Breshad Perriman

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Jennings, Dolphins

April 22nd, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots typically don’t stress over the depth chart when they evaluate players in the draft, CSNNE.com’s Tom E. Curran writes. “You look at them independently; you evaluate the player irrespective of what you have on your team,” exec Nick Caserio explained. “It’s like we talked about a few years ago (in 2011) with Nate (Solder). We had Sebastian (Vollmer). We had Matt Light. So we had two good tackles, starting level tackles that play at a high level. So then you add Nate Solder (with a first-round pick). So here’s a third tackle that you’re bringing in that you feel has good ability. Is he better than Light or Vollmer? Maybe, maybe not. But we know at some point, this guy’s gonna be a good football player.” More from the AFC East..

  • On the surface it might seem like the Dolphins are set at wide receiver after adding Greg Jennings, but they could still go for a No. 1 type in the draft, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. Beasley hears that the Dolphins could trade back from No. 14 to select someone like Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman or USC’s Nelson Agholor.
  • Jennings is a solid addition for the Dolphins, but not a No. 1 receiver, James Walker of ESPN.com writes. The former two-time Pro Bowler is not the player he was several years ago with the and is not the No. 1 receiver that Miami desperately needs. He still has something left in the tank, Walker writes, but he won’t turn their passing offense into a juggernaut.
  • The Patriots officially have the Texans’ seventh-round pick in 2016 thanks to the Ryan Mallett trade with Houston, according to a pre-draft press release (via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald on Twitter). Mallett, 26, was acquired by the Texans in a trade with the Patriots last offseason, and got a chance to start a couple games for Houston in 2014 before landing on injured reserve due to a pectoral injury. The deal gave New England a conditional seventh-round choice that could have matured into a sixth-rounder if Mallett met a certain snap requirement.

East Notes: Scandrick, Dolphins, Washington

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick is allegedly unsatisfied with the modest $1.5MM base salary he’s set to earn in 2015, and didn’t report to the club’s voluntary offseason program this week in the hopes of pushing for a new deal. While it’s possible the Cowboys relent at some point, EVP/COO Stephen Jones – appearing on 105.3FM in Dallas yesterday – didn’t make it sound like that would happen anytime soon, writes Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.

“He’s under contract, but not unlike a lot of players, they’d like to have more,” Jones said. “Orlando is under contract. If something makes sense for us to add some years or do something then we’ll take a look at that, but we just re-did Orlando’s contract a couple years ago and he’s been a really good football player for us. He’s a leader on this team, and we certainly need him out here. In my mind, he should be out here right now, working out.”

While we wait to see how the Scandrick saga plays out, here are a few more items from around the league’s two East divisions:

  • The Dolphins are bringing in several free agent offensive linemen today, intent on perhaps adding a veteran guard, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. According to Jackson, Jeff Linkenbach and Jeff Baca are among the players expected to get a look from the team.
  • Breshad Perriman‘s visit to Miami is happening today, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who tweets that the UCF wideout is visiting the Dolphins.
  • Mark Maske of the Washington Post examines the decision Washington is facing on Robert Griffin III‘s fifth-year option for 2016, citing one source who believes the team will pick up RGIII’s option following the draft.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) passes along the names of a number of players participating in Washington‘s local prospect day, including Maryland wideout Stefon Diggs and many others.
  • Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker is also visiting Washington today, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link).
  • The Jets are hosting Utah pass rusher Nate Orchard for a pre-draft visit today, tweets Pauline.

Draft Visits: Perriman, DGB, Clemmings, Jones

April 21st, 2015 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest updates on a few draft prospects taking some visits and working out for teams this week:

  • Breshad Perriman, WR (UCF): Visiting the Titans today, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Second overall is too high for Perriman, but 33rd overall is likely too late to nab him, so Tennessee could be doing its due diligence in the event of a trade.
  • Dorial Green-Beckham, WR (Missouri): Visiting the Chiefs today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • T.J. Clemmings, OT (Pittsburgh): Visiting the Saints, Falcons, and Rams this week, and has met with 19 teams since his Pro Day, per Rapoport (Twitter link).
  • Byron Jones, CB (UConn): Visiting the Dolphins, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Jones was previously identified as a player on Miami’s radar.
  • Anthony Harris, S (Virginia); Marcus Rush, DE (Michigan State): Both players are visiting the Lions today, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
  • Kyle Emanuel, DE (North Dakota); Eric Rowe, CB (Utah); Doran Grant, CB (Ohio State): All three players visited the Steelers today, tweets ESPN.com’s Scott Brown.
  • Daryl Williams, OL (Oklahoma); Tyrus Thompson, OL (Oklahoma); Adam Shead, OL (Oklahoma): All three players worked out for Panthers offensive line coach John Matsko today, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Williams and Thompson previously worked out for Cowboys offensive line coach Frank Pollack.
  • Jesse Davis, OL (Idaho): Has a private workout with the Seahawks later this week, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

East Notes: Dez, JPP, Giants, Mathis, Jets

April 20th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

Most teams around the NFL begin their voluntary offseason programs today, and a handful of players in the NFC East won’t be in attendance at their respective teams’ workouts. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Cowboys will be without franchise player Dez Bryant and underpaid cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports that another franchise player, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, will be absent for the Giants.

Meanwhile, Eagles guard Evan Mathis, who attended the team’s voluntary workouts last spring amid trade rumors, won’t do the same this year, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who tweets that Mathis is staying away for now. Asked about his absence, the veteran offensive lineman jokingly replied, “I’m in Antarctica looking for frozen dinosaurs to extract their DNA and splice them with my chihuahuasaur” (Twitter link via McLane).

While we wish Mathis the best of luck on his Antarctic expedition, let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • The Jets likely won’t select Breshad Perriman with the sixth overall pick, when one or both of Kevin White and Amari Cooper could still be on the board, but New York is doing its homework anyway, hosting the UCF wideout for a visit today, a league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
  • There’s a good chance that the Giants will re-sign safety Stevie Brown soon, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. According to Schwartz, Brown would like to return to New York, but wanted to see if he could do better than the one-year deal the Giants offered him. However, it doesn’t appear that any other potential suitors are willing to do a longer-term contract.
  • As the Giants continue to consider options at safety, Raanan tweets that Virginia defensive back Anthony Harris – who is capable of playing the free safety position – visited the team this weekend.
  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has details on another Giants pre-draft meeting, reporting that Purdue running back Akeem Hunt is visiting the club today.

AFC Links: Dolphins, Robinson, Steelers

April 18th, 2015 at 11:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

A quest to bring another receiver to Miami to join Kenny Stills and Jarvis Landry will conclude soon, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The two receiving prospects at the top of the Dolphins‘ list for their No. 14 selection are DeVante Parker and Breshad Perriman, the Nos. 8 and 20 overall talents available in the draft, according to Scouts Inc.

Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong serves as an option for the Fins in a trade-down scenario, notes Jackson, with Sammie Coates (Auburn), Phillip Dorsett (Miami) and Devin Smith (Ohio State) potentially there if the team addresses another need in Round 1. The Dolphins brought in each of the latter trio for visits.

Smith averaged 28.2 yards per reception last season, while Mel Kiper rates Dorsett as one of the class’ safest bets. Jackson also places Dorial Green-Beckham among this contingent who could be on the board for Miami at No. 47, with Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reporting the Dolphins have “fallen in love” with the boom-or-bust prospect. It’s unlikely the elite-tools prospect falls that far. Our Rob DiRe lists DGB among first-round possibilities in his recent look at the 2015 class’ wideouts.

The Dolphins have worked out late-round hopefuls R.J. Harris and Harold Spears (New Hampshire), and Zach D’Orazio (Akron), per Jackson.

Elsewhere in the AFC as the week winds down …

  • The Steelers‘ depth chart suggests they need cornerback help following Ike Taylor‘s retirement — their third defensive starter to leave the league in two months behind Jason Worilds and Troy Polamalu — but their recent history dictates they may gamble on a late-round prospect, writes Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Kiper has Pittsburgh taking Wake Forest corner Kevin Johnson at No. 22 (subscription required), but the team hasn’t expended its top pick on a corner since Chad Scott in 1997 and hasn’t used a second-rounder at the position since Bryant McFadden in 2005. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, whose team currently employs Cortez Allen and William Gay atop its figurative offseason depth chart at corner, attributed this drought to the team’s usual draft slot in the late first round coming after the top corners are usually off the board. “In Pittsburgh’s case, for years they didn’t have really good corners,” NFL.com’s Charley Casserly told Adamski. “That defense was won with the front seven.”
  • A running back need persists in Jacksonville after Toby Gerhart‘s three-year pact last spring sputtered from the start, but the Jaguars still have the somewhat surprising contributions from Denard Robinson to evaluate from last year, offers Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Robinson’s work from Week 7 until he broke his foot in December — 582 rushing yards — helped elevate the Jags’ weak rushing attacks the past few years to a passable level: 21st in total ground gains last season.
  • Four-decade NFL coaching veteran Chris Palmer will not have a role in coaching the Bills‘ quarterbacks this year, writes Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, with new offensive coordinator Greg Roman and QBs coach David Lee handling that. Palmer, 65, whose title is senior offensive assistant, will help coach the wideouts and tight ends this offseason after following Roman from San Francisco to Buffalo.

Draft Notes: Winston, Gurley, Gordon

April 14th, 2015 at 3:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets, who hold the sixth overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft, are in need of a franchise quarterback and have already worked out Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, one of the top two signal callers available. They’d also like to visit with Florida State’s Jameis Winston, who joins Mariota as a likely top five pick, but that meeting may not happen. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Winston was unable to meet with the Jets when they wanted him to and the sides are now having difficulty finding a time.

Here’s the rest of the latest draft news:

  • The Browns, who are in search of a running back, have already visited with Georgia’s Todd Gurley, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan, and will next meet with Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon. ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets that Gordon will be in Cleveland for a visit Thursday that could last through Friday. Both Gordon and Gurley are potential first-round picks. The Browns hold the 12th and 19th overall selections.
  • Having worked out Mariota, the Chargers will next head to Los Angeles to do the same with UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
  • The receiver-needy Panthers will meet with Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman tonight and tomorrow, per Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). They’ll also work out USC’s Nelson Agholor, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
  • The Broncos will visit with Texas A&M offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi next Tuesday, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Klis believes Ogbuehi could be a second-round target for the Broncos.
  • Mississippi State running back Josh Robinson recently visited with the Colts, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
  • San Jose State’s Akeem King, a former wide receiver who converted to safety, is drawing interest as a cornerback, tweets Matt Barrow of the Sacramento Bee. The Raiders, Falcons, Saints and Seahawks are all eyeing King.
  • The Falcons worked out Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah, according to Ross Jones of FoxSports.com (Twitter link).
  • Cincinnati linebacker Jeff Luc will meet with both the Jets and Patriots prior to the draft, tweets Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller.

North Notes: Bears, Perriman, Draft, Peterson

April 13th, 2015 at 4:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As the Bears search for Brandon Marshall‘s replacement at receiver, they’ve brought in one of the top draft prospects at the position for a visit, meeting with UCF receiver Breshad Perriman today, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Perriman, who posted a 4.25 40-time at his Pro Day, is fighting with Louisville’s Davante Parker to be the third receiver chosen behind Amari Cooper and Kevin White.

Let’s take a look at more from the NFL’s two North divisions:

  • The Steelers met with three prospects today, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter), who says the club visited with Texas A&M tight end Cameron Clear, West Virginia guard Quinton Spain, and Auburn receiver Sammie Coates.
  • Having already brought in UAB return specialist J.J. Nelson for a visit, the Lions met with another special teamer/receiver — Utah’s Kaelin Clay — today, writes Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
  • Though Adrian Peterson was in Minneapolis over the weekend, he did not meet with any Vikings officials, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
  • Rob Housler‘s one-year, $1.76MM deal with the Browns contains $750K guaranteed, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.
  • Washington defensive end Andrew Hudson just wrapped a predraft visit with the Browns, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), and he’ll meet with the Buccaneers next.

King’s Latest: Gordon, Cards, Gregory, WRs

April 13th, 2015 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Peter King of The MMQB.com leads off his Monday Morning Quarterback column this week by discussing Troy Polamalu‘s legacy, Hall-of-Fame-worthy safeties, and new referee Sarah Thomas, before he dives headfirst into the latest news and rumors on the draft. That section of King’s piece includes plenty of noteworthy tidbits, so let’s round up some of the highlights….

  • Melvin Gordon won’t get past the Ravens at No. 26, according to King. It would be a little surprising to see Baltimore nab a running back in the first round, with plenty of other holes on the roster, including a big one at wide receiver.
  • The Cardinals will “very seriously” consider a running back with the 24th overall pick.
  • Although Randy Gregory‘s failed drug test initially scared off some teams near the top of the draft, many of those clubs are feeling more comfortable with the Nebraska pass rusher after taking a closer look at him.
  • USC wideout Nelson Agholor, initially viewed as a late second-round pick, is moving up on draft boards, since teams think he can play inside or outside with equal effectiveness. Chip Kelly and the Eagles are known to like Agholor.
  • Multiple teams have Louisville receiver DeVante Parker as a top-10 player on their boards, says King.
  • According to King, UCF wideout Breshad Perriman is receiving serious consideration from at least two teams picking in the teens. Nearly all the teams with picks in that range – including the Saints, Dolphins, 49ers, and Browns – could use a wideout. In our first mock draft of the year, we had Perriman going to the Chiefs with the 18th overall pick.
  • The Rams and Chargers are both working out Marcus Mariota this week, and while King doesn’t expect St. Louis to trade up to land the Oregon quarterback, he isn’t 100% sure about San Diego. As King writes, the Chargers may simply be doing their due diligence in case Mariota slides down the first round, since it still seems “highly unlikely” that the team would trade Philip Rivers.

Breshad Perriman, Four Others On Ravens’ Radar

April 11th, 2015 at 1:51pm CST by Rob DiRe

With less than three weeks left before the NFL Draft, the Ravens are doing their due diligence on some potential mid-to-late round prospects and one possible first-round option, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has been keeping tabs on who they have met with and who is left on their visit list.

Picking 26th overall in the first round, and with a need at receiver following the loss of Torrey Smith, the Ravens will bring in burner Breshad Perriman of the University of Central Florida. Perriman has a chance to be off the board somewhere in the top 15 picks, and in the PFR Mock Draft 1.0 the Chiefs scooped him up before the Ravens get to the podium. In that mock, the team settles for another receiver at No. 26.

Here are a few other prospects set to meet with or work out for the Ravens:

  • Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney is on the team’s visit list. McKinney has drawn interest from a number of teams and has been projected to come off the board towards the end of the first round or the beginning of the second.
  • The team expects Towson cornerback Tye Smith to attend the local prospect day. Smith has good size and speed that translates to the NFL despite coming from a small-conference school, and projects as a late-round pick.
  • Oklahoma State linebacker Josh Furman will also attend the local prospect day, working out for the Ravens as a safety. Furman graduated from local Old Mill High School, as a standout two-way player on a state championship team. He played in 32 games at Michigan before transferring to Oklahoma State.
  • The Ravens have already met with Boise State running back Jay Ajayi, who is considered to be one of the better runners in the draft. Ajayi has been projected as a potential second-round pick, and could be in play for the Ravens after meeting with the team last week.

West Notes: D. Washington, 49ers, Raiders

April 10th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Daryl Washington emerged as a standout linebacker with the Cardinals during the first four years of his career, racking up a pair of 100-tackle seasons, 18 sacks and a Pro Bowl invitation in 2012. However, the NFL suspended him four games in 2013 for violating its substance abuse policy. He then violated the same policy again and the league hit him with a much harsher penalty last May in the form of a year-plus suspension. That suspension caused Washington to miss all of the 2014 campaign. What’s more, the league hasn’t yet disciplined Washington for a domestic violence arrest last spring, when he pleaded guilty to assaulting the mother of his child.

Now, hoping to put his off-field issues in the past, Washington plans to apply for reinstatement to the league in the coming weeks, writes Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. The 28-year-old’s status should be determined in the next two months, per Somers, who reports that the Cardinals are conducting business as if Washington won’t be with them in 2015. The Cardinals paid Washington a $10MM roster bonus last year to keep him around, with half of that prorated total being sent to the defender in February 2014. Washington, whose $8MM per season makes him the league’s sixth-highest-paid ILB, has $15MM worth of dead money remaining on a contract that runs through the 2017 campaign.

Here’s more from the league’s two West-based divisions:

  • Despite the departure of longtime 49er and eight-time 1,000-yard rusher Frank Gore, quarterback Colin Kaepernick is confident the team’s running game will be fine going forward. “We have Kendall (Hunter) coming back, who a lot of people forget about,” Kaepernick said, per Cam Inman of the Mercury News. “Carlos (Hyde) had a great rookie year for us, and we’ll probably be using him a lot more this year. We’ve brought Reggie (Bush) in, who’s another great weapon on offense.” Kaepernick is also a fan of newly signed Jarryd Hayne, a former Australian league ruby star who could make an impact in San Francisco’s backfield. “A phenomenal athlete, just a natural,” the QB said. “ It doesn’t seem like there’s much of a learning curve for him.”
  • Raiders linebacker Sio Moore is on track to return for training camp, writes ESPN’s Bill Williamson. Moore, who is recovering from hip surgery, played 11 games in 2014 and totaled 90 tackles and three sacks as a second-year man.
  • The Raiders will meet with South Florida wide receiver Breshad Perriman and Miles College cornerback Travis Lee before the draft, Williamson reports. Perriman is someone Oakland could have an eye on in the second round, with the 35th overall pick.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

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