HEADLINES

C.J. Beathard

Extra Points: 49ers, Cowboys, Colts, Dobbs

May 1st, 2017 at 10:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Of all the quarterbacks in this year’s draft, Iowa’s C.J. Beathard was the only one 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had interest in selecting, details Peter King of The MMQB. Shanahan ultimately got his man toward the end of the third round, pick No. 104, after the 49ers sent the 109th and 219th choices to Minnesota to trade up. “We’d all sleep a little better if we got him instead of waiting ’til tomorrow,” CEO Jed York told other members of the 49ers’ draft room before they moved up for Beathard. Shanahan compares Beathard to a former pupil, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, noting that Beathard “processes the game so well” and is “tough as sh–.”

More from around the game:

  • Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick is “miffed” that he was the subject of trade rumors during the draft, reports Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Nevertheless, Scandrick, who was on hand Monday for the second phase of Cowboys workouts, is “being professional,” Hill adds.
  • Rookie general manager Chris Ballard‘s restructuring of the Colts’ scouting department has led to the ouster of Jimmy Raye III. The Colts parted with Raye, their former vice president of football operations, on Monday, tweets Albert Breer of The MMQB. The two sides split on “amicable” terms, per Breer. At one point this past winter, Raye looked like the favorite to succeed the fired Ryan Grigson as the Colts’ GM. Now, he’ll presumably look to catch on with another team’s front office.
  • The belief is that the Seahawks and Vikings had interest in Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs on the third day of the draft, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Dobbs ended up with the Steelers in the fourth round, pick No. 135. The Seahawks used their fourth-rounder, No. 111, on Colorado safety Tedric Thompson. Minnesota selected Michigan linebacker Ben Gedeon 120th.
  • Chattanooga defensive end Keionta Davis is a “name to watch” as the undrafted free agent process continues, notes Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Senior Bowl invitee was a third- to fifth-round possibility before a bulging disc scared teams away on draft weekend. Davis’ specialist expects his neck to heal, though, according to Rapoport.

NFC Draft Notes: Bears, 49ers, Saints, Lions

April 29th, 2017 at 9:02am CST by Ben Levine

Reports emerged last night that Bears head coach John Fox was unaware of his club’s intention to draft North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky until a “couple hours” before the draft. GM Ryan Pace subsequently denied those reports, saying his head coach is involved in all of the team’s decisions.

“That stuff is so false,” Pace said (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “There’s consistency in everything we do, so we all work arm-in-arm and that’s the way it is and that’s the way it should be.

“John is involved in every decision deeply. The respect I have for John is enormous, especially his experience and all of the players that he’s been with. I think if you look back — and we talked about this — I think a lot of it was kept secret I thought we did a good job keeping this thing pretty under wraps, it’s so sensitive. But if you go back to the private workouts that we had, I mean John and I — it’s pretty hard to hide him — but we’re traveling to Chapel Hill and having dinners and workouts with Mitch, so he’s been deeply involved from the very beginning.”

Let’s check out some other draft notes from around the NFC…

  • The Vikings reportedly approached the 49ers about trading for the 104th pick, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). However, San Francisco wanted to guarantee that they’d get Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard, so they rebuffed Minnesota’s advances. Ironically, Minnesota was previously in possession of that pick.
  • The Saints were fans of Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes, general manager Mickey Loomis told Larry Holder of NOLA.com (Twitter link). However, with Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore still being on the board, New Orleans wasn’t too interested in moving up for the signal-caller. Mahomes was ultimately reelected 10th overall by the Chiefs.
  • UCLA cornerback Fabian Moreau‘s pectoral muscle is “looking great,” tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. This reassurance probably convinced the Redskins to take the defensive back with the 81st-overall pick.
  • The Lions selected cornerback Teez Tabor with the 53rd pick, despite the fact he suffered a hamstring injury during his workout with the team. Rapoport tweets that the Florida product didn’t end up working out for any other teams.

49ers Acquire 104th Pick From Vikings

April 28th, 2017 at 10:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The 49ers have acquired the 104th pick from the Vikings in exchange for the 109th and 219th selections, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link).

San Francisco is using the pick on a quarterback, Iowa’s C.J. Beathard, who became the Hawkeyes’ full-time starter in 2015. Beathard totaled 17 touchdown passes in each of his two seasons at the helm and combined for 15 interceptions, 10 of which came last year. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder has a “very good” arm, observes Pro Football Focus, though the outlet only expects him to develop into a third-stringer at the NFL level. That figures to be his immediate role in San Francisco, which features Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley as its top two QBs.

La Canfora’s Latest: Conley, Cowboys, Tabor

April 11th, 2017 at 6:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Ohio State’s Gareon Conley is now being considered the safest cornerback prospect in the draft, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Fellow Buckeye Marshon Lattimore may have chronic hamstring issues that are scaring NFL teams, while Florida’s Teez Tabor posted poor measurables and reportedly isn’t fairing well during the predraft interview process. Conley, however, is viewed as a “super-clean” player, per La Canfora, and could be the top corner off the board later this month.

Here’s more from on the draft, all courtesy of La Canfora:

  • The Cowboys will likely look into Conley and the rest of the defensive back class after losing their top two corners — and two of their top three safeties — in free agency, writes La Canfora. Dallas has used an ample portion of its predraft visit allotment on cornerbacks, and may look to add a back-end defender at pick No. 28. A trade up to draft an “impact” corner isn’t out the question, says La Canfora.
  • Jarrad Davis (Florida) is expected to be the second off-ball linebacker selected in the draft, following Alabama’s Reuben Foster, reports La Canfora. Davis’ Pro Day, during which he posted a 4.56 40-yard dash and 38.5 inch vertical jump, impressed pro clubs, per La Canfora, and Davis is viewed as a leader who could immediately step into an NFL defense. Lance Zeirlein of NFL.com compares Davis to the Panthers’ Shaq Thompson, noting Davis’ “plus acceleration” and “closing burst.”
  • NFL teams have been “turned off” by Oklahoma receiver Dede Westbrook, according to La Canfora, who notes Westrbook’s combine interviews left a negative impression. Westbrook, who has a history of off-field trouble, is reportedly deemed “undraftable” by some clubs, as Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com indicated last month. Based on his on-field production, Westbrook is a projected fourth-round pick, per Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com, who compares Westrbook to Houston’s Will Fuller.
  • Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard could be the sixth quarterback off the board following Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, DeShone Kizer, and Davis Webb, says La Canfora. NFL teams like Beathard because he comes from a pro-style system, and La Canfora would be surprised if Beathard isn’t drafted by the conclusion of Round 4. In his senior season, Beathard completed 56.5% of his passes for 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.