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Danny Shelton

North Rumors: Browns, Steelers, Price

April 10th, 2015 at 3:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

With two picks for the second straight year and reported interest in Marcus Mariota, the Browns have a complex Round 1 itinerary. Today, they will visit with two players who will almost certainly be first-rounders in DeVante Parker and Danny Shelton, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

ESPN’s No. 9 and 10 prospects overall comprise two of the Browns’ 30 allotted player visits, but there’s a possibility neither could be there when they pick at No. 12. Cleveland also owns the 19th selection.

Elsewhere around the league’s North divisions …

  • The Steelers brought in several prospects for visits Friday, including Central Florida wideout Breshad Perriman, according to ESPN’s Scott Brown on Twitter. Boston College quarterback Tyler Murphy and South Alabama tight end Wes Saxton joined Perriman on visits, per Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter Mark Kaboly (via Twitter). Perriman is Scouts Inc.’s No. 21-rated prospect.
  • Boise State running back Jay Ajayi is visiting the Cowboys local pro day today, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). The All-American who totaled 2,300+ yards from scrimmage last season met with Ravens officials last week, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Recently signed Browns tight end Rob Housler knows fans aren’t expecting him to replicate what Jordan Cameron did in his brief stint as the Cleveland tight end but noted his Cardinals numbers were more a reflection of the scheme than his ability, reports Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Housler topped out at 454 receiving yards in 2013, the year he scored his only touchdown despite starting in 28 games in four seasons. “The production was a direct reflection of the opportunity, and I just went out there and did what they asked me to do,” Housler told Ulrich. “It was a blue-collar mentality. It wasn’t pretty. I can see the stats, and they’re not pretty.”
  • The Browns are on the lookout for a return specialist after a shaky year in that department, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Tom Reed. Beyond lower-round draft targets like Tyler Lockett or Jamison Crowder, Justin Gilbert and Taylor Gabriel are in-house options for a team that ranked 28th on punt returns last season, adds Reed.
  • Vikings 2014 seventh-round pick Jabari Price had his December charge for suspicion of drunken driving reduced to careless driving, reports Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Used mostly on special teams as a rookie, Price remains subject to the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Draft Notes: Washington, Crowder, Shelton

March 31st, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Washington might not want to trade down in this year’s draft, Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com writes. Even if Washington trades back from No. 5 into a pick somewhere in the early teens they could be looking at a major drop off in the quality of the player they will get in the first round. Meanwhile, they can still add to their arsenal of picks by trading down from the later round choices they have this year. The latest draft news..

  • Duke receiver Jamison Crowder discussed his workout for the Patriots and chronicled his latest happenings in a chat with Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. Crowder also disclosed that he’ll be working out for the Buccaneers on Wednesday, the Texans on Friday, and the Panthers on April 10th.
  • Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton is scheduled to visit the Browns, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Shelton, who had 89 tackles and 9.5 sacks last season, has drawn comparisons to Lions defensive lineman Haloti Ngata.
  • Florida State cornerback Ronald Darby will be visiting the Cowboys, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).
  • The Saints have scheduled a dinner meeting with wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and linebacker Denzel Perryman ahead of tomorrow’s Miami pro day, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets.

East Notes: Fins, Clay, Pats, Ayers, Washington

January 25th, 2015 at 4:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins would like to re-sign impending free agent tight end Charles Clay, and are preparing an offer with the intention to submit it to Clay’s representatives in the coming weeks, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Clay, who turns 26 in about three weeks, earned $1.431MM in base salary last season, and should be in for nice pay increase despite a somewhat disappointing campaign that saw him catch 58 passes for 589 yards and three touchdowns. I profiled Clay as an extension candidate before the season, and while the four-year, ~$21MM contract I projected at the time now seems a tad high, a $4MM AAV isn’t out of the question.

Let’s look at some more notes from the two East divisions:

  • In the same article, Jackson passes along some other Dolphins news, including Miami’s visit with defensive tackle prospect Danny Shelton, and league-wide interest in Dolphins executives Chris Grier and Adam Engroff.
  • The NFL bears significant responsibility in the DeflateGate scandal, argues Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Despite vowing to investigate the matter fully, the league hasn’t discovered much in the way of evidence or intent, writes Florio. Instead, the Patriots and the NFL as a whole are now being tarnished in what is the most important week in the league calendar.
  • Akeem Ayers doesn’t have any hard feelings towards the Titans regarding the trade that sent him to the Patriots, as the linebacker tells Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal. “They made a decision that they felt like they needed to make,” said Ayers. “…I just took it as motivation and especially being here on this team, I feel like they did me a favor, honestly…I came here and I did a good job here and we’re going to the Super Bowl.” New England acquired Ayers and a seventh-round pick for a 2015 sixth-rounder. A free agent at season’s end, the 25-year-old Ayers registered 20 tackles and four sacks in nine games with the Pats.
  • Washington would like to speak with Packers senior personnel executive Alonso Highsmith about its director of personnel position, but hasn’t heard back from Green Bay as of yet, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.

Draft Notes: Perryman, Dolphins, Lions

January 21st, 2015 at 5:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Senior Bowl means plenty of draft speculation and talk of the Dolphins tapping local star Denzel Perryman has been a hot topic in recent days. However, drafting Perryman is going to require a long and thoughtful debate in Miami, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. While GM Dennis Hickey doesn’t often mind drafting players that do not meet prototypical size and speed requirements (see: Jarvis Landry), assistant GM Eric Stokes does not feel the same way. Perryman, unfortunately, does not have the size one would usually want in a middle linebacker. More draft news..

  • Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin could wind up as the next coach of the Falcons, but he’s not neglecting his duties in Detroit, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Austin booked interviews with Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton, Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant, Miami (Ohio) cornerback Quinten Rollins, and Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty last night.
  • East Carolina wide receiver Justin Hardy said he a great meeting with the Ravens at the Senior Bowl, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • Penn State linebacker Mike Hull and defensive end Deion Barnes have each met with the Eagles at the Senior Bowl, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter). Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith and USC cornerback Josh Shaw have also met with the Eagles (link).
  • The Giants met with wide receivers Sammie Coates and Devin Smith, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).

Draft Updates: Saturday

January 3rd, 2015 at 3:25pm CST by Rob DiRe

With the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft approaching quickly, here are a few updates on seniors who have signed with agents and are eligible for the Draft, and underclassmen who have declared early.

For a list of all early entrants so far, please check our list here.

  • USC junior receiver Nelson Agholor has decided to go pro, and will enter the 2015 NFL Draft, reports Jordan Moore of USCTrojans.com. “These past three years at USC have been a blessing, along with a lot of my life. I am very grateful to have had the coaches and staff members of this prestigious university in my life,” said Agholor. “Because of these men and women, I feel prepared to follow my dreams into the NFL. Thank you to the Trojan Family for allowing me to become one of your own.”
  • Boise State senior wideout Matt Miller has signed with the NOVO Agency, and will be eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft, reports Liz Mullen or the Sports Business Journal (via Twitter). He will be represented by Jeff Sperbeck.
  • University of Washington senior nose tackle Danny Shelton also signed with NOVO, according to Mullen (via Twitter). He will be represented by Haig Abnous and Sperbeck.
  • Two Auburn players, junior receiver Sammie Coates and senior running back Cameron Artis-Payne, both signed with Michael Perrett of Element Sports, reports Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Coates had previously declared for the draft.
  • University of Maryland junior receiver Stefon Diggs has declared for the draft, reports Matt Zenith of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).