HEADLINES

Darius Jackson

Extra Points: Broncos, Kaepernick, P. Lynch, Bears

April 15th, 2016 at 10:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The blockbuster trade between the Rams and Titans that saw Los Angeles acquire the first pick in the draft, with which it will presumably select a quarterback, could have a notable ripple effect on the Broncos’ pursuit of Colin Kaepernick, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. If the Rams take Cal signal-caller Jared Goff and the Browns, who hold the second choice, prefer Goff to North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz, it might lead Cleveland to trade down with a team that wants Wentz. If that team isn’t San Francisco, which is scheduled to pick seventh, it could result in the 49ers closing the door on trading Kaepernick. Renck doesn’t expect the 49ers to deal him without a legitimate solution at quarterback in place, and their best non-Kaepernick option right now is the less-than-stellar Blaine Gabbert.

More from around the NFL:

  • Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch is still making pre-draft visits, and the Bears are one of the teams hosting him next week, per Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). PFR’s Rob DiRe had Chicago picking Lynch in our first mock draft last week.
  • Before releasing him, the Steelers asked cornerback Cortez Allen to take a pay cut, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. However, it seems the two sides couldn’t find common ground on a reworked contract.
  • Georgia edge defender Jordan Jenkins, who projects as a probable day two pick, recently worked out for the Jets, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
  • Eastern Michigan running back Darius Jackson visited the Jets on Monday, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets. Jackson also has visits with the Ravens, Dolphins, and Lions on his schedule.
  • The one-year contract cornerback Greg Toler inked with Washington earlier this week is worth $840K, including an $80K bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander‘s one-year deal with the Bills is worth $885K – $75K of which is guaranteed – with a $428K split, Wilson reports (Twitter link).
  • Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com provides the full list of the 23 prospects with ties to the Tampa area who participated in the Buccaneers‘ local workout day on Friday.

Connor Byrne and Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Rumors: Dolphins, Washington, Nkemdiche, Ogbah

March 18th, 2016 at 9:27pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Having lost running back Lamar Miller and struck out on potential replacements C.J. Anderson, James Starks and Chris Johnson in free agency, the Dolphins could select a go-to rusher with the 13th pick of the draft. Their potential target? Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott, says Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole (video link). Elliott is the type of cutback runner rookie head coach Adam Gase covets for his offense, Cole notes.

More of the latest draft-related info:

  • Ohio State’s Michael Thomas is the No. 1 wide receiver on Washington‘s board, according to Cole (video link). Washington is enamored of Thomas’ mix of size (6-foot-3, 212 pounds), speed (4.57 forty-yard dash) and competitiveness, per Cole. Thus, he could be the club’s target at No. 21 overall in the first round.
  • The stock of Mississippi defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche – arguably a top-10 talent – is dropping because of character concerns, and he could end up a second-round selection, Cole reports (video link). Nkemdiche was charged with possession of marijuana after he fell out of an Atlanta hotel window in December.
  • Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah has lined up visits with the Bears and Buccaneers, he told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
  • The Bengals, Patriots and Jets sent defensive line coaches to observe Michigan D-lineman Willie Henry‘s workout on Friday, reports Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com.
  • The Patriots also met with Michigan linebacker Desmond Morgan on Friday, as did the Vikings and Lions, per Pauline.
  • The Lions “spent hours” with Eastern Michigan running back Darius Jackson after his Friday workout, according to Pauline.
  • The Lions and Titans met with Cal receiver Trevor Davis on Friday, Pauline writes.
  • Davis isn’t the only Cal wideout the Titans are eyeing, Pauline notes. They met with Kenny Lawler, too, and so did the Jets.