Daryl Worley - Pro Football Rumors

Freeman’s Latest: Aguayo, Boehringer, Higbee

May 1st, 2016 at 4:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers didn’t just draft kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round of the draft — they traded up to get him, sacrificing a third- and fourth-round pick to acquire the 59th overall selection from the Chiefs. Not everyone around the league was on board with the move, as one general manager told Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that Tampa’s choice of Aguayo was “the dumbest pick in the history of the draft.”

While we ponder that bit of hyperbole, let’s take a look at the highlights from the rest of Freeman’s column…

Another pick that has garnered mixed reviews is the Vikings‘ selection of German wide receiver Moritz Boehringer in the sixth round, according to Freeman, who writes that one scout described the German league as “not even Division-III football.” The Boehringer pick, per Freeman, is quite divisive, as it seems league personnel are either strongly in favor or strongly against.
Even after enduring the Greg Hardy saga, the Panthers used a third-round pick on cornerback Daryl Worley, who faced a battery charge in 2014. As Freeman details, both Panthers GM Dave Gettleman and Worley himself were prepared to answer questions about the incident, and Carolina feels comfortable that its done enough research on the pick.
One NFC scout tells Freeman that the best value pick in the draft might’ve Oklahoma defensive end Charles Tapper, whom the Cowboys scooped up at the top of the third round. Some clubs were scared off by Tapper having the sickle cell trait, a condition that many teams consider minor.
On the other hand, another scout called new Rams tight end Tyler Higbee — who was charged with second-degree assault before the draft — one of the riskier picks in the draft. “He is a major partier,” said the scout, per Freeman. “That was his big problem, despite the arrests. He has a lot of maturing to do, and I’m not sure he can mature fast enough.”

Panthers Acquire 77th Pick From Browns

April 29th, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Panthers have acquired the 77th pick from the Browns, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), and have chosen West Virginia defensive back Daryl Worley, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. In addition to No. 77, the Panthers received the 141st choice in exchange for Nos. 93, 129 and 168, per Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). The 77th selection has changed hands multiple times, with Detroit previously sending it to Philadelphia and then the Eagles trading it to the Browns.

Worley was a playmaker at West Virginia, where he picked off 10 passes during his three-year college career, including a personal-best six last season. Along with free agent pickup Brandon Boykin and second-rounder James Bradberry, Worley’s presence in Carolina should help to fill the void left by star cornerback Josh Norman, whom the team pulled the franchise tag from last week. Norman went on to sign with Washington.

Draft Updates: Higbee, Titans, Byard, Reed

April 11th, 2016 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the top tight end prospects in this year’s draft, Tyler Higbee was charged with second-degree assault, alcohol intoxication in a public place, and second-degree fleeing or evading police on Sunday, Zach Greenwell of the Bowling Green Daily News reports.

The 23-year-old Western Kentucky product was considered a potential Day 2 pick, but these charges will undoubtedly cloud his draft weekend. Higbee caught 48 passes for 563 yards and eight touchdowns last season but missed five games due to a knee injury that he told reporters at his pro day was 75-80% healed.

Here are a few more Monday draft updates:

Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa are among the standout prospects visiting the Titans this week, tweets Jason Wolf of the Tennessean. The Titans are believed to like Bosa, but Tunsil remains the odds-on favorite to come off the board first overall if the club keeps its pick.
West Virginia cornerback Daryl Worley has made pre-draft visits to the Eagles and Cardinals, and has private workouts for the Panthers, Lions, and Jaguars, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
After a busy few days last week, Middle Tennessee State defensive back Kevin Byard will be on the move again this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Byard will be visiting the Cardinals today and the Rams tomorrow, followed by the Saints and Bengals.
In addition to making previously-reported visits to the Panthers, Lions, and Saints this week, Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed will also make trips to meet with the Bills and Bears, tweets Rapoport.
UCLA wide receiver and return man Devin Fuller has several visits and workouts left on his schedule, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network. Per Getlin, the Dolphins, Packers, and Chargers are among the teams that will get a close look at Fuller.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Extra Points: M. Lewis, Flacco, Smallwood, L.A.

January 7th, 2016 at 5:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Marcedes Lewis is eligible for free agency this winter, but the Jaguars tight end is hopeful he won’t reach the open market, preferring to work out a new deal that keeps him in Jacksonville, as Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com details.

“You rarely see players play 10 years for one team, let alone finish their career [with the same team], so it’s something that I want to be able to do,” Lewis said. “Hopefully we can get it done before all the other stuff even starts, if it’s possible. … I know where I want to be.”

As Lewis notes, he has spent the last decade with the Jaguars, catching 331 balls for the club during that stretch. Still, it’s not yet clear how serious the team will be about keeping him around going forward, now that Julius Thomas is in the mix. The 31-year-old hasn’t caught more than 25 passes since the 2012 season, and his 16 receptions in 2015 represented his lowest total since his rookie year, way back in 2006.

Here are more Thursday odds and ends from around the NFL:

Speaking this morning to Glenn Clark of PressBox (link via Justin Silberman of PressBoxOnline.com), Joe Linta – the agent for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco – was cagey about his client’s contract situation. Flacco is projected to have one of the league’s highest cap numbers, at $28.55MM, but Linta said there are no negotiations ongoing with the Ravens at this point, adding that the veteran QB isn’t in any rush to rework his deal. “I mean, that’s the price of these types of quarterbacks,” Linta said. “Every deal that’s going to be done is going to be in that realm.” Earlier today, GM Ozzie Newsome acknowledged that the Ravens would like to reduce Flacco’s 2016 cap hit, but said the team has a plan to work around it if it remains at $28MM+.
Big 12 rushing leader Wendell Smallwood changed his mind about staying at West Virginia, and has now decided to enter the 2016 NFL draft, as Allan Taylor of the West Virginia MetroNews writes. Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk notes that Smallwood will join teammate Daryl Worley in heading to the NFL, despite the fact that the cornerback doesn’t project as a top pick.
During Wednesday’s team owner meetings in New York, Panthers owner – and Carson supporter – Jerry Richardson was “silent all meeting,” according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who wonders if Richardson may be backing down from the joint Raiders–Chargers plan.
Cornerback Josh Norman is one of the most noteworthy players eligible for free agency this winter – he ranked third in PFR’s most recent free agent power rankings – but he says he won’t think about a new deal until the Panthers are eliminated from the playoffs or win the Super Bowl (link via ESPN’s David Newton). Meanwhile, GM Dave Gettleman admits it’s a “headache” trying to figure out how to keep Norman and all the other potential free agents the Panthers don’t want to lose, but he’s optimistic that the club will figure it out (link via Newton).