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Eli Apple

Impact Rookies: New York Giants

August 9th, 2016 at 10:14am CST by Zachary Links

The old adage that defense wins championships may or may not be true, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a title-winning team that didn’t build heavily through the draft. Rookie classes, naturally, are evaluated on the perceived upside of the NFL newcomers, but which rookies are ready to contribute right out of the gate? And, how do they fit in with their new team schematically?

To help us forecast the immediate future of these NFL neophytes, we enlisted the help of draft guru Dave-Te Thomas who has served as a scouting personnel consultant to NFL teams for multiple decades.

General manager Jerry Reese went to the credit union often during the offseason, spending over $200MM to improve his team’s defensive front seven issues. But, despite some questionable purchases, the draft provided the team with two stud newcomers in cornerback Eli Apple and receiver Sterling Shepard, as both are expected to immediately contribute. Cooper Taylor’s tenure with New York could be coming to an end, especially if third round pick, Darian Thompson, is as good as he advertised during mini camp.

While Shepard is expected to at least earn a slot position, he could move outside if Victor Cruz continues to deal with injury issues. If Cruz fails to return to form, California free agent, Darius Powe, or off-the-field bad boy, Roger Lewis, might have a chance to secure the final receiver spot coming out of training camp.

First Round – Eli Apple , CB (Ohio State, No. 10 overall)

Our staff touted Eli Apple as the best cornerback in the draft not named Jalen Ramsey since Day One. We even provided our contracted teams with a very detailed statistical comparison chart that featured Apple, Ramsey, Mackensie Alexander, Vernon Hargreaves III, and William Jackson III. It seems Giants brass agreed, taking the Buckeye with the tenth pick. Eli Apple

The early first round surprise could be starting by the time the season opener rolls around, at least as the nickel corner. He’s likely to ease Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie off the roster after the season to take his place opposite high-priced Rams addition, Janoris Jenkins. The first thing you notice about this former Buckeye is his natural playmaking instincts. He understands how receivers are trying to attack coverage and he is a master at reading quarterbacks’ eyes when having to drop into zone coverage. He also does an excellent job of mid-pointing high-low routes.

Apple is an explosive, quick-twitch athlete with a sudden closing burst, especially when receivers catch the ball in front of him. He possesses that second gear needed to track the ball downfield and he’s fast enough to recover when gets caught out of position. Thanks to his fluid hips, he can make the smooth transition when forced to change directions quickly. When he stays under control and keeps his knees bent, is a good tackler in space.

The two-time letter-winner started all but one of the 28 games he has appeared in. As a redshirt freshman, he collected 53 tackles and broke up thirteen passes, as opposing quarterbacks often tried to challenge the first-time starter. Eight of those thirteen pass break-ups came on third-down snaps and all three of his interceptions were followed by Buckeyes touchdown drives during their 2014 national championship campaign.

The Buckeyes cornerback can consistently break up passes when in position, as he also has the athleticism to reach around the receiver and disrupt the action without committing the penalty. When he breaks up those passes, more often it is the result of violent hits right as the ball arrives. While not a valid ball thief, he does have the natural hands to reach out and pluck the ball to make the tough interception.

Teams were very leery to fire the ball into Apple’s territory in 2015, and he managed just 28 tackles, as a result. However, he impressed scouts with his outstanding coverage skills, as he not only defended nine passes (including one interception), but only 14-of-67 passes targeted in his area were completed (20.9%). He delivered twenty third-down stops, three more on fourth-down snaps. Proving to be one of the most physical cornerbacks in college, he jammed/rerouted his main pass coverage assignments away from 38 incomplete passes last season, the second-highest total in the NCAA FBS ranks. In short: the future is bright for the Giants’ first-round choice.

Continue reading about the Giants’ rookies..

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Extra Points: Bradford, Jets, Giants, Falcons, Lions

May 6th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Given quarterback Sam Bradford‘s unhappiness in Philadelphia, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examined the seemingly far-fetched possibility of the 28-year-old retiring – at least temporarily. Bradford would have to surrender the $11MM signing bonus he received from the Eagles earlier this offseason if he were to walk away, but he would offset that loss somewhat by avoiding any fines or forfeitures that would accompany a potential holdout.

The appeal of retiring from Bradford’s point of view is that he could wait for another team’s starting quarterback to suffer an injury, whether it be this year or in 2017, thus leading that club to approach the Eagles about a trade. It would be similar to the situation Carson Palmer found himself in five years ago as a disgruntled member of the Bengals. Early in the 2011 season, the Raiders lost starter Jason Campbell to an injury and then made a trade with the Bengals to bring Palmer out of his short-lived retirement.

Most teams’ starting quarterback situations are set right now, and the Eagles haven’t shown a willingness to move Bradford in the wake of trading up to No. 2 in the draft for Carson Wentz and signing Chase Daniel, so Florio opines that retirement could be his most sensible option.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • There was potential for a New York-New York trade in the first round of last week’s draft, according to the New York Daily News’ Gary Myers, who reports that the Jets offered their first- (20th overall) and second-rounders to the Giants for No. 10. The Jets had their sights set on Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, but the Giants didn’t want to move down and risk losing out on Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple. Had the Giants accepted the Jets’ offer, they would have either taken TCU wideout Josh Doctson or the best cornerback available (likely Houston’s William Jackson III) at No. 20, per Myers. Doctson ultimately went 22nd to Washington and Jackson landed with the Bengals two picks later. Meanwhile, instead of nabbing Tunsil, the Jets kept their top two picks and used them on Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee and Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg.
  • The Falcons are currently mulling whether to sign free agent cornerback Leon Hall, who visited them this week, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Hall would add depth to a Falcons defensive backfield in need of it, especially given the four-game suspension the league handed Jalen Collins, as McClure writes. The ex-Michigan standout’s entire NFL career has thus far been spent in Cincinnati, where he totaled 26 interceptions from 2007-15, though it doesn’t appear he’ll return to the Bengals. Aside from the Falcons, Hall has also visited the Giants, Cardinals and Cowboys this offseason, but his age (31) and injury history (he has torn both Achilles) are seemingly working against him in landing a contract.
  • With the draft in the books, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com took a look at six Lions veterans whose jobs could now be in jeopardy. Meinke points to quarterback Dan Orlovsky, center Travis Swanson, offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas, linebacker Kyle Van Noy, defensive tackle Gabe Wright and long snapper Don Muhlbach as players who aren’t locks to remain in the Motor City.

Giants Sign Eli Apple, Other Draftees, 14 UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

It’s been a busy morning for the Giants as their rookie minicamp opens. The team announced today that it has signed four draft picks, including first-round cornerback Eli Apple, along with 14 undrafted free agents.Eli Apple

In addition to locking up Apple, the Giants have signed second-round wide receiver Sterling Shepard, fifth-round running back Paul Perkins, and sixth-round tight end Jerell Adams. Only the team’s third- and fourth-round picks – safety Darian Thompson and linebacker B.J. Goodson – remain unsigned.

Apple’s four-year rookie contract will feature a fifth-year option for 2020, and is worth $15.152MM in total, including a $9.22MM signing bonus. The other rookie deals are far more modest, including Shepard’s, which has a total value of $5.945MM, with a $2.523MM signing bonus.

Here’s the complete list of 14 undrafted free agents that have joined the Giants:

AFC Notes: Tunsil, Carroo, Ravens, Steelers

May 1st, 2016 at 7:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins slotted Laremy Tunsil as their No. 2-rated player before the draft, with Jaguars defensive back Jalen Ramsey at No. 1, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports. Had Tunsil not fallen to them at No. 13, the Dolphins would have been inclined to trade back and seek cornerback help, Salguero writes.

Among corners, the Dolphins had Eli Apple rated No. 2 behind Ramsey. Although Miami traded for Byron Maxwell, the team is now without all three of its primary starters from 2015 — Brent Grimes, Brice McCain and Jamar Taylor, the latter being traded to the Browns for a seventh-round pick Saturday.

Here’s more from the AFC as we transition into a post-draft world, beginning with more on the Dolphins’ board.

  • Miami traded up in the third round to take Rutgers wideout Leonte Carroo, but it’s not where the ex-Scarlet Knights target came off the board that’s interesting; it’s where his new team rated him. “We thought he was the second-best receiver in the draft,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said, via Salguero. That assessment runs counter to just about every pre-draft analysis in a draft that saw four wideouts go in the first round and three come off the board in Round 2. Prior to Miami selecting Carroo at No. 86, the Texans took Braxton Miller at No. 85. The Dolphins surrendered a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft — which it traded to the Vikings to select another receiver, Jakeem Grant — as well as third- and fourth-round choices in 2017 to become the ninth team to select a receiver this year. Rutgers suspended Carroo twice in 2015, and he was arrested once on a domestic violence-related charge.
  • Tunsil’s selection strikes Salguero as interesting considering as the No. 2 player on the Dolphins’ board, they couldn’t have done the exhaustive work on him as they did on someone like Apple or another player they thought would be in play at 13. He uses the Patriots, who did not pick until the 60s, not doing much work on Ramsey as an example.
  • Although Ozzie Newsome denied the Ravens picked Ronnie Stanley over Tunsil because of the now-infamous bong video posted on the tackle’s Twitter account before the draft, Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun reports that the social media posting was passed around the Ravens draft room prior to the team selecting Stanley. The Ray Rice moment still hangs over the franchise, Schmuck writes, inducing Baltimore to play it safe when it comes to questionable prospects.
  • The past two years, the Steelers have chosen 11 defensive players compared to just four on offense, and Mike Tomlin told media (including Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) it’s realistic three could emerge as starters in Week 1. “I believe it’s realistic,” Tomlin said of the prospect of the team’s top three picks — cornerback Artie Burns, safety Sean Davis and nose tackle Javon Hargrave — starting against Washington in September. “That’s why we chose them where we chose them. But they have to earn it, and we’ll give them the opportunity to do that.” Following the departures of Steve McLendon and Brandon Boykin, the team has holes in its lineup at No. 2 corner and at defensive tackle.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Apple, Cowboys

April 29th, 2016 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

Some saw Eli Apple as a reach at No. 10 for the Giants, but team scouting director Marc Ross does not agree with that assessment.

“We’ve heard it before,” Ross said, according to Steve Serby of the New York Post. “We’ve taken other players that [were called] a reach. Nobody knows. If you get a dime for every expert, I could retire. Come on. Experts? People analyze. People have opinions. What’s it based on? Nobody has seen the tape. Nobody goes to practice. Nobody puts in the work like the scouts do. It’s easy to second-guess and pick and say get everybody’s pick right and tell them what they should do, but you’ve just got to put in the work and trust what you do.”

The Giants were widely linked to Michigan State tackle Jack Conklin and Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd, but those players came off the board at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

  • The Cowboys had the same draft grade for Ezekiel Elliott and Jalen Ramsey, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Cowboys regarded Paxton Lynch as the quarterback in the top 3 who required the most time to develop but had higher ceiling than Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets.
  • When asked if he was surprised by Sam Bradford‘s reaction to the Eagles‘ trading up for Wentz, Eagles GM Howie Roseman said, “Some of this is agent driven,” (On WIP, Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).

Schrager’s Latest: Joseph, Kelly, Giants

April 26th, 2016 at 6:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier tonight, Peter Schrager of FOX Sports took to Twitter to pass along his latest draft buzz. Here’s a rundown of everything:

Dolphins Rumors: Draft, CBs, Jason Jones

April 22nd, 2016 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

Landing a cornerback – and perhaps more than one – is the Dolphins’ top priority in this year’s draft, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a lock to take one with the No. 13 pick, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

According to Jackson, if Miami opts for the best player available in the first round, and that player is a non-cornerback, there’s a belief the team could still land a quality CB at No. 42 and/or No. 73. Jackson mentions Miami’s Artie Burns, Baylor’s Xavien Howard, and Virginia Tech’s Kendall Fuller as a few potential targets.

Here’s more on the Dolphins from Jackson, including several notes on their possible draft plans:

  • If running back Ezekiel Elliott or linebacker Myles Jack slip to No. 13, the Dolphins would have interest in both players. The team recently sent a contingent to Los Angeles for a private workout with UCLA’s Jack.
  • Some Dolphins scouting and front office people are resistant to the idea of drafting Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III if he’s on the board at No. 13, since the team would prefer a big, physical cornerback.
  • Miami is intrigued by Houston’s William Jackson III and Ohio State’s Eli Apple, but they may not be great value at No. 13, so trading down might be a consideration. Dolphins VP Mike Tannenbaum said today that there have been preliminary conversations about the No. 13 pick, tweets James Walker of ESPN.com.
  • The Dolphins have discussed the possibility of taking one of the top offensive tackles in the first round and moving him to guard – at least temporarily – but that seems to be an unlikely outcome.
  • On special teams, the Dolphins are keeping an eye out for help in the return game and potential competition for kicker Andrew Franks. Special teams coach Darren Rizzi has privately worked out multiple kicker prospects, including Nick Rose of Texas and Daniel Sobolewski of Albright.
  • The Dolphins continue to have conversations with free agent defensive end Jason Jones, and there’s mutual interest between the two sides in working something out.

La Canfora’s Latest: Browns, Goff, Titans, Eagles

April 13th, 2016 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, we learned that a high-ranking official told Peter King of TheMMQB.com that he believes the Browns have their sights set on Jared Goff at the No. 2 overall pick, rather than fellow quarterback Carson Wentz. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com thinks the same thing, writing today that Cleveland offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton favors Goff.

According to La Canfora, many Browns scouts prefer Wentz to Goff, so the Browns’ front office and personnel department isn’t unanimous when it comes to a QB preference. But there’s some concern about Wentz’s lack of experience against high-level opposition, and a belief that the analytics favor Goff. So if the Browns do select a signal-caller with the second overall pick, which isn’t guaranteed, La Canfora believes it will be Goff.

La Canfora’s latest piece at CBSSports.com includes plenty of other noteworthy tidbits, so let’s dive in and round them up….

  • The Titans have at least two trade offers on the table for the No. 1 overall pick that they consider “worthy starting points toward an eventual deal,” and La Canfora says rival teams expect GM Jon Robinson to eventually deal the pick. “They’ll market it up to the draft to get the best ransom they can, but they’ll move it,” said one executive for a team that has explored moving up. If the Titans do keep the first overall pick, La Canfora expects Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil to be the choice.
  • The Eagles are “in love” with Ezekiel Elliott, and there’s a chance he’ll be Philadelphia’s pick at No. 8. La Canfora continues to believe the team’s interest in quarterbacks is a smokescreen, but notes that some executives think GM Howie Roseman is set on making a big splash on draft day, which could mean nabbing a QB.
  • Scouts who have talked to La Canfora uniformly prefer Clemson’s Kevin Dodd to his teammate Shaq Lawson, and like Alabama’s Jarran Reed more than A’Shawn Robinson. “I really hope there are people in this league who like Robinson more than Reed,” one top evaluator said of the Crimson Tide duo. “That just makes it easier for us.” Robinson is viewed as a player whose stock is being overstated by mock drafts, as is Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple.
  • Several teams, including the Chiefs, are very high on Louisiana Tech defensive lineman Vernon Butler, who is expected to be a first-round pick, per La Canfora.
  • La Canfora expects TCU’s Josh Doctson to be the first wide receiver to come off the board.
  • The Steelers are doing a lot of homework on cornerbacks, leading La Canfora to believe they’ll probably go in that direction in the first round.

Draft Rumors: 4/10/16

April 10th, 2016 at 10:56am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some of today’s draft rumors. We will update this page as necessary throughout the day:

  • Memphis QB Paxton Lynch will meet with the Jets on Thursday, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). The Jets, of course, are still looking to bring back free agent signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the two sides remain far apart on contract terms. Lynch is widely-regarded as one of the top three quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. Mehta confirms that Gang Green will also visit with Ohio State TE Nick Vannett tomorrow.
  • Alcorn State QB John Gibbs, Jr. worked out for the Texans at their local prospect workout yesterday, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. As we learned yesterday, prospects like Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah and UCLA OT Caleb Benenoch were also in attendance.
  • According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter), there are several themes emerging with regards to the top CB prospects in this year’s draft. Some evaluators prefer Ohio State’s Eli Apple to Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves III–Hargreaves has been ranked almost universally as the best corner in the draft outside of Jalen Ramsey–and some prefer Miami’s Artie Burns to Clemson’s Mackensie Alexander and Houston’s William Jackson III.
  • Western Michigan WR Daniel Braverman–who was not even invited to this year’s Scouting Combine–has already visited the Vikings, Saints, and Dolphins, and is set to visit with the Raiders, Seahawks, and Bengals this week, according to NFL Network’s Rand Getlin. (Twitter links). Braverman had a whopping 109 receptions for 1,367 yards last season.

 

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

April 9th, 2016 at 12:02pm CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at some AFC-centric draft notes earlier today, so now we’ll switch focus to the NFC…

  • Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander is visiting with the 49ers today and will visit with the Rams on Monday, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Rams have “serious interest” in the prospect.
  • Unless Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley or Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III fall to the Lions, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein could envision the team selecting Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson. Depending on which players are available at the 16th pick, the writer could also see general manager Bob Quinn considering a move back in the draft.
  • Meanwhile, if Hargreaves falls to the Saints at the 12th pick, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett said the defensive back would certainly be under consideration. The writer also list defensive backs William Jackson III (Houston), Eli Apple (Ohio State) and Mackensie Alexander (Clemson) as potential options.
  • Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted the names of several prospects who will be attending the Buccaneers local day: Jacksonville University’s Logan Williamson, Purdue cornerback Frankie Williams, Buffalo corner Marqus Baker, Purdue cornerback Anthony Brown, and Jacksonville State wideout Ruben Gonzalez.
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