HEADLINES

Emmanuel Ogbah

Draft Notes: S. Davis, J. Smith, K. Joseph

April 9th, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Maryland corner Sean Davis is attracting a ton of interest around the league, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that Davis has met or will meet with 16 clubs, including the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, Cardinals, Dolphins, Lions, Browns, Colts, Seahawks, Ravens, Washington, Raiders, 49ers, Steelers, Bengals, Bills, and Titans. Wilson also confirms previous reports that Davis has met with the Patriots and Ravens.

Let’s dive into the latest draft news…

  • Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith has started running again, which is a good sign as he recovers from his ACL injury, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com. Smith, once a surefire top-15 pick, but with some clubs now reportedly worried about possible nerve damage, Smith could be in danger of tumbling down the board.
  • Like Smith, West Virginia safety Karl Joseph is also recovering from a torn ACL, and he won’t be able to run before the draft, per Brandt (Twitter link). But Joseph, who suffered his injury in early October, should be ready to go by training camp.
  • In a piece for the Houston Chronicle, Wilson reports that Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was the highest-rated prospect to participate in the Texans‘ local prospect workout on Saturday morning. University of Houston linebacker Elandon Roberts was also in attendance, and has also met with the Steelers, per Wilson. The lengthy list of attendees is available via the link.
  • Georgia Southern safety Antonio Glover met with the Lions and Titans after his Wednesday pro day, and was scheduled to fly to Indianapolis to meet with the Colts, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
  • The Browns and Bears have spent a “significant amount of time” with Utah State linebacker Nick Vigil, who will also take a meeting with the Falcons, per Pauline. Vigil’s teammate, defensive tackle David Moala, met with the Browns and Chiefs.

AFC Notes: Titans, Conklin, Broncos, Raiders

April 5th, 2016 at 8:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil is the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, but he’s not the only standout tackle the Titans are eyeing. A source tells Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com that the team is expected to host Michigan State tackle Jack Conklin for a visit soon. Conklin isn’t a candidate to come off the board first, but if Tennessee ends up moving down in the first round, he could be in play for the Titans.

Here’s more from across the AFC:

  • Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott was hosted for a pre-draft visit by the Broncos today, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Prescott is unlikely to go in the first round, so the Broncos could look to target him in the second or third round of the draft.
  • Central Arkansas defensive end Jonathan Woodard had a visit scheduled with the Raiders on Monday and will meet with the Titans on Friday, as Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News tweets.
  • Oklahoma State defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah recently paid a visit to the Bills and will soon visit the Texans, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network.
  • Seth Walder of the New York Daily News provides some details on Brandon Marshall‘s civil trial stemming from an altercation outside a Manhattan nightclub in 2012. As Walder notes, Marshall didn’t face criminal charges at the time, but it’s unclear if the NFL might still consider discipline, should the Jets wideout lose the civil trial.
  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today, Ohio State tight end Nick Vannett said he has a visit on Sunday with the Jets (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports). Vannett has frequently been linked to Gang Green in recent weeks, having already privately worked out for and met with the team.

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.

Draft Updates: Conklin, Ogbah, Neal, Aguayo

January 6th, 2016 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

All-American offensive tackle Jack Conklin will forgo his senior season at Michigan State and enter the 2016 NFL draft, according to Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that the offensive line prospect will be represented by Sean Howard and Vanguard Sports.

As Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets, Conklin has a realistic chance of coming off the board within the top 20 picks of this year’s draft. ESPN’s Todd McShay is particularly bullish on the Spartans’ tackle, ranking him as the third-best offensive lineman in this year’s draft class, and placing him 13th overall in his first mock draft (both Insider-only links).

Conklin isn’t the only college player whose intentions to declare early have been reported or announced today. Here’s the latest:

  • Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who was reportedly having preliminary meetings with agents over a month ago, will forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility to enter this year’s draft, he announced in a statement on Twitter. Miller tweets that he has an early second-round grade on Ogbah for the time being.
  • Florida safety Keanu Neal announced on Instagram that he will be heading to the NFL, rather than playing out his senior year with the Gators.
  • Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo announced (via Twitter) that he will enter this year’s draft. As Joe Reedy of The Associated Press notes (via Twitter), Aguayo graduated from school early last month.
  • North Carolina State has announced that tight end David Grinnage will skip his senior season and will enter the 2016 draft, according to Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Cravens, Ayers, Benenoch, Saints

January 1st, 2016 at 9:14am CST by Rob DiRe

USC safety Su’a Cravens has officially signed an agent, guaranteeing his status for the 2016 NFL Draft, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Cravens was an All-American, and looks to be a first-round pick at outside linebacker in the draft.

Here are some other notes concerning the 2016 Draft class:

  • UCLA right tackle Caleb Benenoch announced on his Twitter account that he will forego his senior season and enter the 2016 NFL Draft (via Twitter).
  • Houston wide receiver Demarcus Ayers has also decided to leave school early to enter the NFL Draft, writes Mark Berman of Fox 26 KRIV (via Twitter).
  • With Alabama’s front seven putting on a dominant display in the Cotton Bowl last night, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com gave Saints fans a tip about watching defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed very closely, as both players should be in the mix for the Saints in the first round (via Twitter).
  • Duncan also writes that the Sugar Bowl will feature another one of the Saints’ targets, with Oklahoma State’s pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah (via Twitter).

Extra Points: Falcons, White, Draft

December 2nd, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons held a players-only meeting Monday in hopes of getting back on track for the stretch run, according to team sources who spoke with Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Under first-year head coach Dan Quinn, the Falcons have dropped four consecutive games and they find themselves on the outside-looking-in for the final playoff spots in the NFC. Players-only meetings can sometimes indicate that a coach’s hold on the locker room is in jeopardy, but that does not seem to be the case at all for Quinn.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • LSU cornerback Tre’Davious White is “entertaining the idea of staying in school,” Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. That doesn’t mean White is staying in school, but he’s at least giving it some thought. White could be rated as one of the best defensive backs in this year’s class if he goes pro.
  • UCLA defensive lineman Kenny Clark has indicated to multiple sources that he’s strongly considering entering the NFL Draft, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Getlin adds that NFL talent evaluators are high on the 6’3″, 310-pound junior.
  • South Carolina linebacker Skai Moore is leaning towards entering the 2016 draft, team sources and family members tell Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). Moore led the Gamecocks in tackles all three of his collegiate seasons and finished this year with 111 tackles.
  • Oklahoma State defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah has indicated to multiple sources that he’s currently leaning towards entering the draft, Getlin tweets. In fact, Ogbah and his family have already had preliminary meetings with agents (link).