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James White

AFC East Notes: Bills, Patriots, Draft

April 25th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

In recent weeks, there has been speculation that if the Texans intend to trade down in the draft, Buffalo may be a potential partner, and Bills GM Doug Whaley certainly sounds like a man who would like a shot at standout defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

“If you’re gonna miss, I’d rather take a chance on a guy that’s 6’5″, 270, that runs a 4.5,” Whaley said of the South Carolina star, according to Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550. “Now think about this, you have Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus and Jadeveon Clowney. I mean, that’s gonna strike fear in a lot of offenses. And if they go max protect, you can’t double everybody, and if you do you’ve gotta put eight in the box. And then that helps our DBs and everybody involved. Is he gonna be a cornerstone? You never want to say absolutely, because there have been big misses before. But if I’m gonna miss, I’m gonna miss on a guy like that.”

The Bills pick at No. 9, so if they decide to seriously engage in talks with the Texans for the first overall pick, the price figures to be high. Here’s more out of the AFC East:

  • Draft analyst Todd McShay sees USC’s Xavier Su’a-Filo as the Patriots‘ only solid option if they want to boost their interior offensive line at No. 29, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. McShay believes that there is a very significant dropoff at the guard position after the former Trojan, so the Pats will have to pounce if that’s their objective.
  • Wisconsin running back James White visited and worked out for the Patriots, and also worked out for the Dolphins, and Browns, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The former Badger previously worked out for the Bears. White rushed for 1,052 yards and 14 touchdowns during his first season for the Badgers and gained 1,444 yards last season while working in tandem with running back Melvin Gordon. Together, they combined for 3,052 rushing yards to set a single-season record.
  • The Patriots are looking at Missouri running back Henry Josey, wide receiver Marcus Lucas, and tight end/fullback Eric Waters in a private workout today, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Vanderbilt offensive tackle Wesley Johnson also had a private workout with the Patriots today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Draft Notes: Ellington, Falcons, Saints

April 14th, 2014 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

A trio of NFC teams have shown interest in South Carolina wide receiver Bruce Ellington, the cousin of Cardinals running back Andre Ellington. The former Gamecock will be meeting with the Rams and Cards this week, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com chimes in (via Twitter) to add that Ellington has already worked out for the Falcons, while both Garafolo and Rapoport mention the Patriots‘ interest in the player. Ellington had 775 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2013.

Let’s dive into some more draft notes from around the NFC…

  • Portland State running back D.J. Adams and Tennessee-Chattanooga cornerback Kadeem Wise are among the players scheduled to work out at the Falcons’ local prospect day tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Saints are “definitely interested” in former Alabama wideout Kevin Norwood, tweets Larry Holder of NOLA.com.
  • In one of his articles, Holder projects the Saints‘ draft and has the team selecting wide receiver Marqise Lee with its first-round pick. Other notable Saints selections in Holder’s draft include defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu and cornerback Pierre Desir.
  • Despite tearing his ACL at Senior Bowl practice, Oklahoma cornerback Aaron Colvin has been busy with pre-draft visits, meeting with the Eagles, Saints, and 49ers, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (via Twitter).
  • Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com and Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee provide the details on several prospects scheduled to visit with the 49ers, including receivers Martavis Bryant and Albert Wilson, Louisville linebacker Preston Brown, and Boise State defensive end Demarcus Lawrence.
  • The Cowboys have interest in Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, and plan to attend his Pro Day this week, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
  • The Bears recently brought in Wisconsin running back James White for a workout, reports Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter).

Ben Levine contributed to this post.