HEADLINES

Jarvis Landry

Dolphins Sign Second-Rounder Jarvis Landry

June 12th, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

A flurry of draft picks, including several first-rounders, have signed their contracts so far this afternoon, and we can add one more to the list. Second-round wide receiver Jarvis Landry has inked his rookie deal with the Dolphins, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Landry, the 63rd overall pick, is the sixth of the Dolphins’ eight draftees to be locked up by the team. Only a pair of offensive tackles – first-rounder Ju’Wuan James and third-rounder Billy Turner – remain unsigned.

As Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at Over the Cap show, Landry should receive a signing bonus worth approximately $847K. Overall, the four-year value of the contract for the LSU product will be in the neighborhood of $3.475MM.

AFC East Draft Notes: Jets, Cooks, Patriots

May 5th, 2014 at 12:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 2014 draft offers Jets general manager John Idzik the opportunity to shine, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. After a 2013 draft which yielded one star (Sheldon Richardson) and at least two question marks (Dee Milliner and Geno Smith) with the Jets’ first three selections, Idzik, outside of Eric Decker, went bargain-shopping during free agency, trying to supplement New York’s roster with low-cost additions. As Costello notes, a solid draft could mean building a strong foundation on which to continue to solidify the team, while a weak return could mean the demise of head coach Rex Ryan and much more pressure on Idzik himself.

More from the AFC East:

  • Many mock drafts have the Jets selecting Brandin Cooks with the 18th pick, and ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini thinks this is a good idea, comparing Cooks to DeSean Jackson, with whom Marty Mornhinwheg, the Jets’ offensive coordinator, had success.
  • LSU receiver Jarvis Landry said he felt most comfortable during meetings with the Jets, in addition the Falcons and and Colts, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports.
  • ESPN.com’s James Walker believes the Dolphins should take local product Seantrel Henderson off its draft board following Henderson’s failed drug test, which makes some sense considering the offensive line drama in Miami last season.
  • Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor will likely be gone by the time the Patriots pick at No. 29, so if New England doesn’t trade up, Deone Bucannon could be an option for the Pats, writes Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald.
  • Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said the team won’t shy away from drafting another receiver, even though the Pats brought in three rookies at the position last season, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.

Draft Notes: Landry, Reilly, Thomas, Hoffman

April 19th, 2014 at 10:04pm CST by Peter Sowards

With 18 days until the 2014 NFL Draft kicks off at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, draft-eligible prospects are flying all over the country to meet with teams, and vice-versa. Here are the latest notes and rumors with regard to the upcoming NFL Players Selection Meeting, as it is officially called:

  • LSU wide receiver Jarvis Landry will visit the Jets and Falcons this week, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Landry has previously worked out for the Patriots, Panthers and 49ers.
  • The Jaguars and Panthers have met with Utah outside linebacker Trevor Reilly, writes Aaron Wilson of National Football Post. Reilly, a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, underwent knee surgery in January but healed up well enough to run a 4.66 second 40-yard dash at his pro day March 19.
  • Rich Tander of CSN Washington looks at the potential fit between the Redskins and Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas.
  • Finding starters every spring in the NFL Draft is the key for teams hoping to be competitive each season, writes Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  • A scouting report of BYU wide receiver Cody Hoffman and his potential fit with the Bears, by the staff at CSN Chicago.
  • A poll by the Minneapolis Star Tribune asking which quarterback is the best in the NFL draft.
  • Looking at size, accuracy, arm strength, mobility, decision making, leadership, level of competition and experience, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union breaks down Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr.
  • Also by the Times-Union, a mock draft of the first two rounds.

AFC East Rumors: Pats, Revis, Jets, Wilkerson

April 16th, 2014 at 5:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Things have been quiet out of Florham Park, New Jersey as of late but today, the Jets brought some serious sizzle to their offseason when they agreed to sign Chris Johnson to a two-year deal. Here’s the latest on Gang Green and more from the AFC East…

  • Because the Patriots have a need at tight end, Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com sizes up Iowa’s C.J. Fiedorowicz as a possibility for New England. While the 6’7″, 265-pound athlete isn’t as fast or athletic as Rob Gronkowski, he appears to be a replica of him in other ways. Gronk is one of the best at his position when he’s on the field, but he has proven to be brittle as of late.
  • Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter) hears nothing but great things about Darrelle Revis‘ intensity in practice this offseason. The Patriots landed the shutdown corner on a relatively low-risk deal this offseason.
  • LSU wide receiver Jarvis Landry will take a pre-draft visit with the Jets on Monday, a source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). The Panthers auditioned Landry and Tigers teammate Odell Beckham yesterday. The Jets are in obvious need of a playmaker on offense.
  • The fifth-year option salary for Muhammad Wilkerson is projected at about $6.97MM, which is higher than expected but still team-friendly for the Jets, tweets Cimini. It was previously believed that the Temple product’s 2015 salary would be closer to $6MM.
  • The Jets are keeping tabs on Missouri defensive end/outside linebacker Michael Sam, Cimini tweets. New York has spoken to him several times in recent months and while he’s on the club’s radar, Cimini characterizes the talks as “due diligence.”

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Panthers, Cards, Saints

April 15th, 2014 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

After hosting prospects such as defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Kony Ealy on Monday, the Cowboys are being visited by the likes of Florida State’s Timmy Jernigan, UCLA’s Anthony Barr, and Boise State’s Demarcus Lawrence today, writes David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com adds (via Twitter) that Northwest Missouri State cornerback Brandon Dixon is also visiting the club today.

Here’s more out of the NFC:

  • A player like Donald may not be available at No. 16, but there’s no guarantee the Cowboys will be keeping that pick, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who points out that in the 25 drafts Jerry Jones has overseen, the team has traded up or down 20 times.
  • The Panthers worked out LSU receivers Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry today in Baton Rouge, according to David Newton of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) provides the specifics on Thomas DeCoud‘s two-year contract with the Panthers, which has a base value of $3.525MM. That includes a $500K signing bonus and base salaries of $900K (2014) and $1.675MM (2015). Meanwhile, Alex Hall‘s one-year deal with the Panthers is for the minimum, but included a modest $10K signing bonus, tweets Wilson.
  • Colorado State center Weston Richburg visited with the Cardinals on Monday, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
  • Ohio State’s Bradley Roby and Lindenwood’s Pierre Desir are among the five cornerbacks visiting the Saints today, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. The other three – Justin Gilbert, Aaron Colvin, and Demetri Goodson – had been previously reported.
  • Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports (via Twitter) that Stanford offensive tackle Cameron Fleming visited the Redskins today, while ESPN.com’s John Keim tweets that Demarcus Lawrence is also scheduled to visit Washington.
  • D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution lists more than a dozen players who worked out at the Falcons‘ local prospect day today, including Tennessee running back Rajion Neal and Georgia Tech safety Jemea Thomas, among others.

Extra Points: Landry, Thompson, Texans

April 13th, 2014 at 10:57am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s have a look at some notes from around the league on this relatively slow news day:

  • Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post takes a look at some of the most significant pro day workouts from this past week. LSU and Penn State were the major programs to host pro days, but smaller schools McNeese State and Bloomsburg also boast several draftable prospects.
  • LSU WR Jarvis Landry will be an intriguing player to watch at next month’s draft. He carried a first-round grade into the combine, but performed poorly there, and though he showed improvement at his pro day this week, it won’t be enough to get him back in the first round. Gabriel expects him to be taken in the third or fourth round, but does note that Landry’s game tape is phenomenal and there are plenty of other top-flight receivers who have had mediocre workout numbers.
  • BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy has had a number of official visits already, and he recently met with the Ravens, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Van Noy has received first- and second-round grades from draft analysts.
  • In a separate piece, Wilson writes that the felony and misdemeanor drug charges that Ravens WR Deonte Thompson was facing have been dropped by Florida prosecutors. Thompson may be crowded out of the Ravens roster this year, as the team added to its receiving corps this offseason and expects to add at least one more receiver in the draft, but at least he no longer has legal troubles hanging over his head.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, noting that the Patriots have a penchant for drafting highly-talented players whose stock has taken a hit for medical reasons, wonders if Clemson guard Brandon Thomas, who carried a second-round grade before tearing his ACL in a pre-draft workout last week, might be a target in the middle to late rounds of this year’s draft.
  • The Patriots are still in the mix for free agent OLB/DE Will Smith, according to Christopher Price of WEEI.com.
  • John McClain of the Houston Chronicle gives an excellent description of the dilemma the Texans, picking first overall for the third time in their young history, face in the 2014 draft.

Combine Updates: Clowney, Ford, Tuitt, Mason

February 24th, 2014 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

Jadeveon Clowney is the talk of the NFL combine on Monday morning, running an unofficial time of 4.47 in the 40-yard dash today. The time is easily the best among defensive linemen, and in fact surpassed the times of most of the running backs and receivers that ran the 40 yesterday. Clowney won’t participate in all of today’s on-field drills, citing a hip flexor, but there are still plenty of combine updates to pass along from Indianapolis:

  • Auburn defensive end Dee Ford was medically flagged due to a 2011 procedure on a herniated disc in his lower back and won’t work out today at the combine. Scott Hanson of NFL Red Zone first reported (via Twitter) that Ford would sit out, while Steve Wyche of NFL Network passed along the specifics (Twitter link).
  • Like Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Notre Dame defensive end Stephon Tuitt was diagnosed with a fractured foot by doctors at the combine, according to Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com, who says Tuitt will undergo surgery in about a week, with a full recovery expected in six to eight weeks. Ford and Tuitt are viewed as two of the top non-Clowney DEs available in the draft.
  • The Titans, Dolphins, Rams, and Cardinals are among the teams that have met with Auburn running back Tre Mason at the combine, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • The Ravens have met with Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland, as well as wide receivers Brandin Cooks (Oregon State) and Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt), Aaron Wilson writes in separate pieces for the Baltimore Sun. Wilson also says the team will meet with LSU receiver Jarvis Landry.
  • Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle won’t participate in drills at the combine due to health concerns, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
  • For a complete list of combine results, including scores in the 40-yard dash, bench press, and broad jump, be sure to check out NFL.com’s tracker.