Jeff Driskel

NFC Draft Pick Signings: Seahawks, Lions, 49ers

The Seahawks and second-round pick Jarran Reed have agreed to terms on a contract, his representatives tell Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The defensive tackle is scheduled to earn $4.889MM ($1.756MM signing bonus) over the life of his four-year rookie deal. Seattle is hoping that Reed will help to beef up the defensive line in the absence of Brandon Mebane.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks have also agreed to terms with guard Rees Odhiambo, as Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. The third-round pick will have a shot to win a starting job right out of the gate in Seattle.

Here are more of the latest draft pick signings from around the NFC:

  • Lions sixth-round pick Jimmy Landes, who is a strong candidate to take over the team’s long snapper job in 2016, is signing his rookie contract today, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Landes will receive a signing bonus just north of $100K.
  • Washington has begun securing its 2016 draft class by agreeing to a deal with seventh-round pick Steven Daniels, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The former Boston College linebacker will be in line for a four-year contract worth about $2.581MM, including a signing bonus of $77K.
  • Former Florida running back Kelvin Taylor, one of three players drafted in the sixth round last Saturday by the 49ers, has signed his four-year deal with San Francisco, per Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Taylor, the son of longtime Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, isn’t the only draftee locked up by San Francisco — the team also reached an agreement with sixth-round quarterback Jeff Driskel, per Aaron Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Packers have completed their deal with fifth-round wide receiver Trevor Davis, a source tells Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com. Davis will be competing for a spot on a crowded receiving corps in Green Bay this summer.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Draft Updates: Ravens, Lynch, Texans

The final visit for Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch will take place in Baltimore, according to agent Leigh Steinberg, who tweets that Lynch will meet with the Ravens on Wednesday. Holding the No. 6 overall pick, the Ravens seem like an improbable first-round suitor for Lynch, so perhaps the team is just doing its due diligence in case it trades down in the first round or Lynch slips to round two.

Here are more draft updates from out of the AFC:

  • The Texans hosted Louisiana Tech quarterback Jeff Driskel for a visit this week, and are also hosting Eastern Michigan running back Darius Jackson today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Houston fortified its offensive backfield by signing Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller in free agency, but could still be eyeing additional depth.
  • We heard yesterday that Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller had a Monday visit with the Jets and a Wednesday visit in Carolina this week. Aaron Wilson fills in the gap in Fuller’s schedule, tweeting that the young corner is meeting today with the Titans.
  • The schedule for Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah includes a pre-draft visit with the Chargers this Wednesday, writes Aaron Wilson in a piece for the Chronicle. Wilson reported yesterday that Ogbah was also visiting Carolina and Atlanta this week, though he doesn’t include the Panthers in his list of Ogbah’s visits in his latest piece.
  • Texas A&M cornerback Brandon Williams has been busy during the pre-draft visit, making five visits and taking part in 14 private workouts, according to Aaron Wilson, who tweets that Williams is meeting with the Steelers today. Utah running back Devontae Booker and Michigan safety Jarrod Wilson are also in Pittsburgh to visit the Steelers, Wilson adds (via Twitter).

Extra Points: Manziel, Laurinaitis, Draft

2:25pm: Dallas PD could conclude its Manziel investigation by next week, the Associated Press reports.

12:03pm: The Dallas Police Department issued an update Saturday regarding its investigation of domestic violence claims against Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. The Dallas PD’s statement comes courtesy of Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link):

“On February 5, 2016, Dallas Police Department detectives began investigating a complaint of a domestic violence assault that occurred in Dallas on January 30, 2016, in which Jonathan Manziel was the listed suspect. Up to this point in the investigation, detectives have continued communicating with the complainant, interviewed witnesses, received medical records from the complainant, and obtained video from surveillance cameras. Detectives are continuing with their efforts to fully investigate the facts of this case. As this remains an on-going investigation, no details of the investigation will be released at this time. We would like to finish the investigation as soon as possible, but detectives work around the victim’s and witnesses’ schedules which can sometimes delay the process. As of today, there has been no determination as to what type of charge, if any, will be filed against Mr. Manziel. Updates to this case will be made as information comes available.”

The surveillance video mentioned in the statement is from the Hotel ZaZa, where Collen Crowley claims Manziel’s assault on her began, reports Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. As McManamon writes, Crowley stated in an affidavit that she told a hotel valet that she was scared for her life, and Manziel subsequently threw her in the passenger seat of his car. The Dallas PD has the video of Crowley’s encounter with the valet along with other surveillance, per McManamon.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Linebacker James Laurinaitis, whom the Rams cut Friday after he started 112 straight games for the club, was taken aback by his release. “I didn’t see this one coming,” he told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I thought maybe at worst, a pay cut. I still felt like I was producing.” The 29-year-old is fresh off his seventh consecutive 100-tackle season since entering the league in 2009 and, more impressively, has never missed a game. However, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated his 2015-16 performance an ugly 83rd out of 97 qualifying LBs.
  • Although Terron Beckham – cousin of Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. – didn’t play college football, the 23-year-old is hoping to catch on in the NFL as a running back. The 5-foot-11, 230-pounder will have a chance to impress scouts on Feb. 25 at a “shadow combine” in Indianapolis, reports Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. The event is for draft hopefuls who aren’t invited to next week’s national scouting combine or any regional combines. Terron Beckham, who’s a trainer and fitness model, says he’s “Marshawn Lynch and [Adrian Peterson] transformed into one person.” Despite that glowing self-assessment, he’s “an extreme long shot” to end up in the league, a personnel executive told Hubbuch. Further, it’s unknown if Beckham is even eligible for the draft, per Hubboch, as neither he nor his agent have called the league office to find out.
  • Speaking of the draft, teams are concerned about Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook‘s leadership abilities, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Cook can, however, allay those fears at the combine, Breer adds. MSU tightly restricts scouts at practice, per Breer (Twitter link), which means they haven’t been able to watch Cook interact with teammates.
  • The stock of Louisiana Tech QB Jeff Driskel is rising, perhaps as high as the second round, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. “I like Driskel,” an AFC scouting director told Wilson. “He can still use more polish, but he’s got a big arm and can move and seems very coachable. I could see him being drafted higher than most people think. He helped himself a lot.”