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Jimmy Garoppolo

AFC Notes: Browns, Garoppolo, Texans, Watt

April 25th, 2014 at 7:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Drafting an elite non-quarterback with the fourth overall pick and addressing the QB position with pick No. 26 is one option for the Browns, but as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, it’s not without risk. Since other teams recognize the Browns are very likely to select a signal-caller at some point early in the draft, those clubs could try to trade ahead of the No. 26 spot in order to snatch up one of the QBs Cleveland is considering.

Here’s more from around the AFC, including a note on one possible quarterback target for the Browns:

  • Eastern Illinois signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo visited the Texans yesterday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), and then headed to Cleveland to visit the Browns today, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
  • John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) thinks Jadeveon Clowney and Johnny Manziel are the Texans‘ most likely targets at No. 1, and adds that the club would have to be “overwhelmed” by an offer to trade down.
  • In an entertaining piece for the National Football Post, Joel Corry and Ari Nissim act out a hypothetical contract extension negotiation between the Texans and the agent for defensive star J.J. Watt.
  • Minnesota defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman has visited or worked out for the Titans, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Hageman has previously checked in with the Falcons, Cardinals, Colts, and Steelers. The 6-foot-6, 318-pound athlete, one of the most physically impressive defensive linemen in the draft, ran the 40-yard dash in 5.02 seconds.
  • Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego wonders if tall Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant would help the Chargers.
  • Michael Lombardi of the Patriots worked out Coastal Carolina running back Lorenzo Taliaferro today, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Dansby, Seahawks, Texans

April 24th, 2014 at 6:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL believes the Eagles released DeSean Jackson based on football reasons and not due to alleged gang connections, according to NFL senior vice president of law and labor policy Adolpho Birch. “I think we are comfortable that the decisions that were made on both ends were football decisions,” Birch told reporters, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Both sides, the objective that they sought from a football perspective, they got, whether that be the Eagles or the Redskins. I think the player’s going to be in a good position. I think at the end of the day, everyone was comfortable with that.”

  • Cardinals veteran Darnell Dockett was sad to see Karlos Dansby go to the Browns this offseason, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “I’ve got a lot of respect for our guy that left, I love him like a brother but we were one or two pieces away from making a lot of noise,” Dockett said. “But we are going to regroup. Our GM, coaches, owner will get someone to fill that role and we’ve got guys with enthusiasm of getting that opportunity for that role. They know they have big shoes to fill.“
  • Former Vikings and Cardinals cornerback A.J. Jefferson worked out for the Seahawks today, a source told Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The 26-year-old saw action in ten games last season for Minnesota.
  • Wide receiver Armanti Edwards is also working out for the Seahawks, a source tells Caplan (on Twitter). The wide receiver/special teamer split time between the Panthers and Browns last season. His campaign ended in November when he suffered an ankle injury in Cleveland.
  • Former Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson had a very positive visit with the Texans today, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Getlin adds (link) that Robinson’s agent, Eric Metz, has been good friends with Houston offensive line coach Paul Dunn since college. If the Texans are really high on Robinson, they can likely move down a few spots and walk away with additional picks.
  • Sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com that if the Texans take a defensive player first overall and draft a quarterback atop the second round, Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr, if available, would be Houston’s top two targets.
  • Baylor’s Demetri Goodson is scheduled to meet with the Texans on Saturday, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. The Cowboys, Dolphins, Saints and Eagles have also shown interest in the former Gonzaga point guard turned cornerback.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Aikens, Lawrence

April 23rd, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Rob DiRe

University of Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins is visiting Jets tomorrow, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). The team is in desperate need of a playmaker at the position, as Jeff Cumberland and Kellen Winslow struggled to provide a consistent option at tight end in 2013.

  • Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo visited the Jets today, reports Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). The team could be interested in the signal-caller, should he be available in the second round.
  • Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix will be visiting the Jets tomorrow, reports Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Clinton-Dix has visited the Pats and Eagles earlier this offseason.
  • The Dolphins are interested in Liberty cornerback Walt Aikens, writes Kevin Lerner of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The Dolphins need to add to their secondary, and were impressed by Aikens during Senior Bowl practices.
  • The Patriots had a pre-draft visit lined up for Demarcus Lawrence, but decided to cancel it, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. The defensive end/outside linebacker could go off the board within the top 50 picks.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Ravens Links: Carr, QBs, RBs, Draft Visits

April 15th, 2014 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Joe Flacco is locked in as the Ravens’ long-term starter at quarterback, but the team seems to be making an effort to upgrade its backups, as Aaron Wilson details for the Baltimore Sun. Although Tyrod Taylor is currently the No. 2 option behind Flacco, the Ravens are keeping an eye on the free agent market, and Wilson believes that veteran signal-caller David Carr could be a good fit for the club. As Wilson writes, Carr knows Gary Kubiak‘s system, has been healthy and durable, and shouldn’t be expensive.

Let’s round up a few more Ravens items….

  • Within that same piece, Wilson notes that the Ravens have hosted Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo and Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas on pre-draft visits. However, as the Sun scribe adds via Twitter, the team hasn’t scheduled any meetings or visits with Pittsburgh’s Tom Savage, one of the draft’s rising QB prospects.
  • The urgency to draft a running back has never been lower for NFL teams, which is good news for the Ravens, writes Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com. In Brown’s view, the team should be able to wait until the middle or late rounds to address the position, and could still end up with a solid player.
  • Wake Forest wide receiver Michael Campanaro, who worked out for the Ravens on Monday, told Wilson that “it went awesome” and that he came away encouraged by the workout.
  • Another player who participated in the Ravens’ local workout yesterday, Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle, is visiting the Raiders next, writes Wilson.

South Notes: Falcons, Bucs, Saints, Titans

April 15th, 2014 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure reported last Friday that Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews has a visit scheduled with the Falcons for the week of April 21, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets today that Matthews has already worked out for Atlanta. Considering the Falcons are very much in the market for help on the line on both sides of the ball, Matthews is certainly a player worth keeping an eye on for that No. 6 overall pick next month, and he seems to be drawing plenty of interest from the club.

Here’s more on the Falcons and a couple other South teams:

  • The Falcons are hosting East Carolina tight end Justin Jones for a pre-draft visit today and Auburn edge defender Dee Ford later in the week. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post and D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution have the respective details.
  • Wilson also tweets that Utah State cornerback Nevin Lawson is visiting the Falcons today and tomorrow.
  • Former Gators receiver and kick returner Solomon Patton is working out for the Buccaneers today, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
  • The Buccaneers and Saints are among the teams hosting sleeper Purdue tackle Kevin Pamphile for visits, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. According to Pauline, Pamphile is also visiting the Patriots, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Giants.
  • The Titans had Eastern Illinois signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo in for a pre-draft visit yesterday, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

King’s Latest: Clowney, Savage, Jags, Mack

April 14th, 2014 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

Peter King of TheMMQB.com shares a few notable draft updates to lead off his latest column, so let’s dive right in and check out the highlights….

  • Jadeveon Clowney won’t be working out for any more NFL teams, according to King, who says that Clowney and his camp have turned down at least three clubs hoping to work out the standout defensive end. The decision, which stems from the torn ACL suffered by Brandon Thomas during a workout with the Saints, was met with mixed reactions from the general managers who spoke to King. While it shouldn’t have a real impact on Clowney’s draft stock, at least one GM was disappointed not to get a closer look at the South Carolina defender: “I’d want the guy who’s going to be coaching him to put him through some of our drills, and see how he responds.”
  • Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage is one of the draft’s hottest names, and has such a full calendar this month that he literally has no room to schedule more visits. By the end of April, Savage will have visited with or worked out for 24 or 25 teams, says King. There’s a good chance that the young signal-caller could be drafted ahead of players like A.J. McCarron, Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger.
  • Four quarterback-needy teams with top-five picks – the Texans, Jaguars, Browns, and Raiders – are “strongly considering” passing on the position in the first round, according to King. Those teams aren’t necessarily in love with any of the top quarterbacks, and may prefer to take a surer thing at another position. I’d be pretty surprised if all four of those clubs decided not to draft a QB in round one, but it sounds like at least a couple could pass.
  • The Jaguars “really like” Jimmy Garoppolo, who could be available when Jacksonville picks in the second round.
  • King also explores the Alex Mack situation, suggesting that the Jaguars‘ willingness to negotiate with Mack and offer him $18MM+ guaranteed could buy some good will for the team next time the veteran center hits free agency. King adds that Mack likely won’t forget that the Browns, who had plenty of cap space and for whom the 28-year-old has never missed a game, didn’t choose to pay him until their hand was forced. I’m not sure I fully agree with King on that point, since simply using their transition tag on Mack indicated that the Browns were serious about keeping him around and paying him a significant salary. Still, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in two years when Mack has the chance to opt out.

North Notes: Coleman, Vikings, Lions, Steelers

April 11th, 2014 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

After hosting Kurt Coleman for a visit this week, the Vikings offered the free agent safety a contract, but it wasn’t enough to get him to pull the trigger, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Although the two sides may revisit talks at a later time, Coleman appears to still be exploring all his options.

Here are a few more notes from the NFL’s two North divisions, with a focus on pre-draft visits:

  • The Vikings are conducting a private workout today with Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
  • We know the Lions have real interest in receiver Sammy Watkins, but apparently he’s not the only member of the family drawing attention from the club. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that the Lions also had a private workout for Florida defensive back Jaylen Watkins, Sammy’s brother.
  • Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby, Boston College linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, and Arizona State linebacker Carl Bradford are visiting the Steelers today, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Ravens recently met with Virginia Tech signal-caller Logan Thomas, who has also met with the Bengals, according to Wilson. As Wilson details, in addition to those AFC North teams, Thomas has also worked out for or met with the Patriots, Cardinals, and Texans.

Jaguars To Host Bridgewater, Carr, Others

April 8th, 2014 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

8:44am: Rapoport and Schefter pass along word of a few more pre-draft visits for the Jaguars, with Rapoport tweeting that linebacker Anthony Barr will be in town tomorrow, while Schefter reports (via Twitter) that quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Jimmy Garoppolo are also on the schedule.

8:37am: As we noted last night, one of 2014’s top quarterback prospects, Johnny Manziel, is set to pay the Jaguars a visit this week, but he won’t be the only notable prospect in town over the next couple days. Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports that quarterback Derek Carr will also meet with the Jags, while Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that linebacker Khalil Mack will visit the team, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) offensive tackle Greg Robinson will also be in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars hold the No. 3 overall pick in next month’s draft and appear to be considering a variety of players and positions. Manziel and Robinson are perhaps the more likely members of this group to be top-three picks, but Mack is viewed as the best linebacker available, and Carr is, at worst, considered the best signal-caller available outside of the top three of Manziel, Blake Bortles, and Teddy Bridgewater.

Schefter adds that Mack will travel on to St. Louis to meet with the Rams following his visit with the Jaguars.

Pre-Draft Visits: Garopollo, Cooks, Lee

April 4th, 2014 at 7:44pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Browns brought Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in for a private visit earlier today, writes Jeff Schudel of the Morning Journal (he writes March 4, but he most likely means April 4). Schudel examines the idea of the Browns selecting a position other than quarterback at the top of the first round, and looking to grab the rookie signal caller with the 26th pick in the first round, or the third pick in round two.

Schudel writes that Browns star receiver Josh Gordon believes the team will take a quarterback with the fourth pick, and that Teddy Bridgewater would be his choice.

Here are some notes from some other pre-draft visits:

  • Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks is visiting the Jets, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Cooks also has received interest from the Patriots and the Panthers.
  • In addition to Cooks, the Patriots have expressed interest in receivers Marqise Lee of USC, Mike Evans of Texas A&M, Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU, and Kelvin Benjamin of Florida State, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (via Twitter).
  • The Saints have scheduled a visit with Lee, but have not yet set a date to meet with Cooks, reports Larry Holder of NOLA.com (via Twitter).
  • The Giants worked out quarterback Rusty Smith, reports Howard Balzer of LockerDome.com (via Twitter). Smith appeared in three games for the Titans between 2010 and 2012, throwing no touchdowns and four interceptions.
  • Balzer also notes that Kurt Coleman visited the Colts, and while he is not an ideal candidate to replace the departed Antoine Bethea, he could add depth to the safety position

Draft Updates: Quarterbacks, Mack, Tuitt

April 2nd, 2014 at 6:07pm CST by Matt Feminis

Here’s a handful of early-evening draft notes:

  • Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will visit the Titans later this month, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean (via Twitter).
  • The Browns will host a handful of quarterback prospects this week, including Blake Bortles (Central Florida, today), Derek Carr (Fresno State), Garoppolo, Tom Savage (Pittsburgh) and Keith Wenning (Ball State), according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (via Twitter), who says Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel will be in Cleveland later this month.
  • Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack, regarded as an elite defensive prospect, worked out for the Falcons today, per NFL.com’s Gil Brandt (via Twitter).
  • Notre Dame defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt worked out for the Rams on Tuesday, and is scheduled to work out for the Steelers and Patriots this week, according to Brandt (via Twitter).
  • The Bears, in desperate need of professional starting safeties, hosted Washington State’s Deone Bucannon, according to ESPNChicago.com’s Jeff Dickerson.
  • Several of the Rams’ 30 allotted pre-draft visits are taking place this week, according to ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner, who mentions Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert, Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald in addition to those reported previously.
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