HEADLINES

Josh Ford

AFC East Notes: Pats, Groves, Keller

June 11th, 2014 at 7:46pm CST by Zachary Links

With the NFL unveiling the first member of the Patriots on their Top 100 for 2014 list tonight, Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com looked back at the Pats players who have made the list in previous years. Tom Brady, unsurprisingly, has been a mainstay in the top 5, being named No. 1 in 2011 and No. 4 in 2012 and 2013. Aaron Hernandez made his first top 100 in 2013, but it’s a pretty safe bet that he won’t be featured in this year’s edition. Here’s more out of the AFC East..

  • Former Browns linebacker Quentin Groves visited the Patriots today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (via Twitter). The Redskins are up next for the former Auburn standout and he’ll visit Washington D.C. tomorrow. The 29-year-old was expected to be a menacing pass rusher when he was taken with the 52nd overall pick in the 2008 draft, but he has yet to realize his potential. In six NFL seasons, Groves has recorded just 8.5 sacks for the Jaguars, Raiders, Cardinals, and Browns.
  • The Patriots are keeping in touch with tight end Dustin Keller, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Keller suffered a major knee injury during the 2013 preseason with the Dolphins and is still working his way back to football shape. Keller caught 241 passes for 2,876 yards and 17 touchdowns in five seasons with the Jets, including career highs of 65 receptions for 815 yards and five touchdowns in 2011 when he last played a full 16-game season.
  • The Bills are working out former Kansas receiver and special-teamer Josh Ford, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Ford recorded 14 special-teams tackles and blocked three kicks during his senior season with the Jayhawks.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Draft Updates: Bucs, Bills, McCarron, Savage

April 29th, 2014 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

A handful of teams picking at the top of next week’s draft have expressed an openness to move down in the first round, and we can add the Buccaneers to this list. Speaking to reporters today, including Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com, Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht didn’t rule out the possibility of trading down.

“That’s definitely something we’d look into,” Licht said. “We’ve already reached out to teams. If our player isn’t there, we’d be open to conversations about moving back.”

Here are several more draft-related items for Tuesday afternoon:

  • Within his latest mock draft at ESPN.com, Todd McShay cites three league sources who have told him in the past week that the Bills are trying to trade up from No. 9. According to McShay, if Buffalo does make a move, it will likely be to land Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins, or Greg Robinson.
  • Appearing on The Paul Finebaum Show, Alabama signal-caller A.J. McCarron suggested he’s been told he could be drafted as high as 16th in the draft, which is the spot the Cowboys currently hold (link via Andrew Gribble of AL.com).
  • Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage quietly made a pre-draft visit to the Jets last week, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
  • After previously identifying a few teams who hosted Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com names a few more, tweeting that Ward also visited the Colts, Saints, Texans, and Vikings.
  • LSU guard Trai Turner has worked out privately for the Lions, Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, and Saints, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson adds that Turner also visited the Cowboys, Cardinals, Colts, and Dolphins.
  • Kansas wide receiver and special teams ace Josh Ford has drawn interest from the Packers, Panthers, Texans, Jets, and Chiefs, tweets Wilson.
  • The Giants, Jets, and Lions were among the teams to host Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle for a pre-draft visit, writes Wilson.
  • Finally, Wilson reports that Wisconsin defensive tackle Beau Allen had a total of eight visits and three private workouts, and tweets that Albany tackle Kadeem Williams has been informed he’s on an AFC South team’s draft board.