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Khalil Mack

Raiders Sign Khalil Mack

May 15th, 2014 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raiders have signed outside linebacker Khalil Mack to his rookie contract, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Mack, the fifth overall selection last Thursday, becomes the highest draft pick to ink his deal so far.

As a first-round pick, Mack will receive a four-year contract and the Raiders will hold a fifth-year option on the deal. According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, slot money for the fifth overall pick should ensure that Mack receives a signing bonus of more than $11MM, and that the base value of his four-year pact works out to about $18.677MM.

In addition to being the highest-picked player to sign his deal to date, Mack is also the first of eight Oakland draftees to be locked up. You can follow the progress of this year’s draft pick signings right here.

North Rumors: Browns, Ravens, Lions, Steelers

May 8th, 2014 at 4:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Could it be the Browns, rather than the oft-rumored Texans or Rams, that end up moving down in a deal with the Falcons tonight? Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) believes that’s a possibility if Khalil Mack is still available at No. 4. Mack remains a strong potential candidate to go to Jacksonville at No. 3, but there are certainly feasible scenarios in which he remains on the board at No. 4, and if Cleveland is eyeing another player, moving down a couple spots and picking up an extra pick or two could be worthwhile.

Here are a few more draft-day updates on AFC and NFC North teams, among others:

  • Unsurprisingly, given the familial connection between the two franchises, the Ravens and 49ers have engaged in some trade discussions, per Rapoport (via Twitter). San Francisco has frequently been cited as a team that would like to move up in the first round and has the ammunition to do it.
  • Finding help for their respective quarterbacks seems to be a focus for both the Lions and Bills, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). That suggests to me that if either team was able to trade up it would be for a wide receiver or an offensive tackle, rather than a defensive player.
  • It’s worth keeping an eye on the Steelers and tight end Eric Ebron in the first round tonight, says Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
  • Tight end Jordan Cameron has signed with CAA Sports and will be represented by agents Tom Condon and R.J. Gonser, tweets Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal. The Browns are reportedly hoping to lock up Cameron before he reaches free agency in 2015.
  • The Lions intend to waive linebacker Jon Morgan with an injury settlement soon to free up space to sign undrafted free agents, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Morgan signed a futures contract with the team after the season, but injured his knee during a voluntary workout last month.

Pauline On Manziel, Bucs, Bortles, Raiders

May 7th, 2014 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL executives widely believe that if Johnny Manziel is selected in the first eight picks tomorrow, it will be by decree of the owner rather than the scouting department or GM, writes Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. One source told Pauline that it feels like a lot of GMs are hoping Manziel is off the board before it’s their turn to pick so that there’s no discussion or distraction of selecting the signal caller. This is especially the case in Tampa Bay where Buccaneers owners are pushing for Manziel but coach Lovie Smith is after defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Here’s more from Pauline’s column..

  • Consistent with what we’ve already heard, the Browns like Manziel but not enough to use the No. 4 pick on him. The name that Pauline hears often connected to Cleveland is receiver Mike Evans and Blake Bortles is a dark horse possibility.
  • If Bortles slides past the Vikings at No. 8, look for the Cardinals to try and move up for him.
  • The Raiders are shopping their first round pick and while there’s been interest, no team has matched their asking price. Right now Oakland would like Khalil Mack, Mike Evans, or Sammy Watkins at No. 5. If they are able to trade down the pick is likely to be quarterback Derek Carr.
  • The Panthers have been known to like Joel Bitonio at No. 28 and Pauline hears the Chargers will also consider him at No. 25.
  • There’s a feeling the Panthers could attempt to trade up for a receiver or offensive tackle and the Dolphins are the obvious trade partner. Miami, Pauline hears, will entertain offers for the 19th pick if Zack Martin is unavailable. By doing that, the Panthers would assure themselves receiver Brandin Cooks or Marqise Lee, whichever is available. If that’s the case, Bitonio could then land with the Seahawks as the first round closes out.
  • The 49ers have let it be known they plan to be aggressive on draft day and use their arsenal of top 100 picks to move up. Right now, sources say SF has their eye on receiver Odell Beckham. The price to move up for Evans is a little steep and Beckham fills a need for them. Another plus to Beckham is that they’d provide a safeguard if Michael Crabtree‘s price tag in free agency next year is too high.

Extra Points: Texans, Rams, Eagles, Beckham

May 6th, 2014 at 9:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans and the Rams hold the first two picks in the draft and there’s a growing sense that both teams really want to trade down, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The thinking in some league circles is that the Texans would like to trade down and take linebacker Khalil Mack while its believed the Rams would like to trade back for tackle Jake Matthews. The question now, Florio writes, is whether either or both team actually can trade down. Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL..

  • Earlier tonight Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter) reported that the Browns won’t take Johnny Manziel at No. 4 and he now says the Raiders won’t select the Texas A&M QB at No. 5 either.
  • Florio hears that if the Buccaneers move up, it’ll be to select Manziel, not Sammy Watkins. It’s not known whether a deal is close or even doable, however.
  • The Eagles would like to add an edge rusher, but there aren’t many quality ones in this year’s draft, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Perhaps it’s a good thing then that General Manager Howie Roseman believes in taking the best player available regardless of position.
  • Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders if the 49ers should go for a fast receiver or a big receiver in the draft. If SF fails to trade up and get speedster Odell Beckham Jr., a bigger receiver could fall to the team at no. 30, including FSU’s Kelvin Benjamin.
  • The Seahawks have sent agents a brochure recruiting undrafted free agents with details on how they keep and develop UDFAs, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rapoport (link) also has the brochure in PDF form for those who want to check it out.
  • Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas has signed with agents Brian Murphy and Dave Dunn of Athletes First, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). Thomas checked in with the Falcons and Bears last month.
  • The lack of contract extensions so far for the 2011 draft class doesn’t reflect a failure on the part of the league’s CBA, argues Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, pointing out that those extensions will just happen later than they used to.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Pompei’s Latest: Texans, Flowers, Glennon

May 6th, 2014 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest Read Option piece, Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report makes the case that Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack represents the best choice for the Texans with the first overall pick. For his part, Mack would love to come off the board first, but recognizes that it’s not necessarily the most important thing.

“I don’t think it matters if I go first,” Mack said. “I feel like I’ve worked hard and shown I can be a great player and teammate. If every team knew everything I was about, I feel they would draft me. But what matters is what happens after you are picked.”

Here’s more from Pompei:

  • The Texans want to add more picks, and have long been rumored to be exploring trades involving the first overall pick. However, Pompei suggests the team may end up trading its first pick in the second round, rather than the first — Houston has actively been shopping that 33rd overall pick, according to Pompei’s sources.
  • The Chiefs are believed to be willing to discuss trades involving cornerback Brandon Flowers in an effort to land more draft picks, says Pompei. We’ll have to wait to see how serious Kansas City is about that possibility, but if the team looks to find a deal, I wonder if the Jets might be a match — New York has a need at cornerback, plenty of 2014 draft picks (12), and more than enough cap space to take on Flowers’ $5.25MM base salary.
  • While some quarterback-needy teams say the Buccaneers haven’t called them to shop Mike Glennon, that might change after the draft, according to Pompei, who writes that coach Lovie Smith and GM Jason Licht are expected to “stir up the quarterback position.” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com agrees that Glennon will be shopped if the Bucs draft a signal-caller, though he says that Tampa Bay won’t just give Glennon away, adding that the asking price could be a second-round pick (all Twitter links).

Lions Notes: CBs, Trades, Draft, WRs

May 6th, 2014 at 8:11am CST by Luke Adams

Back at the NFL’s scouting combine in February, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew told the media he was confident cornerback Chris Houston would bounce back from a subpar, injury-plagued 2013 season, but the GM doesn’t appear quite as certain now. As Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes, Mayhew confirmed that Houston is still dealing with a medical issue, and may need surgery to correct the problem. Depending on the veteran’s health status, cornerback could be an area of focus for the Lions when the draft gets underway this Thursday.

Here’s more on the Lions….

  • The Lions and Bills have had conversations about moving into the top five, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who hears that those clubs are looking for a bargain. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) adds that there’s “no doubt” the Lions would move up to land Sammy Watkins, Khalil Mack, or even Mike Evans, if the price is right, but it’s not clear what the right price would be.
  • Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press believes the Lions should target a cornerback in the first round, and identifies Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard as the ideal choice for the club.
  • While cornerback – and a few other positions – may be areas of need for the Lions, the team isn’t likely to deviate from its usual best-player-available strategy, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com.
  • The Lions still like Ryan Broyles, who is recovering from Achilles surgery, but the club figures to draft at least one receiver this week, says Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.

Monday Roundup: Keisel, More Draft Notes

May 5th, 2014 at 10:48pm CST by Rory Parks

It might come as a bit of a shock, but there is one piece of non-draft news to pass along tonight. According to ESPN.com’s Scott Brown, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has not ruled out a possible reunion with DE Brett Keisel. Tomlin added that the team has to add to its defensive line (Twitter link).

Now let’s round up some more draft-related rumors for the final post of the evening and gear up for another day of draft nuggets tomorrow.

  • More and more teams are trying to mimic the examples set by master draft manipulators like Baltimore’s Ozzie Newsome and New England’s Bill Belichick, and so there has been a great deal of speculation regarding what teams might want to move up or down in the 2014 draft, particularly in the first round. The defending AFC champions are no exception. Broncos GM John Elway says he is open to trading up or down, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, and although the team could use a cornerback, the top CB prospects are likely to be gone before Denver’s No. 31 overall selection. Linebacker and offensive lineman are also first-round possibilities for the club.
  • ESPN.com’s Mike Sando has compiled a list of the top eight questions to consider heading into Thursday’s first round. The whole article is worth a read, but the highlights include Sando’s belief that Khalil Mack could be the top prospect to have an Aaron Rodgers-like fall in the draft, and his insight that Odell Beckham, Jr., not Mike Evans, could be directly behind Sammy Watkins as the No. 2 wideout on some teams’ boards.
  • Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes that Michael Sam, despite the positive publicity he has garnered over the past few months, is widely regarded as a “non-entity” by many top executives.
  • Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net writes that the Ravens‘ top target is TE Eric Ebron, who may or may not be around when the Ravens pick at No. 17 overall. According to Pauline, the Giants may be souring on Ebron, though if Baltimore does not trade up, the Steelers are also considered a top suitor for Ebron’s services.
  • ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky looks at some potential targets for the Titans if they choose to trade down.
  • ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco makes a case for the Jaguars to draft Teddy Bridgewater.
  • NFL.com’s Albert Breer tweets that the Chiefs could be a surprise team in the market for a first-round QB, as negotiations with Alex Smith are not progressing well.

More Draft Rumors: La Canfora, Bryant

May 5th, 2014 at 9:58pm CST by Rory Parks

As the draft season has evolved, more and more pundits have come to believe that Jadeveon Clowney will be the first player taken in the draft. CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora lends his support to that theory, adding that although the Texans would love to trade down from their No. 1 overall pick, they will find it hard to do so. If they do manage to find a trade partner, the most likely scenario, La Canfora writes, is a team like the Falcons moving up to take Clowney. Of course, someone like Greg Robinson could be the target in such a move, but Clowney is still the top prize in this year’s class.

La Canfora goes on to describe in detail the options available to the teams holding the first five picks in the draft. For instance, he notes that the Rams are “wheeler-dealers” and have been entertaining calls for the No. 2 overall selection, although those conversations have not intensified as of yet. La Canfora believes that, if the Rams stay put and Clowney is somehow still on the board, they will go with Clowney. If Clowney has been taken, then Robinson would be the answer, though Jake Matthews would get some consideration as well. If, however, the Rams do find a trade partner and move down in the draft, then the Johnny Manziel-to-St. Louis rumors that have already been circulating in full force would gain even more traction.

Now let’s continue to clean out the draft notebook:

  • Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta says that there are three elite prospects in the draft: Clowney, Robinson, and Khalil Mack, according to Jim Corbett of USA Today Sports. There has been enough chatter surrounding each of those players to at least keep them in the conversation surrounding the first overall pick.
  • Like a lot of wide receivers in this year’s class, Clemson’s Martavis Bryant, despite being a first-round talent, will probably end up being a Day 2 selection, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. Marvez cites Bryant’s college coach, Dabo Sweeney, who adds that Bryant would have benefited from one more year at Clemson.
  • As we learned yesterday, it is more difficult to draft a wide receiver than almost any other position. The 49ers know that better than anybody, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Since 1990, the 49ers have drafted 10 wideouts in the first three rounds of the draft, and only three of those players logged more than 78 career receptions. San Fransisco is, as Branch notes, expected to dip its toe into the pool of early-round receivers yet again this year, and GM Trent Baalke acknowledges the difficulty of the task.
  • NFL.com’s Albert Breer tweets that Odell Beckham, Jr. and Ryan Shazier are two players who could go a little higher than expected. We learned earlier tonight that at least one team above the Jets’ No. 18 overall pick loves Beckham, and Shazier has put himself alongside C.J. Mosley as the second-best LB in the draft outside of Mack.
  • Unfortunately for Mosley, middle linebackers are becoming more and more of an afterthought, write Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.

King’s Latest: Mack, Manziel, Beckham Jr.

May 5th, 2014 at 8:30am CST by Dallas Robinson

Once again, Peter King of TheMMQB.com has opened the week by sharing a number of intriguing notes, courtesy of his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column. Let’s work through the most interesting highlights:

  • There is still talk that the Texans would like to either trade down from the first overall pick, or select Khalil Mack rather than Jadeveon Clowney. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported as much yesterday, and King adds that though a team like the Falcons is expected to be interested in trading up to No. 1, the Texans likely wouldn’t receive an overwhelming return.
  • The Rams seem to be set on Greg Robinson at No. 2, rather than either Sammy Watkins or Jake Matthews. But things could get interesting when the Rams are back on the clock with the 13th pick — St. Louis’ GM Les Snead recently met with Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was Johnny Manziel’s offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, and left the visit believing Manizel could flourish in the NFL.
  • The main concern of the Jaguars appears to be avoiding risk and making a safe selection; King observes that both Watkins and Matthews would fit that profile.
  • The Vikings may look to add a defensive contributor with the eighth pick (perhaps Aaron Donald), and then select their quarterback of the future at pick No. 40.
  • King hears that the Eagles are interested in trading up to select a receiver, with eyes on acquiring a versatile threat like Odell Beckham Jr. GM Howie Roseman has talked to at least two teams in the middle of the first round about moving up.
  • The Cardinals remain interested in Derek Carr, but King wonders if it is prudent for Arizona to use a first-round pick on a “redshirt” quarterback when the team is so close to contention.
  • Browns GM Ray Farmer has talked to one team with a low first-round pick about trading back into the first round, using Cleveland’s second-round pick as bait. This would mean the Browns would have three first-round picks in total, leading King to believe Cleveland wants to move ahead of the Texans at pick No. 33 in order to secure a franchise quarterback.
  • One team within the top ten is seriously considering selecting Zack Martin, who is picking up the most buzz of any player in the draft.

Prospect Notes: Manziel, Clowney, Mack, Carr

May 4th, 2014 at 7:53pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns are in need of a quarterback and this year’s draft class gives the team a number of different options. According to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan seems to be particularly infatuated with former Aggies’ passer Johnny Manziel.

“It’s obvious how good of a player he is, how fun he is to watch,” said Shanahan. “I think it does translate to the NFL. If you can make those plays in college, you can do it in the NFL.

“He’s going to be able to make plays in this league. Eventually when they try to contain him, he’s going to have to do everything he didn’t always have to do in college.”

Shanahan and his staff put Manziel through a private workout at Texas A&M in addition to hosting him in Cleveland. The Browns have the fourth-overall pick.

Let’s see what’s going on with some other notable prospects…

  • After speaking with people who know Texans general manager Rick Smith, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport is no longer certain that the team will take Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick (via Twitter). In a subsequent tweet, Rapoport adds that the team would be willing to trade down.
  • Following up on the report by SI’s Peter King, Rapoport confirms (via Twitter) that Khalil Mack is an option for the number-one pick.
  • If the Texans do indeed pass on Clowney, Rapoport points out the “incredible drama” the Rams would be presented with (via Twitter).
  • Derek Carr said that four or five teams told him that they would like to trade into the 20-29 range to select him, reports John Clayton of ESPN.com.
  • In the same post, Clayton adds that the Lions would like to move up a few spots to select receiver Mike Evans.
  • Washington State safety Deone Bucannon and Boise State linebacker Demarcus Lawrence could be surprise first-round picks, tweets Eric Galko of OptimumScouting.com.

 

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