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Morgan Moses

NFC Rookie Minicamp Notes: Jones, Lucas, Starr, Moses, Norwood

May 19th, 2014 at 10:54am CST by Matt Feminis

Bears undrafted free agent Christian Jones worked at strong-side linebacker during the team’s rookie minicamp, according to Adam Hoge of 670 AM/CBSChicago.com. Jones, a physically gifted linebacker, played a prominent role for national champion Florida State, seeing snaps at all three linebacker spots as well as rushing the passer. He was projected as a third-round pick based on talent evaluation, but a failed drug test caused him to tumble out of the draft entirely. Thin at linebacker, the Bears pounced on Jones, who says he stands to benefit from focusing on one position. He also revealed what gave the Bears the edge when it came time to choose a team: Jones’ father played with Bears linebackers coach Reggie Herring at FSU.

In other news from various NFC minicamps. . .

    • The Lions see big upside in 6-9, 328-pound undrafted free agent offensive lineman Cornelius Lucas, writes Carlos Monarrrez in the Detroit Free Press. Lucas, a two-year starter at Kansas State, suffered a stress fracture in his left foot two weeks before the combine, but his rare size and eye-popping 88-inch wing span piqued the interest of the Lions, who “did show the most interest in him and began contacting him when the fourth round of the draft began as they attempted to land a steal in the priority free-agent market.” As ESPN’s Michael Rothstein points out, Lucas’ developmental value is noteworthy considering defensive line coach Jim Washburn was able to turn undrafted free agent LaAdrian Waddle into an eight-game starter.
    • Falcons seventh-rounder Tyler Starr is a longshot worth keeping an eye on, writes ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, who says Starr “has a quick first step and plays with some power. He even beat first-round pick Jake Matthews around the edge on Sunday while showing a burst not typical of a late-round pick.” Starr lacks ideal speed and power, but the Missouri Valley’s Defensive Player of the Year is a high-motor defender whose 6.64-second three-cone drill bested all pass rushers at the combine.
    • Cowboys assistant director of player personnel Will McClay spoke with Dallas Morning News’ Jon Machota and said the team had a third/fourth-round grade on seventh-rounder Terrance Mitchell, a cornerback out of Oregon.
    • ESPN’s John Keim took in Redskins minicamp and gave brief thoughts on the team’s draft picks, including third-round tackle Morgan Moses, who could require some patience.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins

May 9th, 2014 at 12:03pm CST by Matt Feminis

Although Chip Kelly has had nothing but good things to say about Johnny Manziel publicly, it seems clear that the Eagles never really thought about taking him with the 22nd pick, writes Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine. “I love him,” Kelly said. “I think he’s a dynamic quarterback. I also think we have a very, very good quarterback situation – not only with Nick [Foles], but you add Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley – we think quarterback is a strength for us right now. We felt like the pass-rusher who we had rated higher was the guy we were gonna take.”

  • “Best player available” is used ad nauseam during the draft. However, it’s the Eagles‘ philosophy and they’re adamant about it, as evidenced by the quotes from GM Howie Roseman and elly in a column by Philadelphia Daily News writer Paul Domowitch following the (surprise) selection of Marcus Smith.
  • And then there’s the Cowboys, who did not stick to their board, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer (via Twitter). When the Cowboys lost out on their top three draft targets last night — all defensive players — they opted for a relatively safe choice in offensive lineman Zack Martin even though they had Manziel graded higher.
  • Consequently, rounds two and three have become more important for the Cowboys, says Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. After fielding a historically bad defense in 2013 and losing DeMarcus Ware, the team has plenty of holes to fill, especially on the defensive line. George mentions four defensive lineman who could be on the team’s radar tonight: Boise State’s Demarcus Lawrence, Missouri’s Kony Ealy, Oregon State’s Scott Crichton and Florida State’s Timmy Jernigan, all of whom made predraft visits to Dallas.
  • The Giants‘ selection of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. at No. 12 puts them on track to fix their broken offense, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. The LSU star caught 59 passes for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Giants wide receiver Reuben Randle, who played with Beckham at LSU, described him as a “DeSean Jackson type,” writes Ebenezer Samuel of the Daily News.
  • The Redskins were not part of Thursday night’s festivities, but they’re up at No. 34 tonight, and USA Today’s Steven Ruiz takes a look at their options. Most speculation centers around the team selecting an offensive lineman, perhaps Alabama’s Cyrus Kouandijo, Virginia’s Morgan Moses or UCLA’s Xavier Su’a-Filo.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Rumors: Panthers, Moses, Jets, Cowboys

May 8th, 2014 at 8:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Don’t look for the Buccaneers to go after a quarterback early in this draft. Coach Lovie Smith tells Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter) that Mike Glennon is the team’s QB of the future. The latest out of Radio City Music Hall..

  • Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter) heard from a league source today that the Panthers are not interested in Morgan Moses.
  • The Jets are sending out signals that they have interest in a quarterback in the first couple rounds, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Mehta adds that he would be surprised if that happens and we’re inclined to agree, seeing as how they have Michael Vick and Geno Smith under contract.
  • David Moore of The Dallas Morning News (on Twitter) hears the Cowboys have targeted three defensive players at No. 16. If they’re all gone, Moore says to look for them to go offense.
  • Peter King of Sports Illustrated (on Twitter) doesn’t believe any team was ever close to dealing for the Texans‘ No. 1 overall pick.

Dolphins Exploring First-Round Trades

May 7th, 2014 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

As draft night nears, the Dolphins are very much open for business, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who reports that the team has fielded and initiated multiple calls to other clubs, exploring potential trades up or down in the first round.

Salguero notes that the team’s apparent willingness to trade up from No. 19 is somewhat surprising, and he doesn’t have any specific details on possible moves up for Miami. In my view, it may be worth sliding up a few spots if an offensive tackle like Zack Martin or Taylor Lewan slips into the mid-teens. However, a trade down looks like the more likely scenario, particularly since the Dolphins only hold seven picks in this year’s draft, which doesn’t give them a whole lot of ammo to move up.

According to Salguero, the Dolphins have had “preliminary discussions” with the Eagles (No. 22), Browns (No. 26), and Saints (No. 27). The club has also spoken to the Niners, who hold the 30th pick, but may not want to drop behind the Panthers (No. 28), since Carolina also figures to be targeting an offensive tackle with its first pick.

As for specific targets, Salguero identifies Tennessee offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James and Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier as a couple players the Dolphins “love,” and adds that prospects like LSU wideout Odell Beckham Jr., USC receiver Marqise Lee, Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller, and Virginia offensive tackle Morgan Moses are also on Miami’s radar.

AFC North Rumors: Big Ben, Ravens, Browns

May 7th, 2014 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

Although Ben Roethlisberger heads into the 2014 season with two years left on his contract, he expects his career to extend well beyond his current deal, as he told 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday (link via ESPN.com’s Scott Brown).

“I feel like I’m in great shape,” Roethlisberger said. “I think I can get five, six, seven more years out of this arm and these legs.”

Roethlisberger turned 32 in March, so another seven seasons would have him pushing 40, but the Steelers at least appear interested in locking him up beyond the 2015 campaign. We heard last month that extension talks between the two sides have been ongoing for a while, and that discussions could pick up later this summer when Pittsburgh picks up some post-June 1 cap space.

Here’s more from around the AFC North:

  • The Ravens, who may be targeting a quarterback at some point in this week’s draft, have done their due diligence on LSU signal-caller Zach Mettenberger, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. That means the team is likely aware of a back condition called Spondylolsis, which several teams have medically flagged Mettenberger for, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. While LSU trainer Jack Marucci said it was a non-issue for the QB during his senior season, it would represent a long-term concern for Mettenberger’s NFL suitors.
  • Virginia offensive tackle Morgan Moses had 13 private workouts or official visits leading up to the draft, including a visit to Baltimore to meet with the Ravens, writes Wilson at the Sun. According to Wilson, the Saints were among the other teams to host Moses for a pre-draft visit.
  • The best approach for the Browns with their No. 4 pick on Thursday may be to trade down, says Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, making the case for why a move back would make sense for the club.

Pauline’s Latest: Richburg, Wenning, Moses

April 18th, 2014 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

With May 8 now less than three weeks away, draft expert Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net is back with his latest round of updates on prospects and pre-draft visits. Here’s a recap of several of the highlights from Pauline’s newest piece:

  • Colorado State center Weston Richburg, who has visited the Cardinals and worked out for the Patriots, could be a surprise round one pick, says Pauline, identifying the Packers, Patriots, and Broncos as potential landing spots. The Jaguars, at the start of the second round, could also be in the mix for Richburg.
  • Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning is generating significant interest from NFL teams, says Pauline, writing that that Wenning has had eight visits and eight additional workouts. Of the teams mentioned by Pauline as having hosted or worked out the signal-caller, the Rams are the only one we haven’t heard mentioned previously.
  • Virginia tackle Morgan Moses has seen his stock rise a little due to the ACL injury suffered by Brandon Thomas — teams eyeing tackles can no longer count on Thomas as a fallback option if they miss out on someone like Moses. According to Pauline, the Panthers may be a possibility late in the first round for Moses, and the tackle is unlikely to get past the Redskins in round two.
  • Speaking of Thomas, his ACL surgery means he’ll likely fall to the fourth or fifth round, in Pauline’s view.
  • We heard earlier in the week that Cameron Fleming visited the Redskins, and Pauline says Washington is “seriously interested” in the Stanford tackle. Fleming has also worked out for the Panthers, Falcons, and Titans, according to Pauline.
  • Bloomsburg guard Brian Clarke is visiting the Chargers and has a private workout lined up with the Giants, tweets Pauline.