HEADLINES

Nevin Lawson

Martin Mayhew On Lions’ Draft

May 10th, 2014 at 8:13pm CST by Rob DiRe

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew spoke to the media after the NFL Draft to talk about the team’s draft strategy. He explained that his reason for not drafting a safety, thought to be a position of need, was a combination of being comfortable with the players they have already and the way the board fell, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN (via Twitter). Mayhew noted that the pick would have had to be an “impactful guy.”

Here are some other notes from the Lions’ draft class:

  • Mayhew said fourth-round pick Nevin Lawson’s “play speed” is better than he timed at the combine, according to Rothstein (via Twitter).
  • The team’s other fourth-round pick Larry Webster will line up at defensive end, writes Rothstein (via Twitter). Mayhew called him a raw player.
  • The Lions’ fifth-round pick, T.J. Jones, will most likely project as a slot receiver, meaning he will be competing with Ryan Broyles for playing time, reports Rothstein (via Twitter). Mayhew called the Notre Dame pass catcher a “clutch” guy.
  • Mayhew noted that the team considered drafting the kicker, Nate Freese, in the sixth round, and was happy to be able to get him in the seventh, according to Rothstein (via Twitter). In Mayhew’s view, after spending his college career kicking outside in the elements at Boston College, Freese will be great in the NFC North, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).

AFC North Rumors: McClain, Ravens, Browns

April 18th, 2014 at 4:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Terrence Cody spoke highly of Ravens teammate Rolando McClain, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “He’s humbled himself a lot,” Cody said of McClain, who was reinstated off of the reserve list yesterday. “I’m real excited to have back an old teammate I went to war with. It’s awesome.” Here’s more out of the AFC North..

  • Oregon cornerback Terrance Mitchell, who boasts a 4.43 second 40-yard-dash, is quickly gaining buzz, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Ravens have interest in Mitchell, who has already worked out for the Colts and Raiders. Mitchell didn’t allow any touchdowns in 2013 for the Ducks.
  • The Ravens‘ interest in Indiana wide receiver Cody Latimer is growing, tweets Wilson. Ravens wide receivers coach Bobby Engram will attend Latimer’s private workout next Friday in Bloomington (link). The Chargers auditioned the rising prospect earlier this week and the Rams are said to have interest.
  • Utah State cornerback Nevin Lawson will visit the Browns next Wednesday and Thursday, a league source tells Wilson. Lawson, a physical corner who runs a 4.48 40-yard-dash with a 33-inch vertical leap, previously visited the Falcons.

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).