HEADLINES

Paxton Lynch

Paxton Lynch, Jared Goff To Enter Draft

December 31st, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

Paxton Lynch and Jared Goff, viewed by most observers as the top two quarterbacks potentially available this spring, are both expected to announce their intent to enter the 2016 draft today, according to reports.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Lynch will announce at a press conference this morning that he’s forgoing the remainder of his college eligibility to enter the draft, while Joe Schad of ESPN.com tweets that a similar announcement is coming from Goff. According to Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk, Goff will declare his intent at a 10:00am PT press conference.

Lynch, the 6’7″ signal-caller for the Memphis Tigers, completed 66.8% of his passes this year, compiling 3,778 yards and 28 touchdowns through the air, with just four interceptions. While there are many scouts and player evaluators that view Lynch as the better prospect than Goff, not everyone is convinced he’s NFL-ready, as Bucky Brooks of NFL.com writes.

Goff, meanwhile, racked up 4,714 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns for Cal in his junior year. He also tossed 13 interceptions, and some questions arose about his mechanics, but he’s viewed as player who will come off the board early in the first round.

In his first mock draft of the year, ESPN’s Todd McShay had Lynch coming off the board at No. 2, with Goff being selected with the No. 5 overall pick.

Extra Points: Draft, Titans, Gabbert, Manning

December 11th, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While none of this year’s crop of collegiate quarterbacks are projected to be as successful as Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota, NFL personnel men do see four QBs — Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, Cal’s Jared Goff, Michigan State’s Connor Cook, and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz — as being worthy of a first-round pick, according to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com.

Elsewhere in draft-land, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net reports that Penn State signal-caller Christian Hackenberg, once projected as potential first-rounder himself, is likely to enter the draft, and will probably announce as such in the near future. Two other collegiate players — Boise State edge rusher Kamalei Correa and Stanford tight end Austin Hooper — are intent on entering the draft, as well, says Pauline.

  • Free agent corner Cary Williams, who visited with the Titans yesterday, is still drawing the attention of the club, tweets Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com. Tennessee management will reportedly make a decision on whether or not to sign Williams at some point early next week. Williams, who was cut by the Seahawks on Monday, has also garnered interest from the Rams.
  • In other Tennessee news, Titans linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil suffered torn patellar tendon in practice on Thursday and will require surgery, meaning he’ll miss the rest of the season, reports McCormick (Twitter link). Practice squad ‘backer J.R. Tavai is a candidate to be promoted to the active roster, adds McCormick.
  • Veteran receiver Anquan Boldin believes Blaine Gabbert can be the 49ers‘ quarterback of the future, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Gabbert has led San Francisco to a 2-2 record in his four starts, averaging 240 yards per game while throwing five touchdowns and three interceptions. For what it’s worth, he’s only signed through next season, with a 2016 cap charge of $2.25MM.
  • Peyton Manning has $4MM riding on whether or not he gets to start in the playoffs — as Mike Klis of 9 News writes, Manning could earn $2MM for winning the AFC Championship Game, and another $2MM for winning the Super Bowl. Manning must start those games, adds Klis, meaning he can’t earn the bonuses by coming on in relief. At this point, though, it’s hard to see how the Broncos can turn back to Manning given how Brock Osweiler has played.