Roberto Aguayo

Freeman’s Latest: Aguayo, Boehringer, Higbee

The Buccaneers didn’t just draft kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round of the draft — they traded up to get him, sacrificing a third- and fourth-round pick to acquire the 59th overall selection from the Chiefs. Not everyone around the league was on board with the move, as one general manager told Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that Tampa’s choice of Aguayo was “the dumbest pick in the history of the draft.”

While we ponder that bit of hyperbole, let’s take a look at the highlights from the rest of Freeman’s column…

  • Another pick that has garnered mixed reviews is the Vikings‘ selection of German wide receiver Moritz Boehringer in the sixth round, according to Freeman, who writes that one scout described the German league as “not even Division-III football.” The Boehringer pick, per Freeman, is quite divisive, as it seems league personnel are either strongly in favor or strongly against.
  • Even after enduring the Greg Hardy saga, the Panthers used a third-round pick on cornerback Daryl Worley, who faced a battery charge in 2014. As Freeman details, both Panthers GM Dave Gettleman and Worley himself were prepared to answer questions about the incident, and Carolina feels comfortable that its done enough research on the pick.
  • One NFC scout tells Freeman that the best value pick in the draft might’ve Oklahoma defensive end Charles Tapper, whom the Cowboys scooped up at the top of the third round. Some clubs were scared off by Tapper having the sickle cell trait, a condition that many teams consider minor.
  • On the other hand, another scout called new Rams tight end Tyler Higbee — who was charged with second-degree assault before the draft — one of the riskier picks in the draft. “He is a major partier,” said the scout, per Freeman. “That was his big problem, despite the arrests. He has a lot of maturing to do, and I’m not sure he can mature fast enough.”

Buccaneers Acquire 59th Pick From Chiefs

The Buccaneers have acquired the 59th selection from the Chiefs, tweets Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. In return, the Chiefs will land the 74th and 106th picks, according to the NFL Network. Surprisingly, the Bucs will choose Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Aguayo is the highest-drafted kicker since the Jets used a second-rounder on Mike Nugent in 2005. The Buccaneers had the third-worst field goal percentage in the NFL last season at 72.5 percent and finished toward the bottom in extra-point success rate (91.5%), so upgrading was in order on paper. However, after the team replaced Kyle Brindza with Connor Barth in October, its kicking performance improved significantly. Barth hit 23 of 28 field goals and only missed one extra point on 26 attempts.

Aguayo missed nine kicks during his three-year college career, though five of those came last year on 26 tries. During his best season, 2013, he nailed 21 of 22 field goals, won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker, and earned first-team All-America honors.

Draft Rumors: Aguayo, Oakman, Jets

Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo could wind up as a Day 2 pick thanks to the recent rule changes to extra points and kickoffs, Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Aguayo, who opted to go pro a year early, left FSU as the most accurate kicker in NCAA history. There has not been a kicker taken in the first three rounds since Mike Nugent in 2005 (second round choice of the Jets), but Aguayo could change that.

Here are the latest NFL draft rumors:

  • Earlier this month, Baylor’s Shawn Oakman was arrested on sexual assault charges. As it turns out, that might not have been his first ugly incident while at BU. On Monday, Alex Dunlap of SiriusXM (on Twitter) unearthed an police report from 2013 in which his ex-girlfriend alleges that she was physically abused during an argument regarding comments on her Instagram page. The news raises questions about the apparent inaction Baylor football program and further sinks the stock of Oakman. At this time, it would be surprising to see Oakman drafted at all.
  • Despite suffering a torn ACL, former West Virginia safety Karl Joseph is still expected to land in the first round, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. Joseph, who was pegged as a sure-fire first rounder prior to the injury, would likely have to sit out the first six games of the 2015 season. In Pro Football Rumors’ first 2016 mock draft (prior to the trades at No. 1 and No. 2), our Rob DiRe had Joseph coming off the board at No. 21.
  • Army punter Alex Tardieu is drawing interest from the Giants, Jets, and Falcons, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • Michigan Tech defensive lineman Tanner Agen is drawing interest from the Chiefs, Packers, and 49ers, Wilson tweets.
  • The Broncos, Browns, Raiders, Jets, and Panthers are evaluating Texas State offensive tackle Adrian Bellard as a Day 3 draft target, Wilson tweets.

Draft Updates: Conklin, Ogbah, Neal, Aguayo

All-American offensive tackle Jack Conklin will forgo his senior season at Michigan State and enter the 2016 NFL draft, according to Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that the offensive line prospect will be represented by Sean Howard and Vanguard Sports.

As Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets, Conklin has a realistic chance of coming off the board within the top 20 picks of this year’s draft. ESPN’s Todd McShay is particularly bullish on the Spartans’ tackle, ranking him as the third-best offensive lineman in this year’s draft class, and placing him 13th overall in his first mock draft (both Insider-only links).

Conklin isn’t the only college player whose intentions to declare early have been reported or announced today. Here’s the latest:

  • Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who was reportedly having preliminary meetings with agents over a month ago, will forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility to enter this year’s draft, he announced in a statement on Twitter. Miller tweets that he has an early second-round grade on Ogbah for the time being.
  • Florida safety Keanu Neal announced on Instagram that he will be heading to the NFL, rather than playing out his senior year with the Gators.
  • Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo announced (via Twitter) that he will enter this year’s draft. As Joe Reedy of The Associated Press notes (via Twitter), Aguayo graduated from school early last month.
  • North Carolina State has announced that tight end David Grinnage will skip his senior season and will enter the 2016 draft, according to Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press (Twitter link).