Shaq Lawson - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Rumors: Clemons, 49ers, Bears, Lawson

April 10th, 2016 at 7:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Clemons‘ one-year deal worth $1.5MM indicates he’ll have to compete for a spot on the Seahawks‘ roster despite his ties with the organization, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com reports.

Only Clemons’ $150K signing bonus is guaranteed, with the returning defensive end’s status possibly tied to what the team does in the draft later this month. Kapedia identifies the 34-year-old Clemons as a candidate to back up Cliff Avril at the hybrid LEO defensive end spot, with Frank Clark expected to step into Bruce Irvin‘s right-side role.

Clemons did not fare as well with the Jaguars as he did under Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn in Seattle, registering just three sacks in seven starts in 2015. However, the well-traveled veteran had shown consistency prior to last year. Playing in 16 regular-season games in eight of the past nine seasons, Clemons collected eight sacks in 2014 after posting double-digit numbers in that category from 2011-13 in Seattle.

The one-year pact includes $12,500K in active-roster bonuses, along with a $150K workout bonus, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).

Here’s some more from the NFC on Sunday night.

San Francisco has been labeled as one of the quarterback landing spots at No. 7, but the 49ers will look to take the best player available, regardless of Colin Kaepernick‘s status, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com hears. Raanan goes as far as to remove the 49ers from the first-round quarterback derby. The 49ers, though, have already met with Carson Wentz and Jared Goff, and observed Paxton Lynch‘s pro day. The team has also inquired about the No. 1 overall pick, inducing obvious queries about their interest in this year’s quarterback crop.
Kyle Long will factor into the Bears‘ tackle competition despite having been better at guard, John Mullin of CSNChicago.com reports. He could wind up outside again after moving from guard to right tackle in 2015, and that positional versatility will serve him well upon trying to reach a long-term deal with the Bears, Mullin writes. Meanwhile, Manny Ramirez and Ted Larsen are the favorites going into the draft to open up at the guard spots, with their deals likely contingent on receiving strong opportunities to claim starting jobs, Mullin offers. Of course, both players have extensive experience at center, expanding the likelihood of both winding up in Chicago’s starting five.
Clemson’s Shaq Lawson is visiting the Bears, the prospect posted on his Twitter account. Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets the visit will occur Monday. Prior to the defensive end’s trip to Chicago, however, he’ll stop in Detroit to meet with Lions personnel, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Lawson, who registered 12.5 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss as a junior in 2015 despite playing with knee and shoulder injuries, visited with the Cowboys and Panthers last week.
Wide receiver Robby Anderson will visit the Packers, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. The Temple target who ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the Owls’ pro day visited the Browns, Dolphins and Eagles recently.

NFC Draft Notes: 49ers, Rams, Lions, Saints

April 9th, 2016 at 12:02pm CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at some AFC-centric draft notes earlier today, so now we’ll switch focus to the NFC…

Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander is visiting with the 49ers today and will visit with the Rams on Monday, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Rams have “serious interest” in the prospect.
Unless Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley or Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III fall to the Lions, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein could envision the team selecting Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson. Depending on which players are available at the 16th pick, the writer could also see general manager Bob Quinn considering a move back in the draft.
Meanwhile, if Hargreaves falls to the Saints at the 12th pick, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett said the defensive back would certainly be under consideration. The writer also list defensive backs William Jackson III (Houston), Eli Apple (Ohio State) and Mackensie Alexander (Clemson) as potential options.
Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted the names of several prospects who will be attending the Buccaneers local day: Jacksonville University’s Logan Williamson, Purdue cornerback Frankie Williams, Buffalo corner Marqus Baker, Purdue cornerback Anthony Brown, and Jacksonville State wideout Ruben Gonzalez.

South Rumors: Titans, Ramsey, Jack

April 7th, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans will meet with Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey on Monday, as John Glennon of The Tennessean writes. Ramsey, who can play both corner and safety, is widely considered to be one of the top talents in this year’s class and the Titans are giving real thought to taking him first overall. The Titans’ secondary could certainly use the help after a rough showing last season.

Here’s more from the AFC and NFC South:

Atlanta native Myles Jack is visiting with the Falcons today, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Jack’s former defensive coordinator at UCLA, Jeff Ulbrich, is now the Falcons’ linebackers coach. The Falcons currently own the No. 17 overall pick in the 2016 draft.
Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson is on a pre-draft visit with the Panthers today, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Carolina worked out Lawson and two other Clemson defenders roughly two weeks ago and the DE was said to have had a “fantastic” workout. Carolina has the No. 30 overall pick, so they may have to trade up if they want to land Lawson.
Notre Dame running back C.J. Prosise visited the Texans, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
UCLA offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch will visit the Texans for their local prospect day, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib had a pre-draft visit with the Buccaneers on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Nassib was the Big 10 defensive player of the year in 2015.

Cowboys Rumors: Hardy, Goff, Wentz

April 4th, 2016 at 7:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest out of Dallas:

Free agent defensive end Greg Hardy sat down for an interview with Adam Schefter of ESPN (video link) and claimed that he never put his hands on his alleged domestic assault victim. Hardy had another solid season as a pass rusher in 2015, recording six sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception in 12 games for the Cowboys. However, he remains on the open market thanks to his reputation for being difficult in the locker room and the PR backlash that his signing would bring for a team.
The Cowboys will bring in quarterbacks Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch, Christian Hackenberg, Connor Cook, and Jacoby Brissett for visits, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. Hackenberg, Cook, and Brissett could be had later in the draft while Goff, Wentz, and Lynch are likely first round picks.
Laquon Treadwell will visit with the Cowboys tomorrow, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Shaq Lawson‘s long anticipated visit to the Cowboys took place on Monday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Alabama running back Derrick Henry will visit the Cowboys this week, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter links) has the details on Joe Looney‘s two-year contract with Dallas. The interior lineman will get $1.675MM with a $100K signing bonus and salaries of $775K and $800K. He’ll also get a $250K play time incentive in 2016 and a $500K playtime incentive in 2017.
Jack Crawford‘s one-year deal will pay him $1.1MM but he can earn up to $1.6MM through incentives, Clarence Hill of The Star-Telegram tweets.

Draft Notes: Cravens, Lawson, Hogan

March 29th, 2016 at 9:52pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s round up some draft notes to close out this Tuesday evening:

Contrary to prior reports, USC linebacker Su’a Cravens will not be holding any private workouts for interested clubs, according to agent Fadde Mikhail (article via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). Mikhail said, “There have been too many teams that have called to set up private workouts, and I think Su’a’s body of work on film speaks for itself.” Cravens played linebacker for much of 2015, but many teams view him as a safety at the next level, and he is seen as a late first-round or early second-round prospect. As Florio notes, the decision not to work out for teams is gradually becoming more popular with some agents, who believe the reward of potentially increased draft positioning does not justify the risk of an injury that could be sustained at a workout. Greg Gabriel of NFPost.com, however, disagrees with that line of thinking, as he thinks private workouts are a critical part of the draft process that allow a team to learn more about a player’s talent and personality. He adds that Mikhail’s decision will cause Cravens’ draft stock to drop (Twitter links).
Clemson DE Shaq Lawson, who already has a number of visits/workouts lined up, will also visit with the Lions, according to Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press.
The Eagles worked out Stanford QB Kevin Hogan, WR/TE Devon Cajuste, and LB Blake Martinez today, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter links).
16 teams showed up to watch LB Victor Ochi at Stony Brook’s pro day yesterday, per Pauline, who adds that the Colts privately worked out Illinois State running back Marshaun Coprich (post via WalterFootball.com).
UCLA KR/WR Devin Fuller worked out for “multiple members of the Falcons braintrust” yesterday, according to Rand Getlin of The NFL Network (via Twitter).
Minnesota CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun will visit with the Vikings next week, according to Darren Wolfson of KTSP (via Twitter).
The Bengals were on hand at Western Kentucky’s pro day today to watch TE Tyler Higbee, as Robert Klemko of SI.com tweets.
Temple CB Tavon Young will work out for the Cardinals, Jets, Titans, and Ravens, and will visit the Steelers and Ravens, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (article via NFPost.com).

NFC Draft Updates: Giants, Cowboys, Saints

March 25th, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, when Mississippi wideout Laquon Treadwell cited five teams who had shown interest in him, one of the five he mentioned was “New York,” creating some uncertainty about which New York team he meant. As expected, it seems he was referring to the Giants and not the Jets — Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes that the first-round prospect will pay a pre-draft visit to the Giants.

Unlike the Giants, the Jets have a clear No. 2 option on their depth chart at wide receiver, with Eric Decker complementing Brandon Marshall. The Giants, having lost Rueben Randle this week, will be looking for someone to step up and take that No. 2 role behind Odell Beckham, but it remains to be seen whether that player would be Treadwell — the Giants have been considered more likely to use their first-rounder on an offensive lineman or a defender.

Let’s round up a few more draft updates from around the NFC…

The entire Cowboys coaching staff was in attendance to work out Ohio State prospects today, according to the Buckeyes’ director of player personnel, Mark Pantoni (Twitter link). Ezekiel Elliott and Joey Bosa are among the high-end Ohio State players the Cowboys could consider in next month’s draft.
Speaking of the Cowboys, they worked out Florida safety Keanu Neal this week, per Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). Neal would likely be a second-round target if Dallas is interested in him.
Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed will visit the Saints in April, a league source tells Kristian Garic of WWL 870AM (Twitter link). Joel A. Erickson of The Advocate also provides an update on the Saints’ draft prospects, tweeting that San Jose State running back Tyler Ervin will privately work out for the team.
We heard on Thursday that the 49ers recently put Shaq Lawson through a workout, but he wasn’t the only Clemson defensive end to get a look from the team. According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, GM Trent Baalke also worked out Kevin Dodd. Both players are expected to visit the Niners in the coming weeks.

Draft Rumors: Treadwell, Bengals, Lawson

March 24th, 2016 at 6:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Mississippi receiver Laquon Treadwell says the Bengals, Browns, Bears, and Cowboys have shown interest in him, Mike Florio of PFT writes. The first-round prospect also identified “New York” as a team with interest, but it’s not clear if that’s in reference to the Jets or Giants. San Francisco, which owns the No. 7 pick in the draft, has been said to have interest in Treadwell.

Here’s the latest news on the 2016 NFL Draft:

Clemson DE Shaq Lawson has (or has had) visits/workouts with the Cowboys and 49ers, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links). The Jets, Titans, Saints, Panthers, and Browns have also linked up with Lawson, per previous reports. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) opines that Lawson is a top 10 talent.
Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com was on hand for Carson Wentz‘s pro day and he felt that it was “a very good workout, but not a great workout.” Pauline feels that Wentz is usually high off the mark when he misses, forcing receivers to get airborne in order to make a reception. However, Wentz is getting “sensational” marks when it comes to his personal character.
Wentz’s teammate at North Dakota State, offensive lineman Joseph Haeg, is being viewed as a top 100 pick, per Pauline. Haeg is seen mostly as a right tackle or guard, but some feel that he can play any offensive line position that isn’t center.
Georgia outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins has (or has had) workouts and/or visits with the Vikings and Colts, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). It was previously reported that Oakland, New England, and New Orleans have all checked out Jenkins.
Florida safety Keanu Neal has been invited to Chicago for the NFL Draft, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Neal had a 38-inch vertical leap and an 11-foot broad jump at the NFL Draft Combine and has intrigued teams with his athleticism. Some evaluators see Neal sneaking into the first round. Atlanta has interest in Neal, who was recruited to Florida by coach Dan Quinn when he was the Gators’ defensive coordinator.
Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman has workouts and/or visits set with the 49ers, Bengals, Lions, Bears, Panthers, and Browns, Getlin tweets.
USC linebacker/safety Su’a Cravens will visit/work out for the Falcons, Panthers, Colts, Bills, Patriots, Saints, and Chargers, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
UMass QB Blake Frohnapfel spent time with the Lions and Chargers on Thursday, according to Pauline.
Alabama offensive lineman Dominick Jackson, who Pauline opines is one of the more versatile and underrated guard/tackle prospects in the draft, worked out for the Buccaneers this week.
Campbell defensive tackle Greg Milhouse has official visits set up with the Giants and Lions, per Pauline.
Nebraska offensive lineman Zach Sterup has an official visit set up with the Giants, Pauline writes.

Draft Notes: Panthers, Cowboys, Eagles, Colts

March 22nd, 2016 at 4:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Panthers worked out three Clemson defenders – end Shaq Lawson, cornerback Mackensie Alexander and linebacker B.J. Goodson – on Tuesday, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links) and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). Lawson had a “fantastic” workout with the team and looks like a top-15 pick in the making, per Miller. That would put Lawson well out of the range of Carolina, which has the 30th selection.

NFL Draft Rumors: Goff, Patriots, Lions

March 17th, 2016 at 8:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Could Jared Goff go No. 1 in this year’s draft? Of course, the Titans won’t be taking a QB, but one NFL GM tells Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) that he believes another team could trade up into the top spot to grab the Cal quarterback.

While we wait to see if that might happen, here’s a look at the latest draft rumors (all items credited to Tony Pauline of Walter Football, unless noted otherwise):

After his pro day workout, Georgia defensive lineman Sterling Bailey met with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, according to Pauline.
The Lions appear to be all over Boston College safety Justin Simmons. Detroit brass met with Simmons on Tuesday to have dinner, conduct an interview, and go over film. The Lions also spent time with him during Shrine week and interviewed him at the draft combine.
Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan threw the ball well at his school’s pro day and his delivery was said to be more compact than it has been in the past. The Bills, who are known to like Hogan, had GM Doug Whaley and others on hand.
The Panthers worked out Cincinnati receivers Chris Moore and Johnny Holton on Thursday as well as Pittsburgh receiver Tyler Boyd.
Mississippi State pass rusher Ryan Brown has official visits scheduled with the Raiders, Texans, Cowboys, and, Dolphins.
Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander has already met with the Jets, Titans, Saints, Colts, Steelers, Lions, and Chargers, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson‘s shoulder was flagged at the combine and he’s on the list to go back to Indianapolis for the medical recheck, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears that at least a dozen teams passed Lawson on his physical, while one or two teams apparently flagged him for his shoulder. Lawson met with the Jets, Titans, Saints, and Browns earlier this month.

Draft Rumors: Jack, Lawson, Kearse, Alexander

March 10th, 2016 at 5:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

This week being veteran-centric, let’s look at the latest occurring at some of the draft prospects who will soon take over the NFL news cycle.

Myles Jack received full clearance during a visit with a UCLA surgeon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport adds that Jack, a projected top-10 pick, is ready to ramp up training following this positive diagnosis.
Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson met with the Jets, Titans and Saints on Wednesday and told Dan Hope of OrangeandWhite.com (on Twitter) he’s visiting the Browns next.
Lawson also has a private workout with the Falcons upcoming, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Lawson told Ledbetter he speaks with Falcons defensive line coach Bryan Cox, illuminating a connection between the defensive end-needy Falcons and the Clemson pass-rusher.
During Clemson’s pro day today, safety Jayron Kearse told media (including Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, via Twitter) he’s scheduled visits with the Buccaneers, Jaguars, Lions, Saints and Steelers.
NFL personnel are “gushing” over Clemson corner Mackensie Alexander‘s workout at the Tigers’ pro day, while scouts weren’t as taken with Kearse’s positional-drills work, per Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com. One source told Pauline that Kearse would be better off “gaining 20 pounds and moving to linebacker.”