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Solomon Thomas

NFL Draft Rumors: Thomas, 49ers, Davis

April 4th, 2017 at 1:51pm CST by Zachary Links

There continues to be lots of talk about Solomon Thomas going No. 2 overall, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report hears (Twitter links). However, he’s not totally convinced that it’ll the 49ers taking him. On one hand, the Niners could use a strong 4-3 defensive end and Thomas could be used a role similar to what Michael Bennett has filled for Seattle. At the same time, Miller can also see the Niners trading out from No. 2, allowing the Panthers or Jaguars to move up for Thomas.

Miller speculates that SF could send the No. 2 overall pick to Carolina for the Nos. 8 and 40 selections. Recently, PFR’s Dallas Robinson ran down a number of scenarios in which the Panthers could come away with that highly-coveted draft choice.

While we wait to see how that plays out, here’s a roundup of the latest draft rumors:

Miller’s Latest: Panthers, 49ers, Saints, Mixon, Webb, Mahomes, Chiefs, Tabor

March 31st, 2017 at 6:55pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Panthers, who own the eighth pick in the draft, are interested in trading up to No. 2, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report hears. If they were to swing a deal to acquire the 49ers’ selection, the Panthers would draft either LSU running back Leonard Fournette or Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera will attend Fournette’s pro day April 5, and he attended Thomas’ last week. San Francisco, meanwhile, has expressed a willingness to move down, and Miller notes that the Panthers could use the second-rounder they received from New England in the Kony Ealy swap (No. 64) to help facilitate a trade. The 49ers would hope to land Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster at No. 8.

Here’s more from Miller:

  • At least five teams won’t consider drafting controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, per Miller, who notes that “many” others “are digging in hard” on the 20-year-old. The Saints are among the latter clubs, with Miller reporting they could reel in Mixon in Round 2 (No. 42). Head coach Sean Payton said earlier this week that the Saints plan to meet with Mixon soon.
  • Count Miller among the latest pundits who expects Cal quarterback Davis Webb to come off the board in the opening round – in the late 20s, to be specific. Someone could trade up from the second round to draft Webb in order to get his rights for an extra year, Miller adds.
  • Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes has visited with the Chiefs, according to Miller. Kansas City is set to pick 27th overall, when Mahomes still might be available. The second-round-graded Mahomes has drawn plenty of interest from around the league.
  • Florida cornerback Teez Tabor gave an interview at the combine that was “the worst we had all year,” one scout told Miller. Between that and his poor 40 times, it’s possible Tabor will be a Day 3 selection, writes Miller. That would be a notable drop for a player who entered the season as a prospective first-rounder.

Draft Rumors: Mahomes, Kizer, Thomas

March 23rd, 2017 at 7:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who could go anywhere from the top of the first round to the second round in this year’s draft, is drawing interest from three teams with aging franchise signal-callers. A Chargers contingent consisting of head coach Anthony Lynn, offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and quarterbacks coach Shane Steichen put Mahomes through a private workout in Lubbock, Texas, last week, reports Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. The Bolts have a starting passer in Philip Rivers, but he’ll be 36 in December, so they’ll at least consider taking a QB early. The club is set to pick seventh and 38th in the first two rounds.

New Orleans, meanwhile, has a 38-year-old under center in Drew Brees, meaning there’s more urgency for the club to find its next passer than there is for the Chargers. With that in mind, Saints head coach Sean Payton, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and members of the team’s front office traveled to Lubbock to work out Mahomes on Tuesday, according to NFL.com. “They said every time they see me under center, I look better and better,” Mahomes said of the Saints, who currently own three of the draft’s first 45 selections (Nos. 11, 32 and 42).

The Cardinals, who are led by 37-year-old quarterback Carson Palmer, attended a Mahomes workout on Thursday, relays Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Owner Michael Bidwill and head coach Bruce Arians were on hand for the Cards, who hold the 13th and 45th selections in the opening two rounds.

More of the latest on the upcoming draft:

  • Even though the Bears handed quarterback Mike Glennon a significant contract in free agency, they aren’t necessarily content under center. Evidence: The club is likely to conduct a private workout with Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer next week, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranks Kizer as the 33rd-best player in this year’s class, which could make him a possibility for the Bears in Round 2 (No. 36).
  • The Panthers had a meeting with Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas on Thursday, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Thomas figures to come off the board quickly and might be gone by the time Carolina’s on the clock at No. 8.
  • The Bills have scheduled a private April workout with Pittsburgh quarterback Nathan Peterman, the player told Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Earlier this year, one scout informed Matt Miller of Bleacher Report that Peterman has a chance to pull a Dak Prescott and go from a mid-round pick to a viable starter as a rookie.
  • A Saints representative had dinner with Utah free safety Marcus Williams on Wednesday, writes Herbie Teope of NOLA.com. Williams is a ballhawk “who will make plays in the passing game, but he needs to improve in run support,” observes Jeremiah, who ranks him as this year’s 47th-best draft-eligible player.

NFL Draft Rumors: Lattimore, Westbrook, TEs

March 6th, 2017 at 4:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets might not be nearing a consensus that ends with Marshon Lattimore joining Gang Green. Picking sixth, the Jets could be worried about the Ohio State cornerback’s history of hamstring injuries. A Jets source fears Lattimore will be hampered by those recurring maladies, per DraftAnalyst.com’s Tony Pauline, a fear that may have received some reinforcement on Monday. Said source mentioned since-released Dee Milliner‘s name when discussing the worries about Lattimore.

Lattimore suffered another hamstring injury today at the Combine, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. However, the prized corner prospect denied the report (Twitter link), saying that it was actually a hip flexor issue and that he’ll be “good.” He also texted Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) to tell him he’ll be ready for his pro day, where he’ll do all his position work. Before the injury, Lattimore ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash and had a vertical jump of 38.5 inches.

Here’s more from the 2017 prospect pool.

  • Heisman Trophy finalist Dede Westbook has generated concerns among evaluators, per Pauline. The former Oklahoma wide receiver’s decision to skip the Senior Bowl and not work out at the Combine, along with a history of off-the-field trouble, serve as red flags for some teams. Pauline notes a number of franchises have stamped Westbrook as undraftable. During interviews, Westbrook appeared “guarded” and “seemed untruthful” to some who spoke to Pauline regarding the sessions. Oklahoma’s pro day figures to be well-attended on Wednesday, with Joe Mixon set to perform for scouts for the first time, and it looks like it will be key for Westbrook as well. Pauline estimates the “Day 2 talent” will be a Day 3 pick.
  • First-round prospect Solomon Thomas has a frame that concerns some NFL personnel, Pauline notes. At not quite 6-foot-3 and at 275 pounds, the Stanford edge player might not have much growth potential, per Pauline. Thomas is still expected to go during the first half of the first round.
  • The rookie tight end class profiles as one of the best in recent memory may see at multiple Division II products be drafted. One such player is Ashland’s Adam Shaheen, whom Pauline hears from scouts will be a third-round pick. The 6-foot-6 Shaheen is coming off a dominant season at the D-II program. He caught 57 passes for 867 yards and 16 touchdowns, this coming off a 10-touchdown junior slate. Although Shaheen barely ran under 4.8 in the 40, scouts believe he’s “sneaky-fast,” view him as a potential seam-stretching target and love his pass-catching prowess.
  • Toledo defensive tackle Treyvon Hester missed the East-West Shrine Game and the Combine due to undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in December, but the prospect will be ready to audition for scouts sometime in April, Pauline reports. Hester is expected to be 100 percent by training camp.

Extra Points: Falcons, Lions, Raiders, Draft

March 1st, 2017 at 9:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With their contracts soon to expire, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Lions signal-caller Matthew Stafford should each be in line for extensions this offseason. But their respective general managers indicated Wednesday that new deals aren’t imminent.

“I’m saying that eventually, we will address Matt Ryan and his contract,” said the Falcons’ Thomas Dimitroff (via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com). “Right now, our focus is going to be on this year’s class, understanding that Matt is a very important part of our future, as every knows — an extremely important part of our future.”

The Lions’ Bob Quinn took a similar tack, stating (per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com): “We’re kind of taking it one step at a time with the current free-agent class, the current draft class. I mean, these things don’t usually happen in April or May. That’s not a realistic timeline for an extension for a quarterback. But that’s something we do have on the agenda, and we’ll hopefully be able to have some discussions.”

Ryan and Stafford have the same representative, Tom Condon, who figures to help them become two of the league’s highest-paid passers in the coming months. Ryan still has another two years left on the extension he signed in 2013, while Stafford is due to become a free agent after next season.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Like Stafford, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is going into a contract year, though Carr hopes his status changes soon. “I’m a Raider for life,” he told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com). “I don’t want to play anywhere else. When I got drafted, this is where I wanted to be anyway. I don’t want to go anywhere, ever. They told me they don’t want me to go anywhere, ever. Now it’s about two people who want to be together, and how do we make that happen? We’ll see.” GM Reggie McKenzie made it clear in January that he’s aiming to extend Carr sooner than later.
  • Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas is drawing similar buzz to highly touted DE prospects Myles Garrett (Texas A&M) and Jonathan Allen (Alabama) at the combine, tweets Peter Schrager of FOX Sports. All three seem like good bets to end up among the first players to come off the board, with Garrett standing a strong chance to go No. 1 overall. The 6-foot-3, 271-pound Thomas piled up 61 tackles, including 14 for loss, and 8.5 sacks last season.
  • Quinn is “disappointed” controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon did not get a combine invite, and the Lions executive isn’t closing the door on drafting him (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of The Detroit News). Mixon is a high-round talent, but his draft stock is in question on account of a disturbing July 2014 physical altercation that led Oklahoma to redshirt him that season. Mixon was caught on video striking a fellow student, Alicia Molitor, who he claims used a racial slur and spit in his face. As a result, Mixon was placed on probation for one year and ordered to release the video.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Rumors: Kaaya, Watt, Conley, Thomas

January 4th, 2017 at 1:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest NFL Draft news:

  • Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya will enter the NFL Draft, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Kaaya has long been expected to go pro this year and take advantage of a weak QB crop. Reportedly, the Bears are among the teams that are fond of him and some say he has the highest football IQ of any QB in this year’s class.
  • Wisconsin standout T.J. Watt announced that he is NFL-bound. After tallying 63 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 14 games, Watt stands as one of the very best outside linebackers in this year’s class. The younger brother of Texans superstar J.J. Watt is expected to go within the first two rounds.
  • Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley declared for the draft this week. It has been long expected that the fourth-year junior would forego his final year on campus to go pro. Conley is one of the best cornerbacks available this year and projects as a late first-round or early second-round pick.
  • Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas announced that he is declaring for the NFL Draft. Thomas could potentially be a first round pick, but he is in competition with an uncommonly stacked defensive end class.