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Tanoh Kpassagnon

Chiefs Sign Tanoh Kpassagnon

June 6th, 2017 at 7:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chiefs have signed one of their top draft picks, second-round defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). As the 59th overall selection, Kpassagnon’s four-year deal is worth $4.32MM and includes a $1.28MM signing bonus.

Tanoh Kpassagnon

Kpassagnon played the previous four years at Villanova, where he broke out in 2015 with 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. He logged even better production last year – 21.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks – en route to first-team All-America honors. While his sack numbers with the Wildcats were gaudy, the 6-foot-7, 289-pound Kpassagnon is “raw” and “lacks natural pass rush talent,” according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.

With Kpassagnon under contract, the Chiefs have signed five of their six picks. Kansas City’s lone straggler is the most important member of its 2017 class, first-round quarterback Patrick Mahomes, for whom it traded up 17 spots to land at No. 10. That bold move came at a high price for the Chiefs, who sent their 2018 first-rounder and a third-round pick this year to Buffalo.

East Notes: Redskins, Dolphins, Jets, Giants

April 4th, 2017 at 9:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins have lost $4.5MM in cap space after paying back a “salary cap loan” from the 2011 campaign, as Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com explains. Once the lockout concluded in 2011, the league-wide salary cap was set at $120MM per team, a $3MM decrease from the previous capped year. Because of the discrepancy, the NFL allowed clubs to borrow cap space: up to $3MM in 2011, and up to $1.5MM in 2012. Both amounts had to be repaid by 2017, so the bill has now come due for Washington.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • The Dolphins are continuing their search for front seven players by researching draft prospects, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Oklahoma defensive tackle Charles Walker has been invited for a meeting with the Fins, per Jackson, while the club is also showing interest in Temple linebacker Haason Reddick and Villanova defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon. Meanwhile, Miami worked out cornerback John Ojo — who spent 2016 with the Edmonton Eskimoes of the Canadian Footbball League — on Monday, but he’s expected to sign with another team, according to Jackson.
  • Ohio State safety Malik Hooker will visit with the Jets on Thursday, as Hooker tells SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Hooker, considered one of the draft’s top two safeties along with Jamal Adams (LSU), will likely be selected within the top 10 picks later this month. In New York, a Hooker addition could possibly lead to the release of veteran defender Marcus Gilchrist.
  • After indicating he was stepping away from the NFL on Monday, Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa tweeted Tuesday that he’s “grateful to be part of Big Blue,” but New York sources (and a few Giants teammates) aren’t sure what is going on with the 25-year-old defender, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. While some observers believe Odighizuwa is dealing with “personal” problems, the entire nature of his tweets is still unclear.
  • The Redskins are working out offensive tackle John Kling, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. King signed with Chicago last summer after being undrafted out of Buffalo, but was waived during final cutdowns and never latched on with another team.

Cowboys Meet With 21 NFL Draft Prospects

April 4th, 2017 at 6:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys have now used more than two-thirds of their 30 allotted predraft visits, and Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link), Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), and Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News have provided the list of prospects with whom Dallas has met:

The Cowboys’ visits with Michigan DE Taco Charlton, UCLA DE Takkarist McKinley, UConn S Obi Melifonwu, UCLA CB Fabian Moreau, and Wisconsin LB T.J. Watt had all been previously reported.