2014 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

AFC North Notes: Ravens, Browns, Steelers

April 24th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

In the latest installment of Over The Cap’s team-by-team breakdown of free agency, Jason Fitzgerald examines the Ravens. While Arthur Jones‘ departure leaves a big hole on defense, losing offensive tackle Eugene Monroe would’ve been a more significant blow to the team, says Fitzgerald, adding that he liked Baltimore’s pickup of Owen Daniels quite a bit. Factoring in the loss of James Ihedigbo to the Lions, Fitzgerald assigns the Ravens a grade of B- for their work over the last several weeks.

Here’s more from around the AFC North:

As our fifth-year option tracker shows, no decision has been announced or reported yet on the Browns‘ 2015 option for defensive tackle Phil Taylor. Speaking to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Taylor suggested he’s not sure what the team plans to do with that option, but he hopes it gets picked up: “I would love to be here, but that’s not up to me. So we’re going to wait and see what [the front office] is going to do about it.”
South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw is visiting the Browns today and tomorrow, and will work out for the club on Saturday, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson also links several other clubs to Shaw, writing that the signal-caller has met or worked out with the Falcons, Titans, Patriots, and Buccaneers, and interviewed with the Seahawks, Packers, Raiders, and Jaguars.
The Steelers are hosting Boise State edge defender Demarcus Lawrence and Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon for pre-draft visits today, tweets ESPN.com’s Scott Brown.
Cumberlands running back Terrance Cobb is visiting the Bengals today, tweets Aaron Wilson.

Draft Visits: Falcons, Bryant, Martin, Jets

April 24th, 2014 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

Teams only have until Sunday to bring in draft prospects for pre-draft visits, so even though workouts are still permitted after that date, plenty of clubs are hosting players this week. Here’s a round-up of several of the latest reports on these visits:

According to reports from ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure (Twitter link), Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the Falcons have worked out Vanderbilt receiver Jordan Matthews and Connecticut linebacker Yawin Smallwood, and are heading to Columbia, South Carolina tomorrow to work out wideout Bruce Ellington.
Florida State linebacker Telvin Smith has visited the Broncos, Eagles, and Panthers, as well as worked out privately for the Panthers, Falcons, Patriots, and Buccaneers, according to Wilson.
Martavis Bryant has been extremely busy over the last few weeks, with a combined total of 22 visits and private workouts, writes Wilson at the National Football Post. According to Wilson, the Buccaneers are one team that has hosted and privately worked out the Clemson wide receiver.
Wilson, who has been busy lately himself, also passes along updates on two more prospects: USC center Marcus Martin has met with the Chargers, Panthers, Saints, and Eagles, while Kansas State safety Ty Zimmerman is visiting the Bengals.
Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin is among the players visiting the Jets today, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). We heard last night about several other prospects the Jets are hosting this week, including Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Cornerback Justin Gilbert‘s previously reported visit with the Lions is happening today, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
McGill offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is projected to be the first overall pick in the CFL draft, but he’s also drawing plenty of interest from NFL teams. As Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com details, the 49ers are the latest club to host the Canadian prospect for a visit.

Seahawks Notes: Carpenter, Visits, McCloughan

April 24th, 2014 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

The defending champion Seahawks will host the Packers on September 4 to kick off the NFL season, but that’s the last time during the regular season the club will play a prime-time game at home. A league source tells Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk that the lack of prime-time games at CenturyLink Field is a result of Seattle’s track record — in the last several seasons, the club has been too good in its nationally televised home games, and the league is wary of scheduling blowouts in prime time. As Crabtree points out, the Seahawks have won their last three prime-time games in Seattle by a combined 82 points.

Here’s more on the 2014 Super Bowl champions:

The Seahawks are currently leaning against picking up their 2015 option on offensive lineman James Carpenter, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As our fifth-year option tracker shows, Carpenter would be in line for a $7.438MM salary in 2015 if his option is exercised, though it wouldn’t be fully guaranteed until the first day of the ’15 league year.
University of Washington quarterback Keith Price was one of 19 players to participate in the Seahawks’ local prospect day on Wednesday, as Clare Farnsworth of Seahawks.com details.
Senior personnel executive Scot McCloughan has resigned from his position in Seattle’s front office to tend to a family matter, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). McCloughan, who has been a key part of general manager John Schneider‘s staff since being hired by the Seahawks in June 2010, reportedly drew interest from both the Dolphins and Browns when those teams replaced their GMs earlier this offseason.

Prospect Profile: Mike Evans

April 23rd, 2014 at 8:46pm CST by Rob DiRe

Earlier today, Zach Links looked at the consensus top receiver in the upcoming draft, but Sammy Watkins might not be the only playmaking pass catcher selected in the top ten. Texas A&M standout Mike Evans might not have the pedigree of Watkins, but after two seasons with the Aggies he has jumped to the top of draft boards across the league.

Evans has a strength that makes him extremely valuable in the current NFL. Standing tall at 6’5″, even if he cannot separate with cornerbacks running down the field, Evans has the ability to separate with anyone vertically. Time and time again during his two seasons at College Station, Johnny Manziel was able to throw the ball up and watch Evans go up and over smaller defenders to come down with the football.

Where Watkins is considered the more polished receiver with the highest upside, he surrenders four inches or more when compared to Evans. While Zach writes that Watkins could have a similar impact to A.J. Green or Julio Jones did during their first two seasons, both those players are 6’3″ or taller. Other notable receivers that are 6’3″ or taller include Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Hakeem Nicks, Dez Bryant, Josh Gordon, Jordy Nelson, Vincent Jackson, and Jimmy Graham to name a few.

If that list of names does not include all of the best receivers in the modern NFL, it includes nearly all of them. The gives Evans a huge upside that could rival even Watkins. While taller receivers sometimes do not possess the top end speed required, Evans eased the minds of scouts when he ran a surprisingly fast 40-yard dash, posting a time of 4.53 seconds.

More importantly than his combine performance, Evans produced on the field. As a redshirt freshman, Evans caught 82 passes for over 1,100 yards and added five touchdowns. He only got better as a sophomore, catching 69 passes for 1,394 yards, for an incredible 20.2 yards per catch. His 12 touchdowns were tied for most in the SEC, as he torched some of the best defenses in the country. The Aggies lost to Alabama, but Evans caught 7 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown in that game. Texas A&M went on to beat the eventual SEC champion Auburn Tigers, behind Evans’ 287 yards on 11 catches, with four of those catches ending in the endzone.

Evans still will most likely have to wait for Watkins to come off the board ahead of him, but both players are looking at being selected in the top ten. The Buccaneers (No. 7) are rumored to be interested in Evans, and the Lions (No. 10) have been interested as well. The Bills (No. 9) could be a possibility, and it would be a surprise if he is passed on by both the Giants (No. 12) and the Rams (No. 13), assuming the Rams do not take Watkins with their earlier pick.

Lions Notes: Suh, Lora, Fortt, Couplin

April 23rd, 2014 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

A few hours before the NFL officially announcing its 2014 schedule, New York radio station WFAN broke news of the Giants’ slate for the coming season. According to the report, the Giants’ ’14 season starts off with a Monday night matchup in Detroit against the Lions. Here are a few more Wednesday updates on those Lions:

Citing a source, Scott Bischoff of New Era Scouting reported earlier this afternoon (via Twitter) that the Lions are open to the idea of trading Ndamukong Suh as a way of moving up as far as possible in the 2014 draft. I’m a little skeptical about how hard Detroit would push for a deal like that, even if the team could find a taker, and Bischoff himself notes that there’d be plenty of roadblocks (Twitter link).
In response to Bischoff’s report, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com takes a look at how a hypothetical trade of Suh would work, exploring some reasons why it could make sense for the Lions.
Eastern Illinois wide receiver Erik Lora will be paying a visit to Detroit to meet with the Lions on Friday, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
The Lions also hosted Cal linebacker Khairi Fortt and William & Mary safety Jerome Couplin for pre-draft visits today, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.

South Rumors: Manziel, Bucs, Graham, Allen

April 23rd, 2014 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Johnny Manziel is on the short list of players the Buccaneers are “heavily considering” with the seventh overall pick in the draft, a source tells ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure. Tampa Bay doesn’t have a long-term answer at the quarterback position and Manziel is viewed as one of the top two or three options in the draft, so the Bucs’ interest isn’t a huge surprise.

Let’s round up a few other items from out of the NFC and AFC South divisions….

Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk passes along a report from JoeBucsFan.com indicating that Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack paid the Buccaneers a visit in Tampa. Word of the visit was broken by defensive end Steven Means, a current Buc and Mack’s former teammate at Buffalo.
Saints head coach Sean Payton told Mike Triplett of ESPN.com today that he doesn’t expect Jimmy Graham to participate in the club’s offseason conditioning program as long as the tight end’s contract situation remains unresolved, but Payton isn’t concerned, suggesting that’s “normal” (Twitter link). Graham was franchised by the Saints but has yet to accept or sign the franchise tender, as the two sides continue to work on a long-term agreement.
Former Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen, who was forced into early retirement for health reasons, will receive 50% of his 2014 salary, according to Ryan Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). Allen’s base salary before he was released was set to be $1.975MM, so he should receive about $1MM.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Freeman, Clinton-Dix

April 23rd, 2014 at 2:07pm CST by Zachary Links

In this week’s chat, a reader asked Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News if the 49ers would accept a deal in which they trade Aldon Smith and their first-round pick (No. 30) to the Cowboys for their first-rounder (No. 16). Machota says he’s not sure if the Niners would, but he doubts Dallas would have interest in such a deal because of Smith’s multiple legal issues over the last couple of years. The Cowboys need some pass rushers, but they’re probably more comfortable finding them through the draft. Here’s this afternoon’s glance at the NFC East:

Josh Freeman isn’t getting the big bucks in his new deal with the Giants, but he will have the opportunity to learn from Eli Manning, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The former Bucs QB also took the high road when asked about his experience with coach Greg Schiano.
Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has met with the Eagles, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The safety, who is the top-ranked defensive back in the draft, declared early for the draft after recording 52 tackles, two interceptions and six pass deflections in 11 games last season. He was named a second-team All-American and a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection for his outstanding play.
Northern Illinois defensive tackle Ken Bishop has met with the Cowboys, a league source tells Aaron Wilson. As previously reported, the All-Mid-American conference selection has visited the Raiders, Jaguars, and Dolphins. Bishop projects as a later-round pick.
Giants safety Antrel Rolle told Bob Papa and Ross Tucker of SiriusXM NFL Radio (audio link) that the team needed serious change this offseason. The veteran went on to say that he wants to end his career as a member of the Giants and says he’s easily got four or five more good seasons left in him, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) asked a scout via text if the Cowboys would draft Johnny Manziel if he was available at No. 16 and the scout responded “Of course [Jerry Jones] would.“

NFC North Notes: Packers, Bears, Raiola

April 23rd, 2014 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Rob Reischel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ranks the Packers‘ positional needs on a scale of 1-10. The safety position tops the list as Green Bay has been searching for a solution there ever since losing Nick Collins to a career-ending neck injury in Week 2 of 2011. The Packers haven’t drafted a safety in the first round since 1993, but there’s a good chance they snap the streak this year. More from the NFC North:

Many third-round picks in Packers franchise history have been major successes, writes Martin Hendricks of the Journal Sentinel. To give you an idea of how well Green Bay has done in the third round, tight end Jermichael Finley occupies the tenth spot on the top 10 list.
The Bears have a big weapon in tight end Martellus Bennett, but GM Phil Emery could be looking for depth and a little competition in the upcoming draft. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune looks at the tight ends Chicago could consider, even though the team’s need at the position is relatively low.
The Bears probably aren’t going after defensive ends following their additions of Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston, and Willie Young, but, hey, you never know. Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com looks at some potential fits for Chicago on the bookends to help give them insurance in case of injury. Injuries ravaged the Bears in 2013, so they know the overall importance of depth.
Longtime Lions center Dominic Raiola is okay with the Lions drafting his successor, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. The Lions have already met with USC’s Marcus Martin, widely considered the top center in the draft, as well as Colorado State’s Weston Richburg.

AFC North Rumors: Big Ben, Manziel, Bengals

April 23rd, 2014 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

It’s all still status quo when it comes to the Steelers and a possible contract extension for Ben Roethlisberger, writes Scott Brown of ESPN.com. “There’s been ongoing (contract) discussions for quite awhile,” agent Ryan Tollner said. “I think from the time we did the first extension there was sort of a plan moving forward. There’s a plan in place, but both sides are pretty committed to doing that privately and not having it be something that’s discussed in the media.” Pittsburgh can lower Roethlisberger’s cap hit of ~$18.9MM in 2014, but they can also wait to get a new deal done since they have already done the bulk of their free-agent shopping and will get more than $8MM in cap relief after June 1st.

Johnny Manziel is having his visit with the Browns today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter). The Browns pick at No. 4 and again at No. 26 in next month’s draft.
Can the Bengals still be considered a deep team after a quiet offseason that saw them lose defensive end Michael Johnson, offensive tackle Anthony Collins, and receiver Andrew Hawkins? Coley Harvey of ESPN.com says yes. While the talent may have taken a slight hit, particularly on the offensive line, they still have depth just about everywhere else.
More from Harvey, who looks at the Bengals‘ need at outside linebacker heading into the draft. Harvey graded the likelihood of Cincinnati drafting an OLB as “medium” even after they picked up Dontay Moch off waivers from Arizona and signed free agent Sam Montgomery. Moch and Montgomery previously played defensive end, but the Bengals have listed both as linebackers.

AFC East Rumors: Watkins, Bills, Pats

April 23rd, 2014 at 10:57am CST by Zachary Links

Could the Bills be thinking about trading up? The Bills are hosting star Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter). Buffalo currently holds the No. 9 pick and, like the Lions behind them at No. 10, they’ll have to vault up to the top if they want to get this year’s top receiver. Earlier today, I profiled the dynamic playmaker and some of his possible fits. Here’s the latest from the AFC East…

Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net goes deeper into the Patriots‘ infatuation with Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage, who is being referred to by some in the organization as “Tom No. 2” for his similarities to Tom Brady. Savage impressed the franchise during combine interviews, especially when former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano was on hand. In that meeting, Savage took responsibility for the 2011 situation when he left the Rutgers football program, which was then headed by Schiano.
If the Patriots need a reminder of late-round value, they can turn to special teamer Matthew Slater, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. Since being selected in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, the UCLA product has been a mainstay on the Pats’ special teams units and has held the title of team captain for the past three seasons. He’s also contributed as a wide receiver, and he chipped in as a safety in 2011 when he started three games in the defensive backfield.
Offensive tackle would make sense for the Dolphins at No. 19 but if all of their targets are already off the board, GM Dennis Hickey might just go with the best player available, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. We heard last night that the Dolphins are high on Tennessee’s Ja’Wuan James, who might be an option for them at No. 50.
ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini (video link) says the Jets will put prized offseason pickup Chris Johnson in a position to succeed. Johnson’s speed, he feels, will bring a different dimension to the offense.

2014 NFL Draft News & Rumors