Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly Has Wrist Surgery
Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly had wrist surgery on Monday, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. Specifically, the QB suffered an acute rupture of a ligament between two bones in his throwing wrist. Kelly cannot throw for three months as he recovers from the operation. 
[RELATED – NFL Draft Rumors: 49ers, Fournette, Hooker]
Kelly suffered the painful injury during his pro day earlier this month, which was a case of unfortunate timing on multiple levels. Kelly was unable to complete his drills and he’ll now be unable to conduct individual workouts for teams between now and the draft.
He was once considered to be a first round possibility, but it’s now unclear if Kelly will be drafted at all. Kelly still isn’t 100% recovered from ACL and lateral meniscus tears suffered in 2016. He also has a number of off-the-field red flags. Before joining Ole Miss, Kelly was booted from of Clemson’s program for conduct detrimental to the team. His ousting from the Tigers forced him to spend a year at East Mississippi Community College, also known as “Last Chance U.” Then, earlier this year, Kelly got into a skirmish at a high school football game.
The most recent QB rankings from WalterFootball.com have Kelly all the way down at No. 9.
Seahawks Sign DE Dion Jordan
Dion Jordan has agreed to terms with the Seahawks, a source tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). The former No. 3 overall pick will now try to get a fresh start in a completely different part of the country. 
Late last month, the Dolphins officially released Jordan after weeks of buildup. The 27-year-old held lots of promise upon entering the league in 2013, but he has done very little at the professional level. Jordan was hit with three separate drug policy suspensions and the most recent one cost him the entire 2015 season. Then, in 2016, he suffered a significant knee injury and had surgery without first informing the team. The Dolphins figured they would get another chance to evaluate Jordan, but it wound up being another lost season. After all the headaches, here’s where we are: Jordan has not played in a game since December 28, 2014 and has just three career sacks to his name.
The Seahawks are hoping that their locker room culture can help get Jordan’s career back on track, but he’ll also have to stay healthy in order to contribute.The Seahawks now have five defensive ends under contract: Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Frank Clark, Garrison Smith, and Jordan.
NFL Draft Rumors: 49ers, Fournette, Hooker
Reportedly, the Browns could make LSU running back Leonard Fournette the top pick in this month’s draft. If that doesn’t happen, he could be a consideration for the 49ers at No. 2, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com hears from sources with knowledge of the situation. The new regime, he hears, wants a big power back for the offense and they are not big believers in Carlos Hyde.
Here’s more from Pauline:
- Ohio State safety Malik Hooker won’t participate in any workouts for teams prior to the draft. Hooker had surgery to repair a labrum issue as well as a hernia, and he apparently won’t be healthy enough to audition in the next few weeks. Despite the setbacks, Hooker is widely projected as a top five prospect and almost universally considered to be a top ten guy. He’ll return to Indianapolis for the combine recheck on Thursday and that should give teams an indication of how much further he has to go in his recovery. Our first mock draft has Hooker going No. 6 overall to the Jets.
- Miami cornerback Corn Elder is also returning for the combine recheck. His 40-yard-dash time of 4.55 at the combine was a disappointment, but it turns out that he was held back by a groin issue. More recently at Miami’s pro day, however, Elder timed as fast as 4.38 seconds. He has drawn comparisons to Tyrann Mathieu of the Arizona Cardinals, but those close to him see Captain Munnerlyn as his NFL comp.
- Toledo defensive tackle Treyvon Hester is also scheduled to return to Indianapolis for a look at his surgically-repaired labrum. On the same day, he’ll audition on campus at Toledo for scouts and position coaches.
Extra Points: Saints, Pats, Cards, Broncos
There’s a slightly better chance cornerback Malcolm Butler will be a member of the Saints than the Patriots in 2017, says Albert Breer of The MMQB (video link). If New England does trade Butler, it could happen during the week leading up to the draft, notes Breer. Butler, a restricted free agent, is facing an April 21 deadline to sign an offer sheet with someone. Once that passes, he won’t be allowed to negotiate a contract with anyone other than the Patriots. While the Saints have discussed a contract with Butler, they aren’t going to tender him an offer sheet because they’d risk losing the 11th pick in the draft. But the Saints also own the 32nd choice, which they acquired from the Pats in the Brandin Cooks trade, and could send that back to them in a Butler deal.
More from New England and a couple other NFL destinations:
- With Butler potentially on the way out, the Patriots hosted Florida corner Teez Tabor on Monday, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Tabor is among the draft’s 50 best prospects in the estimation of NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, though both an underwhelming 40-yard dash and subpar interviews at the combine could cause him to slide.
- Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer visited the Cardinals on Monday, according to Rapoport (via Twitter). Kizer may be a possibility at No. 13 overall for Arizona, which needs to find an heir apparent to the 37-year-old Carson Palmer.
- Trevor Siemian will reportedly enter the Broncos’ forthcoming quarterback competition with an edge over Paxton Lynch, but head coach Vance Joseph insists he’ll give each a “50-50” shot. “It’s going to go down to the wire, I hope,” he added (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
- Monday roundup: Marshawn Lynch is interested in joining New England; LSU running back Leonard Fournette might go higher in the draft than expected; and Buffalo and Philadelphia added veteran signal-callers.
Junior Galette Arrested
Redskins pass rusher Junior Galette was arrested Friday in Biloxi, Miss., on charges of disorderly conduct and failure to comply with police orders, reports WLOX. Galette’s attorney confirmed the arrest to Nick Underhill and Ramon Antonio Vargas of The Advocate, adding that his client had quickly bailed out, but he didn’t offer further details.
This isn’t the first time Galette, 29, has run afoul of the law during his NFL career. Galette was arrested and booked on one count of misdemeanor simple battery related to domestic violence back in January 2015, when he was a member of the Saints. Video of a man who appeared to be Galette striking a woman in 2013 then surfaced in June 2015, and though no charges were filed, the Saints released him a month later and absorbed serious cap penalties in the process.
After the Saints cut ties with Galette, he quickly caught on with Washington. However, he hasn’t played a down for the team yet on account of tearing his left Achilles tendon two summers ago and his right Achilles last year. The league also hit Galette with a two-game ban in 2015 stemming from his domestic incident from that year. The two-time double-digit sack artist will attempt to return to action next season, but it’s possible his latest arrest will lead to another suspension, further delaying his comeback.
Draft Notes: Browns, Bills, King, Fins
There’s reportedly a chance LSU running back Leonard Fournette will go No. 1 overall to the Browns in this month’s draft, but Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com doesn’t expect that to happen. The odds of coming off the board with the top pick continue to favor Texas A&M edge defender Myles Garrett, though Cleveland could give some consideration to North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, notes Cabot. The Browns do have another first-rounder, No. 12 overall, and they’d have interest in taking Fournette there, Cabot writes. However, it doesn’t seem as if Fournette will still be available then.
Garrett, meanwhile, informed Sam Alipour of ESPN The Magazine that he wants the Browns to draft him, vowing to get revenge if they don’t. On why he should be the first choice this year, Garrett offered: “Because I’ll be a difference maker from day one. And I’m not gonna be in any trouble. I’m just gonna make plays and bring a good atmosphere to your organization. And I’m gonna start winning and winning now. And because if you don’t draft me No. 1, I will punish your team for the next 10 to 12 years. I’ll knock your QB out of the game every time we play you, and I’ll have to kick the hell out of No. 1, whoever it is.”
More of the latest draft-related news:
- Buffalo continues to show interest in potential first-round quarterbacks. The Doug Whaley-led Bills, who are reportedly “in love” with Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, met with Trubisky on Sunday. Before doing that, the Bills worked out Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer on Saturday, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Team brass, including owner Terry Pegula, also had dinner with Kizer.
- University of Washington cornerback Kevin King will visit the Eagles, Raiders, Browns and Ravens this week, reports FOX Sports’ Charles Davis (on Twitter). King, a prospective first-rounder, received an invitation to the draft, adds Davis.
- University of Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya met with Dolphins head coach Adam Gase last week, relays Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins are unlikely to end up with the projected mid-rounder, though, as they probably won’t consider selecting a signal-caller until late in the draft, per Jackson.
NFC Notes: Sherman, Saints, 49ers, Falcons
No NFLer has come up in more trade rumors this month than Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, but it’s likely he’ll stay put, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. It would take something along the lines of a first- and third-round pick to acquire Sherman, and that price probably isn’t going to come down, Pelissero hears. Plus, even though Sherman requested a trade, the relationship between him and the Seahawks is hardly in shambles. Sherman is content to continue his career in Seattle, and the team would have no problem retaining the four-time Pro Bowler, per Pelissero.
More from the NFC:
- Next season stands as the final year of Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro‘s rookie contract, meaning it could could be his last hurrah in New Orleans. However, he’d rather ink an extension with the Saints than test free agency next spring. “I want to play for the Saints. I love the team,” Vaccaro told Nick Underhill of The Advocate. “I love coach (Sean) Payton. Coach Payton is going to be here. We got a good young team. I think we’re a couple of pieces away from getting to back to where we were my rookie year. I don’t want to leave that. The grass isn’t always greener.” Vaccaro isn’t “pressing” for a deal, but he does expect the Saints to enter negotiations with him “after all the offseason stuff” is out of the way. The 27-year-old has been a strong contributor to the Saints’ defense since going 15th overall in the 2013 draft, though he is coming off a suspension-shortened season.
- With Vaccaro’s future in New Orleans uncertain, the Saints had UConn safety Obi Melifonwu in for an official visit Monday, which Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball first reported (Twitter link). Melifonwu is the 45th-best prospect in this year’s draft class, opines Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com. The four-year starter “has a rare blend of size and speed for the position,” notes Jeremiah.
- Cornerback Tramaine Brock was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence Thursday, and the 49ers released him Friday. Rookie head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed that decision Monday, saying (via Cam Inman of the Mercury News): “We spent the day trying to figure out all the information as much as you can. You never do get all of it, but there was enough there that we felt it was a decision we had to make and move on from (Brock).” The 49ers cut the eight-year veteran with a “failed physical” designation, according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area (Twitter link).
- Falcons corner Desmond Trufant will earn nearly half of the money in his five-year, $68.75MM extension by next March, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Trufant is due $33MM over the next 11 months, and he’ll average $14.75MM per annum during the first three years of the deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/10/17
The latest minor moves from around the NFL:
- Broncos linebacker Todd Davis has signed his restricted free agent tender, reports Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The Broncos applied a second-rounder tender to Davis, meaning it would have been quite costly for anyone to sign him away from Denver. The 24-year-old Davis set career highs in starts (15) and tackles (97) last season, when his performance ranked a decent 43rd among Pro Football Focus’ 87 qualified linebackers.
- Patriots offensive lineman Cameron Fleming has signed his RFA tender, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Pats applied an original-round tender last month to Fleming, who was a fourth-round pick in 2014. Fleming has started in 14 of 35 appearances in three seasons, and is coming off his first 16-game campaign.
- The Rams are keeping defensive end Ethan Westbrooks, who signed his original-round RFA tender, relays Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. Westbrooks, undrafted in 2014, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence last month, but the Sacramento County District Attorney chose not to file charges. Los Angeles is also retaining exclusive rights free agents Matt Longacre (DE) and Louis Trinca-Pasat (DT). Meanwhile, the team has officially waived wide receiver Stedman Bailey, whose career likely ended when he survived two gunshot wounds to the head in 2015.
- Nose tackle Mike Purcell and linebacker Carl Bradford have signed their ERFA tenders with the 49ers, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. Purcell, the more experienced of the two, logged career-best totals in appearances (15), starts (five) and tackles (26) in 2016.
- The Raiders have waived defensive lineman Demetrius Cherry, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Cherry signed with the 49ers last spring as an undrafted free agent from Arizona State. After the 49ers cut him prior to the season, he caught on with Oakland’s practice squad.
- The Falcons have signed former University of Georgia track and field athlete Garrett Scantling, who will try and make the team as a receiver (Instagram link). Scantling has not played football since his senior year of high school. However, he performed well when partaking in Jacksonville University’s pro day last month.
- LSU’s Cyril Grayson, who also has a background in track, has signed with the Seahawks, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The seven-time All-American hasn’t played football since 2011, but he did run a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at LSU’s pro day last week, writes Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Leonard Fournette Candidate To Go No. 1?
LSU running back Leonard Fournette ventured to Charlotte on Monday to visit the Panthers, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter link). Few teams, if any, have drawn more connections to Fournette than the Panthers in recent weeks, though it doesn’t seem as if they’ll be able to land the 228-pounder with their current first-round pick, No. 8 overall.
[RELATED: PFR’s First Mock Draft Of 2017]
Carolina is reportedly interested in trading up to the 49ers’ top selection, No. 2, to select either Fournette or Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. However, Fournette might not even be on the board then, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who writes that the Browns aren’t ruling out taking him with the first pick in the draft. That’s unlikely, concedes La Canfora, who expects the Browns to grab Texas A&M edge defender Myles Garrett. But even if the Browns pass on Fournette, he’s nevertheless enough of a blue-chip talent to go higher than expected, notes La Canfora.
It should help Fournette’s cause that the rest of the offensive talent in this year’s class is underwhelming, La Canfora suggests, with no surefire quarterback prospects, a receiver group which leaves “plenty to be desired” and a subpar collection of tackles. There are other first-round-caliber running backs in Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, but scouts are down on the former because of character issues, relays La Canfora. As such, McCaffrey could end up as the second back taken, perhaps near the top 10, which jibes with an earlier report from FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager.
If Fournette does wind up a top five pick, as La Canfora expects, it seems the Jaguars, who pick fourth, would be the most logical fit. Jacksonville’s top two runners, T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory, each averaged under 4.0 yards per carry last season, and head coach Doug Marrone seemingly wants to upgrade the team’s backfield. The other clubs with selections in the first five, the Browns, 49ers, Bears and Titans, have more-than-capable No. 1 rushers in Isaiah Crowell, Carlos Hyde, Jordan Howard and DeMarco Murray, respectively.
Patriots Finalize Alan Branch Deal
The Patriots agreed to re-sign defensive tackle Alan Branch to a two-year contract worth up to $12MM just over a month ago. That deal finally became official Monday, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Marshawn Lynch To New England?]
The 2017 season will be the fourth in New England for the 32-year-old Branch, who was previously with the Cardinals, Seahawks and Bills. Branch is coming off back-to-back 16-appearance, 15-start campaigns, and the 10-year veteran tallied a career-high 49 tackles and chipped in 1.5 sacks in 2016 for the Super Bowl champions. He also ranked 25th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 127 qualified interior defensive linemen.
Branch, who totaled the second-most snaps among Patriots D-linemen last season (625), is primed to serve as the starting unit’s elder statesman in 2017. The other expected No. 1s, Kony Ealy, Malcom Brown, Trey Flowers, are each 25 or younger. The Pats also have 20-something reserves in Vincent Valentine, Lawrence Guy and Geneo Grissom.