Draft Links: Cooper, Perriman, Raiders, Ravens
Alabama wideout Amari Cooper figures to be one of the first two wideouts selected in next week’s draft (along with West Virginia’s Kevin White). It seems unlikely that the talented 20-year-old will fall outside the top-10, as Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun reports that Cooper met with nine teams drafting within that range.
That list includes Washington, the Buccaneers, Titans, Jaguars, Jets, Bears, Falcons, Giants, Rams and Browns. The Raiders and Vikings were the only teams selecting in the top-12 to not host Cooper.
Let’s take a look at some other draft notes from around the league…
- While Cooper and White are expected to the be the first two receivers off the board, NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell believes Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman could emerge as a top pick. “I think Cooper is the top receiver prospect this year,” Cosell writes for Yahoo! Sports. “But if you asked me who is No. 2 among White and Perriman, that’s a tougher question. I really like Perriman…Perriman is a big powerful, explosive, fast guy. Although he and White are about the same size, on film Perriman looks like the bigger guy. I could see ranking Perriman even with or ahead of White, although I’m in the minority on that.”
- ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson wonders (on Twitter) if Florida defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. could be in play for the Raiders during the first round. The junior compiled 2.5 sacks during the 2014 season, finishing his college career with 14.5 sacks.
- CSNBaltimore.com’s Clifton Brown believes the Ravens will make trades during this year’s draft, but not during the first round. The writer wonders if the team could move up during the second round to secure Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams.
Extra Points: Draft, Falcons, Chiefs, Joseph
The 2015 NFL draft is now just six days away, and trade talks figure to heat up very soon. According to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter), Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie said today that he’s fielded calls about the No. 4 overall pick, and Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff has taken calls about moving up or down from No. 8, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Additionally, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets that Chiefs GM John Dorsey has called around and told teams that his club is open to trade discussions.
As we wait to see whether any of those teams make some moves before or during the draft, here are a few more items from around the league, including additional notes on the Falcons and Chiefs:
- Among the other updates from today’s Falcons presser: Dimitroff dimissed the idea that Atlanta is pursuing Adrian Peterson (per Ledbetter), and head coach Dan Quinn said the club plans to address the linebacker spot in the draft, despite having signed free agents (Twitter link via ESPN’s Vaughn McClure).
- The Chiefs have been in contact with Justin Houston‘s representatives, having spoken to the linebacker’s camp within the last three days, Dorsey said today (link via Paylor). Houston, who was franchised by Kansas City, has yet to sign his one-year tender, and there’s a chance the two sides could work out a long-term deal this spring.
- Players and agents aren’t thrilled that general managers have publicly voiced doubts about whether certain 2016 fifth-year options will be exercised, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Whatever the intention of those comments is, players tend to regard them as an expression of uncertainty about their abilities, and a signal that the team may not want to keep them around for the long term.
- Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com takes an in-depth look at the Browns‘ decision to draft Johnny Manziel over Teddy Bridgewater a year ago, writing that a league source with knowledge of the Vikings‘ draft plans said Minnesota had determined a few days before the draft that Cleveland was leaning toward Manziel rather than Bridgewater.
- Free agent guard Davin Joseph told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that he’d love to join a contender and try to get a championship ring. Joseph, 30, spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the Buccaneers, starting 99 of the 100 games he played for the team, before signing with the Rams last spring.
- Idaho center Mike Marboe had a private workout today for the Seahawks, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
Draft Rumors: Clemmings, Mariota, Gregory
Pittsburgh offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings is the latest prospect to discover an injury during a team visit. A source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that Clemmings was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot, despite not feeling any pain. It remains to be seen how the injury will affect the draft position of Clemmings, who is viewed as one of the best offensive lineman in the draft.
More on next week’s draft:
- Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report spoke to five NFL personnel men, and all five believe that Marcus Mariota will be drafted by the Titans, either at No. 2 or at No. 5 (following a trade with Washington). Some of those execs points to the Jets as another strong contender for Mariota, but they don’t believe New York will move up, a belief supported by GM Mike Maccagnan‘s comments today.
- Of course, even if the Titans select Mariota, it doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of Tennessee trading him to another team. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com takes a look at how a Mariota trade could potentially happen after the draft.
- Randy Gregory may take a fall in the first round, but one exec tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that Gregory won’t fall out of the first round. Personally, I’d be surprised if the Nebraska pass rusher is still on the board after the first 15 picks of the draft.
- One football executive tells Bob McGinn of the Journal-Sentinel that he sees a lot of former Raiders bust JaMarcus Russell in presumptive No. 1 pick Jameis Winston. “Lack of focus by JaMarcus is what I see in Winston,” the personnel man said. “They’re physically talented, but during the course of a game they kind of lose their focus and just put the ball up for grabs. I see the body. I see the lack of focus. I see the same coach and system. Only Winston’s not as good an athlete and his arm isn’t as strong as JaMarcus‘.”
- In addition to his previously-reported visits, Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper also paid visits to the Buccaneers, Bears, Falcons, Giants, and Washington, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
- Wilson also provided an update on Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith, writing that the Cowboys, Saints, and Panthers were among the teams to meet with intriguing deep threat.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
South Notes: Bucs, Blackmon, Wisniewski
The Buccaneers aren’t expected to trade the No. 1 pick, but that hasn’t stopped teams from asking, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes.
“It’s fair to assume someone is going to have to make a really good offer, yeah,” Bucs GM Jason Licht said. “And this time of year you get a lot of calls every day. Not making offers but just throwing, gauging your interest of if you would be open to it or not. And that will continue. But it would have to be an offer that makes this franchise, that sets this franchise even further ahead than what you thought you were going to with the decision you made.”
As the Bucs continue to mull their options for that first overall pick, let’s check in on some more notes from around the league’s two South divisions….
- Asked by a reader about Justin Blackmon‘s future with the Jaguars, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union suggests the wideout is “done-zo” in Jacksonville. It’s a response to a chat question rather than the subject of an actual report, but O’Halloran, who views Amari Cooper as a strong option for the Jags at No. 3 overall, sounds pretty confident that Blackmon won’t play another game for the franchise.
- Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has the details on Stefen Wisniewski‘s one-year deal with the Jaguars, tweeting that the veteran center will earn a $1.25MM base salary to go along with a $500K signing bonus. The contract also features $250K in per-game roster bonuses, $500K in playing-time incentives, and an injury waiver.
- West Virginia wide receiver Mario Alford, one of the fastest players in this year’s draft class, visited and worked out privately for the Falcons, according to Wilson. Wilson adds that NFL teams have primarily been working out Alford as a slot receiver, even though he mostly played outside at WVU.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Ray, Scherff, Peters, Williams
There was some concern that Missouri pass rusher Shane Ray, who is expected to come off the board early in the draft next Thursday night, would require surgery on a troublesome foot injury. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), Ray’s injury – which is similar to turf toe – was discovered during a team visit and prompted a visit to a foot specialist, who recommended rest rather than a surgical procedure, good news for the young edge defender.
Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link) hears that the Cowboys flagged Ray as needing surgery, but not all teams – and not all doctors, apparently – were convinced it was required.
Let’s check in on a few more Thursday draft updates….
- Iowa tackle Brandon Scherff is drawing “heavy interest” from teams drafting between the fifth and ninth spots in the first round, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). The clubs currently in those spots? Washington, the Jets, the Bears, the Falcons, and the Giants.
- In addition to making 17 pre-draft visits to teams, Washington cornerback Marcus Peters had individual workouts for the Falcons, Panthers, Buccaneers, and Dolphins, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Speaking to Maggie Gray on SI Now, Florida State cornerback P.J. Williams said that most teams are telling him his DUI incident shouldn’t have a huge impact on his draft stock.
- Montana edge defender Zack Wagenmann, who is projected as a mid- to late-round pick, broke his foot recently during a private workout with an NFL team, writes Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Wagenmann won’t be able to participate in football-related activities for eight weeks, but is aiming to be ready for training camp.
- Caplan also passes along an update on Hobart offensive lineman Ali Marpet, reporting (via Twitter) that Marpet visited the Chargers earlier this week, and has worked out for the Cardinals, Bengals, and Texans.
- Besides confirming some of his previously-reported visits, T.J. Clemmings‘ draft diary for USA Today (via Tom Pelissero) added some new teams to his list of possible suitors. According to the Pittsburgh tackle himself, he visited the Bears and had a private workout with the Panthers. Clemmings will also privately work out for the Dolphins tomorrow.
- Florida linebacker Neiron Ball has made pre-draft visits with the Patriots, Broncos, Buccaneers, and Texans, writes Wilson. Ball has also worked out privately for the Falcons, Rams, Steelers, Cardinals, and Texans.
NFC South Notes: Saints, Falcons, Panthers
Let’s round up a few Thursday items from around the NFC South….
- The Saints are preparing to transition from Drew Brees to a new quarterback at some point in the next three or four years, and could kick-start that process by drafting a QB early this year, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). According to Cole, New Orleans is eyeing Bryce Petty, who recently worked out for the club, and Garrett Grayson, and figures to select a signal-caller in the first three or four rounds next week.
- Within the same video, Cole adds that the Saints intend to use their two first-round picks to land players whose commitment to football is unquestioned. That means the team may decide to pass on a top prospect who has run into off-field problems, like Randy Gregory or Marcus Peters.
- Florida running back Matt Jones made a pre-draft visit to New Orleans to meet with the Saints on Wednesday, the final day teams were allowed to host prospects, writes Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune.
- Indiana running back Tevin Coleman visited the Falcons on Wednesday, and tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that he enjoyed the visit quite a bit.
- Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney has a workout with the Panthers today, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter). With just one week left until the draft, teams can no longer host prospects on pre-draft visits, but they can still privately work them out.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Draft Visits: Strong, Steelers, Lions, Langford
With draft night just eight days away, several teams who are doing research and due diligence on Marcus Mariota are also intrigued by Bryce Petty, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. While Petty may not be a first-round pick, he could very well be the third signal-caller off the board after Jameis Winston and Mariota, says La Canfora.
The fact that the draft is now right around the corner also means that today is the final day for teams to host pre-draft visits for prospects. While clubs can still conduct private workouts over the next several days, visits have to be completed by tonight. Here are a few updates on the final visits happening around the NFL:
- Jaelen Strong, WR (Arizona State): Visiting the Texans today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The team will get a chance to look at his injured wrist.
- Landon Collins, S (Alabama); Preston Smith, DE (Mississippi State); Dexter McDonald, CB (Kansas); Davis Tull, OLB (UT-Chattanooga): All visiting the Steelers today, per Scott Brown of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- Danny Shelton, DT (Washington): Visiting the Lions today, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- La’el Collins, T (LSU); Jamon Brown, T (Louisville): Also visiting the Lions today, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
- Jeremy Langford, RB (Michigan State): Has had visits with the Colts and Buccaneers in addition to previously-reported visit with Broncos, tweets Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News.
- Paul Dawson, LB (TCU): Recently visited the Falcons, after previously having worked out for the club, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- John Miller, G (Louisville): Visiting the Saints today, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- Alani Fua, OLB (BYU): Visiting the Eagles today, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Draft Notes: Edwards, Beasley, Agholor
Florida State defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. visited the Jets today, as Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post writes. Edwards, who is regarded as a rising draft prospect, also has visits scheduled with the Cowboys, Lions, Panthers, Seahawks, 49ers, Bears, Patriots, and Texans, among other NFL teams. Edwards had 44 tackles and three sacks last season for the Seminoles. Here’s a look at the latest draft news..
- Clemson outside linebacker Vic Beasley is visiting Washington today, Aaron Wilson of the National Post writes. Beasley ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, where he also had a 41-inch vertical leap and bench pressed 225 pounds 35 times. The collegiate star is regarded as one of the top pass rushers in this year’s class.
- USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor will be visiting the Dolphins on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Agholor has been gaining more and more steam as a first round possibility lately.
- Maryland defensive tackle Darius Kilgo worked out for the Ravens during their local prospect day, Wilson writes. Kilgo, who has also visited the Bills, Packers, Dolphins, and Washington, is projected as a late-round pick.
- James Madison wide receiver is Daniel Brown is drawing interest from the Dolphins, Colts, Falcons, and Washington, Wilson writes.
NFC Notes: JPP, Giants, Lions, Falcons
Yesterday, we heard that Jason Pierre-Paul didn’t report to the Giants‘ first day of voluntary offseason workouts, but even though the defensive end didn’t participate in the team’s workouts, he did stop by the facility, writes Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. As Samuel notes, because JPP has yet to sign his franchise tender and didn’t sign an injury waiver, he couldn’t have worked out with the team even if he wanted to. At this point, a holdout doesn’t appear likely — Pierre Paul’s absence from workouts had been expected.
Here’s more from across the NFC:
- The Giants are very high on USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams, and if Williams slips past the top three picks in the draft, “it wouldn’t be at all surprising” to see the Giants make a bold move and trade up to grab him, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. In his look at 2015’s class of defensive linemen earlier today, our Rob DiRe outlined why Williams is easily the top prospect at his position.
- In addition to confirming a pair of previously-reported pre-draft visits, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com says that the Lions also hosted Arizona State safety Damarious Randall today.
- After working out privately for the Panthers, Buccaneers, and Texans earlier in the pre-draft process, Duke wide receiver Jamison Crowder is visiting the Falcons today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport also notes (via Twitter) that Kevin White‘s visits with the Rams and Bears, which had been previously reported, happened yesterday and today, respectively.
- While the 49ers aren’t a lock to select a quarterback in the draft, they’ll almost certainly add a rookie or two at the position this offseason, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
- Former Razorbacks quarterback Tyler Wilson will work out at the Bears‘ veteran minicamp next week, he announced on ESPN Radio in Arkansas. Matt Jones of WholeHogSports.com has the details.
Adrian Peterson Rumors: Tuesday
Adrian Peterson has been PFR’s most-mentioned player since the 2014 regular season began, but now that he’s been reinstated – and with the draft only nine days away – we could finally be headed toward some sort of resolution in his saga with the Vikings. Here are Tuesday’s updates and rumors on the former MVP:
- Yesterday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that if the Vikings don’t trade Peterson before or during next week’s draft, a deal isn’t expected to happen. Today, Tomasson updated his report to note that his source named six potential suitors in the mix for the running back: The Cardinals, Falcons, Cowboys, Jaguars, Chargers, and Buccaneers. The Raiders, who are said to have some interest, weren’t on the list.
- The Cowboys have been cited as the most likely Peterson suitor since trade rumors first began surfacing, but EVP/COO Stephen Jones told 105.3 FM in Dallas today that he doesn’t envision the club “using any picks to trade for veteran players” (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).
- Asked today about Peterson, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley said he and GM David Caldwell haven’t had a serious conversation about making a play for the Vikings back (Twitter link via John Oehser of Jaguars.com).