Steelers Reach Agreements With 12 UDFAs
The Steelers have agreed to deals with 12 undrafted free agents, writes Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk. Here are the names:
- Cameron Clear, TE, Texas A&M
- Nigel Crawford-Kinney, DT, Saint Augustine
- Dominique Davis, DE, Liberty
- Miles Dieffenbach, OG, Penn State
- Reese Dismukes, OG, Auburn
- B.J. Finney, C, Kansas State
- Tyler Murphy, QB/WR, Boston College ($4,500 bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Brandon Prate, DE, Illinois State ($1k bonus, per Wilson)
- Collin Rahrig, OG, Indiana
- Eli Rogers, WR, Louisville
- Ross Scheuerman, RB, Lafayette
- Kevin Whimpey, OT, Utah State
Seahawks Agree To Terms With 12 UDFAs
The Seahawks have reached agreements with 12 undrafted free agents, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links here). The full list:
- Nate Boyer, LS, Texas
- Jesse Davis, OT, Idaho
- Austin Hill, WR, Arizona
- Keenan Lambert, SS, Norfolk State ($10k bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Ronald Martin, SS, LSU
- Quayshawn Nealy, LB, Georgia Tech
- Thomas Rawls, RB, Central Michigan
- Trovon Reed, CB, Auburn
- Alex Singleton, LB, Montana State
- Tory Slater, DE, West Georgia
- Rod Smith, RB, Ohio State
- Triston Wade, FS, Texas-San Antonio
Broncos Add Nine Undrafted Free Agents
The Broncos have agreed to terms with nine undrafted free agents, six of whom are linemen. Here’s the full list, courtesy of ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter):
- Zaire Anderson, LB, Nebraska
- Kalon Davis, OL, Clemson
- Dillon Day, OL, Mississippi State
- Matt Miller, WR, Boise State
- Chuka Ndulue, NT, Oklahoma
- Connor Rains, OL, Wyoming
- Kyle Roberts, OL, Nevada
- Jordan Taylor, WR, Rice
- Josh Watson, DL, Clemson
Chargers Agree To Terms With 21 UDFAs
The Chargers have agreed to terms with 21 undrafted free agents. The list comes courtesy of Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter):
- Ikechi “Chi Chi” Araguzo, ILB, Northwestern
- Manuel “Manny” Asprilla, CB, Boston College
- Ben Beckwith, OG, Mississippi State
- Cameron Botticelli, DE, Minnesota
- Tyreek Burwell, OT, Cincinnati
- Cameron Clemmons, OT, Western Kentucky
- Titus Davis, WR, Central Michigan
- Nick Dzubnar, ILB, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
- Jahwan Edwards, RB, Ball State
- Eric Frohnapfel, TE, Marshall
- Curtis Grant, ILB, Ohio State
- Brock Hekking, OLB, Nevada
- Gordon Hill, S, Sacred Heart
- Josh Lambo, K, Texas A&M ($5k bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Johnny Lowdermilk, S, Iowa
- Ryan Mueller, OLB, Kansas State
- Brian Parker, TE, Albany ($7k bonus, per Wilson)
- Dreamius Smith, RB, West Virginia
- Cole Stoudt, QB, Clemson ($2k bonus, per Wilson)
- Tyrell Williams, WR, Western Oregon
- Demetrious Wilson, WR, Arkansas
NFC Notes: Eagles, Bennett, Collins, Boone
The latest from the NFC as Friday comes to a close:
- Eagles coach and football czar Chip Kelly said he hasn’t received any calls regarding linebacker Mychal Kendricks, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The Eagles have been shopping the three-year veteran, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported earlier this week.
- In other Eagles linebacker news, one scout called their selection of Texas’ Jordan Hicks in the third round (84th overall) a “stupid pick,” per Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. However, the Bengals would’ve taken him with the next pick, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Further, Kelly says the Eagles had a second-round grade on Hicks and saw him more than any other prospect prior to the draft, reports the Inquirer’s Zach Berman (via Twitter).
- Despite all the recent rumors surrounding his team, Kelly claims he hasn’t talked to anyone during the draft about trading players, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter). What’s more, Kelly had to call multiple players recently to tell them that they weren’t trade bait, per USA Today’s Lindsay Jones (Twitter link). Mosher reports (Twitter link) that Kendricks and cornerback Brandon Boykin did not receive calls, while defensive end Vinny Curry did.
- Bears general manager Ryan Pace says tight end Martellus Bennett has not requested a trade, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). However, Biggs notes that Bennett might want more money. Bennett, who amassed 90 catches and six touchdowns in 2014, has two years left on his contract, but no guaranteed money left. He was said earlier this week to be on the trade block.
- Saints head coach Sean Payton says the team hasn’t taken LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins off its board, per Sean Fazende of Fox 8 (Twitter link). On the possibility of using a seventh-round pick on Collins, Payton went on to state, “I don’t know that we would consider that right now until we get more clarity.” Collins, whom Baton Rouge police wish to question regarding the murder of his ex-girlfriend, has seen his draft stock drop precipitously in recent days, and may not sign with a team that drafts him tomorrow.
- General manager Trent Baalke says the 49ers haven’t spoken with guard Alex Boone or his agent, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Boone, who is entering the final year of his contract, will skip all voluntary offseason activities. Baalke referred to that as a “non-issue.”
- Before the Rams swung a deal Friday to swap second-round picks with the Panthers (going from 41st to 57th) and acquire a pair of other selections, St. Louis had discussions with five other teams, per Howard Balzer (Twitter link), who says the team was willing to move down so far in the second round in order to pick up a third-round pick. Coach Jeff Fisher said the Rams were comfortable moving down because they felt they’d still be able to get one of the offensive linemen they liked, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner (Twitter link). That proved true, as they ultimately took Wisconsin offensive tackle Rob Havenstein.
- Trading up could be a possibility Saturday for the Cardinals. Their general manager, Steve Keim, mentioned the possibility twice Friday, reports Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys would be comfortable taking a running back in the fourth round, tweets Rapoport.
AFC Notes: Steelers, Ravens, Chargers
Before drafting Mississippi cornerback Senquez Golson with the 56th overall pick, the Steelers tried to move up and take Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams, tweets Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. The Steelers were unable to pull it off, however, and Williams ended up going 55th to the AFC North rival Ravens, who traded up to get ahead of Pittsburgh. Not surprisingly, that displeased the Steelers, according to Kaboly.
While the Steelers may not have been happy to see their division rivals land Williams, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) doesn’t think they were going to take the tight end themselves in that spot — according to La Canfora, Pittsburgh was “locked in” on Golson at No. 56.
Here are a few more draft-related leftovers from day two, from around the AFC…
- Speaking of the Ravens, they’re eyeing some of the draft’s remaining cornerbacks, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter).
- The Chargers had discussions with multiple teams about moving down in the second round, but they decided to stay put because they wanted Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The Bolts took Perryman 48th overall.
- Broncos general manager John Elway didn’t consider taking a quarterback in the third round, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Broncos instead used the 92nd overall pick on Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman.
- Discussing the teams’ day two draft picks, Texans GM Rick Smith said linebacker Benardrick McKinney was the highest-rated player on the club’s board when the second round began, and added that Jaelen Strong‘s injured wrist was medically cleared by the Texans’ staff prior to the draft (Twitter links via Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle).
- Josh Cribbs became expendable for the Colts when the team drafted Phillip Dorsett in the first round, and Indianapolis released Cribbs earlier today. According to GM Ryan Grigson, the club wanted to give the veteran returner a chance to find “greener pastures,” tweets Mike Chappell of RTV6.
Lions Acquire 80th Pick From Vikings
Two NFC North rivals have swung a deal. The Vikings will send the 80th pick in the draft to the Lions, reports Chris Long of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). In return, the Vikings will receive picks 88 and 143, tweets Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune.
With the 80th pick, the Lions selected Stanford cornerback Alex Carter.
Extra Points: Gregory, Texans, Bengals
Here’s a look at the latest from around the NFL as the 2015 draft continues:
- Representatives for Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory, whom the Cowboys chose 60th overall, made it clear before the draft that he’d need significant support from his NFL team, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That support is expected to include a security person and personal handler for Gregory, whose draft stock plummeted because of off-field concerns – notably marijuana use and potential mental health issues.
- The Texans aren’t going to trade cornerback Johnathan Joseph, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The nine-year veteran is entering the final season of his contract, but McClain reports that his place on the team is safe.
- The Bengals filled a need along their offensive line Thursday when they used their first-round pick on Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi. Had Ogbuehi been gone before then, the Bengals would’ve selected Oregon’s Jake Fisher, tweets ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. As luck would have it, Fisher was still available at No. 53, the Bengals’ second-rounder, so they were also able to land him.
- Before drafting Mississippi cornerback Senqeuz Golson with the 56th pick, the Steelers attempted to move up and grab LSU’s Jalen Collins, who went 42nd to the Falcons, reports Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (via Twitter). They also liked Utah’s Eric Rowe, whom the Eagles selected at No. 47.
- Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said he traded up for Hobart guard Ali Marpet because offensive line depth in the draft was shrinking, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweeted. The Bucs selected Marpet in the second round after sending the 65th and 109th picks to the Colts for Nos. 61 and 128.
- Michigan defensive end Frank Clark, whom the Seahawks chose with the 63rd pick, said he had a lot of pre-draft contact with the team, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Clark’s agent told him that the Seahawks “had a man crush on [Clark],” according to Condotta.
Seahawks Acquire 69th Pick From Washington
The Seahawks have acquired the 69th overall pick from Washington, tweets Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan. Jayson Braddock of ESPN 97.5 reports (Twitter) that Seattle will select Kansas State wide receiver and returner Tyler Lockett. In addition to swapping third-round picks (69 for 95), Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets that Washington will acquire a fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-rounder from the Seahawks. Those are the 112th, 167th, and 181st picks, respectively.
Buccaneers Acquire 61st Pick From Colts
The Buccaneers have acquired the 61st pick from the Colts in exchange for No. 65, according to Mike Chappell of Fox59 (Twitter link), and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the Bucs will select Hobart guard Ali Marpet. Stroud also reports (Twitter) that the teams will swap fourth-round picks, Indy receiving the 109th choice and Tampa getting No. 128.