AFC Draft Pick Signings: 5/9/19
The latest 2019 draft pick signings from around the AFC:
- Tight end Trevon Wesco is now the first Jets rookie under contract, as the West Virginia product signed his deal today, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. A more-than-willing blocker, Wesco didn’t post much production at West Virginia, managing only a single reception in both 2016 and 2017 before totaling 26 catches last year. Still, in a New York offense that’s set to run through Le’Veon Bell, Wesco could see the field, especially given that incumbent Jets tight end Chris Herndon graded as one of the NFL’s worst run-blockers in 2018, per Pro Football Focus.
- The Steelers announced that they’ve signed a pair of draft choices, inking both fifth-round tight end Zach Gentry and sixth-round linebacker Ulysees Gilbert to rookie deals. Of the two, Gentry likely has the easier path to playing time not only due to his draft status, but because Gilbert is stuck behind Devin Bush, Mark Barron, and Vince Williams, and Tyler Matakevich at linebacker. Gentry, who posted 32 receptions for 514 yards during his final season at Michigan, will likely see a good deal of special teams duty, but could be involved in Pittsburgh’s offense if Vance McDonald — who has never completed a full 16-game slate — goes down.
- The Texans have signed fifth-round defensive end Charles Omenihu and sixth-round cornerback Xavier Crawford, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). Houston inked a number of draft picks earlier today, leaving only third-round tight end Kahale Warring unsigned.
- The Chargers have signed seventh-round defensive tackle Cortez Broughton, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Broughton is the first Los Angels draft choice to sign his rookie deal.
Vikings Sign Five Draft Picks
The Vikings made more selections (12) than any other team in the 2019 NFL draft, but they’re nearly done signing their entire rookie class. Only first-round center Garrett Bradbury and seventh-round long-snapper Austin Cutting remain unsigned after Minnesota recently announced the following first-year players have inked their rookie deals:
- 3-102: Alexander Mattison, RB (Boise State)
- 4-114: Dru Samia, G (Oklahoma)
- 6-191: Marcus Epps, DB (Wyoming)
- 7-239: Dillon Mitchell, WR (Oregon)
- 7-247: Olabisi Johnson, WR (Colorado State)
Mattison was considered something of an over-draft at the end of the third round, but he could see a path to playing time during his rookie campaign, as he’ll compete with Mike Boone, Ameer Abdullah, and Roc Thomas for work behind starting running back Dalvin Cook. Mattison, who stands 5’11” and 211 pounds, surpasses 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons, scoring a combined 29 touchdowns on the ground during that time. His four-year contract should be worth $3.342MM and come with a signing bonus of ~$822K.
Samia was one of four Oklahoma offensive lineman selected in last month’s draft. The four-year starter was named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2018, and also earned first-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-American nods. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com calls Samia a “very able zone blocker,” which could help him adjust to the NFL as the Vikings implement some form of new offensive consultant Gary Kubiak‘s zone-based scheme. Samia probably isn’t in line for starting work immediately, as Pat Elflein, Bradbury, and Josh Kline will handle Minnesota’s interior, but he’s likely penciled as the club’s top guard/center reserve.
First-round contracts often take a bit longer to work out, so it’s perhaps no surprise that Bradbury is still unsigned. But Cutting’s situations is tied to his status as an alum of the Air Force Academy. He hasn’t signed his rookie deal as he waits for the Air Force to decide if he’ll first need to fulfill his service requirement before playing in the NFL. President Trump is reportedly considering a waiver to allow service academy prospects to immediately play professional sports and delay their military obligations.
Packers Sign Two Draft Picks
The Packers have moved one step closer to wrapping up their 2019 rookie class, as the club recently announced it has signed fifth-round defensive tackle Kingsley Keke and sixth-round cornerback Ka’dar Hollman.
Keke (6’4″, 305) projects as an interior rusher for the Packers, and his performance at the Senior Bowl was impressive enough for Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus to label the Texas A&M product one of the steals of the 2019 draft. During his final season with the Aggies, Keke posted 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss while ranking 16th in among all NCAA interior defenders in run-stop percentage. He might not see much playing time during his first season in Green Bay, as he’s currently behind Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, and Montravius Adams on the team’s defensive line depth chart.
Hollman may have an even more difficult path to playing time than Keke, as he’s stuck behind Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Josh Jackson, and a host of other defensive backs. However, Hollman does possess elite athletic traits, as his 9.23 Relative Athletic Score places him near the upper echelon of historical cornerback averages. As Kent Lee Platte of SB Nation recently noted on Twitter, Green Bay has been targeting prospects with excellent athletic testing results in each of the past four drafts.
With Keke and Hollman now under contract, the Packers have only two unsigned draft choices remaining: second-round offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins and third-round tight end Jace Sternberger.
Buccaneers Sign Five Draft Picks
The Buccaneers have begun to sign their 2019 rookie class, announcing that they’ve reached deals with the following five draft choices:
- 2-39: Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB (Central Michigan)
- 4-107: Anthony Nelson, DE (Iowa)
- 5-145: Matt Gay, K (Utah)
- 6-208: Scott Miller, WR (Bowling Green)
- 7-215: Terry Beckner Jr., DT (Missouri)
After ranking 3oth in pass defense DVOA last season, the Buccaneers needed to throw assets at the coverage game, and they did so by adding Murphy-Bunting on Day 2. The 2018 CMU Defensive Player of the Year, Bunting is a “long, lanky press corner,” according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, which should make him a good fit for Todd Bowles‘ aggressive scheme. Nelson might need to replace Jason Pierre-Paul‘s production after posting 9.5 sacks a year ago, while Gay should be in line to serve as the Bucs’ kicker during his rookie campaign.
Tampa Bay still has yet to sign first-round linebacker Devin White, third-round cornerback Jamel Dean, or third-round safety Mike Edwards.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: T Justin Evans, G Zack Golditch, G Will House, DT Pasoni Tasini, WR Jalen Tolliver, T Brant Weiss
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: LB Blair Brown, G Parker Ehinger, FB Dimitri Flowers, LB Donald Payne, RB David Williams
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: TE Austin Roberts
New York Giants
- Signed: K Joey Slye
- Waived: LB Ukeme Eligwe, DE Myles Humphrey, DB Michael Hunter, RB Robert Martin
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: CB Jack Tocho, K Matt McCrane
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: FB Nick Bellore, OL Marcus Martin
Jaguars Sign Jawaan Taylor, Four Other Draft Picks
The Jaguars have signed second-round offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Meanwhile, Jacksonville has also announced the following rookie signings:
- 2-35: Jawaan Taylor, T (Florida)
- 3-69: Josh Oliver, TE (San Jose State)
- 5-140: Ryquell Armstead, RB (Temple)
- 6-178: Gardner Minshew, QB (Washington State)
- 7-235: Dontavius Russell, DT (Auburn)
Taylor was a projected first-round pick, and many observers believed he’d be a fit for the Jaguars at No. 7 overall. However, the Florida product fell because of injury concerns, although Taylor has since blasted that information as “false reports.” Jacksonville traded up to acquire Taylor on Day 2, and he’ll immediately step in as Jermey Parnell‘s replacement at right tackle.
While Minshew is an interesting developmental option after succeeding in Mike Leach‘s Washington State offense, Oliver is the non-Taylor prospect with the best chance to contribute in 2019. A solid athlete, Oliver posted 709 receiving yards during his final season at San Jose State, and only needs to beat out veteran Geoff Swaim for playing time.
Jacksonville now has only two rookies left to sign: first-round edge rusher Josh Allen and third-round linebacker Quincy Williams.
Panthers Sign Will Grier, Four Other Draft Picks
The Panthers announced that they’ve signed the following five draft picks:
- 3-100: Will Grier, QB (West Virginia)
- 4-115: Christian Miller, LB (Alabama)
- 5-154: Jordan Scarlett, RB (Florida)
- 6-212: Dennis Daley, T (South Carolina)
- 7-237: Terry Godwin, WR (Georgia)
Grier is unquestionably the most interesting name on the list, as he’ll give Carolina a more reputable backup quarterback than it had in 2019. Both Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen failed in their respective starts in relief of Cam Newton, so Grier will attempt to to improve on that production.
There’s good reason to think Grier has a chance at NFL success. Some draft analysts considered him the second-best quarterback in the draft behind Kyler Murray, although Grier’s advanced rookie age (24) is a knock against him. The West Virginia product threw with the highest velocity at the scouting combine, and ranked second behind Murray in Josh Hermsmeyer of FiveThirtyEight.com‘s completion percentage over expected, which attempts to value a quarterbacks’s production relative to the depth of his attempted throws.
With five members of their draft class down, Carolina needs only to sign first-round defensive end Brian Burns and second-round offensive tackle Greg Little.
Patriots Sign Three Draft Picks
The Patriots have signed three members of their 2019 draft class: second-round cornerback Joejuan Williams (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN), third-round offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), and fifth-round defensive tackle Byron Cowart (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Athletic). has signed his rookie contract with the Patriots, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link).
Williams is an exceptionally tall at 6’4″, and there’s at least some question as to how he’ll be deployed in New England. Over the past decade, only one cornerback — Brandon Browner — has started an NFL game at a height of 6’4″ or taller. Browner, of course, spent the 2014 campaign with the Patriots, leading to speculation that Williams could be used in a similar fashion.
Lance Zierlien of NFL.com praised Williams’ size in a pre-draft profile, but noted the Vanderbilt product’s lack of speed and ball skills. For now, Williams is behind Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones, and J.C. Jackson on the Patriots’ secondary depth chart.
Cajuste isn’t likely to see much action during his rookie campaign given that the Patriots are set at tackle with Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon, but the West Virginia product couldn’t have asked for a better developmental destination than New England, where he’ll get to work under revered offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia.
Dolphins Sign Xavien Howard To Extension
The Dolphins have signed cornerback Xavien Howard to a five-year extension worth $76.5MM, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Howard will collect $46MM in guarantees, per Schefter, and receive $51MM over the first three years of the deal, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
On both a total value and annual basis, Howard will now become the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. His new deal with surpass that of Josh Norman, who signed a five-year, $75MM deal with the Redskins in 2016. While Howard will reportedly pocket $46MM in guarantees, those likely aren’t full guarantees. At present, Norman also holds the record for the most fully guaranteed money given to a cornerback ($36.5MM).
Miami is entering a rebuilding period, and it had been unclear whether the club wanted to extend its best defensive player in Howard, attempt to retain him via the franchise tag in 2020, or explore his trade market. Collecting assets for a shutdown cornerback may have been an option, but instead the Dolphins will keep the 25-year-old Howard around for the long haul.
Howard, the 38th overall selection in the 2016 draft, is coming off the best campaign of his three-year career. In 12 games, Howard posted a league-leading seven interceptions and graded as the NFL’s No. 19 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. Football Outsiders, meanwhile, ranked Howard eighth in success rate, meaning he was extremely successful at stopping opposing receivers short of the sticks.
Derek Anderson Announces Retirement
Longtime NFL quarterback Derek Anderson has announced his retirement, the Bills announced today.
Anderson, 35, spent the 2018 campaign in Buffalo, starting two games while completing 42-of-70 attempts for 465 yards, zero touchdowns, and four interceptions. Despite has lackluster performance on the field, the Bills valued his off-field presence enough to sign him to a one-year extension through the 2019 campaign. Anderson has apparently had a change of heart since that December accord was reached, however.
A sixth-round draft choice of the Ravens in 2005, Anderson’s most notable season came in 2007, when he helped lead Cleveland to a 10-6 record and earned a Pro Bowl berth. Anderson subsequently signed a three-year deal to remain with the Browns despite the fact that Cleveland had used a first-round selection on fellow signal-caller Brady Quinn in 2007. The Oregon State product wasn’t able to hold onto his full-time gig, but still started 16 games over the next two seasons.
After making nine starts for the Cardinals in 2010, Anderson signed up for a long-term gig: Cam Newton‘s backup in Carolina. Anderson spent the 2011-17 seasons with the Panthers but was rarely asked to play. During those seven years, Anderson made only four starts and attempted just 168 passes.
The Bills will now move forward with Matt Barkley as the No. 2 to starting quarterback Josh Allen, although the club did also sign Buffalo alum Tyree Jackson as an undrafted free agent.