Martin Mayhew On Lions’ Draft
Lions general manager Martin Mayhew spoke to the media after the NFL Draft to talk about the team’s draft strategy. He explained that his reason for not drafting a safety, thought to be a position of need, was a combination of being comfortable with the players they have already and the way the board fell, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN (via Twitter). Mayhew noted that the pick would have had to be an “impactful guy.”
Here are some other notes from the Lions’ draft class:
- Mayhew said fourth-round pick Nevin Lawson’s “play speed” is better than he timed at the combine, according to Rothstein (via Twitter).
- The team’s other fourth-round pick Larry Webster will line up at defensive end, writes Rothstein (via Twitter). Mayhew called him a raw player.
- The Lions’ fifth-round pick, T.J. Jones, will most likely project as a slot receiver, meaning he will be competing with Ryan Broyles for playing time, reports Rothstein (via Twitter). Mayhew called the Notre Dame pass catcher a “clutch” guy.
- Mayhew noted that the team considered drafting the kicker, Nate Freese, in the sixth round, and was happy to be able to get him in the seventh, according to Rothstein (via Twitter). In Mayhew’s view, after spending his college career kicking outside in the elements at Boston College, Freese will be great in the NFC North, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).
Post-Draft Notes: Sam, Vikings, Bills, Jets
The 2014 NFL draft is now behind us, and you can check out the results sorted by chronological order and by team. In the wake of the draft, rumors and reports of undrafted free agents signing or agreeing to terms with NFL teams are flying fast and furious. However, most of these signings aren’t official, meaning a player could still decide to sign with another club, or an agreement could fall through due to a failed physical. Additionally, some players announcing they’ve signed with a team may in fact just have a tryout with that club.
In the interest of accuracy, we’ll be holding off on passing along news of undrafted free agent signings until the moves have been formally confirmed by teams or the league itself. In the meantime, here are some other notes from the aftermath of the NFL draft:
- One of the newest members of the Rams, Michael Sam, said if he had gone undrafted, he would have considered free agent offers from the Rams, Giants, Bears, and Ravens, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Vikings general manager Rick Spielman could make a few roster moves to provide room for more undrafted free agents without going over the 90-contract limit, reports Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- According to Bills’ general manager Doug Whaley, the team has been trying to trade for Bryce Brown for a year and a half, reports Mike Rodak of ESPN (via Twitter). Whaley finally pulled off the trade today during the draft. The Eagles confirmed earlier that the Bills had been calling about Brown for a while.
- Jets‘ general manager John Idzik engaged in talks about trading down with some of his 12 picks, but ultimately decided he liked the players on his board too much too risk missing out on them, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork (via Twitter).
Draft Notes: Titans, Ravens, Saints, UDFAs
Titans’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt said the team considered taking quarterback Zach Mettenberger in an earlier round, but moved up in fear that another team was prepared to take him, reports Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (via Twitter).
- Titans’ Director of College Scouting Blake Beddingfield says that the team will sign 12 or 13 undrafted rookie free agents following the draft, reports McCormick (via Twitter).
- The Ravens are out of draft picks, but that won’t stop them from aggressively pursuing Missouri defensive end Michael Sam as an undrafted rookie free agent, reports Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). The team did trade back into the draft, but elected to take receiver Michael Campanaro out of Wake Forest.
- Saints’ head coach Sean Payton says the team will look to sign a quarterback as part of their undrafted rookie free agent class, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Ravens Acquire No. 218 From Browns
The Ravens have traded back into the draft, acquiring the No. 218 pick from the Browns, reports Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com (via Twitter). The Ravens will send the Browns a 2015 sixth-rounder (via Twitter). The Ravens used this pick to select Wake Forest receiver Michael Campanaro, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Cardinals Notes: Thomas, Arians, UDFAs
Cardinals’ head coach Bruce Arians stated that Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas will be playing quarterback for the team, reports Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). Thomas has experience as a tight end, but Arians noted that his struggles with accuracy can be easily fixed.
Here are some other notes from Urban about the Cardinals draft day three:
- Yesterday Arians said that he liked the three quarterbacks on the team’s roster, writes Urban (via Twitter). This turned out to be a smokescreen, with Arians saying today “I lie pretty good.”
- Arians held his intentions to draft a quarterback close to his chest, because he was afraid a team would try to jump in front of the Cardinals to target Thomas in the fourth round, writes Urban (via Twitter).
- Cardinals’ general manager Steve Keim noted that he wants to add two running backs and between three and five offensive linemen as undrafted rookie free agents, reports Urban (via Twitter).
Poll: Best Late Round Quarterback?
Just because they don’t have the fanfare of a Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t mean the day three quarterbacks are destined to be career backups. A handful of high-caliber NFL quarterbacks do get selected in the later rounds.
Not every quarterback drafted in the sixth round is going to turn into Tom Brady–most first-round quarterbacks won’t accomplish half of what Brady has–but many if not all of these fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-round quarterbacks will have a chance to push for a starting job at some point in their career, either by performance or by injury.
The question is, which of these quarterbacks is going to have the best chance to find success as a starter in the NFL? That takes a combination of talent and opportunity, where some of these draftees have definite roadblocks in front of them in the form of quarterbacks entrenched as starters.
Of course, a few more quarterbacks will still come off the board in the next 50+ picks, and a couple more will be snagged as undrafted free agents. Maybe Stephen Morris of Miami, Tahj Boyd of Clemson, Garrett Gilbert of SMU, Keith Price of Washington, Brett Smith of Wyoming, or Connor Shaw of South Carolina ends up being the best of the group, although they are still waiting to hear their names called.
AFC Notes: Quarterbacks, Jaguars
Titans’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt said the team was considering quarterbacks in the fourth round, reports Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (via Twitter). They are one of the many teams that seem interest in the secon and third tier signal callers in this draft.
Here are some other notes from around the AFC:
- Although they have Alex Smith, the Chiefs considered taking a quarterback in round one, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The team has been unable to get Smith signed to an extension, but ultimately went in another direction early. They instead took Aaron Murray out of Georgia in the fifth round.
- The Bengals are in a similar situation to the Chiefs, and also considered a quarterback in the first round, according to Rapoport. They selected A.J. McCarron of Alabama, one pick after Murray in round five. McCarron will likely be Andy Dalton‘s backup in 2014, before they make a decision about Dalton’s future with the team next offseason.
- Jaguars’ general manager Dave Caldwell said there was not much talk of trading down today on day three, according to Ryan Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). The Jaguars only had discussion that included 2015 selections.
Falcons Acquire No. 168 Pick From Vikings
The Falcons have moved back into the fifth round, trading for the No. 168 pick previously held by the Vikings, reports Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Vikings had originally received that pick from the Panthers in a separate trade.
Goessling writes that the Vikings will receive two picks, No. 182 and No. 220, in the trade (via Twitter). The Falcons selected inside linebacker Marquis Spruill out of Syracuse with the pick, according to Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com (via Twitter).
Dolphins Looking To Add A Quarterback
The Dolphins are looking for a potential quarterback now in the draft, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). He notes the team could be interested in Stephen Morris of Miami (via Twitter).
The team still has Ryan Tannehill, who will be entering a crucial third season with the team. While he has not been a bust just yet, he may not be developing as quickly as the team would have hoped. Behind Tannehill are Matt Moore and Pat Devlin, which is not the worst set of backups in the league.
If the team stays away from Morris, there is still a bevy of options to choose from in the rest of the draft, including David Fales of San Jose State and Zach Mettenberger of LSU.
NFC East Notes: Brown, Graham, Hart, Martin
The Eagles have been fielding calls from the Bills about tailback Bryce Brown for a while, reports Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network and Jeff McClaine of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). The team finally moved Brown to the Bills in exchange for a conditional future pick.
Here are some other draft weekend notes from the NFC East:
- Eagles’ head coach Chip Kelly said he does not expect any other players on the roster to be traded during the draft, reports Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (via Twitter). That could be good news for Brandon Graham, who was thought to be on the trade block this weekend.
- Kelly wanted the Eagles to take Oregon defensive end Taylor Hart with the first pick in round four, reports the team insider of PhiladelphiaEagles.com (via Twitter). The team’s general manager Howie Roseman proved to be a smart draft manager, saying he would still be available when they selected at the top of the fifth round.
- The Cowboys almost missed their top draft pick Zack Martin of Notre Dame, as a coin flip gave them No. 16, one spot ahead of the Ravens. The Rams were in talks to exchange picks with the Ravens in order to jump up to No. 17 to select Martin, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Knowing that Johnny Manziel was near the top of the Cowboys’ board when the team selected, Florio writes that if Martin was not on the board, the team might have been more inclined to take the Texas A&M quarterback.