OL Notes: Jets, Alt, Titans, Jones, Steelers, Shelton, Rams, Jones, Ravens, Giants, Hawks
Once the draft moves past its quarterback stage, wide receivers are expected to be the focus. This draft also features a few high-level tackle prospects that should go off the board soon after, potentially breaking up the QB-WR string that could lead off this year’s event. Arguably the top tackle available, Joe Alt, has begun his run of pre-draft visits. The Jets and Titans used “30” visits on the Notre Dame tackle this week, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. A first-team All-American in back-to-back years and the top tackle on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board (No. 8 overall), Alt should not need to wait long before his name comes off the board.
The Titans (No. 7) and Jets (No. 10) figure to be two prime suitors. The Jets are not as needy here compared to the start of free agency, having reacquired Morgan Moses via trade and signed Tyron Smith. The All-Decade blocker is among the NFL’s most injury-prone players, and with both Smith and Moses going into age-33 seasons, a tackle-in-waiting would benefit a Jets team that has encountered regular issues up front over the past several years. The Titans cut Andre Dillard and have not added a tackle, potentially making them the Alt floor. Though, the Chargers should not be entirely ruled out — now that Jim Harbaugh is running the show — of a first-round tackle investment to pair with Rashawn Slater.
Here is the latest from the O-line ranks around the league:
- The player the Jets were closely linked to in the 2023 first round, Broderick Jones slipped away after the Steelers (via the Patriots) traded in front of them to nab the Georgia blocker. Jones could not beat out Dan Moore for the Steelers’ left tackle job and ended up replacing Chukwuma Okorafor at RT around midseason. When the Steelers begin their 2024 season, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac expects Jones to be flipped to the blind side. Sliding Jones to the position he primarily played in college would stand to move Moore to right tackle. Moore has been Pittsburgh’s left tackle throughout his three-year career. A Jonah Williams-like contract-year shift would be interesting.
- With the Rams set to slide Steve Avila from guard to center, Sean McVay said (via TheRams.com’s Stu Jackson) that was not Plan A this offseason. The Rams wanted to retain their 2023 center starter, Coleman Shelton, but he voided his contract en route to free agency. The Rams also expected Jonah Jackson to re-sign with the Lions. While Detroit tried to keep Jackson, his price tag reached a point of no return, leading the Lions to cheaper options. Shelton ended up with the Bears on a one-year, $3MM deal. He is not a lock to open the season as Chicago’s starter.
- One of the Lions’ guard solutions came from the Ravens, with Kevin Zeitler leaving for Detroit. The Ravens must replace Zeitler, Moses and John Simpson (Jets) up front. One option will be Josh Jones, a part-time Cardinals and Texans starter. John Harbaugh said (via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec) the team has not determined if the former third-round pick will play guard or tackle. Jones has seen extensive work at left tackle, right tackle and right guard as a pro. He last played guard regularly in 2021, however. The D.J. Humphries and Laremy Tunsil injury replacement could be an emergency backup for the injury-plagued Ronnie Stanley, but Baltimore may well need Jones to start.
- Although George Fant can earn up to $12MM on his two-year Seahawks deal, ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson notes the contract’s base value checks in at $9.1MM. The two-stint Seahawk secured $3.7MM guaranteed. Center Nick Harris‘ deal is worth $2.51MM, per Henderson, with only a $1MM signing bonus guaranteed. Ex-Ram Tremayne Anchrum‘s Seahawks deal is worth only $1.16MM ($100K guaranteed), Henderson adds. The Seahawks are still looking for guard help.
- Jermaine Eluemunor‘s Giants deal is worth $14MM, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan; the deal includes $6.75MM guaranteed. This marks a big step up for the veteran, who played out a one-year, $3MM Raiders pact in 2023.
Falcons Sign CB Antonio Hamilton
Antonio Hamilton worked his way from career backup into a starting opportunity, and when a kitchen accident threatened that chance with the Cardinals, the veteran cornerback rebounded and reclaimed a first-string role. Despite being north of 30 at a position largely unkind to aging talent, Hamilton has secured another gig.
The Falcons signed Hamilton on Thursday, adding the recent Cardinals starter to their AJ Terrell-fronted corner group. With Jeff Okudah departing in free agency, the Falcons still appear to have some work left to do at this position. But Hamilton will attempt to carve out a role with Raheem Morris‘ team.
Hamilton’s career has not overlapped with Morris, DC Jimmy Lake or the Falcons’ secondary coaches. But Morris did have a chance to observe the former UDFA for three seasons as Rams DC. Hamilton, 31, spent the past three years with the Cardinals. He started 14 games over the past two, keeping a first-string gig despite Arizona changing coaching staffs last year.
Probably best known for sustaining a severe burn on his foot in a cooking accident before the 2022 season, Hamilton also made some cameos on that year’s in-season Hard Knocks edition. Hamilton only needed around a month to recover, moving off the NFI list in October 2022. He started five games for the Cardinals and re-signed with the team — on a one-year, $1.5MM deal — in March 2023. Jonathan Gannon‘s defense deployed Hamilton as a nine-game starter last season.
Hamilton began last season as a seldom-used backup but returned to regular duty midway through the season, playing at least 70% of Arizona’s defensive snaps in every game he played from Week 5 onward. This included the veteran playing every defensive snap in the Cardinals’ final four games. Hamilton broke up a career-high 11 passes and improved in some coverage metrics; the 6-foot cover man allowing a 59.2% completion rate as the closest defender. Pro Football Focus assigned the South Carolina State alum a mid-pack grade, placing him 61st at the position in 2023.
Okudah, who started nine games for last year’s Falcons, signed with the Texans. The Falcons still roster 2023 fourth-rounder Clark Phillips as an outside option opposite Terrell, but Hamilton will factor into that mix. This is the sixth career stop for Hamilton, who has been with the Raiders, Giants, Chiefs, Buccaneers and Cardinals since 2016.
Steelers To Sign TE MyCole Pruitt
MyCole Pruitt certainly has a backer in Arthur Smith. After playing for the veteran play-caller in Tennessee and Atlanta, the nine-year tight end is set to rejoin Smith once again.
The Steelers are signing Pruitt, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Although Pittsburgh rosters Pat Freiermuth, Connor Heyward and 2023 third-rounder Darnell Washington, Pruitt has extensive experience in Smith’s system. The blocking tight end will join a crowded tight end room.
The Falcons found room for Pruitt despite rostering Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith last season. Pitts and Smith became one of the league’s top receiving tandems, with Pruitt contributing just nine catches for 110 yards as a third option. The Falcons have now moved on from Smith, via release, and Pruitt.
Now 32, Pruitt has played in a Smith-directed offense in four of the past five years. Pro Football Focus did view the 245-pound tight end as a rather efficient receiver, slotting him toward the top in terms of receiving grades during his two Falcons slates. In 2022, Pruitt tallied four touchdowns as an ancillary cog in Atlanta. The Steelers will give the Southern Illinois alum a chance to play a 10th NFL season.
PFF did not view Pruitt as a particularly effective run blocker last season, ranking him toward the bottom in that area. But the Falcons used him in the run game on 247 of his 401 snaps last season. Atlanta also turned to Pruitt as an extra pass protector, giving him 86 snaps in pass protection. This left only 68 snaps as a receiver, providing a preview of sorts of what could be expected in Pittsburgh.
Smith also served as Pruitt’s position coach in 2018, as the Titans employed the former as their TEs instructor in Mike Vrabel‘s first year (with Matt LaFleur as OC). A former Vikings draftee who later played with the Bears and Texans, Pruitt did not see much stability until he landed in Smith’s offense. Pruitt played four seasons with the Titans and two with the Falcons.
Arthur Smith is certainly no stranger to bringing in ex-Titan tight ends for assistance, having added Jonnu Smith and Anthony Firkser at points during his Atlanta stay. Like Pitts, Freiermuth should still be expected to operate as the lead TE in Arthur Smith’s attack. But some competition is coming in for a backup job.
Pruitt will take the roster spot of recently waived running back Alfonzo Graham. The Steelers cut Graham earlier Thursday.
Cardinals Host Malik Nabers, Terrion Arnold, JC Latham
As mock drafts have the Cardinals addressing their wide receiver need at No. 4 or trading down to stockpile more assets — as they did last year — the rebuilding team has a big decision to make. Being effectively assured of the draft’s top wide receiver by sticking at 4, the Cardinals made some pivotal trade-down maneuvers in Monti Ossenfort‘s first GM year.
Committed to Kyler Murray, the Cardinals are not in consideration to draft a quarterback early. After trading down from No. 3 to No. 12 (and then back to No. 6) last year, the team has two first-round picks. The Cards also hold the No. 27 overall selection, thanks to the trade that gave the Texans Will Anderson Jr.
[RELATED: Cardinals Host WR Xavier Worthy]
Arizona is doing its due diligence on players that will not be available at 27, hosting LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers and Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe and Ian Rapoport note. They also met with Alabama tackle JC Latham, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board slots the trio fourth, ninth and 18th in this year’s class.
While the Giants face a similar decision regarding a wide receiver, theirs involves trading up for a quarterback or staying put and having a top-flight WR available. The Cardinals, however, are in a better position thanks to the No. 4 slot. Ossenfort’s pledge of being open to trading down has produced rumblings that is what Arizona is planning to do, but the team can instantly upgrade its receiver spot by drafting Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr. or Washington’s Rome Odunze. It is quite possible none would be available if the Cardinals trade down. Odunze is also on the Cards’ visit list.
QB-needy teams like the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders could be eyeing the Cardinals’ pick. If Arizona deals with any of that trio, it would slide out out of the top 10. After the Cards lost Christian Kirk and DeAndre Hopkins in 2022 and ’23, Marquise Brown joined the Chiefs this offseason. That leaves the team in dire need at the position. The 2024 class is set to deliver another deep receiver crop, however, and Ossenfort could view a future first-round pick (and other assets) as more valuable than the Harrison-Nabers-Odunze WR tier.
Still, Nabers is viewed by some teams as this draft’s top wideout. The Cardinals already met with the LSU alum previously, though “30” visits provide better opportunities to gauge prospects’ fits. Nabers posted a 1,000-yard season in 2022 but unlocked another level to his game last season, totaling 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns to help Jayden Daniels win the Heisman. Nabers’ 4.35-second 40-yard dash at LSU’s pro day certainly did not hurt his stock.
Arnold and Latham could be targets for the Cards if they move down. The team has been in need at corner for years, losing the likes of Patrick Peterson and Byron Murphy in free agency earlier this decade. Arnold rates as the top corner on Jeremiah’s big board; the Cards have not gone corner in Round 1 since Peterson in 2011. Operating across from fellow top prospect Kool-Aid McKinstry, the 6-foot Arnold recorded six interceptions (five in 2023) and 20 passes defensed over the past two seasons.
The Cardinals climbed up for Paris Johnson last year, and while the team recently released longtime left tackle D.J. Humphries, Jonah Williams signed a two-year deal. This would not make tackle a front-burner need. Latham joined Arnold as a first-team All-SEC player last season. Mel Kiper Jr.’s ESPN.com big board lists Latham 12th overall and as the third-best tackle in this year’s draft.
Broncos Sign C Sam Mustipher
Losing Lloyd Cushenberry, the Broncos will have a new center starter in 2023. Cushenberry had held that role for nearly his entire rookie contract, only ceding the role due to a 2022 injury. Younger blockers will be in the mix for the job, but the Broncos now have a veteran set to enter the competition.
Denver added Sam Mustipher on Thursday, per a team announcement. The former Bears regular has made 42 career starts. He operated as Chicago’s full-time center from 2021-22, before spending last season in Baltimore.
A former UDFA out of Notre Dame, Mustipher will join holdovers Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth. Broncos GM George Paton praised the two younger snappers, Forsyth in particular, but Mustipher laps both in terms of experience. Wattenberg, a 2022 fifth-round pick, played in 16 games last season but has one career start through two years. Forsyth did not see any action as a rookie, effectively redshirting. The Broncos have enjoyed success with this center path in the not-so-distant path, plugging in Matt Paradis after he did not play as a rookie. But Mustipher provides some insurance.
Mustipher, 27, signed with the Ravens in May of last year and did not make the their 53-man roster last year but ended up playing in nine games (two starts). He played 199 snaps at center and three at guard in 2023. With the Bears, Mustipher surpassed the 1,000-snap mark at center in both his starter seasons, missing only one game from 2021-22. After grading Mustipher as one of the league’s worst centers in 2021, Pro Football Focus ranked him 18th — ahead of Cushenberry — in 2022.
The Titans gave Cushenberry a big-ticket deal — four years, $50MM, $26MM guaranteed at signing — but the former third-round pick was not viewed especially highly until his contract year. The Broncos already have three O-linemen — Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Mike McGlinchey — signed to veteran contracts. Right guard Quinn Meinerz also looms as a presumptive extension candidate. It certainly looks like they will use a low-cost center plan in 2024.
Patriots To Host QB Drake Maye
Bringing a sizable contingent to Drake Maye‘s pro day, the Patriots certainly have interest in the North Carolina prospect. Holding the No. 3 overall pick, the Pats may well have Maye available to them later this month.
The Patriots will go through with an official “30” visit with the high-end quarterback prospect Friday, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. After meeting with Maye at the Combine, the Pats already spoke with the two-year Tar Heels starter at his pro day last month.
Although buzz about New England trading out of No. 3 overall has surfaced, this No. 3 choice — in a draft that looks to feature six first-round-caliber quarterbacks — represents a pivotal point for a team that saw its Mac Jones plan go awry quickly. A recent report indicated other NFL execs expect the Patriots to take a QB at 3. Another pointed to the team only being OK trading out of the No. 3 slot if it was assured it could land a passer later in the first round.
Maye came into the 2023 season much higher on draft boards compared to Jayden Daniels, but the LSU passer’s Heisman campaign rocketed him onto the same level. Maye also did not enjoy as strong of a season as he put together in 2022. J.J. McCarthy also represents a wild card here, having wowed NFL staffers at his pro day. The Michigan product had already seen his stock rise prior to that Ann Arbor showing.
McCarthy being in consideration for the Commanders at No. 2 would only increase the chances Maye is still there for the Pats at 3. Of course, if McCarthy goes at 2, the Pats would have the Maye-or-Daniels decision. That would be a rather good problem to have for a team that has, save for Jones’ 2021 season, endured mostly bad quarterback play since Tom Brady‘s 2020 free agency exit.
Already visiting the Giants, Maye will certainly log some more visits before the mid-April deadline. The Patriots have thus far been Maye’s most popular mock-draft landing spot. ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s mocks have sent the Tar Heels’ Sam Howell successor to New England, though Daniel Jeremiah’s latest NFL.com offering mocks Maye to Washington and Daniels to Foxborough. It would certainly be a risk for the Pats to trade out of this draft slot and take their chances with one of the second-tier arms in this class. An early-March report did indicate some Patriots scouts are not sold on Maye, but trading out of No. 3 would effectively remove the top four QBs from the AFC East club’s equation.
The Pats sent many staffers to Daniels’ pro day and Maye’s Chapel Hill showcase last month; given the magnitude of this decision, those trips add up. Offering better size compared to Daniels, the 6-foot-4, 223-pound QB is also nearly two years younger. Maye, 21, threw 38 TD passes compared to seven INTs in 2022. His ratio narrowed to 24-9 last season. But scouts are high on Maye’s arm strength and aggressiveness; he also combined for nearly 1,200 rushing yards between 2022 and ’23, offering teams some intrigue in the run game as well.
Bills To Sign T La’el Collins
The Bills hosted La’el Collins on a visit during last season, but the veteran tackle — whom the Bengals released from their reserve/PUP list in September — did not end up signing. After briefly catching on with the Cowboys last year, Collins is coming back to New York.
Collins has a one-year deal in place with Buffalo, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. After working out for the Bills in late December, Collins will have a chance to resume his career. The veteran right tackle has not played in a game since December 2022.
[RELATED: Bills Trade Stefon Diggs To Texans]
Sent to free agency as a Dallas cap casualty in 2022, Collins wound up in Cincinnati on a three-year, $21MM deal. But ACL and MCL tears in late December of that year changed his Bengals path. Cincy changed up its tackle plan in 2023, signing Orlando Brown Jr. and kicking three-year left tackle Jonah Williams to the right side. This did not end up bringing a Williams-Collins competition, with the latter starting the season the PUP list. The Bengals soon cut Collins from the PUP list, and he did not catch on anywhere for months.
The Bengals were not exactly pleased with Collins’ form in 2022, but the veteran earned two extensions with the Cowboys for his work as a right tackle. After beginning his career at guard, the Cowboys kicked him outside opposite Tyron Smith. Collins worked as Smith’s primary bookend from 2017-21. That said, Collins missed all of the 2020 season due to injury and incurred a PED ban in 2021. This did not deter the Bengals, who needed O-line help after seeing teams tee off on Joe Burrow the previous year. But Collins did not prove a multiyear solution.
Collins, 30, has made 86 career starts. He missed only one game from 2017-19 and started in 15 Bengals contests in 2022. More than a year removed from his knee injury, Collins should have a better chance of bouncing back compared to where he was in 2023. The Cowboys added Collins in early January but never ended up using him in a game.
The Bills are set to return four of their five starters from one of the NFL’s healthiest O-lines. The team has Spencer Brown in place at right tackle. A 2021 third-round pick, Brown has started 41 games as a pro. This includes a 17-game 2023 season. After grading Brown outside the top 70 at tackle in 2022, Pro Football Focus slotted him 32nd last season. Collins could conceivably compete with the incumbent here, but he also may be a swingman. That said, Collins does not have NFL experience at left tackle.
Buffalo’s good health up front did not make a swingman relevant last season, but the team will give Collins a shot. It will be interesting to see if the four-time reigning AFC East champs open a right tackle competition or if the longtime starter will be relegated to a backup role early.
Ravens To Re-Sign OLB Kyle Van Noy
The Ravens expressed interest in re-signing Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, after both became surprising contributors despite signing late in the year. After Clowney bolted for a Panthers proposal, Van Noy is staying in Baltimore.
Van Noy will stick with the Ravens on a two-year deal, according to ESPN’s Pat McAfee. After signing in late September last year and ripping off a nine-sack season anyway, Van Noy will be back to help out the defending AFC North champions’ edge-rushing corps. Van Noy’s second Ravens deal will be worth $9MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. He will see $5.25MM in Year 1, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds.
A productive pass rusher — as more of a hybrid player who has spent plenty of time as a traditional linebacker — Van Noy had never topped seven sacks in a season prior to 2023. Although he did not suit up for the Ravens until October, the former Patriots cog established a new career high with nine sacks. Van Noy got there in 14 games, teaming with Clowney to form a free agent-driven OLB crew. Clowney totaled 9.5 sacks but had a head-start, having signed with the Ravens during training camp.
This will be Van Noy’s first multiyear deal since a two-year, $12MM Patriots pact in 2021. The Pats bailed on that accord after one season, leading Van Noy to the Chargers. Filling in for the again-injured Joey Bosa in 2022 (as a May signing), Van Noy continued his string of five-plus-sack seasons by registering five. Van Noy also has not played with the same team in back-to-back seasons since his first Patriots stint (2016-19) ended.
The versatile veteran now has six seasons with at least five QB drops. While the Ravens will probably keep looking for edge help, the team has one box checked via this re-signing. Clowney was a bit more consistent than Van Noy last season, notching 19 QB hits to Van Noy’s nine. He is now tied to a $10MM-per-year deal. But the 33-year-old vet provided strong supplemental work for a Ravens team that led the NFL in scoring defense.
Certainly benefiting from the Ravens’ offense creating leads for most of the season, Van Noy notched two-sack games in Baltimore blowouts over Detroit and Seattle. He rejoins recent draftees Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo. Neither of the homegrown players has panned out yet, with injuries slowing Ojabo. The Ravens also cut the injury-plagued Tyus Bowser earlier this offseason, which still makes it likely the team makes another move — perhaps early in the draft — for an edge.
At worst, Van Noy profiles as a quality rotational rusher. But he started 13 Ravens games last season. Baltimore has relied on mid- or late-offseason signings here during Oweh’s tenure, using Justin Houston and Jason Pierre-Paul in prominent roles following Matt Judon‘s 2021 free agency departure. It will be interesting to see if another veteran will be en route or if a homegrown option will join the 2021 first-rounder.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Expected To Be Charged In Hit-And-Run Incident
APRIL 4: Rice’s lawyer confirmed (via the Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell) his client was involved in the crash. Rice was driving the Lamborghini SUV, not the Corvette, on Saturday. No charges have been filed, but Rice’s attorney (via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s James Hartley) expects charges to come down soon.
Rice’s attorney, Texas state senator Royce West, declined to answer a question as to why the Chiefs wideout and others left the scene but indicated his client intends to take care of the injury- and damage-driven expenses incurred by the other crash victims.
APRIL 3: Rashee Rice met with Dallas police about his alleged role in the Saturday hit-and-run incident, a six-car crash believed to have been caused by two vehicles street racing.
The Chiefs wide receiver accepted “full responsibility” for his role in the accident, though the 23-year-old did not specify what that role was. A Corvette and a Lamborghini Urus were racing along a stretch of the North Central Expressway, and Rice now has ties to both vehicles. A police call sheet suspected Rice as the driver of the Corvette, and Kelli Smith of the Dallas Morning News reports the SMU alum rented the Lamborghini SUV in March.
The only person contractually allowed to drive the Urus while renting it, Rice rented the vehicle for more than $10K per month. He was expected to return it “sometime in June,” Smith adds. A text message reviewed by the Morning News indicated “Rashee” promised to pay for any damages. Rice said Wednesday he will continue to cooperate with authorities.
Both drivers lost control of their vehicles in the crash, causing a high-speed collision when the Lamborghini barreled into a center median wall just before 6:30pm Saturday. The two drivers fled the scene before providing any information. Three men were in the Lamborghini. Two other people involved in the accident suffered minor injuries and needed to be hospitalized. No arrest has been made.
More details on the wreck have since emerged. The two vehicles attempted to pass cars in the left lane, per Smith, who adds the cars collided with other vehicles across several lanes along the Dallas-area highway. At least three victims in this accident have brought in legal counsel; Rice did so on Sunday.
It remains uncertain which car Rice was driving in this accident — if, in fact, he was behind the wheel of either vehicle — but the 2023 second-round pick is closely tied to the wreck. It may be too early to suggest Rice is a clear candidate for an NFL suspension, but that would be on the radar if a charge is eventually filed.
Raiders To Host QB Bo Nix
The Raiders were the rare team last year to bring in the top five quarterback prospects on “30” visits. That ended up being a smokescreen effort, with the team pleased to see three passers going in the top four. That allowed for a highly touted defensive prospect (Tyree Wilson) to fall to No. 7.
This year, the Raiders have been more transparent about their interest in drafting a QB. Michael Penix Jr. will meet with the team Thursday in Las Vegas, and SI.com’s Albert Breer notes Bo Nix will go through a visit on Friday in Nevada.
[RELATED: Raiders Schedule Jayden Daniels Meeting]
The Oregon prospect looms as a player who may well be available at No. 13. While the Raiders have been tied closely to a trade-up effort, a Penix or Nix move would be an alternate route — one far less costly — the AFC West team may consider. Nix put together an eye-popping TD-INT ratio in his final season with the Ducks — 45-3 — but checks in as this draft’s fifth- or sixth-best QB prospect, illustrating the depth the 2024 class has supplied.
Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker met with the Raiders last year. The team would have only had a shot, barring a trade-up move, at Levis or Hooker. The then-Dave Ziegler– and Josh McDaniels-led team opted not to address the position until Round 4. That pick became Aidan O’Connell. While O’Connell played a key part in the Raiders’ 2023 season, it appears likely the Purdue product will be competing with whomever the Tom Telesco– and Antonio Pierce-run team chooses early in this draft.
Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board slots Nix 29th and Penix 33rd. Both Pac-12 products put up monster numbers after transferring. Nix, who used his NCAA-provided fifth year of eligibility following the pandemic, transferred from Auburn in 2022. Nix completed 77.4% of his passes last season and totaled 510 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in 2022. Stationed in less pass-friendly offenses at Auburn, Nix did not reach 20 TD passes in any of his three seasons there.
The Raiders have been more closely tied to a Jayden Daniels-driven move up the board, as Pierce is close with the former Arizona State recruit. But that would almost definitely cost at least two future first-rounders. If the team is not keen on paying that price — if such a deal even presents itself for the LSU product — the Nix-Penix tier would be a place to look. The Broncos, who have traded three first-round picks since 2022, may also be eyeing that prospect plane. This will add some intrigue to the draft, with neither AFC West team in position to land one of the top four QB prospects at their present draft slots; Denver holds the No. 12 choice.