Cowboys WR Shaquelle Evans Suspended
Cowboys wide receiver Shaquelle Evans was suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season, per a league announcement. Evans violated the NFL’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.
You may remember Evans as a notable Jets draft bust during John Idzik‘s tenure as GM. The 2014 fourth-round pick was placed on injured reserve in August of his rookie season, ending his first campaign before it could begin. After he healed from the shoulder injury, he was unable to make the Jets’ 53-man roster and he was cut loose in September 2015.
Evans came to the Cowboys on a January practice squad deal and was already viewed as a longshot to make the roster. This could effectively shut the door on Evans’ 53-man chances.
Malik Hooker Gets Medical Thumbs Up
Good news for Ohio State safety Malik Hooker. The results of his Combine recheck are in and things went about as well they could, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hooker is healing well and there are no questions about his long-term health heading into the draft. 
Hooker has been unable to participate workouts for teams prior to the draft due to a surgically repaired labrum and hernia. Still, Hooker is regarded as the best safety in this year’s class and is widely viewed as a top ten pick. Both the Bears at No. 3 and the Titans at No. 5 are potential landing spots. Our latest mock draft has Hooker going No. 6 overall to the Jets.
Hooker started only one year in college but scouts believe that he has some of the highest upside of any player in this year’s draft. Now that his medical recheck came back OK, he’s still likely to be the first safety off the board, keeping himself ahead of LSU’s Jamal Adams.
As a redshirt sophomore, Hooker had seven interceptions and returned three of those for touchdowns.
Raiders Want Marshawn Lynch Resolution Before Draft
Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie says he wants to know if Marshawn Lynch will be a member of the Raiders before the draft gets underway (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal). 
“At some point, you’d like to know. Prior to the draft is that point,” McKenzie told reporters on Friday.
This jibes with a report from earlier this week indicating that Oakland might put a draft day deadline on a potential deal. If Lynch is not wrapped up by the time the Raiders are on the clock at No. 24, they may jump at a running back they like. If they make that kind of investment in the position, then they’re probably going to steer away from Lynch.
A trade has been expected between the Seahawks and Raiders, but before a deal can be consummated, Lynch and Oakland must agree on a reworked deal. Lynch’s current contract calls for a $9MM salary and the Raiders are unwilling to shell out that much for the veteran running back. Mutual interest has been brewing for some time between the Raiders and Lynch, but the Raiders will have plenty of younger and cheaper running backs to choose from in this year’s star-studded class.
Lynch turns 31 on Saturday.
Eagles Notes: McGloin, Wentz, Draft
This year, Eagles player personnel vice president Joe Douglas and de facto general manager Howie Roseman are teaming up to run the draft, as Les Bowen of The Philadelphia News writes. “Since he’s been here, have we done everything that I wanted to do? No. Have we done everything that he wants to do? No. But have we done everything that’s right for the Philadelphia Eagles? Yes,” Roseman said. Earlier this week, both men spoke highly of controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon.
Here’s more from Philly:
- Matt McGloin‘s one-year deal with the Eagles is worth $800K, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). The quarterback gets $775K of that sum from his base salary plus a $25K workout bonus and no guaranteed money. “Moxy” currently projects to be the third QB on the Eagles’ depth chart behind starter Carson Wentz and primary backup Nick Foles, but the Eagles could conceivably use a late pick on another signal caller in the upcoming draft. It’s also not a given that they’ll carry three QBs on the 53-man roster in the fall.
- The Eagles will listen to what Wentz has to say about certain prospects, as Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. “If there’s any player on our roster that has insight into a guy in free agency or the draft, it’s part of our information gathering,” Roseman said. “Certainly, it’s no different with Carson. If he has insight because he worked out with a particular guy or knows a guy from college, then we want that information. But that’s not unusual just to him.” This offseason, Wentz worked out in California with several draft prospects, including Cooper Kupp, Chad Hansen, Mack Hollins, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, so he might be able to give the front office some extra scouting material.
- Mike Kern of the Daily News advocates for the Eagles to take running back Christian McCaffrey at No. 14 overall. He also pitches the unorthodox idea of the Eagles going for tight end O.J. Howard if he falls that far, but that would be a surprise given that they already have Zach Ertz at TE.
NFL Draft Rumors: Panthers, McCaffrey, Redskins
Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman believes that there are “half a dozen” three down backs to be had in this year’s draft and estimated that RB is one of the strongest groups, along with defensive end and secondary positions (link via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer). When talking to reporters today, the GM was asked he considers Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey to be one of those six players.
“He can run it. He can catch it. I guess that’s three downs. [McCaffrey] has certainly shown he can carry the load at Stanford,” the GM said.
There has been lots of talk about Carolina targeting a running back at No. 8 overall. Leonard Fournette has been the popular prognostication for the Panthers there, but McCaffrey might also be in the mix. Then again, if Gettleman sees four other tailbacks as well-rounded players, then he might be willing to hold off on addressing the position. Beyond Fournette and McCaffrey, there are also standouts like FSU’s Dalvin Cook, Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara, and Texas’ D’Onta Foreman to consider.
Here’s the latest draft buzz:
- The Redskins are smitten with Temple linebacker Haason Reddick, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) hears. Washington currently picks at No. 17 overall, so Miller believes that acquiring him would require the team to trade up.
- USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson didn’t take a visit with the Patriots, but there’s been contact between the team and the player, Doug Kyed of NESN tweets. The Patriots may have to get back into the first round in order to get in the mix for him, however. As of this writing, the Pats’ first selection doesn’t come until the third round (No. 72 overall). Jackson rates as the 37th best player on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board and some draft analysts have him up even higher.
- Two weeks ago, Falcons coach Dan Quinn put Mizzou’s Charles Harris and Kansas State’s Jordan Willis through a workout side-by-side (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
Patriots, Saints Continue To Talk Malcolm Butler Trade
The Saints and Patriots expect to continue exploring a Malcolm Butler trade, but the two sides simply might not be able to agree on trade compensation, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). JLC suggests that the Patriots’ demands for Butler could be altered by a Jimmy Garoppolo trade, but it’s not clear if that comes from first-hand knowledge of team thinking or if that is just speculative.
A deal could be hard to swing since it would likely require the Saints to pay Butler like a top cornerback and sacrifice significant draft compensation. Meanwhile, this is a strong class for cornerbacks and the secondary as a whole. The Patriots have been wheelin’ and dealin’ this offseason, but ultimately they have the option of standing pat and retaining Butler at a $3.91MM salary for the 2017 season. The Patriots are still open to a deal, as today’s report indicates, but they’re not necessarily motivated sellers and they won’t take pennies on the dollar.
The Patriots might place a draft-day deadline on talks as they may not be interested in taking on 2018 picks as compensation. That means the Butler-to-the-Saints saga (at least, for 2017) could soon be put to rest in a matter of days.
Poll: Where Will Reuben Foster Be Drafted?
Every year, we see high-end NFL Draft prospects slide as the draft approaches. As talented as he is, we have to wonder if Thursday’s report of Reuben Foster‘s failed drug test from the combine will affect his stock. 
From a talent perspective, there’s reason to believe he could go within the top 10. Our first mock draft had Foster going No. 8 overall to the 49ers in a projected draft day trade with the Panthers. ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper says he would give the Titans an “A” grade if they were to select him No. 5 overall. The Alabama star is also Todd McShay of ESPN.com‘s ninth-ranked prospect. The Niners and Titans aren’t the only potential landing spots this high in the draft. The Bengals could consider Foster at No. 9 overall since newly-signed inside linebacker Kevin Minter is only under contract for one season. There’s also the possibility of teams trading up to nab Foster and clubs like the Saints, Cardinals, Colts, and Redskins could be among those with interest.
On the other hand, there’s all of the red flags to consider. Foster had shoulder surgery in February and some teams could be wary of how that will hold up in the long term. His argument with a hospital worker at the combine also didn’t do him any favors and portrayed him as something of a loose cannon. The failed drug test is now the latest piece of bad publicity to emerge, though the linebacker is insistent that he did not purposely dilute his sample. Instead, he says that he over-hydrated in order to combat a stomach bug and also keep his weight up for when it came time to step on the scale.
All things considered, do you see Foster going in the top 10? Cast your vote below.
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With the NFL Draft around the corner, we’ll be doing some speculative jersey swaps on potential picks. Popular thought has the Browns taking Texas A&M star Myles Garrett No. 1 overall and we have to admit that he looks good in Cleveland gear. If the Browns select UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky at No. 12, we can assure you that his guns will pop in a Browns cutoff.
Yearning for a preview of Marshawn Lynch in Raiders’ silver and black? We’ve got you covered. We also did jersey swaps on Adrian Peterson with the Raiders, Packers, and Patriots, though at least two of those clubs probably won’t be in the running for him at this point. And, if you want to know what Johnny Manziel would look like in a Saints uni, we’ve got that too.
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Alabama LB Reuben Foster Fails Drug Test
Reuben Foster failed a drug test during the scouting combine, the Alabama linebacker tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. This is not a good development for the youngster given his other red flags. 
During the combine, Foster got into a dust-up with a hospital worker, though his camp has brushed it off as little more than a miscommunication. There’s also question marks about his surgically-repaired shoulder and his upbringing. The failed drug test was apparently due to a diluted sample, which Foster says is the result of aggressively hydrating after coming down with a stomach bug. Foster knows that he’ll be put into the league’s drug program upon being drafted, but he is not afraid of the extra monitoring.
“Put me in the program,” he said. “Test me.”
Foster will face a whole new round of questions about this latest incident and he knows that teams may not accept his excuse for the suspicious sample.
“If it’s first round, second round, whoever takes me will get a good football player and an All-Pro,” Foster said. “I hope I go on Thursday, but I can’t control that.”
Dallas Robinson’s Mock Draft 1.0 has Foster pegged to go No. 8 overall, but not to the Panthers. Depending on the buzz we here in the coming days, he could slide down the board.
Colts Sign LB Jon Bostic
The Colts have signed linebacker Jon Bostic, according to a team announcement. Bostic will look to get back on track after spending the entire 2016 season IR all last season. 
Indianapolis ranked 32nd in DVOA against the run in 2016, and placed 31st in DVOA against opposing tight ends, so the team has been prioritizing help in the front seven. Bostic becomes the fourth free agent linebacker to join the Colts this season, following John Simon, Sean Spence, and Barkevious Mingo.
Bostic, a former second-round pick, began his career with the Bears and played in all 16 games with nine starts in his frosh campaign. He finished up that season with 57 tackles, two sacks, and an interception. In 2014, he set a new career watermark with 83 tackles. A trade shipped him to the Patriots before the 2015 season, but he wasn’t as productive. He was again traded to Detroit in 2016, but it turned out to be a lost season.