49ers Sign Third-Round WR Jalen Hurd
The 49ers, who made the league’s first 2019 draft pick signing, got even more deals done to close out the week. The following players are officially in the fold:
- 3-67: Jalen Hurd, WR (Baylor)
- 5-148: Dre Greenlaw, LB (Arkansas)
- 6-176: Kaden Smith, TE (Stanford)
- 6-183: Justin Skule, T (Vanderbilt)
- 6-198: Tim Harris, CB (Virginia)
Hurd, naturally, is the biggest name in the bunch. The wide receiver had an extended journey through the college ranks after spending three years with Tennessee as a running back before transferring to Baylor, where he moved to wide receiver. Hurd had to sit out the 2017 season, but he made up for lost time in 2018 with 69 catches for 946 yards and four touchdowns. He also got some work out of the backfield where he averaged 4.4 yards per carry and added another three TDs.
With those five plus punter Mitch Wishnowsky under contract, the Niners have only two to go – first-round pick Nick Bosa and second round wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/3/19
We’ll keep track the latest late-round draft pick signings here:
- The Ravens announced the signings of running back Justice Hill (fourth round), guard Ben Powers (fourth round), cornerback Iman Marshall (fourth round), and defensive tackle Daylon Mack (fifth round). With that, the Ravens have just four stragglers left to go.
- The Giants inked defensive back Julian Love (fourth round), tackle George Asafo-Adjei (seventh round), and defensive tackle Chris Slayton (seventh round).
- The Packers, as of this writing, have four draft picks under contract – sixth-round cornerback Dexter Williams and seventh-round linebacker Ty Summers signed their deals, following the lead of the club’s first round picks.
Raiders Sign 5 Of 9 Draft Picks
The Raiders already have the majority of their draft class under contract. The following players have signed (all links to go Twitter):
- 4-106: Maxx Crosby, DE (Eastern Michigan)(via Vic Tafur of The Athletic)
- 4-129: Isaiah Johnson, CB (Houston) (via Tafur)
- 4-137: Foster Moreau, TE (LSU) (via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM)
- 5-149: Hunter Renfrow, WR (Clemson) (via Tafur)
- 7-230: Quinton Bell, DE (Prairie View A&M)(via Tafur)
Johnson, a converted wide receiver, notched two interceptions in each of his final two seasons at Houston. Heading into the draft, there was some buzz about him going as high as the second round, so the Raiders were undoubtedly thrilled to land him in the fourth.
“Boy, we love him,” GM Mike Mayock said after the draft. “We’re a press corner team. Jimmy O’Neil, our defensive backs coach, he’s happier than I’ve ever seen him. So now we have some long, press corners that go along with Gareon and everybody else that we have. Gareon Conley, Daryl Worley, and all our guys. Bottom line, we’re ecstatic with those corners.”
Falcons Sign Four Rookies
More than half of the Falcons’ draft class is under contract. The following players have put pen to paper, according to a team announcement:
- 4-135: John Cominsky, DE (Charleston)
- 5-152: Qadree Ollison, RB (Pittsburgh)
- 5-172: Jordan Miller, CB (Washington)
- 6-203: Marcus Green, RB (Louisiana-Monroe)
The Falcons still have first-round guard Chris Lindstrom (Boston College), first-round tackle Kaleb McGary (Washington), and fourth-round cornerback Kendall Sheffield (Ohio State) to go. The first rounders may take more time than the rest, but GM Thomas Dimitroff managed to clear a good deal off of his plate with these four deals.
The Falcons were high on Cominsky heading into the draft and gave up a seventh-round pick in a trade with the Raiders in order to move up two spots for him. Cominsky, the 2018 Mountain East Defensive Player of the Year, made 16.5 tackles for loss and three sacks last year.
Miller, meanwhile, will have a familiar face in Atlanta once former teammate McGary signs. He showed that he can be a quality NFL player in his own right after securing two interceptions last year.
Vikings Sign Three Draft Picks
The Vikings got ahead of the game on Friday by signing the following draft choices (all Twitter links from Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press):
- 5-162: Cameron Smith, LB (USC) (link)
- 6-190: Armon Watts, DT (Arkansas) (link)
- 6-193: Oli Udoh, T (Elon) (link)
Smith, who grew up in sunny California, will have to get used to the cold weather in Minnesota. He didn’t impress with his measurables in workouts, but he has proven to be a savvy defender in live action. In 2017, he led the Trojans with 112 tackles, with 11 tackles for a loss. He was slowed somewhat by injuries last year, but still managed 81 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss in ten games.
Watts measures in at 6’5″ and roughly 300 pounds, so he already has the size to compete in the NFL. In accordance with his slot, he’ll receive a four-year, $2.687MM deal with a $167K signing bonus.
Colts Sign 5 NFL Draft Picks
Thanks to trades, the Colts have a larger-than-average draft class to address. The good news is, they were able to ink half of those rookies on Friday: 
- 2-49: Ben Banogu, LB (TCU)
- 5-164: E.J. Speed, LB (Tarleton State)
- 6-199: Gerri Green, DE (Mississippi State)
- 7-240: Jackson Barton, T (Utah)
- 7-246: Javon Patterson, C (Ole Miss)
Banogu put himself on the NFL radar with two First Team All-Big 12 nods and two Honorable Mentions for Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. In his final season on campus, Banogu notches a team-high 18 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, which made evaluators excited about his potential. Still, many scouts feel that the ‘backer needs to add more moves to his arsenal. As the No. 49 overall pick, he’ll earn $5.9MM over the course of his four-year deal.
In other Colts news, Indy added nine undrafted free agents on Friday morning.
Browns Sign 5 Draft Picks
The Browns are wasting little time in getting their rookies on board. On Friday, the Browns inked five of their seven draft picks, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Here’s the rundown: 
- 4-119: Sheldrick Redwine, S (Miami)
- 5-155: Mack Wilson, LB (Alabama)
- 5-170: Austin Seibert, K (Oklahoma)
- 6-189: Drew Forbes, T (Southeast Missouri State)
- 7-221: Donnie Lewis, CB (Tulane)
Wilson, taken with the No. 155 overall pick, says he’s on a mission to prove that he is the best linebacker in the entire 2019 draft class.
“That chip is going to always be on my shoulder,” said Wilson, who anticipated being drafted no later than the third round. “I’m going to always think about it. I feel like I have to prove people wrong, but I just want to show that in this draft, I was the best linebacker. There were 31 teams that slipped up on me, and somebody is going to have to feel all the pain that I built up these past few days.”
After registering 113 total tackles and six interceptions across 33 games at Alabama, Wilson has a right to be disappointed in his draft slot. Of course, that won’t matter much in the long run if he can prove himself at the pro level.
With those five under contract, the Browns have only two stragglers to go: LSU cornerback Greedy Williams (second round) and BYU linebacker Sione Takitaki (third round).
Raiders Cut TE Lee Smith
The Raiders have cut veteran tight end Lee Smith, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rapoport posits that Smith could reunite with his old offensive coordinator Todd Downing, who is now the tight ends coach of the Titans, and Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com feels that Tennessee will indeed pursue Smith (Twitter link).
Smith’s release comes as something of a surprise, as Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has shown a fondness for veterans of his ilk, and he is one of the better blocking tight ends in the league. But he offers almost nothing as a receiver, as he has averaged just 49 receiving yards per season in his eight years in the league.
Plus, Oakland just added TE Foster Moreau in the fourth round of last week’s draft, and the club already has a blocking tight end on the roster in Derek Carrier. Luke Willson, who signed with the Raiders last month, is the most prolific receiving TE on the roster.
Smith signed a three-year deal with the Raiders last March, but he made it through just the first year of that contract. Oakland creates just under $2MM in cap space with the move.
Vikings To Sign Irv Smith Jr.
Vikings second-round pick Irv Smith Jr. has reached agreement with the club on his rookie deal, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. As of this writing, the tight end is the highest-drafted 2019 rookie to put pen to paper. 
Smith was widely regarded as one of the top tight ends in this year’s class after a strong showing at Alabama. After Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson went to the Lions (No. 8 overall) and Noah Fant fell to the Broncos (No. 20), Smith stood out in a group that still included Washington’s Drew Sample, San Jose State’s Josh Oliver, and Texas A&M’s Jace Sternberger.
Now in Minnesota, the No. 50 overall pick could theoretically displace Kyle Rudolph. Rudolph, who is consistent yet unremarkable, is under contract for one more year. Dumping Rudolph would save the club $7MM+ in cap room. On draft week, the Vikings received calls on Rudolph, so there’s definitely a market for his services.
Per the terms of Smith’s slot, he’ll earn $5.8MM over the life of his four-year deal.
Rams To Release Blake Countess
The Rams will release defensive back Blake Countess, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Rams asked Countess to take a pay cut from his $2MM tender, but the two sides could not come to terms on a revised deal. Instead, he’ll hit the waiver wire. 
The door remains open to a return, Rapoport hears, provided that Countess clears waivers. Still, it’s unlikely that the Rams will give him an offer that he’s enthused about. The Rams drafted two safeties this year in Washington’s Taylor Rapp (second round) and Penn State’s Nick Scott (seventh round), so there’s not necessarily a huge need for the veteran in Los Angeles.
Countess, 26 in August, has spent the last three seasons with the Rams and has appeared in every possible game over the last two years. For his career, he’s got four total starts, two interceptions, and one sack to his credit.