Draft Pick Signings: 5/15/17
Here are today’s draft pick signings, with teams continuing to work on their Day 3 additions.
- The Bengals added five draft choices on Monday — including five of their final six picks in an 11-selection draft. Cincinnati reached agreements with fourth-round defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow (Michigan), fifth-round kicker Jake Elliott (Memphis), sixth-round linebacker Jordan Evans (Oklahoma), sixth-round safety Brandon Wilson (Houston) and seventh-round tight end Mason Schreck (Buffalo). This large draft contingent will bring about heavy roster competition, with 11 roster spots likely unavailable. Elliott was one of three kickers taken in the draft, but the other two came off the board in the seventh round. He and Randy Bullock figure to battle for a job.
- Fourth-round safety Eddie Jackson signed his Bears deal. The Alabama product will step into a safety corps that includes recently signed Quintin Demps and two-year starter Adrian Amos.
- Continuing the string of fourth-round signings, the Colts and tackle Zach Banner (USC) agreed to terms. Banner could provide depth or possibly compete for a starting spot on the right side of Indianapolis’ offensive line, which is less settled than the left side. The Colts did not use another pick on a blocker after having four offensive linemen from their 2016 draft class on the roster.
John Ross Contract Details
- The Bengals have agreed to pay first-round wide receiver John Ross his entire 2017 base salary even if he lands on the non-football injury list, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Though Ross suffered injuries (including a torn labrum) while playing football, he wasn’t yet in the NFL when those issues cropped, so the NFI list is still a viable option. Clubs aren’t required to pay players on NFI, but will typically negotiate some sort of compensation if a unique situation arises, and that’s especially true if the player was injured upon arrival in the NFL. Cincinnati inked Ross to a four-year deal worth $17.116MM earlier this week.
Bengals Sign John Ross
The Bengals have signed first-round pick (No. 9 overall) John Ross and fourth-round pick (No. 116 overall) Carl Lawson to their rookie contracts, per Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
Ross, of course, had a breakout final season at Washington (81 catches for 1,150 yards and a whopping 17 receiving TDs), and he has game-breaking speed, which will be an excellent complement to A.J. Green in Cincinnati. The concern, of course, is that the diminutive wideout has major medical red flags, which caused some teams to drop him on their boards or remove him from their boards entirely. Ross tore his ACL and missed the 2015 collegiate campaign and also underwent labrum surgery after the combine, and we heard last week that some clubs only view him as a one contract player and not as a long-term investment.
If he stays healthy, his explosiveness could be a boon to the Bengals both on the offensive side of the ball and in the return game. He will be in line for a four-year deal worth roughly $17MM and a $10.5MM signing bonus.
Lawson, meanwhile, was the first of three fourth-round selections the Bengals made, and he will earn roughly $3MM over the life of his four-year pact. The Auburn product amassed 9.5 sacks in his final collegiate season, and Cincinnati plans to utilize his pass-rushing skills from the outside linebacker position even though he lined up as a defensive end in college.
Mike Brown On Joe Mixon
The Bengals recently made Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon the No. 48 overall pick of the 2017 draft, a move that predictably sparked a great deal of conversation and controversy. Mixon’s assault of a female Oklahoma student several years ago caused a number of teams to remove him from their draft boards completely — a recent report indicated that only four clubs said they would consider drafting Mixon — and any team that did select him knew it would have to contend with significant public backlash.
Cincinnati, no stranger to taking a chance on players with character concerns, decided to take the plunge in the second round of the draft. Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard are on the Bengals’ roster, but neither back reached the 4.0 yards-per-carry mark last season, Hill will be a free agent next offseason, and Bernard is coming off a serious injury, having torn his ACL in November. So Mixon, who was perhaps the most talented back in this year’s class, made sense from an on-field need and value perspective.
Nonetheless, the off-field concerns needed to be addressed, and Bengals owner and president Mike Brown wrote a letter to the team’s fanbase in an attempt to do that. Here are the highlights (courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer):
On the incident itself:
“Joe’s regrettable deed was that he struck a young woman, another student, shortly after arriving on campus in Norman, Oklahoma, three years ago. Joe and this young woman recently met in person, came to terms with the incident, and they agreed to resolve their differences so they could move forward with their lives.”
On Mixon’s response to the incident:
“Since the incident three years ago, Joe was suspended by the football team, pleaded guilty in court, and accepted the consequences of his actions. He later went on to become a good citizen in Norman, a popular teammate, a player respected by his coaches, and one of the most talented players in college football.”
On why the team selected Mixon:
“[H]e is a rare football talent, and his conduct over the past three years leads us to believe he can help us win football games and also become a productive member of this community.”
On Mixon’s future with the club:
“In making our decision, we took a risk. In this case, the risk has an upside as well as a downside. We believe Joe has put this behind him and that he can turn into the player and community member that creates a plus for Cincinnati. We are going to do everything in our power to make this happen. Our hope is that time will prove that this opportunity is deserved, and perhaps – if given a chance – Joe can write a chapter in Cincinnati sports history that both he and Cincinnati can be proud of.”
Bengals Sign 13 Undrafted Rookies
The Bengals have signed a baker’s dozen of undrafted free agents:
- Brandon Bell, LB (Penn State)
- Cethan Carter, TE/FB (Nebraska)
- Demetrious Cox, S (Michigan State)
- Karel Hamilton, WR (Samford)
- Darrin Laufasa, FB (UTEP)
- Landon Lechler, OT (North Dakota St.)
- Monty Madaris, WR (Michigan State)
- Hardy Nickerson Jr., LB (Illinois)
- Kent Perkins, OL (Texas)
- Dustin Stanton, OL (Oregon State)
- Josh Tupou, DT (Colorado)
- Jarveon Williams, RB (Texas-San Antonio)
- Stanley Williams, RB (Kentucky)
Nickerson is the son of Hardy Nickerson Sr., a former Pro Bowl linebacker and NFL coach. The elder Nickerson currently serves as Illinois’ defensive coordinator and that allowed him to coach his son towards the end of his collegiate career. Nickerson Jr. has been lauded for his work ethic, but some scouts question whether he can stick at the next level.
“He may get a legacy grade from some teams based on his tackle production and his bloodlines, but I’m struggling to find consistent tape of him where he looks like an NFL linebacker,” a regional scout for an NFC team told NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
The Bengals already have five running backs under contract, including rookie Joe Mixon, so tailbacks Jarveon Williams and Stanley Williams may be facing an uphill battle as they try to make the final cut.
John Ross A "One Contract" Player?
The Bengals selected Washington wide receiver John Ross with the ninth overall pick last Thursday, but some clubs didn’t view Ross as a worthwhile long-term investment, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. “We looked at him as a one-contract player,” one front office told La Canfora. “Our doctors had serious reservations about his longevity at this level.” Ross tore his ACL and missed the 2015 collegiate campaign, and also underwent labrum surgery after the combine. If healthy, Ross and his 4.22-second speed should add a new dynamic to Cincinnati’s offense.
Bengals Acquire Titans’ No. 207 Choice
The Bengals traded up with the Titans into the No. 207 slot to draft Houston safety Brandon Wilson, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (Twitter links).
Moving up to draft Wilson will require the Bengals to send their No. 217 choice — the penultimate sixth-round selection — and a seventh-rounder, No. 227, to Tennessee, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Enquirer tweets.
Wilson is the first defensive back the Bengals have selected during what’s been a secondary-fueled weekend across the league.
AFC Draft Notes: Mixon, Raiders, Dolphins
Some assorted draft notes from around the AFC…
- Half the league didn’t have embattled running back Joe Mixon on their draft board, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Meanwhile, other evaluators believe he was the best overall running back if they were only evaluating on-field skills. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter adds that only four teams said they would consider drafting Mixon. We can assume that one of those four organizations was the Bengals, who selected the running back in the second round.
- The Raiders selected UConn safety Obi Melifonwu in the second round, although Rapoport tweets that the organization was close to selecting the defensive back in the first.
- The Dolphins ultimately selected defensive end Charles Harris with the 22nd pick on Thursday night. However, if the Missouri product hadn’t been available, the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero says (via Twitter) that the team would have selected Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton.
- The Broncos were rather committed to selecting Florida State defensive end DeMarcus Walker. In fact, general manager John Elway revealed that he was willing to trade up if he needed to. “We made a lot of attempts to get up in (second round) to trade for Walker,” Elway told Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter link). “Things worked out.” Walker was selected by the Broncos with the 51st overall pick.
- Good news out of Houston: Rapoport tweets that the Texans don’t believe running back D’Onta Foreman needs surgery on the stress fracture in his foot. The team found “no progressions in the injury at rechecks,” which apparently made them comfortable enough to select him in the third round.
Bengals Draft Joe Mixon
With the 48th pick in the draft, the Bengals have selected Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon.
Players with character concerns are nothing new for the Bengals, and Mixon is perhaps the draft’s most controversial prospect in light of the video that surfaced of him assaulting a female three years ago. A number of teams reportedly removed Mixon from their respective draft boards, as they were unwilling to deal with the backlash of selecting such a infamous player. Mixon and the victim in the case reached a civil settlement earlier this month.
While Mixon has off-field concerns, he’s one of the best running back prospects on the field, and many observers felt Mixon would have been a surefire first-round pick if he came without baggage. In 2016, put 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground for the Sooners, adding another 538 yards and five scores in the passing game.
The Bengals already have two familiar backs in Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, though neither reached the 4.0 yards-per-carry mark last season. Plus, Hill will be a free agent next offseason and Bernard is coming off a serious injury, having torn his ACL in November.
Vikings Acquire 41st Pick From Bengals, Draft Dalvin Cook
The Vikings have acquired the 41st pick from the Bengals in exchange for the 48th and 128th selections. Minnesota will select Florida State running back Dalvin Cook.
While Cook was originally viewed as a first-round lock, poor measurables at the combine and off-field concerns forced him into Day 2. But while Cook didn’t test out as an elite athlete, the results are there on film. In each of the past two seasons, Cook topped 1,600 yards rushing and scored 19 touchdowns on the ground.
Cook figures to be the long-term answer for the Vikings in the wake of Adrian Peterson‘s departure. For now, he’ll team up with the recently signed Latavius Murray to form a one-two backfield punch for the Vikes, whose running game was among the worst in the NFL last season.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.