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Poll: Which Top 10 Pick Has The Highest Bust Potential?

June 12th, 2019 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL Draft is just barely in the rear view mirror, which means that teams are full of hope for their young rookies. But, of course, the NFL Draft is largely a crapshoot, and not every player will realize their full potential. 

This year’s draft had talent, but lacked a true consensus on the top player. Many evaluators pegged defensive end Nick Bosa as the player with the highest ceiling in the 2019 class, but other saw Alabama’s Quinnen Williams as the “safest bet.” The 49ers pounced on Bosa with the No. 2 pick while the Jets (and former GM Mike Maccagnan) were delighted to land Williams at No. 3 overall.

Leading up to the draft, much of the attention was on Oklahoma quarterback (and one-time MLB hopeful) Kyler Murray. When Murray announced that he would ditch the Oakland A’s, his stock exploded – Murray was considered a borderline first-round prospect in the winter, but wound up as the Cardinals’ choice at No. 1 overall. Murray has the speed that teams crave at the QB position, but questions persist about his size and overall lack of experience as a full-time starter.

The Cardinals’ long flirtation with Murray brought us the expected result, but the Raiders gave us the real first shock of the draft when they tapped Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 overall. Not to be outdone, the Giants snagged Duke’s Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall. Heading into the draft, neither player was thought to be anywhere near Top 10 consideration, but Mike Mayock and Dave Gettleman were unwilling to trade down and risk losing out on their guys.

The domino effect created by those picks allowed the Bucs to grab inside linebacker Devin White (No. 5 overall), the Jaguars to land outside linebacker Josh Allen (No. 6), the Lions to snag top tight end T.J. Hockenson, the Bills to draft defensive tackle Ed Oliver (No. 9 overall), and the Steelers to finish out the Top 10 with linebacker Devin Bush. Most of those picks were warmly received, but nothing is certain in the draft.

Which Top 10 pick do you think has the highest bust potential? Click below to cast your vote (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section.

Which Top 10 Pick Has The Highest Bust Potential?
Daniel Jones 35.89% (1,439 votes)
Kyler Murray 32.92% (1,320 votes)
Clelin Ferrell 9.65% (387 votes)
Nick Bosa 6.08% (244 votes)
T.J. Hockenson 4.14% (166 votes)
Josh Allen 3.64% (146 votes)
Ed Oliver 3.07% (123 votes)
Devin Bush 2.42% (97 votes)
Quinnen Williams 1.42% (57 votes)
Devin White 0.77% (31 votes)
Total Votes: 4,010

Lions Waive QB Connor Cook

June 10th, 2019 at 10:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions’ search for a backup quarterback continues. On Monday, the club released former Michigan State QB and NFL journeyman Connor Cook, according to a team announcement. He was replaced by QB David Fales, who has also had multiple stops throughout the NFL. 

Cook, 26, entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2016. he saw time in just one game as a rookie and has not taken a regular season snap since. He has, however, had practice squad/futures stints with the Panthers, Bengals, and Lions. His next deal could bring him to his fifth team in four years.

Cook was thought to have a chance at the No. 2 QB role behind starter Matthew Stafford, but his release leaves Tom Savage as the favorite. Meanwhile, Fales will look to make his case.

In related moves, the club also signed offensive lineman Luke Bowanko and released safety David Jones.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/6/19

June 6th, 2019 at 7:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

On one end of the Thursday transactions: Carson Wentz. On the other: today’s minor moves.

Arizona Cardinals

  • Waived: T Andrew Lauderdale

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: T Ka’John Armstrong

Detroit Lions

Washington Redskins

Lions Sign Jermaine Kearse

June 6th, 2019 at 9:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have signed wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, according to a team announcement. It’s a one-year, $1.35MM deal with a max value of $2.3MM, including $350K guaranteed, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 

The deal reunites Kearse with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. Given their five years working together in Seattle, it shouldn’t take long for the 29-year-old to learn the playbook. Also, given the Lions’ lack of depth at the wide receiver position, there’s a clear opportunity for Kearse to make the cut and make an impact.

The Lions auditioned Kearse in late May and quickly made him an offer, but he walked away in hopes of finding something more substantial. It’s not clear whether the Lions upped the ante to get Kearse, but they managed to land him in June.

Kearse came to the Jets from the Seahawks in the Sheldon Richardson trade of 2017. Kearse went on to enjoy the best statistical campaign of his career by managing 65 receptions for 810 yards and five touchdowns in his first season with Gang Green. Last year wasn’t quite as strong, but he finished out with a 37/371/1 in the Jets’ spotty offense.

Kearse could easily wind up as the Lions’ fourth WR behind Danny Amendola, Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr. Former Saints practice standout Tommylee Lewis is also on hand.

Lions Notes: Megatron, Savage

June 4th, 2019 at 9:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Calvin Johnson was famously required to pay back a seven-figure portion of his $16MM signing bonus after retiring from the NFL in 2016, and he says his strained relationship with the Lions won’t improve unless he’s returned that money. “They already know what they got to do,” Johnson told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “The only way they’re going to get me back is they put that money back in my pocket. Nah, you don’t do that. I don’t care what they say. They can put it back, then they can have me back. That’s the bottom line.” As recently as 2017, NFL teams were reportedly interested in luring Megatron out of retirement, but he’s said he has no interest in returning to the league.

  • While Johnson may not be mending fences with the Lions any time soon, the show must go on in Detroit, and Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com has passed along a few interesting nuggets from the second week of organized team activities. While it’s certainly early, Tom Savage reportedly looks like the favorite for the Lions’ backup quarterback job, per Twentyman. Savage has been taking most of the club’s second-team snaps, and he boasts far more experience than his competition (Connor Cook). Meanwhile, second-round linebacker Jahlani Tavai was viewed as something of an over-draft, but he’s already seeing some time with Detroit’s first-team defense.

Lions’ Damon Harrison To Skip Camp

June 4th, 2019 at 9:13am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions will be without two of their best defenders for this week’s mandatory minicamp. Defensive tackle Damon Harrison has decided to stay home, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. This comes on the heels of cornerback Darius Slay taking a similar stand. 

Both Harrison and Slay abstained from voluntary offseason workouts throughout this spring, but this is a sign that they are serious about getting contract adjustments. Snacks, like Slay, could be fined roughly $89K for skipping the minicamp.

Harrison has two years to go on the four-year extension he inked with the Giants in 2016. He’s slated to make $6.75MM in base pay this year before collecting $9MM in 2020. Ultimately, it will come down to a game of chicken – Harrison has already coughed up most of his $250K bonus by skipping voluntary practices, and the fines will only get steeper from here.

Interestingly, Harrison played in 17 games last season since he was traded before the Giants had their bye week but after the Lions already had their’s. A 2016 first-team All-Pro, Harrison had 81 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2018.

8 NFL Teams Have Wrapped Up Their Draft Classes

June 4th, 2019 at 8:25am CST by Zachary Links

Roughly one-quarter of the NFL’s teams have signed every player in their draft class, as shown in PFR’s tracker. The front offices of the following clubs have a little bit less on their plate as mandatory minicamps get underway:

  • Cardinals
  • Falcons
  • Browns
  • Lions
  • Chiefs
  • Saints
  • Eagles
  • Steelers

While the league’s rookie slotting system has been criticized by some, there’s no denying that it has streamlined the signing process for the incoming class. Prominent first-round picks like Joey Bosa and Marcus Mariota have squabbled with teams over offset language in recent years and the third round lacks some structure due to flexibility in base salary, but, on the whole, rookies have been quicker to put pen to paper in recent years.

We’ll likely see several more teams wrap up their draft classes before the week is through. The Bills, Bengals, Cowboys, Packers, Texans, Colts, Dolphins, Vikings, Patriots, Seahawks, Titans, and Redskins each have just one straggler remaining. Unsurprisingly, most of those unsigned players are third-rounders. The Vikings are a notable exception – seventh-round pick Austin Cutting is waiting to find out whether the Air Force will permit him to play instead of immediately fulfilling his two-year service requirement.

Lions CB Darius Slay To Skip Minicamp

June 3rd, 2019 at 9:02pm CST by Ben Levine

Darius Slay won’t be attending the Lions’ mandatory minicamp. During an Instagram Live conversation with former teammate Crezdon Butler, the cornerback acknowledged that he “ain’t going” next Tuesday (via Jeremy Reisman of PrideOfDetroit.com). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport echoes the report (via Twitter), saying Slay wants a new contract.

Despite having two years remaining on his deal, Slay is looking for a raise. The cornerback is set to earn about $12.5MM in 2019 and $10MM in 2020, which puts him outside of the top-10 at his position in average annual value. The 28-year-old has likely already forfeited his $250K workout bonus by skipping OTAs, and his absence from minicamp could cost him another $100K.

However, as our own Rory Parks explored yesterday, Slay (along with teammate Damon Harrison) probably won’t hold out into the regular season, when the real fines will start to pile up. Therefore, the Lions could hope that Slay ends up relenting and attending training camp, and the two sides could then revisit negotiations in 2020. Plus, it doesn’t sound like Slay is all that eager to leave the Lions; after disclosing that he won’t be attending minicamp, the cornerback made sure to pass along some love to the fans.

“I love my fans, I love Detroit,” Slay said. “I’m telling y’all, Detroit got the best fans in the world, man. Y’all got some crazy ones now, but y’all are the best ones now. Y’all are the best fans in the world.”

The 2013 second-round pick has spent his entire career with the Lions, and he’s earned Pro Bowl nods in each of the past two seasons. While his 2017 campaign was hard to match statistically, Slay did his best in 2018. He ultimately finished last season with 43 tackles, 17 passes defended, and three interceptions in 15 games (15 starts). Pro Football Focus ended up ranking Slay 23rd among 112 eligible cornerbacks.

Lions Wrap Up Draft Class Signings

June 3rd, 2019 at 7:19pm CST by Ben Levine

The Lions have finished signing their entire draft class. The team announced (via Twitter) that they’ve signed third-round safety Will Harris.

The Lions had to trade up in the third round to acquire the Boston College product. Ultimately, Detroit received No. 81 from the Vikings in exchange for No. 88 (which was acquired in the Golden Tate deal) and No. 204.

Harris was undoubtedly a logical pick; as a senior captain, the safety finished with 75 tackles, earning him a third-team All-ACC nod. His best season came in 2018, when he led the nation with four fumble recoveries. Harris ended up being one of three BC players to be selected in the first three rounds, joining first-round lineman Chris Lindstrom (Falcons) and third-round defensive end Zach Allen (Cardinals).

In Detroit, Harris could have a chance to establish himself as a major contributor. At the moment, Tavon Wilson and Quandre Diggs are slotted in as the team’s starters. If that ends up being the case, Harris will be competing with free agent addition Andrew Adams and 2018 third-rounder Tracy Walker for backup reps.

As we mentioned, this signing means the team has inked all of their 2019 draft class to contracts. That grouping includes:

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/3/19

June 3rd, 2019 at 3:20pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

Washington Redskins

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