Extra Points: Collins, Fletcher, Jets
How busy is commissioner Roger Goodell? So busy that LSU coach Les Miles couldn’t get through when he tried to call and vouch for La’el Collins, as Jim Kleinpeter of The Times-Picayune writes. “Why wouldn’t that (supplemental draft) be what it’s for. Explain to me why that’s not perfect for this (situation). Some guys would have passed and some said yeah. He (Collins) would have gotten his spot,” Miles said. “This is a guy who is still going to make money, long term. I’d like to see an adjustment made now.” Ultimately, Collins did not get into the supplemental draft, but he has found a home with the Cowboys. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- There’s nothing official yet, but there’s a “good chance” that Patriots will sign linebacker Dane Fletcher, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com tweets. The Pats have been seeking guys with experience to give depth to the linebacker position.
- Some wondered aloud if the Colts were taking T.Y. Hilton‘s eventual replacement when they selected Phillip Dorsett out of Miami. The choice came as a surprise to some, but not to Hilton himself, Zak Keefer of the Indy Star writes. “There’s nothing I can do about that. That’s who they picked. That’s cool with me…Nothing in this league should surprise anybody,” said Hilton, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal. “(It was) a pick that they thought we needed, so I guess that’s what we needed to help this team.”
- Dom Green, who was recently let go as the Chiefs’ assistant college scouting director, is up for a job with the Jets‘ personnel department, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
La’el Collins Rumors: Thursday
NFL teams can’t make visits to Baton Rouge to meet with LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins until the school’s final exams conclude later this week, but clubs are finding ways around that rule, making informal recruiting pitches and bringing Collins to them rather than going to him. A report last night indicated that the undrafted free agent was visiting the Cowboys in Dallas, and we have more details on that meeting, as well as Thursday’s other updates on Collins:
- The Colts are trying to set up a meeting with Collins, and the Falcons are also in the running to sign him, tweets Michael Cauble of WBRZ in Baton Rouge. In total, Collins has five teams on his radar, and is weighing each situation, considering playing time and other factors, according to Cauble (Twitter link).
- Per Cauble (Twitter link), Collins is scheduled to fly to Miami for a more formal meeting with the Dolphins within the next 24 hours.
Earlier updates:
- Collins received the “red carpet treatment” from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who hosted the lineman at his private residence in Dallas, and was joined by Tony Romo and the team’s offensive line, writes Chad Sabadie of Fox 8 New Orleans. According to Sabadie’s source, Jones told Collins that the Cowboys “want to assemble the greatest offensive line ever.”
- Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter links), who also reported on Collins’ meeting with the Cowboys, writes that the rookie lineman is taking his time, weighing his options, and looking for the best fit.
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com examines what sort of money teams could offer to Collins, noting that clubs already committing a good chunk of bonus money to other undrafted free agents could be at a slight disadvantage, since they’d have little left to offer from their UDFA pools.
Colts Sign Five Draft Picks
The Colts came to terms with five rookies on Wednesday, according to Mike Chappell of Indy Sports Central. Safety Clayton Geathers (round 4), defensive tackle David Parry (round 5), running back Josh Robinson (round 6), linebacker Amarlo Herrera (round 7), and offensive tackle Denzelle Good (round 7), are all officially in the fold in Indianapolis.
Geathers, a UCF product, has football in his blood with five other family members that have made it to the NFL.
“It’s just a blessing to have that family pedigree,” Geathers told Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “Just to learn from them and get advice from them. It’s just a blessing. To continue the Geathers legacy is an honor … Seeing my uncles and cousins, I wanted that same thing. Just work hard. Just to have them around to give me advice, go to games and see how everything works. It was just an honor.”
The only difference between Geathers and the rest of his clan is that he’s the only one that doesn’t play on the defensive line. Clifton Geathers, a defensive end, is still active in the NFL after signing with the Steelers in April.
Today’s deals leave the Colts with just three unsigned rookies: wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (round 1), cornerback D’Joun Smith (round 3), and defensive end Henry Anderson (round 3).
Minor Moves: Monday
With the draft now in the books, we can expect plenty of roster shuffling in the coming days and weeks, as teams ready their 90-man rosters for training camp. Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the league:
4:20pm:
- The Broncos have waived offensive tackles Paul Cornick and Jeremy Kelley, according to the Denver Post (Twitter link). Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link) expects the Bears to have interest in Cornick, who started six games in Dener last season. Of course, new Bears head coach John Fox and OC Adam Gase were previously with the Broncos.
- The Falcons have signed former Titans fullback Collin Mooney, the team announced today (Twitter link). It’s a multiyear pact for Mooney, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Syracuse linebacker Cameron Lynch is the latest rookie free agent to join the Rams, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
- The 49ers have waived linebacker Chase Thomas with a non-football injury designation, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Thomas tore his ACL in the offseason.
- The Buccaneers have claimed offensive lineman Reid Fragel off waivers from the Falcons, per Wilson (via Twitter). The move reunites the ex-Falcon with his old offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter.
- The Packers have cut offensive lineman Joe Madsen, tweets Wilson. Madsen finished the year on the team’s practice squad before signing a futures contract.
10:46am:
- The Colts have cut several players from their roster today, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, who tweets that the team waived wide receiver Kadron Boone, defensive end Gannon Conway, offensive lineman Matt Hall, and former Olympic medalist Jeff Demps.
- Washington has parted ways with veteran edge defender Gabe Miller, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). The former fifth-round pick saw his first regular-season NFL action last season.
- Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link) adds Maryland linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil to the list of UDFAs signed by the Titans.
Colts Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents
The Colts have announced their undrafted free agent class of 2015, and Kevin Bowen of Colts.com has the details on the 15 players the team added to its roster following the draft. Here are the names of Indianapolis’ new UDFAs:
- Bryan Bennett, QB, Southeastern Louisiana
- Quan Bray, WR, Auburn ($5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Donald Celiscar, CB, Western Michigan
- Cody Galea, LB, San Diego Stat
- Terrell Hartsfield, DE, Cincinnati
- Zach Hodges, LB, Harvard
- Joshua Mitchell, CB, Nebraska
- Ezell Ruffin, WR, San Diego State
- Al-Hajj Shabazz, CB, West Chester
- Jean Sifrin, TE, Massachusetts
- Justin Sinz, TE, Purdue
- Robert Smith, S, Clemson
- Junior Sylvestre, LB, Toledo
- Tyler Varga, RB, Yale
- Brandon Vitabile, C, Northwestern
Some Colts Not Happy With Dorsett Pick
Multiple Colts players aren’t thrilled that the team used its first-round pick on wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, the preference among those players was for the club to take a safety like Landon Collins, or a tackle on either side of the ball.
By selecting Dorsett, general manager Ryan Grigson and the Colts were presumably drafting the best player available on their board. However, the former Miami Hurricane will join a crowded receiving corps in Indianapolis — T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief are still ascending, and Andre Johnson, who should still have plenty left in the tank, was also added to the mix earlier in the offseason.
As Florio observes, the Colts could’ve opted instead to select a wide receiver later in the draft, in which case there’d be less of a presumption that that rookie wideout would see plenty of playing time and plenty of targets. In Dorsett’s case, his pedigree suggests that he’ll see the field early and often.
Of course, Dorsett should contribute in the return game as well, as the Colts signaled when they released veteran return specialist Josh Cribbs less than 24 hours after making their first-round pick. But there are several other holes on the roster the team could have addressed with that No. 29 overall pick, and based on Florio’s report, it sounds like at least a few Colts players would’ve preferred to address those holes.
AFC Links: Collins, Dorsett, Timmons
One of the highest-regarded undrafted free agents in history, La’el Collins figures to be a premier topic in May as he attempts to begin a now-unorthodox career.
The Titans, however, won’t be among the teams pursuing the ex-LSU lineman that was a surefire first-round pick as recently as earlier this week, according to The Tennesseean’s Jim Wyatt on Twitter. The team remains in need of a right tackle but did add two interior linemen in the draft — guard Jeremiah Poutasi and center Andy Gallik in the third and sixth rounds, respectively.
Here is some additional news from around the AFC.
- The Colts‘ draft puzzled Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel, with the team adding players in key spots that may not be able to contribute much this season — one with immense expectations. Doyel argues the team did not address needs of defensive tackle and safety early enough, with one of each added on Day 3. Indianapolis ranked 18th in run defense last season. Part-time players last year, Josh Chapman and Montori Hughes, are the Colts’ top two nose tackle options.
- The crux of Doyel’s argument, first-round pick Phillip Dorsett, could also find himself a key player in the Colts’ offense from the start, writes the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder. Dorsett, CFL import Duron Carter and former All-Pro Andre Johnson add to a loaded wideout corps that was at times slowed by descending veterans Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks last year. Holder wonders if the 34-year-old Johnson will give way to Dorsett in some three-wide sets or when the Colts deploy the two-tight end look they often do.
- One of now four linebackers with first-round pedigrees in Pittsburgh, Lawrence Timmons is in line for a contract extension come 2016, reports Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Steelers’ second-highest-paid player and NFL’s best-compensated inside linebacker’s current deal that pays him $12.6MM this season and $11.8MM next year runs through ’16.
- With just two starters locked in for this season up front, the Broncos are positioning their offensive line youngsters less than three days after acquiring them. Second-round choice Ty Sambrailo will open his career at right tackle, where the Broncos have a glaring need after using three players there last year, while versatile fourth-rounder Max Garcia will begin work behind Louis Vasquez at right guard, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Last year’s third-rounder, Michael Schofield, didn’t suit up for a game as a rookie despite the Broncos’ right tackle issues and is now playing behind Ryan Clady at left tackle.
- Mel Kiper Jr. envisions Ravens second-round pick Maxx Williams as an offensive rookie of the year candidate, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The ESPN draft veteran also opined Breshad Perriman will be a better player than Torrey Smith.
Colts Acquire No. 151 Pick From 49ers
The Colts have traded up in the fifth round to No. 151, trading with the 49ers according to the team’s official Twitter account. The Colts will give up their fifth-round pick (No. 165) and a seventh-round pick (No. 244) in order to move up to that spot.
The Colts make the trade in order to select Stanford defensive tackle David Parry, reports Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral.com (via Twitter).
The team has made an effort to rebuild their defensive line this offseason by signing Kendall Langford. They also drafted Parry’s teammate on the defensive line Henry Anderson yesterday in round three. After losing in the AFC Championship game to a Patriots’ team that was able to run all over them, becoming more stout in the front seven was a priority for general manager Ryan Grigson.
AFC Notes: Steelers, Ravens, Chargers
Before drafting Mississippi cornerback Senquez Golson with the 56th overall pick, the Steelers tried to move up and take Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams, tweets Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. The Steelers were unable to pull it off, however, and Williams ended up going 55th to the AFC North rival Ravens, who traded up to get ahead of Pittsburgh. Not surprisingly, that displeased the Steelers, according to Kaboly.
While the Steelers may not have been happy to see their division rivals land Williams, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) doesn’t think they were going to take the tight end themselves in that spot — according to La Canfora, Pittsburgh was “locked in” on Golson at No. 56.
Here are a few more draft-related leftovers from day two, from around the AFC…
- Speaking of the Ravens, they’re eyeing some of the draft’s remaining cornerbacks, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter).
- The Chargers had discussions with multiple teams about moving down in the second round, but they decided to stay put because they wanted Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The Bolts took Perryman 48th overall.
- Broncos general manager John Elway didn’t consider taking a quarterback in the third round, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Broncos instead used the 92nd overall pick on Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman.
- Discussing the teams’ day two draft picks, Texans GM Rick Smith said linebacker Benardrick McKinney was the highest-rated player on the club’s board when the second round began, and added that Jaelen Strong‘s injured wrist was medically cleared by the Texans’ staff prior to the draft (Twitter links via Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle).
- Josh Cribbs became expendable for the Colts when the team drafted Phillip Dorsett in the first round, and Indianapolis released Cribbs earlier today. According to GM Ryan Grigson, the club wanted to give the veteran returner a chance to find “greener pastures,” tweets Mike Chappell of RTV6.
Buccaneers Acquire 61st Pick From Colts
The Buccaneers have acquired the 61st pick from the Colts in exchange for No. 65, according to Mike Chappell of Fox59 (Twitter link), and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the Bucs will select Hobart guard Ali Marpet. Stroud also reports (Twitter) that the teams will swap fourth-round picks, Indy receiving the 109th choice and Tampa getting No. 128.