Draft Notes: Ebron, Ford, McGill, Bridgewater
North Carolina’s Eric Ebron took to Twitter to announce that he’ll be traveling to New York, Florida, and Tennessee this week. The Jets would be a logical destination for the athletic tight end, though he may not last until pick No. 18. Of course, he could also pay the Giants a visit he’s in town and Florida could mean stops with the Buccaneers, Dolphins, or Jaguars. Ebron could certainly be in play for the Titans at No. 11 and they’ve been said to have interest in recent weeks. A look at tonight’s draft news..
- Auburn standout Dee Ford, who visited the Falcons today, has already paid a visit to the Texans, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Ford is a classic hybrid pass rusher as a 3-4 outside linebacker who could potentially play defensive end in a 4-3 scheme if he bulks up.
- Utah cornerback Keith McGill is visiting the Jets today, a source tells Seth Walder of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears that the Dolphins like Tennessee right tackle Ju’Wuan James. The 6’6″ 312 pound lineman is likely a second round type.
- When all is said and done, the talk about Teddy Bridgewater plummeting in the draft might be much ado about nothing, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Minor Moves: Bills, Lions, Jaguars, 49ers
Within this post, we’ll round up all of Tuesday’s minor transactions — players accepting exclusive rights contract tenders, teams signing players without real NFL experience, minor contract restructures, and so on. Any new minor transactions that pop up during the rest of the afternoon and evening will be added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Dolphins have signed punter Matt Szymanski to a contract, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Given the presence of Pro Bowl punter Brandon Fields on the Dolphins’ roster, Szymanski will likely just be an extra camp leg for the team.
Earlier updates:
- Exclusive rights free agents Chris Hogan, Antoine McClain, and Frank Summers have re-signed with the Bills, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (via Twitter). Of the three players, Summers played the most for the club in 2013, appearing in 232 offensive snaps and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Hogan also caught 10 balls and recorded nine special teams tackles.
- Cory Greenwood, who previously had two years remaining on his contract with the Lions, has eliminated the 2015 season and reduced his 2014 salary and cap number to the minimum ($645K), says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The renegotiation also eliminates a $20K workout bonus for this year, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap.
- Jaguars fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou has signed his ERFA tender to return to the team, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Ta’ufo’ou, who had 10 carries and a single reception for Jacksonville in 2013, will be eligible for restricted free agency after the 2014 season.
- The 49ers have waived fullback Alex Debniak, who spent his rookie season on IR with a torn Achilles, the team announced today in a press release.
AFC North Notes: Burfict, McCarron, Steelers
When longtime Bengals defensive leader Domata Peko spoke yesterday about the teammates he hopes the team locks up to long-term deals, he identified Vontaze Burfict in addition Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. As important as Dalton and Green are to Cincinnati’s offense, you could make a strong case that Burfict is just as integral on the other side of the ball. Last season, the 23-year-old earned his first Pro Bowl nod, racking up an impressive 177 tackles to go along with three sacks, two fumbles, and an interception.
Now, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the Bengals are indeed engaged in extension talks with Burfict, who is in line for a $570K salary in 2014. The Arizona State product is eligible for restricted free agency after the ’14 season, which means the Bengals would still be in the driver’s seat for re-signing him, but presumably the club would prefer not to let it get to that point.
Let’s check out a few other items from out of the AFC North….
- Following A.J. McCarron’s visit with the Browns today, the Alabama quarterback will continue a mini-AFC North tour by heading to Baltimore to see the Ravens on Wednesday, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We heard earlier today that McCarron would privately work out for the Rams next week.
- The Steelers are hosting Duke cornerback Ross Cockrell for a pre-draft visit today, according to ESPN.com’s Scott Brown (via Twitter). Cockrell projects as a likely mid- to late-round pick.
- Minnesota safety Brock Vereen, the brother of Shane Vereen, has met with a number of teams in advance of the draft, including the Steelers and Bengals, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The Falcons, Vikings, Colts, Panthers and Jaguars have also met with the younger Vereen.
Draft Visits: Matthews, Colts, Aikens, Bills
The Texans continue to do their due diligence on every player near the top of the draft board, as they’re set to host Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews for a visit this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that the Texans’ myriad pre-draft visits with top prospects could be designed to keep teams guessing about which player Houston actually wants, laying the groundwork to potentially trade down from No. 1. Meanwhile, Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that Matthews will visit the Falcons before heading to Houston later in the week for his Texans visit.
Here are a few more miscellaneous draft notes, as we inch a little closer to May 8:
- After meeting with the Dolphins on Monday, Clemson wideout Martavis Bryant is visiting the Colts today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson also adds the Panthers and Steelers to the list of clubs that have hosted Bryant for visits so far.
- In a separate NFP report, Wilson provides an update on Liberty cornerback Walt Aikens, who is visiting the Colts, Packers, and Bengals this week. According to Wilson, in addition to previously reported visits and workouts, Aikens has also visited the Dolphins, Chiefs, and Buccaneers, and worked out for Cowboys and Jaguars.
- According to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago (via Twitter), the Bears traveled to Los Angeles late last month to conduct a private workout with UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr.
- The Bills hosted Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans, USC offensive lineman Marcus Martin and Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon today, says Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton has visited with a long list of teams, including the Patriots, Cardinals, Rams, and Lions, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan.
- Auburn cornerback Chris Davis worked out for the Falcons, Colts, and Patriots, among other clubs, according to Caplan (via Twitter).
King’s Latest: Draft, Texans, Jags, Cards, Rams
As usual, Peter King of TheMMQB.com has kicked off the week by sharing a number of interesting tidbits that can be found in his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column. Let’s dive right in and round up several of the highlights from King….
- Vikings general manager Rick Spielman on this year’s crop of quarterbacks: “There’s no Andrew Luck, no Peyton Manning. It is such a mixed bag with each player — every one of them has positives, every one of them has negatives. And if that’s the way you end up feeling, why don’t you just wait till later in the draft, and take someone with the first pick you’re sure will help you right now?”
- One friend of Texans general manager Rick Smith tells King that the GM prefers Buffalo’s Khalil Mack over Jadeveon Clowney. King adds that he thinks Houston will try to choose a sure thing with the No. 1 pick, which could mean Mack, Clowney, or Greg Robinson, but may rule out the top quarterbacks.
- At No. 3 overall, the Jaguars want a pass rusher “badly” and would be a good fit for Mack or Clowney, depending on who is still available, says King.
- Top tight end Eric Ebron recently suggested he thinks the Lions will draft him, though King is skeptical the club would go that route with its first pick.
- The Cardinals are “sweet on” signal-callers Derek Carr and A.J. McCarron. King says he expects Arizona to draft a QB within the first two rounds and the Rams to take one within the first three.
- Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandin Cooks are drawing interest from the Steelers, who are weighing the possibility of drafting a wideout in the first round.
- In King’s view, current draft risers include Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin, and Boise State defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. Players whose stock may be falling include Louisville signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater, UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, and Alabama tackle Cyrus Kouandjio.
Johnny Manziel And The Jags, Browns
Johnny Manziel is unquestionably one of the most polarizing draft prospects in recent memory, prompting experts to rate him as anything from a first-round, surefire starter, to a mid-round project. Two franchises that could use an infusion of talent at the quarterback position — the Jaguars and the Browns — were recently used as backdrops for discussing Manziel’s attributes, both positive and negative.
Paris Moulden of the Florida Times-Union makes a three-pronged argument in favor of the Jags drafting Manziel, citing Jacksonville’s need for star power, Manziel’s ability, and the need for team to take a risk. While the first two reasons might be valid, I would question whether a general manager like Dave Caldwell, who has been methodical in his attempted rebuild of the Jags, would be willing to use the No. 3 pick on such an uncertain prospect.
Another team with an known interest in Manziel is the Browns, who own the No. 4 pick and a vacancy at quarterback. Ray Frager of CSNBaltimore.com parses the comments of NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell in arguing that Manziel may not make sense in Cleveland:
“You see a quarterback who creates his own problems with what appears to be a lack of understanding and discipline, and then once in a while he makes an unbelievable unstructured play. There’s a sense that he makes it up as he goes, a shoot-from-the-hip element that is so much fun and entertaining to watch. … Entertaining is great for fans and highlight shows, but it’s not a quarterback attribute. A QB cannot live on the edge, play randomly and be consistently successful against NFL defenses.”
Frager notes that it will take awhile for Manziel to develop, and that Browns fans aren’t willing to wait on another developmental quarterback. However, it remains to be seen whether any of the QBs in the 2014 class are immediate game-changers, and the Browns do have Brian Hoyer set as a place-holder at the position. Manizel would be an interesting addition to a Browns team that has several excellent pieces in place, and is still desperately yearning for a quarterback.
AFC Notes: Bridgewater, Texans, Dolphins
Teddy Bridgewater visited with the Jaguars earlier in the month, but it appears Jacksonville is interested enough in the Louisville quarterback to take a longer look at him. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Bridgewater is scheduled to have a second meeting and workout tomorrow with the Jags. Jacksonville isn’t the only AFC South team eyeing the young signal-caller. While we originally heard that Bridgewater was supposed to visit the Texans this week, it seems that visit will actually happen next week, according to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Texans need a quarterback, and you could make a case for the team drafting a player like Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles first overall, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com thinks Houston should nab Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 pick in May. In La Canfora’s view, Clowney is the clear-cut top prospect available, and the Texans would be better off letting Bill O’Brien “work his magic” on a quarterback drafted in the second or third round.
- James Walker of ESPN.com suggests the Dolphins‘ fifth-year option decision on center Mike Pouncey isn’t as simple as it may seem on the surface, though the team is still likely to pick up that 2015 option.
- The amount of homework the Dolphins have done on quarterbacks like Miami’s Stephen Morris and Georgia’s Aaron Murray signals that the team could seriously be considering drafting a signal-caller next month, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- The current plan for Rolando McClain is to have the linebacker join the Ravens as early as Monday for the team’s offseason workout program, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Boston College running back Andre Williams has drawn the most interest from the Patriots, Browns, Steelers, and Jets, says Wilson at the National Football Post.
- Wilson also reports (via the Sun) that Wisconsin nose tackle Beau Allen and Bowling Green tight end Alex Bayer visited the Ravens this week, and writes (via the NFP) that the Jets will host Murray State wide receiver Walter Powell for a visit on Monday.
Pauline’s Latest: Richburg, Wenning, Moses
With May 8 now less than three weeks away, draft expert Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net is back with his latest round of updates on prospects and pre-draft visits. Here’s a recap of several of the highlights from Pauline’s newest piece:
- Colorado State center Weston Richburg, who has visited the Cardinals and worked out for the Patriots, could be a surprise round one pick, says Pauline, identifying the Packers, Patriots, and Broncos as potential landing spots. The Jaguars, at the start of the second round, could also be in the mix for Richburg.
- Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning is generating significant interest from NFL teams, says Pauline, writing that that Wenning has had eight visits and eight additional workouts. Of the teams mentioned by Pauline as having hosted or worked out the signal-caller, the Rams are the only one we haven’t heard mentioned previously.
- Virginia tackle Morgan Moses has seen his stock rise a little due to the ACL injury suffered by Brandon Thomas — teams eyeing tackles can no longer count on Thomas as a fallback option if they miss out on someone like Moses. According to Pauline, the Panthers may be a possibility late in the first round for Moses, and the tackle is unlikely to get past the Redskins in round two.
- Speaking of Thomas, his ACL surgery means he’ll likely fall to the fourth or fifth round, in Pauline’s view.
- We heard earlier in the week that Cameron Fleming visited the Redskins, and Pauline says Washington is “seriously interested” in the Stanford tackle. Fleming has also worked out for the Panthers, Falcons, and Titans, according to Pauline.
- Bloomsburg guard Brian Clarke is visiting the Chargers and has a private workout lined up with the Giants, tweets Pauline.
Minor Moves: Colts, Jaguars, Menkin, Raiders
We’ll round up Thursday’s minor transactions right here, which today includes a former NFLer signing with a CFL club and an exclusive rights free agent signing his ERFA tender. Any additional minor moves will be added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Colts signed free agent fullbacks Stephen Campbell and Cameron White, according to Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star (on Twitter).
- The Jaguars have re-signed exclusive rights free agent Jordan Todman, according to Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange (via Twitter). The running back received a $645K ERFA tender from the team last month.
Earlier updates:
- Offensive lineman Nate Menkin, who played his college ball at Mary Hardin-Baylor and joined the Eagles and Texans after going undrafted, has signed with the CFL’s Ottawa RedBlacks, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). 2014 will be the first season for the RedBlacks, an expansion franchise.
- Raiders linebacker Kaelin Burnett has signed his ERFA tender for the 2014 season, the team announced today (Twitter link). Burnett played primarily on special teams for the club in 2013, recording 11 tackles in kick and punt coverage. The 24-year-old will be in line to earn a $570K salary this year.
Jaguars Cut Russell Allen, Three Others
The Jaguars have released linebacker Russell Allen, who started 13 games for the club last season, according to Jags PR coordinator Tad Dickman (via Twitter). Dickman adds that the team also waived wide receiver Jabin Sambrano and defensive ends Will Pericak and D’Aundre Reed.
While the other three players didn’t see regular-season action for the Jaguars in 2013, Allen was a key contributor on defense, playing 601 snaps and providing nearly league-average production at the outside linebacker spot, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The 27-year-old, who logged 64 tackles and a sack, saw his PFF grade buoyed by solid play against the run.
Allen will immediately become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any club, while the other three players will have to clear waivers. The release of Allen also creates $2.5MM in cap savings for the Jags, though it’s very unlikely they’ll need or use that space this year.