NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/13/21
Today’s late round signings:
Buffalo Bills
- G Jack Anderson (seventh-round; Texas Tech), OL Tommy Doyle (fifth-round; Miami Ohio), WR Marquez Stevenson (sixth-round; Houston), CB Rachad Wildgoose (sixth-round; Wisconsin)
Carolina Panthers
- DT Daviyon Nixon (fifth-round; Iowa), CB Keith Taylor (fifth-round; Washington), OL Deonte Brown (sixth-round; Alabama), Thomas Fletcher (sixth-round; Alabama), WR Shi Smith (sixth-round; South Carolina), DT Phil Hoskins (seventh-round; Kentucky)
Cleveland Browns
- RB Demetric Felton (sixth round; UCLA), LB Tony Fields II (fifth-round; West Virginia), S Richard LeCounte (fifth round; Georgia)
Dallas Cowboys
- DT Quinton Bohanna (sixth round; Kentucky) WR Simi Fehoko (fifth round; Stanford), OL Matt Farniok (seventh-round; Nebraska), DB Israel Mukuamu (sixth-round; South Carolina)
Denver Broncos
- S Jamar Johnson (fifth round; Indiana), DL Marquiss Spencer (seventh round; Mississippi State)
Detroit Lions
- DT Alim McNeill (third round; North Carolina State)
Green Bay Packers
- OL Cole Van Lanen (sixth-round; Wisconsin), RB Kylin Hill (seventh-round; Mississippi State)
Kansas City Chiefs
- DE Joshua Kaindoh (fourth-round; Florida State), WR Cornell Powell (fifth-round; Clemson), TE Noah Gray (fifth-round; Duke), OL Trey Smith (sixth-round; Tennessee)
Los Angeles Chargers
- OL Brenden Jaimes (fifth-round; Nebraska)
Miami Dolphins
- OL Larnel Coleman (seventh-round; UMass), RB Gerrid Doaks (seventh-round; Cincinnati)
Minnesota Vikings
- WR/KR Ihmir Smith-Marsette (fifth-round; Iowa), DL Jaylen Twyman (sixth-round; Pittsburgh), TE Zach Davidson (fifth-round; Central Missouri
New England Patriots
- S Joshuah Bledsoe (sixth-round; Missouri)
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Jaylon Moore (fifth-round; Western Michigan), CB Deommodore Lenoir (fifth-round; Oregon), S Talanoa Hufanga (fifth-round; USC), RB Elijah Mitchell (sixth-round; Louisiana)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LB K.J. Britt (fifth-round; Auburn), CB Chris Wilcox (seventh-round; BYU), LB Grant Stuard (seventh-round; Houston)
Washington Football Team
- CB Benjamin St-Juste (third-round; Minnesota), S Darrick Forrest (fifth-round; Cincinnati), DE Shaka Toney (seventh-round; Penn State)
Chiefs GM Brett Veach On Orlando Brown Contract Situation
Shortly after the Chiefs acquired left tackle Orlando Brown from the Ravens, we heard that the team was not planning an immediate extension. And in an interview with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk today, Kansas City GM Brett Veach said that contract negotiations will not commence until 2022 (video link).
When Baltimore granted Veach permission to speak with Brown’s camp, the two sides did discuss Brown’s contract situation. “We had lengthy conversations,” Veach said, and part of those conversations was the reality of the uncertain salary cap. Veach, like most people in the NFL world, expects the cap to improve in short order, but he does have Brown under contract for this season at a bargain $3.384MM salary, and he acknowledged that the club has other business to conduct. Presently, KC has roughly $10MM of cap space, but it still needs to sign its six-man draft class, and it will want to keep some flexibility throughout the summer and into the regular season.
It doesn’t sound as if much progress was made towards a new deal, and Brown and the Chiefs ultimately agreed to table the talks until next year. At that point, Veach and Brown will have not only a better idea of what the 2022 cap will be, but they will also get a sense of whether the cap spikes that are expected to come to fruition in subsequent seasons are realistic.
However, Veach said that “we’re certainly going to be committed to making this work long-term.” And perhaps the waiting game is in the team’s best interests. Although Brown played well when pressed into action at left tackle in 2020, he spent the first 2.5 years of his pro career at right tackle, and there is some question as to whether he possesses the quickness to consistently lock down the blind side in an offense that is much more reliant on the pass than the Ravens’ run-heavy attack.
Of course, if contract talks prove to be problematic next year, Veach would have the option of deploying the franchise tag. Right now, Spotrac estimates Brown’s market value to be roughly $19MM per season, and given that the five LTs at the top of the market presently have AAVs between $18MM-$23MM, that seems like a reasonable starting point in negotiations.
Chiefs’ Andrew Wylie Signs RFA Tender
Much has changed on the Chiefs’ offensive line since Andrew Wylie suited up for Super Bowl LV. Despite the team’s near-complete overhaul up front, Wylie will be back in the fold.
The three-year veteran signed his restricted free agent tender Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Barring an extension, Wylie will earn $2.133MM this season. The Chiefs gave Wylie an original-round tender in March.
Since extending that tender offer, the AFC champions have been busy up front. While Wylie has been a primary guard starter in each of his three Chiefs seasons, the team gave Joe Thuney a guard-record contract and brought former Pro Bowler Kyle Long out of retirement. Longtime right guard starter Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is also expected to play in 2021. A doctor, Duvernay-Tardif was the first NFLer to opt out of last season; he focused on his other career amid the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chiefs also drafted Tennessee prospect Trey Smith in Round 6. Smith was widely viewed as a player whose talent warranted a higher-round selection, but medical red flags pushed him down the draft board.
While each of these non-Thuney cogs bring some uncertainty, the Chiefs have beefed up this position considerably this offseason. Wylie, 26, has started 35 games as a pro. Pro Football Focus graded the Eastern Michigan product as a top-30 guard in 2018 and ’19 but slotted him near the bottom at the position last season.
The Chiefs plugged Wylie in at right tackle for Super Bowl LV, following Eric Fisher‘s Achilles tear. That did not go well. But Wylie will have an opportunity to re-establish his value in 2021, ahead of a potential unrestricted free agency bid next year.
Chiefs Release OL Bryan Witzmann
The Chiefs carved out a few roster spots today by letting go of three players. Per the NFL’s transactions report, the team released offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann and tight end Sean Culkin. The team also waived quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.
Witzmann, 30, has managed to stick around the NFL for seven years despite going undrafted out of South Dakota State in 2014. The lineman made a name for himself with the Chiefs, appearing in 26 games (with 20 starts) between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He appeared in 10 games (seven starts) for the Bears in 2018 before he was limited to only a pair of games with the Panthers in 2019.
The veteran spent much of the 2020 season as a free agent before catching on with the Chiefs practice squad in October. He ultimately saw time in only one game for Kansas City, although he did enough to get a new contract from the team back in February. The Chiefs have been active revamping their offensive line this offseason, and Witzmann is just the latest casualty.
Culkin has started 12 of his 19 games since entering the NFL in 2017, but he’s only hauled in a pair of catches. He spent the majority of the 2020 season with the Ravens, and he inked a reserve/futures contract with the Chiefs back in February.
Ta’amu has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Ole Miss in 2019, spending time with the Texans, Lions, and Chiefs (two stints). He joined Kansas City’s practice squad in January and later inked a reserve/futures contract with the organization. The quarterback also spent time in the XFL, earning a Player of the Week award.
Bengals, Vikings Interested In Dede Westbrook
The Bengals and Vikings have had conversations with Dede Westbrook (Twitter link via Josina Anderson). The wide receiver is also being recruited by Chiefs players, Anderson hears, though the front office’s interest level is unclear.
Westbrook went down in late October against the Chargers on an ill-fated kick return. Soon after he was carted off of the field, doctors confirmed that his year was through. The Oklahoma product is now more than six months removed from his ACL tear and plans to be ready before training camp in August.
Before all of that, Westbrook recorded 66 grabs in both 2018 and 2019 for an average of 699 yards and four touchdowns per slate. He was hoping to build on that last year — instead, he played in just two games between the ACL tear and a separate early season injury.
Westbrook would make sense for the Bengals,. Even after selecting Ja’Marr Chase at No. 5 overall, the departures of A.J. Green, John Ross, and Alex Erickson have left them fairly thin at wide receiver. Meanwhile, the Vikings would give him a great opportunity to bounce back, particularly given the presence of Keenan McCardell, his old WR coach in Jacksonville.
Chiefs Sign Kamalei Correa
The Chiefs have signed linebacker Kamalei Correa, according to Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star. The Jaguars cut Correa in February, but he’s found a home well in advance of training camp.
Correa, a sixth-year pro, has bounced around throughout his career, including two trades. The Ravens dealt the outside linebacker to the Titans just before the 2018 season. The former second-round pick went on to play 32 games for Tennessee, making nine starts and tallying 8.5 sacks. Then, in October of last year, the Titans traded him to the Jaguars in a swap of late-round picks.
The veteran played in three games for the Titans and started six games for the Jaguars before going on the reserve/left squad list in December. Now, Correa will look to find a spot in the LB rotation alongside Willie Gay, Anthony Hitchens, and new second-round pick Nick Bolton.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/5/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: CB Kemon Hall, DE Ladarius Hamilton, DT Walter Palmore, C Adam Redmond
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Malik Jefferson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Chris Finke
New York Jets
- Claimed (from 49ers): WR Matt Cole
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed (from Jaguars): LB Nate Evans
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Raven Greene, LB Joseph Jones
Chiefs To Sign S Will Parks
The Chiefs have agreed to sign safety Will Parks (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Parks, a free agent for the second straight year, also received interest from the Vikings and Lions.
Instead of the NFC North, he’ll join up with one of the AFC’s strongest teams. The five-year veteran agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.13MM, according to Schefter (on Twitter).
Despite entering the league as a seventh-round pick, Parks has seen considerable playing time as a pro. He spent most of his career with the Broncos before moving on to the Eagles in 2020. Injuries led to Parks’ release in December, bringing him back to the Broncos. Parks missed six games last year, but previous to that, he was only scratched for two.
Now on the verge of his 27th birthday (in July), the versatile vet figures to serve as a supporting safety in Kansas City — perhaps with some time as a sub-package linebacker. Parks played that role at points in Denver and will now attempt to carve out a spot with the Broncos’ top rivals.
2021 NFL Draft Results By Round
The 2021 NFL Draft is here! We’ll be keeping tabs here, from pick No. 1 through No. 259:
Round 1
1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB (Clemson)
2) New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB (BYU)
3) San Francisco 49ers (from Texans via Dolphins): Trey Lance, QB (North Dakota State)
4) Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida)
5) Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase, WR (LSU)
6) Miami Dolphins (from Eagles): Jaylen Waddle, WR (Alabama)
7) Detroit Lions: Penei Sewell, OT (Oregon)
8) Carolina Panthers: Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina)
9) Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB (Alabama)
10) Philadelphia Eagles (from Cowboys): DeVonta Smith, WR (Alabama)
11) Chicago Bears (from Giants): Justin Fields, QB (Ohio State)
12) Dallas Cowboys (from 49ers via Dolphins via Eagles): Micah Parsons, LB (Penn State)
13) Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT (Northwestern)
14) New York Jets (from Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL (USC)
15) New England Patriots: Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
16) Arizona Cardinals: Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa)
17) Las Vegas Raiders: Alex Leatherwood, OL (Alabama)
18) Miami Dolphins: Jaelan Phillips, DL (Miami)
19) Washington Football Team: Jamin Davis, LB (Kentucky)
20) New York Giants (from Bears): Kadarius Toney, WR (Florida)
21) Indianapolis Colts: Kwity Paye, DL (Michigan)
22) Tennessee Titans: Caleb Farley, CB (Virginia Tech)
23) Minnesota Vikings (from Seahawks via Jets): Christian Darrisaw, OT (Virginia Tech)
24) Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris, RB (Alabama)
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): Travis Etienne, RB (Clemson)
26) Cleveland Browns: Greg Newsome II, CB (Northwestern)
27) Baltimore Ravens: Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnes0ta)
28) New Orleans Saints: Payton Turner, DE (Houston)
29) Green Bay Packers: Eric Stokes, CB (Georgia)
30) Buffalo Bills: Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami)
31) Baltimore Ravens (from Chiefs): Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joe Tryon, LB (Washington)
2021 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team
The 2021 NFL Draft has arrived! As the picks come in, we’ll keep track of each team’s haul right here:
[RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Order By Round]
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1: No. 16 Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa) (signed)
Round 2: No. 49 Rondale Moore, WR (Purdue) (signed)
Round 4: No. 136 (from Ravens) Marco Wilson, CB (Florida) (signed)
Round 6: No. 210 (from Ravens) Victor Dimukeje, LB (Duke) (signed)
Round 6: No. 223 (from Vikings) Tay Gowan, CB (Central Florida) (signed)
Round 7: No. 243 James Wiggins, S (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 7: No. 247 (from Bears through Raiders) Michal Menet, C (Penn State) (signed)
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1: No. 4 Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida) (signed)
Round 2: No. 40 (from Broncos) S Richie Grant (Central Florida)
Round 3: No. 68 Jalen Mayfield, OT (Michigan) (signed)
Round 4: No. 108: Darren Hall, CB (SDSU) (signed)
Round 4: No. 114 (from Broncos) Drew Dalman, C (Stanford) (signed)
Round 5: No. 148 Ta’Quon Graham, DT (Texas) (signed)
Round 5: No. 182 Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 183 Avery Williams, CB (Boise State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 187 Frank Darby, WR (Arizona State) (signed)
Baltimore Ravens
Round 1: No. 27 Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 1: No. 31 (from Chiefs) Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
Round 3: No. 94 (from Chiefs) Ben Cleveland, G (Georgia)
Round 3: No. 104 Brandon Stephens, CB (SMU)
Round 4: No. 131 Tylan Wallace, WR (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 160 (from Cardinals) Shaun Wade, CB (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 171 Daelin Hayes, LB (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 184 Ben Mason, FB (Michigan) (signed)
Buffalo Bills
Round 1: No. 30 Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami) (signed)
Round 2: No. 61 Carlos Basham Jr., DE (Wake Forest) (signed)
Round 3: No. 93 Spencer Brown, OT (Northern Iowa)
Round 5: No. 161 (from Raiders) Tommy Doyle, OT (Miami (Ohio) (signed)
Round 6: No. 203 Marquez Stevenson, WR (Houston) (signed)
Round 6: No. 212 (from Saints via Texans) Damar Hamlin, S (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Round 6: No. 213 Rachad Wildgoose, CB (Wisconsin) (signed)
Round 7: No. 236 (from Panthers) Jack Anderson, G (Texas Tech) (signed)
Carolina Panthers
Round 1: No. 8 Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 2: No. 59 (from Browns) Terrace Marshall Jr., WR (LSU)
Round 3: No. 70 (from Eagles) Brady Christensen, OT (BYU) (signed)
Round 3: No. 83 (from Bears) Tommy Tremble, TE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 4: No. 113 Chuba Hubbard, RB (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 158 Daviyon Nixon, DT (Iowa) (signed)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Titans) Keith Taylor, CB (Washington) (signed)
Round 6: No. 204 (from Bears) Shi Smith, WR (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 6: No. 222 Thomas Fletcher, LS (Alabama) (signed)
Round 7: No. 232 (from Titans) Phil Hoskins, DT (Kentucky) (signed)