Draft Notes: Titans, Fowler, QBs, Darby
Clemson edge rusher Vic Beasley and Alabama wideout Amari Cooper, two probable top-10 picks, are making visits to Tennessee today to meet with the Titans, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter links). I don’t expect either player to go as high as No. 2 overall, but there’s certainly no guarantee that the Titans will keep that pick, so it makes sense that they’re exploring their options. As Wyatt notes (via Twitter), the club is taking a look at several top pass rushers, having also hosted Shane Ray and Dante Fowler Jr. on previously-reported visits.
Here are a few more draft updates from around the NFL:
- Speaking of Fowler, the Florida pass rusher will be in Washington today to meet with the team that holds the fifth overall pick, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com.
- Despite recent buzz surrounding Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston is still the strong favorite to go first overall in this month’s draft, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora suggests that the No. 2 pick is still worth keeping a close eye on though, since Mariota will likely be selected in that spot — the Rams, Chargers, Eagles, and Browns are among the teams with at least some level of interest in nabbing the Oregon QB, and they’d all likely have to move up to do so.
- Armed with two first-round picks, the Browns are considering all their options, and brought in Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong for a pre-draft visit on Monday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post adds the Panthers to the list of teams Florida State cornerback Ronald Darby has visited. Darby has also met with the Saints and Jets, and worked out for the Buccaneers.
- The Dolphins, who figure to target linebackers at some point in this year’s draft, will host top ILB prospect Benardrick McKinney of Mississippi State this Friday, writes Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Draft Notes: Winston, Gregory, Steelers, Rams
The NFL announced (via Twitter) that 26 prospects will attend the draft in Chicago later this month, but neither of the two biggest names — quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota — will be present to hear their respective names called. Receiver Amari Cooper, also expected to be a top-five pick, will also skip the event, but the likes of Leonard Williams, Kevin White, and Dante Fowler Jr. will be on hand.
Let’s look at some more draft news as we get closer to April 30:
- Winston reportedly scored a 27 on the Wonderlic, the NFL’s predraft intelligence test, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who notes Winston’s mark is just one shy of Peyton Manning‘s grade in 1998. It’s unclear what role the Wonderlic plays in teams’ draft decisions, but it’s an interesting note nonetheless.
- We previously heard that Nebraska edge rusher Randy Gregory was set to visit Pittsburgh at some point this week, and it looks like he’ll meet with the Steelers on Thursday, writes Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- In the market for offensive line help, the Rams met with guards Ali Marpet, Tre Jackson, and Jamil Douglas today, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Oklahoma fullback Aaron Ripkowski met with the Packers today, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
- Texas long snapper Nate Boyer (a former Green Beret whose story can be read here) has a predraft visit lined up with the 49ers, he tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- More from the Bay Area: The 49ers have maintained heavy interest in a pair of LSU players — linebacker Kwon Alexander and running back Terrence Magee — a source tells Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
NFC Draft Notes: Winston, Bears, Rams
Having already met with Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, the Bears will get a closer look at the other top quarterback in this year’s draft class on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schefter reports that Jameis Winston is set to meet with the Bears, who hold the seventh overall pick. Of course, the Florida State signal-caller is unlikely to make it past the No. 1 pick, so Chicago is likely just doing its due diligence.
Here are a few more draft-related updates from around the NFC:
- Mississippi State’s Benardrick McKinney, widely considered the top inside linebacker in this year’s draft class, is in St. Louis today to visit the Rams, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
- The Cowboys haven’t drafted a quarterback since 2009, but perhaps this is the year they buck that trend. A source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the team will work out Oregon State signal-caller Sean Mannion tomorrow.
- Michigan pass catcher Devin Funchess, who has experience at both wide receiver and tight end, is set to visit the 49ers, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. A report last week suggested that concerns about Funchess’ route-running was causing teams to drop him on their draft boards.
- According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter), Kansas cornerback Dexter McDonald is among the prospects who will pay a pre-draft visit to Washington this week. McDonald projects as a likely late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.
King’s Latest: Gordon, Cards, Gregory, WRs
Peter King of The MMQB.com leads off his Monday Morning Quarterback column this week by discussing Troy Polamalu‘s legacy, Hall-of-Fame-worthy safeties, and new referee Sarah Thomas, before he dives headfirst into the latest news and rumors on the draft. That section of King’s piece includes plenty of noteworthy tidbits, so let’s round up some of the highlights….
- Melvin Gordon won’t get past the Ravens at No. 26, according to King. It would be a little surprising to see Baltimore nab a running back in the first round, with plenty of other holes on the roster, including a big one at wide receiver.
- The Cardinals will “very seriously” consider a running back with the 24th overall pick.
- Although Randy Gregory‘s failed drug test initially scared off some teams near the top of the draft, many of those clubs are feeling more comfortable with the Nebraska pass rusher after taking a closer look at him.
- USC wideout Nelson Agholor, initially viewed as a late second-round pick, is moving up on draft boards, since teams think he can play inside or outside with equal effectiveness. Chip Kelly and the Eagles are known to like Agholor.
- Multiple teams have Louisville receiver DeVante Parker as a top-10 player on their boards, says King.
- According to King, UCF wideout Breshad Perriman is receiving serious consideration from at least two teams picking in the teens. Nearly all the teams with picks in that range – including the Saints, Dolphins, 49ers, and Browns – could use a wideout. In our first mock draft of the year, we had Perriman going to the Chiefs with the 18th overall pick.
- The Rams and Chargers are both working out Marcus Mariota this week, and while King doesn’t expect St. Louis to trade up to land the Oregon quarterback, he isn’t 100% sure about San Diego. As King writes, the Chargers may simply be doing their due diligence in case Mariota slides down the first round, since it still seems “highly unlikely” that the team would trade Philip Rivers.
NFC Notes: Wilson, Rams, Bears, Draft
The Seahawks are preparing to give Russell Wilson a contract extension that will make him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. However, Wilson hasn’t yet given up the dream of someday playing professional baseball, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
Wilson told Bryant Gumbel of HBO Real Sports that he hasn’t closed the door on his baseball career just yet, and holds out hope of being a two-sport athlete like Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson. Of course, if Wilson receives a yearly salary topping the $22MM that Aaron Rodgers negotiated on his last contract, Condotta believes the Seattle signal-caller can kiss his baseball career goodbye.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The Rams are not expected to have a chance to draft a quarterback at No.10, but the team will have both of the draft’s top passers in for a visit just in case, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). They will send a member of their front office to both Florida State and Oregon to meet with the prospects. Jameis Winston is projected to be off the board first overall, but some could see Marcus Mariota slipping past the Titans and Jets and possibly being available for St. Louis.
- While the Rams are trying to find a way to stay in St. Louis, the city is fighting a lawsuit that could jeopardize the team’s future in Missouri, should St. Louis win, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The suit aims to avoid a public vote on using taxpayer money to help finance a new stadium for the Rams. If the city loses its battle against the lawsuit, it could actually help the team stay in St. Louis. “We’re going to defend the ordinance,” said Jeff Rainford, who is in charge of the city’s effort to build a new stadium. “It’s not going to be a pretend defense. The city will defend the ordinance, and we’ll live with the result.”
- The Bears have a new coach and are looking to bounce back after a dismal season that sees them picking seventh in the NFL draft. While many have connected them to wide receivers with that selection, former coach and player Mike Ditka believes the best way to turn the team around would be to add some talent on the defensive side of the ball, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter).
- In preparation for the 2015 NFL draft, the staff at CSNChicago.com is preparing draft profiles of a number prospects that could interest the Bears’ front office. Last night they took a look at defensive tackle Carl Davis of Iowa and safety Jermaine Whiteside of Auburn. Today they followed up with Miami offensive tackle Ereck Flowers and Towson defensive end Ryan Delaire.
NFC Mailbags: Rams, Saints, Packers, Bucs
It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening the mailbags to answer questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some notes out of the NFC…
- If the Rams were to select a quarterback in the upcoming draft, Nick Wagoner would expect either Austin Davis or Case Keenum to not make the roster.
- When focusing on Washington‘s positions of need in the draft, John Keim points to an edge rusher, defensive lineman, receiver or quarterback. Meanwhile, he eliminates a running back, tight end and inside linebacker from consideration for the team’s first-round pick.
- Despite the Saints signing veterans Brandon Browner and Kyle Wilson, Mike Triplett says the team shouldn’t hesitate to select top cornerback prospect Trae Waynes if the Michigan State product is available.
- Rob Demovsky believes it’s a 50-50 chance the Packers will match the Raiders‘ offer sheet to safety Sean Richardson. The $2.55MM could ultimately prove to be too pricey to retain the backup safety.
- The Panthers should begin exploring an extension for cornerback Josh Norman, according to David Newton. “Big corners with that type of ability — and attitude — are rare and don’t come cheaply,” the writer explained.
- Pat Yasinskas writes that the best value the Buccaneers could get for quarterback Mike Glennon is a third-round pick, but he clarifies that a fourth or fifth-rounder is much more realistic.
Draft Notes: Rams, Jets, 49ers
When the Rams swapped quarterback Sam Bradford for Nick Foles, it was expected that the former Eagles signal-caller wouldn’t be the organization’s longterm answer at the position. So, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Rams will work out both Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota next week, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (on Twitter).
Of course, the workouts aren’t a guarantee that the organization will select a quarterback. As Breer points out, the Rams brought in Johnny Manziel twice last year, but they ultimately decided against drafting the rookie.
Let’s take a look at where more of the draft’s top prospects will be visiting…
- Besides the top two prospects, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says (via Twitter) the Rams have “shown varying degrees of interest” in quarterbacks Garrett Grayson, Brett Hundley, and Sean Mannion.
- Despite canceling their private workout with the quarterback, the Jets will bring in Jameis Winston for a visit, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Following the prospects impressive Pro Day, the organization decided they didn’t need to see much more.
- The Jets will bring in Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty for a pre-draft visit, reports Mehta (via Twitter). The former Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year won a pair of Big 12 Championships during his tenure with the Bears.
- Virginia outside linebacker Eli Harold will visit the Jets, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. Harold, who finished last season with seven sacks and 14.5 tackles for a loss, is project to be a late-first/early-second round pick.
- LSU cornerback Jalen Collins will pay a visit to the 49ers next week, according to Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The reporter notes that Collins has about ten pre-draft visits scheduled, including workouts with the Vikings and Panthers.
Draft Notes: Parker, Holliman, Roberts, Bucs
Let’s take a look at the latest regarding a handful of prospects as the 2015 NFL Draft draws nearer:
- Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker has pre-draft visits lined up with the Patriots, Ravens, Jets, Saints, Rams, Titans, 49ers and Panthers, according to Sports Illustrated’s Robert Klemko (Twitter link). In a mock draft posted earlier today, our own Rob Dire has the highly touted Parker going 11th overall to the Vikings.
- Safety Gerod Holliman, Parker’s teammate at Louisville, tweeted that his workout with the Dolphins was a “success.”
- Marshall cornerback Darryl Roberts visited the Chiefs this week, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post and Baltimore Sun. Roberts previously had private workouts with the 49ers and Packers.
- Stony Brook receiver Adrian Coxson is scheduled to visit the Packers, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Buccaneers are expected to take a quarterback – either Florida State’s Jameis Winston or Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – with the first overall pick, but Wilson tweets that a a lesser-known QB, West Georgia’s Austin Trainor, impressed the team at its local prospect day. Trainor was the only signal caller in attendance.
- In other Bucs news, South Florida kicker Marvin Kloss had a “strong workout” for the team Friday, per Wilson. Kloss hit 9 of 10 field goals, including a 55-yarder, and three of his four kickoffs went for touchbacks.
West Notes: Barksdale, Dunkley, Vincent
As teams attempt to expand their prospect visit itineraries, here is some early-afternoon news from the western divisions.
- Offensive tackle Joe Barksdale paid a visit to the Titans this week, but according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links), the veteran free agent left Tennessee without a deal, and the Rams remain in the mix for him.
- Missouri defensive tackle Lucas Vincent has a workout today with the Chiefs, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun passes along word of another local workout, tweeting that the Broncos are taking a look at Colorado State-Pueblo defensive lineman Josh Bredl.
- Also from Paylor (via Twitter): cornerback prospect DeVante Bausby is attending the Chiefs’ local pro day. A longtime starter at Division II power Pittsburg State, Bausby attended high school in Kansas City, Kan.
- South Florida cornerback Chris Dunkley will trek to the 49ers‘ and Chargers‘ facilities this week, respectively, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Greg Auman on Twitter. The converted wide receiver who also returned kicks for the Bulls previously visited the Patriots and Bills.
- In addition to lining up summits with DeVante Parker and Sammie Coates, the 49ers will also meet with Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith next week, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. ESPN’s Todd McShay rates the ex-Buckeyes deep threat as his 34th-best prospect (subscription required). The 49ers have also had discussions with wideouts they’d have to trade up to draft in Amari Cooper and Kevin White, reports Barrows.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report
Draft Updates: Mariota, White, Falcons, Jags
The previously-reported visits for top draft prospects Marcus Mariota, Leonard Williams, and Dante Fowler Jr. are all happening today for the Titans, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Although the Titans are getting a closer look at Mariota, another team in the top five apparently won’t get an opportunity to do so. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that Washington had planned to bring in Mariota for a visit, but the two sides couldn’t work out a time, so that trip is now off.
The news may not mean anything significant, but Charles Robinson notes in his latest piece for Yahoo! Sports that sources around the league are skeptical that Washington is truly interested in selecting Mariota with the No. 5 overall pick. “They’re trying to create leverage to get someone to [trade] up,” said one AFC personnel source.
With a report today suggesting that the Browns have real interest in moving up for Mariota, the Oregon quarterback is certainly generating the most draft buzz this week, but we have plenty of updates on other prospects as well. Here’s the latest:
- Within Robinson’s previously-linked piece, he notes that Buccaneers ownership will ultimately make the final call on whether or not to draft Jameis Winston, adding that there have been some internal questions about the community relations impact of selecting Winston.
- Kevin White, arguably the top receiving prospect in this year’s class, said today that he’s setting up visits with the Jets, Bears, Rams, and Giants, per Ross Tucker of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
- The Falcons are hosting a pair of top-tier pass rushers today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Clemson’s Vic Beasley and Kentucky’s Bud Dupree are in town.
- Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union provides a full list of the 20 prospects that visited the Jaguars this week. While we’ve passed along many of those names already, there are also plenty of new ones: Javorius “Buck” Allen (RB, USC), T.J. Yeldon (RB, Alabama), Amari Cooper (WR, Alabama), Rashad Greene (WR, FSU), DeAndre Smelter (WR, Georgia Tech), Cedric Ogbuehi (T, Texas A&M), Andrus Peat (T, Stanford), Eli Harold (DE, Virginia), Arik Armstead (DL, Oregon), Landon Collins (S, Alabama), and Trae Waynes (CB, Michigan State).
- In addition to visiting the Eagles, UCF wide receiver Breshad Perriman met with the Raiders, Colts, and Steelers this week, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- Washington cornerback Marcus Peters, Stanford cornerback Alex Carter, and Virginia linebacker Max Valles made visits to Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers today, tweets Scott Brown of ESPN.com.
- The Giants, Steelers, and Texans have hosted visits for Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant, who has also worked out for the Cowboys, Raiders, and Buccaneers, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.