NFC Draft Notes: Eagles, Vikings, Giants
Eagles coach Chip Kelly is on record saying how much he loves Johnny Manziel. Kelly recruited Manziel while at Oregon, but Manziel spurned Kelly’s best efforts and ended up at Texas A&M.
Is a possible reunion in order?
Andrew Kulp of The 700 Level pegs Johnny Football as the best fit for the Eagles at No. 22, citing Kelly’s affinity for the free-wheeling Texan. It’s highly unlikely that Manziel slips that far, but it sure would make for must-see TV every Sunday.
More draft notes from the NFC…
- The Vikings select Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley in Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ latest mock draft. Vikings brass could be skittish after the Christian Ponder pick didn’t work out so well, Tomasson writes.
- A strong relationship between head coach and general manager is key to a team’s success in the draft room, and it appears that the Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman of the Vikings are in the process of building one, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
- The Giants will need to get as close as they can to batting 1.000 in the upcoming draft, says Tom Rock of newsday.com. After building a reputation as a draft savant — leading to two Super Bowls — general manager Jerry Reese has not had the same success in recent years.
- Three players that the Giants could target at No. 12, according to the New York Daily News’ Ebenezer Samuel: North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans and Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin.
- If the Seahawks want to stay on top of the league, they’ll have to do more of the same — draft well. But, as The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta writes, it’s become even more important to hit on late-round picks now that key players like safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas are earning second contracts and eating up prime real estate on the salary cap.
- The Bucs may have to take Manziel if he’s on the board at No. 7, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. If not, Stroud thinks the team could take a QB in the second or third round, possibly offering 2013 third-round pick Mike Glennon in a trade.
- The Panthers worked out Fresno State cornerback L.J. Jones, reports Aaron Wilson of National Football Post. Jones is projected as a late-round pick after being named as an All-Mountain West-Conference honorable-mention.
- You can try your hand as Ted Thompson and play GM of the Packers with an online roster builder tool launched by Press-Gazette Media, spending up to $133MM and cutting the roster down to 53 players.
NFC Mailbags: Giants, Panthers, 49ers, Saints
It’s Saturday and that means a fresh batch of mailbags from ESPN’s NFL writers. Let’s take a look at some notes from the NFC…
- The Giants‘ need for a tight end does not offset their need on the offensive line, writes Dan Graziano. The team added four lineman in free agency, but Graziano believes the team needs to “address the problem in a meaningful, sustainable, long-term way.”
- Graziano guesses that Giants safety Will Hill will be suspended and subsequently cut. General Manager Jerry Reese said that the team would wait out the appeal process.
- Taking into account the uncertain future of Greg Hardy, Charles Johnson‘s age and Frank Alexander‘s four-game suspension, the Panthers should select a defensive end in the first round, opines David Newton. Wide receiver and offensive tackle may be the popular picks, but Newton sees value at those positions in the second and third round.
- Newton projects a longterm deal between the Panthers and Hardy would be in the four-year range, worth $13MM to $15MM a season.
- The signing of Brandon Lloyd shouldn’t affect the 49ers‘ draft plans at the position, writes Bill Williamson. Anquan Boldin is getting older and Michael Crabtree is entering the final season of his contract, so the position is still a need.
- Mike Triplett can see the Saints drafting center’s Marcus Martin or Weston Richburg in the first round. The writer attributes Sean Payton‘s history of not selecting offensive lineman in the first round to “happenstance.”
- Triplett believes the Saints still have interest in Jonathan Goodwin. Triplett adds that the veteran could be a fallback plan if the team’s doesn’t land a center in the early rounds.
Draft Notes: Ravens, Giants, Lions, Bengals
The Ravens have committed plenty of time and resources to scouting prospects from smaller schools, writes Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. That extensive research paid off in 2008 when the team selected Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco. Since, the team has picked a number of players from small schools, including four of their ten selections last season.
“I think, in general, scouting has gotten better across the league,” assistant general manager Eric DeCosta said. “Teams are doing better jobs, so we’ve tried to find value by more closely looking at small-school players. Our scouts do a great job of going out there and evaluating those guys.
“We get the chance to see a small-school guy at the Senior Bowl, you get a chance to see him at the Combine to compare against the big-school guys. That’s always a big challenge. The other thing is, ‘How are players going to get better?’ At small schools, sometimes they don’t have the luxury of having a nice weight room, nutritional programs or support staff. We feel like sometimes these guys come into our facility… and get better quickly because they have the advantage of all these new things.”
Among the Ravens’ previous small-school selections are Flacco, Lardarius Webb and Gino Gradkowski.
Now, for some more Draft notes from around the NFL…
- New Mexico State wide receiver Austin Franklin visited with the Giants, reports Wilson. The wideout had 52 catches for 670 yards last season.
- Teddy Bridgewater could be a fallback option for the Bengals, tweets ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. The team is seeking a cornerback and defensive lineman, but could select the Louisville quarterback if they decide he’s the best player on the board.
- The Lions are looking for a center and Florida State’s Bryan Stork would be a very good option, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Rimington Trophy winner (awarded to the nation’s best center) would compete with veteran Dominic Raiola, who signed a one-year deal to return to Detroit earlier this offseason.
East Rumors: Giants, Dolphins, Misi, Redskins
The Giants‘ roster is still a work in progress, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. GM Jerry Reese has signed more free agents than anyone else in the NFL, but he says there’s still more heavy lifting to be done.
“We had a lot of work to do in free agency, so we worked hard in free agency, and after that, I actually liked the couple of weeks’ extra time to get ready for the draft,” Reese said. “The draft stands alone. We try to take the best players we can in the draft. In free agency, you try to fill some holes.”
Here’s the latest from the AFC and NFC East:
- The Dolphins hoped to move Koa Misi over to inside linebacker, but Misi now says he doesn’t want to, a source tells Andrew Abramson and Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. The move could have a ripple effect on Miami’s draft plans. If the Dolphins aren’t confident with Dannell Ellerbe in the middle, that could make it more likely they draft an inside linebacker like Alabama’s C.J. Mosley, or possibly target a linebacker like Wisconsin’s Chris Borland later in the draft.
- James Walker of ESPN.com has the highlights from Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey‘s pre-draft news conference earlier today. When asked if it’s better to have more picks or higher picks in this year’s draft, Hickey said “I always like more picks. I always want more picks.” Hickey went on to say that he’s open to trading up and down next week (Twitter link) and has been in contact with other GMs regarding that.
- John Kelm of ESPN.com looks at Washington State safety Deone Bucannon as a draft candidate for the Redskins. Kelm is high on Bucannon, who figures to be a second round pick and is regarded by some as the fourth-best safety in the draft.
Draft Updates: WRs, Martin, Gilbert, Savage
The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to make a minor change to the CBA related to rookie contracts, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, once a player is drafted, he will automatically be deemed to have received a four-year contract offer worth the minimum salary. Previously, clubs were required to submit written notice of that tender offer before or immediately after the draft, so the change will remove a simple piece of bookkeeping, simplifying the draft process.
Here are a few more draft-related items, with less than a week remaining until the first round gets underway:
- In a separate PFT piece, Florio reads between the lines of recent comments by the Browns‘ and Raiders‘ general managers, and suggests that perhaps those teams are trying to push another club to jump up ahead of them to grab a wide receiver like Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com isn’t so sure there will be a big run on wide receivers in the first round, tweeting that he has heard from many teams that intend to wait until the second or third to snag a wideout.
- USC center Marcus Martin has been added to the list of players attending the draft next week, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today, noting that Martin worked out for the Saints this week.
- Within a profile of SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert, Pelissero adds the Bengals, Panthers, and Buccaneers to the list of clubs who had Gilbert in for a pre-draft visit.
- Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage has been one of the draft’s notable risers in recent weeks, so Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com explores why that has been the case.
- More than ever, NFL franchises are investing time and effort into making sure they identify potential character flaws that could dissuade them from drafting a prospect, as Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report details. Teams’ approaches include everything from psychological testing to combing through all of a player’s tweets.
- Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has a few updates on prospects, writing that N.C. State tight end Asa Watson (Ben Watson‘s brother) has visited the Giants, and tweeting that a couple of NFL head coaches have called Old Dominion offensive lineman Jack Lowney within the last few days. Wilson also reports that Rutgers wide receiver Quron Pratt visited the Patriots and Dolphins and worked out for the Jets and Giants.
- The Jets worked out Adams State kicker David Van Voris today, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
NFC Notes: Giants, Ealy, Hatcher, Panthers
Jordan Raanan of NJ.com lists a few of the primary takeaways from Giants GM Jerry Reese’s Thursday press conference, noting that Reese hopes to land two starters in the draft, and that the club will target “clean” players early. In other words, the Giants don’t want a guy with injury concerns or off-field question marks, which helps explain why the team reportedly prefers Zack Martin to Taylor Lewan. Raanan also points out that the New York GM didn’t shoot down the idea that the team could trade backup quarterback Ryan Nassib.
- Some NFL teams may want Missouri defensive lineman Kony Ealy to put on a few pounds and convert to defensive tackle, which could result in him being drafted earlier than expected, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport identifies the Giants, Rams, Cowboys, and Bears as a few clubs that could have interest in Ealy (Twitter link).
- He has only been a Redskin for a few weeks, but former Cowboy Jason Hatcher is already enjoying some aspects of the experience more than he did in Dallas, as he told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas (link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News). “They really take care of the veteran guys,” Hatcher said of the Redskins. “They give us more say-so over the team. This is our team. The head coach don’t want to be policing the team.”
- ESPN.com’s David Newton reads between the lines of some recent comments by Panthers GM Dave Gettleman to make a case for why Carolina is very unlikely to trade up from No. 28 in next week’s draft.
- Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets that Jonathan Baldwin‘s fifth-year option was removed from his contract when the 49ers restructured his deal earlier in the offseason. Baldwin’s option wouldn’t have been exercised anyway, but Inman’s tweet confirms that it can’t be.
- This year’s draft could be a pivotal one for Lions GM Martin Mayhew, as Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News explains.
NFC Rumors: Falcons, Connor, Williams, Cards
While many of the rumors swirling around the Falcons and a possible move up to the No. 1 pick have been linked to the team’s interest in Jadeveon Clowney, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com says the defensive end wouldn’t necessarily be the club’s target if Atlanta does trade up. According to La Canfora, the Falcons are “very, very high” on offensive tackle Greg Robinson, who is a candidate to be drafted second overall by the Rams, meaning Atlanta may be considering moving up for Robinson instead.
La Canfora adds that several GMs believe Clowney, Robinson, Khalil Mack, Jake Matthews, and Taylor Lewan could be the top five players selected, which would put the Falcons in a tough spot, since they seem intent on adding an impact offensive lineman or pass rusher.
While we wait to see what the Falcons decide, let’s check out a few more updates from across the NFC:
- Longtime Carolina linebacker Dan Connor, who split time between the Giants and Panthers last season, recently worked out for the Falcons, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. Connor, an unrestricted free agent, would be competing for playing time in a reserve role if he signed with Atlanta.
- Former Viking Kevin Williams, who has visited the Giants and Seahawks, is mulling the possibility of retiring if he doesn’t receive an offer he likes, as he tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “If it’s not worth the risk of going back out there, I can’t say I’ll do it,” Williams said. “I don’t see it at this point (taking a low-value deal), but you never know.”
- Speaking to reporters today, including Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim didn’t rule out the possibility of trading up in the first round, but made it clear that a trade down was far more likely. The GM added that the Cards have already engaged with a number of prospects they expect to go undrafted to try to sell them on signing in Arizona after the draft.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com provides a year-by-year breakdown of Earl Thomas‘ new contract with the Seahawks, which features a cap hit of about $7.373MM in 2014. According to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter), the 2015 and 2016 figures become fully guaranteed after the start of those respective league years.
- Temple defensive tackle Levi Brown paid a pre-draft visit to the Giants last month, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
Giants Pick Up Prince Amukamara’s Option
The Giants have exercised their fifth-year option on Prince Amukamara‘s rookie deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The move ensures that the cornerback remains under contract with the team through the 2015 season.
Amukamara, 24, has steadily assumed a larger role in the Giants’ secondary in recent years, starting all 16 games for the club in 2013 and playing over 1,100 defensive snaps. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the 2011 first-rounder played well as a full-time starter last season, ranking 34th among 110 qualified cornerbacks, with excellent grades against the run.
Still, the Giants’ decision on Amukamara wasn’t viewed as a slam dunk. The team added Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Walter Thurmond to shore up the cornerback position this offseason, and there are some lingering questions about Amukamara’s durability. When Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com broke down the 32 decisions in April, he predicted that the Giants wouldn’t exercise their option on the former 19th overall pick.
Now that it has been picked up though, that 2015 option will be worth $6.898MM. For now, it’s guaranteed for injury only, though it will become fully guaranteed on the first day of the 2015 league year. You can keep tabs on all of this year’s fifth-year option decisions with our tracker.
Draft Notes: Manziel, Bridgewater, Giants
As a companion piece to his cover story in Sports Illustrated, Peter King of TheMMQB.com conducts a virtual roundtable with former quarterbacks and coaches on the value of Johnny Manziel. Meanwhile, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports says no QB in this year’s class has improved his stock more over the last few weeks than Manziel, who has quelled many concerns about potential off-field distractions (Twitter links). According to Glazer (via Twitter), one team that didn’t rank Manziel among its top four signal-callers a month ago now has him at No. 1.
Here are a few more Thursday draft updates:
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk questions whether Teddy Bridgewater‘s stock is really falling as much as has been suggested, or if teams always had questions and concerns about the Louisville quarterback, with the media playing catch-up on that perception.
- In a piece for CBSSports.com, former agent Joel Corry takes a look at how the 2011 CBA has affected teams’ approaches to the draft. As one front office exec tells Corry, the fifth-year option for first-rounders may result in teams near the back of the top 10 wanting to trade down, in order to get that fifth-year option at a more reasonable price.
- “Word on the street” suggests that the Giants prefer Zack Martin to fellow offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who identifies 10 potential candidates for New York’s first-round pick.
- Dixie State tight end Joe Don Duncan, who was unable to work out at the combine due to a broken foot, has been medically cleared and had a Pro Day in California for NFL teams, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
- Vanderbilt wide receiver Chris Boyd paid a pre-draft visit to the Falcons, according to Wilson. Boyd is projected to be a mid-to-late-round pick.
Draft Updates: Bucs, Bills, McCarron, Savage
A handful of teams picking at the top of next week’s draft have expressed an openness to move down in the first round, and we can add the Buccaneers to this list. Speaking to reporters today, including Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com, Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht didn’t rule out the possibility of trading down.
“That’s definitely something we’d look into,” Licht said. “We’ve already reached out to teams. If our player isn’t there, we’d be open to conversations about moving back.”
Here are several more draft-related items for Tuesday afternoon:
- Within his latest mock draft at ESPN.com, Todd McShay cites three league sources who have told him in the past week that the Bills are trying to trade up from No. 9. According to McShay, if Buffalo does make a move, it will likely be to land Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins, or Greg Robinson.
- Appearing on The Paul Finebaum Show, Alabama signal-caller A.J. McCarron suggested he’s been told he could be drafted as high as 16th in the draft, which is the spot the Cowboys currently hold (link via Andrew Gribble of AL.com).
- Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage quietly made a pre-draft visit to the Jets last week, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
- After previously identifying a few teams who hosted Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com names a few more, tweeting that Ward also visited the Colts, Saints, Texans, and Vikings.
- LSU guard Trai Turner has worked out privately for the Lions, Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, and Saints, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson adds that Turner also visited the Cowboys, Cardinals, Colts, and Dolphins.
- Kansas wide receiver and special teams ace Josh Ford has drawn interest from the Packers, Panthers, Texans, Jets, and Chiefs, tweets Wilson.
- The Giants, Jets, and Lions were among the teams to host Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle for a pre-draft visit, writes Wilson.
- Finally, Wilson reports that Wisconsin defensive tackle Beau Allen had a total of eight visits and three private workouts, and tweets that Albany tackle Kadeem Williams has been informed he’s on an AFC South team’s draft board.