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Latest On Commanders’ No. 2 Pick, Giants-Jayden Daniels Connection

April 7th, 2024 at 10:45am CST by Rory Parks

USC quarterback Caleb Williams is seemingly a lock to be drafted by the Bears with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Although most prognosticators believe the next three players off the board will be quarterbacks, it is less clear who those quarterbacks will be, and which teams will be selecting them.

Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post recently suggested that the Commanders, owners of the No. 2 overall pick, will select Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, whose draft stock has soared thanks in no small part to an excellent pro day performance. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe (subscription required) says that, of the seven team executives, coaches, and scouts that the publication recently polled, three of them believed Washington would select LSU’s Jayden Daniels, two believed UNC’s Drake Maye would be the pick, and one said it would be McCarthy (the final executive said a trade-down maneuver would be the Commanders’ best bet).

The opinion of that cheeky non-conformist notwithstanding, it would be surprising if the Commanders traded down or picked a non-QB with the No. 2 selection. But if Washington opts for a player other than Daniels, then the Giants could suddenly become a team to watch, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com notes.

In possession of the No. 6 overall pick, Big Blue has been doing its due diligence on this year’s top collegiate passers and scheduled “30” visits with each of Maye, McCarthy, and Daniels. According to Raanan, Daniels is particularly well-regarded within the organization, and sources close to GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll believe the reigning Heisman Trophy winner would be an “ideal fit” in the Giants’ offense.

That said, New York would almost certainly need to trade up to land Daniels, and the Patriots’ No. 3 overall pick likely represents the highest choice that could be available via trade. It appears that New England is prepared to stay put and select a QB of its own, though a trade could still be on the table if the right offer comes along. The problem is that the Giants have just six picks in the 2024 draft and a great number of roster holes, so efforts to jump up the draft board could be cost-prohibitive.

While owner John Mara has consistently endorsed incumbent QB1 Daniel Jones — who is on track to be back from his ACL tear by training camp — Mara has also given Schoen the green light to select a quarterback with the Giants’ top choice. Schoen is no stranger to trading up the board, and the team has been connected to such a move for at least a month. Regardless of the overall strength of a roster, there is almost no price too steep to pay for a franchise quarterback, particularly since Jones has generally failed to impress during his pro career and since the 2025 class of signal-callers is generally considered to be a weak one.

In the above-referenced piece, La Canfora says the Giants are actually higher on McCarthy than any other non-Williams quarterback, a sentiment that Raanan apparently does not share. Raanan does say the team has interest in McCarthy, but he suggests that such interest would be at its zenith if the former Wolverine should fall to the No. 6 pick. In other words, the ESPN scribe seems to believe that while Schoen would contemplate a trade up to land Daniels, he may not sacrifice additional draft capital to acquire McCarthy.

One way or another, as Howe succinctly puts it, “there’s more mystery surrounding the 2024 quarterback class than there’s ever been.”

NFL Draft Rumors: Cowboys, McCarthy, Robinson

April 6th, 2024 at 5:54pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys hosted a number of 2024 NFL Draft prospects for “top 30” visits this week. The visiting group included potential first-round targets like Taliese Fuaga, Graham Barton, and Darius Robinson as well as projected Day 2 selection Junior Colson.

Fuaga, an offensive tackle out of Oregon State, and Barton, a projected interior offensive lineman out of Duke, make sense considering the Cowboys’ losses on offensive line this offseason of Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. If Fuaga is able to start, this would allow Dallas to keep Tyler Smith at guard, where he earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2023. In order to land Fuaga, though, the Cowboys would likely have to trade up earlier into the first round. Barton played left tackle for the Blue Devils for the last couple of years, but his early college film at center shows the versatility that he could bring at the NFL level.

Robinson, a defensive end out of Missouri, feels like the typical Cowboys pass rusher selection and adds depth to a position that saw Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler follow former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to Washington. A bigger defensive end, Robinson could provide some versatility across the defensive line and may be available long enough for the Cowboys to trade back to collect some extra picks and still select him. Colson, a linebacker out of Michigan, would be a nice addition to a position that could use some attention with Micah Parsons spending more time at end. While he’s likely a second- or third-round pick, he’s worth note as he’s expected to be the first linebacker off the board.

Here are a couple of other rumors making the rounds in the weeks leading up to this month’s draft:

  • We have seen the draft stock of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy soaring over the last few weeks. Once considered a tier-two quarterback behind Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels, the polarizing McCarthy has somehow found himself in consideration for the No. 2 overall draft selection. While his stock continues to inflate, Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan pointed out some of the red flags that have some scouts feeling less than confident about the former Wolverine. McCarthy has been compared to former Steelers’ first-round pick Kenny Pickett “due to his inability to drive the ball down the field.” His strong sense of timing made up for a lack of arm strength in college, but some worry that it will prevent him from being able to make some throws at the NFL level. While he’s almost guaranteed to be a first-round pick due to the top-heavy nature of the position this year, many don’t have a first-round grade on McCarthy.
  • Chop Robinson is set to be the next pass rusher out of Penn State to be selected in the first round. The projected Day 1 edge rusher had already taken visits with the Eagles, Ravens, and Saints, but Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz informs us that visits with the Giants and Jets were scheduled for this past week, as well. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 adds that the Texans have Robinson firmly on their radar after meeting with him at the NFL scouting combine.

Latest On Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

April 5th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Ely Allen

The runup to the 2024 NFL Draft has been a rollercoaster for Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Initially viewed in the second tier of top draft-eligible passers alongside Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Penix has dipped in and out of the first round in mock drafts over the past several weeks, while McCarthy has skyrocketed into the top tier. Now, at this point in time, OutKick’s Armando Salguero tells us that at least three teams have Penix on their board with a first-round value.

Initially, there were concerns about Penix’s history with injury issues, as detailed in his recent Prospect Profile. His four season-ending injuries in as many years at Indiana had many uneasy about his health at the next level. After getting cleared in medical evaluations, Penix will be able to get most teams to look past his injury-history, though some may still hold on to their reservations.

As for which three teams have him slotted as a first-rounder, it’s difficult to say for sure. Penix has scheduled several different “top 30” visits over the last week. He’s set to meet with the Giants, Falcons, Raiders, Broncos, Steelers, Vikings, and Commanders, while the Seahawks have been mentioned as a team of interest, as well. The Commanders can probably be taken out of the mix. Even if they have a first-round grade on Penix, they are seemingly set to draft one of the top-tier passers at No. 2 overall.

The Falcons are an interesting team to watch after they sent “a sizable group to Seattle to conduct a private workout with” Penix today, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. It’s hard to see them as one of the teams with a first-round grade on the 23-year-old, though, as they just signed Kirk Cousins to a big contract to start for them at quarterback.

Instead look to teams like the Raiders, who have been mocked to draft Penix on multiple occasions. Despite the team’s aggressive efforts to move into the top three draft picks, Las Vegas doesn’t seem to have the capital to make it happen. Those efforts show their desire to draft a quarterback, though, and if they’re stuck at 13th overall, they may have to settle for Penix.

With most mock drafts predicting a run of four passers in the first four picks, it only takes one or two more teams in the remaining 28 picks to pull the trigger on Penix or Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. With plenty of teams needing help at the position, Penix could join the ranks as one of up to five or six first-round quarterbacks.

Giants Sign South Carolina RB Dante Miller

April 5th, 2024 at 8:53pm CST by Ely Allen

The first college athlete has been signed to an NFL contract, still weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft. The Giants announced the signing of South Carolina running back Dante Miller today, marking the start of his NFL career following an absurd college journey.

Less than a month ago, Miller was participating in the Gamecocks’ 2024 pro day, hoping to land on the league’s radar as a late-round draft pick or, perhaps, earn an opportunity at a rookie tryout out during minicamps. Instead, it was discovered that Miller did not qualify for the 2024 draft. In fact, he had qualified for both the 2023 NFL Draft and the supplemental draft that followed it, making him a signable free agent.

Miller spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Columbia. Ivy League schools don’t allow for redshirt seasons, giving players only four years to fulfill their four seasons of eligibility. Unfortunately for Miller and all Ivy Leaguers, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the loss of the 2020 season and, as a result, the loss of a year of eligibility. They had two options, accept the end of their collegiate careers or transfer outside of the Ivy League, where they would still have eligibility.

So, Miller transferred to South Carolina, moving from Columbia University to Columbia, SC. It was reportedly communicated to the Gamecocks that Miller would have two seasons of eligibility at South Carolina: his unused redshirt year and the extra year of eligibility allotted to college players because of COVID.

With budding rusher Marshawn Lloyd entering the year as the starter, Miller was happy to fill in as a depth and special teams player, thinking he would be able to earn a bigger role in 2023. Unfortunately, six games into the 2022 season, South Carolina’s officials realized they had made a mistake. Miller was only granted his redshirt year, meaning he didn’t have three years to play two seasons, he only had two years to play one.

In college football, you can only play in four games if you intend to redshirt a year. The school tried to appeal, pointing out that Miller had only played three snaps in his fifth game and two snaps in his sixth. Miller chose to sit out the remainder of the season, counting on the university’s appeal to come through. A lengthy review process ruled that five snaps were too many, leading to NCAA to refuse Miller another year of eligibility, despite the deadline to enter the NFL draft having long passed at the time of their decision.

So, Miller set his focus on the following year’s draft. He went to the Gamecocks’ pro day and put up a 4.27-second 40-yard dash, a time that would’ve bested any running back who ran at the combine. His 28 bench press reps of 225 pounds would’ve topped the combine’s best performance by a running back by one, as well.

Suffice it to say that Miller leapt onto the radar of every scout there who had intended to watch wide receiver Xavier Legette and quarterback Spencer Rattler. One scout went so far as to research Miller’s eligibility history and ask Miller’s agent if he was even draft eligible, per Andy Staples of On3. The NFL reported back that, no, he should’ve been eligible for the prior year’s draft. Miller was granted free agency. He was given the ability to sign with any team he wanted and would be able to negotiate a salary outside of the draft’s slotted salaries.

Miller visited the Giants this week, and they immediately offered him a deal. He had other visits scheduled, but returning to New York, where he had earned his college degree, was too enticing. As a result, he signed with the Giants and will head to the team facilities much earlier than anticipated.

OL Notes: Jets, Alt, Titans, Jones, Steelers, Shelton, Rams, Jones, Ravens, Giants, Hawks

April 4th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Once the draft moves past its quarterback stage, wide receivers are expected to be the focus. This draft also features a few high-level tackle prospects that should go off the board soon after, potentially breaking up the QB-WR string that could lead off this year’s event. Arguably the top tackle available, Joe Alt, has begun his run of pre-draft visits. The Jets and Titans used “30” visits on the Notre Dame tackle this week, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. A first-team All-American in back-to-back years and the top tackle on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board (No. 8 overall), Alt should not need to wait long before his name comes off the board.

The Titans (No. 7) and Jets (No. 10) figure to be two prime suitors. The Jets are not as needy here compared to the start of free agency, having reacquired Morgan Moses via trade and signed Tyron Smith. The All-Decade blocker is among the NFL’s most injury-prone players, and with both Smith and Moses going into age-33 seasons, a tackle-in-waiting would benefit a Jets team that has encountered regular issues up front over the past several years. The Titans cut Andre Dillard and have not added a tackle, potentially making them the Alt floor. Though, the Chargers should not be entirely ruled out — now that Jim Harbaugh is running the show — of a first-round tackle investment to pair with Rashawn Slater.

Here is the latest from the O-line ranks around the league:

Latest On 2024 First-Round Quarterbacks

April 3rd, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Ely Allen

In a recent article for The Washington Post, NFL insider and analyst Jason La Canfora provided his projection for how the first-round quarterbacks may play out in this year’s draft. After the seemingly obvious prediction of USC quarterback Caleb Williams to Chicago, La Canfora declared a somewhat more surprising projection: national championship-winning Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy going second overall to the Commanders.

The first reasoning that La Canfora points to is the betting markets. Though betting odds are fickle and often change at the slightest whims, they can quite often predict the likeliest outcome, and right now, McCarthy’s odds of getting picked right after Williams are skyrocketing. Secondarily, La Canfora points to an evaluator who compared McCarthy to “another (Brock) Purdy.”

New Commanders general manager Adam Peters comes from the 49ers front office that selected Purdy as the last pick of the draft two years ago. If McCarthy is demonstrating the attributes that drew Peters and company to Purdy, that also helps the Michigan passer’s chances of heading to Washington. Unfortunately, that same brain trust in San Francisco was responsible for the trade to move up for Trey Lance, so Peters’ history with picking quarterbacks may be hit or miss.

La Canfora also claims that the Giants are highest on McCarthy over the other remaining quarterbacks after Williams is drafted, but if he goes to the Commanders, as La Canfora predicts, New York will have to settle for another option: LSU Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels.

La Canfora doesn’t take it as fact that Daniels is headed to New York, though. He reports that the Raiders, who currently hold the 13th overall pick of the first round, “badly want to move up” to land Daniels. This rumor makes a ton of sense when you consider that Las Vegas’ head coach Antonio Pierce got an up-close look at Daniels when the two were together at Arizona State for several years. The team isn’t very well-positioned to make the move, but according to two general managers in the league, the Raiders are making the effort, nonetheless.

Aside from those two bigger predictions, La Canfora’s projection is fairly in-line with what we’ve been seeing. He predicts that the first four picks will be quarterbacks (Williams to Chicago, McCarthy to Washington, Daniels to New York, and North Carolina passer Drake Maye to Minnesota [via trade]), he sees the Raiders settling for Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. if they can’t trade up, and he sees Oregon quarterback Bo Nix becoming the fifth first-round quarterback of the draft thanks to the Ravens trading down so that the Broncos can select him 30th overall.

This all continues a wild runup to what is certainly shaping up to be an unpredictable 2024 NFL Draft. A top-heavy quarterback draft class has provided pundits and analysts alike with myriad predictions for how everything will play out. With a little over three weeks until the all-important date, the sequence of events following the No. 1 overall pick is unclear as ever.

QB Michael Penix Jr. Schedules Five Visits

March 29th, 2024 at 6:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

With pre-draft visits in full swing, Michael Penix Jr. is one of several quarterbacks set to take a number of ‘top 30’ visits with interested teams. Details on his immediate future have emerged in the wake of his Pro Day.

Penix is set to meet with the Giants, Falcons, Raiders, Broncos and Steelers, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. New York, Las Vegas and Denver have been among the teams most closely connected with selecting a passer during next month’s draft. The inclusion of Atlanta and Pittsburgh on that list is certainly noteworthy, however.

The Falcons made perhaps the most impactful move of free agency by signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180MM deal. That move sets the team up with a proven quarterback relative to its other post-Matt Ryan options (albeit one which is aging and coming off an Achilles tear). A long-term investment in a developmental passer would be reasonable, but such a move would likely come after the Falcons’ top pick.

Atlanta is set to select eighth overall, and edge rush remains a notable roster hole at the moment. For that reason, many mocks have linked the team to Alabama’s Dallas Turner, largely regarded as the top member of the 2024 pass rush class. The Falcons’ next selection is No. 43; Penix could very well be off the board by that point, leaving them in search of another Day 2 or 3 QB option.

The Steelers have completely re-built their quarterback room, signing Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields. The former is set to operate as the starter for 2024, but the latter profiles as the passer with a higher upside over the long term given his age. Both Wilson and Fields are only on the books for one season (provided Fields’ fifth-year option is declined this spring), though the team is believed to have interest in retaining each of them beyond 2024.

Pittsburgh owns the No. 20 pick, which could fall within the early portion of Penix’s range (depending in large part, of course, on where the QBs rated above him are selected). Adding the 2023 Heisman runner-up would give the Steelers an intriguing third option on the depth chart but it would likely prove to be redundant in at least the short term with Wilson and Fields in the fold.

Penix profiles as a wild card in the 2024 quarterback class, having enjoyed a successful stint with Washington which was punctuated by a trip to the national title game. Concerns over his age and lengthy injury history – including two ACL tears – will hurt his draft stock compared to the passers slated to be selected in the top five, but the strong athletic performance he delivered at his Pro Day could certainly help in that regard. Ultimately, Penix’s visits will be a strong determining factor in his eventual landing spots, and several teams will remain worth monitoring as potential destinations.

Latest On Giants, QB J.J. McCarthy

March 29th, 2024 at 10:07am CST by Sam Robinson

A fast-rising prospect — or so it would seem during this year’s pre-draft process — J.J. McCarthy may not be available by the time the Giants go on the clock at No. 6. The team has explored a trade-up, which may be necessary if it is serious about acquiring a Daniel Jones replacement this year.

The Giants will head into the draft with a pivotal decision. Jones is under contract through 2026, but his guarantees wrap after the 2024 campaign. With this New York regime not having drafted Jones, an opportunity could be in place to grab its own passer and begin building around him. Many around the NFL believe the Giants’ QB target would be McCarthy, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano notes.

Giants-McCarthy connections emerged in early March, and in the weeks since, the Michigan prospect has become a likely top-10 pick. The Vikings have since obtained a second first-round pick, and the team is almost definitely looking to package its two first-rounders (Nos. 11 and 27) to climb up for a passer. That package could put Minnesota in position to leapfrog the Giants, with both the Cardinals and Chargers — who already employ Pro Bowl quarterbacks — being linked to moving down. As a result of the Vikings’ move, the Giants may need to be prepared to trade up as well.

The Giants have already hosted McCarthy on a “30” visit; they are set to observe a private workout Sunday. New York is also doing extensive homework on Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. The latter will visit the Big Apple soon. Maye has already visited the Giants, and the ex-North Carolina passer is also set to work out for the team soon. While Maye has been a fixture near the top of draft boards, he has also been docked a bit during the pre-draft process. Maye’s second season as the Tar Heels’ starter did not measure up to his first, and ESPN.com’s Matt Miller adds multiple teams view McCarthy as a better prospect. Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN.com big board ranks Maye seventh and McCarthy 14th.

This is, of course, smokescreen season. Recent Giants drafts can reveal misdirection as well; in 2022, strong Giants connections to Charles Cross came about, but the team chose Evan Neal. But the Giants will not have their pick of the top QBs in this draft. The Commanders continue to be connected to Daniels at No. 2, but a recent report also tied them to McCarthy. Considering McCarthy’s profile and less prolific college career, it would be surprising if he went in front of Daniels or Maye. But he impressed at the Wolverines’ pro day; buzz about this draft now including four high-end QB prospects has since began to circulate.

John Mara has endorsed Jones consistently, and the current New York starter is on track to be back from his ACL tear by training camp. But the Giants can escape the widely criticized four-year, $160MM contract by taking on modest dead money in 2025. Mara also OK’d a Giants first-round QB, and the Joe Schoen-led front office informed the owner this draft features the best QB crop in “a long time,” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan adds. That would raise the stakes for the Giants, who will need to weigh this year’s QB class against the 2025 group and against a future with one of this year’s impact wide receivers.

The Giants could leave this draft with a new WR1 in place around Jones — who has not exactly been given good wideout situations during his career — without trading up, but QB connections persist. With teams like the Broncos and Raiders also tied to potential trade-ups for passers, the Giants are a key team to monitor ahead of the draft.

LSU WR Malik Nabers Meets With Six Teams

March 28th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Malik Nabers has established himself as a definitive top-10 pick, and it sounds like a number of teams could be battling for the wideout’s services. According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Nabers met with the Patriots, Titans, Jets, and Jaguars on Tuesday afternoon before having dinner with the Giants that night. The receiver also met with the Cardinals yesterday.

While Marvin Harrison Jr. is still expected to be the first wideout off the draft board, Nabers has certainly given the Ohio State WR a run for his money in mock drafts. Known for his top-end speed and versatility, Nabers would be an easy fit in any offense, and the right offensive coordinator could get creative with how they utilize the nation’s leader in receiving yards per game (120.7).

Among the teams mentioned, the Patriots (No. 3) and Cardinals (No. 4) would be in the driver’s seat to draft the LSU product, although it’d be ambitious to select the receiver with their respective picks. If either New England or Arizona lands the prospect, it’d mostly likely come after moving back in the first round.

That would then make the Giants (No. 6) the potential favorites for Nabers. The receiver visited with the organization earlier this month, and the incoming rookie acknowledged that his most recent dinner with the team went “great.”

“Those are some funny guys to be around,” Nabers told Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “I opened up my personality to those guys. It’s not hard to talk to them. They know me personally as a player. … I heard Brian, the head coach, loves the way I play. It’s just great to be around the atmosphere with those guys again.”

If the Giants pivot to another position, the Titans could scoop the WR at No. 7, although the team has already invested heavily in the position this offseason. Despite adding Mike Williams, the Jets are also seeking more offensive firepower, and there’s little chance Nabers sneaks past them at No. 10.

The Jaguars are an intriguing inclusion. The team currently sits at No. 17, meaning they’d need to swing a trade into the top-10 in order to select the wide receiver. The team replaced Calvin Ridley with Gabe Davis, adding the former Bill to a grouping that also includes Christian Kirk and Zay Jones.

QBs Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy To Work Out For Giants

March 28th, 2024 at 2:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

Pro Days are continuing around the country this week, and the Giants are one of many teams with a large contingent attending Washington’s today. While that will entail evaluations of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (among many others), the team still has Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy on its radar.

[RELATED: Jayden Daniels To Visit Giants]

The former will conduct a private workout with the Giants in the coming days, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. Head coach Brian Daboll is one of the Giants’ evaluators at the Huskies Pro Day, but the team will no doubt regroup by the time Maye joins them. McCarthy, meanwhile, will be watched by New York during a private throwing session on Sunday, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.

A report from last week indicated both passers already held a ’30’ visit with the Giants. As such, it comes as no surprise the team will take a longer look at them. Set to select sixth overall, New York is in an interesting position given the potential to add a long-term Daniel Jones replacement on one hand and a true No. 1 receiver on the other. Jones is in place atop a QB depth chart which also includes Drew Lock for the 2024 campaign, but the position is unsettled beyond that.

Jones’ injury history has given New York pause about keeping him as a starter through the duration of his four-year, $160MM deal signed last offseason. Owner John Mara is on board with selecting a quarterback sixth overall (or potentially higher, if the team moves up the board slightly). A trade down is also a possibility, of course, but that would leave the team out of range of the top signal-callers.

Maye and McCarthy are the focus of many teams these days, with Caleb Williams being the only presumed sure thing at the top of the board at this point. Chicago is on track to select the 2022 Heisman winner first overall, but there is plenty of uncertainty with respect to whom the Commanders and Patriots will add. The Cardinals and Chargers are not in need of a quarterback, something which would limit the Giants’ wide receiver options if they were to retain the fourth and fifth slots, respectively.

Both Arizona and Los Angeles are open to trading down, though, and teams like the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders have been connected to an aggressive move in search of a passer. New York remains at the heart of the QB evaluation for now, as the team continues to do its due diligence at the position.

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