PFR Originals News & Rumors

PFR Originals: 6/8/14 – 6/15/14

The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

  • David Kipke examined the wisdom of the NFL adding a developmental league.
  • Luke Adams delved into contract incentives, explaining the differences between “likely to be earned” and “not likely to be earned” incentives, and the resulting cap charges.
  • Luke asked whether the Bengals and Chiefs should offer extensions to Andy Dalton and Alex Smith, respectively, with a slight plurality believing that neither franchise should sign their signal-callers.
  • Zach Links rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest installment of Pigskin Links
  • Luke looked at the Falcons’ options at linebacker in the wake of Sean Weatherspoon‘s season-ending injury.
  • In our latest Extension Candidate post, Luke wrote up Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith, and argued that Smith approaching the contract of Joe Thomas wouldn’t be out of the question.
  • A summary of all the features found here at PFR.

Extension Candidate: Tyron Smith

Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant is entering the final year of his rookie deal and should be in line for a big-money, long-term extension in the coming months. However, while Bryant may be the shorter-term priority for Dallas due to his expiring contract, offensive tackle Tyron Smith may ultimately be the more crucial piece for the Cowboys to lock up.Tyron Smith

Because Smith was a first-round pick in 2011, the Cowboys were able to exercise their fifth-year team option to keep him under contract through 2015, but the clock is still ticking for the club to work out an agreement that will keep the Pro Bowler in Dallas for several years beyond that. Although we’ll have to wait and see whether the Cowboys choose to address the situation this year, it’s worth examining what kind of deal it would take to keep Smith in the fold.

Smith, 2011’s ninth overall pick, had his work on the outside of the Cowboys’ line recognized with a Pro Bowl nod last season for the first time, and his Pro Football Focus grades suggest he was worthy of that spot, with his performance placing him among the top five tackles in the NFL (subscription required).

It was the second time in three NFL seasons that PFF graded Smith as a top-five player at the position, though in his rookie season that ranking came at right tackle, rather than left. During his first year on the left side in 2012, Smith’s grades slipped a little, particularly as a pass-blocker, but his play in 2013, combined with his age (23) suggest we should expect to see the USC product continue to develop into one of the league’s elite offensive linemen.

If we’re assuming Smith should perform like one of the NFL’s best tackles, it stands to reason that he should be paid like one as well. So it makes sense to compare his potential contract to the ones signed by players like Joe Thomas, Ryan Clady, Branden Albert, and Trent Williams. As Over the Cap’s data shows, the average annual salaries for those tackles range from $9.4MM to $11.5MM, with their overall guarantees coming in between $15MM and $28.5MM.

By the time he negotiates an extension, Smith could be in position to argue he deserves to be paid more than any other left tackle in the NFL. After all, the salary cap is on the rise — by the time Smith’s new deal starts in 2016, teams will have significantly more cap space to work with than they did when many of those previous pacts were signed. Additionally, Smith will be in his prime years during his next deal. When the 2016 season gets underway, he’ll still be just 25 years old, so even if the Cowboys lock him up for several years past that, the club shouldn’t have to anticipate a drop in production over the course of the contract.

So what sort of figures would be fair for Smith? A per-year salary of $12MM+ seems within reach, and a full guarantee that significantly exceeds $20MM also makes sense. The length of the deal figures to depend on whether Smith wants another chance to hit free agency by age 30, or if he wants to commit to the Cowboys for most of his playing career. If it’s the latter, Thomas’ $80.5MM contract with the Browns might provide a reasonable point of comparison. Thomas established new high water marks for tackles with an $11.5MM annual salary and $28.5MM in guaranteed money on his seven-year deal. Assuming Smith continues to cement his place as one of the NFL’s most effective linemen in 2014, it wouldn’t be a shock if he surpasses Thomas and establishes new baselines for tackles with his next contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The Falcons’ Options At Linebacker

The Falcons will aim to bounce back from a disappointing 2013 season this year, and while there are several reasons for optimism, the team’s 2014 chances sustained a significant blow yesterday, when word broke that linebacker Sean Weatherspoon ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be out for the season.

Already a key contributor on defense for Atlanta, Weatherspoon may have assumed even greater importance this year, as the Falcons transition from a 4-3 base defense into a hybrid system that will incorporate more 3-4 looks. With Weatherspoon out of the picture, the pressure is on the remaining linebackers to fill his role, and it’s not an overwhelmingly deep group. The club is currently carrying 11 linebackers on the roster, but seven of those are rookies — either mid-to-late round draft picks or undrafted free agents.

As D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes, the Falcons spent most of last season with Joplo Bartu, Paul Worrilow, and Akeem Dent playing the majority of the snaps at the starting linebacker spots. Those players didn’t perform too badly — Worrilow led the team in tackles, and Bartu graded as about a league-average outside linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).

If more linebacker snaps are necessary in the Falcons’ new defensive system though, Atlanta will need to rely on more than those three players to get by. Kroy Biermann is the other returning player on the unit, but he’s coming off a serious Achilles injury of his own, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be fully returned to form. In some looks, the Falcons may line up 4-3 defensive ends such as Osi Umenyiora as 3-4 outside linebackers — still, the team will likely rotate players in and out of those spots depending on the situation.

Of the first-year players, Notre Dame’s Prince Shembo was the highest pick, selected in the fourth round at No. 139 overall. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be the player to make the most impact right away, but besides Shembo and fifth-rounder Marquis Spruill, all of the Falcons’ rookie LBs were seventh-round picks or undrafted free agents — that suggests most teams, including Atlanta, probably didn’t view those players as ready to step in as immediate contributors. Nonetheless, perhaps one or two players of a group that also includes Yawin Smallwood, Tyler Starr, Brenden Daley, Walker May, and Jacques Smith will provide unexpected production right away.

If the Falcons aren’t comfortable with their internal options, exploring free agency is an alternative. Although most impact players were snatched up months ago, linebacker is one spot where there are still a few notable names on the board. Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests James Harrison is one player for the club to consider, while ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure wonders if Dan Connor, who worked out for Atlanta earlier in the offseason, is worth a longer look.

A glance at our list of remaining free agents reveals a few other possibilities. Pat Angerer and Jonathan Vilma are among the veterans who could have some value, and there are a pair of former Falcons still on the market as well, in Omar Gaither and Stephen Nicholas. Considering the team is implementing a new defensive system, the fact that Gaither and Nicholas played in Atlanta last year wouldn’t necessarily be a huge plus, though at least the Falcons have first-hand familiarity with those players’ strengths and weaknesses.

Ultimately, the Falcons may be content to see how their rookies and returning linebackers fare in Weatherspoon’s absence. However, considering how Atlanta’s defense performed in 2013, entering the 2014 campaign with a similar group of players at the LB position has to give the team pause. I’d expect the Falcons to peruse the free agent market with a little more urgency before training camp in search of a potential upgrade.

Contract Incentives

When I broke down the concept of contract bonuses in a previous PFR Glossary entry, I touched briefly on the idea of contract incentives, but it’s worth taking a more in-depth look at that specific kind of bonus. Whereas a signing bonus is fairly straightforward in its payment and its cap structure, incentives can be used to manipulate a player’s cap hit, and will often alter that player’s cap number after the fact.

At the most basic level, contract incentives are designed to reward a player for his performance — in some cases, these financial rewards are linked to individual or team production, while other incentives can be earned simply by the player earning a spot on his team’s active roster from week to week. These incentives are divided into two categories: Likely to be earned (LTBE) and not likely to be earned (NLTBE).

Under the NFL’s definition, a likely to be earned incentive is generally one that was achieved the year before. So if a running back racked up 1,300 yards on the ground in 2013 and has an incentive in his contract that would reward him for surpassing 1,200 yards in 2014, that incentive is viewed as likely to be earned and counts against his cap hit from the start of the year. On the other hand, a back who has never surpassed 700 rushing yards in a season could have an incentive on his deal for 2014 that would reward him for rushing for 800 yards — such a bonus would be considered not likely to be earned, and wouldn’t count against the player’s cap number.

Because the player’s or team’s performance in a given season dictates whether or not the incentive is actually earned, the player’s cap number is sometimes altered after the fact. For instance, there’d be no change if a player met the criteria for a $50K LTBE incentive, but if he failed to earn that incentive, his team would be credited with $50K in cap room for the following season. Similarly, if a $50K NLTBE incentive isn’t reached, nothing changes, but if a player does earn that incentive, his club’s cap space for the following season is reduced by $50K.

A simple incentive linked to yardage or touchdown totals in a season isn’t too hard to track, but there are more convoluted forms of bonuses. Let’s say a player coming off an injury that limited him to six games played signs a contract that would pay him $500K in per-game roster bonuses. That player would be considered likely to appear in six games, but unlikely to appear in more beyond that. So, of his $500K in roster bonuses, $187,500 would initially count against the cap, as the LTBE portion.

Here are a few more notes on contract incentives and how they work:

  • Any incentive that is considered to be in the player’s sole control, such as weight bonuses, or his presence at workouts, is considered likely to be earned.
  • Any incentive in the first year of a rookie contract is considered likely to be earned.
  • Individual performance incentives can be linked to most basic statistical categories, such as yardage, yards per attempt, and touchdowns. However, more obscure stat categories typically aren’t allowed for individual incentives. For instance, a receiver couldn’t have an incentive tied to receptions of 20+ yards. Meanwhile, a defender could have an incentive linked to sacks or interceptions, but not to tackles for a loss.
  • In some cases, individual performances can also dictate the value of traded draft picks. For example, the future pick changing hands from the Bills to the Eagles will be dependent on the performances of Stevie Johnson for the 49ers and Bryce Brown of the Bills. Those players don’t necessarily have personal incentives in their contracts, but depending on how they perform, Philadelphia could pick up either a 2015 fourth-rounder, a 2016 third-rounder, or a ’16 fourth-rounder.

Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from Russell Street Report, Over The Cap, and Salary Cap 101 was used in the creation of this post.

Is It Time For Another NFL Developmental League?

It has been 7 years since the NFL last dabbled with a developmental league. The 6-team NFL Europa, which began in 1991 as the 10-team World League of American Football, was boarded up in June 2007 after “having hemorrhaged red ink for a 15th straight year,” as ESPN’s Len Pasquarelli aptly described. The league, which had been intended to serve as a farm system of legitimate development for NFL prospects who would have otherwise not had an opportunity to play consistently, had in practice become a loophole that allowed teams to stash players overseas. In fact, NFL Europa’s level of play had sank so low by 2007 that the league’s consensus best player, JT O’Sullivan, found himself in a competition for the Bears’ third string quarterback job after the Europa season ended. Ultimately, the league that was producing neither on-field nor off-field field returns had its plug pulled because its negative cash flow was simply too significant for the notoriously business-savvy NFL owners to ignore.

Roger Goodell swiftly ended the slowly-bleeding-out NFL Europa during his first year of becoming the ninth NFL Commissioner. Why would he want to expend significant time and resources to start a new one?

Troy Vincent, the NFL’s new head of football operations, cited several meaningful benefits that would come with a new developmental league- further training for coaches and officials as well as a laboratory for testing rules to name a few. Additionally, it is undeniable that NFL Europa did manage to develop a few highly impactful NFL talents-most notably quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Jake Delhomme, both of whom started in Super Bowls.

Perhaps most tangibly, a developmental league would provide the NFL with a much larger formal feeder system. Due to significant restrictions to offseason workout and conditioning programs, along with the decision to push the Draft into May, young NFL players have received considerably less formal instruction than has been the norm for decades. With the ongoing NCAA student-athlete unionization process in flux, the collegiate ranks appear to be diminishing as a legitimate feeder league to the NFL. This is due to the tremendously altered post-high school athletics landscape that unionized NCAA athletes would create. As the Washington Post’s Donald Yee described, high school players would likely end up choosing between taking a college stipend or signing on with an NFL developmental body until they become eligible for the NFL Draft.

So times have changed since 2007 and the NFL now has a genuine need for a developmental league, but what would that league look like?

Yee playfully surmises that there might be competing NFL D-leagues, with one perhaps being patronized by sports-inclined billionaires like Larry Ellison and Mark Cuban and another being more formally tied to the NFL. A more realistic future, however, is far less exciting. Vincent stated that the league could manifest itself through several different platforms, such as perhaps a spring league or an NFL Academy. Former NFL GM Phil Savage envisions a regional league that is designed primarily to meet the league’s developmental needs, as opposed to a consumer-facing league that is more geared toward showcasing the NFL’s developing talent. Whatever the course of action that the NFL pursues, the discussion surrounding another developmental league only figures to increase in the coming years.

What do you think? Is it high time for a new NFL developmental league? Or would another D-league flop similarly to NFL Europa?

PFR Originals: 6/1/14 – 6/8/14

Here’s the original content produced by the PFR staff:

  • We continued our Extension Candidate series, as I looked at Bengals QB Andy Dalton (link) and Luke Adams examined Steelers C Maurkice Pouncey (link).
  • Our Trade Candidate series also got underway, as I wrote up Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers (link) and Rory Parks profiled Titans OT Michael Roos (link).
  • Polls during the past week: I asked whether L.A. or London would get an NFL team first (L.A. was the heavy favorite), Zach Links wondered which franchise would be the first to move (with the Rams just edging out the Jaguars and Raiders), Luke questioned whether Andrew Luck or Russell Wilson should get the larger contract extension (with Luck being the preferred option), Luke also asked where free agent TE Jermichael Finley will sign (with the Patriots garnering about 28% of the vote), and Rory queried as to whether the Cowboys should bring back Josh Brent (with about two-thirds saying “no”). Thanks for voting!
  • Luke offered an update on remaining unsigned draft picks; as of June 4, nearly 80% had signed.

Trade Candidate: Michael Roos

As our Luke Adams wrote at the end of May, Titans offensive tackle Michael Roos told Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean that he will be in Tennessee for one more year. As Adams observed, Roos’ statement certainly indicates that an extension is not on the horizon for him, which is not surprising given the four-year deal the team handed out to Michael Oher in free agency and the fact that the team selected Taylor Lewan in the first round of last month’s draft.

Michael Roos

However, whether Roos will, as he says, stay in a Titans uniform for one more season may still be in doubt. Unless someone in the Tennessee front office told Roos that the team planned on keeping him on board, Roos remains a prime candidate to be traded or released. As our Ben Levine pointed out several weeks ago, Roos checked in at number four on NFL.com’s Chris Wesserling’s list of the top 10 players most likely to be traded this summer.

Roos, 31, is entering the final year of a six-year, $43MM deal, and he carries a 2014 salary cap hit of $6.62MM. That salary would make it difficult for Tennessee to deal him, and considering that the team would not take on any dead money by simply cutting Roos, a release is probably more likely than a trade at this point.

It is odd, though, that the team would consider cutting ties with him at all. Although he finished in the middle of the pack among offensive tackles in 2013 according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), he finished as the third-best tackle in 2012 and has anchored the team’s offensive line for years. If nothing else, he provides top-quality depth if Lewan should struggle out of the gate–or if the team wanted to bring Lewan along more slowly–or if Oher should falter (although Roos has not played right tackle since he was a rookie in 2005, it is difficult to believe he would be a downgrade from Oher at that position).

In sum, then, the Titans are in full control of the situation at this point. If they hang onto Roos, they have either a quality starter or an excellent insurance policy. If they need to create come cap space for whatever reason, they can release Roos with no negative cap ramifications. Or, if a team gets desperate enough later on in camp–Wesserling listed the Ravens and Panthers as potential landing spots for Roos if Tennessee were to trade him, and both teams are still unsettled at at least one tackle position–it is possible that the Titans could end up with a late round pick in 2015. A rare win-win-win scenario in today’s NFL.

Photo courtesy of USA TODAY Sports Images

Poll: Should The Cowboys Bring Back Josh Brent?

We learned several days ago that the Cowboys would not rule out the possibility of defensive tackle Josh Brent‘s returning to the team upon his release from jail. Brent, of course, is currently serving a six-month sentence for intoxication manslaughter for his role in a drunken car crash that killed teammate and best friend, Jerry Brown. Brent is set to be released on July 23, and the Cowboys open training camp the next day.

David Moore of the Dallas Morning News lists the pros and cons of Brent’s would-be return. Moore notes that one common refrain among Cowboys fans is that Brent is simply not a good enough player to warrant the public relations nightmare and similar off-field concerns that his comeback would entail. Although Brent started just five games for the team in his three-year career, compiling just 1.5 sacks over that time and no more than 22 tackles in any one season, the fact remains that Dallas’ defense is in dire need of any kind of help.

The Cowboys ran a 3-4 defense when Brent last played for the club, but they now operate out of a 4-3 formation. As a 1-technique lineman in a 4-3 scheme, Brent would not be expected to generate a great deal of pressure on the quarterback, and it is difficult to say if he would provide any sort of upgrade over veterans Nick Hayden and Terrell McClain or rookies Ken Bishop and Davon Coleman.

Of course, Moore writes that neither desperation nor Brent’s talent level–such as it is–should factor into the Cowboys’ decision regarding Brent. He does add, however, that Brown’s mother, Stacey Jackson, has continued to publicly support Brent and has expressed her hope that that team will do the same. Jackson’s support would be something of a crutch for the Cowboys in the court of public opinion if they wanted to bring Brent back into the fold.

In order to do that, there are a number of hurdles to clear. Before training camp began last summer, Brent sent a retirement letter to the league, so he would have to apply for reinstatement. Then there is the question of what punishment commissioner Roger Goodell would levy upon reinstatement. Putting those substantial issues aside for the time being, Moore writes, “The Cowboys appear willing to give Brent a chance to resume his career if that’s what he wants,” but nothing more than that.

So what say you, hivemind? Should the Cowboys bring back Josh Brent?

Should the Cowboys Bring Back Josh Brent?
No 66.01% (134 votes)
Yes 33.99% (69 votes)
Total Votes: 203

Extension Candidate: Maurkice Pouncey

Few injuries during the 2013 season were more devastating to a team than Maurkice Pouncey‘s torn ACL and MCL. The anchor in the middle of the Steelers’ offensive line went down with the knee injury in the first week of the regular season, leaving a huge hole to fill at center and depriving him of an opportunity to open his NFL career with four straight Pro Bowl seasons.Maurkice Pouncey

However, Pouncey appears healthy and ready to go for the 2014 season, the last year of his rookie contract. A pair of Steelers beat writers – Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette and Alan Robinson of the Tribune-Review – wrote this week that the team figures to make every effort to lock its center up to a new deal before the season gets underway, and that Pouncey represents the Steeler most likely to sign an extension this summer. So it’s worth examining exactly what sort of contract the two sides may negotiate.

Prior to that 2013 season lost to injury, Pouncey had been the Steelers’ starter in the middle of the line since entering the league as the 18th overall pick in 2010. While his three Pro Bowl berths – and a 2011 All-Pro nod – would suggest that he became one of the NFL’s elite centers immediately upon entering the league, Pouncey’s Pro Football Focus grades (subscription required) tell a different story. According to PFF, the Florida product was the 21st-best player at his position in 2010, 19th in 2011, and 12th in 2012.

Pro Football Focus’ grades are hardly the be-all, end-all of player evaluation, particularly at a position where there are so few traditional statistics to evaluate a player’s production. Even so, PFF’s numbers exhibit that at least one metric considers Pouncey to be a player steadily improving toward the ranks of the elite, but one who may not quite be there yet. By comparison, Alex Mack of the Browns, who entered the league one year before Pouncey, has never ranked outside PFF’s top 10 centers, and maxed out at fourth overall in 2013.

Mack makes for a good point of comparison, since he hit free agency this offseason and became the NFL’s highest-paid center by annual average value. The five-year, $42MM offer sheet Mack signed with the Jaguars – which was subsequently matched by Cleveland – works out to $8.4MM per year, slightly edging the annual salaries of other elite centers like Carolina’s Ryan Kalil and Nick Mangold of the Jets. At the time of Mack’s signing, Bouchette suggested that Pouncey could make a case that he should land a deal even larger than that, making him the new highest-paid center in the league.

Still, I’d be a little surprised if Pouncey ultimately inked an extension that exceeded Mack’s $8.4MM per year, Kalil’s $19MM in guaranteed money, or Mangold’s $54.075MM total value. There’s certainly no question that Pouncey deserves to be in the conversation with those players, given all that he’s accomplished early in his career, plus the fact that he’s only entering his age-25 season. But he’s coming off a serious injury, and even before that injury, the data suggested he wasn’t quite playing at the elite level of some of his fellow centers, in spite of the Pro Bowl nods.

While Pouncey should be in line for a very nice payday, I expect him and the Steelers to agree to a price just below where Mack landed. Something in the neighborhood of five years and $40MM, with $15MM+ in guaranteed money, seems fair to me. We’ll have to see if Pouncey and the Steelers agree — if they don’t, and Pittsburgh remains motivated to get a deal done, that price could creep a little higher.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Update On Remaining Unsigned Draftees

By our count, 204 of this year’s 256 draftees (nearly 80%) have formally agreed to terms with their new NFL teams, leaving just 52 unsigned rookies on the board. Since the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement leaves little room for negotiation on signing bonus money and the overall value of four-year rookie contracts, teams and players can only quibble on things like guaranteed money and offsets.

As such, it’s no surprise that nearly all the late-round picks, who don’t receive as much guaranteed money, have inked their deals, while the majority of first-rounders still remain unsigned. Here’s a quick breakdown of players by round who have signed:

  • First round: 14 of 32 signed (43.75%)
  • Second round: 20 of 32 signed (62.5%)
  • Third round: 22 of 36 signed (61.11%)
  • Fourth round: 38 of 40 signed (95%)
  • Fifth round: 36 of 36 signed (100%)
  • Sixth round: 37 of 39 signed (94.87%)
  • Seventh round: 37 of 41 signed (90.24%)

So why have all the fifth-rounders signed while there are still a few sixth- and seventh-rounders not yet under contract? One team is responsible — the Rams, who didn’t have a fifth-round pick but who had six selections in the sixth and seventh rounds, have yet to lock up any of their draftees.

A year ago, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher wanted to take the team’s rookies through “Financial Planning 101” before those players received their signing bonuses. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Rams are doing the same thing this year, delaying the signing process to ensure that their players know how to manage their money when they receive it.

While the Rams have yet to formally sign any of their 2014 selections, many teams have already ensured that all of their draftees are under contract. The Ravens, Bills, Bears, Colts, Chiefs, Saints, Chargers, 49ers, Seahawks, and Redskins have locked up their respective draft classes.

Here’s the full list by team of players who have yet to sign their rookie contracts, by our count:

  • Arizona Cardinals: Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State (1.27)
  • Atlanta Falcons: Dezmen Southward, S, Wisconsin (3.68)
  • Carolina Panthers: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State (1.28); Trai Turner, G, LSU (3.92)
  • Cincinnati Bengals: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State (1.24)
  • Cleveland Browns: Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State (1.8); Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M (1.22); Joel Bitonio, OT, Nevada (2.35); Christian Kirksey, LB, Iowa (3.71); Terrance West, RB, Towson (3.94)
  • Dallas CowboysZack Martin, OT, Notre Dame (1.16); Demarcus Lawrence, DE/OLB, Boise State (2.34)
  • Denver Broncos: Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State (1.31)
  • Detroit Lions: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina (1.10); Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU (2.40)
  • Green Bay Packers: Davante Adams, WR, Fresno State (2.53); Richard Rodgers, TE, California (3.98)
  • Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina (1.1); Xavier Su’a-Filo, G, UCLA (2.33)
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles, QB, UCF (1.3); Marqise Lee, WR, USC (2.39); Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State (2.61); Brandon Linder, G, Miami (FL) (3.93)
  • Miami Dolphins: Ja’Wuan James, OT, Tennessee (1.19); Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU (2.63); Billy Turner, OT, North Dakota State (3.67)
  • Minnesota Vikings: Jerick McKinnon, RB, Georgia Southern (3.96)
  • New England Patriots: Dominique Easley, DT, Florida (1.29)
  • New York Giants: Jay Bromley, DT, Syracuse (3.74)
  • New York Jets: Dexter McDougle, CB, Maryland (3.80)
  • Oakland Raiders: Gabe Jackson, G, Mississippi State (3.81)
  • Philadelphia Eagles: Marcus Smith, DE/OLB, Louisville (1.26)
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State (1.15); Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame (2.46); Dri Archer, RB, Kent State (3.97); Martavis Bryant, WR, Clemson (4.119)
  • St. Louis Rams: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn (1.2); Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh (1.13); Lamarcus Joyner, CB, Florida State (2.41); Tre Mason, RB, Auburn (3.75); Maurice Alexander, S, Utah State (4.110); E.J. Gaines, CB, Missouri (6.188); Garrett Gilbert, QB, SMU (6.214); Mitchell Van Dyk, OT, Portland State (7.226); Christian Bryant, S, Ohio State (7.241); Michael Sam, DE/OLB, Missouri (7.249); Demetrius Rhaney, C, Tennessee State (7.250)
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M (1.7); Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington (2.38); Charles Sims, RB, West Virginia (3.69)
  • Tennessee TitansTaylor Lewan, OT, Michigan (1.11); Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington (2.54)