HEADLINES

Carson Wentz

East Rumors: Wentz, Eagles, Giants

January 28th, 2016 at 8:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills were the team North Dakota State quarterbacks coach Randy Hedberg recalled being the most enamored with Carson Wentz, staging several visits to the Fargo, N.D.-based Division I-FCS school to gauge the first-round prospect, Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News reports.

Bills representatives attended several Bison practices and were a constant in North Dakota State’s football facility, Hedberg told Dunne, to look at the rare non-FBS first-round quarterback prospect. Dunne notes, however, that at this rate the fast-rising Wentz won’t be available when the Bills select at No. 19, as the 6’5″ signal-caller has impressed this week in Senior Bowl workouts.

Buffalo still has Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel under contract for 2016.

Here is the latest on the most unlikely top-tier quarterback prospect in a while and other news from around the Eastern divisions.

  • Even though the Jets are set to negotiate an extension with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes they are pondering first-round quarterbacks, with Wentz being the most intriguing. “Every NFL team probably goes into the draft — with maybe a few exceptions of people who have really well-established quarterbacks — looking at that position as a position of interest,” Jets GM Mike Maccagnan said. “We’ll be no different than them.” The Jets pick at No. 20.
  • The Eagles will meet with Steelers executive Brandon Hunt for a second interview Friday for their director of player personnel position, Philly.com’s Jeff McLane tweets. Steelers owner Art Rooney II gave the 35-year-old Hunt permission to interview with the eastern-Pennsylvania franchise. He’s already met with Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman.
  • Although Hunt is their only confirmed candidate, McLane reports former Browns VP of player personnel Morocco Brown is on the Eagles’ radar for this job. Eagles director of pro scouting Dwayne Joseph looms as an internal candidate, per McLane.
  • The Giants are planning to add Patriots linebackers coach Patrick Graham as their defensive line coach, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The 37-year-old Graham’s been with the Patriots since 2009 and prior to taking over the Pats’ linebackers in 2014, he supervised their defensive linemen in 2012-13.

Draft Notes: Cowboys, Nkemdiche, Jets

January 27th, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by Zachary Links

This week, your Twitter timeline is probably chock full of news about teams meeting with top draft prospects. Of course, a team meeting with a prospect actually means very little, as Mike McCartney explained in a succinct tweet on Tuesday: “Senior Bowl Pet Peeve: EVERY player here meets with EVERY team.”

Here at Pro Football Rumors, we have opted against sharing every single meeting between NFL teams and draft prospects, opting instead to bring you only the most important and relevant draft news. With that in mind, here’s today’s look at the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft:

  • Ole Miss defensive end Robert Nkemdiche had a weird incident in 2015 but teams are still evaluating him like he’s a top five pick, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link). Specifically, the Cowboys are taking a hard look at him and so are the Chargers. Nkemdiche boasts tremendous size and moves like a tight end, so it’s not hard for teams to overlook some off-the-field red flags. For his part, Miller sees him as a strong fit for Dallas but also feels that the Titans are a logical destination. However, that doesn’t mean that Tennessee will reach and take him No. 1 overall.
  • The Jets spent a lot of time with Boise State safety Darian Thompson on Wednesday morning, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (on Twitter). Thompson grades out as a second or third round prospect, per Pauline.
  • Thompson, Temple defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis and OSU wide receiver Braxton Miller are drawing rave reviews from scouts, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • The Cowboys spent a great deal of time with Southern Utah defensive back Miles Killebrew, according to Pauline (link).
  • A top NFL personnel exec at the Senior Bowl opined to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter) that the Browns should take quarterback Carson Wentz at No. 2. “They’d be set for 15 years,” the anonymous exec said.

Extra Points: Alonso, LA, Draft Prospects, Pats

January 25th, 2016 at 9:14pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Linebacker Kiko Alonso is coming off his first season with the Eagles, one in which the 2013 PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year was a non-factor. Alonso expects better things in 2016 with recently hired defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz at the helm, writes Paul Domowitch of Philly.com.

Alonso’s agent, Steve Karic, says the 25-year-old is “very excited” to play for Schwartz, who coordinated Buffalo’s defense to a fourth-place ranking in 2014. Alonso was also a Bill then, but he missed the season because of a torn ACL and didn’t play a down under Schwartz. Still, he’s familiar with Schwartz’s defense.

“He spent the offseason in Buffalo that year playing in this defense. He went through OTAs and minicamp in this defense. He was in the meeting rooms all season long,” Karic stated.

Karic then added that Alonso “definitely can play” the Mike (middle) or Will (weakside) LB role in Schwartz’s scheme. Prior to Alonso’s injury in 2014, Schwartz planned to use him as a Will ‘backer in Buffalo. Alonso played on the inside under former Eagles D-coordinator Billy Davis in 2015-16 and totaled just 43 tackles in 11 games, rating an ugly 92nd of 97 qualifying LBs by Pro Football Focus’ standards (subscription required).

Elsewhere around the NFL. . .

  • Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News believes the Chargers will end up in LA next season (Twitter link). He also shot down the notion (via Twitter) that talks between the Chargers and Rams have stalled. This comes on the heels of a Monday night report from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora that the two sides are “making progress.”
  • North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz – who’s gaining steam as a possible first-round pick in the 2016 draft – has already met with nearly half of the league’s 32 teams at the Senior Bowl, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Two of those clubs are the Dolphins and Texans, Wentz told Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, respectively (Twitter links: 1, 2). With Ryan Tannehill in the fold, Beasley doesn’t expect the Dolphins to use the eighth overall pick on Wentz. However, if available, he could be a fit for QB-needy Houston at No. 22.
  • Alabama MLB Reggie Ragland, one of Wentz’s fellow Senior Bowl participants, has spoken to the Ravens, Chiefs and Raiders so far, and he’ll also meet with the Packers (Twitter links via Wilson and Chase Goodbread of NFL.com). The probable first-rounder will play some OLB this week as a way to show off his versatility to prospective employers, reports Wilson (on Twitter).
  • Foxborough, Mass., police arrested Patriots practice squad receiver J.J. Worton on Saturday and charged him with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 and over and one count of assault and battery, per ESPN.com. The Patriots didn’t comment on Worton’s arrest, tweets the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, who adds that the 24-year-old is unlikely to remain with the team. Worton, who signed with the Pats earlier this month, has an expiring contract.

Draft Notes: Quarterbacks, Smith, Clemson

January 16th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

An AFC team’s scout revealed North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz rates as his team’s No. 1 quarterback in the 2016 draft class, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report writes.

Said team doesn’t expect the Division I-FCS national champion signal-caller to be on the board, however, when they select late in the first round.

Missing time due to injury this season, Wentz threw for 42 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions in his two years starting for the Bison.

Conversely, early-entry player Paxton Lynch did not impress one school’s scouting director, who told Miller, “Go watch him against any good team and tell me how he did. He’s overrated.”

In Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock draft, the 6-foot-7 Lynch goes off the board at No. 15, with Wentz lasting until No. 22.

Here is some more about the upcoming draft class:

  • Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams announced he’d return for the 2016 season after fracturing his neck in a preseason accident. He would have rated as Miller’s No. 1 receiver in this class had he declared early. Miller also places Tigers defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd among his top 25 prospects.
  • Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith‘s floor should be no lower than No. 18, an AFC scouting director tells NFL.com’s Albert Breer. The anonymous scouting director hasn’t seen any medical reports on Smith’s knee, recently repaired via reconstructive surgery, and how the early-entry linebacker’s medical evaluations go at the Scouting Combine next month will contribute to his placement, notes Breer, who adds the Irish’s top prospect would have gone in the top three or four picks had he not torn his ACL and MCL.
  • Another collegiate player with an ACL injury — Mississippi State corner Will Redmond — is also drawing attention from NFL scouts, per Breer. Redmond, who injured his knee in October, could be ready for the beginning of the season, and while he is now projected as a mid-round pick, he was garnering interest as potential first-rounder prior to his ACL tear.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Chargers, Lynch, Lions

January 9th, 2016 at 12:52pm CST by Ben Levine

When reports came out earlier today regarding Adam Gase being hired as the Dolphins head coach, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that Bengals defensive back’s coach Vance Joseph was expected to join the staff as Miami’s new defensive coordinator. However, Rapoport later clarified (via Twitter) that Joseph will be a target, but no deal has been finalized. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that Joseph has had zero discussions with the Dolphins regarding the position.

If Joseph does end up joining Gase’s staff, he’s expected to hire several notable names. Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez tweets that Bengals linebackers coach Matt Burke, Bears defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, and Cowboys defensive back’s coach Jerome Henderson would presumably join Joseph’s staff.

Meanwhile, Albert Breer tweets that Hue Jackson is scheduled to have his interviews with the 49ers and Browns tomorrow. If he secures any of those head coaching jobs, Breer believes Joseph will be a target to become defensive coordinator (with Mike Solari an option at offensive coordinator).

Let’s take a look at some more assorted notes from around the league…

  • The Chargers request to interview Buccaneers defensive line coach Joe Cullen was denied, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafalo.
  • Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times gives a list of reasons why it’d be in the Seahawks best interest to move on from Marshawn Lynch (via Twitter): they’d save $6.5MM against the cap, he’s 30-years-old, and he only appeared in seven games this season.
  • The Jets, Browns, Texans and Rams are among the teams scouting North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz at today’s FCS title game, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
  • Count Gil Brandt among those who are big fans of new Lions general manager Bob Quinn. “He’s not one of these guys that’s known because he doesn’t seek out jobs,” Brandt told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But he knows the personnel part of it, he knows the cap part of it. He knows how to make people better at the job they do. You’ll like this guy because … he’s a hustler, and he’s very low-key.”

Extra Points: Draft, Titans, Gabbert, Manning

December 11th, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While none of this year’s crop of collegiate quarterbacks are projected to be as successful as Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota, NFL personnel men do see four QBs — Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, Cal’s Jared Goff, Michigan State’s Connor Cook, and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz — as being worthy of a first-round pick, according to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com.

Elsewhere in draft-land, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net reports that Penn State signal-caller Christian Hackenberg, once projected as potential first-rounder himself, is likely to enter the draft, and will probably announce as such in the near future. Two other collegiate players — Boise State edge rusher Kamalei Correa and Stanford tight end Austin Hooper — are intent on entering the draft, as well, says Pauline.

  • Free agent corner Cary Williams, who visited with the Titans yesterday, is still drawing the attention of the club, tweets Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com. Tennessee management will reportedly make a decision on whether or not to sign Williams at some point early next week. Williams, who was cut by the Seahawks on Monday, has also garnered interest from the Rams.
  • In other Tennessee news, Titans linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil suffered torn patellar tendon in practice on Thursday and will require surgery, meaning he’ll miss the rest of the season, reports McCormick (Twitter link). Practice squad ‘backer J.R. Tavai is a candidate to be promoted to the active roster, adds McCormick.
  • Veteran receiver Anquan Boldin believes Blaine Gabbert can be the 49ers‘ quarterback of the future, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Gabbert has led San Francisco to a 2-2 record in his four starts, averaging 240 yards per game while throwing five touchdowns and three interceptions. For what it’s worth, he’s only signed through next season, with a 2016 cap charge of $2.25MM.
  • Peyton Manning has $4MM riding on whether or not he gets to start in the playoffs — as Mike Klis of 9 News writes, Manning could earn $2MM for winning the AFC Championship Game, and another $2MM for winning the Super Bowl. Manning must start those games, adds Klis, meaning he can’t earn the bonuses by coming on in relief. At this point, though, it’s hard to see how the Broncos can turn back to Manning given how Brock Osweiler has played.