HEADLINES

Clay DeBord

Draft Updates: Dahl, Ogbah, C. Jones, DeBord

April 20th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

As Greg Gabriel of 670 The Score tweets, Wednesday is the last day NFL teams can bring prospects in for official visits. Beginning on Thursday, clubs can still meet or work out players, but it has to happen at the player’s school or home, rather than the team’s facility.

Still, there’s no shortage of updates today on workouts and/or visits conducted recently by prospects and teams. Here are several of those updates:

  • Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link) adds the Falcons, Lions, and Titans to the long list of teams that either worked out Washington State offensive lineman Joe Dahl or hosted him for a visit. Earlier this month, a report indicated that 10 other teams had interest in Dahl, with many of those clubs planning visits or workouts.
  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post writes that the Titans and Bengals were among the teams that hosted Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah for pre-draft visits.
  • The Bengals, Ravens, and Seahawks are among the clubs that have hosted Mississippi State defensive lineman Chris Jones for pre-draft visits, tweets Rand Getlin.
  • The list of clubs that Eastern Washington offensive lineman Clay DeBord has worked out for or visited includes the 49ers, Lions, Jets, Falcons, Buccaneers, Titans, and Cardinals, tweets Rand Getlin.
  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press provides a couple updates on local prospects, tweeting that Michigan State defensive lineman Lawrence Thomas has worked out for the Lions, Patriots, Falcons, and Titans, and adding (via Twitter) that Central Michigan tight end Ben McCord has previously visited the Dolphins. McCord is participating in the Lions’ local workout day, while Thomas isn’t.
  • North Carolina Central defensive back Ryan Smith is making his last pre-draft visit today to Los Angeles to meet with the Rams, a source tells Aaron Wilson.
  • Florida wide receiver Demarcus Robinson visited the Jets today, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), who suggests keeping an eye on Robinson late in the draft.

Draft Rumors: Elliott, Ramsey, Nkemdiche

April 2nd, 2016 at 8:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys have added Alfred Morris this offseason to go along with incumbent running back Darren McFadden, but there’s still speculation that Dallas will add another back in the upcoming draft. The draft’s highest-rated runner, Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott, will fly to Texas tomorrow for a meeting with the Cowboys (having already been worked out by the club in Columbus), according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

The first round of this year’s draft gets underway in 26 days, so let’s take a look at the latest updates…

  • Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, widely regarded as one of the five best available prospects, has visits planned with both the Jaguars and the Ravens, reports Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Ramsey, who can play both corner and safety, may not fall to the fifth or sixth selection, where Jacksonville and Baltimore respectively pick.
  • The Saints will work out California tight end Stephen Anderson on Monday, tweets Getlin, adding that Anderson’s workout with the Falcons went well. Anderson has also been linked to the Patriots, Titans, and Texans.
  • The Bears intend to meet with Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and Southern Illinois quarterback Mark Iannotti in the next few weeks, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. Nkemdiche is a first-round talent who may slip in the draft due to character concerns, while Iannotti is considered a late-round pick or UDFA.
  • Eastern Washington offensive linemen Clay Debord and Aaron Neary did “extensive white board” work with the Cardinals following their pro day, according to Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com. 22 clubs were present at the EWU pro day.

Extra Points: 49ers, Chiefs, Suggs, Pats

April 1st, 2016 at 10:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

We learned in late February that 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis was set to apply for reinstatement after taking a hiatus from football last season. That still hasn’t happened yet, but Davis tweeted Friday that he’ll file for reinstatement “later this year.” Interestingly, Davis added that “[d]ealing with Trent is giving me a headache.” That’s likely a reference to 49ers general manager Trent Baalke. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Davis is trying to goad the Baalke-led Niners into releasing him. The 26-year-old is under 49ers control through 2019.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The Chiefs announced a slew of changes to their coaching staff Friday, Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports. One of the moves was to promote Britt Reid, head coach Andy Reid‘s son, to defensive line coach. Britt Reid was the Chiefs’ assistant D-line coach last season and will take over for Tommy Brasher, whom the team shifted to special projects. The Chiefs also elevated Al Harris from assistant defensive backs coach to secondary coach. He’ll mostly work with cornerbacks, per Paylor. Further, assistant quarterbacks coach Corey Matthaei will add offensive line assistant to his title and assistant linebackers coach Mark DeLeone will take on a greater defensive role. The club also hired Joe Bleymaier (offensive quality control), Taylor Embree (defensive assistant), Mike Smith (assistant defensive line coach), and Devin Woodhouse and Ryan Reynolds (strength and conditioning).
  • Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs pleaded not guilty Friday to a pair of misdemeanor charges stemming from a one-car accident last month, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Suggs was arrested by Arizona police and charged with driving on a suspended license and failure to notify after striking a fixture. He could face up to six months in jail if found guilty, though Zrebiec notes that this type of violation is usually handled with fines. Some form of punishment from the league is also a possibility for Suggs.
  • One of Suggs’ ex-teammates, free agent receiver Tandon Doss, ran routes and caught passes at Indiana’s pro day on Friday and is hoping to sign with a team, Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com writes. Doss caught 26 passes in 29 games with Baltimore from 2012-13. He hasn’t suited up for a game since. Doss’ previous club, Jacksonville, cut him last summer.
  • In draft news, the Patriots observed two offensive linemen – tackle Clay DeBord and guard Aaron Neary – at Eastern Washington’s pro day, according to Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. Both figure to be Day 3 picks or undrafted free agents.