HEADLINES

Deshaun Watson

Albert Breer On Schwartz, Mayfield, Watson

December 8th, 2016 at 1:43pm CST by Zachary Links

After a solid start, the Eagles defense has slipped over the past few weeks. They have allowed an average of 28 points in the last three games and that’s not a great reflection on defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Still, he remains a hot coaching candidate, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes.

Schwartz’ head coaching candidacy could be swayed by how things go over the next month. Next up for the Eagles is a intra-divisional showdown with the Redskins and that’s an offense that can put up some points against Philadelphia. Things get a little bit easier after that with games against the Ravens (17th in the NFL in total yards) and Giants (26th), but they close the regular season out against Dallas (4th).

Here’s a look at some more highlights from Breer’s column:

  • The Rams recently gave extensions to coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead, but the two men aren’t getting along very well in L.A., Breer hears.
  • Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has had a bizarre journey through the collegiate ranks that has led him to being named a Heisman finalist for the 2016 season. Can he continue to succeed at the next level despite having a skill set that isn’t necessarily geared towards the NFL? “He’s got another year (of eligibility) and all signs point to him returning, but he should probably think about that,” said one area scout assigned to the Sooners. “In a weak quarterback class, he could sneak up there where you wind up saying, ‘Oh wow, I can’t believe he went there!’ Normal year, he’s a late-round guy. But he throws a nice deep ball, he’s mobile and can extend plays, he’s shifty and tough and competitive as hell. He’s impressed me. You wanna say he’s a poor man’s (Johnny) Manziel because of how he makes plays, but Johnny was a lot more talented. But Baker has developed as a passer, he’s developed his fundamentals and mechanics, and he’s an interesting one to look at.” Mayfield’s best comp might be Chase Daniel, a career backup who was valued enough to score a lucrative free agent deal from Philly this offseason. He may never be a starter, but he could be worth a later-round pick given that some backups earn $5MM/year or more. The Sooner QB had 3,669 yards and 38 touchdowns through the air plus six rushing scores during the regular season.
  • Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson has garnered draft buzz, but his stock has fallen to the point where he is just the No. 3 QB in this year’s draft behind North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer (assuming all three go pro). Watson has completed a high percentage of his passes over the last couple of months, but scouts are growing increasingly concerned about his playing style. “He’s a heck of college player, and he’s a great kid,” said one NFC exec. “He’s thrown for a ton of yards. But for the pro game, it’s tricky with quarterback. He’s not great reading defenses, and you see him force the ball at times. And if the first read isn’t there, you see his first instinct’s to run. And you can see it, in how his eyes come down. That’ll be a problem in the league. In the pocket, you have to slide and move and buy time. All the great ones have pocket presence. And we just haven’t seen it from him.”

Miller’s Latest: Walker, Watson, Trubisky, Kizer

November 18th, 2016 at 8:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

When reports surfaced earlier this week that defensive tackle Charles Walker would leave Oklahoma immediately in order to prepare for the 2017 draft, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report predicted that the move wouldn’t be well-received by NFL front offices, which already had reason to doubt Walker’s work ethic. In the days since, Miller has spoken with scouts and coaches around the league, and opinions have certainly not changed.

“We’ll put up with a lot of s–t, but not quitters,” one NFL man told Miller. “Talk to anyone [at OU] and they’ll tell you he’s not even hurt,” said another. “He doesn’t want to get hit anymore.” While Miller cautioned that some NFL staffers might have different views, every observer he talked to shared the same outlook. However, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com recently reported that other scouts/coaches might believe that Walker chose the correct path, especially given that he recently suffered the third concussion of his collegiate career.

Let’s take a look at the other highlights from Miller’s notebook, which — as always — is well worth a full read:

  • A “longtime NFL GM” reached out to Miller to discuss the 2017 quarterback class, and the former executive offered some interesting observations on the top signal-callers. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson‘s size worries the ex-GM, who compared him to Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The exec also put forth concerns about UNC’s Mitch Trubisky, but was more complementary of Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, predicting he “could be the one we all fall in love with between now and April.” Meanwhile, the former GM called Miami’s Brad Kaaya — whom the Bears are already researching — the “smartest of the crop.”
  • Miller posed several questions to an AFC scout, whose most insightful responses were on the topic of domestic violence. Some scouts — such as the one in question — have a hardline stance toward DV, but the staffer admitted that the risk versus reward debate takes place higher up the organizational hierarchy. A team’s owner, general manager, or head coach may be more willing to accept a player with domestic violence background if he is extremely talented, meaning such a decision is more likely to be made on a first-round prospect.
  • Alabama’s defense figures to boast several first-round draft picks, but at least one NFL scout isn’t a fan of cornerback Marlon Humphrey, per Miller. “I think he’s overrated,” said the evaluator. “You guys don’t see how stiff he is or that he can’t turn and run.”

Clemson Stars To Enter Draft

November 9th, 2016 at 5:01pm CST by Ben Levine

A pair of Clemson stars are expected to enter the 2017 NFL draft. Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney announced yesterday that quarterback Deshaun Watson and receiver Mike Williams will be honored during this weekend’s Senior Day, an indication that the two players are scheduled to graduate in December. Two other Clemson juniors, running back Wayne Gallman and wideout Artavis Scott, are also expected to graduate this winter.

Deshaun Watson“They are seniors. Those guys indicated to me back in the summer that this was going to be it for them and they were graduating in December,” Swinney said (via Matt Connolly of TheState.com). “All of those guys are planning on moving on. We definitely want to honor them while we have the opportunity. They’ve earned it.”

Watson and Williams will be of particular interest to NFL teams, as the pair of offensive weapons are both projected to be first-round picks. Watson has connected on 64.4-percent of his passes this season, throwing for 2,497 yards and 24 touchdowns through nine games. The speedy third-year player has also rushed for 370 yards and a pair of touchdowns. A recent mock draft by Rob Rang of CBSSports.com projected Watson to go third overall to the Bears.

After having appeared in only one game in 2015, Williams has bounced back nicely this season. The wideout has hauled in 52 catches for 754 yards and five
touchdowns. Rang had Williams as the second wideout off the board (behind Washington’s John Ross), going 13th to the Chargers.

Mike WilliamsThe other two offensive weapons are a bit tougher to project, as Connolly predicts Gallman and Scott will go in the third and fourth round, respectively. Gallman has run for 634 yards and eight scores this season, averaging a robust 5.3 yards per carry.

“Wayne is definitely ready. He’s going to make a great, great NFL player for somebody,” Swinney said. “People have no idea what they’re getting in that guy. He is something special.”

Meanwhile, Scott has 38 catches for 329 yards and three touchdowns. The wideout led the 2015 Tigers with 93 catches for 901 yards and six touchdowns.

“This is one of the best football players we’ve had come to Clemson since I’ve been here. He is a great football player that just happens to play wide receiver,” Swinney said. “This kid is dynamite and so dependable, tough, hard to tackle, great special teams guy, fast. … He’s going to be a great pro. There’s no question he’s going to be a great player at the next level. He’s like the Swiss army knife. He’s got a lot of options.”

Mort & Schefter: Manziel, Hasselbeck, Martin

December 10th, 2015 at 5:27pm CST by Zachary Links

When Johnny Manziel takes the field for the Browns on Sunday, he won’t just be auditioning for Cleveland – he’ll be showing his stuff to every team who could want a QB in 2016, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com write. One prominent team executive tells the ESPN duo that he’s not optimistic about the impression Manziel can make on the Browns’ front office given the cast around him.

“He would almost have to be spectacular and the Browns win games we don’t expect them to win. And even then, to what extent has [Manziel] burned bridges there where no matter what he does, either the present regime or the next regime will still be looking for another guy?” the executive said.

Here’s more from their column:

  • Two GMs say that if 40-year-old Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has the desire to play another season, he will have an opportunity to be one of the more valued free agents on the open market. Hasselbeck obviously isn’t going to get a $100MM deal, but a deal paying him as much as $5MM to serve as a backup for a contender makes sense. One GM even suggested it was short-sighted to look at Hasselbeck as simply a mentor for a team with a young quarterback. He said Hasselbeck also would be ideal for an established quarterback who is going through a coordinator change.
  • Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, and Alabama running back Derrick Henry are this year’s frontrunners for the Heisman trophy and the ESPN duo spoke with NFL personnel people to get their evaluations of their NFL futures. Henry, who will be eligible for the 2016 draft, has drawn comparisons to Eddie George (though perhaps without the same upside) and one exec sees him as a top 20 pick. Watson and McCaffrey both have upside as well, but they will not be eligible until 2017.
  • It would not be surprising to see Mark Ingram‘s deal serve as a model for Doug Martin‘s before free agency this winter, Mort and Schef write. After seeing his fifth-year option declined, Ingram inked a four-year, $16MM deal with the Saints last offseason that included $7.6MM guaranteed. Now in a similar spot, the Bucs have made it known that they want to retain Martin.