HEADLINES

Laken Tomlinson

Extra Points: Attaochu, Bowman, Bridgewater

July 5th, 2015 at 8:20pm CST by Rob DiRe

Earlier today, Rory Parks gave us a roundup of some notes from some early Sunday NFL news, including an update on Chris Borland‘s post-NFL life, Marcus Mariota’s potential holdout, and a couple of notes on the Saints, Browns, and Broncos.

Now, for anyone who was too busy watching the USA defeat Japan 5-2 in the World Cup, here are a couple more pieces of NFL news that trickled across the landscape this evening:

  • Second-year pass rusher Jeremiah Attaochu only had two sacks in limited snaps as a rookie, but is focused on improving that number in 2015, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. He writes that Attaochu trained in combine-related drills for much of last offseason, but is focused on football-specific drills and getting reps in practice to prepare him for an increased role with the Chargers this year.
  • The Dolphins signed Zackary Bowman this offseason to compete for the starting cornerback job across from Brent Grimes, but right now the leader for that spot is Jamar Taylor, writes James Walker of ESPN. Bowman hasn’t stood out in minicamps, and Walker writes he has about a 50 percent chance of making the final roster, depending on how many cornerbacks the team keeps on the depth chart.
  • The Vikings are excited about Teddy Bridgewater and how he got stronger as the season went on in 2014, especially offensive coordinator Norv Turner, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today in his offseason report. With Adrian Peterson, Kyle Rudolph, Matt Kalil, and Brandon Fusco all back healthy on available, and Mike Wallace added to the fold, Bridgewater is ready to break out as leader of the offense.
  • Detroit Lions’ beat writer Dave Birkett addressed a number of issues on a Q&A with Ste Hoare of TheRouteTree.com. Birkett believes that Ameer Abdullah will begin the season as a complement to Joique Bell in the role Reggie Bush filled, but expects him to eventually emerge as the feature back. He also addresses the concern that first-round pick Laken Tomlinson’s interest in the medical field could leave him to an early retirement in the vain of Borland, but Birkett does not believe the team is worried and writes that the Lions encourage his interests off-the-field.

Lions Sign First Round Pick Laken Tomlinson

June 11th, 2015 at 8:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions announced that they have signed first-round guard Laken Tomlinson. The Duke product was taken with the No. 28 overall pick.

The Lions originally owned the No. 23 pick in the draft but they moved back in a deal with the Broncos in order to add veteran center/guard Manny Ramirez. Tomlinson is expected to start for the Lions at left guard this year in place of Rob Sims. There’s change elsewhere on the offensive line too as Travis Swanson will be the starter at center in place of longtime staple Dominic Raiola.

The rookie wage scale calls for Tomlinson to earn just over $8MM over a four year period. With Tomlinson signed, the Lions now have their entire draft class under contract.

West Draft Notes: Rams, Raiders, Chiefs

April 3rd, 2015 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams are focusing heavily on offensive lineman as they use their 30 allotted pre-draft visits, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch observes. According to Thomas (Twitter links), Pittsburgh offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’d be visiting the Rams, and Duke guard Laken Tomlinson visited the team earlier this week. Here’s more draft news out of the AFC and NFC West..

  • Purdue tight end Gabe Holmes, who had a private workout last month with the Cardinals, paid a visit to the Raiders on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Holmes projects as a potential late-round pick or undrafted free agent.
  • After being dismissed from Iowa State last year following charges for fifth-degree theft, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief, defensive lineman David Irving is visiting the Chiefs, Raiders, and Seahawks, a league source tells Wilson. According to Wilson, Irving previously worked out for the Bears, Patriots, and Giants, as well as the Chiefs, Raiders, and Seahawks.
  • Miami of Ohio safety Harold Jones-Quartey is scheduled to visit the Chiefs next week, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

Extra Points: 49ers, Gase, Phillips

January 21st, 2015 at 9:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers continued to pursue Adam Gase as offensive coordinator after bypassing him for their head coaching position, a source told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. They were not successful, however, as Gase landed with the Bears earlier tonight. More from around the NFL..

  • Former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips could draw interest from the Broncos and Raiders as a defensive coordinator candidate, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Raiders are hiring Marcus Robertson as their new defensive backs coach, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The team is still on the hunt for its next defensive coordinator, however. Veteran Charles Woodson pushed for the hire, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter).
  • Former Raiders interim head coach Tony Sparano interviewed with the 49ers for their tight ends coach position, a league source told Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Bears met with a pair of Chicago natives at the Senior Bowl, according to Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times (on Twitter). Defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat (Iowa) and guard Laken Tomlinson (Duke) met with reps from the team.
  • Long rumored to be headed across the Bay, former Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver is joining the 49ers as the team’s linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant, reports Jim Trotter of ESPN (via Twitter). While Tarver may have some input on the play-calling, the Niners are still on the lookout for a defensive coordinator.