HEADLINES

Yawin Smallwood

Draft Visits: Falcons, Bryant, Martin, Jets

April 24th, 2014 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

Teams only have until Sunday to bring in draft prospects for pre-draft visits, so even though workouts are still permitted after that date, plenty of clubs are hosting players this week. Here’s a round-up of several of the latest reports on these visits:

  • According to reports from ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure (Twitter link), Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the Falcons have worked out Vanderbilt receiver Jordan Matthews and Connecticut linebacker Yawin Smallwood, and are heading to Columbia, South Carolina tomorrow to work out wideout Bruce Ellington.
  • Florida State linebacker Telvin Smith has visited the Broncos, Eagles, and Panthers, as well as worked out privately for the Panthers, Falcons, Patriots, and Buccaneers, according to Wilson.
  • Martavis Bryant has been extremely busy over the last few weeks, with a combined total of 22 visits and private workouts, writes Wilson at the National Football Post. According to Wilson, the Buccaneers are one team that has hosted and privately worked out the Clemson wide receiver.
  • Wilson, who has been busy lately himself, also passes along updates on two more prospects: USC center Marcus Martin has met with the Chargers, Panthers, Saints, and Eagles, while Kansas State safety Ty Zimmerman is visiting the Bengals.
  • Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin is among the players visiting the Jets today, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). We heard last night about several other prospects the Jets are hosting this week, including Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
  • Cornerback Justin Gilbert‘s previously reported visit with the Lions is happening today, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
  • McGill offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is projected to be the first overall pick in the CFL draft, but he’s also drawing plenty of interest from NFL teams. As Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com details, the 49ers are the latest club to host the Canadian prospect for a visit.

Notes On Visits: Reynolds, Verrett, Smallwood

April 1st, 2014 at 10:47pm CST by Rory Parks

Free agent guard Garrett Reynolds is scheduled to meet with the Titans on Wednesday, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

Reynolds, selected by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 2009 draft, appeared in 15 games for Atlanta last season and started 10 of them. He only played in seven games in 2012 (starting six of them), so he has accumulated about a full season’s worth of snaps over the course of the past two years. Over that time, however, he has earned positive grades for his play, so this would mark a quality, low-cost signing should Tennessee pull the trigger.

Our Luke Adams put Reynolds in the third tier of free agent guards last month but specifically mentioned him as a potentially valuable asset for a team not looking to pay big money at the position.

Now for some quick notes on other visits:

  • Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 has compiled a list that will continue to be updated of the prospects the Bills are bringing in to team facilities for official visits. This list might be particularly relevant for Bills fans; Buscaglia tweets that Buffalo’s first round pick in each of the last four years visited Orchard Park prior to the draft.
  • One of the top corners in this year’s draft, TCU’s Jason Verrett, will be visiting the Steelers, Jets, and Cardinals in the coming weeks, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
  • Although he did not play at a big-time football program, UConn linebacker Yawin Smallwood was a bit-time playmaker for the Huskies. Despite tweaking his hamstring at the combine, Smallwood has a number of visits lined up, according to Ross Jones of FOX Sports. He will meet with the Falcons later this week.