Falcons Sign Four Rookies
More than half of the Falcons’ draft class is under contract. The following players have put pen to paper, according to a team announcement:
- 4-135: John Cominsky, DE (Charleston)
- 5-152: Qadree Ollison, RB (Pittsburgh)
- 5-172: Jordan Miller, CB (Washington)
- 6-203: Marcus Green, RB (Louisiana-Monroe)
The Falcons still have first-round guard Chris Lindstrom (Boston College), first-round tackle Kaleb McGary (Washington), and fourth-round cornerback Kendall Sheffield (Ohio State) to go. The first rounders may take more time than the rest, but GM Thomas Dimitroff managed to clear a good deal off of his plate with these four deals.
The Falcons were high on Cominsky heading into the draft and gave up a seventh-round pick in a trade with the Raiders in order to move up two spots for him. Cominsky, the 2018 Mountain East Defensive Player of the Year, made 16.5 tackles for loss and three sacks last year.
Miller, meanwhile, will have a familiar face in Atlanta once former teammate McGary signs. He showed that he can be a quality NFL player in his own right after securing two interceptions last year.
Vikings Sign Three Draft Picks
The Vikings got ahead of the game on Friday by signing the following draft choices (all Twitter links from Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press):
- 5-162: Cameron Smith, LB (USC) (link)
- 6-190: Armon Watts, DT (Arkansas) (link)
- 6-193: Oli Udoh, T (Elon) (link)
Smith, who grew up in sunny California, will have to get used to the cold weather in Minnesota. He didn’t impress with his measurables in workouts, but he has proven to be a savvy defender in live action. In 2017, he led the Trojans with 112 tackles, with 11 tackles for a loss. He was slowed somewhat by injuries last year, but still managed 81 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss in ten games.
Watts measures in at 6’5″ and roughly 300 pounds, so he already has the size to compete in the NFL. In accordance with his slot, he’ll receive a four-year, $2.687MM deal with a $167K signing bonus.
Colts Sign 5 NFL Draft Picks
Thanks to trades, the Colts have a larger-than-average draft class to address. The good news is, they were able to ink half of those rookies on Friday: 
- 2-49: Ben Banogu, LB (TCU)
- 5-164: E.J. Speed, LB (Tarleton State)
- 6-199: Gerri Green, DE (Mississippi State)
- 7-240: Jackson Barton, T (Utah)
- 7-246: Javon Patterson, C (Ole Miss)
Banogu put himself on the NFL radar with two First Team All-Big 12 nods and two Honorable Mentions for Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. In his final season on campus, Banogu notches a team-high 18 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, which made evaluators excited about his potential. Still, many scouts feel that the ‘backer needs to add more moves to his arsenal. As the No. 49 overall pick, he’ll earn $5.9MM over the course of his four-year deal.
In other Colts news, Indy added nine undrafted free agents on Friday morning.
Browns Sign 5 Draft Picks
The Browns are wasting little time in getting their rookies on board. On Friday, the Browns inked five of their seven draft picks, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Here’s the rundown: 
- 4-119: Sheldrick Redwine, S (Miami)
- 5-155: Mack Wilson, LB (Alabama)
- 5-170: Austin Seibert, K (Oklahoma)
- 6-189: Drew Forbes, T (Southeast Missouri State)
- 7-221: Donnie Lewis, CB (Tulane)
Wilson, taken with the No. 155 overall pick, says he’s on a mission to prove that he is the best linebacker in the entire 2019 draft class.
“That chip is going to always be on my shoulder,” said Wilson, who anticipated being drafted no later than the third round. “I’m going to always think about it. I feel like I have to prove people wrong, but I just want to show that in this draft, I was the best linebacker. There were 31 teams that slipped up on me, and somebody is going to have to feel all the pain that I built up these past few days.”
After registering 113 total tackles and six interceptions across 33 games at Alabama, Wilson has a right to be disappointed in his draft slot. Of course, that won’t matter much in the long run if he can prove himself at the pro level.
With those five under contract, the Browns have only two stragglers to go: LSU cornerback Greedy Williams (second round) and BYU linebacker Sione Takitaki (third round).
Ravens Sign Gerald Willis, 16 Other UDFAs
Stationed on ESPN’s “best available” graphic for hours on Day 3 of the draft, Gerald Willis found a home in Baltimore. The Ravens made the defensive lineman part of their UDFA contingent. Here is the rest of the team’s 17-man group:
- Otaro Alaka, LB (Texas A&M)
- Marcus Applefield, T (Virginia)
- E.J. Ejiya, LB (North Texas)
- Cole Herdman, TE (Purdue)
- Markus Jones, LB (Angelo State)
- Patrick Mekari, G (Cal)
- Sean Modster, WR (Boise State)
- Kalil Morris, DT (Kent State)
- Mike Onuoha, LB (Texas A&M-Commerce)
- Matthew Orzech, LS (Azusa Pacific)
- Charles Scarff, TE (Delaware)
- Jaylen Smith, WR (Louisville)
- Silas Stewart, LB (Incarnate Word)
- C.J. Toogood, C (Elon)
- Antoine Wesley, WR (Texas Tech)
- Gerald Willis, DT (Miami)
- Evan Worthington, S (Colorado)
Rated as the No. 76 overall prospect on Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board, Willis earned second-team All-American honors by finishing with 18 tackles for loss and four sacks last season. However, character issues likely led to his slide. Florida dismissed the talented defender earlier in his career, and some Miami coaches were skeptical of his NFL future.
The Ravens are continuing their rookie-heavy approach to staffing their wide receiver spots, this trio following Marquise Brown and third-round pick Miles Boykin. Smith, who had his best college season (a 60-catch, 980-yard, seven-touchdown 2017) when playing with Lamar Jackson, will rejoin the developing passer. Wesley’s 1,410 receiving yards ranked third in Division I-FBS last season.
Raiders Place Isaiah Crowell On IR
As expected, Isaiah Crowell is heading to the Raiders’ IR list. The Raiders made that move on Friday, the team announced.
Crowell suffered an Achilles’ tendon tear while working out Tuesday. By virtue of Friday’s transaction, the sixth-year running back will miss the 2019 season.
The Raiders moved quickly to re-sign Doug Martin. Marshawn Lynch is open to returning as well, but he remains in free agency. Oakland is expected to position rookie Josh Jacobs as its starter. Attached to a second-round tender, Jalen Richard is on the roster as a passing-down option. Martin, who bounced back from two down years in becoming the starter after Lynch went down last season, figures to push for the backup job.
As for Crowell, this is obviously a tough blow. He saw the Jets cut bait on the parties’ three-year deal after one season, one in which he received a career-low 143 carries. While Crowell is just 26, Achilles tears are quite damaging to running backs’ careers.
Eagles Claim S Blake Countess
The Rams waived Blake Countess on Thursday but left the door open to a possible return. That will not happen, at least for the time being.
Countess will instead head east, with the Eagles submitting a successful waiver claim for the fourth-year safety, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This is interesting, considering the Eagles drafted him in the 2016 sixth round.
Deployed as a reserve safety during his time with the Rams, though he did make two starts over the past two years, the former Day 3 selection will attempt to make a better impression on Doug Pederson‘s staff.
Countess refused to take a pay cut, leading to his Los Angeles exit. It appears he was correct in assessing his value, with the the Eagles set to see if he can stick on their roster in his contract year. The Rams tendered Countess, an RFA, at the original-round level. He will bring a $2.025MM salary onto the Eagles’ payroll.
The Eagles cut Countess after the 2016 preseason, and the Jeff Fisher-led Rams added him to their practice squad. He received more playing time with Sean McVay‘s Rams, suiting up for all of Los Angeles’ 36 games (counting the playoffs) over the past two seasons. The Eagles did not use a draft choice on a safety but did add Andrew Sendejo this offseason. Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, the latter coming off a season-ending injury that induced a substantial pay cut, as their first-string safeties.
Seahawks Sign 12 UDFAs
The busiest day of 2019 to date for undrafted free agent agreements, Friday also doubled as the Seahawks’ unveiling date for their post-draft rookie contingent. Here is Seattle’s list:
- Adam Choice, RB (Clemson)
- Taryn Christion, QB (South Dakota State)
- Davante Davis, CB (Texas)
- Mik’Quan Deane, TE (Western Kentucky)
- Jazz Ferguson, WR (Northwestern State)
- Jalen Harvey, S (Arizona State)
- Justin Johnson, TE (Mississippi State)
- Demetrius Knox, G (Ohio State)
- Bryan Mone, DT (Michigan)
- Derrek Thomas, CB (Baylor)
- Jay-Tee Tiuli, DT (Eastern Washington)
- Terry Wright, WR (Purdue)
When combined with the Seahawks’ draft class, Ferguson and Wright represent the fourth and fifth rookie wideouts added to the roster. D.K. Metcalf obviously arrives as the highest-profile target, but Seattle also used a fourth-round pick on Wake Forest’s Gary Jennings. Wright averaged 16.7 yards per catch last season, hauling in five touchdowns with the 2018 Boilermakers. Ferguson put up better stats at the Division I-FCS level, becoming the Southland Conferece’s offensive player of the year after a 1,117-yard, 13-touchdown season.
The Seahawks did not use any of their 11 draft choices on cornerbacks, nor did they sign any this offseason. That may increase the Big 12-produced corners’ chances of making the team. However, seven corners already reside on Seattle’s roster.
While Choice was not Clemson’s lead back last season, he was the national champions’ second-leading rusher with 548 yards. En route to seven rushing touchdowns, Choice averaged 7.1 yards per carry. Christion finished as the Jackrabbits’ all-time leader in all notable passing categories. He ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at South Dakota State’s pro day and may have a decent chance to make the Seahawks’ roster. Paxton Lynch represents Seattle’s only backup quarterback option, and Chad Kelly quickly beat him out for the Broncos’ QB2 job last year.
49ers Add 10 Undrafted Free Agents
Teams continue to finalize their UDFA hauls. Here are the players who will try to make the 49ers’ 53-man roster:
- Azeez Al-Shaair, LB (Florida Atlantic)
- Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, S (Arizona)
- Jamell Garcia-Williams, DL (UAB)
- Kevin Givens, DL (Penn State)
- Cameron Glenn, S (Wake Forest)
- Malik Henry, WR (West Georgia)
- Tyree Mayfield, TE (Wyoming)
- Shawn Poindexter, WR (Arizona)
- Ross Reynolds, G (Iowa)
- Wilton Speight, QB (UCLA)
Michigan’s starting quarterback in 2016, prior to a back injury that ended up costing him the job, Speight finished his career in Los Angeles and appeared in seven games for the 2018 Bruins. He threw just six touchdown passes in his lone UCLA campaign. He will become the fourth quarterback on the 49ers’ roster.
Garcia-Williams stands 6-foot-7 and is coming off a breakout year, when he recorded 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. He will compete for time along the edge for a San Francisco team suddenly much stronger at that spot. Givens profiles as an interior defender, a spot where the 49ers have been deep for years due to their continued first-round investments.
The 49ers guaranteed $25K of Mayfield’s base salary, along with a $10K signing bonus, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Mayfield comprised part of the 49ers’ pre-draft visitor list. Despite Henry totaling fewer than 400 yards at Division II West Georgia last year, the 49ers are guaranteeing him $90K, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
Raiders Decline Karl Joseph’s 2020 Option
Although Karl Joseph‘s stay on the trade block did not produce a departure, unlike other Reggie McKenzie first-round picks last year, the Raiders will not add a year onto the safety’s rookie contract.
The Raiders opted to decline the safety’s fifth-year option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Jon Gruden confirmed this Friday, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com.
This runs contrary to a February report indicating the Raiders were considering exercising Joseph’s option. But this points a path out of Oakland for yet another of McKenzie’s high picks. Since Gruden arrived, he has shipped out first- or second-round picks Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, Mario Edwards, Jihad Ward and Obi Melifonwu. Joseph is now in a contract year.
A 2016 first-round pick, Joseph was a part-time starter for the 2018 Raiders. He played with the first-string defense in eight games. With Lamarcus Joyner now signed and Gruden openly expressing his affinity for first-round pick Johnathan Abram‘s skill set, Joseph’s role is now even more uncertain.