As formal visits for NFL Draft prospects come to an end, and teams round out exactly what their draft board will look like exactly one week from today, there could be a lull in the NFL news and rumors coming through the wire. Except this is the NFL, a league that over the past few years, has quickly learned from the NBA, making their offseason as entertaining as the regular season.
NFL News and Rumors
Unfortunately, the NFL world lost a Hall of Fame player on Wednesday. The negative narratives surrounding one of the draft’s top prospects continue to swirl, and Brian Davis, like many wealthy individuals, is being sued.
Buccaneers Continue To Host Running Backs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have continued to show interest in the top backs in the 2023 NFL Draft. They’ve hosted Bijan Robinson, Zach Charbonnet, and Jahmyr Gibbs, showing they may not be fully invested in Rachaad White as their main workhorse. They could address the position as early as the 19th overall pick.
Jaguars Cast Wide Net
Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke specified that the team has 127 players who “really fit the culture the team wants” as they continue to rebuild the roster’s infrastructure. This is a high number compared to what we’ve seen in the past. It’ll be interesting to see whether that gives Baalke more confidence in trading up or down.
Will Levis Visits Patriots On Final Day For Official Visits
Ian Rapoport reported that Kentucky QB Will Levis visited the New England Patriots on deadline day for official visits. He noted that the Patriots often do their due diligence on quarterbacks but that Levis’ visit was “interesting.”
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With the unsettling nature of the Patriots QB room, particularly between Mac Jones and Bill Belichick, maybe the Patriots would consider Levis were he to fall to them. It’s also impossible not to acknowledge that while Jones was the cleaner prospect coming out of Alabama, his upside is a fraction of what Levis could provide were he to hit his perceived ceiling.
Evan Engram Extension ‘Trending in the Right Direction’
Jaguars GM Trent Baalke told reporters that the goal was to get an extension done with Evan Engram before camp.
“We’re trending in that direction, but we’re not there yet,” Baalke said. It makes sense because the tight end market was thrown through a loop this offseason, with good players making significantly less than many expected before free agency commenced.
Brett Veach Discusses Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s Fifth-Year Option
The Chiefs GM claims, “I don’t think we’ve reached a decision on Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s fifth-year option.” But the former first-round pick was supplanted by seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco and was a healthy inactive for the Super Bowl.
Hall of Fame LB Dave Wilcox Dies at 80
Dave Wilcox, nicknamed “The Intimidator,” died on Wednesday at age 80. During his 11-year career spent entirely with the San Francisco 49ers from 1964-1974, the linebacker accumulated seven Pro Bowls and two All-Pro nods.
Many in the NFL world took to Twitter to offer condolences to the Wilcox family and commemorate the player and the man, including 49ers owner Jed York and former defensive end Chris Long.
“Sad to hear of Dave Wilcox passing,” Long tweeted. “That dude was awesome. Down to earth and an absolute badass. Went into the Hall with my pops and loved being around him. Was so cool to us. His family is awesome. Rest easy.”
Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said, “He transformed the outside linebacker position — one of the many feats that earned him a forever home in Canton.”
Is C.J. Stroud Taking a Late Tumble?
Probably not. The “issues” surrounding C.J. Stroud‘s evaluation aren’t unknown by teams. During the process, the media plays the part of the investigator. They pry into their league sources to get bits of information out of them that they can use. That can take days, weeks, or even months.
The Houston Texans apparently aren’t in love with Stroud, and the negativity surrounding the Ohio State QB feels reminiscent of just a few years ago with his predecessor, Justin Fields. NFL Network’s Peter Schrager hinted it could be deeper than the surface between Houston and Stroud.
“It’s also worth noting that Stroud is represented by the same agent as Deshaun Watson,” Schrager wrote in his latest mock draft. “I wonder if this could play any role in the selection of the Ohio State quarterback, based on the acrimonious way Watson’s time with the Texans ended.”
That’s not the end of things, either. There has been talks of a poor S2 Cognitive test. While it has been reported that Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis have all fared well on the test, it’s been silent regarding Stroud in that area.
But Pro Football Focus’ NFL show had S2 co-founder Brandon Ally on the show, who said to take the QB test grades that have leaked with a grain of salt. Ally also offered more.
“This class as a whole, all the guys in the discussion (top-four QB discussion) have scored really, really well,” Ally said. He also said that if he were a GM, he’d use S2 as a sort of tie-breaker between two prospects graded closely. He doesn’t see front offices using the test as anything more.
But the latest came from Brady Quinn, who, like many appearing on podcasts around the country, had some comments taken out of context for the sake of riling up social media. The clip circulating Twitter was, in Pokemon terms, super effective.
MORE: C.J. Stroud Is More Than His Adversities
“The Manning Passing Academy, I’ve been told that he committed to it the night before, just kind of ghosted them, didn’t show up,” Quinn said. “That’s football royalty. And when you do that, that’s going to set off some alarms for people like, ‘Hey man, that’s not how you conduct yourself, especially around the Manning family or just in general if you’re going to be a franchise quarterback.'”
ESPN analyst and former NFL player Ryan Clark took exception to that on Twitter.
“CJ Stroud never committed to attend the Manning camp,” Clark tweeted. “He chose to work with his teammates at @OhioStateFB instead before his final season. He wasn’t paid to go, & furthermore @Brady_Quinn what does acquiescing to the Manning family have to do with leading an organization?”
Quinn was asked a question about Stroud’s perceived slide. And while maybe upsetting the Manning family seems a trifle, the Manning family are NFL royalty, and their words do hold power.
But none of this is a smoking gun on its own. Lance Zierlein’s commentary on Twitter has been more eye-opening. He’s skeptical that teams would be willing to move up to the Texans’ No. 2 overall pick, based on what he’s hearing.
“For the record, the person who told me that the Texans were shopping to pick also told me ‘good luck, trying to get someone to move up for that pick,'” Lance replied on Twitter. “Not sure there is the value there we all think there is. We will see.”
In summation, there’s a whole lot of smoke suggesting the NFL doesn’t view Stroud through the same lens as many NFL Draft media analysts do. But we’ll know for sure in seven days.
Jaguars CB Chris Claybrooks Arrested
According to Davidson County court records, Jacksonville Jaguars CB Chris Claybrooks was arrested on misdemeanor charges of domestic assault with bodily injury and vandalism. Claybrooks is a Nashville native.
“The Jaguars are aware of a recent incident in Nashville, Tennessee, involving Chris Claybrooks and are currently in the process of gathering information,” the team said in a statement. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
Claybrooks is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He was a seventh-round pick in 2020 out of Memphis. The cornerback played fewer than 50 defensive snaps a season ago but has been a special-teams player for Jacksonville over his three seasons.
Brian Davis Sued By DC Man for Failure To Repay Loan
District of Columbia resident Maryam Mahdavi is suing Brian Davis and his company, Urban Echo, for $322,000. According to court documents, sometime around Oct. 1, 2019, Mahdavi loaned Davis $200,000 in the form of a Balloon Promissory Note. That note was to be paid by April 1, 2020, in the amount of $230,000, which included principal and interest.
The document also noted a second loan of $80,000 to be paid no later than May 9, 2020, in the sum of $92,000. For each loan, a $2,000 per diem late fee was attached. The defendant, Davis and Urban Echo, are in default of their obligations.
According to CBS Investigative Reporter Eric Flack on Twitter, Davis “has yet to respond to the court summons.”
Jeff Kerr Offers Interesting View of First-Round TEs
Only four tight ends have been selected inside the top 10 since 2000. Only 25 have been taken inside the first round since that time — and the list isn’t exactly pretty.
Greg Olsen is a Hall of Fame tight end, but the 31st-overall pick in 2007 did almost all of his damage for the Panthers from 2011-2019. It was the Bears that drafted him.
MORE: 3 Tight Ends Land in Round 1 in Hodgkinson’s Latest Mock Draft
Vernon Davis was fantastic for the 49ers as the sixth-overall pick in 2006, but his first season of over 509 yards came in his fourth season, and he never posted a 1,000-yard campaign.
Drafting a tight end in Round 1 is fool’s gold. It often takes a few years to get their feet wet and really begin producing at a high level. By that time, you’re in contract negotiations with someone with one year of high-level production and get outbid. All of the best were drafted outside of the first round, but there simply aren’t many true difference-makers at the position to begin with.
Shaquille Leonard Said He Was Selfish in 2022, Hurt the Team
Shaquille Leonard offered some interesting commentary via an interview with the Indianapolis Star on Wednesday.
“I see myself on the tape in practice, and I look slow. In the game, I look slow,” the linebacker said Wednesday. “A lot of people thought I was being selfish shutting it down, but one thing I think I did selfishly last year was to go out there and try to play. I felt like I hurt the team last year whenever I was on the field.”
Leonard gives a different and refreshing view of his injuries, surgeries, and recovery. He’s not necessarily trying to get back to the field because rushing things is how he got to the point he’s at now.
Two back surgeries can change one’s perspective. While Leonard wants to be at the Colts’ veteran minicamp, he understands that he has three months before training camp.
In a league filled with more stories than a person can count about players rushing back to the field using any means necessary, more players should take Leonard’s approach.