2016-2017 NFL ROOKIES

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Laremy Tunsil - T - Rebels

ESPN's Kevin Seifert "strongly suspect[s]" that the Ravens and Titans would have picked Ronnie Stanley and Jack Conklin ahead of Laremy Tunsil even if a video of Tunsil smoking pot out of a gas mask hadn't been released minutes before the draft.

Seifert argues that Tunsil's character issues didn't just sneak up on NFL decision-makers in the moments before the Draft opened. "This was a pileup of issues, not simply one that played out in real time on social media 13 minutes before the draft began," he wrote. We aren't sure that we buy his perception. After taking Stanley, the Ravens cited character as part of their decision-making process. The Titans, meanwhile, were believed by everyone to be taking Tunsil No. 1 overall before they traded down. If Conklin didn't move ahead of Tunsil on their board because of the video, how was he able to do so?
Source: ESPN.com

May 4 - 5:15 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Malcolm Mitchell - WR - Patriots

Patriots signed No. 112 overall pick WR Malcolm Mitchell to a four-year contract.

Mitchell was extremely productive in the SEC before blowing up the Combine. The problem is a 2013 torn ACL that reportedly had Mitchell off many draft boards. He was healthy in 2015, however, and is a talented route runner with NFL-level ball skills. If he can stay healthy, Mitchell could end up a fourth-round steal for the Pats.
Source: Adam Caplan on Twitter

May 5 - 2:17 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Zack Sanchez - DB - Sooners

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco wrote that Oklahoma CB Zack Sanchez is "a perfect player for [the Panthers'] zone schemes."

The defending NFC champs might have earned themselves a steal in Sanchez when they selected him at No. 141 in the fifth round. Alas for the Panthers, Prisco was far, far less enthusiastic about the rest of their efforts in Chicago last week. He graded their class as a whole with a C- and referred to their first-round selection of Louisiana Tech DT Vernon Butler with pick No. 30 as "strange," with the analyst concluding that he "didn't like this draft at all."
Source: CBS Sports

May 5 - 9:23 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Connor Cook - QB - Spartans

Yahoo's Eric Edholm believes Michigan State QB Connor Cook's father may have contributed to his son's Draft Day slide.

Chris Cook, the father of Connor, was reportedly upset that the Raiders ended his son's slide, as opposed to the Cowboys. Chris is a colorful -- we're being nice -- presence on social media. His tweets are protected, but Deadspin (which published several) called them "homophobic" and "xenophobic." Chris once tweeted at a player who hit Connor late, threatening retaliation. He's a public supporter of Curt Schilling and Donald Trump. Edholm suggests that Chris' influence may inform the character questions that have dogged Connor. "Can a father have an effect on his son's draft stock? We believe it can," he wrote. "Whether that's fair or not, it's how NFL teams appear to do business."
I: Yahoo Sports

May 6 - 10:10 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Jaylon Smith - LB - Fighting Irish

An NFL personnel director told ESPN's Ed Werder that the Cowboys' selection of Notre Dame OLB Jaylon Smith "could be [the] greatest [second-round] pick ever."

Not everyone shares this opinion. Werder pulled four head coaches and general managers around the league asking for opinions about the Smith pick. One had Smith as a fourth-rounder, another a sixth-rounder and two said he wasn't on their board at all. In the end, the pick will be a stroke of genius if Smith becomes even 90-percent of the player folks envisioned him to be prior to the Fiesta Bowl. It will be seen as an obtuse selection if the knee never heals enough to allow for a productive career. "We have a firm belief, if you look at the history of injuries like this, that the nerve ultimately fires, some take longer than others," Stephen Jones said. "But at the end of the day, we think it will. And then once it does fire, usually it takes about - our guys say - from an inch to an inch and a half per month in terms of ultimately healing and getting full feeling back. We feel really good about that."
Source: Ed Werder on Twitter


May 6 - 9:03 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Jared Goff - QB - Golden Bears

Rams owners Sam Kroenke compared Cal QB Jared Goff to Kurt Warner.

"Some guys [like Kurt Warner] have [the vision], some guys don’t. Whether it’s Arena Football that gave it to him or whatever, but he can see. And Jared has that. It’s the vision thing," Kroenke said. There are marked differences between Goff and Warner of course, namely their paths to the NFL. Warner only managed to stick in the league after an Arena Football stint, whereas Goff was selected No. 1 overall in the draft. Kroenke is not concerned about the pressure, though. "He will not be overwhelmed, being in L.A.," the owner said.
Source: USA Today

May 7 - 12:34 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Tyler Higbee - TE - Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky TE Tyler Higbee pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault, second-degree evading police and public intoxication charges.

Higbee had his arraignment hearing on Thursday and as expected, plead not guilty to the charges levied against him for his role in an alleged early April altercation which left a man in the hospital. The 6-foot-6, 249-pounder is next set to appear in court on June 17. His legal troubles are not preventing him from acclimating to the NFL, though, as the fourth-round draft pick is currently taking part in the Rams' rookie minicamp in Oxford, California.
Source: USA Today

May 7 - 12:49 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Laremy Tunsil - T - Rebels

NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein believes that the Dolphins' selection of Laremy Tunsil at No. 13 was the best pick of the first round.

Longtime Zierlein zealots shouldn't be surprised at this, as the analyst has long been a Tunsil backer. In running down his favorite pick of each round, he wrote of the Ole Miss rock, "If his slip down the draft board was only due to the his leaked video and not due to anything medically, then the Dolphins might have landed a future Pro Bowler at the left tackle spot." The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder was bypassed by both Notre Dame T Ronnie Stanley and Michigan State T Jack Conklin on Day 1, at least in part due to an instantly infamous video which surfaced on his Twitter account just as the draft proper was set to get underway.
Source: NFL.com

May 7 - 1:17 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Tyler Boyd - WR - Panthers

Pitt WR Tyler Boyd was NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein's favorite pick of the second round.

The Bengals snatched up Boyd at pick No. 55 on Day 2, adding a potential Robin to A.J. Green's Batman (making Tyler Eifert Alfred, obviously). Wrote Zierlein, "When Green is being double-teamed, Boyd has the ability to rack up a lot of catches, which is something the Bengals didn't have before." The 6-foot-2, 197-pound Pitt star won't blow away NFL defenders with his speed, but is already polished in his routes and offers a sure set of hands.
Source: NFL.com

May 7 - 1:57 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

And it has begun:

Robert Nkemdiche - DL - Rebels

Cardinals HC Bruce Arians indicated that he has had to ask DL Robert Nkemdiche to drop the intensity a notch in rookie minicamp.

We love it. Nkemdiche is just a week into his career as an NFL player, but he is already impressing with his impeccable athletic ability. Said Arians, "He was killing people in walk-through. I had to slow him down. It’s a walk-through, and he bench-pressed a lineman already." The 6-foot-4, 294-pound Nkemdiche called minicamp "exciting" and noted that attention-to-detail is far more necessary in expanded NFL defensive schemes. When asked what he would first spend his money on now that he is making the big boy bucks, Nkemdiche responded "Charities, maybe. That's about it." Character concerns indeed.
Source: azcentral.com

May 7 - 6:20 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Jonathan Bullard - DL - Gators

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco wrote that Florida DE Jonathan Bullard will "become the best player of the [Bears' draft class]."

"Third-round pick Jonathan Bullard is a player who will start for a long time in this league," Prisco wrote. "He plays hard, can play inside or outside, and was productive in college. The Bears got a good one." The analyst is not alone in his love for Bullard. Pro Football Focus tabbed the 6-foot-3, 285-pounder as the best pick of the draft, period, once slot (No. 72) and context were factored in.
Source: CBS Sports

May 7 - 4:59 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Ryan Kelly - C - Crimson Tide

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. noted that Colts C Ryan Kelly is "another step toward a more efficient running game in Indy."

The Colts housed the 29th-worst rushing offense on a per-game average in 2015. Kelly should help that almost immediately, but the team also selected linemen Le'Raven Clark, Joe Haeg and Austin Blythe before the draft dust settled. Distressingly, though, the team did not select a running back in the later rounds. Veteran RB Frank Gore failed to rush for 1000 yards last season and averaged just 3.7 YPC.
Source: ESPN Insider

May 7 - 4:33 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Corey Coleman - WR - Bears

Despite concerns over the team's quarterbacking situation, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. included Browns WR Corey Coleman on his list of the top impact rookies for 2016

Kiper stressed that his inclusion of Coleman "isn't an endorsement of the quarterback situation in Cleveland." That aside, he wrote that "t's just the reality that Coleman is now the single best wide receiver on the team and gives the Browns a dimension they don't have as an over-the-top threat." The analyst believes that at the very least, QB Robert Griffin III's beautiful deep ball should benefit speedster Coleman. "I don't expect big numbers, but you draft Coleman with some ideas of how to get him the ball in any situation in mind."
Source: ESPN Insider

[i]May 7 - 4:20 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Tyler Higbee - TE - Hilltoppers

NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein believes that Western Kentucky TE Tyler Higbee was the best selection in the fourth round.

Interesting, very interesting. Zierlein had a number of prospects to choose from in the fourth round (he specifically name-checked Willie Henry, Hasaan Ridgeway and Kenneth Dixon as players he graded higher than Higbee), but opted for Higbee-to-the-Rams at No. 110 as his favorite pick of the round. "With Jared Goff needing to find a safety blanket that he can grow with as he acclimates to life in the NFL," the analyst wrote, "Higbee offers a target with nice size, separation and "after-the-catch" ability." Not everybody views things so rosily. After the draft, an NFL scout wrote that the 6-foot-6, 249-pound tight end "has a lot of maturing to do, and I'm not sure he can mature fast enough." In a very related note, on Thursday, Higbee plead not guilty to charges of second-degree assault, second-degree evading police and public intoxication. There was talk that his early April arrest could effect his draft stock, but that did not occur.
Source: NFL.com

May 7 - 3:54 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Laremy Tunsil - T - Rebels

Dolphins T Laremy Tunsil addressed questions regarding supposed character issues, saying, "I'm not worried about that, everybody got their own opinions."

"Man, you live and you learn. But hey, I'm glad to be here. I'm glad to be with this team," Tunsil said. "I'm glad to be going through this weekend [of the rookie minicamp], get to meet the coaches, get to meet some of the players, get to meet some of the vets." Dolphins HC Adam Gase has been pleased with Tunsil's transition from the draft to actual football activity. Said Gase, "I thought he handled it great. He did a good job last week in the press conference, and I think he's just happy to be back in the building, getting back to football, doing what he loves." If Tunsil can steer clear from trouble moving forward, he has Pro Bowl potential. Remember, before the Rams traded up to No. 1, he was considered a strong possibility to be drafted first overall. One smoke-filled video does not change the talent here.
Source: ESPN.com

May 7 - 3:32 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Paxton Lynch - QB - Tigers

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. wrote that QB's Paxton Lynch and Carson Wentz "aren't close to impact rookies."

We already knew that both players in question were viewed as developmental prospects rather than Week 1 starters, but we will focus on Lynch here. While Kiper does not forecast much 2016 production from the Memphis gunslinger, Broncos GM John Elway indicated late in the week that he believes Lynch is closer to NFL productivity than the general consensus. Mark Sanchez still figures to start early in the season, but if we are to take Elway at his word, it is possible we see Lynch play a role for the defending Super Bowl champions before the 2016 season has been completed.
Source: ESPN Insider

May 7 - 3:20 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Christian Hackenberg - QB - Nittany Lions

Per MMQB's Kalyn Kahler, the Jets held a secret workout with Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg in early April that helped convince them to draft the quarterback.

Noel LaMontagne of Compass Sports Advisors (who represent Hackenberg), described the workout, saying, "The word that comes to mind is intensity, just the level of intensity that they wanted to make sure it was kept extremely quiet and that nobody knew it was going to happen." The workout centered around pro-style offensive concepts that were not present in Penn State's shotgun offense. "It was about getting a really good feel for the way they are going to coach me going forward," Hackenberg said. The Jets ultimately selected Hack at pick No. 51. He probably won't see the field early in his NFL career unless the Jets have had a few drinks and are feeling adventurous.
Source: MMQB

May 7 - 3:05 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Josh Doctson - WR - Redskins

ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim said first-round WR Josh Doctson will be used "quite a bit" in the red zone.

Jordan Reed was a monster in the red zone last season, but the Redskins struggled to find a reliable second option. With the size and ball skills to be an elite red-zone receiver, Doctson could immediately step into that role. Even if he is not able to jump DeSean Jackson or Pierre Garcon on the depth chart by Week 1, Doctson should be a factor in scoring areas all season.
Source: ESPN

May 9 - 11:52 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Reggie Ragland - LB - Bills

ESPN Bills reporter Mike Rodak believes second-round ILB Reggie Ragland will be an "immediate starter."

The Bills entered the draft desperate for help at linebacker, and they emerged with the best two-down run stuffer in the class. Ragland might never be a factor in the passing game, but he will boost a run defense which surprisingly gave up 4.4 yards a carry last season. Ragland should be able to beat out Preston Brown or Zach Brown for a starting role.
Source: ESPN

May 9 - 11:44 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Bryce Treggs - WR - Golden Bears

49ers signed Cal WR Bryce Treggs.

Treggs (5'11, 185) finished out a decorated collegiate career with 195 catches (third in Cal history), 2,506 yards receiving (fourth) and 15 touchdowns (tied for ninth). He arrives in San Francisco with 4.39 wheels (would have tied for No. 2 among receivers at the Combine) and chip-and-a-chair longshot odds. Today, Treggs probably sits No. 11 or 12 on the 49ers' WR depth chart.

May 11 - 6:56 PM