NFL News

[jaadam4]

I could see them bringing Moseley back as well

[Mainevent]

Yeah I think they are taking a CB in the draft no matter what, but how early (and perhaps how many) will be dictated by what they do in FA.

[froot loops]

If they bring back Moseley, it should be on a "really prove it deal".

[Mainevent]

Problem with bringing Moseley back is he blew out his knee in week 5. So odds are he won’t be ready at the start of the season again. Weirdly, he also injured his knee in week 5 and also against the Panthers in 2022. So a similar timeline and he would miss a quarter of the season again.

[froot loops]

Hence the really prove it aspect.

[Mainevent]

I just mean from an availability perspective. Would they even bother for a guy that won’t be in camp again.

[chemiclord]

I do think the Lions would "bother," presuming the price was right.

But I also think it would be in conjunction with other moves. I expect at least two FAs, one on a "mid-level" deal, one or two on short "prove it" deals, and at least one pick in the draft.

That seems to be Holmes's strategy with a lot of positions, throw a bunch of shit at the wall and see what sticks.

[whatever_gong82]

Paywall article from the News.

'Real smooth' McCarthy, Wilson, Corum among 18 Michigan players at NFL combine


Angelique S. Chengelis
The Detroit News




NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah wasn’t always setting out to watch film of former Michigan players as he prepared evaluations for the NFL Combine, but so often, he was unable to avoid them.

With 18 Wolverines invited to this week’s NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, their presence is noticeable among the 321 players who will participate in testing and interviews ahead of April’s NFL Draft that will be held in Detroit. Washington, which lost to Michigan in the national championship last month, is next with 13 invited players.



The defensive linemen and linebackers will be on the field on Thursday, defensive backs and tight ends on Friday, quarterbacks, receivers and running backs will be tested Saturday and the offensive linemen on Sunday, with live coverage on NFL Network.

“I feel like I've been watching Michigan for the last two weeks,” Jeremiah said on a recent videoconference with reporters. “Just whatever position I go to, there's more and more Michigan guys to watch.”




Among the biggest prospects from Michigan are quarterback J.J. McCarthy, receiver Roman Wilson, linebacker Junior Colson, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, defensive back Mike Sainristil and running back Blake Corum. Analysts have McCarthy, who was 27-1 as a starter and helped lead Michigan to the national title, as the Wolverines’ lone first-round projection, which would extend Michigan’s streak to six years of producing at least one first-round NFL Draft selection. Jeremiah did not have McCarthy in his first mock draft but now has him No. 8 to Atlanta.



“With J.J., I have said he is an acquired taste,” Jeremiah said. “When I watched him, first of all, you are watching TV, and you are like, ‘Gosh, they don't ask him to do much.’ They run the ball. They play great defense. He will manage the game and get them through it and make a couple of plays here and there.

“When you dig into the tape and really watch it and watch on third downs where they throw the ball and they do put the ball in his hands, there's a lot to like with him. He has a really quick mind. He has a quick release. Just everything he does is real smooth. I wrote in my notes that he never gets bored with completions. Some other guys in his class get in trouble big-play hunting. If you are going to get him check-downs or completions, he is never going to get bored taking those. He can rev it up and drive the ball in the seams. He can extend plays, keep his eyes up.”



ESPN’s Matt Miller also has McCarthy going in the first round.

“The thing I hear from scouts is, great arm strength, guy only lost one game in two years of college football, which is very impressive, no matter if you want to give wins to the quarterback or not,” Miller said on a recent ESPN videoconference with reporters. “And then it’s the ability to get better. The athletic potential is through the roof. He’s a good mover. He’s got room to grow into that frame. He’s 6-3, probably 205 pounds. He’s got room to get bigger and stronger.”



Analysts find Wilson and Sainristil particularly intriguing. Wilson led the team with 12 receiving touchdowns and some impressive catches and Sainristil, a two-time captain who played at receiver his first three seasons before moving to the defensive secondary, earned the Big Ten championship game MVP last December and led the team with six interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns.

While the knock on Sainristil may be his size, at 5-foot-10, 182 pounds, Miller said it’s easy to overlook any concern that might present with the way he performed, especially last season. He projects Sainristil early in the third round, with the possibility of sneaking into the late second round.



“I’ve moved him up a lot,” Miller said. “Earlier in the season, I would get asked about him, and I would say, ‘This is one of my favorite players, but …,’ and I feel like what comes after that ‘but’ is getting a lot smaller because, OK yes, he’s small, but nickel players are so valuable in the NFL right now. Every week for Michigan, that dude was making plays, whether it be in coverage or making big tackles in space. He’s just such an instinctive football player.

“A team like Kansas City would be a great fit for him. San Francisco needs a slot corner in the worst way, so he would be a great fit there if we see a little bit of a run on corners. His instinctiveness, his ability to read and diagnose and just to get in position to make plays is fantastic. Talk about somebody who outplays his size. You can look at the roster and see what he’s listed at, and you have an expectation of how he’s gonna play completely different than that. He's so physical and does not shy away from the ball ever, whether it be run or pass. I love the way he played as a college football player. I wasn’t sure about him as a draft prospect but the closer we get to late April, I keep moving him up every time I revise my rankings.”



Jeremiah said Sainristil could surprise scouts with his speed this week.

Wilson (6-feet, 192) made some clutch touchdown receptions for Michigan during its national championship season and had an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl. Jim Nagy, the Senior Bowl executive director and a former NFL scout, has said no receiver boosted his stock at the scouting bowl game like Wilson.



“I’m such a big Roman Wilson fan and he has started this draft process with a great week at the Senior Bowl,” Miller said. “That’s kinda bumping his stock up. I went back and looked and at one point this year I had him ranked No. 50 overall, and then I moved him down and I’m not sure exactly why I moved him down, but he’s creeping back up for me, where I think he could be in that middle, second-tier round, especially if we see a lot of wide receivers go late Round 1. Then I think Wilson is that player that could maybe surprise some people and slide into the top 50.”



Jeremiah described Wilson as “dynamic” and reminds him of former Michigan State receiver Jayden Reed, who is now with the Packers. He has Wilson slotted at No. 48 overall, a second-round pick by Jacksonville, sandwiched by Michigan teammates Jenkins and Colson. He has Jenkins at No. 47 to the Giants and Colson at No. 53 to the Eagles.

Jenkins, listed in Michigan’s roster at 6-3, 305 pounds, was nicknamed “The Mutant” by his teammates.



“First of all, he has the great nickname,” Jeremiah said. “I would love to have the nickname, ‘The Mutant’ because he is such a physical freak. He is 293 pounds. You can watch all the weight room stuff he does out there. It's off the charts. He will put on a show at the combine as well.”

But how Jenkins, whose father, Kris, was a 10-year NFL defensive tackle and four-time All-Pro, was utilized at Michigan makes him more challenging to evaluate.



“He doesn't make a ton of plays, but it's not really what's asked of him quite as much,” Jeremiah said. “He doesn't get a chance to penetrate. It's more play at the point of attack, stack blocks, kind of hold the point there. I want to see just more of him getting in gaps, getting upfield, playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

“I know he has the rare strength and power, and I know, obviously, the genes are great when you think about his dad and what a great player he was. By all accounts, great worker, great kid. All that stuff is off the charts. It's just a little tricky because of the play-making that doesn't pop when you watch him on tape. That being said, I still think he goes somewhere on Day No. 2. I think (he) probably more than likely finds his way into the bottom portion of the second round would be my guess.”



Jeremiah and Miller said Colson is among the top linebackers and cited his toughness. Colson played the last stretch of the season with a broken left hand.

Miller also said he “can’t wait” to see what Corum does at the combine. Corum was a big part of Michigan’s success the last two seasons and last year set Michigan’s single-season rushing touchdown record (27) and career rushing-touchdown record (58) and was the Big Ten Running Back of the Year in 2022 and 2023.



The Wolverines also will be represented at the NFL Combine by six offensive linemen, including consensus All-America Zak Zinter, who is coming off surgery to repair his broken left leg, suffered in the regular-season finale against Ohio State.

“There's a ton of them this year,” Jeremiah said of the Michigan offensive linemen. “I don't think there's a great player in the bunch in terms of what I expect from them at the next level or necessarily how high they're going to get picked, but they're all going to find their way on a roster. You have value in guys that have some positional flexibility. They moved guys around quite a bit. There's a lot of guys that have played in different spots. I think that's helpful, especially when you are talking about backups and guys that are kind of filling out your last couple of spots there in that room.”



Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, predicted last summer that Michigan will have 20 players selected in the 2024 draft.

“You could pick one at every position for Michigan, it feels like,” Jeremiah said.



angelique.chengelis@detroitnews.com

@chengelis

[El Axe]

Not a shocking development, but I'm guessing takes him out of the conversation for us.

[Mainevent]

Pass. No need to hand out a draft pick and a huge contract.

[jaadam4]

Pass. No need to hand out a draft pick and a huge contract.

Agreed

[Whitley]

Not a shocking development, but I'm guessing takes him out of the conversation for us.

It should. Now, does that put Chris Jones more in play?

[froot loops]

Probably not for the Lions, I would be shocked if they paid a free agent a contract that is at least 25 AAV.

[El Axe]

The Ringer published a top 50 Free agents list

https://nflrankings.theringer.com/free-agency

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Interesting that 13 of his 16.5 sacks were low-quality, coverage or clean-up sacks. Still a good player, but his sack totals may be overrated.

[froot loops]

Sign Kendall Fuller and Jadaveon Clowney and call it a day.