NEWS AND NEAR NEWS

Saints in numbers at Walker, Williams private work out … Roughly half the teams in the NFL had reps at today’s private work out at Georgia for former Bulldog DEs Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams. Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, the team with the largest contingent in Athens was New Orleans. In fact, the Saints flew a full contingent to Georgia on owner Gayle Benson’s personal plane.  It was somewhat surprising because most of the league-wide buzz around the Saints these days has tended to focus on QB Shedeur Sanders after it was announced that starting QB Derek Carr could miss the upcoming season. However, as noted in an earlier report, the Saints themselves seem to have been more focused on edge rushers which kind of got amplified today. The home-town Atlanta Falcons, who are also reportedly looking at upgrading their pass rush, also had multiple people at today’s workout, while there was another report that the Giants also had multiple personnel people in Georgia today. Somewhat surprisingly, one of the team’s that was not represented in Georgia today were the Carolina Panthers, the team most often associated with taking Walker with the 8th pick overall.

Browns, Giants won’t rule out two-way for Buffs’ Hunter … Just a day or two after star Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter claimed he’d quit football if he wasn’t allowed to play both ways in the NFL, both Andrew Berry and Joe Schoen, the GMs of Cleveland and the NY Giants respectively, the two teams most likely to draft Hunter next week, said they were on board with Hunter playing WR and CB, presumably heading off any pre-draft drama over the issue. Berry, in particular, compared Hunter to two-way baseball superstar Shohei Otani. In fact, both Berry and Schoen said that they had no doubt Hunter could play both positions from a physical perspective, but the one question would be whether he’d have the time to properly learn both the team’s offence and defence. And while Hunter is fully expected to be selected by Cleveland with the 2nd pick overall, Berry claims that the Browns still have not made a final decision on who they’ll be taking with that pick. In fact Berry wouldn’t even rule out the Browns upsetting the apple cart and selecting QB Shedeur Sanders, Hunter’s Colorado teammate.

Tradin’ on down … or tryin’ … With just a week to go until the picks start coming off the board for real at the 2025 draft, all 32 teams still have their first round picks. And that’s for the first time in the history of the modern draft which dates back in to the late 1960s. There also isn’t a whole of buzz these days about possible trades. However, we do know that there are several teams that are thought to be keen on trading down in next week’s opening round to stockpile more picks. New England, for example, would be more than happy to stay put with the 4th pick overall if one or both of Travis Hunter and/or Abdul Carter were still on the board. The odds of that, though, are probably less than 50-50 and in a scenario where neither were available at #4, the Patriots are expected to switch their attention to OT, most likely one of Will Campbell or Armand Membou. Neither, though, are thought to be graded quite that high, such that it would make sense for New England to move down several spots where taking one of the tackles would make mores sense. At the same time, Carolina has made no secret of their desire to move down for the 8th pick; indeed, Panthers’ GM Dan Morgan suggested, perhaps somewhat in jest, that any team that wanted to jump New Orleans, which has the next selection, to grab Shedeur sanders should give him a call. Dallas has also hinted at some interest in moving off the 12th pick. Same for Atlanta, which has only 5 picks in total in this year’s draft, including just 3 before the 7th round, and haven’t been shy about a desire to add some picks. And it would appear to be the same story for Minnesota, which picks 24th, but has only 3 other picks all told. Of course, nobody can trade down unless someone is willing to trade up in return so we’ll see but the possibility of some late first-round moves would certainly appear to be very possible.

QB Sanders, ER Walker workouts on tap … Another interesting day with the draft now just a week away with a couple of key  private workouts on the docket. The NY Giants are expected to a full contingent in Boulder today for a final private workout with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. Meanwhile, a pretty good crowd is expected at Georgia today where star ER Jalon Walker will hold a private pro day. Walker, a top 10 prospect, has been unable to workout to date because of a quad injury. Walker is expected to be joined today by fellow Georgia DE Mykel Williams who could be trying to improve on a somewhat pedestrian 4.75 type 40 clocking at the Bulldogs’ official pro day last month. Williams was considered to be a potential #1 pick overall entering the season, but he had an up-and-down season after he sprained an ankle in UGA’s season opener. And there has been speculation that Williams might still have been feeling the effects of that injury at the pro day.

Another day; another episode of the Saints, Giants, Sanders soap opera … A couple of observations on the ongoing drama surrounding Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders and where he is likely to be selected at next week’s draft. After reports surfaced last week that New Orleans QB Derek Carr could miss the upcoming season, there was a burst of speculation that the Saints, who have the 9th pick overall in this year’s opening round, could target Sanders at that point. However, in a column today, New Orleans Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan stated rather unequivocally that, at least according to his sources in the organization, the Saints are not planning to select Sanders if he is still on the board when they get on the clock on the 24th. At the same time, though, one could note that it is the season of smoke and mirrors and the Saints could be just trying to head off any other teams tat might be thinking about jumping them to get Sanders.

Meanwhile, Giants GM Joe Schoen, who will be part of a delegation in Boulder tomorrow for a private workout with Sanders, gave what could best be described as a somewhat ‘tortured’ explanation why the workout has been scheduled so late in the process in his pre-draft presser earlier today. We’ve also had a bunch of emails from Giants’ fans asking what we think is going on. Of course, we’re not in the room so we don’t know for sure, but we suspect it is something along the lines of the Giants were pretty much all-in on Sanders but did want to tick off a few final boxes at his pro day two weeks ago. Sanders, though, wasn’t able to check off many, if any boxes and the Giants are going back to confirm, if they can, whether Sanders is the guy they saw two weeks ago or the guy they see on tape. And they’ll be working out Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough on the weekend just in case its the former. Stay tuned!

Final Big Board posted … With just over a week to go until the start of the 2025 draft, the final GBN Big Board ranking the top 350-plus prospects for the upcoming draft has been posted. In previous renditions we have noted that this year’s draft is exceptionally deep at both the DT and RB positions. The other position that also9 really jumps out for its depth are the corners. Like both the DT and RB situations, there could be solid CBs available well into the 3rd day of the draft.

Spring college transfer portal reopens … Most of the big names have already moved on, but college football’s spring transfer portal window opens today. Of course, the big prize will be QB Nico Iamaleava who left Tennessee last week in the midst of a dispute over his NIL deal with the Vols.  Other than Iamaleava, though, there aren’t a whole lot of big names expected to move on this spring, although California RB Jadyn Ott has already announced he’s off to Oklahoma, while former Stanford DE/ER David Bailey will play at Texas Tech next year.

Strange day on the draft front … For those that have not heard to date, but there are a couple of strange stories out there. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter, who is expected to be selected with one of the top 2-3 picks this year, is threatening to not play at all if the team that drafts him doesn’t let him play both ways as he did in college. Not clear whether Sanders who was an All-American on both sides of the ball this past fall at Colorado, is just kind of mouthing off or whether he actually like to try and scare off teams that aren’t planning t let him play both ways; its also not clear how would work contractually.

Meanwhile, its been confirmed by the Giants that not only will they hold a private workout with Shedeur Sanders tomorrow in Colorado, but they’ll also be working out QBs Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough on Thursday which for the record is the last day that teams can work players out prior to the draft. All of which suggests that the Giants either a) don’t know what they’re doing with the 3rd pick or b) they just don’t know what they’re doing! PS While the latter is probably good for a few laughs, the former is probably closer to the truth.

And speaking of Sanders, Carolina GM Dan Morgan let it be known at his pre-draft presser that should the Colorado star (QB) in fact get by the Giants any other team that would like to jump New Orleans to get Sanders for themselves should give him a call. The Panthers, of course, have the 8th pick, one ahead of the Saints. Of course, the Saints could then trade up themselves to jump Team X, but who’s counting. Let’s put it this way; as long as the Giants appear to be still interested in Sanders at #3 there’ll like be some drama at the top of the board. Stay tuned. Just 9 days to go!!

Giants to work out QB Sanders … In a somewhat interesting development, the NY Giants will hold a private work out with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders in Boulder tomorrow. No team had done more due diligence on Sanders this year than the Giants, who have the 3rd pick in next week’s draft. However, the feeling around the league in recent days has been that Sanders may have played himself out of a pick that early as a result of a pedestrian showing at Colorado’s pro day two weeks ago. But if nothing else, the Giants will get one last look at Sanders during which time they’ll control the script to try and see what they want to see.

Pigskin wraps team mocks with NFC East … Former long-time GBN Associate Editor and now Contributing Editor Pigskin Paul Guillmette wraps up his annual series of team/division 3-round mock drafts with a projection for the NFC East. And while Paul is now in semi-retirement he’s hoping to be back with post-draft reviews along the same lines.

UM CB Johnson works out; doesn’t run at private pro day … Michigan CB Will Johnson finally worked out for NFL teams at a private pro day, but opted not to run a 40. Johnson missed both the combine and Michigan’s regular pro day a hamstring injury after he missed much of the 2024 season with a toe injury. Johnson, though, did post a very good 37-inch vertical. The qu7estion dogging Johnson who remains a top 15 prospect for the next week’s draft, though, was whether he had elite foot speed and passing today isn’t going to alleviate those concerns. For the record, Georgia LB Jalon Walker, another top 10-15 prospect who has been unable to work out to date, will have a private pro day on Thursday.

Troubled LSU WR Lacy found dead … In a developing story, LSU WR Kyren Lacy was reportedly found dead from an undisclosed cause overnight. Until recently, Lacy had been considered to be a decent second-tier prospect for the 2025 draft, but all that went away when he was charged with causing a car crash that resulted in the death on an elderly and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities. Lacy was 24.

UT, QB Imaleava ‘moving on’ … In a rather stunning development in college football, it appears that star QB Nico Iamaleava’s days at Tennessee are over. Iamaleava, a top prospect for the 2026 draft, was a no-show at the Vols’ practice session yesterday amid an on-going dispute over his NIL contract. Then this morning, Vols’ head coach Josh Heupel reportedly told the team that the program was ‘moving on’ from Iamaleava. Iamaleava, though, likely isn’t going to be homeless all that long as the spring transfer portal is set to open next week (April 16th) and he’ll certainly get offers, although the whole business could end up being something of a red flag on his draft card.

Saints QB Carr could be out for year … Just what the 2025 draft needed is a little more QB intrigue at the top of the board. Sources are indicating this evening that New Orleans QB Derek Carr could miss much, if not all, of the upcoming season because of a shoulder injury that could require surgery. The Saints been thought to be very much in the market for a QB early in this month’s draft, perhaps even with the 9th pick overall. Those whispers had turned into almost a full-blown roar when it became apparent that Shedeur Sanders was possibly starting to slip down the board. However, with other teams also likely interested in Sanders, the Saints might not be able to even wait until the 9th pick.

Browns add vet Flacco to QB room … Cleveland has agreed to a one-year deal with veteran QB Joe Flacco. It will actually be Flacco’s 2nd tour with the Browns after he led them to the playoffs with a late run in 2023. The deal is worth $4 million, with incentives worth up to $13 million. Flacco joins Kenny Pickett, another veteran acquired earlier this off-season from Philadelphia, in the Browns’ quarterback room for the upcoming season. And while it doesn’t necessarily rule it out, it would appear to be one more hint that the Browns likely won’t be taking a QB with the second pick overall at this month’s draft because how many bridge QBs does a team need?

UT WR Bond out on bond; DE Carter on track … Texas WR Isaiah Bond turned himself in to Frisco police earlier today on an outstanding warrant for sexual assault. Bond was later released on a $25K bond. so far there are no other details on the case including when it happened. Bond did claim that the charges are ‘patently false’ and says he will co-operate fully with authorities. Bond is considered to be a second-day prospect for this month’s draft. In another draft related story from earlier today, the agent for star Penn State DE Abdul Carter, a top 5 prospect for this year’s draft, says he will not need surgery to deal with a stress fracture in his foot after he was checked over at the follow-up combine medical tests in Indianapolis this week. Of course, teams will also have received official reports on Carter’s condition from the testing.

New 3-round projection posted … We weren’t really planning on updating our latest projection until much closer to the draft, but as noted in an earlier report this morning, there appears to have been enough change in how teams are looking at different players, and especially the QBs, that we feel an update is in fact warranted. So with just two weeks to go until the picks start coming off the board at the 2025 draft, here is an an updated 3-round projection for the 2025 draft, although as we have noted in the past the goal here isn’t so much to try and predict which team will select which player, but to give some sense of what players would likely be available at different points in the draft based on what we know today.

Couple of thoughts on the passing passing scene … Hard to believe we are now just two weeks until the actual draft. And while there isn’t necessarily a lot of news coming out of the league there does seem to be a lot of potential movement going on just under the surface especially as it relates to the QBs. Indeed, just a week ago at this time, the sense around the league was that the upcoming draft would have two QBs – Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders – selected within the first 3 picks and that possibly one other might sneak into the latter part of the round. But that was then. Ward appears to be still locked into the 1st pick overall by Tennessee, but after a less than overwhelming pro day, Sanders could be in something of a free fall. Heck, even people close to his camp are now saying ‘well, he didn’t really want to play with any of the teams with one of those top 3 picks anyway!’. How far could he fall? Hard to say but New Orleans at #9 and Pittsburgh at #21 are both clearly paying attention, while even Las Vegas, which has the 6th pick but had been thought to be out of the QB sweepstakes after trading for Geno Smith, now appear to be back in the mix; at least they’ll have Sanders in for a late visit next week.

The other kind of interesting development is that it appears that most of those QB-needy teams including Cleveland, the Giants, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Pittsburgh are scrambling to get in some late due diligence on the second-tier QBs like Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough. We likely won’t know for sure until the 24th, but it shouldn’t be a shock if in the end Sanders went 6th to the Raiders, Dart 9th to the Saints, Milroe 21st to the Steelers with the Browns or Giants moving back up into the late first round to get Shough. Fascinating stuff!!

Senior Bowl gets new exec director … The Senior Bowl announced earlier today that longtime Dallas National Scout Drew Fabianich has been hired as the all-star games new executive director. Fabianich replaces Jim Nagy who left the Senior Bowl staff to become the GM of the Oklahoma football program.

Browns meet with ‘other’ QBs … With now just over two weeks until the start of the 2025 draft, Cleveland had QBs Jaxson Dart of Mississippi, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough of Louisville in for on-site visits yesterday. For the record, the three ARE essentially the second-tier of QBs in this year’s draft class behind Miami’s Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado. It is also the second time in the past month that the Browns have had  extensive meetings with the trio as they also held private workouts and had dinner with each around their respective pro days. There were also reports that the Browns also had a private workout with Milroe yesterday, although that has not been confirmed. It also could not have taken place in Cleveland, but would have to have been conducted at Alabama.

On balance, it would probably be a stretch to suggest that the fact that the Browns are meeting with the second-tier QBs this close to the draft is further evidence that they are looking for an alternative draft option at the position to selecting Sanders with the 2nd pick as it is very much the kind of due diligence that teams do at this time of year. At the same time, though, it is not necessarily the kind of thing that teams waste their time on if they are fully settled on a player that they are going to take that early. Tennessee, which has the first pick overall and seems pretty much committed to Miami’s Ward, for example, is not spending much time at all on the second tier QBs. And just to be clear, the Browns aren’t taking the likes of Dart, Milroe or Shough with the 2nd pick; rather they’d either have to wait until their second round selection, #33 overall, or more likely have to trade back up into the first from that spot. Indeed, one option for the Browns, and for that matter the Giants, who appear to be in very much the same situation as the Browns, would be to sit tight as long as two of those second-tier QBs were on the board and then make their move once that number was done to one.