Category: Draft News

TCU CB Jeff Gladney played entire 2019 season with meniscus injury

One of the best cornerback prospects in the 2020 NFL draft played his entire 2019 season with a knee injury

One of the best cornerback prospects in the 2020 NFL draft just dropped an intriguing nugget on a popular NFL podcast.

TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney revealed to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that he played the entire season with a knee issue, specifically with his meniscus.

The injury likely contributed to Gladney’s times being a bit slower than expected at the NFL Scouting Combine, but this should keep his stock from being impacted.

Gladney is one of the most talented cornerbacks in this draft. His superb ball skills and coverage abilities have him in the first round discussion. It’ll be interesting to see if this news has any impact on his final landing spot.

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NFL announces compensatory picks for 2020 NFL Draft

The NFL has awarded this year’s round of compensatory picks for the 2020 NFL draft

The wait is finally over for those extra draft picks.

The NFL has announced the compensatory picks for the 2020 NFL Draft (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero):

Here’s the full breakdown of why each team received each pick, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:

The New England Patriots received the most extra picks, getting four compensatory selections in this year’s draft, two of which are at the end of the third round.

The Houston Texans received the earliest extra pick, which takes place at the end of the third round.

These picks are normally announced during the NFL Scouting Combine, but the ongoing labor talks between the league and the NFLPA likely contributed to the delayed announcement.

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Chase Young has no interest in wasting his time at the NFL Scouting Combine

Ohio State’s Chase Young has his sights set on more important things than training for the NFL’s “Underwear Olympics”

By most accounts, Ohio State edge defender Chase Young is already the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2020 NFL draft class.

That’s why it shouldn’t have surprised many when the former Buckeye star opted to skip all of the drills and workouts at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.

Young did speak to the media during football’s week-long job interview for draft hopefuls, and he made it clear he had no intentions of preparing for anything other than full-pad football at the next level.

Nope, no “Underwear Olympics” trophies for Young:

A dominant player who often beat double-teams (or worse) to get to opposing quarterbacks and ball-carriers, Young will be a steal if he goes anywhere other than No. 1 overall.

Once he finds his landing spot at the next level, he won’t waste any time making an immediate impact where it matters most: On the field.

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Tua Tagovailoa expects to be cleared by doctors in March

When speaking with the media at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa states he will be cleared next month.

Tua Tagovailoa took to the podium to answer questions during a media session in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine, and he gave the football world some encouraging news about his recovery.

The biggest question surrounding one of the top quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft is when will he be cleared for football activities as he prepares to leave Tuscaloosa for the NFL.

Tagovailoa says he expects to be cleared for action in just a couple of weeks:

Tua Tagovailoa is projected as a top-ten pick in the upcoming draft, and is widely viewed as the second best quarterback behind LSU’s Joe Burrow.

Being cleared on March 9th would give Tagovailoa plenty of time for a predraft workout, giving him the chance to prove to NFL teams he’ll be ready to play as a rookie, and worthy of a high draft choice.

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Chase Young skipping workouts at NFL Scouting Combine

The best prospect in the 2020 NFL draft class won’t be doing on-field workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine

The NFL Scouting Combine officially kicked off today with measurements rolling in all throughout the morning. Needless to say, overreaction season has arrived!

Perhaps the biggest news of the day came in the form of who will not be participating during the workout portion of the combine.

First reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ohio State edge rusher and projected top-three pick Chase Young has decided to skip the drills and workouts, but will still be available for the medical checks and team interviews.

It’s tough to see how this impact’s Young’s draft stock to be honest. He’s put everything NFL teams need to see on tape throughout a stellar career as a Buckeye. Young remains one of the most talented players in the draft and a sure-fire top-three pick barring something drastic happening. It’s more interesting to wonder if any of the other top prospects will now follow suit.

For those of you eager to watch Young perform some on-field drills, you’ll have to wait for Ohio State’s Pro Day.

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Joe Burrow has jokes for ‘hand size’ critics

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow jokes about retiring due to criticism over the size of his hands

The 2020 NFL Scouting Combine is upon us, and that means it’s full-on gross overreaction season when it comes to prospect measurements.

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, widely regarded as the front-runner to be the No. 1 overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 NFL draft, isn’t immune to the criticism.

After his official hand measurements started to circulate across social media, the Heisman Trophy winner had a lighthearted message for those who think said measurements disqualifies him from being a successful pro quarterback:

Coming off the best season any quarterback has ever had in the history of college football, I suppose detractors had to find something to put in the “negatives” column on Burrow’s scouting report.

Fans, analysts and teams who know better will simply file this under “Stuff That Doesn’t Actually Matter,” right next to Deshaun Watson’s ball velocity.

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NFL announces 16 new drills coming to 2020 Scouting Combine

As the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine moves into prime time, there will be some new drills for the national audience

Well, this should be fun.

The NFL Scouting Combine is already one of the most exciting events surrounding the NFL draft, and it somehow just got even more exciting with the announcement that 16 new drills are coming to the combine.

The new additions include end zone fade routes added to the routes thrown by quarterbacks, change of direction added to the routes ran by running backs, end zone fade routes ran by receivers and tight ends, and more.

They’ve also eliminated some drills such as the pitch and cone drill for running backs, toe tap drills for receivers and more.

Each year we see prospects build some buzz for themselves with an excellent combine performance. It’ll be exciting to see which prospects set themselves apart with the addition of these new drills.

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Tua Tagovailoa says Cowboys would be his ideal landing spot

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa wants to play for the Cowboys, and learn behind Dak Prescott

If given his pick, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would love to be wearing a star on his helmet the next time he takes the football field.

In an exclusive interview with NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, Tagovailoa was asked what his ideal scenario would be for landing with a team at the next level. His answer might come as a surprise.

Tagovailoa, who is still rehabbing from a season-ending hip injury, says the Dallas Cowboys would be his ideal landing spot, for multiple reasons:

If you’re saying to me, if I can choose what team I want to play on, as far as my favorite team growing up, then I probably tell you the Cowboys.

I’m not trying to bump (Dak Prescott) — I’ll learn under him. I’d handle it the way that the coaches there want to handle it. Honestly, I just want to be able play again. I wouldn’t mind learning under whatever guy that’s the starter. Give me a whole year to rest up and then go back out and compete, but I just want to go back out and play.

Prescott is set to become a free agent this offseason, but conventional wisdom says the Cowboys will end up striking a long-term deal to keep their franchise quarterback. Adding Tagovailoa as insurance or even an understudy would obviously be a wonderful scenario for Dallas, but considering they currently pick 17th in the first round, it’s highly unlikely they’ll come anywhere close to where Tagovailoa will come off the board.

So, unless the Cowboys make a huge move and decide to move on from Prescott and make a massive trade into the top five of the 2020 NFL draft, Tagovailoa’s ideal scenario will likely have to remain in the dream world.

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NFL to hold HBCU, regional combines in Miami for 2020 draft

The NFL’s additional combine events will be held in Miami in March

The NFL announced that it will conduct its Combine Series from March 27-29 at the Miami Dolphins’ Baptist Health Training Facility and will feature the Regional Combine Invitational and Universities (HBCU) Combine.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had the news here:

The RCI and HBCU Combine will give NFL teams yet another opportunity to discover some talent that may not have played on the national stage.

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South Carolina DL Javon Kinlaw (knee) done for Senior Bowl week

South Carolina defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw will miss the rest of Senior Bowl week with tendinitis in his right knee

The top prospect at the 2020 Senior Bowl is bowing out of the rest of the week due to injury.

South Carolina defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw will miss the rest of the week’s activities due to tendinitis in his right knee, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:

After a dominant performance over the first two days of practice, this is a smart cautionary move for Kinlaw, who solidified his status as a top-15 prospect in the 2020 NFL draft class.

Kinlaw came into the week as the top prospect in Mobile, and all he did was back that up against some worthy competition.

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