Tag: 2023 NFL Combine

2023 NFL draft: Chattanooga OL McClendon Curtis confirms interest from Chargers

Chattanooga offensive lineman McClendon Curtis revealed that the Chargers “always” sent scouts his way.

Draft season brings with it countless reports that player X has met with team Y, stirring up a frenzy of discourse about how that player-team fit must now be considered a lock. In reality, most prospects meet with every team during the pre-draft process, and gleaning information from the simple report that a team has met with a player tends to be a losing proposition.

But sometimes, there’s more information than that. Sometimes, it comes out that a team is consistently meeting with a player, or has been monitoring him all season, or even longer. That’s been the case with prospects in this draft already as it pertains to the Chargers: UCLA guard Atonio Mafi said Los Angeles has been watching him since his freshman season in 2018.

Now, we have confirmation about another trip LA has been taking all season. In an interview with The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Chattanooga offensive lineman McClendon Curtis revealed that the Chargers have “always” sent scouts his way and that in Mobile, AL for the Senior Bowl, Curtis was catching up with scouts he already knew.

Curtis mentioned a few other teams to who this applied as well: the Saints, Cardinals, and Jaguars. What makes LA’s interest in him well, interesting, is that Curtis has the versatility to play tackle or guard. The Chargers currently have some shuffling to do on their line, with an impending cap decision on guard Matt Feiler and free agency negotiations with tackle Trey Pipkins. 2022 sixth-rounder Jamaree Salyer will take one of those starting spots, but depth will be a huge concern. Adding a player like Curtis who can play four of five spots on the line allays those concerns to a large degree.

Curtis is currently projected to be a Day 3 pick by most major outlets.

2023 NFL draft: 4 wide receivers for Chargers to watch at Combine

Here are a few wide receivers expected to test well at the NFL Scouting Combine that the Los Angeles Chargers could target in the draft.

The on-field portion of the NFL Combine begins on Thursday, marking the start of the testing circuit that propels some prospects into the stratosphere while ruining the stock of others. To prepare, we at Chargers Wire are previewing players from every position.

Wide receiver is an obvious need because of the speed needed at the position. DeAndre Carter is a free agent after contributing in a bigger role than initially expected, deep threat Jalen Guyton is returning from a torn ACL, and Keenan Allen’s future with the team remains cloudy beyond 2023, if not this summer.

7 takeaways from Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni at the NFL Combine

We’re looking at seven takeaways from Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni during his media session at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

The Eagles are in Indianapolis for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and before the players take the field for workouts, coaches and GM held their annual press conference.

Head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the media after GM Howie Roseman and gave some insight into the hiring of Sean Desai and the promotion of Brian Johnson to offensive coordinator.

With the coaching staff finally rounding into form, here are 10 takeaways from Sirianni’s presser.

10 takeaways from Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman at the NFL Combine

We’re looking at 10 takeaways from Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman during his media session at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

The Eagles are in Indianapolis for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and before the players take the field for workouts, coaches and GM held their annual press conference.

Howie Roseman addressed the media first and held things close to the vest in regard to a new contract for quarterback Jalen Hurts, and how Philadelphia will prioritize 18 pending free agents.

With the coaching staff finally rounding into form, here are 10 takeaways from Rosemans’ presser.

Bengals’ exec on the possibility of a Tee Higgins trade: ‘They want a receiver, go find your own’

It does NOT sound like the Bengals are trading Tee Higgins.

Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin slammed the door shut on talk of a Tee Higgins trade on Tuesday.

With word starting to spread that teams will be calling Cincinnati about the wide receiver, Tobin emphatically said that other franchises will have to figure their own receiver rooms out as Higgins is still a member of the Bengals.

“Trading Tee Higgins is not on my mind. That’s their problem,” Tobin told reporters at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine about teams asking about a possible Higgins trade. “They want a receiver, go find your own. … The trade stuff is a little ridiculous right now.”

Well, that’s one way to swat down trade rumors involving one of your best players. While NFL general manager talk is padded by design, you usually don’t get such a forceful rejection like what Tobin gave.

It really sounds like it’ll take a Godfather-level trade offer for the Bengals to consider moving Higgins before his rookie deal is up. An extension feels much more likely after hearing Tobin’s response on Tuesday.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel smoothly avoided tampering when asked about Jordan Poyer

This was a slick move by Mike McDaniel.

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel wasn’t about to sacrifice any draft picks over accidental tampering at this week’s 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

After McDaniel was asked about Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer strongly hinting he had interest in joining the Dolphins as a free agent, McDaniel quickly sidestepped the prompt.

The Miami coach also found a very humorous, roundabout way to lament on the Dolphins losing two draft picks (including a 2023 first-rounder) in the franchise’s tampering scandal involving Tom Brady and Sean Payton.

While McDaniel was elsewhere when all of that happened, he won’t let his team get fooled again when it comes to breaking league rules.

Well, you can’t fault McDaniel’s savviness. As you well know, NFL teams aren’t allowed any contact with free agents until the “legal tampering window” opens shortly before the start of the new league year.

This year, teams can start negotiating with prospective players on March 13. Maybe the Dolphins and Poyer will start talking then.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Justin Jefferson extension “It’s a priority”

Justin Jefferson is the future of the Minnesota Vikings and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah called him a priority

Minnesota Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo Mensah addressed the media Tuesday at the NFL Combine, where he touched on a variety of topics.

While the press conference provided insight into the Vikings’ plans for the upcoming season and beyond, there is typically little to glean from these press conferences because NFL teams don’t want to reveal too much about their plans. When it came to wide receiver Justin Jefferson, though, there was no hiding how Adofo-Mensah felt about the star player.

After a stellar start to his career, Jefferson is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. Jefferson led the NFL in receiving yards and receptions last season, while also breaking several records. Adofo-Mensah was asked what the priority level was in completing the Jefferson extension.

“I said it earlier, I don’t want to be the Vikings GM without this guy on our team, so it’s a priority. We have to make sure we do it in an order that we can do it in given all the other decisions we have to make. It’s not just having an elite player because I think people – maybe they appreciate the talent, maybe they don’t.”

Adofo-Mensah went into greater detail about Jefferson as a person and what he contributes to the Vikings franchise.

“The human is even better. Seeing it up close every day and he just wants to win. When I met him, the first time I met him actually, we walk in the building and I made a joke about something else that was happening at the wide receiver position at the time and about their contracts and just laughed and said ‘we won’t have any issues.’ He said ‘I just want to put wins on the board.’ Didn’t smile and wasn’t really like ‘haha’. The way he said it, that’s the guy you see on Sunday’s. Won’t turn down double teams, whole defense trying to stop him and he’s trying to put the Minnesota Vikings on his back and wants to win a championship. When you have guys like that in your building, try everything you can to not let them out.”

Adofo-Mensah didn’t hesitate when talking about his desire to try and work out an extension with Jefferson. Jefferson is one of the top receivers in the NFL, and he’s only 23 years old. It appears as if it’s only a matter of time before Jefferson and the Vikings reach an agreement to lock him up as their franchise player for years to come.

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NFL Combine: What to watch for as the Eagles look to retool on defense

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium and how to watch the on-field drills

The path to the 2023 NFL draft started in Mobile and continues in Indianapolis with the start of the NFL Scouting Combine. General managers, head coaches, and scouts will be looking at the 319 prospects looking to improve their draft stock.

For Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni, they’ll get an up-close look at some of the prospects that could be joining their team in the next couple of months.

With the festivities underway, here’s everything you need to know.

2023 NFL Combine workout schedule: When each position takes the field

A look at the workout schedule for the 2023 NFL Combine.

All 32 teams will descend upon Indianapolis this week to watch 2023 NFL draft prospects at the combine at Lucas Oil Stadium this week.

The Titans will be well-represented at the event, with general manager Ran Carthon, head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly all expected to be made available to the media on Tuesday, according to Joe Rexrode of The Athletic.

The NFL Combine begins on Tuesday, but the first few days will see team representatives talk to the media, along with draft prospects who will also meet with teams.

Starting on Thursday, prospects will take the field to show their stuff. Here’s a look at the full workout schedule, per NFL.com (all workouts will be broadcast on NFL Network).

Multiple Titans set to speak at 2023 NFL Combine

Titans GM Ran Carthon will address the media during the first day of the NFL Combine on Tuesday.

Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon will take the podium for his first NFL Combine press conference when all 32 teams descend upon Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Stadium this week.

Carthon, who was hired in January to replace ex-Titans general manager Jon Robinson, will speak to the media on the first day of the combine on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly are not listed on the schedule, but Joe Rexrode of The Athletic reports that both are expected to be made available.

Of course, we’ll have full coverage right here. Here’s a look at the full slate, per The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler (all times eastern):

While the combine officially begins on Tuesday, players will not take the field right away and will instead have time to talk to teams and the media during the first few days.

After that, the workouts will begin on Thursday, starting with the defensive line prospects. You can check out the full NFL Combine schedule here.

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