The #Falcons are signing 26-year-old defensive end James Smith-Williams to a one-year deal.
Not long after signing veteran cornerback Kevin King, the Atlanta Falcons added another face to their defense on Monday evening. According to Vayner Sports agent Mike McCartney, the team is signing 26-year-old defensive end James Smith-Williams to a one-year deal.
Smith-Williams was selected by the Washington Commanders in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL draft. The former North Carolina State standout has recorded seven sacks and 31 QB hits over 55 career games (27 starts) with the Commanders.
Smith-Williams appeared in 13 games with seven starts for Washington last season, racking up 23 total pressures and a Pro Football Focus grade of 58.6. He is a solid run defender who should provide some depth as a defensive end in base defenses under Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake this season.
Atlanta has now added four defensive free agents over the last week. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman will come out of retirement to join the team after initially signing in 2022 and veteran cornerback Antonio Hamilton signed a contract on Thursday.
The Cardinals get help on offense and defense but not at the positions most people expect.
We are near the end of the mock drafts and this latest from Dane Brugler of The Athletic has the Arizona Cardinals doing the unthinkable. While most would say the Cardinals are certain to focus on two positions — offensive tackle and receiver — Brugler’s seven-round mock draft has them taking neither position at any point in the draft. ‘
Here is this mock draft plays out.
Round 1: Auburn DL Derrick Brown
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This definitely would not be the first time Brown is projected to go to the Cardinals. He fills a need and some believe he is one of the best players in the draft. He very possibly is a starter on the defensive line with Corey Peters and Jordan Phillips to open the season. In this mock draft, the only offensive lineman not available is Tristan Wirfs. Will the Cardinals pass on three of the other tackles and all the receivers?
The Baltimore Ravens need to continue to beef up their pass rush and will likely turn to the 2020 NFL Draft as their remedy.
Despite the additions of Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe this offseason, one of the Baltimore Ravens’ biggest priorities heading into the draft will be to beef up their outside pass rush. The Ravens were the most blitz heavy team in the NFL in 2019, but despite sending extra rushers on 54.9% of their defensive snaps they still finished the season with the 12th fewest sacks.
Though Baltimore has outside linebacker Matthew Judon returning in 2020 via the franchise tag, they could use some help opposite him and potentially need his replacement. In order to remedy their pass rush and build towards the future, the Ravens will likely turn to the 2020 NFL Draft. But as we’ve seen in previous years, Baltimore won’t reach for a player and could look to any of the seven rounds for their player.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the best options for the Ravens in each round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
1st Round – Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
The two best edge-rushing prospects in the draft, Chase Young and K’Lavon Chaisson, will be long gone by the time the Ravens make their first pick at 28. But there’s a good chance Gross-Matos will still be available.
Gross-Matos ended his time with the Penn State Nittany Lions with 18.5 sacks as well as a whopping 36.5 tackles for loss. He played as an edge defender for most of his career but was often deployed inside on passing downs. His versatility would be an asset to Baltimore and make him a handy tool for defensive coordinator Don Martindale.
Gross-Matos is far from a finished product but he has enough skills to contribute as a pass rush specialist early in his career while he finetunes the rest of his game.
The prospects from the upcoming draft may be limited in terms of traveling and meetings, however, the NFL has still found creative ways to conduct interviews. Whether it’s through FaceTime or any other video contact apps, they’ve all done their best …
The prospects from the upcoming draft may be limited in terms of traveling and meetings, however, the NFL has still found creative ways to conduct interviews. Whether it’s through FaceTime or any other video contact apps, they’ve all done their best to do their homework on the prospects they could be adding to their teams in a few weeks.
The Jags are amongst the teams who’ve been working hard with interviews despite all of the limitations COVID-19 has caused. Thanks to our comrade of Draft Wire,Justin Melo, we’ve been able to stay in the loop with some of the prospects the Jags have shown interest in after the NFL Scouting Combine. Here are some of the names he’s confirmed who the Jags have contacted:
A.J. Green, CB, Oklahoma State
Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech
Kenny Willekes, DL, Michigan State
Nick Harris, Center, Washington
Darrion Daniels, DL, Nebraska
Marlon Davidson, DL, Auburn
James Smith-Williams, EDGE, North Carolina State
Alohi Gilman, Safety, Notre Dame
One of our guests on the “Bleav in the Jags Podcast,” Jordan Reid, also reported that the Jags had a FaceTime interview with Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas.
Georgia OT Andrew Thomas, who’s widely seen as one of the best offensive tackle prospects in this class, has had FaceTime meetings with the #Browns, #Dolphins, #Jaguars, and #Jets. He also has a meeting with the #Giants upcoming this week, per source.
In terms of Combine interviews, we reported back in February that the Jags interviewed Miami’s DeeJay Dallas, Florida State’s Cam Akers, Georgia’s Solomon Kindley, and Louisiana States Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Kindley, a Jacksonville native recently sat down with Action News Jax as he’s training locally to prepare for the NFL season. In our latest mock, we slotted Kindley to the Jags in the second round.
Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with North Carolina State edge defender prospect James Smith-Williams
Even for some of the top prospects in the 2020 NFL draft class, planning for life after football should be a high priority, even as they prepare to make the jump to the pros in their current profession.
One prospect who already has a post-gridiron plan? North Carolina State edge defender James Smith-Williams, who recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his focus on off-field endeavors, his experience at the NFL Scouting Combine, and why an NFL team should take a chance on him.
JM: You’ve put on 60 pounds since your freshmen season. What went into that transformation?
JSW: I embraced the motto that you eat with a purpose. I eat several meals a day. I make sure that I’m getting my protein, carbohydrates and calories in. We have such a great staff at NC State. They really helped me transform my body. They’ve helped out so many guys in the weight room. They were very beneficial to my transformation and overall development.
JM: You spent the summer of 2018 working a paid internship with IBM. You were working within their robotic automation department. You actually have a job waiting for you with IBM once your football career comes to an end. Tell me a little about that experience.
JSW: I’ve actually worked a paid internship at IBM for the last two summers now. I first worked in their RPA department, that stands for Robotic Process Automation. I was working the daily tasks. I was putting emails together, gathering different reports and making sure the proper information was reaching the higher ups. I was putting things into spreadsheets and making sure the process was properly automated.
In 2019, I worked more on the marketing side for them. I was working with Photoshop and what not. I actually helped create a commercial that they’re currently using internally. That was a cool experience. I’ve been really blessed and fortunate to receive an opportunity at IBM, and I definitely did everything I could to make the most of it. They decided that they wanted me to become a permanent member of their team. I have a job waiting for me there one day. It’s a huge blessing.
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JM: How important was it for you to plan for life after football?
JSW: It’s incredibly important. Growing up, I was always more focused on academics than anything. I was gonna go to Columbia for med school. NC State offered me a scholarship, and the opportunity to play football at NC State while remaining close to home was too tempting to pass up. I fell in love with that offer. I wanted to make sure that I had a plan. Obviously, football started to take shape for me. I had a future in the sport and I decided to take that route. I’m very blessed. I was also fortunate to receive the opportunity at IBM. That opened up a whole new avenue for me. I’ve enjoyed every step of the way.
JM: NC State head coach Dave Doeren asked you to wear the No. 1 jersey in 2019. That’s something that means a lot to the program, and it’s only given to student athletes that exemplify work ethic, character and leadership. What did that honor mean to you?
JSW: It was awesome. I’ve had the pleasure to see a lot of great guys wear the No. 1 jersey for us. Jaylen Samuels received the same honor, and he’s with the Pittsburgh Steelers now. It’s meant for somebody that handles his business both on and off the field, and in the community as well. It really meant a lot to me.
JM: You suffered a lower-body injury that cost you part of the 2019 season. Where are you at health-wise right now?
JSW: I feel great. I was fortunate enough that it wasn’t an injury that required surgery. I just needed time to rest and fully heal and recover. I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time at EXOS during my pre-draft preparation and was able to rehab at their top-notch facilities. I was able to go to the combine and be a full participant. I was fortunate that it wasn’t a serious injury. I feel great right now.
JM: What was your experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?
JSW: There’s nothing like it. Everyone sees the stuff on TV, the exciting stuff like the 40-yard dash or broad jump. I feel like the drills were the least important aspect of the combine. The medicals and interviews play a huge role. You’re up late at night and early in the morning. It’s a crazy, hectic process. I think I did a pretty good job out there.
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
JM: How would you describe your pass rush arsenal?
JSW: I’m a guy that loves to work speed-to-power. I use that to open up a whole realm of possibilities. I have some speed in my arsenal as well. Power is a very important aspect of my game. I have some finesse moves as well. I’m always gonna go power first.
JM: Were you able to get any private visits or workouts in before the spread of COVID-19 shut everything down?
JSW: I was not. Our pro day was unfortunately canceled. I was very lucky and fortunate to have the East-West Shrine Game and combine as opportunities to showcase my talent and meet with some teams in person. I had a chance to get out in front of the scouts. I had some visits lined up but of course they were all canceled.
JM: What were some of the visits that you had lined up?
JSW: I had a lot of visits set up surrounded around my pro day. I had some lunch and dinner plans. They were all visits scheduled around my pro day. We were gonna watch film together and hop on the white board.
The New York Jets were coming to town. I had something set up with the Patriots and Titans. The Ravens and Chargers were gonna meet me at my pro day as well. Those are the ones I can recall. I had a whole bunch of meetings planned. I’ve had some meetings via FaceTime as well.
JM: Who are some of the teams that you’ve met with via FaceTime and what not?
JSW: I’ve met with the Jaguars, Giants, Titans, Ravens and Jets. There’s probably another handful of teams that I can’t recall at this moment. My schedule is pretty hectic right now.
JM: Why should an NFL team use one of their draft picks on James Smith-Williams?
JSW: I have a lot of intangibles to bring to the table. I’m a coach-able guy. I’m gonna come in and work extremely hard at my craft. I think my body of work proves that I’m a hard working guy, I worked hard to transform my body and I was able to secure that paid internship at IBM as well. I’m a versatile guy that can rush the passer out of a variety of stances. I can rush off the edge, I can stop the run and I can drop back into coverage as well. I’ve played both inside and outside. I’m gonna add a lot to a team both on and off the field.
