The New England Patriots worked out veteran tight end Mitchell Wilcox on Monday, liked what they saw and ultimately agreed on a deal, per Patriots.com.
Wilcox recently played for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2021-2023. He played in 48 games, making nine starts and recording 29 catches for 211 yards and a touchdown.
New England could use tight end depth, with the headliner at the position being Hunter Henry. They signed Austin Hooper to a one-year deal back in March as a replacement for former Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki, who signed with the Bengals in free agency.
La’Michael Pettway is also on the roster at this time, serving as the third-string tight end.
The Patriots could grab another tight end in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday. This year is particularly deep at the position, and there are multiple players that would qualify as solid depth options in New England.
The Bengals make one of many decisions at tight end this offseason.
The Cincinnati Bengals have made a decision on one part of the complicated tight end puzzle this offseason.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bengals won’t extend a tender to restricted free agent Mitchell Wilcox.
That’s a mild surprise, as Wilcox is a former undrafted free agent who carved out a very nice role for himself as a reserve over a few years in Cincinnati.
This doesn’t mean Wilcox can’t come back. Fellow unrestricted free agent Joe Bachie just got a one-year deal instead of a tender. Wilcox could do the same after testing free agency, potentially to see if he can serve in a bigger role elsewhere.
Wilcox, Hayden Hurst and Drew Sample are all free agents this offseason, hence the team often projected to sign outside free agents or make notable draft picks at the position.
With the 2020 NFL Draft just around the corner, here’s a look at several Day 3 prospects the New York Giants could target.
There’s not much to do these days except analyze the upcoming NFL Draft and what we’ve done here is line up some possible Day 3 candidates for the New York Giants.
In both of the scenarios below, the Giants did not land Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons. In the first scenario, we passed on him at No. 4. In the second, he was gone before the Giants were on the clock.
Analysis: Wirfs is a versatile, athletic lineman the Giants sorely need. They have a lot invested in Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley and they need some talent up front to help stabilize the trenches.
Day 2
Round 2, Pick 36: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
Round 3, Pick 99: Nick Harris, C, Washington
Analysis: Queen would be a steal here and more than make up for passing on Simmons in the first round. Queen next to Blake Martinez in a 3-4 would be a nice tandem. Harris is a down-and dirty interior lineman cut from the Richie Seubert cloth. Giant fans will love him.
Day 3
Round 4, Pick 110: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah
Round 5, Pick 150: Isaiah Hodgins, WR, Oregon State
Round 6, Pick 183: Antoine Brooks Jr., S, Maryland
Round 7, Pick 247: Levonta Taylor, CB, Florida State
Round 7, Pick 255: Mitchell Wilcox, TE, South Florida
Analysis: Blackmon is a pretty good fourth round find. I feel he’d start for the Giants right away. Hodgins was a sleeper, but his name has been rising. Not sure he’ll be around at No. 150. Brooks is a physical safety the Giants will find many uses for. Throckmorton would have to excel in camp to make the roster, but he’s got some ability. The final three players are all boom or bust types, but are all good athletes with solid football acumen.
Luke Easterling’s picks for the most underrated prospects at every position in the 2020 NFL draft class
We’re two weeks away from the 2020 NFL Draft, and while there are plenty of top prospects getting their well-earned attention in the first-round conversation, others are flying under the radar.
Here are my picks for the most underrated prospects at every position in this year’s draft:
QUARTERBACK
Jalen Hurts | Oklahoma
It’s hard to imagine a player with Hurts’ resume being underrated, but he’s still not getting enough respect as a top quarterback prospect in this class. Hurts made huge improvements as a passer in his senior year, similar to what we saw from Dak Prescott in his final season at Mississippi State.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Hurts has a similar skill set to Prescott, too, and has the ability to make a similar impact at the next level. Hurts should be in the second-round conversation after one of the most incredible careers of any college quarterback in history.
The NFL Scouting Combine didn’t do any favors for these three draft prospects.
The Kansas City Chiefs have some work to do thinning out their draft board ahead of the 2020 NFL draft following the combine. Brett Veach and his staff work to remove plenty of names in order to assemble their final draft board. Pro days, private workouts and top-30 visits will be the final chance players have to make an impression, however, several players have perhaps sealed their fate at with their performances at the combine.
In 2019, I selected Florida DL Jachai Polite, Texas WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Troy CB Blace Brown as players Kansas City should remove from their draft board. Two of those players, Brown and Humphrey, went undrafted. Polite was drafted in the third round by the New York Jets, but he didn’t make it past roster cuts. Both Polite and Humphrey are currently on NFL rosters, but none of the three players have yet to make an impact in the NFL.
Here are three players that I think the Chiefs should remove from their final draft board following the results of the 2020 NFL combine:
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USF TE Mitchell Wilcox
Wilcox came in under threshold in his height (6-3), weight (247), hand size (9.25) and arm length (32.25). I’d look past those things if he didn’t have a poor performance the rest of the way.
The best measurable drill that Wilcox had at his combine was his short shuttle time (4.43). Every other measurable drill for Wilcox was an unmitigated disaster. Only two tight ends ran worse in the 40-yard dash (4.88). He had the second-worst vertical jump (31 inches) and the worst broad jump (112 inches) of any of the tight end group.
Did he make up for anything in bench press? Nope, instead, he was one of just four tight ends that participated in drills to not lift.
The gauntlet wasn’t a good look for Wilcox either.
Mitchell Wilcox just took a football to the face during the 'Gauntlet Drill' at #NFLCombine
It’s hard to draft Wilcox after his combine performance, but I know he’s an effort player on tape and if he interviewed well, perhaps NFL teams will view it differently. For me, it’s a pass.
The 2020 NFL Scouting Combine has concluded in Indianapolis. Who won the week, and who leaves town with work to do?
The 2020 NFL scouting combine is now in the books. Over the course of the past week, more than 300 prospective NFL players were put through the paces during the world’s strangest job interview. After all, that is what the combine truly is: A job interview. Some will get jobs, others will not.
With the combine behind us, who improved their chances, and which prospects still have work to do?
Winner: Jalen Hurts
(Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)
The Oklahoma product came into Indianapolis known for his athleticism, and he did not disappoint in that regard. Hurts posted a 4.59 40-yard dash, one of the best numbers turned in by the quarterbacks and a number that backs up Hurts’ athleticism on film. (Only Cole McDonald ran faster, besting Hurts by 0.01 seconds).
But scouts and evaluators knew that the Oklahoma signal-caller was athletic. What they wanted to see was more evidence that he can develop into an NFL passer. That is where his throwing session comes into play. He impressed during his throwing session, displaying tighter and crisper mechanics. In addition, the ball popped out of his hand very well. For example, he delivered on a well-placed out route to Isaiah Hodges along the left sideline, as well and a great dig route to Antonio Gandy-Golden off of a deep drop into the pocket. Those throws highlighted some improved footwork from the quarterback. Hurts helped himself this week, especially when you consider how well he likely performed in his interviews with teams.
While Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa seem solidified in the top tier of quarterbacks, there is a lot of wrangling behind them for a spot in that second tier. With his performance in Indianapolis, Hurts might have moved into that group.
Loser: Jake Fromm
(Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)
To be fair to Fromm, the parts of the Combine that were visible to the public are probably not the areas where he is going to excel. The Georgia passer is not known for having a powerful arm, nor is he known for upper-tier athleticism. During the testing and the workout at Lucas Oil Stadium, those parts of his game were on display. Fromm managed just a 5.01 40-yard dash, the slowest time of any quarterback who chose to run. During his throwing session, Fromm’s passes lacked velocity and tended to dip as they approached their target.
However, the parts that we could not see, specifically the team interviews and the whiteboard sessions, are probably where Fromm shines. He is a very smart and experienced passer who was given a lot of responsibility at the line of scrimmage, and early in his career. From the neck up Fromm is one of the better quarterbacks in this class, and during those meetings he likely impressed coaches and general managers with his knowledge of the game and offensive/defensive schemes.
There is likely to be an NFL team – or more – that falls for Fromm during this process. Based on his film, it will likely be due more to what he does during the meetings than anything he displayed Thursday night on the Lucas Oil Turf.
The Baltimore Ravens are paying close attention to the results of the 2020 NFL Combine to see which players might rise or fall to them.
The first day of drills happened at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine yesterday. The quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends ran through the gauntlet in front of scouts and general managers in an effort to help their stock in the 2020 NFL Draft.
For some, they exceeded expectations and might have put themselves in a better position come draft day. For others, they failed to impress and could have pushed themselves down teams’ draft boards. So let’s see which players the Ravens could be interested in won and lost on the first day of the 2020 NFL Combine.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Winner: WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
As a big-bodied wide receiver with decent hands and good route running, Claypool was a prime target for Baltimore in the second or third round. But Claypool was the winner of the 2020 NFL Combine thanks to outstanding measurements.
At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, Claypool’s 4.42-second 40-yard dash was blisteringly fast considering his size. His 40.5-inch high jump ranked fourth among wide receivers and shows how explosive he can be in the lower half. Basically, Claypool proved he’s the big, physical receiver he showed on film but also proved he’s got deceptive speed as well.
The fact Claypool’s combine performance is being compared favorably to Clavin Johnson is probably all you actually need to hear.
USF tight end Mitchell Wilcox’s gauntlet drill during the scouting combine was memorable, but not for reasons he would prefer.
INDIANAPOLIS — One of the truest expressions in football is “Keep your head on a swivel.” It means to be aware of everything around you, because things move so fast at every level of the game.
USF tight end Mitchell Wilcox, who caught 100 passes for 1,326 yards and 11 touchdowns in his collegiate career, won’t have to hear that experssion twice after what happened to him during Thursday night’s combine drills. During the gauntlet exercise, which asks receivers to catch passes from either side all the way across the field, Wilcox didn’t quite get his head around in time, and… well, this happened.
