By Scott Branson | National Desk Three days and seven rounds later, 254 players have new homes in the NFL. Dominoes fall with each pick of the NFL draft, leading to trades and speculation about how each team will press forward. Here's a look around the league at how teams fared and what moves they might be making before...
By Scott Branson | National Desk
Philadelphia Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman, from left, poses with newly-drafted Lane Johnson and head coach Chip Kelly before a news conference at the team's NFL practice facility, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)Here's a look around the league at how teams fared and what moves they might be making before the season gets underway:
» In his first foray into the NFL Draft, first-year Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly took a methodical approach to building his team rather than making drastic moves to acquire pieces for his high-flying offense. From PennLive.com's Tom Flynn:
The worry here leading up to the draft was that Kelly would direct a needs-first process, perhaps moving out of the No. 4 slot in the first round to grab [Geno] Smith, the West Virginia quarterback who has the multi-faceted tools for Kelly's flashy offense but also has shown a worrisome pedigree in big games.Instead, the Eagles choose the old "best player available'' at No. 4, Oklahoma offensive tackle Lane Johnson. As we noted Thursday night, the 6-8, 303-pound Johnson has rare athletic ability for a man his size, important for the fast pace Kelly demands.
» The Pittsburgh Steelers are used to Sundays without oft-injured starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. From PennLive.com's Jeremy Elliott, now the Steelers have a viable second option in fourth-round pick Landry Jones:
» The New York Giants have been wondering when to draft a quarterback to groomSome might not like this pick because Jones hasn't shown any significant improvement since his early years with the Sooners. But this is a cagey move to solidify a position that has been a weakness for this team the last couple years.Roethlisberger takes a lot of hits and is an injury risk. In the past, the Steelers were forced to bring in backups that weren't pure pocket passers.
FILE -In this Nov. 13, 2012, file photo, Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib (12) runs for a gain against Cincinnati defensive back Camerron Cheatham (21) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Nassib was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday, April 27, 2013.(AP Photo/David Kohl, File) The Giants couldn’t believe Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib was still on the board when the draft resumed with the fourth round today at noon. They decided in the morning they couldn’t pass on the smart, strong-armed, productive passer -- and they ended up going one step further, trading up six slots to grab Nassib before he was swiped during a fourth-round run on quarterbacks.
“We’ve been thinking about developing a quarterback behind Eli (Manning) for a while now,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “We think this is a perfect opportunity for us to get a young quarterback with a lot of talent. Very smart, high test score, very productive -- again, the value was too high for us to move on from.”
» The New England Patriots drafted receiver Aaron Dobson in the second round and doubled down on Day 3, selecting receiver Josh Boyce out of TCU with the 102nd pick. Nick Underhill of MassLive.com explains that one of them has to produce early for the picks to be worth it:
The Patriots weren't just busy with the draft on Saturday, also taking time to make a deal to trade running backs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (via MassLive.com)After losing Brandon Lloyd, Deion Branch, Donte' Stallworth and Wes Welker earlier this offseason, New England is in the process of revamping the position. Danny Amendola was brought in to replace Welker, while Donald Jones and Michael Jenkins were signed to compete on the outside, but there are no sure things within the group.Jones is more of an idea than a proven commodity, and there are questions about Jenkins' ability to contribute on a consistent basis. On paper, Dobson and Boyce have the ability to excel, but question marks surround both players coming out of the draft.
» New Orleans Saints fifth-round pick Kenny Stills, a wide receiver from Oklahoma, likely won't make a big contribution in 2013, but his arrival in the Big Easy might spell the end of veteran free agent Devery Henderson's Saints career, according to NOLA.com's Mike Triplett.
Here's what Saints coach Sean Payton had to say about Stills and what he'll bring to New Orleans:
And Henderson doesn't look like the only Saints player on the way out, writes NOLA.com's Larry Holder. Veteran linebacker Scott Shanlee and defensive end Sendrick Ellis aren't in the plans in New Orleans, according to Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis.
Saints' sixth-round pick Rufus Johnson from Tarleton State might be a mystery, but Triplett writes that it's hard to doubt New Orleans' approach to drafting small-school players given recent success:
Johnson also improved his draft stock with a solid performance at the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star game - the same game where recent Saints undrafted standouts like Junior Galette and Joe Morgan once stood out.Galette is obviously a good comparison for Johnson. A raw prospect from Stillman College, Galette has 9.5 sacks over the past two years and is now poised to be a starting outside linebacker for the Saints this year.
Cleveland Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski, left, poses with first round draft pick linebacker Barkevious Mingo before a news conference at the NFL football team's practice facility in Berea, Ohio Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)» Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden's job as the Browns' starter is safe, for now, writes The Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw. The Browns had chances to provide Weeden more competition for the starting job, but the 27-year-old, second-year quarterback appears to be the Browns choice under center for 2013.
In recent years, the draft has been about all Browns fans had to look forward to. But after taking only five players, The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto argues that this year's draft has a "wait-till-next-year" feel.
When the draft finally came, it was like so many recent seasons -- it was all about waiting for next year. What else can you say when the Browns took only two players in the first 174 picks?The Browns traded their fourth-round pick to Pittsburgh for the Steelers' third-rounder in 2014, and their fifth-round pick to Indianapolis for the Colts' fourth-rounder next year.The Browns now have six picks in the first four rounds of the 2014 draft.But this year . . . oh, boy.
» One day into his NFL career, New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith made his goals clear: (via NJ.com)
As far as the Jets' not-so-franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said, 'Mark Sanchez knows what I think about him.'"My goal is to be a franchise quarterback, but as of now there's a lot of work to be done. I gotta handle my playbook, I gotta get into the weight room and start preparing myself for training camp right now."
» The Detroit Lions drafted six players on Day 3 of the draft and also said goodbye to guard Stephen Peterman, who was released and today signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets. From MLive.com's Justin Rogers:
The Lions released Peterman shortly after the Super Bowl, a move that cleared $3.25 million from the team's salary cap.
General manager Martin Mayhew told reporters he released Peterman early in the offseason to provide the veteran more time to find a new team, but Mayhew also admitted he was disappointed with the amount of interior pressure allowed by the offensive line last season.According to football analytics website Pro Football Focus, Peterman surrendered more quarterback pressure than any interior lineman in the NFL last season.