NFL
notebook: Barkley impresses at NFL Combine
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[March 03, 2018]
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley proved why he is
widely considered a top-five pick in the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft
with a statement in workout testing at the NFL Scouting Combine on
Friday.
After the 232-pound junior tossed up 29 reps of 225 pounds on the
bench press Thursday, Barkley put up more impressive numbers on
Friday, posting a 41-inch vertical leap and unofficial 4.41 40-yard
dash time.
Barkley said Thursday when he met the media he expected to dominate
the event.
--The Miami Dolphins have agreed to acquire defensive end Robert
Quinn from the Los Angeles Rams, according to multiple reports.
The Rams will receive a mid-round pick in the deal, according to
ESPN.
Quinn, 27, once was one of the most feared defensive ends in the NFL
when he totaled 40 sacks from 2012-14 while the Rams were in St.
Louis. But the two-time Pro Bowler has totaled just 17.5 sacks over
the past three seasons, with 8.5 coming in 2017.
-- Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield sees himself as the "most accurate"
quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft and believes he can help save the
long-struggling Cleveland Browns.
"If there's anyone to turn them around it's me," Mayfield said. "I'm
ready from Day 1 to be a franchise guy."
The Browns own two of the first four picks in the draft and are
likely in the market for a quarterback. The New York Giants, who
pick second, could be in position to draft Eli Manning's successor,
while the New York Jets and Denver Broncos are also in the
quarterback market.
-- Despite some teams reportedly asking Louisville quarterback Lamar
Jackson to work out as a wide receiver at the NFL Scouting Combine,
the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner say he won't consider a position
change.
"I'm strictly a quarterback," said Jackson. "Whoever likes me at
quarterback, that's where I'm going.
"No teams have asked me to work out at wide receiver. I don't know
where it comes from."
-- Ohio State center Billy Price said that he suffered an incomplete
pectoral tear during the bench press Thursday and will receive a
second opinion before deciding whether to undergo surgery.
Price, who is the top-rated center prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft
class by most analysts, said he felt a pop on the left side of his
chest during his third rep with the 225-pound bench. He was
evaluated by the Indianapolis Colts' medical staff and said MRI
results reviewed Friday morning showed that it is not a complete
tear.
Price fully expects to be ready for training camp and the 2018
season.
--Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Buffalo Bills quarterback
Jim Kelly said he will undergo reconstructive surgery on his upper
jaw to treat a recurrence of oral cancer.
Kelly, 58, announced in a statement released by the Bills that his
oral cancer has returned. He had been cancer-free since September
2014.
Kelly told WGRZ that the procedure will take place at the end of
March in New York City and will involve taking part of his fibula
and blood vessels from his leg. The surgery will close an interior
hole in his jaw where it was operated on a few years ago.
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--After 16 seasons and two Super Bowl titles, Ozzie Newsome is
entering his final season as the Baltimore Ravens' general manager
before handing over his duties to longtime assistant Eric DeCosta.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti announced earlier this month the
decision to transition from Newsome to DeCosta was made five years
ago and that Newsome will remain with the team in an unspecified
capacity.
"Five years has gone really, really fast," Newsome said at the
Scouting Combine. "It's a little bit like when I announced my
retirement as a player. You get a chance to get the pats on your
back."
--The San Francisco 49ers won a coin toss with the Oakland Raiders,
giving the 49ers the ninth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Oakland will pick 10th overall in the first round.
The teams flipped a coin because they finished the season with
identical 6-10 records and the same strength of schedule.
"Bad flip," Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said when asked
for his reaction to losing the coin toss.
--Seattle general manager John Schneider still views the Seahawks as
a championship-caliber team despite missing the playoffs in 2017.
"We've created a high standard, and that's the fun challenge,"
Schneider said at the Scouting Combine. "We went 9-7 last year and
you would have thought we won two games. It's a pit that sticks in
your stomach and really fuels you."
The Seahawks parted ways with their offensive and defensive
coordinators this offseason and face major personnel decisions at
defensive tackle. Sheldon Richardson and tight end Jimmy Graham are
free agents while strong safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end
Cliff Avril are trying to recover from career-threatening knee
injuries.
--Former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Branden Albert was arrested
earlier this week in Atlanta and is facing a felony charge for
willful obstruction of law enforcement officers by use of threats or
violence and second degree criminal damage to property.
The disturbance involving Albert took place at a jewelry store,
according to USA Today, which obtained a copy of the Atlanta Police
Department's incident report.
The report states Albert, 33, was in an area of the store where
customers aren't allowed. When the owner asked him to leave, Albert
punched a jewelry cabinet and was confronted by law enforcement
officers. After attempting to flee, Albert was reportedly tased and
involved in a physical altercation with multiple officers before he
was arrested.
--Field Level Media
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