NFL Notebook: Draft chatter ahead of this week's NFL combine

After eliminating much of the combine last year due to Covid, things will get relatively back to normal this week as the NFL world descends on Indianapolis. We'll still have to see how many players decide to work out and how things will be handled, but it will be good to see things start to get back on schedule.

A little bit of a primer for the combine (we'll be there Wednesday-Saturday providing coverage):

Tuesday and Wednesday will be heavy on NFL coaches and general managers hitting the podium. Bill Belichick or any other Patriots employee are not scheduled to talk, but there will be some notable appearances:

Tuesday: Brandon Beane (1 p.m.), Sean McDermott (1:15 p.m.), Jason Licht (1:30 p.m.), Bruce Arians (1:45 p.m.), Brian Daboll (2 p.m.). 

Wednesday: Josh McDaniels (1:15 p.m.), Mike Vrabel (1:45 p.m.), Sean McVay (5:30 p.m.).

The players will meet the media starting Wednesday. Schedule:

Wednesday morning - Quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends
Thursday morning - Offensive line, running backs
Friday morning - Defensive line, linebackers
Saturday morning - Defensive backs, specialists.

NFL Network Workouts Coverage

Thursday, 4 p.m.: Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
Friday, 4 p.m.: Running Backs, Offensive Line & Special Teams
Saturday, 4 p.m.: Defensive Line & Linebackers
Sunday, 2 p.m.: Defensive Backs

To get you primed for the coverage this week, NFL Network made Daniel Jeremiah available to the media in a marathon conference call. I think Jeremiah does a great job and his instincts/analysis are usually on point. Plus, he came up in the Patriots scouting system via Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens, so he sees things through a Patriots-ish prism.

We combed through the conference call and the transcript and here are some of his most interesting opinions.

(By the way, he has the Patriots selecting Utah LB Devin Lloyd at No. 21, which was the same pick as our Kevin Field.)

Overall 2022 class/combine impressions

"I think this is a really good depth draft, especially when you get into the second, third, fourth round. There's a lot of quality there, a lot of starters.

... The combine being back, though, yeah, it's back, but I don't know that every organization is sending their full allotment of people like they normally would. I know some people are coming in for a little bit and then leaving. So some of the group think stuff that would go on in years past, I don't know if we'll have that to that full extent. There are a lot of clusters, when you talk about cluster busters in this draft and closely graded players. I mean, I've said similar things in years past, but this year especially, the difference between the 15th player and the 60th player in this draft is very small, and teams are going to have these guys in all different orders."

Patriots' potential to upgrade at receiver that could be available where they pick early, 21 and 53:

"Yeah, I think there's a ton of guys in that range. The two guys I would keep an eye on with that first-round pick who I think are going to probably come off the board right around there -- now, I say that going into the combine know that -- I'm talking about Chris Olave from Ohio State and Jahan Dotson from Penn State. Both these guys are going to run in the 4.3s, so they're going to fly around in Indy, and maybe that helps elevate them up the board a little bit. But both those guys are pristine route runners with big-time speed, and I think that would give them some play-making ability.

Talk about Mac (Jones) and the deep ball he was able to throw this college. He throws a beautiful touch deep ball. When you got guys that can get over the top, takeoffs, posts, double moves, things like that, that what's Olave and Jahan Dotson can do.

I think Dotson for me, I think he has the best hands in the draft. He really attacks the football. He's got outstanding ability to adjust. He can catch it back hip, above the rim. You name it, he can do it. So he's a really intriguing player to me.

Both these guys, I think the reason why they would be there in the 20s is because of the play strength question. Both of them are going to be under 190 pounds, and you just wish they were a little bit physically stronger. But I think both of them, they come off the board in that range.

The other one in the first round, we'll see what happens with Jameson Williams from Alabama, because in a world where he doesn't get hurt, he's a top-10 pick. But coming off of an ACL you would think there would be a full recovery there, and that could end up being -- man, it could end up being a tremendous value for somebody towards the bottom of the first round if he ends up sliding down there.

A couple other guys that I think are kind of like Patriot-type players, Skyy Moore from Western Michigan. Probably going to go in the second or third round, but he's got some -- maybe it's just the Mac thing, but I saw some Antonio Brown traits from him when you studied him, minus some of the newer Antonio Brown info. But that dude ... he's really dynamic and crisp. The Patriots love guys like that. He's quicker than a hiccup. Just puts guys in a blender. Just really fun to watch.

Then an outside guy that gets some steam is Christian Watson, North Dakota State, who is 6-4, 211 pounds. Had an awesome week down there at the Senior Bowl, and he's going to run really fast, as well. And actually was a more fluid and smooth route runner down in Mobile than maybe you anticipated off the tape.

It's a great wide receiver draft. I feel like we could copy and paste the comments on wide receivers and use it for the next 20 years, because the college game is giving us a ton of these guys every year.

Other receivers mentioned...

"I would love Garrett Wilson in there (with Eagles). I think he's the best receiver in the draft in my opinion, and he can do everything. He is a complete wide receiver. We talk about the speed guys in this draft and we talk about the physical play-above-the-rim guys, I think he gives you a little bit of both of that with what he can do after the catch, as well.

I think he'd be a really nice complement (to Devonta Smith). From just a pure size skillset standpoint, you'd say Drake London would be kind of the power forward that they don't necessarily have there opposite of Devonta. I think he's exceptional. Again, watching the Chargers and seeing what Mike Williams does, I think Drake London can do that stuff. He can play inside. He can play outside. He's got outstanding hands. He's got outstanding feel and instincts. A lot of contested catches, which you talk to some people around the league and they celebrate it, and you talk to other people around the league and they say, oh, it's because he can't separate. I don't know. I know the guy is big, and when the ball goes up in the air, he comes down with it. He's a really intriguing player, and everything that I've been told about him from a character, competitiveness, makeup stuff, it's just completely off the charts.

Middle to late first-round edge players...

(Purdue's George) Karlaftis is a legitimate one. I know it's polarizing, I guess, but just about everybody I talk to in the NFL feels like this is a real high-floor player. I wrote down in comp that he reminded me of Ryan Kerrigan, and then you find out they're both Purdue guys and him and Kerrigan talk and they've got a good relationship, which would be an interesting connection to the Eagles. But to give you an idea on Karlaftis, when the scouts went in there they said this guy is --they had to kick him out of the facility, he bought an apartment right next to the facility so he could get there all the time and literally he's just a football junkie. He's a big-time power rusher. He plays extremely hard.

I know some people think of that as a knock on somebody when you say he's got a real big motor and plays really hard. It's like you're trying to cover up for something else. But no, this guy has got some quickness. He's got some power. He's just not real loose or bendy at the top, but I think he'll be in that mix about where they're picking.

Then (David) Ojabo is a fascinating one at Michigan who's just really started to come on on the other side of Hutchinson. He's got a big-time get-off. He can bend better once he gets to the top of his rush than Karlaftis. He just needs to be a little stronger, more consistent, and kind of earn more reps to play the run, which he didn't get a ton of there at Michigan.

I would say those are probably the names you're looking at. And then maybe if you slid back a little bit, which Howie loves to move around, so now if you slide back you get into a new set of names when you start talking about Boye Mafe from Minnesota who can end up going. He's an interesting one, and there are some other intriguing names that are a little bit undersized but are really, really good players who could play kind of a Sam for them, who could drop a little bit. A guy like Nik Bonitto could do some of those things from Oklahoma, who I think is probably going to end up going in the second round.

Top Georgia players, LB Nakobe Dean, DT Jordan Davis, Edge Travon Walker and DT Devonte Wyatt...

Nakobe Dean, I remember Jonathan Vilma when he first came into the league and I remember during the scouting process and something that people had concerns about with size or this, that or the other and the guy was just dripping with instincts. Everything was so natural to him. He saw things and was two steps ahead of everybody on the field. That's who Nakobe Dean reminds me of. When you talk about the center of your defense and having that intelligence, the toughness, the leadership, he's got all that stuff in spades. I think he's outstanding. He can cover. You see him mirror backs. He's a real crafty blitzer. In my notes, I wrote this guy does everything fast. There's nothing he does that isn't fast. He's probably the greatest disparity in terms of how I have a guy graded and where I have him going because I can't get a feel for where he's going to go in the first round. He's a top-10 player for me, but I know in talking to a lot of teams, teams are obsessed with trying to find the longer, rangier, off-the-ball linebackers. They're looking for Darius Leonard, they're looking for Fred Warner, and I think some of that kind of dings Nakobe because he doesn't have that size and length. I'm curious to see where he goes, but I'll bet on him. I think he's going to be a really, really good player.

Travon Walker is one that I think I upset the majority of the New York Giants fan base by giving him to the Giants in this latest mock draft. And I wasn't trolling. I legit think this guy has got a chance to go all the way up there. He's going to go to the combine. From what I was told from what he was doing at Georgia, he's going to be 6'5", anywhere from 265 to 275 pounds. He's probably going to have close to 35-inch arms, which is ridiculously long, and he's going to run in the low 4.6s. So literally is -- he's a special, special athlete. When you watch him on tape at Georgia, I know some people will look to the pressure percentage numbers, the pass production, and be a little disappointed, but when you study him and you see how tight his alignments are there and what he's asked to do, they don't loosen him up on the edge and just let him go.

I think an NFL team is going to give him that opportunity, and I think you're going to see a really, really good player. But this is somebody, when you're talking to GMs and personnel directors on an almost daily basis, this guy's name comes up almost every day. This guy has got a lot of love around the league, and he's going to go a lot higher than people anticipate. Bonus on him. If you want to see one of the better plays in this draft, go watch what he does against Florida when he drops in coverage and tips a ball up in the air that gets picked off. It's pretty incredible.

Jordan Davis ... I would say is a pretty polarizing player from folks around the league. Obviously, he's a giant. He's enormous. He's really got some knock-back to him as a pass rusher. He's got some sneaky quickness to go along with that. He's got range against the run. The big question on him was how much can you play him and how big is his gas tank. In that first Alabama game, that bothered some folks because you thought he got really gassed out. They went with a little tempo, kept him on the field, and gassed him out. I think he goes somewhere in the 10 to 20 range in this draft just because he's such a unique player because of the size. He's an interesting one.

I'll go to the next one in Devonte Wyatt. He's going to put on a show at the combine, as well. He is a freak. He was dominant at the Senior Bowl, super, super twitched up. He's going to be 300 plus pounds and he's going to run in probably like the 4.8s or something like that. He's going to go flying up the board because everyone is trying to find interior pass rushers.

Quay Walker can play off the ball, can over the tight end, real physical. He's got tremendous range. I think he probably goes in the second round would be my guess in this draft.

And then Lewis Cine is just a real physical safety. He's a great run support player, plays with a lot of speed. I think his thing is going to be in coverage. You can see him in coverage, there are some times he gets beat by tight ends, and that's a little bit of the concern there, but you love the temperament and how he plays.

More on Wyatt and Davis ... how they might fit into a 3-4 Steelers type of scheme? I guess with Davis obviously he's a nose, but can you get any value from him as a sub-package guy?

Yeah, he's an interesting discussion. We talked a little bit about him, but this is a debate I was having with a GM the other day. We were talking about him, and this is what you needed to decide. I've always said, and kind of pretty popular opinion, I think, with defensive tackles, is that even if you're not a pure pass rusher, if you're a pocket pusher, well, there's value in being able to collapse the pocket. It just condenses space. It allows your edge rushers to get home. It's clogging the view of the quarterback.

This general manager came back and said, you know what? It's got to be sudden collapsing, though. Like any quarterback and any offensive coordinator in the NFL will sign up for guys that are going to slowly get walked back, because the ball is getting out. The ball is going to be gone. So you're not going to be able to impact it. If you're just kind of a slowly-walk-the-center-back-to-the-quarterback guy, you're not going to have as much impact.

I think this guy can do a little bit more than that. I think he's a little bit more explosive. You'll see him, on occasion, he'll get on an edge and do some things there. So I think he has a little bit more to him there as a pass rusher than you might think.

And then Devonte Wyatt, he could play the 5 technique. He can stack blocks if you want him to. But his value is going to come once you get him to sub-packages. Out him in a 1 technique in the shade of a center or a 3 technique, edge of the guard, and just let this guy get up field where he's really, really explosive.

Devin Lloyd...

In terms of like the do-everything guys off the ball, on the edge, Devin Lloyd is my first choice there. He's explosive. He's not going to run as fast as Micah (Parsons) did, but he's got length, he's got instincts, he's outstanding in pass coverage. Like if you watch the Stanford game, he's got a pick-six in that game that's pretty cool. But no, he's somebody that can do a little bit of both from that regard.

I would also add, we talked about him a little bit earlier, but from Georgia, Quay Walker, he can do some different things, too. He's kind of a unique package with his ability to play off the ball and rush, as well.

Is there one of these guys you think could play Mike linebacker, one of the guys higher up, Lloyd or Dean, or are they not that kind of guy?

I think they absolutely both are. I've talked a lot about what Nakobe Dean brings from the intelligence and leadership stuff. Kyle Whittingham has been doing it for a very long time, and when he tells every scout that goes through there this is the best defensive player I've ever coached, pretty darned strong praise. He's kind of that same type of guy where you get all that leadership you need out of that inside linebacker position.

Yeah, those are my seventh and eighth players in the entire draft with Nakobe Dean and Devin Lloyd, and because of positional value and teams not necessarily having a need there, I think you're going to see those guys be two of the better value picks in the draft because they probably do slide down a little bit.

Cornerbacks and offensive line starting in second round...

Corners, I think it's a solid group of corners. Where does Kaiir Elam end up going from Florida, who's really, really tall? He's a press corner. He's got big-time makeup speed. There's some stuff in the transition that he struggled with a little bit, gave up a little bit of separation, but I think there's a lot to like about him in kind of that range of where they are.

And then with the offensive line, you're going to be able to find tackles pretty much throughout this draft. A guy like Max Mitchell would be intriguing to me from Louisiana. He's got really good feet. He's a really good athlete, and he's got the ability to reach and seal guys in the run game. You think about the run game with the Niners and what they ask of those guys movement-wise, he'd be up for the challenge. He can really move. He would be a fun one, I think, that would fit really well there.

Patriots' influence on the Raiders...

Look, to me you just go back to the Patriots. They even said pretty much the same thing at their press conference. You can kind of identify -- the teams I worked with, you kind of look at, okay, this is a Patriots' type player. What does that look like? Usually, it's somebody that's got some versatility, they've got outstanding football intelligence so they can be able to do different things, and they can handle volume because it's an offense and a defense that morphs and changes all the time. Those types of players I think you can try and identify them in that way. I am excited by the way. I'm sure all Raider fans, that there's never been a coach and a player that were more matched up than Hunter Renfrow and Josh McDaniels. I'm excited to see how that comes together and how they play.

But no, they have needs at corner. I think they need to find a wide receiver that's young, that's got some real juice and some real ability to take some things off the top of the defense.

I look at Olave and Dotson as two guys with big-time speed who I think have that -- the intelligence and the polish that Josh McDaniels would really covet. Those would be two names I think would really fit them with where they're picking down there at 22. I think both those guys would be right down there in that range.

NICKEL PACKAGE

1. One of the more recent coaching moves this offseason has been Pete Carroll's decision to promote defensive line coach Clint Hurtt to replace the ousted Ken Norton as defensive coordinator. 

“One thing that is going to be significantly different this year, we are going to be aggressive,” Hurtt told reporters. “We want that. The aggressiveness is going to have to come from our guys up front getting after the passer, continuing on being strong in the run game like we have been in last few years. That’s the mentality of a defense that we want to have, and our players respond to that mentality.”

Hurtt said the zone-famous Seahawks are going to play less zone. The times, they are a-changing....

2. Brian Flores told HBO's Real Sports that he hasn't spoken to Bill Belichick in any fashion since Belichick's text that is cited as the main evidence in Flores' lawsuit against the league.

BRYANT GUMBEL: “Some members of the Boston media were beating the drum for you to go back to the Patriots. Was that ever in play?”

BRIAN FLORES: “No. I didn’t talk to anyone from New England.”

GUMBEL: “Since that now-infamous text exchange with Bill Belichick, have you spoken with him?”

FLORES: “I have not. I have not.”

GUMBEL: “Have you tried to?”

FLORES: “No. I haven’t.”

GUMBEL: “Do you expect to?”

FLORES: “I mean there’s potential that we could — we could run into each other. I mean I’d be open to a conversation. But, no, I— I— I— well, if that— if that— we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

3. It was funny this week to see Wes Welker back in Dolphins colors as a coach ... after his career started in Miami before being traded to the Patriots.

"Yeah, no, obviously, I had a great team up there in New England and being in the division and everything and it was some a little bit extra whenever I got to play the Dolphins at the time and, and I'm really just excited to be back down here and work into whoever needs to do to make us a contender," Welker told reporters.

"I mean, this is where I started my career. This is where I went from being basically a free agent to becoming a good player in the league and different things like that, but this is where it all began. And I think that's special for anybody in this profession, and very blessed to have had the opportunity to play here and help coach here so I'm really looking forward to it."

4. ESPN's Todd McShay has the Patriots taking Washington CB Kyler Gordon in his mock draft, saying the Patriots "could also use an influx of speed in that area, of which Gordon has a ton. His versatility and ability to jump routes would also be welcome on one of the league's top defenses -- and he'd make the potential loss of Jackson a little easier to handle. ... Linebacker and safety are two other areas to watch, and I'd watch how the receiver class is playing out as New England nears its pick. Ohio State's Chris Olave would give quarterback Mac Jones a smooth route runner with great separating speed. Alternatively, Alabama's Jameson Williams will likely miss some time but could end up the top receiver in the class. Bill Belichick would find ways to get the ball into his hands."

5. Good for Troy Aikman, if he is indeed moving to Monday Night Football at a reported $17.5 million annually. If Tony Romo is getting $18 million — and he's basically been through the motions since he got the extension — then Aikman, who has worked at this for years and knows what he's talking about, should definitely be in the same ballpark.