Category: NFL News

Purdy honored to join Young, Smith, Garcia at 49ers charity event originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

They took unique routes to achieve Pro Bowl status, and they are coming together for a shared cause.

Brock Purdy will join former 49ers quarterbacks Jeff Garcia, Alex Smith and Hall of Famer Steve Young for a panel discussion to headline the Dwight Clark Legacy Series on May 16 at the California Theatre in San Jose.

“What an honor to even be able to go up and speak with those guys, like legends in this organization,” Purdy said of the event, a benefit for the Golden Heart Fund.

“Obviously, being a part of a special night to raise money for such a great organization and to help out our alumni that have given everything that they’ve got for this organization. So being able to raise money to help them in their areas, it’s a great cause.”

The Golden Heart Fund was established in 2016 to support former 49ers players in times of physical, emotional and financial need. The Dwight Clark Legacy Event raised $200,000 for the Golden Heart Fund last year.

In addition to the quarterback panel, linebacker Dre Greenlaw will be presented as the winner of the Dwight Clark Award. Greenlaw will provide an update on his recovery from a torn Achilles that he sustained in the Super Bowl.

Purdy, the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, will make his first appearance at the event after finishing fourth in the voting for NFL Most Valuable Player. He was voted as the NFC’s Pro Bowl starter.

Purdy became the first 49ers quarterback named to the Pro Bowl since Garcia earned the recognition three consecutive years (2001 to ’03). Garcia was selected to four Pro Bowls in his career.

Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft who spent eight years with the 49ers. He was selected to three Pro Bowls after being traded to Kansas City in 2013.

Young came to the 49ers after stints in the USFL with the Los Angeles Express and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a two-time NFL MVP and…

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One of the, if not the, biggest surprises of the 2024 NFL Draft was the Atlanta Falcons selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall. The shock came because the Falcons signed former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason to a four-year, $180 million deal.

It is no question why people are questioning this move, considering that Penix is nearly 24 and would be 28 if Cousins plays out his entire contract. The reason people are criticizing the selection is why the Falcons went with the pick.

While Penix may not help the team win this season, or the season after that, or the season after that, or even the season after that, for Atlanta it is about securing talent for the future. 

Assistant General Manager Kyle Smith, who joined the team in 2021, gave more insight into their thought process, saying it is all about the long-term plan. 

“It was an unsettling feeling, sitting there in ’21,” Smith said (via team’s website). “I’ll never forget sitting there with Terry and being like, ‘OK, well, what’s our future? What’s our plan for the future? How are we going to solidify down the road?’”

He added, “It’s not just about this year or next year. It’s about five years, minimum.”

In an ideal world for the Falcons, Cousins succeeds while Penix learns from him on the bench and the rising rookie is still on the team and ready to play in five years. If it all works out as they schemed, the Falcons will get the last laugh, but for now they are getting some confused looks. 

Of their previous drafts, the last three all including top-10 picks, Smith said this year felt different.

“This is the first year that we were sitting there and staring down the barrel at a player that we think can be that guy,” he said.

How this all will make Cousins feel is another question that has circulated the NFL world, but despite selecting a quarterback so high, the Falcons maintain…

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Free agent receiver Tyron Billy-Johnson is visiting the Cowboys and could sign with the team after a physical, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Billy-Johnson spent most of last season on the Cowboys’ practice squad, but he did not play a regular-season game last season.

Billy-Johnson, 28, has spent time with the Texans, Bills, Panthers, Chargers, Jaguars, Raiders, Bengals, 49ers and Cowboys since 2019. He has played 26 games with one start, which came in 2022 with Houston.

In his career, Billy-Johnson has caught 23 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns. That’s an 18.3 yards per catch average.

He also has returned 14 punts for a 19.1-yard average.

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USATSI

When the Philadelphia Eagles hold their rookie minicamp this year, former top-10 pick John Ross will be in attendance and he’ll be there because he’s looking to make an NFL comeback after announcing his retirement last July. 

According to NFL.com, Ross has earned an invite to the Eagles’ rookie camp and he’ll be there on a tryout basis, which essentially will allow Philadelphia to see what Ross looks like on the field without making any financial commitments to him. If Ross looks like he can still play, then the Eagles could sign him to their 90-man roster in time for OTAs, which kick off on May 20. 

The speedy Ross set the combine record for fastest 40-yard dash in 2017 with a time of 4.22. That record stood until this year when Xavier Worthy topped it by running a 4.21. 

After showing off his lightning speed at the combine, Ross ended up getting selected by the Bengals with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, which was one spot before Patrick Mahomes. During his four years in Cincinnati, Ross never really lived up to his draft position. His biggest season came in 2019 when he caught 28 passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns. It was the only season of his career where he topped 225 receiving yards.  

After the Bengals let his contract expire following the 2020 season, Ross latched on with the Giants in 2021. During his lone season in New York, Ross caught 11 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. After sitting out the 2022 season, Ross looked like he was going to make an NFL return in 2023 with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he ended up announcing his retirement before the start of training camp. 

Ross hasn’t played in an NFL game since December 2021, but that drought could end this year if he…

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Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft, Charles McDonald and Nate Tice give their thoughts and key takeaways, including Charles’ reaction to the Atlanta Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr, the Denver Broncos overdrafting Bo Nix, Spencer Rattler to the New Orleans Saints and Charles and Nate’s favorite running back and offensive line landing spots.

Charles and Nate finish off the show with a dueling draft of day three selections, where they each draft a pick from rounds four through seven (and a kicker in round six) so they can track how their picks do throughout their rookie seasons.

3:55 – Michael Penix is an Atlanta Falcon

16:40 – Broncos take Bo Nix

25:15 – Spencer Rattler & our favorite RB landing spots

39:25 – Offensive line landing spots

44:50 – Day three dueling draft

College Football: CFP National Championship: Washington Michael Penix Jr. (9) in action, walking vs Michigan at NRG Stadium. Houston, TX 1/8/2024 CREDIT: Erick W. Rasco (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

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Colorado

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Payton Wilson went No. 98 overall on Friday night in the NFL draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was projected to be selected higher after an impressive final year at North Carolina State, but there was a specific injury concern that reportedly scared teams away.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the 24-year-old linebacker is missing an ACL in one of his knees.

From our NFL Draft coverage: The #Steelers selected at No. 98 a stud LB with stellar tape (but very real injury history) — NC State LB Payton Wilson. Despite all that, never misses games and had a million tackles. pic.twitter.com/zaRRSUcsfp

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 27, 2024

“He has a multitude of injuries. First, there’s a left shoulder injury that was operated on, was not a great operation,” Rapoport said. “That certainly is a lingering injury. That’s actually not the worst of it. He has torn his ACL twice. My understanding, after talking to several sources, is that one of his knees does not have an ACL. It does not have an ACL. We’ve actually seen this in a couple of other players — Greg Lloyd, Thurman Thomas.

For Payton Wilson, he has not missed a game and [had] 150 tackles. There are some secondary stabilizers in that knee, but that’s the reason why [for his slide].”

Despite a missing ACL and previous injuries that caused him to miss time with the Wolfpack over his five years in Raleigh, Wilson recorded 138 total tackles and six sacks in 2023. He ended up winning the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defender in college football and the Butkus Award as top linebacker. He was also a unanimous All-American selection, first-team All-ACC,and ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

Wilson’s 4.43 40-yard dash at February’s NFL Scouting Combine was tops among all linebackers who participated.

“He was a guy we had high on our board,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. “Liked him as a football player. Very productive, fast, really has good football instincts. All the things you want in a…

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USATSI

There are always a lot of good prospects available on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, especially in the second round, and this year is no different. There’s a strong group of defensive players available and still plenty of wide receivers. Want to know what I thought of every pick made in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft? You can read below as I graded all the Round 2 picks from Friday night. 

Be sure to refresh this page throughout the weekend to get the latest grades. If you want to do all that plus track the best available prospects and get access to every pick in the draft on one page, you can in our draft tracker. And follow along with each pick in our live blog and all the trades in our trade tracker.

Grades: Round 1 • Round 2 • Round 3 • Round 4 • Round 5 • Round 6 • Round 7

33. Bills

34. Patriots

35. Cardinals

36. Commanders

37. Chargers

38. Titans

39. Panthers

40. Commanders

41. Packers

42. Texans

43. Falcons

44. Raiders

45. Saints

46. Colts

47. Giants

48. Jaguars

49. Bengals

50. Eagles

51. Steelers

52. Rams

53. Eagles

54. Browns

55. Dolphins

56. Cowboys

57. Buccaneers

58. Packers

59. Texans

60. Bills

61. Lions

62. Ravens

63. 49ers

64. Chiefs

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