Seventeen players accepted NFL-issued invitations to the draft. Not everyone who received an invitation pounced on the opportunity.
Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, the best prospect at his position and a no-brainer first-round pick, declined an invitation to attend the festivities at Green Bay, we’re told. He chose to be with his family, and particularly his grandparents.
The Warrens won’t be waiting long for Tyler to get a call. His window likely opens at No. 7, with the Jets. They currently have +280 odds at DraftKings to pick him.
The Colts could be his floor, at No. 14. They’re the favorites to pick him, at +160. The Bears, who pick tenth, have +350 odds — and it’s fascinating to think of the trick plays new coach Ben Johnson could whip up with Warren (a high-school quarterback) at his disposal.
Whoever selects Warren will land a versatile chess piece who can help take an offense to a higher level. Last year’s top tight end, Brock Bowers, instantly became a superstar for the Raiders.
After former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis’ unexpected passing, Vernon Davis said his brother’s death was a mystery. It remains that way more than a year later.
The Broward County Medical Examiner released its autopsy report on Davis on Friday, listing the cause of death as “undetermined,” per Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post.
Davis was found unresponsive at his grandmother’s home in South Florida on April 1, 2024. Vernon Davis has said Vontae collapsed after getting out of the sauna.
Police said foul play was not suspected.
Vontae was 35 years old.
The Dolphins made him a first-round pick in 2009, and he was in his 10th season when he abruptly retired during a game with the Bills. He spent six seasons in Indianapolis, earning two Pro Bowls.
Mo Alie-Cox is sticking with the same team in 2025.
The Colts announced on Friday that Alie-Cox has re-signed with the club.
Alie-Cox, 31, has spent his entire career with Indianapolis, first joining the club as an undrafted free agent in 2017. A converted basketball player, Alie-Cox has caught 114 career passes for 1,433 yards with 15 touchdowns in his career.
He has not missed a game since the 2020 season. Last year, he was on the field for 44 percent of Indianapolis’ offensive snaps, catching 12 passes for 147 yards with one TD.
Alie-Cox is now one of six tight ends on Indianapolis’ 90-man roster, joining Will Mallory, Sean McKeon, Drew Ogletree, Albert Okwuegbunam and Jelani Woods.
Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons is getting plenty of attention from teams that could draft an offensive lineman in the first round.
Simmons visited the Colts on Thursday and will visit the Chiefs today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Simmons started at right tackle at San Diego State in 2022 and then transferred to Ohio State in 2023, where he earned the starting left tackle job and started every game there. He started the first six games of the 2024 season at Ohio State but missed the final 10 after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee against Oregon.
Simmons is expected to be cleared to play in Week One as a rookie, and he may have the talent to earn a starting job right away. He appears likely to be drafted somewhere in the middle of the first round.
The Colts are down to one kicker on their 90-man roster.
The team announced that they have released Matt Gay on Thursday. Spencer Shrader, who signed with the team earlier this year, is the remaining kicker in Indianapolis.
Gay spent time on the Colts’ practice squad in 2020 before moving on to the Rams and returned to the team on a four-year deal in 2023. He made 64-of-78 field goals and 68-of-69 extra points over the last two seasons.
The move will clear $2.75 million in cap space for the Colts, but there will be $4 million in dead money left for the 2025 season.
It would have been the perfect Pittsburgh introduction for Aaron Rodgers. And it would have made perfect sense.
Rodgers, who makes weekly in-season appearances on Pat McAfee’s show, could have shown up at McAfee’s live event in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night and announced to Steelers fans and the rest of the world that Rodgers is signing with the Steelers.
It didn’t happen. Regardless of whether such a move fits with Rodgers’s overall style (especially at a time when many were thinking it might happen), the easy answer seems to be that Rodgers still isn’t ready to make the commitment.
And that will spark speculation that Rodgers continues to wait for the Vikings to decide, if they do, that they should pivot to Rodgers for 2025.
Until we know what’s going to happen, we wait. The draft could yield some clues. It’s possible no answer will come until training camp opens.
It’s still possible he’s not going to play at all.
Former Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Turner’s pre-draft process has been hindered by an injury, but he’s still generating interest around the league.
Turner had surgery to repair a stress fracture before his final season with the Aggies and had to pull out of the Senior Bowl because of issues related to that operation. He did not participate in the Scouting Combine either, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports he got a positive report at a medical recheck in Indianapolis.
Per the report, Turner has lined up visits with the Colts, Buccaneers, and Dolphins in the coming days. He has already met with the Cowboys, Cardinals, and Eagles.
Turner had 115 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and three forced fumbles in 43 college games.
Free-agent quarterback continues to be linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Wednesday night, Pat McAfee has an event in Pittsburgh. Given that McAfee appears on McAfee’s show every Tuesday during football season, speculation has mounted that Rodgers will show up and announce his intention to sign with the Steelers.
If that happens, it’ll be news to McAfee.
Appearing on Ben Roethlisberger’s podcast, McAfee said “Aaron Rodgers is not on the docket” for the festivities at PPG Paints Arena.
Of course, if Rodgers shows up he surely won’t be turned away.
If he doesn’t show, it doesn’t mean he won’t be signing with the Steelers. Coach Mike Tomlin has said there’s no immediate deadline for a decision, with training camp being the “line of demarcation.”
Given Rodgers’s lingering silence regarding his plans, some believe he’s waiting to see whether the Vikings will decide to revisit their position on riding with J.J. McCarthy for 2025. Delaying the decision also allows Rodgers to miss the offseason program.
The Colts may have brought in Daniel Jones to compete with Anthony Richardson, but they’re still doing their due diligence on quarterbacks in the draft class.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Quinn Ewers is visiting with Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Ewers, 22, helped lead Texas to the college football playoff over the last two seasons. He threw for 3,472 yards with 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024, completing 66 percent of his passes.
The Colts have also had a reported meeting with former Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough.
Richardson is entering a critical third season while Jones signed a one-year deal with the club.
Quarterback Tyler Shough’s busy pre-draft season is set to continue.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Shough visited with the Browns on Monday and will visit with the Giants on Wednesday.
He previously spent time with the Steelers, Jets, and Colts. Next week, Shough is slated to visit with the Raiders and Seahawks.
Shough, who turns 26 in September, played at Oregon from 2018-2020, Texas Tech from 2021-2023, and Louisville in 2024. Having dealt with several injuries over the course of his career, he was healthy last season, throwing for 3,195 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games.
