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2017 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates - Zach Links
Melvin Ingram, LB, Chargers: Ingram is No. 4 on our Free Agent Power Rankings, but he might be the best player with a realistic chance of hitting the open market. The Chargers have a lot of holes to fill as they gear up for their first season in L.A. and they might not be able to afford Ingram at a $14.754MM salary. We’re expecting this late bloomer to explore the waters of free agency and potentially swim elsewhere.
Top 10 defensive free agents in 2017 - John Kosko
Melvin Ingram has posted back-to-back excellent seasons rushing the passer, but in 2016, the former first-round pick put together a complete season defending run the very well and grading extremely well in coverage. Through his first four seasons, Ingram was a marginally above-average run defender and struggled when asked to drop into coverage. Whether it was Joey Bosa’s presence on the opposite edge or Ingram putting in the work in the offseason to improve in those facets of the game, the thing that is clear is that he’s peaking at the perfect time to land a big-money contract.
Mock Draft 4.0: Bears, Jets, Texans Select Quarterbacks in First Round - Steve Palazzolo
This may be one of the more common mock-draft marriages, as former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley takes over as defensive coordinator for the Chargers, and he prefers a Seahawks-like system that employs a true centerfielder at free safety. Hooker has shown exceptional skills in that area, as he plays with great range and has the ball skills to make the exceptional play on the back end. The question for Hooker is his tackling, as he missed one tackle out of every 6.5 attempts (135th out of 242 qualiers), but his centerfield skills can be a game-changer for a defense that plays cover-3/cover-1 (with a single-high safety) more than 50 percent of the time.
The top 10 impending free agents on offense - Michael Renner
Lang is basically Zeitler except one contract later in his career. That being said, he won’t turn 30 years old until September and could legitimately play out a four-year contract at his current level of performance. Lang was a top-five-graded guard in 2014 and 2015 before taking a slight step back to No. 8 this year. He’s stated that he wants to stay in Green Bay, but we already saw the Packers part ways with aging guard Josh Sitton at the beginning of last season.
PFF scouting report: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson - PFF Analysis Team
Mike Williams was possibly the deciding factor in Clemson claiming revenge against Alabama in a rematch of the 2015 National Championship. He displayed all the qualities that make him such an exciting prospect against NFL-caliber defensive backs. As well as presenting opponents with a matchup problem, Williams also represents a reliable target underneath. He projects as a receiver capable of using his body to move the chains while adding a downfield component to the passing game due to his ability to win at the catch point with strong ball skills.
PFF scouting report: Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford - PFF Analysis Team
Thomas has experience playing in the interior of the defensive line but only weighs 270 pounds so he isn’t exactly the ideal size to play inside in the NFL but his experience inside and his proven ability to hold up makes him an ideal candidate to play base defensive end and then a player who can shift inside to defensive tackle in sub-package situations. If nickel is the new base, then Thomas’ ability to stop the run plus rush the passer from inside or outside will make him a highly coveted player in the draft.