DB Blake Countess (originally a sixth-round pick by the Eagles this year) promoted from the practice squad.
BLAKE COUNTESS, CB
SCHOOL: AUBURN |
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5-10 / 184 LBS
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1868370/blake-countess
PLAYER OVERVIEW
A four-star cornerbacks recruit out of high school, Countess committed to Michigan and made an immediate impact with 44 tackles and six passes defended as a true freshman.He had a breakout season in 2013 with six interceptions, but moved to the nickel in 2014 and his production decreased. With a new coaching staff coming in, Countess looked for a fresh start and transferred to Auburn for his final season of eligibility, finishing 2015 with 13 passes defended and two interceptions – starting as a boundary corner for the Tigers before moving to safety for the final 10 games.
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Although he shows the read/react quickness to drive on plays, his lack of play anticipation often makes him late to the catch point. Countess is willing in run support, but his marginal strength and wild angles leads to missed tackles.
His versatile experience at boundary corner and safety and flashes suggest there is a NFL future for Countess, but it is the inconsistent plays in between that will make it tough to trust him.
–Dane Brugler (4/28)
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DE Lenny Jones (previously with the Raiders) signed to practice squad..
from the wiki:
On May 6, 2016, Jones was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. He was waived by the 49ers on August 4, 2016 was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders the next day. On August 29, 2016, he was released by the Raiders. On November 18, 2016, Jones was signed to the Rams’ practice squad.
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From doghouse to penthouse: The Lenny Jones story
http://www.rgj.com/story/sports/college/nevada/2015/09/04/-doghouse–penthouse–lenny-jones-story/71719772/
Lenny Jones sat in a juvenile detention center near Oakland accused of a crime he didn’t commit.
Just 15 years old, Jones was stuck in that detention center for months. It wasn’t a jail, but it might as well have been. Jones would go to school from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. He’d get to exercise and play basketball. He just couldn’t leave. He was locked up every night. He was frustrated. But then came a realization.
“That was my eye-opener,” Jones said. “I was a good kid but I hit a bad period, my teenage years, from 13-16, when you try your own things. But that’s when I had my realization that that’s not the way I wanted my life to go. I had to get my act together. At the time, I was really upset when that whole thing happened. When I look back at it now, it’s probably one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”
Jones was locked up in that detention center for three months for alleged assault and robbery. Jones had already been locked up once before for inciting a riot and was developing a reputation as a bad kid.
But on this day, Jones was innocent. He actually was on the San Leandro High campus that Friday for a grade check with his Spanish teacher. Meanwhile, a group of teenagers beat up two kids on campus. They fled after the act and Jones walked out of his grade check shortly after the incident.
“I was coming out of the building and the security had been called,” Jones said. “They saw me in the area after my grade check. The weekend went by and I was pulled out of class Monday and arrested.”
And sent to the detention center. It was all a case of bad timing, Jones being the wrong place at the wrong time. But there was nobody to plead his case, too. That’s just not how the system works.
“You have a court date,” Jones said. “You can’t go tell the police officer, ‘I’m being wrongly accused’ and they let you out. You have to go through the system and that was the most frustrating part.”
Three months later, Jones got his court date. His Spanish teacher and two other students vouched for him. Jones said a couple of people had written reports saying he was involved in the battery. Those people didn’t show up to the trial, neither did the students who were beat up. Jones was cleared of all charges and free to go home, but he did so a changed man. He was going to get on the right track.
Eight years later, Jones, a senior on the Wolf Pack football team, is a college graduate pursing a Master’s degree. He’s a team captain. He’s on the NFL draft radar. He’s had one of the more productive careers of any Nevada defensive end. And he’s more mature than ever, although it was hardly a smooth road.
“I knew I was going to do it,” Jones said. “It was just a matter of how I was going to do it.”
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Agamemnon
