It's official on Rams RB Benny Cunningham. His signing of one-year tender as restricted free agent has moved on NFL transactions wire.

— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) April 8, 2016

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NEWS AND NEAR NEWS
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April 7, 2016 – 9:52 am

April 7, 2016 – 9:32 am

GBN Big Board tweaked … With just a month to go before the start of the 2016 draft, the GBN Big Board has been updated. (Note, we’ll be posting our final, or at least as final as it gets, 300+ Big Board on Monday April 25th.) A couple of interesting notes re the way this month’s draft appears to be shaping up. more

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl-draft-scout/25544417/nfl-draft-lynch-powers-through-strong-winds-impressing-at-pro-day
NFL Draft: Lynch powers through strong winds, impresses at pro day
By Dane Brugler | NFLDraftScout.com Senior Analyst
April 6, 2016 1:47 pm ET

Despite howling crosswinds in the 30-40 miles per hour range, Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch was on point and impressed during his pro day on Wednesday that included 75-plus throws.

Originally scheduled for 1 p.m. on the Tigers’ practice field, the scripted throwing session was moved up half an hour due to the violent winds. However, the strong gusts were no match for Lynch’s rocket arm strength as he showed off his velocity to all levels of the field from flat-outs to deep posts.

The Memphis wide receivers didn’t do him many favors with several drops, but for the most part Lynch’s passes were accurate and gave his targets a chance to make plays. When one of his throws was off-target, it was due to slight issues with his footwork.

Lynch has light feet and showed that on boots and rollouts, but his stride mechanics were not as crisp, which led to some placement issues. And that matches the tape. Lynch has all the physical traits from a size/arm strength/mobility perspective, but the technique is still a work in progress. And it starts from the ground up, refining his footwork and then tweaking his hips and shoulders to properly deliver strikes.

Lynch didn’t seem to let the windy conditions bother him during his pro day. (USATSI)

“I feel very confident from where I was to where I am now (since Combine),” said Lynch after his workout about his footwork. “I just wanted to show these teams what I could do in the short amount of time.”

There were 26 teams on-hand for the workout, including San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Wisenhunt, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman and several quarterback coaches from around the league. According to several reports, the Bills, who currently own the No. 19 selection in the first round, dined with Lynch on Tuesday night.

Lynch measured at 6-foot-6 5/8-inches and 244 pounds with 34 1/4-inch hands. He focused on throwing at the pro day, standing on most of his numbers from the combine, including a 4.86 40-yard dash. Lynch also had impressive numbers in the vertical (36-inches), broad jump (9-feet-10), short shuttle (4.26) and three-cone drill (7.14).

It wasn’t an ideal setting due to the weather, but Lynch didn’t allow the elements to disrupt his workout and secured his spot as one of the top-three quarterbacks in this draft class.

Where will he land on draft day? That’s the mystery, but it will be tough for a quarterback-needy team in the mid-first round, like the Los Angeles Rams, to pass on his talent.

zn wrote:

And this may surprise you. but at least one evaluation at Rams Park had Tim Barnes as the team’s highest-rated offensive lineman in 2015.

That’s interesting.

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Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

just kidding. 😉

GRob, Brown, Barnes, Saffold, Havenstein

Saffold plays better, cause he is healthy and stays that way. Wichmann is learning to play center.

when evaluating I start with swag..all top qb’s have a narcissist type confidence. They are the ones who succeed in the 4th quarter. In fact out of 16 Meyer Briggs personality typesThe FBI uses Meyer Briggs. many of the Hall of Fame qb’s have the exact same personality type…Forget that “face of the franchise” bs…you want a rebel. The QB who is willing to call his own plays and lead in the 4th quarter. Swagger

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Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
Height: 6-2. Weight: 226. Arm: 31.38. Hand: 9.88.
40 Time: 4.79.
Projected Round (2016): 2-3.
3/31/16: Prescott is a fast-rising prospect after numerous teams fell in love with him at the Senior Bowl. They love his football I.Q., leadership skills and character. They feel he has the ability to quickly be a captain in a NFL locker room and a leader of men. At the combine, Prescott had a solid workout to maintain his rising status. However shortly after the combine, Prescott landed a DUI arrest to put a damper on the enthusiasm for him.

Prescott completed 66 percent of his passes in 2015 for 3,793 yards with 29 touchdowns and five interceptions. On the ground, he totaled 588 yards with 10 scores. Sources say they view Prescott as Tim Tebow 2.0 from playing in the same offense, though Prescott has better throwing mechanics and functions better out of the pocket than Tebow did entering the draft. They think Prescott needs to become a better pocket passer.

8/8/15: Prescott completed 61 percent of his passes in 2014 for 3,449 yards with 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry for 986 yards with 14 scores on the ground. Prescott underwhelmed against Alabama, but that was really the only game of the season in which he struggled.

Prescott’s play has been somewhat reminiscent of Tim Tebow at Florida because Prescott is playing in the same offense for Tebow’s former offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen, the Mississippi State head coach. Like Tebow, Prescott needs to improve his pocket passing and accuracy for the NFL.

In 2013, Prescott completed 58 percent of his passes for 940 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

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Cardale Jones*, QB, Ohio State
Height: 6-5. Weight: 253. Hand: 9.75.
40 Time: 4.81.
Projected Round (2016): 2-4.
3/31/16: At Ohio State’s pro day, Jones showed off his rifle of an arm and helped himself with an impressive workout. In 2015, Jones displayed his big arm and great skill set, but must get better at reading the field and with his passing technique. He was undefeated in his 11 starts in college, but with so little playing time, needing development is understandable. Jones entered the 2016 NFL Draft rather than return to Ohio State.

Jones completed 63 percent of his passes in 2015 for 1,460 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. Aside from his right-arm cannon, he also displayed his running ability and how difficult he is to sack with his huge size. Jones is very physically gifted, but he’s raw and needs to gain experience.

8/8/15: Jones put on a display in 2014 after entering the starting lineup behind Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett. Jones has great size and a cannon for an arm. In his three starts, he completed 61 percent of his passes for 860 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Jones has a lot of upside and it will be fun to watch him in 2015, assuming he wins the starting job over J.T. Barrett.

Jones needs to improve his ability to throw while under heat. He also needs to get faster working through his progressions, moving his eyes and getting rid of the ball. Jones can hold onto the ball too long when plays start to break down on him. When Jones has a clean pocket, he displays the ability to make any throw the NFL asks for. While Jones is a pocket passer, he will take yards on the ground when available and has some athleticism as a runner. Jones can be tough to bring down for defenders in or out of the pocket.

Sources from multiple teams said that they view Jones as having a first-round skill set and if performed for an entire season the way he played in his three starts, he would be a first-rounder. Teams have questions about Jones’ football I.Q. and off-the-field maturity, so his pre-draft interviews will be important to address those questions.

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Christian Hackenberg, QB, Penn State
Height: 6-4. Weight: 234. Hand: 9.
40 Time: 4.79.
Projected Round (2016): 2-4.
3/31/16: At the combine, Hackenberg continued to show brilliance on some passes and a lack of accuracy on others. He did better in the athletic measurements than many thought he would do. Hackenberg had a mixed showing in the team interviews. He did well with recall and football I.Q., but teams feel that Hackenberg was too quick to blame other issues for some of his own mistakes.

In 2015, Hackenberg completed 54 percent of his passes for 2,525 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions. He had terrible games against Rutgers and Temple, but good outings against Buffalo, San Diego State, Indiana and Illinois.

Clearly, Hackenberg needs to improve his accuracy and decision-making, but the junior was playing in a bad situation with a weak offensive line and receivers. Over the last two seasons, Hackenberg routinely made some beautiful throws that were dropped by his receivers, but also missed too often on routine completions.

Hackenberg is a pro-style quarterback who was forced to play in a college spread offense that didn’t fit him well at all. Sources say that Penn State head coach James Franklin beat Hackenberg down and handled him terribly. Teams also admire that Hackenberg could have transferred in the face of a lot of adversity for the program, but he stayed committed to trying to help get things headed in the right direction in Happy Valley.

In speaking with sources, some teams grade Hackenberg on the third day of the 2016 NFL Draft as a fourth-rounder, but others have graded him in Round 3. Even the teams that graded him after the third round expect him to be selected on the second day. One general manager said Hackenberg has just average accuracy and is a statue in the pocket. There also were reports about Hackenberg being disliked in the locker room and not a leader, but in speaking with Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith – a former Nittany Lion – and Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib, they both dismissed that, saying Hackenberg wasn’t a finger pointer and did everything asked of him. Nassib was shocked to hear of those reports and said that Hackenberg was a great teammate.

8/8/15: Hackenberg completed 56 percent of his passes in 2014 for 2,677 yards with 12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He played better than the numbers indicate as his supporting cast was a huge liability, including an awful offensive line. Hackenberg closed out the 2014 season with a huge comeback overtime win over Boston College, completing 34-of-50 for 371 yards and four touchdowns.

In terms of a skill set, Hackenberg has what the NFL is looking for with a size, pocket presence, field-vision potential and a strong arm that can push the ball downfield. James Franklin’s offense didn’t help Hackenberg develop much as a NFL pocket-passer prospect last season as so many of the play calls were instant throws because of a weak offensive line that couldn’t maintain its blocks. Hackenberg needs to improve his ball placement and decision-making in some areas, but his supporting cast really hurt him last year. At times, Hackenberg makes some brilliant throws downfield after working off his first read, and if he does that regularly as a junior, he could be a high first-rounder.

Hackenberg was the star recruit for Bill O’Brien and proved the hype legit during an impressive freshman season that saw him named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Hackenberg completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,955 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2013. He also ran for four touchdowns. Sources in the NFL feel that Hackenberg could end up being an elite quarterback prospect.

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Jacoby Brissett, QB, N.C. State
Height: 6-3. Weight: 231. Arm: 32.88. Hand. 9.5.
40 Time: 4.94.
Projected Round (2016): 3-5.
3/31/16: In 2015, Brissett completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,662 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. Sources with teams say that Brissett is a sleeper quarterback who they’re keeping an eye on. As we reported in the rumormill, some east coast scouts rate Brissett ahead of other more highly touted prospects like Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg. Other sources aren’t fans of Brissett. He had a decent week at the Senior Bowl, but didn’t light a fire under his draft stock. That was the same outcome of his combine workout. Brissett’s more of a mid-round developmental backup.

8/8/15: 2014 saw Brissett complete 60 percent of his passes for 2,344 yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. He showed potential as a pocket passer. Brissett was on fire against a lot of weak competition even before he lit up Florida State (32-of-48 for 359 yards with three touchdowns). Brissett sat out the 2013 season per NCAA rules after transferring from Florida. He spent 2012 as Jeff Driskel’s backup. Brissett played a little as a freshman backup during the 1-year tenure of Charlie Weis as Florida’s offensive coordinator.

image: http://walterfootball.com/college/Stanford_logo.gif
Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford
Height: 6-2. Weight: 217. Arm: 32. Hand: 10.13.
40 Time: 4.78.
Projected Round (2016): 4-6.
3/31/16: As a senior, Hogan completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,867 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In his good games, he looked like an early rounder; in his bad games, he looked like an undrafted free agent. Hogan has a good enough skill set to play as a pro, but looks more like a backup-caliber signal-caller in the NFL. He has a decent arm, but lacks the arm strength of the top quarterbacks. Sources have said they like Hogan’s intelligence to become a quality backup quarterback quickly in his NFL career.

8/8/15: In 2014, Hogan completed 66 percent of his passes for 2,792 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He had five rushing touchdowns, too. Hogan was still streaky as a passer, looking inept at times and throwing excellent passes on other attempts. He needs to become more consistent in order to rise as a senior.

Hogan wasn’t as good as expected in 2013 as Stanford’s passing attack was underwhelming. For the year, he completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,630 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Hogan averaged 4.5 yards per carry for 314 yards on the ground with two touchdowns, too.

image: http://walterfootball.com/college/Arkansas_logo.gif
Brandon Allen, QB, Arkansas
Height: 6-1. Weight: 214. Arm: 30.5. Hand: 8.5.
40 Time: 4.84.
Projected Round (2016): 4-6.
3/31/16: Allen was a game-manager quarterback for Arkansas the past few seasons, but as a senior, he produced some big plays, leading the Razorbacks to overtime wins over Auburn and Ole Miss. In 2015, Allen completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,440 yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He became a nice college quarterback, but he doesn’t look like he has a starter’s skill set for the NFL. He could be a quality backup.

Allen had a respectable week at the Senior Bowl. Some sources say they liked him as a late-round or undrafted free agent to compete for their third quarterback spot, but he could go in the early rounds of Day 3.

image: http://walterfootball.com/college/Indiana_logo.gif
Nate Sudfeld, QB, Indiana
Height: 6-5. Weight: 240. Hand: 9.88.
Projected 40 Time: 4.90.
Projected Round (2016): 5-7.
3/31/16: Sudfeld completed 61 percent of his passes this season for 3,184 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has good size and a strong arm, but he needs to get faster in his delivery. Sudfeld also has to improve his accuracy, ball placement and field vision, plus play faster. He had a quality week at the East-West Shrine and is a late-round developmental candidate.

8/8/15: Sudfeld missed half of the 2014 season over a season-ending shoulder injury. 2013 saw him complete 60 percent of his passes for 2,523 yards with 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

image: http://walterfootball.com/college/Oregon_logo.gif
Vernon Adams Jr., QB, Oregon
Height: 5-11. Weight: 200. Hand: 9.13.
40 Time: 4.84.
Projected Round (2016): 6-FA.
3/31/16: Adams had a solid senior year for Oregon, completing 65 percent for 2,643 yards with 26 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has a quality arm, athleticism, touch on his passes and nice field vision. The lack of size is the huge negative for Adams. While he has some similarities to Russell Wilson, the odds of Adams panning out like Wilson are extremely remote. Prior to playing for Oregon, Adams played at Eastern Washington. He was slower at the combine than expected.

image: http://walterfootball.com/images/draftwired.jpg

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Cody Kessler, QB, USC
Height: 6-1. Weight: 224. Arm: 32. Hand: 9.88.
40 Time: 4.89.
Projected Round (2016): 6-FA.
3/31/16: In 2015, Kessler threw for 3,536 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 67 percent of his passes. If he had a better physical skill set, he would be rated higher, but he is undersized. Kessler’s lack of arm strength looks like a real weakness for the NFL. He did not impress at the Senior Bowl. Kessler looks like a game-manager backup quarterback in the NFL.

8/8/15: Kessler completed 71 percent of his passes in 2014 for 3,505 yards with 36 touchdowns and four interceptions. He was an effective game-manager for the Trojans. Kessler is undersized and could be lacking in his physical skill set to be a starter for the NFL. He needs to prove that wrong as a senior. Kessler was considering entering the 2015 NFL Draft, but decided to return to USC.

It took some time, but Kessler eventually won the starting quarterback spot for USC to replace Matt Barkley, and Kessler has improved as he gained experience. Kessler completed 65 percent of his passes in 2013 for 2,968 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

image: http://walterfootball.com/college/Alabama_logo.gif
Jacob Coker, QB, Alabama
Height: 6-5. Weight: 236. Arm: 31.38. Hand: 9.88.
Projected 40 Time: 4.88.
Projected Round (2016): 6-FA.
3/31/16: Coker had a rocky start to the 2015 season, but played better to help lead Alabama to a National Championship. He completed 67 percent of his passes in 2015 for 3,110 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The senior did not work out at the combine.

Coker has good size and a strong arm, but looks like a project for the NFL. He has a long windup in his delivery and lacks athleticism in the pocket. Coker didn’t impress at the Senior Bowl. As one source said, “Coker is a poor man’s Mike Glennon.”

8/8/15: Coker was Blake Sims’ backup last season. Coker has a good skill set, but he needs to be the starter and effective to rise.

image: http://walterfootball.com/college/BowlingGreen_logo.gif
Matt Johnson, QB, Bowling Green
Height: 6-0. Weight: 219.
Projected 40 Time: 4.83.
Projected Round (2016): 6-FA.
3/31/16: Sources say that Johnson is a Case Keenum-type quarterback prospect. Johnson has a decent arm and is a gamer, but limited for the next level. The redshirt senior completed 67 percent of his passes this season for 4,946 yards with 46 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He did not work out at the combine.

Johnson missed almost all of 2014 with an injury, but completed 64 percent of his passes the year before for 3,467 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

image: http://walterfootball.com/college/WesternKentucky_logo.gif
Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky
Height: 6-2. Weight: 213. Hand: 9.13.
40 Time: 5.22.
Projected Round (2016): 6-FA.
3/31/16: Doughty has some vocal fan supporters based off his production and video-game stat line, but in speaking with sources, they haven’t mentioned Doughty as a pro prospect who they’re impressed with. He doesn’t have an NFL arm or skill set, and was unimpressive at the East-West Shrine.

In 2015, the senior completed 72 percent of his passes for 5,055 yards with 48 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Doughty completed 68 percent of his passes in 2014 for 4,830 yards with 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

image: http://walterfootball.com/college/LouisianaTech_logo.gif
Jeff Driskel, QB, Louisiana Tech
Height: 6-3. Weight: 230. Arm: 32.5. Hand: 9.75.
40 Time: 4.56.
Projected Round (2016): 7-FA.
3/31/16: Driskel has the skill set to be a quality NFL starting quarterback. He is big, athletic and has the arm strength to make all the throws. That was clear at the combine where he worked out extremely well. However, Driskel doesn’t have the mentality of a pro signal-caller. While at Florida, he was a disaster with turnovers, poor accuracy, and taking an offense that had pro talent and making it inept.

In 2014, Driskel had future NFL running backs (Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor), a wide receiver with first-round talent (Demarcus Robinson), and future pro offensive linemen (D.J. Humphries and Max Garcia), yet still struggled to move the ball. Driskel completed 54 percent of his passes that season for 1,140 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Driskel transferred to Louisiana Tech and beat up on the weak competition in 2015, completing 62 percent of his passes for 4,033 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions. At the Senior Bowl, his skill set flashed at times, but he didn’t play well enough to undo the damage done by his play at Florida. Sources say that they’ve given Driskel an undrafted grade.

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Travis Wilson, QB, Utah
Height: 6-6. Weight: 240.
Projected 40 Time: 4.85.
Projected Round (2016): 7-FA.
3/31/16: In 2015, Wilson completed 65 percent of his throws for 2,095 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has big size and an arm, but isn’t a NFL passer. Wilson didn’t work out at the combine.

8/8/15: Wilson completed 60 percent of his passes in 2014 for 2,012 yards with 17 touchdowns and four interceptions. He was in and out of the lineup on top of being benched at times. Wilson has a good size and a nice arm but has to get more consistent. He completed 56 percent of his passes in 2013 for 1,827 yards with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions across nine games.

Read more at http://walterfootball.com/draft2016QB.php#XjjghmbuGtq7WuWB.99