NFL Notes: Draft, 49ers, Colts

Draft

An AFC personnel man tells Matt Miller of B/R that the quarterback prospects helped themselves at the Senior Bowl this week. 

“The quarterbacks all really helped themselves this week,” said one lead AFC personnel man. “[Daniel] Jones has been a little rusty, but you can see in his mechanics why teams like him. [Drew] Lock really helped himself. He could come out of this week as a candidate to be QB1 [in this draft].”

• Miller writes that Duke QB Daniel Jones struggled on the field, missing too many easy throws and was “inconsistent across the board.”
• Conversely, Miller says Missouri QB Drew Lock made himself some money this week, as his accuracy and mechanics were better than expected.
• Another quarterback who improved their standing was Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham. Miller says he spoke with three evaluators from different teams who mentioned that Stidham could be a “sneaky late first-rounder.”
• According to Miller, there’s talk among NFL scouts that Mississippi State edge-rusher Montez Sweat has worked his way into the top 10 of the draft.

49ers

49ers GM John Lynch told reporters on Thursday that no decision has been made, but they’re hoping that both QB Jimmy Garoppolo and RB Jerick McKinnon are cleared for the start of training camp.

“I know that both their rehabs are going exceptionally well,” Lynch said, via the Mercury News. “Neither have had any setbacks in terms of swelling or anything like that … They’re really relying on each other.”

Colts

Colts GM Chris Ballard mentioned that the decision to re-sign veteran K Adam Vinatieri’s was due in part to his presence being valuable to their young team.

“You keep waiting for the shoe to fall, and it doesn’t because he works,” Ballard said, via Mike Chappell of Fox 59. “He works so hard to take care of his body. He’s such a pro. He’s such an impact.

“I don’t think you ever take into account — I didn’t think I’d ever say this with a kicker — but take into account a guy’s presence on a team, what it means. Now, they’ve got to perform, and he does perform. But his presence on the team is valuable. It’s valuable to us.”

• Regarding his new deal, Vinatieri said: “I’m super excited being able to come back for another year and continue the journey with this team. It’s pretty awesome.” (Mike Chappell)
• Vinatieri added: “At this point in my career I wanted something that was respectable and reasonable. It wasn’t about the money. It was more about coming back and having a better season and wanting more rings.” (Mike Chappell)