NFL Notes: Draft, Packers, & Redskins

Draft

• Browns HC Hue Jackson will attend the Pro Day of Cal QB Jared Goff on Friday. (Mary Kay Cabot)
• Art Stapleton hears that the Giants spent time with Boston College S Justin Simmons at his Pro Day this week.
• Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com reports that Bills GM Doug Whaley and the team’s director of college scouting attended Stanford QB Kevin Hogan‘s Pro Day workout.
• According to Pauline, Hogan altered his throwing wind-up by making it “significantly” more compact than what he showed during the season, Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.
• Regarding Stanford TE Austin Hooper, Pauline writes that teams are concerned about his blocking and that it may take time for him to develop in that area.
• Pauline reports that 49ers HC Chip Kelly spoke with Stanford OG Josh Garnett and his agent at Thursday’s Pro Day. Pauline adds that Kelly appears “enamored” with Garnett.
• SJST RB Tyler Ervin worked out privately for the Bengals, and had coordinators from the Seahawks, Lions, and Raiders in attendance for his Pro Day.
• According to Pauline, SJST CB Cleveland Wallace III received “a lot of interest” from the Jets and Saints.
• William & Mary LB Luke Rhodes spent time with the Cardinals, Packers, Colts, Falcons, Cowboys and Giants after his Pro Day.

Packers

Packers WR Jordy Nelson said that he has had no setbacks in his recovery from a torn ACL and hopes to find out within the next two weeks if he will be medically cleared to resume route running.

“Things are great. Everything has gone smooth,” Nelson said, via Jim Trotter of ESPN. “Everyone keeps asking if I’m 100 percent. I’m 100 percent of what the doctor will let me do. The rest is unknown, but we’re right where we want to be and will continue to progress once we get back to Green Bay in a week and a half.”

Nelson also said that he has done running and agility exercises without any issues.

“That’s the unknown,” said Nelson. “But we’ve done some agility stuff and running, and everything has been fine.”

Redskins

Redskins QB Kirk Cousins says that even after receiving the team’s franchise that will pay him a salary of close to $20 million for the 2016 season, the money isn’t going to change him.

“I never played football thinking about money, and going forward I never want to play football thinking about money,” Cousins said. “That’s why I think it’s important for me to play with a salary that’s just locked in. I don’t want to be thinking about individual accomplishments or rewards that would boost my salary or up my numbers. I just want to go out and play football and try and win games. So whether I’m making what I made last year [$660,000] or this year, I just want to play football and treat it like I did back in high school and love playing. It’s a tremendous blessing to be paid to play this game the way I will this year.”

Cousins also confirmed that contract talks with Washington regarding an extension are ongoing.

“Discussions are always ongoing,” Cousins said. “You’re never really finished. It’s a process and I think much like the process of preparing for a football game, you’re not ready to play the game on Wednesday; you prepare to get ready for Sunday. I think negotiations often work that way. You know that maybe it’s not Sunday yet — it’s Wednesday in this negotiation — and we’re just taking steps toward what will eventually be Sunday. So we’ll see. Obviously it gets more interesting as it gets closer to ‘game day,’ if you will.

“But I’m not too worried about it. I’m very content in the situation I’m in and love the opportunity to prove myself again next season. I feel like it’s only fair if that’s what’s asked of me — to go out and prove it, that I ought to be a starting quarterback. That’s OK with me.”