NFL Notes: Landon Collins, Draft, Contracts, Bills, & Steelers

Landon Collins

Mike Mayock released his updated rankings on Friday, which includes moving Arizona State S Damarious Randall ahead of Alabama S Landon Collins as his No. 1 safety in this year’s draft class.

Matt Miller mentions that he also expects Randall to be the first safety drafted and could come off the board at No. 29 overall to the Colts.

As for Collins, Miller mentions that NFL aren’t sold on Collins’ game translating to the NFL and are worried about his injury history. With this in mind, Miller wouldn’t be surprised if Collins fell out of the first round.

Draft

• Armando Salguero is “hearing” that Louisville WR DeVante Parker will not be available by the time the Dolphins are on the clock at No. 14 overall. Salguero mentions the Rams at No. 10 and the Vikings at No. 11 overall are two teams to watch for Parker.
• Adam Caplan mentions that Baylor QB Bryce Petty is the favorite to be the third quarterback drafted, but Colorado State QB Garrett Grayson could go higher than most expect.

Contracts

• The Giants signed CB Josh Gordy to a one-year $745,000 deal that carries a cap figure of $585,000. (Aaron Wilson)
• The Giants signed LB Ryan Jones to a one-year worth $435,000. (Aaron Wilson)
• The Packers signed QB Matt Blanchard to a one-year deal worth $435,000. (Aaron Wilson)

Bills

Mike Rodak writes that the Bills would be wise to gauge the trade for QB E.J. Manuel in the coming weeks.

Rodak mentions that the “sweet spot” for dealing Manuel would be in early August, as this would give the new coaching staff a few months to evaluate him.

Waiting any longer could have a negative impact on Manuel’s trade value, especially if he struggles in the preseason. On top of that, NFL teams wouldn’t have a lot of time to work with Manuel and get him up to speed in their offensive system before the start of the 2015 season.

Steelers

• Aaron Wilson reports that Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong is visiting with the Steelers on Friday.