NFL DRAFT PROFILE: WR ROME ODUNZE, WASHINGTON
2020: Played in all four games with one start (6-72-12.0).
2021: Started seven of the final nine contests (41-415-10.1, 4 TDs). Missed the first three games due to injuries.
2022: Third-team Associated Press All-American. First-team All-Pac-12 Conference. Ranked 10th in the FBS with 1,145 receiving yards (75 receptions, 15.3 per, 7 TDs). Played in 12 games with eight starts (3-6-2.0 rushing).
2023: First-team Associated Press All-American. First-team All-Pac-12 Conference. Finalist for the Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top WR). Led the FBS with a school-record 1,640 receiving yards (17.8 per), ranked sixth with 1,781 all-purpose yards, tied for sixth with 92 receptions and 13 receiving TDs. Played in all 15 games with 14 starts (2-37-18.5, TD rushing; 2-17-8.5 KR). Team’s Offensive Skill Player of the Year and team captain. Suffered a broken rib and punctured lung recovering an onsides kick versus Arizona. Stayed in a hospital overnight and rested over the bye week before playing in the team’s win over Oregon.
NFL DRAFT PROFILE: WR MALIK NABERS, LSU
Overview
Nabers is the next big thing coming out of LSU’s receiver room, with the pure explosiveness and talent to be mentioned in the same breath as former LSU stars starring in the league today. Despite a lack of polish and precision as a route-runner, Nabers’ gliding movements and speed alterations seem to disguise the top-end speed and separation potential that await opposing coverages. He’s a bouncy leaper with the athletic ability to make the impossible catches possible. He tucks away accurate throws and displays the toughness and play strength to fight for tight-window victories over the middle. Nabers will need to address his tendency to track and play deep throws with finesse, or his early advantages will turn into 50/50 battles. He can play all three receiver spots and has the profile to become a productive, high-volume target over all three levels as a potential WR1.
Strengths
- Skills and traits needed to produce effectively on all three levels as a pro.
- Glides and burns past defenders deep or pushes them into retreat for easy stop routes.
- Changes speeds inside the route to tilt defenders off the break point.
- Good hand-fighting and post-up talent to win positioning battles against big corners.
- Frames up defender to finish contested catches underneath.
- Premium leaper with contortionist’s talent for in-air adjustments on jump balls.
- Catches off-frame balls with strong, sudden hands.
- Has grab-and-go acceleration to catch it short and take it long.
Weaknesses
- Runs free into big spaces but needs additional route schooling.
- Inconsistent hip sink to snap routes off at crisp angles.
- Would benefit from eliminating wasted motion in early phases of the route.
- Lackadaisical to capture positioning and stack coverage behind him.
Sources Tell Us
“(Ja’Marr) Chase was more of a dude physically and (Justin) Jefferson was already really skilled when he came out, but you can see some flashes of both of those guys with the way [Nabers] plays.” – AFC personnel executive
REPORTS: TEXANS SIGNING CB C.J. HENDERSON
The Houston Texans are reportedly signing cornerback C.J. Henderson, a former top-10 draft pick.
Henderson, 25, agreed to terms after visiting with the Texans on Thursday, according to ESPN sources.
Henderson spent the past two-plus seasons with Carolina after being selected ninth overall by Jacksonville in 2020.
He has three interceptions, 16 passes defensed and 172 tackles in 49 games (32 starts) with the Panthers and Jaguars.
BUCCANEERS OFFICIALLY RE-SIGN VETERAN LB LAVONTE DAVID
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially re-signed veteran linebacker Lavonte David on Friday.
David, 34, will suit up for his 13th season in 2024 with the franchise that drafted him in the second round in 2012.
Terms were not disclosed, but previous reports said the longtime team captain agreed to a $9 million deal.
“Lavonte continues to stand the test of time and play at an exceptionally high level year after year, so it was never a question that we wanted to bring him back as the heart and soul of our defense,” said Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht. “The example he sets and the leadership he brings have been vital to our success as a team. It is extremely rare to have a player producing at such a high level for going on 13 years now, but Lavonte plays with a passion and a love of the game that shows no signs of slowing down.”
David started 15 games and registered 4.5 sacks and 134 tackles in 2023. It was his 10th season with triple-digit tackles.
An All-Pro selection in 2013 and a Pro Bowler in 2015, David has 33.5 sacks, 12 interceptions, 28 forced fumbles and 18 fumble recoveries in 181 games (all starts).
GIANTS RE-SIGNING WR ISAIAH HODGINS, ADD OL MATT NELSON
The New York Giants are re-signing wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins and adding offensive tackle Matt Nelson.
Both moves are pending physicals, the team said in an announcement Thursday night.
Hodgins, 25, caught 21 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games (nine starts) for the Giants in 2023. The Giants claimed him off waivers in November 2022.
He has seven career TDs in 28 games (14 starts) with the Buffalo Bills (2021-22) and Giants.
The Giants opted against the restricted free agent tender of $3 million for Hodgins and will sign him for less.
Nelson, 28, played in 43 career games (14 starts) for the Detroit Lions, who signed the converted defensive lineman as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
REPORTS: CHARGERS SIGNING CB KRISTIAN FULTON
The Los Angeles Chargers are signing free agent cornerback Kristian Fulton to a one-year deal, NFL Network reported Friday.
Financial terms were not reported.
ESPN reported that Fulton turned down offers from three teams, including division rival Denver, to sign with the Chargers, who brought him in Wednesday for a visit.
Fulton, 25, has four interceptions and 25 passes defensed in 42 career games (37 starts) with the Tennessee Titans, who selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft.
It’s expected Fulton will earn the starting spot opposite Asante Samuel Jr. with the Chargers.
REPORTS: TITANS ACQUIRE CB L’JARIUS SNEED FROM CHIEFS
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, a starter on the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning teams each of the past two seasons, is headed to the Tennessee Titans, ESPN and NFL.com reported Friday night.
The Titans reportedly are sending the Chiefs a 2025 third-round pick, and the clubs will swap seventh-round selections in 2024.
The deal came together after Kansas City placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on Sneed this month, days after granting him permission to find another team willing to trade for his services.
Sneed will receive a new contract from Tennessee, per the two reports. According to ESPN, he will wind up with one of the richest contracts for a cornerback.
Sneed, 27, is set to become the second cornerback to join the Titans in the offseason, following former Cincinnati Bengal Chidobe Awuzie, who landed a three-year deal earlier this month.
The Chiefs drafted Sneed in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of Louisiana Tech, and he wound up playing 57 regular-season games, including 54 starts, for Kansas City.
He also started all 13 of the team’s postseason games during his tenure, including three Super Bowls.
In 2023, Sneed had 78 tackles, two interceptions, 14 passes defensed and one fumble recovery in 16 games, all starts. He added 17 tackles and three passes defensed in the playoffs, including three tackles and one pass defensed in Kansas City’s 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl last month.
For his career, he has 303 tackles, 10 interceptions, 6.5 sacks, 40 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.