D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock believes that Clemson defensive end Andre Branch, who was a first team All-ACC performer in 2011, should be selected between the 25th and 40th picks of this April’s NFL Draft. The 6’4″ 259-pound senior, who tallied 77 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and a forced fumble last season, told Ledbetter “I’m a natural pass rusher. My main focus isn’t the other guys in the draft. My main focus [...]

The New Orleans Saints continued to overhaul their linebacker corps Tuesday, as the Seattle Times reports that the Saints have agreed to terms on a five year contract with linebacker David Hawthorne. The 26 year-old hawthorne, who had 115 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions in 2011 as the starter at middle linebacker for the Seahawks, told the Times that the Saints were one of the first teams to show interest in his services, saying that “From Day One, they [...]

According to a recent report by ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are looking at a potential overhaul of their linebacker corps amid reports that Mason Foster may move outside and with Geno Hayes a free agent, will bring in Texas Christian linebacker Tank Carder in for a visit next week. The 6’2″ 236-pound senior had 70 tackles and 2 interceptions for the Horned Frogs in 2011. The Ball Says: Carder is an interesting story, as he broke his back [...]

In his latest mock draft for ESPN Todd McShay predicts that Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith will be drafted with the 29th pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The 6’2″ 213-pound Smith had 90 tackles and a forced fumble for the Fighting Irish in 2011. The Ball Says: Smith had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl and performed well at the NFL Scouting Combine, and he’s a versatile player with the strength to hold up [...]

The Chicago Tribune reports that the New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms on a five year contract with free agent middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. The 25 year-old Lofton, who had 147 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and two interceptions in 2011 for the Atlanta Falcons, told the New Orleans Times-Picayune “I wanted to go to a team that, No. 1, had a chance to win a Super Bowl, had true fans, a great defensive coordinator. Then once the [...]

After watching their run defense get gashed up the middle continuously in 2011 the Philadelphia Eagles took steps to address the issue Tuesday, acquiring linebacker DeMeco Ryans from the Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth round pick and exchange of third round picks in the 2012 draft according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The seventh year pro had 64 tackles and a forced fumble for the Texans last season. The Ball Says: Ryans was horribly miscast as a 3-4 [...]

The Denver Post reported Saturday that given his pending six-game suspension for violating the National Football League’s performance enhancing drugs policy and with a $5 million non-guaranteed salary in 2012 it’s a very real possibility that Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams may have played his last game as a member of the Broncos. The 29 year old Williams, who has played his entire eight year career in Denver, had 90 tackles, 5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles in 13 games [...]

After an outstanding showing at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine that saw him check in at a robust 271-pounds, rip off an impressive 35 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press, and peel off a very quick 4.64 second 40-yard dash time for his size Southern California defensive end Nick Perry elected not to participate in most of the workouts at USC’s pro day Wednesday, choosing instead to focus on position drills according to a report by CBS Sports. [...]

Of the many linebackers that participated in this week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis one player who boosted his stock in the upcoming draft considerably was Oklahoma linebacker Ronnell Lewis, according to a report in the Oaklahoman. The 6’2″ 264-pound junior had 60 tackles, 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception en route to being named a first team All Big-12 performer at defensive end in 2011. The Ball Says: Lewis had a very strong showing at the combine, [...]

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Browns middle linebacker D’Qwell Jackson became emotional when expressing his gratitude about the five year, $42.5 million extension that he and the team came to terms on Monday at a press conference announcing the deal. The 28 year-old Jackson, who was set to enter free agency on March 13 and had 158 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception a year ago, said “I can’t thank [team president Mike Holmgren] enough just [...]