NFL Player News

McCaffrey was seen getting his quad worked on during the Niners’ Divisional Round win against the Packers, raising questions about his health going into the NFC Championship Game. Shanahan said he was unaware that McCaffrey was receiving treatment on the bench. He said that’s “just what Christian to me always does. He’s always working on his body and stuff. I was told nothing about his quad.” CMC appeared fully healthy on the field after a late-season calf injury, totaling 128 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay. This week he takes on a Detroit defense giving up the fourth lowest rush EPA this season.

Small (5’9/198) is a slightly undersized back who spent four years at Tennessee. Appearing on the verge of a breakout in 2021 when he rushed for 140-792-9 as a sophomore, Small added another 157-734-13 in 2022 but was relegated to RB2 duties behind fellow 2024 draft class mate Jaylen Wright. Small offered limited upside as a pass-catcher, and struggled to evade defenders while with the Vols. He’s a willing blocker, but his size could present challenges when it comes to slowing pass rushers. Small could earn a role as an early-down runner if needed, but it’s unlikely he ever develops into a lead back.

The No. 14 overall pick of the 2021 draft is currently recovering from a torn Achilles’ tendon, but he is expected to be ready for Week 1. The versatile lineman is currently penciled in as Gang Green’s right guard.

As fantasy football writer Jakob Sanderson points out, Etienne’s option being exercised the same weekend the Jags only added return man RB Keilan Robinson in the draft makes it a good weekend for Etienne’s Dynasty league value despite coach Doug Pederson’s supposed desire to get Tank Bigsby more involved in 2024. ’23 was definitely a shaky campaign for Etienne, but he appears poised to remain the Jags’ primary backfield option on every down.

The move was a formality even after Lawrence’s stretch-run struggles. A summer extension is likely also a formality, though Lawrence is now officially under team control for two more seasons. With Brian Thomas Jr. aligning opposite Gabriel Davis on the outside, Lawrence will have a deep, varied receiver corps for 2024 despite the free agent loss of Calvin Ridley.

Wiley (5’10/210) is a dual-threat back who punched in 28 scores on 459 career touches. He totaled just 2,862 yards from scrimmage over five college seasons and topped out at 771 rushing yards in 2022. He may be better suited as a third-down and/or pass-catching back as a pro. He handled 100-plus rush attempts just once in his career while averaging 32.3 receptions per season from 2021-2023. Wiley forced a missed tackle on 25.9 percent of his total touches, proving to be a problem for opposing defenders with the ball in his hand. His 4.51 40-time and 7.19 RAS are both adequate for a player of his size, but he lacks burst and top-end speed. He’s unlikely to make a roster out of camp but could benefit from a team getting some more looks at him on the practice squad.

Owens (6’2/216) brings plenty of size to the safety position and possesses good speed and athleticism – although he didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the combine or his pro day. Owens has the look of an NFL safety but is short on playing experience. Per Pro Football Focus, Owens has logged just 961 snaps on defense during his five college seasons and missed a high rate of tackles (17.6 percent) during his final season at Texas Tech. He has plenty to work with as far as tools are concerned, but he’ll need to be coached up and make the most of valuable reps in camp if he hopes to secure a spot on a 53-man roster.

Plumlee (6’0/200) threw for 4857-29-16 in his two seasons at UCF but was a dual threat at the position who added another 1,367 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. Plumlee’s accuracy, particularly on intermediate and deep throws, took a nice leap from 2022 to 2023, and his ADOT (10.2) and YPA (8.9) saw improvement as a result. He also cut down on his sack total in a big way. His 36.5 inch vertical and 10’4” inch broad jump at UCF’s Pro Day would have been tops amongst NFL Combine participants, and be blazed a 4.53 40 at his pro day. Plumlee threw 16 interceptions and put the ball on the ground 15 times in his two years as a starter for the Knights, and he’s a bit on the small side for a quarterback. His athleticism could help create additional opportunities for him beyond the quarterback position. As of his signing, what position he will play in Pittsburgh is unclear. He could ultimately move to receiver, a position of need for the Steelers, on his new team.

Lovett (6'3/307) originally broke out as a starter in the hallowed SEC in his redshirt Freshman year at Mississippi State in 2019. He would then transfer to Florida State where he would earn two Honorable Mentions All-ACC and was voted team captain in 2023 despite being replaced in the starting lineup by Western Michigan transfer Braden Fiske. Lovett is a squatting 4-point stance one tech, though Florida State did play their iDLs interchangeably. His maturity shows, both as a leader and as a processor on the field. Lovett is quick to find the ball and shows hustle even when the play is away from him or when he is double-teamed. His sumo move is well-refined and is effective in freeing both himself and the linebackers behind him. Lovett is a primarily stationary player and struggles to free himself in pass rush, though he does have a good pull-push move. Lovett will need to become more mobile and use his length to throw his weight around if he intends to be more than a space-eating one-tech in the pros.

A premium five-star recruit who was rated as the fourth overall prospect in the nation from the 2021 prep cycle, Taylor (6’034/303) proved he was ready to contribute right away by playing in nine games recording 200 snaps, 10 stops, and 8.5 TFLs. The Honorable Mention All-ACC performer was slated to make the leap to stardom this year, but he shifted to play more in the A-gap (202-of-341 snaps) which caused Taylor some growing pains, recording a 28 percent missed tackle rate and ghastly 33rd percentile tackle rate. His ability to bring pressure is awe-inspiring when he’s engaged, as is evidenced by his 82.1 PFF pass rush grade. However, Taylor recorded 11 of his 21 pressures against hapless opponents Bethune Cookman and Temple and just six pressures against the six ACC opponents he squared off against in 2023. His combine testing was above average with a 1.75s 10-yard split, a 30” vertical, and a 9’01” broad jump for a respectable 7.29 Relative Athletic Score. While Taylor possesses the raw strength and natural twitch to be a menace in pass sets, he tends to get knocked off his rush path when he foregoes balance for speed.