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NFL

Matt Elam's arrest secures his place as Ravens' worst first-round pick

If there was any doubt about safety Matt Elam’s status with the Baltimore Ravens, he secured it Sunday after his arrest on multiple drug charges in Miami.

Elam, the 32nd overall pick of the 2013 draft, is officially the worst first-round pick in team history. Of all the 21 players selected in the first round by the Ravens, no one disappointed quite like Elam.

Safety Matt Elam, right, couldn’t stay in the starting lineup, couldn’t stay healthy and couldn’t stay out of trouble in Baltimore. Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports

His career in Baltimore can be summed up like this: He couldn’t stay in the starting lineup. He couldn’t stay healthy. He couldn’t stay out of trouble.

Elam came to the Ravens with expectations that he would help fill the void left by Ed Reed’s departure. He left with one career interception, two stints on injured reserve and an arrest — which included possession of 126 grams of marijuana and three grams of oxycodone, according to police — that became the final stamp on his underachieving time in Baltimore.

“Matt is not in our plans for the 2017 Ravens,” a team spokesman said Sunday.

The Ravens are known for coming up big in the first round, selecting one Hall of Fame player (offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden) and two future ones (Reed and linebacker Ray Lewis). There have been missteps from wide receiver Travis Taylor to quarterback Kyle Boller to wide receiver Mark Clayton. But at the very least, those players started more than 40 games and showed flashes of skill. Boller even outdueled Brett Favre on Monday Night Football once by throwing for three touchdowns.

Selected three months after the Ravens won the Super Bowl, Elam started 26 games before being benched midway through his second season. He struggled in covering receivers deep and making tackles. His career was a forgettable one, outside of picking off a tipped pass with 38 seconds remaining to seal an 18-16 win in Detroit as a rookie.

In 2014, Elam was rated as the ninth-worst safety by Pro Football Focus after missing 18 tackles in the regular season. He also missed another two key tackles in last season’s divisional playoff loss at New England.

The following season, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said the team was “not satisfied” with the way Elam has played. Elam then tore his biceps while trying to make a tackle in training camp. During that year, Elam was suspended one game by the NFL for violating the substance abuse policy.

Last season, a knee injury in the preseason landed him on IR for a second straight year. But Baltimore designated him for return, and Elam contributed on special teams.

Now, Elam made the untimely mistake of being arrested 11 days before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. It certainly ends his time with the Ravens, and it could mark the end of his NFL career.

NFL

History says Broncos will meet most of 2017 draft class at combine

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos’ football decision-makers, coaches, scouts, trainers and medical staff will pile into airplanes this week and head to the NFL’s scouting combine in Indianapolis.

And history shows they will see most, if not all, of their eventual draft class over the weeklong event. Almost every player the Broncos have selected in the six drafts John Elway has overseen as executive vice president of football operations/general manager has been one who has been put through the rigors of running, jumping and sprinting around orange cones at the combine.

The Broncos got a chance to closely watch Paxton Lynch at last year’s NFL combine. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The combine is the spot where most of the top-rated prospects are invited to show what they’ve got to offer. It’s certainly not the only place to see future pros — cornerback Chris Harris Jr. will always be proof of that.

“I always tell guys it doesn’t matter how you get here just make the most of your chance once you get here,” said Harris, who made the Broncos’ roster as an undrafted rookie in 2011. “But if you go to the combine you get seen by everybody in the league, it’s going to help you. A guy like me, you’re working uphill, you know?”

Since Elway returned as the Broncos’ top football executive, 40 of the 46 players the Broncos have selected in the last six drafts were players who were at the combine. And in Elway’s time at the head of the table, the Broncos have never selected a player before the sixth round of the draft who was not at the combine.

In three drafts — 2011, 2012 and 2013 — all the Broncos’ selections were combine players. In each of the last three drafts, the Broncos have selected at least one player who had not been invited to the combine.

NFL DraftRound 1: April 27, 8 p.m. ET
Rds. 2-3: April 28, 7 p.m. ET
Rds. 4-7: April 29, noon ET
Where: Philadelphia

NFL draft home page »

• 2017 NFL draft order »
• Mel Kiper Jr.: Mock 2.0 »
• Todd McShay’s Top 32
• McShay: Top prospects by position
• Todd McShay: Mock 2.0 »
• Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board »
• Mel Kiper Jr.: Top 10 by position »
• Pro day schedule for prospects »
• Underclassmen who have declared »
• NFL draft player rankings »

The 2015 draft was the outlier as they eventually picked four players — tackle Darius Kilgo, quarterback Trevor Siemian, cornerback Taurean Nixon and safety Josh Furman — in their nine-player draft class who were not invited to the combine. In 2014, linebacker Corey Nelson was the only one of the Broncos’ six picks in that draft who was not invited to the combine. Last year, safety Will Parks was the only Broncos’ draft pick who was not invited to the combine.

Furman didn’t make it out of his first training camp while Kilgo was released this past season. Kilgo was on the Patriots’ practice squad at the Super Bowl earlier this month. Siemian, Nelson, Nixon and Parks remain on the Broncos’ roster.

Debate the worthiness of the drills if you must in what some scouts call the “T-shirt Olympics” or even “recess,” but the ability to sit down with the prospects and see how they handle themselves through the week has mattered to the Broncos.

As Von Miller, who was Elway’s first draft pick, put it: “I think I knew at the combine the Broncos were going to pick me. I thought I hit it off with John Elway and they could see what I was about. I just remember when I left [Indianapolis] I thought there was a real good chance I would end up with the Denver Broncos.”

NFL

Magic Johnson's presence keeping Lakers on their toes

OKLAHOMA CITY — There he sat on the aisle, halfway up Section 114, maybe 15 rows directly behind the Los Angeles Lakers bench, beside the offspring of the owner who drafted him.

From his perch next to Lakers executives Joey and Jesse Buss, Magic Johnson munched on popcorn Friday and surveyed his young, rebuilding squad play its first game since he ascended from a nebulous advisory position to president of basketball operations in a dramatic in-house bloodletting earlier this week that shook the franchise’s foundation and the NBA landscape.

And the Lakers can feel his presence.

“It’s like you’re starting over and trying to impress,” Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell said after L.A.’s 110-93 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

“Everybody has to look over their shoulders once again. It’s like coming to a new team. You try to impress the GMs and the guys in the front office with your play and off the court, the way you handle yourself. It’s just all different.”

Midway through the second quarter, Johnson joined the in-game broadcast on Spectrum SportsNet, and after preaching patience with repairing a team that has the NBA’s third-worst record and has missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, he headed toward a nearby tunnel.

But star power of his caliber doesn’t visit Oklahoma on just any day, so nearby fans zeroed in with smartphones and snapped away, screaming, “Magic!” He offered his classic smile in return.

“There’s a reason he’s as successful as he is, because he has a way with people,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said before his team fell to 19-40 on the season.

New president of basketball operations Magic Johnson was on hand Friday as the Lakers lost at Oklahoma City. Mark D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports

Johnson oozes charisma, not to mention the legendary clout that comes with being one of the most exciting athletes in history — winning five championships, achieving Basketball Hall of Fame status and putting together one of the most successful nonsports résumés of any player ever.

But the task ahead of him is staggering — a yearslong venture, at least — and his lack of front-office experience justifiably gives many pause as to whether he is fully equipped to make the Lakers great again, no matter his other credentials or what he tweets or boasts during national media tours.

Still, Johnson is the first to admit that he is up against a monumental feat, that there will need to be baby steps before giant leaps. On Thursday night, Johnson took several members of the team’s coaching staff and front office to dinner at Mahogany Prime Steakhouse, a few blocks from their downtown Oklahoma City hotel, to lay out his vision and discuss ideas.

“He’s been awesome,” Walton said. “There’s been a lot of really healthy dialogue going on.”

Walton said the Lakers would love to have Johnson around as much as possible, and so far, Johnson has attended practices and even worked with players on individual moves. But Johnson likely won’t attend many road games beyond Friday, which was a statement appearance, given the team’s massive shakeup.

He did tell the players that the door to his office is always open, and Russell said he and his teammates are expected to have one-on-one sessions with Johnson over the next few days.

But from now until their regular-season finale April 12, the Lakers’ goal is twofold, yet should unfold without much effort: to develop their young players and to lose.

With star reserve Lou Williams shipped to the Houston Rockets this week, Russell and Jordan Clarkson will play more, especially in crunch time, as Walton acknowledged.

As for losing, the Lakers won’t have to try much, because they simply aren’t talented or experienced enough to even be competitive most nights, especially in the Western Conference. In other words, no “tanking” is necessary. But all those defeats will come in handy during the NBA draft lottery on May 16, as the Lakers are praying they’ll be able to keep a top-three protected first-round draft pick.

Check out the team site for more game coverage

Check out the team site for more game coverage

The outcome of that crucial draft lottery will help shape the Lakers’ immediate future, though their next 23 games are key for their young core to gain valuable experience and chemistry and to develop what Johnson hopes, as he said on Friday’s broadcast, is an identity.

During that time, it will also be key for Johnson to gain more understanding of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, as well as the ins and outs of running a modern NBA front office.

Yet his presence alone is already changing the atmosphere around the team.

“He’s Magic Johnson,” Lakers guard Nick Young said. “Change is happening. It makes you stay on your toes, stay focused.”

Right now, the Lakers will appreciate every positive step forward, no matter how small, as they know full well it will take many such steps — along with dramatic changes — for them to emerge from the lowest era in franchise history.

NFL

If released, Jamaal Charles could be intriguing option for Eagles

With needs at several positions but not much money to go around, the Philadelphia Eagles will need to get creative this offseason as they build their team.

The Eagles currently have just under $10 million in cap space, per OverTheCap. They are expected to make several moves before the league year opens March 9 to free up resources but still won’t be in a position where they can afford to go too crazy in free agency. It seems reasonable that executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman and company could make one splash signing (wide receiver?) then wait for the second wave and search for lower-cost players to help bolster the roster.

The market will only grow over the next couple weeks as teams make salary cuts. One name worth pondering if he shakes loose is Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles. The 30-year-old veteran is set to count more than $6 million against the cap in 2017. The Chiefs, who only have about $5 million in cap space at the moment, just signed C.J. Spiller on Friday, fueling speculation that Charles might be on the move.

Though his injury history is a concern, Jamaal Charles would be a fit for the system Doug Pederson brought to Philadelphia. Jason Hanna/Getty Images

Charles’ recent injury history has to be considered. He tore his right ACL in 2015 and missed the majority of this past season as well after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear. He also tore his left ACL in 2011.

When healthy, Charles has been dynamite. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards five times since being drafted in the third round by the Chiefs in 2008, averaging an eye-popping 5.5 yards per carry along the way with 43 touchdowns. He is also a receiving threat out of the backfield, catching 70 balls for close to 700 yards with seven touchdowns in Andy Reid’s first year with the Chiefs.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was Charles’ offensive coordinator for three seasons in Kansas City. Safe to say, Charles is a fit for the system Pederson brought to Philadelphia, which is similar to the one Reid runs in Kansas City.

The Eagles need to add to their backfield. Ryan Mathews suffered a neck injury late last season. The expectation is that he will not be back with the team in 2017. That leaves second-year back Wendell Smallwood and the 33-year-old Darren Sproles as the two main holdovers. While both have value, it would be wise to bring in additional firepower.

As it stands, the Eagles have big holes at cornerback and wide receiver, and could use a boost at running back and along the defensive line, for starters. The team will try to address those areas this offseason. Charles would likely not command a large payday given the injury concerns but has home-run potential if the knees hold up. That could make him an intriguing option should the Chiefs let him walk.

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“If you think about it, I've never held a job in my life. I went from being an NFL player to a coach to a broadcaster. I haven't worked a day in my life.”
-John Madden


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