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The New Orleans Saints brought in LSU OL Will Campbell for a pre-draft visit on Saturday, according to Nick Underhill.
Campbell recently visited with the Patriots and Raiders, so odds are good he’ll come off the board in the first half of this year’s draft.
He’s among the top offensive tackles available in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Teams can host up to 30 players for interviews and medical evaluations at their own facilities, with players who live or go to college in the local area not counting toward those 30. These are often colloquially referred to as “top 30 visits” although they’re not necessarily the top 30 players on a team’s board.
Dane Brugler has him as the No. 6 overall player on his big board and the No. 1 offensive lineman. However, there have been some rumblings that teams might want Campbell to change positions in the NFL because of questions regarding his arm length and athleticism.
Per Brugler from a podcast on The Athletic, teams have Campbell on their board as a tackle and would like to keep him there if possible. Brugler believes Campbell will remain at tackle if his arm length measurement is at least 33 inches at this week’s Combine, but teams could move him inside if the measurement is anything less than that.
Brugler notes it sounds silly but teams do have athletic thresholds for certain positions, and arm length for tackles is one of them.
Campbell, 21, was a three-year starter at LSU and earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2022, and first-team in 2023.
During his three-year college career, he appeared in 38 games with 38 starts, all at left tackle.
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Kevin O'Connell confirms suspicion why the Vikings traded for Jordan Mason after signing Aaron Jones
Raiders quarterback situation murky after latest update
When the Las Vegas Raiders traded for Geno Smith on Mar. 13, they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. While Smith is a definite upgrade on Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, he is also on the last year of his deal during an age-35 season. Both head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek remain confident that a contract extension will get done in short order, but there are plenty of factors that must be taken into consideration. Until pen is put to paper, the fact of the matter is Smith currently stands as a one-year proposition. On top of all of this, recent comments on the Raiders’ draft strategy has thrown up some mixed signals. Is quarterback still on the table for the Raiders with the sixth pick? According to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, it sounds like all options for the Raiders remain on the table, including quarterback, when they are on the clock in April’s draft. “Despite trading for Smith, the Raiders remain open to drafting a quarterback as early as the first round of the 2025 draft, according to league sources,” Reed wrote. Spytek’s comments at the annual league meeting on Monday only added to this speculation, suggesting that the addition of Smith to the roster did not alter the Raiders’ draft strategy. “From a team-building standpoint, I don’t think it changes our approach at all,” Spytek said. “We’re deep into the evaluation of the quarterbacks in this class, and we’re going to stay in that. … We could take one anywhere.” With Miami quarterback Cam Ward expected to go number one to the Tennessee Titans, that leaves Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders for the Raiders to take at six. Recent reports have suggested Sanders is a candidate to slide down the draft, so connecting him back to the Raiders is a welcome sight for him and his camp. Sanders has openly flirted about the idea of playing for the Raiders in 2025 for months, even after the Smith trade. The idea of learning the NFL game from a longtime veteran like Smith, as well as a seasoned offensive coordinator in Chip Kelly, should give the Raiders some confidence in the development of Sanders or any quarterback they take. Should Smith’s contract extension remain unsettled closer to the draft, expect the Sanders rumors to kick back into overdrive again.
Houston Astros May Have Just Lost Their Star Pitcher for Good
The Houston Astros know that pitcher Framber Valdez is slated to hit the free-agent market next offseason, and all along, they understood that they may not be able to re-sign him. Well, now, the Astros are probably resigned to the fact that Valdez will be departing them next winter. The Boston Red Sox just agreed to a six-year, $170 million contract extension with Garrett Crochet, and Drew Koch of Climbing Tal’s Hill feels that Crochet’s deal mean’s “Houston’s hope of retaining Valdez is officially extinguished.” Considering that Crochet has only been a starting pitcher for one full season (barely) and just landed such a hefty contract, Valdez will surely land a megadeal, at least from an average annual value perspective. It should be noted that Valdez is 31 years old, so he probably won’t be landing a six-year pact like the 25-year-old Crochet. However, even if he only secures a three-year contract, the Astros will likely have difficulty matching the annual money. “The Astros have watched players like George Springer, Carlos Correa, and most recently Alex Bregman enter the free agent market and never return,” added Koch. “Houston even made a somewhat competitive offer for Bregman this past offseason, but the Red Sox obliterated that after handing Bregman a three-year, $120 million deal.” Valdez broke into the big leagues with the Astros in 2018 and became a full-time starter in 2021. He earned back-to-back All-Star selections in 2022 and 2023, leading the American League with 201.1 innings pitched in the former campaign. Last year, the Dominican native went 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA, allowing 140 hits while registering 169 strikeouts over 176.1 frames. He owns a lifetime 3.28 ERA across 158 outings and 136 starts. Houston has consistently been near the top of the majors in payroll, ranking second as recently as 2023. This year, however, the Astros have dipped to ninth. It’s possible that they continue to fall in that category as more time passes.
Mats Wilander urges Novak Djokovic to play Monte Carlo Masters and become ‘threat’ at French Open
Rory McIlroy's Masters chances just took a major hit
Rory McIlroy is playing brilliant golf leading up to the Masters with a career Grand Slam on the line, but his quest for a green jacket has hit an untimely snag. After wrapping up a T5 finish at the Texas Children's Houston Open, McIlroy revealed he's dealing with a right elbow injury with the first major championship of the season right around the corner. "My right elbow has been bothering me a little bit, so I'll get some treatment on that and make sure that's OK going into Augusta," McIlroy said after shooting a final-round 64, per ESPN. "I still feel like I've got some stuff to work on. I still don't think my game is absolutely 100 percent under the control I would want. I've got my coach, Michael Bannon, coming in [Monday] so we'll be working at home and making sure the game feels good going into the Masters." It's hard to believe McIlroy is having doubts about his game considering how in control of his golf swings he's been all season. In five PGA Tour starts this year, the Northern Irishman has two wins and no finishes worse than T17. He ranks first on Tour this season in total strokes gained, strokes gained from off the tee and scoring average. Despite playing through elbow discomfort at the Texas Children's Houston Open, McIlroy shot 65-64 on the weekend to backdoor his way to a top-five finish. He did, however, hit only 29 of 52 fairways (55.8 percent) from off the tee, so his injured elbow may be affecting his full swings with the driver. McIlroy got away with a wayward driver at Memorial Park, but he'll need to be much more accurate at Augusta National Golf Club. Missing the fairway by a few feet isn't a problem at the Masters, but wider misses bring the pine straw and trees into play. The 35-year-old ranks 113th on Tour in distance from edge of fairway, which could end up being his downfall at Augusta. The Masters begins on April 10. If McIlroy isn't feeling 100 percent healthy and confident in his driving ability, he could be in for another year of heartbreak.
Could a deal for Cowboys edge-rusher Micah Parsons be imminent?
The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly expediting contract negotiations with edge-rusher Micah Parsons. On Tuesday morning, All City DLLS' Clarence Hill reported the Cowboys have offered Parsons a contract that would make him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history. Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase became the highest-paid non-QB when he signed a four-year, $161M extension on March 18. Per Hill, Dallas went to the pass-rusher without his agent. In a post on his X account, Parsons confirmed he won't sign a deal without his agent being involved. On Tuesday at the annual league meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed he met with Parsons. Jones said they're still not rushing to get a deal done. "I don't view it as urgent at all," Jones said, via Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein. "I'd rather pay more and get it right than pay less and screw it up." Dallas must get Parsons' agent involved in negotiations, but Cowboys fans should still take the update as a good sign. It could show Dallas is being proactive in contract negotiations with a star player, unlike last offseason. In 2024, Dallas waited to sign wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) and quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and likely paid more than it should've. The Cowboys gave Lamb his deal in August, while Prescott received his contract in September prior to Dallas' season opener against the Cleveland Browns. More importantly, Dallas is aiming to solidify its future with Parsons, an elite player. In four seasons with the Cowboys, the 25-year-old has 52.5 sacks and earned two first-team All-Pro nods. Extending Parsons could be expensive for Dallas. However, keeping a player of his caliber should make it worthwhile for the Cowboys.
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