With the pro day schedule winding down, NFL teams are starting to lock up individual workouts and visits with draft prospects. The scheduling of workouts can mean several things, especially when it comes to top-30 visits, which typically revolve around various elements of the process, from injury issues to character concerns to overall prospect evaluations. Let’s take a look at the latest news and notes on the 2022 NFL Draft visit calendar.
NFL Draft News and Rumors: Senior Bowl standout books visit with Ravens
Baylor defensive back Jalen Pitre, one of the biggest standouts of February’s Senior Bowl, has booked a Top 30 visit with the Baltimore Ravens, a league source told Pro Football Network on Friday.
Pitre has seen his stock rise since the all-star game, as he routinely made plays during the week of practice against some of the top talent in this year’s class. Pitre followed up that performance with a strong NFL Combine. He did 16 reps on the bench press and ran a 6.74-second 3-cone drill. However, he decided to hold on his 40 time until Baylor’s pro day on March 30.
Pitre produced 195 tackles (36 for loss), 8 sacks, 4 interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and 4 forced fumbles during his five seasons at Baylor. The 5-foot-11,198-pound defensive back also scored two defensive touchdowns.
Like most former Baylor defensive backs, Pitre can play multiple positions in the secondary. While he’s been profiled as a stellar sideline-to-sideline free safety, he can also play in the box and work as a nickel corner.
Pitre is Pro Football Network Chief Draft Analyst Tony Pauline‘s 54th overall prospect and the 40th ranked player on the PFN Consensus Board. Pauline graded Pitre as a second-round pick in his evaluation.
UAB TE nabs private workout with Cardinals
University of Alabama-Birmingham tight end Gerrit Prince has a top-30 visit scheduled with the Arizona Cardinals, according to a league source not authorized to speak on the visit publicly.
Prince suffered a hamstring injury while at the East-West Shrine Game in Las Vegas. As a result, he was unable to take part in the UAB Pro Day. Now fully recovered, he will run for teams on March 30, per a source.
Prince, listed at 6-foot-4 and 239 pounds, caught 50 passes for 828 yards and 15 touchdowns during his four-year college career at UAB. Last season, Prince broke out with 36 catches for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Prince is Pauline’s 280th overall prospect. Pauline graded him as a seventh-round pick.
Bo Melton to participate in Eagles’ local workout
Rutgers do-everything playmaker Bo Melton is set to take part in local workouts for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and New York Giants.
Melton took part in Rutgers’ Pro Day on Tuesday in front of scouts and coaches from 21 NFL teams. Rutgers’ top wideout worked with Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters during positional drills.
Melton, who also participated in the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, decided to stick with his stellar numbers from Indianapolis, including his 40-yard dash (4.34 seconds), broad jump (10’1″), and vertical jump (38″). However, he did take part in the three-cone drill (6.81 seconds) and short shuttle (4.10 seconds) tests.
Pauline has Melton projected as a third- or fourth-round pick on his big board.
Talented pass rusher sets three top-30 visits ahead of NFL Draft
University of Minnesota edge rusher Esezi Otomewo has a busy road to the NFL Draft over the next few weeks. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound pass rusher has top-30 visits scheduled with the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, and Las Vegas Raiders, according to a league source who was not authorized to speak publicly on the meetings. Otomewo will also take part in the Minnesota Vikings’ local prospect day.
Otomewo suffered a low-grade knee sprain during Minnesota’s 18-6 win over West Virginia in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in late December. Before suffering the injury, Otomewo was a force for the Gophers in the bowl game, posting 3 tackles and 2 sacks in the win.
He announced that he’d forgo his final season of eligibility in January. However, his knee sprain forced him to delay his preparation for the NFL Combine and his pro day. He was invited to the Senior Bowl in February but could not participate in drills.
Now fully healthy, Otomewo plans to work out for teams on April 4. He has visits with the Bears, Raiders, and Colts set up around that workout. He will also return to Minnesota for the Vikings’ local prospect day.
Otomewo is Pauline’s 176th overall prospect. Pauline has given Otomewo a fifth-round grade heading into the selection process.
Buffalo cornerback set for Cowboys’ local workout
University of Buffalo cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram will participate in the Dallas Cowboys’ local day workout in April, a league source told PFN on Friday.
Ingram began his college career at Texas Tech and is from Dallas. He transferred to Buffalo last season and produced 47 tackles and 3 pass breakups for the program in 11 games.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Ingram has good size for the position.
Rutgers defensive lineman to work out for Giants, Jets
Rutgers defensive lineman Julius Turner has been invited to local workouts for the New York Jets and New York Giants, a league source told PFN this week.
Turner, who measured 5-foot-11 and 281 pounds at the Rutgers Pro Day on Tuesday, projects a rotational 3-technique at the NFL level. During his pro day, Turner did 29 reps on the bench press, had a 28.5-inch vertical jump, posted an 8’8″ broad jump, and ran a 5.06-second 40-yard dash. He also ran a 7.47-second three-cone drill.
During his five-year college career, Turner collected 172 tackles and 6 sacks.