NFL Player News

Cook will be joined by third-round pick Alexander Mattison in the Minnesota backfield, Eric Smith of the team's official website reports.

The 2019 NFL Draft brought good news for Cook's fantasy value, as the Vikings used their first-round pick on center/guard Garrett Bradbury and then waited until No. 102 overall to draft a potential replacement for Latavius Murray (Saints). The team's shaky backup situation can be interpreted as a vote of confidence in Cook, who closed out last season with 520 scrimmage yards, 21 catches and three touchdowns in five December games. There may be some concern about the 221-pound Mattison stealing goal-line work, but Cook is locked in for heavy workloads if he can just stay healthy.

The Patriots are expected to sign Brossette as an undrafted free agent.

Brossette was finally able to lead the LSU backfield in 2018 after he was stuck behind Leonard Fournette for much of his career. Brossette made the most of his opportunity, rushing for 1,039 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games for the Tigers. He will face an uphill battle for a roster spot, especially after the Patriots drafted Alabama product Damien Harris in the third round.

The Texans are expected to sign Higdon as an undrafted free agent, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Higdon was extremely productive during his time with Michigan, racking up a 5.6 yards per carry average to go along with 27 rushing touchdowns in 39 career games. He will bring explosiveness to a Texans backfield that already has proven pros such as Lamar Miller and D'Onta Foreman. Higdon will have to compete for a depth role and a special teams job in 2019.

Tennessee is expected to sign Barnes to an undrafted free-agent contract, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Barnes is coming off of an impressive junior season at Kansas State that saw him run for 1,355 yards and 12 touchdowns on 256 carries. He tested well at the NFL Scouting Combine and will have a chance to become the Titans' No. 3 running back behind Dion Lewis and Derrick Henry in 2019.

The Saints are expected to sign Ozigbo to an undrafted free-agent contract, Parker Gabriel of The Lincoln Journal Star reports.

Ozigbo, a running back out of Nebraska, is coming off of a 1,000-yard season in 2018. He tested well at his pro day but didn't jump off the board in any particular category. With Mark Ingram departing the Saints in free agency, Ozigbo could fill a hole as a forceful runner to complement Alvin Kamara. For now he'll set his sights on earning a depth roster spot for the 2019 season.

Williams is expected to sign with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, Brooke Pryor of The Kansas City Star reports.

Williams could prove to be an interesting addition to the Chiefs. He proved adept as both a runner and a receiver at Washington State and could be used in a myriad of ways in Kansas City's offense. For now he'll set his sights on earning a backup running back role with the team in 2019.

The Dolphins selected Gaskin in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 234th overall.

Gaskin finished his collegiate career 13th all-time in rushing yards (5,323) and 16th all-time in touchdowns (62), but a 4.58 40-yard dash at the combine seemed to destroy any sort of mid-round hype for the Washington product. Gaskin seemingly probes too long for a big play, often times losing yards instead of hitting the hole, and has struggled to shake off would-be tacklers even at the second level, instead relying on his athleticism to run around people. Both of those facets could force Gaskin to take on more of a complementary role in the Dolphins backfield, likely spelling Kalen Ballage and Kenyan Drake as an explosive change-of-pace back.

The Chiefs selected Thompson in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 214th overall.

Thompson (5-foot-8, 198 pounds) is a bit undersized but runs with a standout motor and offers a three-down skill set otherwise. As much as his pro day numbers were problematic (4.55-second 40, 11.23 agility score), Thompson looks quick and explosive on tape, and he salvaged his pro day somewhat by posting strong numbers in the vertical (39 inches) and broad jump (126 inches). Thompson played just one season at Utah State as a junior college transfer, but he torched the Mountain West to the tune of 1,044 yards (6.8 YPC) and 14 touchdowns while adding 23 receptions for 351 yards and two touchdowns on just 30 targets. Carlos Hyde is the established backup to Damien Williams at the moment, but there's a non-zero chance that Thompson closes that gap if he can make the team. Thompson is clearly a better pass catcher than Hyde.

The Bengals selected Anderson (knee) in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 211th overall.

Anderson (6-foot, 224 pounds) suffered a torn ACL in early September, but he wasn't able to run at all before the draft and carries some ambiguity in his status heading into the fall. The line for some time was that Anderson should be ready for Week 1, but in some sense it's odd that was ever up to question. If the former Oklahoma star isn't damaged goods for the long term, then this is pretty obviously a strong pick for Cincinnati. If Anderson had never torn that ACL or suffered his two other season-ending injuries (broken vertebra, broken leg), then there's a real chance he's making a case for the first round. In a thin running back class notably lacking upside, Anderson was the rare type that held a workhorse frame along with an explosive three-down skill set. His 200 career carries went for 1,285 yards (6.4 YPC) and 16 touchdowns while he added 17 receptions for 281 yards and five touchdowns, and he clearly possesses standout speed given that he ran away from the Georgia defense in 2017. That he fell this far might indicate that NFL doctors question the stability of his knee, but if Anderson is healthy then he could be a problem for Gio Bernard, let alone earlier fellow sixth-round pick Trayveon Williams.

The Seahawks selected Homer in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 204th overall.

The Miami running back is actually one of the better athletes at his position in this class. Homer tested in the top-10th percentile in both of his jumps and his 40-yard dash was solid at 4.48 seconds. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry over 164 rushes as a junior in 2018 and he brings some pass-catching ability too (37 catches for 405 yards on 56 targets over last two seasons). He could challenge J.D. McKissic for a third-down role in Seattle.