So far this off-season Tulsa has been very active in free agency and the draft.

We'll start off by wishing a farewell to [b8f0a876] DT Renaldo Mills [/b8f0a876]. Mills was traded to Charleston for 3 draft picks, including the # 17 pick in the 4th round this year.

Next we will do a position by position breakdown of our new additions to the team this year:

QB- The team was finally able to sign former first round pick [b8f0a876] Walter Creveling [/b8f0a876]. The Talon's front office was very high on Crevling when he was drafted # 32 overall 6 seasons ago by Charleston. Since then the Talons have made a few attempts to sign him, but were always out bid in the end. We were finally able to get him, but we are not sure if he will be able to make the roster with both Billy Joe Floyd and Blaine Clark showing improvement this off-season behind Donnie Lowe.

RB- This year we have a complete overhaul of the Running back position after a miscommunication now known as Fulton-gate. The big news of the off-season is when Tulsa traded up to the # 14th pick in the first round to grab
[b8f0a876]Marvin Raffo [/b8f0a876]- Raffo is a highly rated RB who grew up just down the road from Tulsa in Oklahoma City. Raffo is expected to be the starter from day 1 and can hopefully pick up right where Fulton left off.
[b8f0a876]Ethan Spencer [/b8f0a876] - Tulsa traded a 5th round pick for Spencer. He rushed for over 500 yards last season as a backup and can hopefully provide some good runs when Raffo needs a break.
[b8f0a876]Eloy Jackson [/b8f0a876] - After Raffo & Spencer no one is sure who will make the Tulsa roster. Jackson signed a 1 year deal during free agency but appears to be losing his ability as he gets older. He has rushed for over 2,000 career yards and that might be enough to secure a spot as the # 3 RB.
[b8f0a876]Frankie Howe [/b8f0a876] & [b8f0a876] Clarence Tubbs [/b8f0a876] are both undrafted players in their 2nd season. Both are built in the same mold as former RB Butch Fulton- they will be fighting for a spot with Jackson in preseason. The one who plays best on special teams might just win the job here.

[b8f0a876] TE Cary Hayes [/b8f0a876] - An undrafted free agent in his 2nd season, will be fighting for a roster spot, and will hopefully never have to see a significant amount of playing time.

[b8f0a876] SE Dominic Sheaffer[/b8f0a876]- Sheaffer was the # 25 pick in the 3rd round this season, he will be the # 5 WR on the roster, but hopefully his ability to return both punts and kicks will make him worth his high draft status.

[b8f0a876] FL Randal Griffith[/b8f0a876]- The # 25 pick in the 6th round, it is unlikely Griffith has a future with the team, he will be a camp body unless he can put up some solid numbers in the preseason.

[b8f0a876]G Paul Wallace [/b8f0a876] - Wallace was the Talon's 5th round pick. He will be competing with Peter Daniels for the primary backup guard position. He is a solid pick for the 5th round with some pretty good potential. He could one day develop into a solid starter.

[b8f0a876] Warren Poe [/b8f0a876] - Poe was a 4th round pick and has almost the exact same story as Wallace. These two players should be able to help provide some solid depth along the O-Line.

[b8f0a876]Kirk Anelli [/b8f0a876] - Anelli was a free agent pick up. He will be replacing Randy Irwin as the primary backup at the DE position.

[b8f0a876]Scottie Durm [/b8f0a876] - Durm was another 4th round pick and will replace Renaldo Mills as a backup DT. Durm is much better at defending the run, which Tulsa prefers in their DTs.

[b8f0a876]OLB Victor Ginn [/b8f0a876] - Ginn was acquired through a trade with Boise. Tulsa sent their 2nd round pick this season, and a 4th next season. Ginn will be starting at OLB this year, and will hopefully provide the team will a little more production from that unit. It is also rumored Nikolas Snodgrass will be playing OLB this season.

[b8f0a876]CB Cole Giles[/b8f0a876]- Giles was a late 2nd round pick, he will the # 4 CB on the roster this season but it is believed the coaching staff is training him to play the nickel position and take over for Pete Henderson after this season.

[b8f0a876]Gus Sales[/b8f0a876]- The Talon's 7th round pick, Sales is showing some promise so far, but he will have a tough time making the team with both starters and the backup position being filled with solid players.

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