2014 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Draft Rumors: Bills, Texans, Fisher, Clowney

May 8th, 2014 at 5:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest draft talk as we wait for the Texans to get things started..

Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (Twitter link) hears it’s all quiet right now for the Bills in terms of trade talks. The Bills are ready to hold their draft position at No. 9 but they’re ready if talks heat up while they’re on the clock.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) hears there’s still a chance for a trade at No. 1 with the Texans.
Jeff Fisher told the NFL Network that there are “four to six” players the Rams feel good about taking at No. 2, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. That’s down from the “six to eight” number Fisher gave reporters earlier this week. Fisher added (link) that the phone is starting to ring a little more as the draft draws near.
Fisher also said that if Jadeveon Clowney was available at No. 2, the Rams “wouldn’t complain,” tweets Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch.
Two people who know Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff well expressed doubt he would meet the Texans‘ high demands for the No. 1 overall pick, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. While that kind of deal could be tempting, Dimitroff knows that the team needs depth.
If the Lions don’t trade up for a wide receiver, UCLA pass rusher Anthony Barr is a player worth keeping an eye on as a fit, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, adding that the Lions “love” Barr.
Sources close to UCF standout Blake Bortles tell Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer that the QB wouldn’t be surprised to see the Browns take him at No. 4. Bortles has been mentioned as a dark horse possibility for Cleveland.
Agent Scott Bergman tweeted to Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) to pass along word that client Essray Taliaferro received a call from the Colts earlier today. The running back out of Marshall ran for 1,140 yards off of 221 carries last season, good for a 5.2 yards per carry average.

Falcons GM: Trade Up To No. 1 Unlikely

May 8th, 2014 at 5:07pm CST by Luke Adams

An afternoon report suggested the Texans aren’t expecting to trade the first overall pick, and while that could be an attempt to stir up some last-minute interest, it seems one potential trade partner also views a deal as a long shot. General manager Thomas Dimitroff, whose Falcons have frequently been mentioned as a candidate to trade up to No. 1, tells Rich Hollenberg of the NFL Network that such a move is “highly unlikely” (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

Hollenberger tweeted earlier today that Dimitroff confirmed he’s engaged in trade discussions with teams and that a move is possible. A trade up is more likely and Hollenberger gets the sense that the club is leaning toward a pass rusher (Twitter link). However, in another tweet, Hollenberger adds that the Falcons are reluctant to part with their second-round pick in a deal.

Rapoport reported this afternoon that the Falcons may be eyeing the Browns’ pick at No. 4, which figures to be less expensive than No. 1 and could still get them the pass rusher they covet. Jadeveon Clowney figures to be off the board by that point, but there are scenarios in which Khalil Mack will still be available.

North Rumors: Browns, Ravens, Lions, Steelers

May 8th, 2014 at 4:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Could it be the Browns, rather than the oft-rumored Texans or Rams, that end up moving down in a deal with the Falcons tonight? Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) believes that’s a possibility if Khalil Mack is still available at No. 4. Mack remains a strong potential candidate to go to Jacksonville at No. 3, but there are certainly feasible scenarios in which he remains on the board at No. 4, and if Cleveland is eyeing another player, moving down a couple spots and picking up an extra pick or two could be worthwhile.

Here are a few more draft-day updates on AFC and NFC North teams, among others:

Unsurprisingly, given the familial connection between the two franchises, the Ravens and 49ers have engaged in some trade discussions, per Rapoport (via Twitter). San Francisco has frequently been cited as a team that would like to move up in the first round and has the ammunition to do it.
Finding help for their respective quarterbacks seems to be a focus for both the Lions and Bills, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). That suggests to me that if either team was able to trade up it would be for a wide receiver or an offensive tackle, rather than a defensive player.
It’s worth keeping an eye on the Steelers and tight end Eric Ebron in the first round tonight, says Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
Tight end Jordan Cameron has signed with CAA Sports and will be represented by agents Tom Condon and R.J. Gonser, tweets Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal. The Browns are reportedly hoping to lock up Cameron before he reaches free agency in 2015.
The Lions intend to waive linebacker Jon Morgan with an injury settlement soon to free up space to sign undrafted free agents, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Morgan signed a futures contract with the team after the season, but injured his knee during a voluntary workout last month.

QB Rumors: Manziel, Bortles, Vikings, Browns

May 8th, 2014 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

It seems as if Jay Glazer of Fox Sports has spent a good chunk of this week ruling out potential destinations for Johnny Manziel. After reporting on Tuesday that the Browns wouldn’t pick Manziel at No. 4 and the Raiders would pass at No. 5, Glazer says today (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers won’t draft the Texas A&M signal-caller at No. 7.

Here are a few more QB-related notes, as the start of the 2014 draft inches closer….

There are mixed reports on which quarterback is No. 1 on the Cowboys‘ draft board. After ESPN.com’s Todd McShay and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) suggested earlier today that Manziel is the team’s top choice, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported (via Twitter) that Manziel is actually behind another QB on Dallas’ board, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) and David Moore of the Dallas Morning News said the Cowboys’ top signal-caller is Blake Bortles.
Assuming Manziel is still on the board at No. 8, he remains a possibility for the Vikings, according to Rapoport, who tweets that the team’s owners are flying in for a late pre-draft meeting to make a final decision on Minnesota’s first-round pick. Albert Breer of the NFL Network adds (via Twitter) that the club also likes Teddy Bridgewater, though probably not at eighth overall.
If the Vikings do select a quarterback with a top-10 pick, it would be a first for the franchise, writes Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.
According to Sal Paolantonio of ESPN (via Pro Football Talk), the Browns commissioned a $100K study of quarterbacks, in an effort to better understand the qualities necessary to succeed at the position. The study, which was started under former team president Joe Banner and was only recently completed, concluded that Bridgewater is the top signal-caller in this year’s class.

Jets Draft Notes: QBs, Trading Up, CBs

May 8th, 2014 at 2:47pm CST by Matt Feminis

The Jets continue to be linked to quarterback prospects, writes NFL.com’s Mike Huguenin. His colleague Ian Rapoport tweeted the team is “doing a lot of groundwork” on fringe first-rounders, specifically naming Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo as players to watch. Here’s more on the Jets:

Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that New York may also be looking to trade up in the first round, likely in order to land a receiver. The Titans, who have the 11th overall pick, are one of the teams the Jets have spoken to about a deal, per Rapoport.
With Rapoport’s reports in mind, the Jets’ need for a man-cover cornerback make for an interesting storyline, if not a potentially conflicted draft room, as Manish Mehta points out in the New York Daily News. If the Jets stay put at No. 18 and have a chance at one of the draft’s top three corners – Justin Gilbert, Kyle Fuller, or Darqueze Dennard – it would be interesting to see what the club decides.
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com provides five Jets-related items to watch for during the draft, reiterating that the club has interest in trading up.

West Rumors: Seahawks, Baldwin, Rams, Chargers

May 8th, 2014 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

With just a few hours left until the 2014 NFL draft gets underway in New York, the first round is rightly the focus of the football world. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a handful of other reports on non-draft subjects. One such report comes from Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that the Seahawks recently hosted veteran defensive end Andre Carter for a visit. At age 34, Carter is no longer the difference-maker he once was, but he could be a worthwhile backup piece on an elite defensive unit in Seattle.

Here’s more from around the NFC and AFC West divisions:

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin is the only unsigned restricted free agent out there, but it sounds like he and the Seahawks are making progress on a longer-term deal, as he tells Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “I will say things are going in the right direction,” Baldwin said. “I don’t know how much time it’s going to take. They’ve got the draft to deal with. So we are in preliminary talks. But hopefully we will figure something out soon.”
The Rams are more likely to have trade options with the No. 13 pick than the No. 2 pick, unless Jadeveon Clowney is available at No. 2, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. If Clowney goes first, Greg Robinson is viewed as the likely pick for St. Louis — if Clowney is still on the board, another team could push the Rams for a trade.
TheMMQB.com’s Peter King suggested earlier today that if Blake Bortles falls into the twenties, “a team with a very good quarterback” will try to make a trade to land him. King doesn’t name the team, but a Broncos source confirms to Mike Klis of the Denver Post that it won’t be Denver.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link) is hearing rumblings about the Chargers having interest in Missouri defensive end Kony Ealy. Acee adds in a second tweet that cornerback remains the team’s top priority in the first round, but that San Diego is performing due diligence on pass rushers.

Texans Not Expecting To Trade No. 1 Pick

May 8th, 2014 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Texans are “locked in” on the player they plan to select with the first overall pick, and aren’t expecting to trade that pick, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Jadeveon Clowney is generally considered the top player in this year’s class, and many mock drafts have him coming off the board first, but Schefter doesn’t specify which player Houston is targeting.

With several hours still remaining until the Texans officially have to make their pick, it’s fair to be skeptical about whether the team has really made its final decision. A huge trade offer from a team looking to move up to No. 1 could make Houston rethink its stance, and perhaps the club leaked this info in order to prompt potential trade partners to increase their offers.

Still, whether it’s Clowney or someone else, it sounds as if the Texans are prepared to select a player at No. 1 if they don’t receive a trade offer to their liking.

Draft Notes: Power Brokers, Kiper, Tackles, DB Prospects

May 8th, 2014 at 1:00pm CST by Matt Feminis

In possession of 11 picks, including six in the top 100, the 49ers are positioned as the draft’s power brokers, writes NFL.com’s Albert Breer, who lists five more teams with the means to dictate action and manipulate the board: The Rams, Browns, Jets, Ravens and Jaguars.

Here’s a handful of miscellaneous draft links:

In his final mock draft, Mel Kiper of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) has the Texans selecting Jadeveon Clowney No. 1 and the Rams (if they stay at No. 2) taking tackle Greg Robinson. From there, he has the Jaguars going with linebacker Khalil Mack at No. 3, Sammy Watkins to the Browns at No. 4, and Mike Evans going to the Raiders at No. 5.
Kiper’s ESPN colleague Todd McShay’s final mock draft (Insider subscription required) has an identical top five. In McShay’s estimation, three quarterbacks will go in the first round, and if he’s right, there will be no shortage of drama, as he’s projected Blake Bortles to the Titans at No. 11, Johnny Manziel to the Cowboys at No. 16 and Teddy Bridgewater to the Browns at No. 26.
“College left tackles picked in the first round and asked to play right tackle almost always struggle that first year and sometimes never quite arrive at all,” asserts Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. With the exception of Patriots RT Nate Solder, Salguero makes a convincing argument by citing recent history littered with college left tackles (drafted highly) who struggled converting to the right side. Accordingly, with the Dolphins in desperate need of a right tackle, Salguero has projected Tennessee’s Ja’Wuan James, who started 49 career games at right tackle, as the team’s first-round pick.
This year’s draft crop includes three big-bodied defensive backs who stand to benefit from copycat nature of the NFL in the wake of the Seahawks winning a Super Bowl with a dominant, physically imposing secondary. Eric Branch of sfgate.com profiles Nebraska’s Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Utah’s Keith McGill and Lindenwood’s Pierre Desir.
Despite technological advances, freely available game tape, overwhelming amounts of information, dizzying oversaturation and decades of precedent to (presumably) learn from, the draft remains an inexact exercise, writes the Star-Ledger’s Conor Orr: “The best general manager sifts through all of the information and makes the right decision, though most admit that, even after all the preparation, there is indecision that lingers well into the allotted 10-minute pick.” Orr also unearthed a significant statistic to illustrate the crapshoot nature of the draft, noting 180 of the 255 players drafted in 2010 are no longer with their original team.
Everyone but the NFL league office hates the draft in May, says SI.com’s Robert Klemko, who lists the reasons why.

NFC Notes: Bucs, Rams, Bears, Cowboys, Giants, Eagles

May 8th, 2014 at 11:47am CST by Matt Feminis

While most of the Derek Carr chatter has centered around the Raiders’ rumored interest, ESPN’s Pat Yasinkas speculates the Buccaneers could also be eying Carr, whose older brother David was coached by Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford. Additionally, two tweets from NFL Network’s Albert Breer say Bucs second-year quarterback Mike Glennon could be a trade candidate “if things break a certain way”. It’s not that the team doesn’t like Glennon, tweets Breer. However, Carr’s mobility would make him a better system fit.

News and rumors and coming fast and furious as the draft approaches. Here’s some more NFC nuggets:

Via Twitter, Josina Anderson relays a couple tidbits of information from Rams GM Les Snead, who says they’re still in the “flirting stage” with teams calling about the No. 2 pick. Snead also thinks Johnny Manziel might be the only quarterback teams are willing to trade up for: “That seems to be the way it’s going. So when you are in that position, you need to get to know that human being just like you are going to draft him. Like if you are going to trade your piece of real estate, it helps to know the commodity they are coming after.”
The Bears have just nine players who they drafted before 2013, details the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, who says the team has been “marginally competitive” thanks primarily to trades and free agency. General manager Phil Emery has to turn around the team’s poor draft record in order to achieve long-term stability, however.
Three compensatory picks in the seventh round will enable the Cowboys to target priority free agents, says ESPNDallas.com’s Todd Archer, who quotes executive VP Stephen Jones: “The seventh-round picks historically are throw-ins [in trades]. I don’t know if the league has caught up to what value a seventh-round pick is, in terms of the quote-unquote ‘charts’ that are out there. If you look at what a seventh-round pick can bring you…I see it as a great opportunity for us to take six players that can help our football team.”
The Giants would “seriously consider” drafting Johnny Manziel at No. 12, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix wants to be an Eagle, and he’s made that clear to Eagles director of player personnel Ed Marynowitz, a former Alabama recruiter, says Jeff Mosher at CSNPhilly.com.

AFC South Notes: Jags, Colts, Titans

May 8th, 2014 at 10:22am CST by Matt Feminis

With the draft pushed back two weeks this year, the Jaguars’ staff used the extra time to delve back into prospects while trying to avoid falling into the trap of “paralysis by analysis.” Accordingly, offensive coordinator Jed Fisch says he’s been examining prospects in specific game situations — from a coach’s perspective — rather than just watching tape like a scout and assigning a grade.

Said Fisch: “Let me take a look at this guy’s throws to his left versus the other guys this year or the guys last year,’ or, ‘Let’s look at their two-minute drives,’ or, ‘With this offensive lineman, let’s look at all of the outside run plays. Now you’re looking for something different. You have to mix it up the second go-around. The first time, you’re watching them to watch them and then you’re grading. But if you’re making a decision on one guy against another guy against another guy, you comparison shop.”

In other AFC South news and notes…

The general rule of thumb suggests mining three good players makes for a successful draft, but with 11 selections and roster thin on talent, the Jaguars are looking for four or five legitimate starters in this year’s draft, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
Thanks to last year’s Trent Richardson trade — which turned out to be Richardson for the 26th pick — the Colts don’t have a pick in tonight’s first round, but the stakes remain high for GM Ryan Grigson, writes Stephen Holder in the Indianapolis Star.
The Titans are expected to have a more harmonious draft room than in year’s past, writes Jim Wyatt in the Tennesseean.
Wyatt also tweeted a list of quarterback prospects the Titans have worked out and/or spent time with.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky asks the question: “What if the Tennessee Titans draft a first-round QB?” Considering the team will not pick up 2010 first-rounder Jake Locker‘s fifth-year option, the possibility exists the Titans could draft another quarterback, especially if new head coach Ken Whisenhunt isn’t sold on Locker’s long-term prospects. Kuharsky writes, “While the Titans are loyal and patient and committed with regard to Locker, they also aren’t operating with blinders on.”

2014 NFL Draft News & Rumors