2015 NFL Draft News & Rumors

2015 NFL Draft Breakdown: Cornerbacks

With the NFL draft now just two days away, we’re continuing to take a closer look at the notable prospects for each position. We finished up on the offensive side of the ball last week, and have also examined front-seven players on the defensive side.

If you missed the previous installments of the series, you can go and check out the other positional breakdowns here:

Next up is one of the most important positions in today’s NFL, as cornerbacks get their in-depth treatment in this breakdown. Corner is one of the game’s most exceptional positions, as it takes such elite athleticism and skill to succeed on the outside. Unfortunately, this is a position that ultimately comes down to who will fail the least.

Tall corners measure in at 6’0″ or 6’1″. The giants are 6’2″. Those players are expected to cover A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, and Mike Evans, all of whom would hover over them with leaping ability that is tough to match. It makes it unfair, but the corners who can keep up with the elite playmakers on the outside are worth the high draft picks, and eventually the big contracts.

Top 15 Lock:

  • Trae Waynes, Michigan State

When it comes to cornerbacks in the 2015 NFL draft, Waynes has separated himself from the rest of the pack. Looking through big boards and mock drafts across the web, there’s very little consensus about which players are first-round talents and who fits where, but Waynes shows up time and time again at the top of those lists.Trae Waynes

Waynes is a speedster, with great ability to run down the field with receivers on deep routes. The closing speed and the way he turns from his backpedal to a sprint sticks out on tape. The next big plus on his résumé during the college season was his size. He was listed at 6’1″ at Michigan State, and he matched up well with big receivers. Often on broadcasts he was lauded as a future top-15 – possibly top-10 – pick.

Despite those praises, the film shows he didn’t have unbridled success. He ran well with receivers down the field, but it wasn’t like he was a lock on deep routes all season. He was beaten down the field a few times in the Baylor game, and that’s a problem, because he struggles on shorter routes as well. In press coverage he tends to race back too fast and leave himself vulnerable to hitches, curls, and outside breaking routes.

When Waynes plays with cushion, he gives up inside leverage and leaves the middle of the field wide open. He has the speed to close on crossing routes, but got burned with quick slants, as he is slow to come towards the line of scrimmage out of his backpedal.

I think his stock was down a little at the end of the college season, but he turned things around by running a 4.31 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He only measured in at 6’0″, but he still has the size to compete at the next level. Waynes has a lot of work to do with technique and recognition, but he has above-average to good ball skills, and – most importantly – he’s squeaky clean off the field. I don’t know if the team that drafts him can plug him in and not worry about that side of the field, but he does have the physical skills to survive on the outside.

First-Round Talents:

  • Marcus Peters, Washington
  • Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest
  • Jalen Collins, LSU
  • P.J. Williams, Florida State
  • Byron Jones, Connecticut

Every player in this group has a chance to join Waynes in the first round this year, but I would be surprised if all five heard their names called on day one.

The main reason this group is labeled “First-Round Talents” is because of the inclusion of Peters and Williams. Both players have struggled with non-football issues, despite having killer seasons in 2014.

It’s remarkable how similar these two players are — they’re the two best tacklers of the top corners. Neither is 100% in terms of making every tackle, but they pursue the play and maintain outside integrity. Both players have some highlight hits on film, and they try to get in on every play. Washington and Florida State both blitzed them off the corner, often in running situations, and each did impressive jobs getting to the running back in the backfield.

Peters specifically does a great job sniffing out screens and reverses and killing them in the backfield. He doesn’t jump up to leave his responsibilities, but he’s able to hedge his bet and wait for the quarterback to make a decision before shutting it down. Neither player got beat down the field on a regular basis, even though neither of them possesses the pure speed of Waynes.

Both Peters and Williams are pretty awesome in man coverage, and play the ball well in the air. They show good technique to keep receivers close and play the ball with their off hand. Peters has the better ball skills, including the ability to make athletic interceptions, and exhibits good hands when a quarterback puts the ball up for grabs. Each measured in with good size, and Peters has the talent to be the best corner in the draft. Williams has the ceiling to be in that conversation. There are also some scouts who project Williams to safety if he struggles on the outside.

However, Peters had multiple incidents with the coaching staff, and was ultimately dismissed from the team. He’s definitely scaring teams off with a reputation as uncoachable, and it really hurts his draft stock, especially when he didn’t exhibit elite physical skills at the combine. As for Williams, the dismissal of his DUI case is a plus, but his arrest may make teams a little more inclined to consider another corner in the first round. Given their on-field skills, Peters is likely to stick in round one, while Williams makes more sense as a candidate to slide down into day two of the draft.

Collins doesn’t have notable issue off the field, but he has plenty when he puts his pads on. Collins is legitimately big, at 6’1″ and 203 pounds, and runs really well, especially for a player his size. He made some plays in college, coming away with a game-winning interception against Texas A&M and often showing ability as a tackler that matches his size.

Unfortunately, the overall package doesn’t match his draft stock. Collins struggles with footwork, and is inconsistent dropping back into coverage. He can get physical on the sidelines, but doesn’t move well to the middle of the field — he also only had 10 starts in college, including just seven last year, which leads me to wonder why his coaches didn’t have more faith in him. I don’t want to kill him for getting torched by Amari Cooper, but he got torched by Amari Cooper. It was very obvious in that matchup which player was polished and which one needed some work.

Collins wasn’t a sure tackler, and wasn’t always too interested in tackling in general. He gave up on a lot of plays chasing runners down the field. His physical skills could push him into the first round, and the Eagles could make sense as a team that could work with him to eventually provide a tall, long option on the outside. Out of the players in this group though, he’s the most likely to frustrate a fan base, at least early in his NFL career.

The most versatile player in the group is Jones, who has been projected equally at corner and safety across boards. He has great size and length, and has all the traits necessary to be a leader on defense in college. He excels at finding the ball, and does a good job defending the run and tackling receivers. He didn’t go up against the greatest competition at UConn, but he made sure to be heard in every game. Jones has been a frequently-mentioned target for the Patriots at No. 32, given his high character and versatility, but he’s a rising prospect who might not be around at that spot.

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about Johnson, who has spent the process as the second- or third-best cornerback on most boards. However, Johnson is somewhat forgettable. He shows he has the ability to run with players down the field, but he also has plays where he does a shaky job keeping up. He’ll put a few big hits on tape, then have a slew of film where he’s happy to watch his teammates make the tackle.

Johnson doesn’t jump out on a consistent basis, and there are stretches of tape where he doesn’t show up. Some would argue that’s a good thing for a corner — for instance, Collins showed up more frequently on the tape because quarterbacks looked to pick on him at times. But the thing about Peters and Williams, and even Jones, is that they find a way to impact the game even when quarterbacks start ignoring their side of the field.

Johnson could quietly be a solid first-round pick with a high floor — maybe the highest floor at the position. However, even though he may be the closest teams will get to a sure thing at corner in this class, he has a number of things to work on, since he’s going to come into the league against bigger, faster, and smarter receivers, and quarterbacks who will look to exploit him.

Day Two Picks:

  • Ronald Darby, Florida State
  • D’Joun Smith, Florida Atlantic
  • Senquez Golson, Mississippi
  • Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
  • Charles Gaines, Louisville

The biggest difference between these five corners and the six who have a legitimate shot to go in the first round is height. None of the top-tier cornerbacks have the numbers 5’9″ or 5’10” associated with their names, and all five in this group are in that range.

The highlights of this group in terms of name recognition are Darby and Ekpre-Olomu. Darby, of course, is known from his run to the National Championship as a sophomore and Florida State’s inclusion in the BCS College Football Playoff this past year. Along with teammate Williams, Darby brought a lot to the table in terms of ability. With a blazing fast 40-yard dash and top-flight agility, he’s really able to run with receivers and should be able to translate that to the next level.

Darby isn’t a very good tackler, and he got picked on often by quarterbacks avoiding Williams. While taller receivers were able to get an advantage over him, it is concerning how easily shorter players like Phillip Dorsett and his Hurricane teammates were able to separate from Darby when the teams met in the second half of the season.

Ekpre-Olomu provides a different case. Had he declared for the draft last year he may have had a chance of becoming a first-round selection. I imagine his stock would have been picked apart during the process and he would have dropped, but not as much as he did this year, between inconsistent performances and a leg injury that cost him the latter part of the season.

The Oregon corner does pack elite athleticism and excellent ball skills into that small frame, but his size caught up to him when asked to play more physical at the line of scrimmage and when playing the run. He isn’t a slouch in those areas, but his technique is not up to par with some of the other players in this class.

Smith might be the first player taken amongst this group, even though he didn’t see many elite pass-catching threats on the outside during his time in college. He plays the ball well, but his measurables aren’t over the top to put him into the first round discussion. Gaines did run those top-flight times, and he’s an explosive athlete, but that didn’t always show on the field. Gaines’ small hands also provide concern in terms of his ball skills improving at the next level, despite being recruited to Louisville as a wide receiver.

Golson is a hot name rising up draft boards. Scouts love how much effort he puts into the game, and his production not only matches but exceeds that. Last year at Mississippi he intercepted nine passes and deflected 16 more. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox but is committed to football, despite being undersized. He did struggle covering taller receivers, and doesn’t have a lot of experience in press-man schemes, but he provides an interesting option for NFL teams that miss out on the top couple of guys.

Tall corners are all the rage in the days of Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson, but height isn’t everything, and plenty of players excel despite not hitting the 6’0″ benchmark. There are many late-round options who come in tall and raw, but this middle class highlighted here could be undervalued because of their height, among other things.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Bradford, Carter, Broncos

Teams like the Bears looking for edge pass rushers in the draft know that they have to assess some serious risk, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. It can be hard to gauge rush linebacker/ends and that was illustrated by the 2011 and 2012 drafts. The 2011 class produced the likes of Von Miller, Aldon Smith, J.J. Watt, Ryan Kerrigan, and more. But in 2012, another year with a supposed cluster of elite edge rushers, the results were not nearly as strong. That group included guys like Bruce Irvin, Quinton Coples, Melvin Ingram, Shea McClellin and none of the edge rushers taken in the first round have been to a Pro Bowl. Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • Despite speculation to the contrary, the Eagles acquired Sam Bradford to be their quarterback and not a trade pawn, Chris Mortensen of ESPN tweets. He adds that Bradford would only sign an extension with the Eagles if it includes a no-trade clause since he wants to play for Chip Kelly and Pat Shurmur.
  • Before Tony Carter signed his contract tender from the Broncos, the Vikings had a few discussions with the representatives for the restricted free agent cornerback, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. According to Wolfson, Minnesota didn’t make an formal offer to Carter before last Friday, the deadline for RFAs to sign offer sheets.
  • It’s a virtual certainty the Broncos will take a quarterback with one of their 10 draft picks, Mike Klis of 9 News writes. It’s a necessary move for Denver since Peyton Manning is 39 years old and returning to play for his 18th season after giving retirement some consideration. Meanwhile, backup Brock Osweiler is entering his contract year and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be around beyond this season.

South Notes: Jaguars, Cooper, Falcons

A look at the AFC and NFC South..

  • Various sources who spoke to Peter King of TheMMQB.com named Amari Cooper, Dante Fowler Jr., and Leonard Williams as targets they’d heard “reliably” linked to the Jaguars at No. 3. For his part, King says he believes there are some within the organization who want Cooper and others who want Fowler. Considering Jacksonville barely conveyed any interest in top target Blake Bortles prior to last year’s draft, it wouldn’t surprise me if the team ends up making another unexpected pick this time around.
  • While lots of teams are looking into moving down, the Falcons are a team looking to move up, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rival executives believe that their target is an impact defender.
  • D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looked at Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff’s draft-day trading record. As the record shows, Dimitroff has been very busy in years past, including the 2011 blockbuster deal for Julio Jones.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Shane Ray Cited For Pot Possession

8:17pm: According to info from five NFL teams, Ray failed a drug test early on in his career at Missouri, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets.

7:03pm: Top draft prospect Shane Ray was cited for possession of marijuana this morning in Cooper County, Missouri, according to Brandon Kiley of KTGR (via Twitter). Ray’s arrest report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol indicates that he was cited for possession of 35 grams or less of pot along with a traffic infraction.

The timing could not be worse for Ray, as we are just three days from the NFL draft. The outside linebacker has been universally projected as a first-round pick with some seeing him as a candidate for the top 10. Now, Ray has thrown that all into flux with his Monday morning misstep.

Just last week, Ray’s stock was helped by news that he would only need to rest his injured foot rather than undergo surgery. Earlier today, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com culled the opinions of several executives and declared Ray to be one of the five “can’t-miss” prospects in this year’s crop. Despite increasingly lax attitudes towards marijuana use nationally and Ray’s high talent level, one has to imagine that the linebacker could take a tumble down draft boards after this incident.

AFC North Notes: Flacco, Steelers, Browns

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is upbeat about new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun writes. Although Trestman and Bears quarterback Jay Cutler were not successful together (especially in 2014), Flacco believes that he’ll get along just fine with his OC. “Everybody likes Marc, I think he’s a bright guy,” Flacco said Saturday night. “I think he’s running the meetings well. I think he’s doing some really good things. We’re evolving a little bit. I think he’s going to be a good fit.”

  • Steelers GM Kevin Colbert says there are some “special backs” in this draft, Scott Brown of ESPN.com tweets. Meanwhile, coach Mike Tomlin says the Steelers are open to drafting a running back even after the signing of DeAngelo Williams (link).
  • The Browns had a last minute meeting with Georgia receiver Chris Conley, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As previously reported, Cleveland also met with Central Florida receiver Breshad Perriman. Conley ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds at the Scouting Combine, the third fastest time for all receivers in Indy.
  • The Browns could go defensive end, wide receiver, running back, or tab Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton with the No. 12 overall pick, Jeff Schudel of The Morning Journal writes. If they go pass rusher, Randy Gregory could be a phenomenal value for them, but it’d be a gutsy move to take him given the Josh Gordon saga of last season.
  • Draft Notes: Williams, Fowler, DGB

    There are only five can’t-miss players in the 2015 NFL Draft, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes. La Canfora writes that he initially set out to identify the top ten players in this crop, but one scout that he respect immensely insists that there’s an upper crust of five prospects, followed by a major drop off in talent between them and the next tier. Those five can’t miss prospects, execs tell La Canfora, are Leonard Williams, Dante Fowler Jr., Shane Ray, Kevin White, and Amari Cooper. Here’s more draft news..

    • Multiple coaches in the NFL are pushing to draft receiver Dorial Green-Beckham in the first round, but owners are not sold on him, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link). There are teams that could stretch for him in round one, but it’ll only happen in a case where the owner has a supreme level of trust in their coach. Miller speculates that the Ravens at No. 26 are the most likely to take DGB since GM Ozzie Newsome has so much trust from ownership. On the other hand, the Ray Rice situation might scare the Ravens away from taking someone with clear off-the-field issues.
    • NBC’s Cris Collinsworth told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the wide receiver class this year features “up to eleven or 12, quality wise, who in any other year you would say, ‘That’s a first-round talent’.” That’s not to say that a dozen receivers will go in the first round, but there are a number of talented players at the position.
    • Northwestern safety Ibraheim Campbell told SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter) that he had visits with the Colts, Buccaneers, Texans, Bears, and Patriots.

    Rapoport On Browns, Vikings, P.J. Williams

    Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has passed along a handful of noteworthy draft nuggets via Twitter this afternoon, so let’s check out what he has for us….

    • According to Rapoport (Twitter link), the Browns have spoken to Washington within the past week about possibly moving up to No. 5. Cleveland has two first-rounders to work with, and Washington GM Scot McCloughan indicated today that he was open to moving down and picking extra picks, so there could be a match there. Of course, as Rapoport adds, the Browns have “touched base” with most teams in the top 10.
    • Another pick to keep an eye on is the No. 11 selection, which currently belongs to the Vikings. Rapoport tweets that Minnesota wants ammo to move around in the draft, and points out that the 11th pick is an appealing one because fifth-year option prices decrease outside of the top 10. As such, there may be potential trade partners interested in moving up to that spot.
    • Lawyer Jonathan Simon tells Rapoport (Twitter links) that the DUI case against Florida State cornerback P.J. Williams has been dismissed. According to the paperwork filed in the case, the signs of impairment claimed by the arresting officer were not corroborated on video. The timing of the dismissal is good news for Williams, whose draft stock may have taken a hit if the case had moved forward.
    • Rapoport identifies the Dolphins, Jaguars, and Texans as some teams that may be interested in drafting Georgia running back Todd Gurley (Twitter link).
    • Oklahoma’s Jordan Phillips and Mississippi State’s Preston Smith are two defensive linemen who could sneak into the back of the first round on Thursday, tweets Rapoport.

    2015 NFL Draft Breakdown: Linebackers

    With the NFL draft just days away, we’re continuing to take a closer look at the notable prospects for each position. We already finished up the offensive side of the ball, and last week we started on the defense, breaking down the players who will make their living at the line of scrimmage.

    If you missed the previous installments of the series, you can go and check out the other positional breakdowns here:

    Today we’ll file through some of the men playing under-appreciated positions in the modern NFL, looking at this year’s crop of linebackers. Many of the pass rushers will be lining up at outside linebacker in the 3-4, but for the sake of consistency, here we are going to focus on 4-3 outside linebackers and all inside linebackers, regardless of scheme.

    These guys might get after the quarterback occasionally, but they’re primarily known as run stuffers or for covering tight ends and running backs in the middle of the field.

    Lateral Space Eaters:

    • Shaq Thompson, Washington
    • Eric Kendricks, UCLA
    • Stephone Anthony, Clemson

    Kendricks is the most highly regarded linebacker in this draft. This is a player who won awards named after Dick Butkus and Ronnie Lott in 2014, leading the team with 149 tackles. He can really move, which is why he’s a part of a group I call the lateral space eaters. Kendricks patrols the field, sideline to sideline, and – even more impressively in today’s NFL – he can run with tight ends and running backs down the field.Eric Kendricks (Featured)

    Of all the players at this position, Kendricks is by far the most polished in coverage. His brother Mychal Kendricks has been a successful if underrated player for the Eagles, and while Eric doesn’t have the same physical skills, he does impress in similar ways.

    Anthony is the big, fast, physical specimen that looks great settling into his defensive stance before the snap. He has some of the most impressive speed side-to-side, and does a better job than Kendricks of using his acceleration to fill holes at the line of scrimmage. He has the skills to perform in coverage, even if he often gets lost in man-to-man and fails to be disciplined in his zones.

    Thompson is the most interesting linebacker in this class. Many have him pegged as a safety, at 6’0″ and 228 pounds. He flies around the field, covering space in a split second, and can adjust from playing in coverage to coming up to stop the run in an instant — he has supreme aggression, and is a heavy hitter. He also has the ability to not only run with tight ends and running backs, but to effectively cover slot receivers. Every evaluator lists Thompson’s weaknesses, but then notes a team could use him as a hybrid safety/linebacker in the way the Cardinals used Deone Bucannon.

    However, Thompson and Kendricks are both short enough that, despite their cover skills, taller players could really take advantage of them when NFL quarterbacks put balls high up in the air. None of the three players has proven they can take on a running back in the hole, and all three have the propensity to get washed out on power running plays.

    There are late first-round teams that could use these players, and unlike the next group, they provide some upside and versatility due to the athleticism. However, they’re far from the Week 1 stars that even C.J. Mosley was last year.

    Between-The-Tackles Thumpers:

    • Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi St.
    • Denzel Perryman, Miami
    • Paul Dawson, TCU

    If teams don’t like the athletes above, they could get a bargain with one of the run-stuffing inside linebackers in this group.

    Perryman is the guy who stands out here, playing like a big (read: slow) bully who stays in the middle of the field and acts like a backup to a big-bodied nose tackle, plugging up holes and forcing plays outside. Still, Perryman is only 5’11”, with short arms and below average athleticism. Not to mention, his ability as a tackler between the tackles has been overstated. He seems slow to recognize the play and read the offensive line, and while he succeeds when he meets the running back in the hole – where the previous group did not – he was often late getting there, allowing runners to get to the second level, where they could make a move or lower their shoulder for extra yards.

    McKinney is a similar player on film, even if he’s much bigger by the tape measure. He has the speed and size to play outside and be vertical, but doesn’t seem interested in using those skills to his advantage. He doesn’t change direction well, and when he guesses, he often takes himself out of the play. While he has the speed and size to run with tight ends, he doesn’t have the agility necessary to make him a real threat in coverage in a big spot. He has some upside, but looks like a player who wants to stay in the space between the guards and take on backs and blockers near the line of scrimmage.

    Dawson provides a different type of player. He probably fancies himself as a lateral player who can cover receivers and run down plays sideline-to-sideline. The 4.93 seconds it took him to run 40 yards at the combine disagrees with him. He ran better at his Pro Day, but it’s still alarming for a player who relies on his athleticism despite being a small 6’0″, 235 pounds.

    In addition to his on-field red flags, he had a reputation of being a problem within the TCU locker room, and observers question both his motivation and his dedication to the film room. Once players get a bad reputation, it can snowball into a number of deficiencies, but he doesn’t have the natural talent to overcome a bad attitude, which could negatively affect his stock.

    I have a personal love for Brandon Spikes, who never covered anybody but did a phenomenal job chasing down running backs off the snap. Spikes spent a lot of time proving his ability as a tackler and run stopper in college, and only fell in the draft due to his off the field concerns. He was always a negative in coverage, which was fine because of how strong he was against the run — that cemented his role in the NFL. I don’t think any of these players have that upside, even though stopping the run is their strength.

    Day Two/Three Plug Ins:

    • Jake Ryan, Michigan
    • Zack Hodges, Harvard
    • Ben Heeney, Kansas
    • Hayes Pullard, USC
    • Ramik Wilson, Georgia
    • Bryce Hager, Baylor
    • Taiwan Jones, Michigan State
    • Jeff Luc, Cincinnati

    For a team seeking a linebacker with some upside, most pundits would likely recommend picking off one of those top six players, in what is a fairly weak class at the position. There’s a little something for everyone in that group, without a lot of overlapping skill sets.

    At the same time, the players up there might not exactly fit a team’s needs. Some will end up as two-down players, and others will struggle mightily in one aspect of the game or another. Grabbing Thompson in the first round might mean acquiring a player who provides little to nothing as a linebacker against the run. Conversely, drafting Perryman might leave a team with a player who will never see the field on third and long, when offensive players make their money.

    The alternative to taking a limited player high is grabbing one of these day two and day three players later on in the draft.

    A player like Ryan doesn’t run to the sidelines like anyone in the first group, and doesn’t take on blockers like anyone in the second group. However, the upside of Ryan comes threefold. First, he can do a little of both those things. Second, he could eventually develop into a solid three-down player. Third, and most important: you can get Ryan in the middle rounds, after you already added a couple of impact players elsewhere on the roster.

    Ryan has played both inside and outside linebacker, and is comfortable in either position. He is solid in every aspect of the game, but not much better. He gets beat to the sidelines, at the line of scrimmage, and in coverage. That being said, NFL.com has him as a fourth or fifth-round pick. A draft class that features Ryan and three other players ahead of him is an easier one to swallow if I’m an NFL fan, especially for those borderline first-round picks.

    A guy like Wilson could provide the size and athleticism needed for teams to survive in the modern NFL. He needs some coaching, but he should have a chance to come in with low expectations and earn a starting spot. Hodges and Heeney have some upside as contributors, and I could see both players developing into starters down the line if they can build on their strengths and their weaknesses don’t sink them. Jones is in the same boat, although he has a better floor, based on the competition he faced on a regular basis.

    I think there are plenty of impact players to be had in this overall group of linebackers, and the drop-off from Kendricks to Hodges is gigantic — I don’t want to downplay that gap. At the same time though, I think Kendricks has a chance to go in round one, and that would inflate the value for all these players. If a team doesn’t have a desperate need at the position and isn’t in cruise control with its roster (ie. the Packers), it would be easier to fill those big holes elsewhere earlier in the draft and hope a combination of one of these other prospects can be paired with a veteran to fill one spot on the field in a platoon situation.

    Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

    NFC Notes: Bucs, Perry, Hardy, 49ers, Rams

    Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said last week that teams had contacted him to gauge the availability of the first overall pick, suggesting at the time that those calls would probably continue over the next few days. Speaking to Steve Wyche of NFL.com, Licht confirmed as much, indicating that more than one team called him on Sunday to inquire about the No. 1 pick.

    According to Licht, the calls were more about “feeling out what it would take” to trade up to No. 1, so it doesn’t sound like any serious discussions took place. It would presumably take a significant offer for the Bucs to consider moving down, since the club has decided which player it will select with that pick. While Licht, of course, declined to name the player, he said that he and head coach Lovie Smith “are in complete alignment” on the choice. Jameis Winston is considered the strong favorite.

    As we wait to see if the Bucs have any last-minute surprises up their sleeves, let’s check in on a few other items from across the NFC….

    • The Packers are expected to decline their fifth-year option on linebacker Nick Perry, but nothing is official yet and the team has a few more days to make its decision, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. It would cost $7.751MM for the 2016 season to exercise the option on Perry, who has yet to make a real impact on Green Bay’s defense since being selected 28th overall in 2012.
    • As expected, the NFLPA has officially appealed Greg Hardy‘s 10-game suspension on behalf of the Cowboys defensive end. According to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), the union filed the appeal on Friday night.
    • As Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com writes, 49ers GM Trent Baalke won’t be pressured into drafting a receiver early this week, but the team is certainly considering wideouts. Georgia Tech’s Darren Waller said today on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that he had a pre-draft visit with the Niners, who spoke to him exclusively about playing wide receiver — Waller is considered a potential tight end in the NFL by some other teams, including the Cardinals (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of Fox Sports).
    • Given the advancing ages and rising cap numbers for James Laurinaitis and Chris Long, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com thinks it’s possible that the Rams will eye potential replacements for their veteran defensive leaders in this year’s draft. In Wagoner’s view, a defensive end is more likely than a linebacker, given the strengths and weaknesses of 2015’s class, but ideally both players would have nice 2015 seasons and adjust their contracts to stick around St. Louis even longer.

    Washington GM On Draft, Cousins, Extensions

    After announcing earlier today that his team had exercised its 2016 option on Robert Griffin III, Washington general manager Scot McCloughan weighed in on a few more topics. Let’s dive right in and round up the highlights from McCloughan’s presser….

    • Picking up Griffin’s option won’t change how the team approaches the draft, tweets Tom Schad of the Washington Times. In other words, if the best player available is a quarterback, Washington will select that QB. However, I’d be very surprised if the club used its fifth overall pick on a signal-caller, even if Marcus Mariota is still on the board.
    • According to McCloughan, Washington’s draft board is just about set, but the team is open to trading pick and acquiring more picks. In fact, McCloughan says he’d “love” to pick up as many as 10 picks — Washington currently has seven (Twitter links via Mike Jones of the Washington Post and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com).
    • If Leonard Williams is still available by the time Washington’s No. 5 overall pick rolls around, “it might bring a trade more into play,” according to McCloughan (link via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). The club feels good about the its defensive front, and there may be other teams interested in moving up for the USC defensive lineman.
    • Per Jones (via Twitter), McCloughan said the team hasn’t received trade offers for Kirk Cousins yet. The GM would be open to listening, but would like to keep Cousins, whom he feels is a good, young quarterback.
    • Washington is having ongoing extension discussions with offensive tackle Trent Williams and outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, but there’s nothing imminent, according to El-Bashir (Twitter link).
    • McCloughan is targeting players with size and strength in the draft, particularly on the offensive line, tweets Jones.