2015 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Draft Rumors: Falcons, Gurley, Cowboys

April 27th, 2015 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

The Falcons have long coveted a standout pass rusher, and the club could get the opportunity to draft one this year. The team currently has the No. 8 pick, but according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, GM Thomas Dimitroff will consider the possibility of moving up a few spots to land Florida edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. It would cost Atlanta an extra pick or two to trade up for Fowler, who is widely considered the top pass rusher in the draft, but the club hasn’t hesitated to make that sort of move in the past, most notably moving up to snag Julio Jones in 2011.

Here are a few more notes and rumors from around the NFL, as draft night approaches:

With his ACL healing well, Todd Gurley now appears likely to be a top-20 pick, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. According to Breer, when he called around this weekend, the Browns (Nos. 12, 19), Dolphins (No. 14), and Chargers (No. 17) were all linked to the Georgia running back.
The Browns may be considering Gurley with one of their two first-round picks, but the team figures to take a long look at receivers as well. Per Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), UCF wideout Breshad Perriman dined last night with Cleveland GM Ray Farmer and other team executives.
While a consensus is forming for a few picks near the top of the draft, it’s not clear where USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams – viewed by many as 2015’s best prospect – will land, writes Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. As badly as the Raiders may need a wide receiver, I’d be surprised if Oakland passed on Williams at No. 4, assuming he’s available there.
The Cowboys will have a hard time passing up Washington’s Marcus Peters or Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson in the first round if either cornerback is still on the board at No. 27, says Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
Colts owner Jim Irsay isn’t ruling out any possibility for his team on Thursday, suggesting that the Colts could easily trade up or down from No. 29, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.

South Notes: Bucs, Winston, Saints, Colts

April 26th, 2015 at 3:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is expected to selected first overall by Tampa Bay on Thursday night, and the Buccaneers have certainly done their research on the 2013 Heisman winner. General manager Jason Licht tells Joey Johnston and Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune that his club spoke with more than 75 people in an attempt to properly vet Winston. Curiously, the Bucs did not speak with the woman who accused Winston of sexual assault in 2013, but they did talk to a member of the Tallahassee State Attorney’s Office, which declined to press charges against Winston.

Here’s more from the NFL’s South divisions…

Of the 18 prospects who are known to have visited the Saints, 12 are defensive players, which could be an indication of which direction New Orleans is leaning with its two first-round picks, writes Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. Of course, as Woodbery adds, each club is allotted 30 predraft visits, so there up to 12 Saints player meetings that the public isn’t aware of.
Speaking of the Saints, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com doesn’t think the club will take a risk on players with off-the-field trouble, such as edge rusher Randy Gregory or receiver Dorial Green-Beckham.
The Colts will likely have to trade up if they want a chance at a player like Alabama safety Landon Collins, according to Mike Wells of ESPN.com. Indianapolis owns nine picks, so they could have the draft capital to make such a move.
Although a poor draft (and a similarly underwhelming 2015 season) would probably threaten the job of Titans GM Ruston Webster more than head coach Ken Whisenhunt, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com thinks both could be in jeopardy if Tennessee struggles this year.

Dolphins Targeting Todd Gurley In Draft

April 26th, 2015 at 2:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins rushing attack was the most dynamic part of the club’s offense in 2014 — third-year pro Lamar Miller ran for more than 1,000 yards, scoring eight touchdowns, and Miami ranked second in rushing DVOA, per Football Outsiders. But the team reportedly wants to add another option to its backfield, as multiple sources tell Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald that the Dolphins “covet” Georgia running back Todd Gurley.

“He’s a talent,” Miami assistant general manager Eric Stokes said of Gurley. “He’s definitely a player that his ability stands out and shines. He’s an exciting guy to watch. We’ve enjoyed working through that process with him and seeing him. From there, we’ll see where things shake out.”

Let’s take a look at some more Dolphins notes, courtesy of Beasley’s Herald colleague Barry Jackson:

With Dion Jordan‘s future with Miami in doubt, the Dolphins could look to select a defensive end in this week’s draft, per Jackson. Fellow end Cameron Wake is 33 years old, while Olivier Vernon is a free agent after this season, so depth at the position could be an issue.
On the other hand, Jackson writes, the club is high on young defensive lineman Derrick Shelby (who saw more than 400 snaps last season) and LB/DE Chris McCain, so perhaps Miami feels comfortable with its option along the defensive line.
General manager Dennis Hickey has taken risks on players with character questions in the past, so Washington CB Marcus Peters and Oklahoma WR Dorial Green-Beckham probably aren’t off the Dolphins’ draft board. Peters, specifically, had a private workout with Miami, and PFR’s Rob DiRe has the club selecting Peters with its first-round pick.

Martin Mayhew on Ihedigbo, Gurley, Draft

April 25th, 2015 at 11:37am CST by Rob DiRe

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has the very difficult task of keeping the team in the playoffs despite losing their stud defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley this offseason.

Here are a few topics Mayhew weighs in on as he tries to keep the team competitive with the Packers in the NFC North, and among the top teams in the conference. :

On safety James Ihedigbo skipping spring workouts (via Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press):

These workouts are voluntary. As we talked last year, there was a guy (Suh) who missed last year, and you guys were irate. And I told you then it was voluntary. It’s voluntary now. I look forward to talking with James. I understand what he’s going through. I’ve been through that myself as a player, when I felt like, at a time in my career, that I was underpaid and I had to deal with that. So I have empathy for him and I understand what he’s going through. I look forward to sitting down and talking with him. I have great respect for him as a player, as a man. I’ve got to know him a little bit away from football, and I understand how he feels and I look forward to sitting down and talking with him, at some point.

On Georgia running back Todd Gurley (via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com):

I will sort of equate it to the character situation. Every individual player should be evaluated on his own merits. I wouldn’t just say this guy had an Achilles tear, so he’s off our board. You know, where is he in that process? How long ago was that? How did he perform last year? Who was his surgeon who did his surgery? How is he in the rehab process? Where is he right now? Every single guy is evaluated on his own merits and what his situation is specifically.

On trade activity during the NFL Draft (via Justin Rogers of MLive.com):

I made the point at the league meeting that we’ve never started a draft and finished a draft with the same picks, so I think we’ll have a different number of picks at the end of this draft. Frequently, we’ll be very comfortable that there are going to be a number of players where we are on the board and we’ll stay put, or if we feel like our guys are going ahead of us then we’ll move up. If we feel like there are a number of guys that are behind us that we’d like to have or guys within our range — if we have 10 players and we can go back eight spots and get one of those guys. So, it really varies depending on what’s going on with that particular draft.

On trading picks for veterans in the later rounds of the draft:

I think early on that was something a lot of times that we did because of the difficulty of signing those guys as free agents. I think we’re in a place now where we have a pretty solid core of quality players and we really want to add some youth to that group. I think the draft is the best way to do that.

AFC East Notes: Mariota, Gurley, Patriots

April 25th, 2015 at 10:51am CST by Rob DiRe

There has been a lot of talk about the Jets making a move to go up at get Marcus Mariota, but Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Daily News gives one big reason why the team shouldn’t trade up for the Heisman-trophy winner.

New general manager Mike Maccagnan was hired because of his track record as an evaluator who will build through the draft, and Cannizzaro wants him to trust his abilities and not give up future picks to move up in the draft. If Mariota should fall that would be different, but believes Maccagnan should give himself as many chances as possible to draft players and worry about the franchise quarterback another time without mortgaging multiple picks for one player.

Here are some more notes from around the AFC East:

The Dolphins seem to be very high on Todd Gurley, but that doesn’t mean they are planning on targeting the Georgia running back in the first-round, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. The Dolphins got a great season out of Lamar Miller in 2014, and Gurley’s injury history is a red flag that high in the draft for a team with so many needs.
The Patriots could go a number of ways in the draft, returning a solid roster from their Super Bowl team despite losing a few big names on the defensive side of the ball. Judy Cohen of WEEI.com picks out a player who could come in and help on that side in Arizona State defensive tackle Marcus Hardison. Hardison could be a day two pick, and could even fall to round four it the Patriots wait on him.
Another player Cohen takes a close look at is offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo. He could be a great pick as a swing tackle for the Patriots, with the physical tools to handle either side of the line. He played quarterback and tight end in the eighth grade and high school before moving to the defensive and offensive lines. Sambrailo is expected to be a day two pick.

NFC Mailbags: Collins, Bears, Vikings, Saints

April 25th, 2015 at 9:47am CST by Rob DiRe

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s writers are going through their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Here are some notes from the NFC:

The Packers are in a great position going into the draft, without any glaring needs on the roster. One spot the team could target in the first round is cornerback, and Rob Demovsky believes that team could target the 6’1″ Jalen Collins if he is on the board at No. 30.
The Bears could go a number of ways at No. 7, but the best options that are likely to be there are the leftover between Amari Cooper and Kevin White, writes Jeff Dickerson. One of them is likely to be off the board before the Bears come to the podium, but present good options at that spot. Dickerson also picks out Dante Fowler Jr., Leonard Williams, and Shane Ray as options.
Ben Goessling receives a great idea from an evil mastermind, saying the Vikings should take a running back with the 11th pick and create an even bigger market for Adrian Peterson. Unfortunately, Goessling rightly believes that would be a dangerous way to use the No. 11 pick in the draft.
The Saints are in an interesting position picking at No. 13, and Mike Triplett addressed the chances of the Saints of moving up or down from that spot. With nine picks in the draft, he could see them trading up if they have an elite grade on a player, but he could also see them moving down a few spots if they get the right offer. It seems more likely they stay put and wait for their guy at No. 13.

AFC North Notes: Steelers, Wilson, Mosley, Browns

April 25th, 2015 at 8:55am CST by Rob DiRe

For years, the Steelers have had no problem finding value in pass-rushing outside linebackers. It wasn’t long ago that they were one of the few teams running a 3-4 defense, and were able to find defensive ends that were considered undersized and transition them to a new position, writes Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Those times are gone however, as many other teams have transitioned to either a 3-4 or a multiple defense and have learned to value the athletic pass rushers who have questions about putting their hand in the dirt and playing like a traditional pass rusher. It is much harder to find those classic Steelers’ linebackers late in the draft, and that used to be a huge advantage for the team’s defense on draft day.

Here are a few more notes from around the AFC North:

The Ravens have shown interest in 6’2″, 205-pound cornerback Julian Wilson out of Oklahoma, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “I met with them and it was really good,” said the versatile cornerback. “We went over board work, going over coverages my team was doing and some Ravens stuff. They wanted to see if I had a good understanding of the game.“
With the NFL Draft less than a week away, the Ravens are looking at the success of last year’s first-round pick for what they expect to add to the team. C.J. Mosley is following an excellent rookie season by doing all the right things, writes Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun. “Learning the little things about the defense, definitely,” Mosley said. “Definitely getting back stronger after I get this cast off [he had left wrist surgery this offseason] and still learning from my vets, because there are still a lot of things to learn as far as [being a] defensive player, being a young player. Getting in touch with Daryl Smith more and seeing the things that helped him progress each year in his long career, that can help me out.“
The Browns have been quiet about their plans for the NFL Draft despite having two top-20 picks, but that hasn’t stopped other teams from dreaming about them. Tucker Bagley of PhillyMag.com has rounded up a few Eagles’ stories, two of which has Philadelphia using Cleveland as a jumping board in a three-team trade to get Marcus Mariota. Cleveland would likely settle for some combination of Sam Bradford and draft picks in those situations.

Draft Notes: Collins, Mariota, Parker

April 24th, 2015 at 8:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The draft position of LSU cornerback Jalen Collins could be an indicator of how the NFL feels about drug use in 2015, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Collins, according to sources with four teams, has failed multiple tests in college. Collins is projected by many to be a first-round choice. Here’s more draft news..

The likelihood now is that Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota goes second overall, Breer tweets. His personal feeling is that Tennessee likes him more than most think and Breer feels he could very well could be a member of the Titans.
Breer (on Twitter) says that DeVante Parker is one to watch and some prefer him to Kevin White because he’s more NFL-ready. Parker, he says, is closer to White and Amari Cooper than the rest of the pack at wide receiver.
Cooper could go anywhere between No. 3 and No. 6, Breer tweets. White and Parker, meanwhile, have a good shot at the top ten. After that, it’s wide open at wide receiver and Nelson Agholor could be the next one off the board.
Cooper has emerged as the consensus No. 1 player at his position, according to GMs and scouts that spoke with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter). White is a close second.
The running back class is outstanding and that could hurt those guys’ first-round chances since teams believe that they can get a solid player later, Breer tweets.

Dolphins VP Tannenbaum On Jordan, Draft

April 24th, 2015 at 7:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier tonight, Jaguars GM David Caldwell addressed local reporters to tackle a number of topics. Keeping things in the great state of Florida, here are some highlights from Dolphins VP Mike Tannenbaum‘s chat with local media..

When asked directly if the Dolphins expect Dion Jordan to be at the team’s mandatory camp, Tannenbaum punted, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets. Beasley and the rest of the Miami beat writers seem to believe that Jordan’s future with the club is in jeopardy.
Jordan’s suspensions in 2014 voided the $5,4MM of 2015/2016 guarantees in his contract, which makes it easier for Miami to cut him, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter).
Tannenbaum said they haven’t made any final decision on QB Ryan Tannehill‘s contract as his fifth-year option approaches,James Walker of ESPN.com tweets.
Tannenbaum made it clear that GM Dennis Hickey has final say in the draft room, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets.
Tannenbaum told the press that the team is “an equal opportunity trader,” Beasley tweets. The VP indicated that the Dolphins could move up or go back.
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears that the Dolphins like 19 first round prospects. Miami will pick at No. 14 on April 30th.

Jaguars GM On Jennings, Blackmon, Draft

April 24th, 2015 at 5:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars GM David Caldwell isn’t opposed to trading a draft pick for a veteran player. “Depends on the player,” he told Ryan O’Halloran (on Twitter) and the rest of the Jaguars’ beat writers. But how about Vikings running back Adrian Peterson?

“He’s on the Vikings,” the GM said flatly.

Caldwell declined to really comment on AD, but he had plenty more to tell the group of local reporters. Here’s a look at the highlights of his presser..

The GM said he never made an offer to wide receiver Greg Jennings before he signed with the Dolphins, O’Halloran tweets. The Jags were among the teams interested in the veteran, along with the Panthers and Saints. The 31-year-old ultimately got a two-year, $8MM deal from Miami.
Caldwell says he’s not disappointed that the team hasn’t heard anything regarding wide receiver Justin Blackmon‘s status, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com tweets. For now, the Jaguars will be going forward as planned without him.
The Jaguars have narrowed their choice at to three-to-five players if they stay put at No. 3, O’Halloran tweets. So far, he says he has yet to receive a call on the pick (link).
Caldwell said about 200 players are on the Jaguars’ board, O’Halloran tweets.
Caldwell emphasized the need for a difference-maker rather than two solid players, John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.

2015 NFL Draft News & Rumors