2015 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Falcons, Gregory, 49ers

March 26th, 2015 at 9:17pm CST by Zachary Links

With a little over a month to go between now and the draft, the Falcons are working hard to identify pass rushers that can help them in the short-term and long-term, as Robert Klemko of The MMQB writes. New head coach Dan Quinn knows what he’ll be looking for.

“Initial speed,” Quinn says. “You have to be able to beat someone off the ball who is going to be stronger than you. Then you have to be able to use the length—length is important—and have the relentlessness to finish. Then with the mental makeup, with both cornerbacks and rushers, you have to be a relentless fighter. There’s a 330-pound bear in front of you, and you just have to figure out a way to beat him. You have to be fast enough to run with the running backs and tight ends and strong enough to fight a bear. You have to be a unique dude.”

Here’s more from the NFC..

Speaking of the Falcons‘ draft, one scout theorized to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that Atlanta could target Randy Gregory at No. 8. Earlier today we learned that the Nebraska pass rusher failed his combine drug test, but Rapoport says that the Falcons are now open to taking “edgier” players.
You can add the 49ers to the list of teams that Texas A&M Commerce wide receiver Ricky Collins will be visiting, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets.
Even with Greg Hardy in the fold, pass rusher remains a big need for the Cowboys, Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News writes. Much has been made of the Cowboys’ needs at the cornerback position, but he puts the pass rush on even footing.

AFC West Notes: Wisniewski, Bolts, Del Rio

March 26th, 2015 at 5:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The food safety manager who blew the whistle on health violations at the Chiefs‘ Arrowhead Stadium and the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium was fired by Aramark, as Paula Lavigne of ESPN.com writes. After Jon Costa told ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” about the health violations, the city came in and inspected the Royals’ and Chiefs’ stadiums and found violations at 20 out of 26 stands, including 37 critical violations. You can read Lavingne’s story for more detail, but we suggest that you do so after dinner. Here’s a look at the AFC West..

Asked about whether the Raiders would consider re-signing Stefen Wisniewski as a guard to play alongside new center Rodney Hudson, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that “that ship has sailed,” indicating Wisniewski won’t be back in Oakland.
According to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), “a lot of very smart people” believe the Chargers will try to trade up to No. 2 in next month’s draft. The Chargers have said they have no plans to trade Philip Rivers, and such a move would likely require Rivers to be involved, so it seems unlikely at this point. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on — Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com wrote earlier today that he expects Marcus Mariota to be drafted second overall, either by the Titans or a team trading up.
Bears coach John Fox has nothing but high praise for new Raiders coach Jack Del Rio, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. “I had a tremendous staff in Denver, and Jack was a huge part of that,” Fox said. “More often than not we had a top five defense. I plucked him from the Baltimore Ravens back when he was a linebackers coach and gave him his first coordinator job back in Carolina. At that time we were No. 31 in total defense, and that was only because there were 31 teams. We jumped all the way to second with Jack at the helm. I’ve worked with him a lot, and Jack’s a tremendous coach and a tremendous person. I wish him nothing but the best in Oakland.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

La Canfora’s Latest: Mariota, AP, Dolphins

March 26th, 2015 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

After spending four days at this week’s league meetings in Arizona, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com came away with some additional insight and information on a number of key storylines around the NFL, including Marcus Mariota‘s potential landing spot and the Adrian Peterson situation in Minnesota. Let’s round up some of the highlights from La Canfora’s latest column….

After speaking to a number of team executives around the NFL, La Canfora gets the “strong sense” that Mariota won’t make it past the second overall pick. That doesn’t necessarily mean Mariota will be a Titan, but if a team wants to move up to snag him, a trade with Tennessee at No. 2 is more likely than a move to No. 5 or 6. “He’s going second overall,” said one GM who has an eye on the Mariota market. “I don’t know to which team, but he’s going second overall.”
Ben Dogra, Peterson’s agent, was “ever-present” at this week’s meetings, and his mission to get his client off the Vikings‘ roster “remains at full throttle,” according to La Canfora. While head coach Mike Zimmer indicated yesterday that the team had no plans to trade its star running back, Dogra will continue to do whatever he can to accommodate an exodus from Minnesota for Peterson, and has told people he’s confident a deal can get done before the draft.
As La Canfora notes, and as I alluded to yesterday in the wake of Zimmer’s comments, the Vikings aren’t budging, and they have no reason to — the team is unlikely to get a whole lot in return for a 30-year-old running back who sat out most of last year, won’t be reinstated until April 15 at the earliest, and has three years and $45MM left on his deal.
Several people told La Canfora this week that Mike Tannenbaum is “clearly calling the shots” for the Dolphins, with GM Dennis Hickey playing a reduced role.
Many people in the know believe that the Saints will ultimately end up with Tom Benson‘s wife Gayle rather than his grandchildren, as a legal battle for the franchise continues to play out.

Randy Gregory Failed Combine Drug Test

March 26th, 2015 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory projects as a potential top-10 pick in the upcoming draft, but his stock may take a hit after he revealed to Kimberly Jones of NFL.com that he failed the drug test at this year’s combine. According to Gregory, he tested positive for marijuana.

Based on talent alone, Gregory appears to be a lock to come off the board early next month. Todd McShay’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com (Insider link) has Washington selecting Gregory fifth overall, while Mel Kiper’s latest mock (Insider link) has Gregory landing with the Bears at No. 7. Now, there’s no guarantee that the former Cornhusker will be a top-10 selection.

“Am I worried? Yeah, I’m worried,” Gregory told Jones. “At the same time, I’m confident. I know I’m going to be all right in the end.”

As Matt Miller of Bleacher Report notes (Twitter links), most NFL teams aren’t too worried about a player smoking marijuana. However, failing a drug test that had been scheduled for months is a cause for concern. Still, it’s hard to say exactly how the failed test will affect Gregory’s stock, since some teams will care a lot and other might care very little, says Miller.

Albert Breer of the NFL Network points out (via Twitter) that Timmy Jernigan and Zach Mettenberger had their stock plummet last year after producing diluted samples at the combine — neither player even failed his drug test. Miller also identifies Justin Houston as one impact player who failed the combine drug test (Twitter link). Houston, ultimately a third-round pick, has turned into one of the league’s best pass rushers.

Josh Gordon provides one case study for how quickly suspensions can pile up for a player if he continues to fail drug tests once he enters the NFL, so teams figure to take an extra long look at Gregory when considering whether to draft him. It’ll be interesting to see what club decides that his talent is worth the potential risk.

Bucs Notes: Winston, Mariota, Glennon

March 25th, 2015 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers are coming off a 2-14 season, but all eyes will be on Lovie Smith and company over the next weeks, as the 2015 NFL draft nears, since Tampa Bay holds the first overall pick. With most observers, reporters, and fans believing the Bucs will snag Jameis Winston, that pick may be lacking a little intrigue, but speaking to the media today, Smith didn’t fully commit to the Florida State quarterback. Here’s what the Bucs head coach had to say about Winston and a handful of other topics:

Smith said today that he’s never done so much research on a player as the Bucs have done on Winston, tweets John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. The team has also done plenty of work on Marcus Mariota, but has spent more time on Winston, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. Bucs ownership has given the OK to both players (link via ESPN.com).
Odds are good that either Winston or Mariota will be Tampa Bay’s pick at No. 1, but Smith belives “you have to keep your options open.” According to the head coach, the Bucs would be “very comfortable” selecting one of the quarterbacks, but there’s no rush to make the decision yet, and Smith points out that “there are mega-deals that have come up” in past drafts (all Twitter links via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times).
More from Smith on having the first overall pick, via Stroud (Twitter link): “We realize how important that position is and very seldom do you get a chance to have your pick of the litter like that.”
Putting a bow on the No. 1 pick talk, Smith indicated that it wouldn’t be an erroneous assumption to forecast Winston as the first overall pick, tweets Stroud. However, the team continues to go through the research process.
With the Bucs preparing to draft a quarterback, one signal-caller on their roster has drawn trade interest. According to Smith, teams have inquired on a potential Mike Glennon deal (Twitter link via Stroud). I’d imagine that’s something the Bucs will consider as the draft nears if they’re comfortable with Winston (or Mariota). For now though, Glennon and Seth Lobato are the only QBs on the roster, so the team may have to sign a veteran if Glennon is dealt, and there aren’t many still on the market.
Asked about how much longer veteran guard Logan Mankins wants to continue playing, Smith replied, “Forever. He’ll tell you forever.” So it doesn’t sound as if retirement is imminent for the former Patriot (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald).

NFL Adjusts 2015 Compensatory Picks

March 25th, 2015 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

No one outside of the NFL quite has a full handle on the formula the league uses to determine the 32 compensatory draft picks that are handed out on an annual basis. And as it turns out, the formula is complicated enough that even the NFL itself made a few errors when it announced 2015’s compensatory picks earlier this week.

While the majority of this year’s picks remain unchanged, the Panthers, Broncos, and Steelers were all affected by today’s changes. Here are the adjustments made by the league:

Panthers‘ sixth-round pick (No. 213) becomes fifth-round pick (No. 174), per Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com (via Twitter).
Broncos‘ sixth-round pick (No. 208) becomes seventh-round pick (No. 250), per Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
Steelers‘ seventh-round pick (No. 252) becomes sixth-round pick (No. 212), per the team (via Twitter).

While those are the only picks to undergo significant changes, many other fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-round picks will move up or down a spot, based on these adjustments.

You can view the complete draft order for 2015, which has been updated to reflect today’s news, right here. We also have an updated breakdown of 2015’s picks by team.

North Notes: Steelers, Cutler, Patterson

March 25th, 2015 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL has informed the Steelers that the seventh-round compensatory pick the team received will actually be a sixth-rounder (Twitter link). The league initially miscommunicated the pick, which will now be the 212nd selection rather than the 252nd (Twitter link). Conversely, the Broncos‘ sixth-round compensatory pick (No. 208) will be bumped down to a seventh-rounder (No. 250), according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter). We’ll update our list of draft picks by round and by team this afternoon to reflect the change.

Let’s check in on a few more items from around the NFL’s two North divisions….

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (all Twitter links), Bears decision-makers, including new head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace, discussed Jay Cutler‘s contract as the guarantee date for more of the QB’s salary neared earlier this offseason. After meeting with Cutler, the Bears’ brass left convinced that he’s their guy going forward.
If there was any doubt about the Vikings‘ commitment to wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, head coach Mike Zimmer cleared things up on Tuesday, as Chris Wesseling of NFL.com details. According to Zimmer, there’s “no chance whatsoever” that the team will trade Patterson this year.
Florida State cornerback P.J. Williams will visit the Ravens prior to next month’s draft, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
The Lions aren’t pursuing tampering charges against the Dolphins in regard to Miami’s pursuit of Ndamukong Suh prior to the start of this month’s free agent period, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Of course, just because Detroit isn’t pushing for it, that doesn’t mean the league isn’t looking into a potential violation by the Dolphins and other teams who reportedly reached agreements with free agents prior to March 10.

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Rams, Cards

March 25th, 2015 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Rams coach Jeff Fisher, and Cardinals coach Bruce Arians all offered up a few notable comments today during their morning session with reporters in Phoenix at the owners’ meetings. Let’s dive in and round up the highlights from the breakfast discussions, starting with the reigning NFC champs….

Pete Carroll
(Twitter links via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times and ESPN.com’s Terry Blount)

Carroll reiterated what GM John Schneider said earlier this week, indicating that defensive end Michael Bennett has never said anything to him about wanting to be traded or wanting a new contract.
Carroll is optimistic about a number of the team’s free agents returning to the fold, indicating the club plans to re-sign center Stephen Schilling and defensive lineman Demarcus Dobbs. The head coach is also confident that the Seahawks will work something out with backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, who remains on the market. Jackson visited the Dolphins, but Miami ultimately brought back QB Matt Moore.
Caroll suggested that the Seahawks and Russell Wilson‘s camp have had “great talks” about a new contract for the young signal-caller. “It’s a long process with extraordinary ramifications,” according to Caroll, but he’s hopeful that the two sides can work something out.

Jeff Fisher
(Twitter links via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, and Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com)

According to Fisher, trade discussions with the Browns involving quarterback Sam Bradford happened on the weekend of March 7, before free agency opened. The Rams eventually announced their deal with the Eagles on Tuesday, March 10.
The Browns’ offer for Bradford featured the No. 19 overall pick and never the No. 12 pick. However, Fisher said today that it wouldn’t have made a difference if Cleveland offered the higher first-rounder, since St. Louis still wouldn’t have gotten a QB back in the deal — the Eagles’ willingness to part with Nick Foles gave the Rams a Bradford replacement.
The Rams remain active in their search for offensive linemen, with talks expected to pick up again following this week’s league meetings. Joe Barksdale, who played right tackle for the team last year, is still an option, and the Rams are in talks with him. According to Fisher, Barksdale’s initial asking price was a little surprising, but it’s in a more reasonable range now, and “it makes sense to get Joe back.”
The Rams have added Jeff Imamura to their staff as a defensive assistant, according to Fisher. Imamura previously worked for the Vikings.

Bruce Arians
(Twitter links via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com and Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)

The Cardinals cut center Lyle Sendlein earlier in the offseason, but would like to get him back on the roster at a reduced cap number.
Running back figures to be a spot the Cards will address in the draft, perhaps in the fourth or fifth round. The team is looking for a player with both size and speed.
The Cards also figure to look at cornerbacks in the draft. Arians said today that he wants to add a young, speedy corner, but doesn’t see a need to add a veteran to the roster.
Veteran linebacker Larry Foote is currently a member of the Cardinals’ coaching staff, but may still decide to play for the team in 2015. Arians is hopeful that Foote, who is recovering from knee surgery, will make that decision in time for training camp.

Saints Notes: Evans, Spencer, Jordan, Draft

March 25th, 2015 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

Although he was the last head coach to arrive at the NFC coaches’ breakfast in Phoenix this morning, Sean Payton of the Saints may have dropped more noteworthy tidbits for reporters in Arizona than any other NFC coach. Let’s dive in and round up the highlights, via Larry Holder, Nick Underhill, Ian Rapoport, and Mike Garafolo (all links go to Twitter)….

The Saints explored the possibility of trading both Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs, since it wasn’t feasible to keep both high-priced guards. With Grubbs having been sent to Kansas City, Evans is poised to stick around, but his contract may still be addressed and modified, per Payton.
There were “four or five teams” talking to the Saints about a potential Jimmy Graham trade, including the Dolphins. Asked about whether last year’s positional battle or contract negotiations involving Graham played a part in the team’s decision to trade the tight end, Payton replied, “Zero. None.” The head coach added that he has spoken to Drew Brees about the deal, and the quarterback handled it fine.
Payton confirmed that free agent DE/OLB Anthony Spencer visited the Saints on Monday, but said there’s nothing to announce at this point.
Payton likes this year’s draft class for wide receivers, and believes the team will take at least one or two defensive linemen or edge defenders in the draft. Adding a tight end, either in free agency or the draft, is also a priority.
General manager Mickey Loomis has begun discussions on a potential long-term contract extension for defensive Cameron Jordan.
Payton believes there’s a good chance Travaris Cadet would have re-signed with the Saints if the club hadn’t added C.J. Spiller in free agency. The head coach added that he had dinner in Los Angeles with Reggie Bush to discuss a potential reunion before signing Spiller, since the team expected Spiller to “end up somewhere else at a higher number.”
Asked about finding a successor for Brees, Payton said he thinks the veteran quarterback has “a lot of good football left,” but he’s open to drafting a QB if there’s value to be had. However, Payton dismissed the idea of trading up for Marcus Mariota, saying that “won’t happen.”
Prior to releasing him, the Saints wanted Curtis Lofton to make some adjustments and improvements to his game, and to take a pay cut, but it didn’t pan out.

Extra Points: Carr, Cowboys, Green, Spikes

March 24th, 2015 at 10:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s round up some assorted items from around the NFL…

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said the club isn’t certain it will ask cornerback Brandon Carr to take a pay cut, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star Telegram (Twitter link). Jones adds that Dallas has accounted for Carr’s salary in its books, and discussions are still ongoing. For his part, Carr has indicated that he is not amenable to a pay reduction.
Florida offensive lineman Chaz Green will have a full schedule, as he has visits set up with the Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, Texans, Cowboys, Bills, Saints, and Chargers, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
The Vikings’ signing of Casey Matthews probably signals the end of their interest in Brandon Spikes, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). Minnesota was only “lukewarm” on Spikes as it was, and Wolfson hears that Spikes is asking for to much money.
Western Oregon receiver Tyrell Williams already had a workout with the Patriots, and he also has a private workout with the Lions lined up, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
In his review of free agency, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap analyzes the 10 worst contracts handed out during the offseason, listing Ndamukong Suh and Byron Maxwell‘s deals Nos. one and two, respectively.
Also at Over the Cap, Bryce Johnston uses his expected contract value metric to determine which contracts are the most likely to be “one-and-done,” with Tramon Williams (Browns) and Andre Johnson (Colts) topping the list.

2015 NFL Draft News & Rumors