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2016 NFL Draft News & Rumors

North Notes: Kessler, Browns, Harrison, Bears

April 30th, 2016 at 9:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns reportedly did not promise a starting job to Robert Griffin III, and it sound as though rookie third-round pick Cody Kessler has a shot to win the quarterback job in Cleveland. “We truly believe in competition here,” Browns executive Sashi Brown said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “We’re realistic about where our roster is at that slot and we want to find a long-term answer. I think it’s as critical for everything we’re going to do here.”

Here’s the latest from the North divisions…

  • The Browns did not know cornerback Jamar Taylor would be available ahead of the draft, said Brown, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Cleveland acquired Taylor today for a seventh-round pick.
  • Even if the Bears had drafted a quarterback today, they still would have signed backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, GM Ryan Pace told reporters, including Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times (Twitter link). Chicago wanted a veteran behind Jay Cutler, hence the signing of Hoyer to a one-year, $2MM deal.
  • Steelers GM Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin both expect James Harrison to return for the 2016, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazetter (Twitter links). “He’s working out awful hard for a ‘retired’ guy,” said Tomlin.
  • Defensive tackle Vernon Butler contends the Lions told him they would draft him if he were available with the No. 16 pick, but Detroit ultimately chose offensive tackle Taylor Decker. Lions GM Bob Quinn denies that his club promised anything to Butler, who was chosen at No. 30 by the Panthers. Justin Rogers of MLive.com has the full details.

Draft Rumors: Tunsil, Ravens, Cardinals, Bears

April 30th, 2016 at 7:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As soon as the seventh round came to a close, NFL clubs immediately begin placing calls in attempts to sign undrafted free agents. While we will be sharing that information eventually, the sudden flurry of activity makes it difficult to track in real time. As such, we’ll wait until teams formally announce their UDFA signings before we post the news (along with accompanying signing bonuses).

Here’s the latest as the 2016 draft is in the rearview mirror…

  • Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome denied a report that his club would have drafted Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil except for a social media posting that showed him smoking out of bong, tweets Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun. Baltimore selected fellow tackle Ronnie Stanley instead of Tunsil.
  • Bruce Arians says the Cardinals had a grade on a quarterback in every round, but other teams picked the signal-callers in question before Arizona got the chance, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The Steelers tried to trade back into the fifth round, says general manager Kevin Colbert, but no other clubs wanted to trade back, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link).
  • Having lost Brad Nortman to the Jaguars over the offseason, Panthers GM Dave Gettleman says his team would have selected a punter in the seventh round had a draft-worthy one been available, reports David Newton of ESPN.com. Gettleman also relayed that he declined offers to trade up because Carolina is already missing a 2017 seventh-rounder and didn’t want to give up more capital (Twitter link via Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer).
  • The Bears plan to target tight ends in undrafted free agency, GM Ryan Pace told Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link).

2016 NFL Draft Results By Round

April 30th, 2016 at 5:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are all 253 picks of the 2016 NFL draft, broken down by round, and featuring trades.

Here are the complete 2016 NFL draft results:

Round One:

  1. Los Angeles Rams (from Tennessee): Jared Goff, QB (California)
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (from Cleveland): Carson Wentz, QB (North Dakota State)
  3. San Diego Chargers: Joey Bosa, DE/OLB (Ohio State)
  4. Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott, RB (Ohio State)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jalen Ramsey, DB (Florida State)
  6. Baltimore Ravens: Ronnie Stanley, T (Notre Dame)
  7. San Francisco 49ers: DeForest Buckner, DL (Oregon)
  8. Tennessee Titans (from Miami via Philadelphia and Cleveland): Jack Conklin, T (Michigan State)
  9. Chicago Bears (from Tampa Bay): Leonard Floyd, OLB (Georgia)
  10. New York Giants: Eli Apple, CB (Ohio State)
  11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Chicago): Vernon Hargreaves III, CB (Florida)
  12. New Orleans Saints: Sheldon Rankins, DL (Lousiville)
  13. Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia): Laremy Tunsil, T (Ole Miss)
  14. Oakland Raiders: Karl Joseph, S (West Virginia)
  15. Cleveland Browns (from Los Angeles via Tennessee): Corey Coleman, WR (Baylor)
  16. Detroit Lions: Taylor Decker, T (Ohio State)
  17. Atlanta Falcons: Keanu Neal, S (Florida)
  18. Indianapolis Colts: Ryan Kelly, C (Alabama)
  19. Buffalo Bills: Shaq Lawson, DE/OLB (Clemson)
  20. New York Jets: Darron Lee, LB (Ohio State)
  21. Houston Texans (from Washington): Will Fuller, WR (Notre Dame)
  22. Washington (from Houston): Josh Doctson, WR (TCU)
  23. Minnesota Vikings: Laquon Treadwell, WR (Ole Miss)
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: William Jackson III, CB (Houston)
  25. Pittsburgh Steelers: Artie Burns, CB (Miami)
  26. Denver Broncos (from Seattle): Paxton Lynch, QB (Memphis)
  27. Green Bay Packers: Kenny Clark, DL (UCLA)
  28. San Francisco 49ers (from Kansas City): Joshua Garnett, G (Stanford)
    New England Patriots — lost due to NFL discipline (Deflategate)
  29. Arizona Cardinals: Robert Nkemdiche, DL (Ole Miss)
  30. Carolina Panthers: Vernon Butler, DT (Louisiana Tech)
  31. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver): Germain Ifedi, T (Texas A&M)

Read more

Titans Acquire No. 157 Pick From Broncos

April 30th, 2016 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Titans have traded back into the fifth round, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, who tweets that Tennessee has acquired the No. 157 overall pick from the Broncos. The Titans led off the fifth round by snagging UMass wide receiver Tajae Sharpe and have now landed a second pick, which they used to draft Southern Utah cornerback LeShaun Sims.

In exchange for the No. 157 overall pick, the Broncos have received the 176th overall pick (a 2016 sixth-rounder) and a sixth-round pick for 2017, per Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The Titans also picked up a 2016 seventh-rounder in the deal, which falls at No. 253 — that’s the last pick of this year’s draft, so Tennessee is currently in line to select this year’s Mr. Irrelevant.

One reason the Broncos may have added this 2017 selection: the trade with the Eagles for a conditional ’17 choice that brought Mark Sanchez to Denver now looks like it will be for a sixth-round pick and not a seventh-rounder, Klis tweets. The presumptive Week 1 starter for the Broncos, Sanchez was traded for a conditional 2017 draft choice last month.

The Broncos initially acquired this fifth-round choice from the Jets in the teams’ Ryan Clady swap — one that also involved Denver sending a seventh-rounder to New York — earlier this month. The defending champions now hold three picks in the draft’s final two rounds.

Tennessee selected a safety during its busy Day 2 in Kevin Byard of Middle Tennessee but could use some help at corner presently beyond starters Jason McCourty and Perrish Cox. The Titans also added to the position by signing Brice McCain, however.

2016 NFL Draft Results (Day 3)

April 30th, 2016 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the complete, pick-by-pick results for Day 3 of the 2016 NFL draft. We’ll be updating teams’ picks as they’re reported or announced (whichever happens first). We’ll also be making a note of all the trades made during the draft — for in-draft trades, we’ll link to our full story on the swap, whereas a list of the deals completed prior to the draft can be found right here. The complete results for the first two days of the draft can be found right here.

Here are 2016’s NFL draft results for Day 3:

Round Four:

  1. Cleveland Browns: Joe Schobert, LB (Wisconsin)
  2. Oakland Raiders (from Tennessee via Philadelphia and Cleveland): Connor Cook, QB (Michigan State)
  3. Dallas Cowboys: Charles Tapper, DE (Oklahoma)
  4. San Diego Chargers: Joshua Perry, LB (Ohio State)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Sheldon Day, DT (Notre Dame)
  6. Baltimore Ravens: Tavon Young, CB (Temple)
  7. Kansas City Chiefs (from San Francisco): Parker Ehinger, G (Cincinnati)
  8. Kansas City Chiefs (from Chicago via Tampa Bay): Eric Murray, CB (Minnesota)
  9. Baltimore Ravens (from Miami): Chris Moore, WR (Cincinnati)
  10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ryan Smith, CB (North Carolina Central)
  11. New York Giants: B.J. Goodson, LB (Clemson)
  12. Los Angeles Rams: Tyler Higbee, TE (Western Kentucky)
  13. Detroit Lions: Miles Killebrew, S (Southern Utah)
  14. New England Patriots (from New Orleans): Malcolm Mitchell, WR (Georgia)
  15. Chicago Bears (from Philadelphia via Tennessee and Los Angeles): Nick Kwiatkoski, LB (West Virginia)
  16. Cleveland Browns (from Oakland): Ricardo Louis, WR (Auburn)
  17. Atlanta Falcons: De’Vondre Campbell, LB (Minnesota)
  18. Indianapolis Colts: Hassan Ridgeway, DT (Texas)
  19. Los Angeles Rams (from Buffalo and Chicago): Pharoh Cooper, WR (South Carolina)
  20. New York Jets: Juston Burris, CB (North Carolina State)
  21. Houston Texans: Tyler Ervin, RB (San Jose State)
  22. New Orleans Saints (from Washington): David Onyemata, DT (Manitoba)
  23. Minnesota Vikings: Willie Beavers, OL (Western Michigan)
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: Andrew Billings, DT (Baylor)
  25. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jerald Hawkins, T (LSU)
  26. Chicago Bears (from Seattle): Deon Bush, DB (Miami)
  27. Indianapolis Colts (from Green Bay): Antonio Morrison, LB (Florida)
  28. Kansas City Chiefs: Demarcus Robinson, WR (Florida)
  29. Chicago Bears (from New England): Deiondre’ Hall, DB (Northern Iowa)
  30. Arizona Cardinals: Evan Boehm, C (Missouri)
  31. Cleveland Browns (from Carolina): Derrick Kindred, S (TCU)
  32. Baltimore Ravens (from Denver): Alex Lewis, T (Nebraska)
  33. Green Bay Packers (compensatory): Blake Martinez, LB (Stanford)
  34. Baltimore Ravens (compensatory): Willie Henry, DT (Michigan)
  35. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory): Rashard Robinson, CB (LSU)
  36. Baltimore Ravens (compensatory): Kenneth Dixon, RB (Louisiana Tech)
  37. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory): Dak Prescott, QB (Mississippi State)
  38. Denver Broncos (compensatory): Devontae Booker, RB (Utah)
  39. Green Bay Packers (compensatory): Dean Lowry, DL (Northwestern)
  40. Cleveland Browns (compensatory): Seth DeValve, WR/TE (Princeton)
  41. Buffalo Bills (compensatory): Cardale Jones, QB (Ohio State)

Round Five:

  1. Tennessee Titans: Tajae Sharpe, WR (Massachusetts)
  2. Carolina Panthers (from Cleveland): Zack Sanchez, CB (Oklahoma)
  3. San Francisco 49ers (from San Diego): Ronald Blair, DE (Appalachian State)
  4. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas): DeAndre Washington, RB (Texas Tech)
  5. Denver Broncos (from Baltimore): Connor McGovern, G (Missouri)
  6. San Francisco 49ers: John Theus, T (Georgia)
  7. Baltimore Ravens (from Jacksonville): Matt Judon, DE (Grand Valley State)
  8. Seattle Seahawks (from Miami and New England): Quinton Jefferson, DT (Maryland)
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Caleb Benenoch, T (UCLA)
  10. New York Giants: Paul Perkins, RB (UCLA)
  11. Chicago Bears: Jordan Howard, RB (Indiana)
  12. Detroit Lions: Joe Dahl, T (Washington State)
  13. Washington (from New Orleans): Matt Ioannidis, DL (Temple)
  14. Philadelphia Eagles: Wendell Smallwood, RB (West Virginia)
  15. Cleveland Browns (from Oakland): Jordan Payton, WR (UCLA)
    Los Angeles Rams — used in 2015’s supplemental draft
  16. Indianapolis Colts: Joe Haeg, T (North Dakota State)
  17. Buffalo Bills: Jonathan Williams, RB (Arkansas)
    Atlanta Falcons — lost due to NFL discipline (fake crowd noise)
  18. Tennessee Titans (from New York Jets via Denver): LeShaun Sims, CB (Southern Utah)
  19. New York Jets (from Washington): Brandon Shell, T (South Carolina)
  20. Houston Texans: K.J. Dillon, S (West Virginia)
  21. Minnesota Vikings: Kentrell Brothers, LB (Missouri)
  22. Cincinnati Bengals: Christian Westerman, OL (Arizona State)
  23. Kansas City Chiefs (from Seattle): Kevin Hogan, QB (Stanford)
  24. Green Bay Packers: Trevor Davis, WR (California)
  25. Philadelphia Eagles (from Pittsburgh): Halapoulivaati Vaitai, OL (TCU)
  26. Kansas City Chiefs: Tyreek Hill, RB/WR (West Alabama)
  27. Houston Texans (from New England): D.J. Reader, DL (Clemson)
  28. Arizona Cardinals: Marqui Christian, S (Midwestern State)
  29. Cleveland Browns (from Carolina): Spencer Drango, OL (Baylor)
  30. Detroit Lions (from Denver): Antwione Williams, LB (Georgia Southern)
  31. Arizona Cardinals (compensatory): Cole Toner, T (Harvard)
  32. Seattle Seahawks (compensatory): Alex Collins, RB (Arkansas)
  33. Cleveland Browns (compensatory): Rashard Higgins, WR (Colorado State)
  34. Cleveland Browns (compensatory): Trey Caldwell, CB (Louisiana-Monroe)
  35. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory): Fahn Cooper, OL (Ole Miss)
  36. San Diego Chargers (compensatory): Jatavis Brown, LB (Akron)

Round Six:

  1. Denver Broncos (from Cleveland via Tennessee): Andy Janovich, FB (Nebraska)
  2. Los Angeles Rams (from Tennessee): Temarrick Hemingway, TE (South Carolina State)
  3. Kansas City Chiefs (from Dallas via San Francisco): D.J. White, CB (Georgia Tech)
  4. San Diego Chargers: Drew Kaser, P (Texas A&M)
  5. Minnesota Vikings (from San Francisco): Moritz Boehringer, WR (German Football League)
  6. Jacksonville Jaguars: Tyrone Holmes, DE (Montana)
  7. Baltimore Ravens: Keenan Reynolds, QB/WR (Navy)
  8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devante Bond, LB (Oklahoma)
  9. New York Giants: Jerell Adams, TE (South Carolina)
  10. Chicago Bears: DeAndre Houston-Carson, S (William & Mary)
  11. Miami Dolphins (from Miami via Minnesota): Jakeem Grant, WR (Texas Tech)
  12. Washington (from New Orleans): Nate Sudfeld, QB (Indiana)
  13. Minnesota Vikings (from Philadelphia): David Morgan, TE (Texas-San Antonio)
  14. Dallas Cowboys (from Oakland): Anthony Brown, CB (Purdue)
  15. Los Angeles Rams: Josh Forrest, LB (Kentucky)
  16. Detroit Lions: Jake Rudock, QB (Michigan)
  17. Buffalo Bills: Kolby Listenbee, WR (TCU)
  18. Tennessee Titans (from Atlanta): Sebastian Tretola, OL (Arkansas)
  19. Oakland Raiders (from Indianapolis): Cory James, LB (Colorado State)
  20. Atlanta Falcons (from New York Jets via Houston): Wes Schweitzer, OL (San Jose State)
  21. Philadelphia Eagles (from Houston via New England and Miami and Minnesota): Blake Countess, DB (Auburn)
  22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Washington): Dan Vitale, FB (Northwestern)
  23. San Diego Chargers (from Minnesota): Derek Watt, FB (Wisconsin)
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: Cody Core, WR (Ole Miss)
  25. Green Bay Packers: Kyle Murphy, OL (Stanford)
  26. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Pittsburgh): Brandon Allen, QB (Arkansas)
  27. Detroit Lions (from Seattle): Anthony Zettel, DT (Penn State)
  28. Kansas City Chiefs: Dadi Nicolas, OLB (Virginia Tech)
  29. Miami Dolphins (from New England via Chicago and New England): Jordan Lucas, DB (Penn State)
  30. Arizona Cardinals: Harlan Miller, CB (Southeastern Louisiana)
  31. Los Angeles Rams (from Carolina and Chicago): Mike Thomas, WR (Southern Mississippi)
  32. San Francisco 49ers (from Denver): Jeff Driskel, QB (Louisiana Tech)
  33. New England Patriots (compensatory): Kamu Grugier-Hill, LB (Eastern Illinois)
  34. Baltimore Ravens (compensatory): Maurice Canady, CB (Virginia)
  35. Detroit Lions (compensatory): Jimmy Landes, LS (Baylor)
  36. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory): Kelvin Taylor, RB (Florida)
  37. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory): Kavon Frazier, S (Central Michigan)
  38. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory): Aaron Burbridge, WR (Michigan State)
  39. New England Patriots (compensatory): Elandon Roberts, LB (Houston)
  40. Seattle Seahawks (compensatory): Joey Hunt, C (TCU)
  41. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory): Darius Jackson, RB (Eastern Michigan)
  42. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory): Rico Gathers, TE (Baylor)
  43. Buffalo Bills (compensatory): Kevon Seymour, DB (USC)
  44. Denver Broncos (compensatory): William Parks, S (Arizona)
  45. Pittsburgh Steelers (compensatory): Travis Feeney, LB (Washington)
  46. New England Patriots (compensatory): Ted Karras, OL (Illinois)

Round Seven:

  1. Tennessee Titans: Aaron Wallace, LB (UCLA)
  2. Miami Dolphins (from Cleveland): Brandon Doughty, QB (Western Kentucky)
  3. San Diego Chargers: Donavon Clark, OL (Michigan State)
  4. New England Patriots (from Dallas via Seattle): Devin Lucien, WR (Arizona State)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jonathan Woodard, DE (Central Arkansas)
  6. Minnesota Vikings (from Baltimore via Miami): Stephen Weatherly, OLB (Vanderbilt)
  7. Denver Broncos (from San Francisco): Riley Dixon, P (Syracuse)
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers (from New York Giants): Demarcus Ayers, WR (Houston)
  9. Chicago Bears: Daniel Braverman, WR (Western Michigan)
  10. Miami Dolphins: Thomas Duarte, TE (UCLA)
  11. Washington (from Tampa Bay): Steven Daniels, LB (Boston College)
  12. Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Mills, S (LSU)
  13. Oakland Raiders: Vadal Alexander, OL (LSU)
  14. New York Jets (from Los Angeles via Houston and Denver): Lachlan Edwards, P (Sam Houston State)
  15. Detroit Lions: Dwayne Washington, RB (Washington)
  16. New Orleans Saints: Daniel Lasco, RB (California)
  17. Atlanta Falcons: Devin Fuller, WR (UCLA)
  18. Indianapolis Colts: Trevor Bates, DE/OLB (Maine)
  19. Philadelphia Eagles (from Buffalo and Minnesota): Alex McCalister, DE (Florida)
  20. New York Jets: Charone Peake, WR (Clemson)
  21. Washington: Keith Marshall, RB (Georgia)
  22. Seattle Seahawks (from Houston via New England): Kenny Lawler, WR (California)
  23. Minnesota Vikings: Jayron Kearse, S (Clemson)
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: Clayton Fejedelem, S (Illinois)
  25. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tyler Matakevich, LB (Temple)
  26. Seattle Seahawks: Zac Brooks, RB (Clemson)
  27. Indianapolis Colts (from Green Bay): Austin Blythe, C (Iowa)
  28. San Francisco 49ers (from Kansas City): Prince Charles Iworah, DB (Western Kentucky)
  29. Cleveland Browns (from New England via Miami): Scooby Wright, LB (Arizona)
  30. Philadelphia Eagles (from Arizona): Joe Walker, LB (Oregon)
  31. Carolina Panthers: Beau Sandland, TE (Montana State)
  32. Tennessee Titans (from Denver): Kalan Reed, DB (Southern Mississippi)

2016 NFL Draft Results (Day 1 + Day 2)

April 30th, 2016 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the complete, pick-by-pick results for Days 1 and 2 of the 2016 NFL draft. We’ve made note of all the trades made during the draft — for in-draft trades, we’ll link to our full story on the swap, whereas a list of the deals completed prior to the draft can be found right here. Day 3’s results can be found right here.

Here are 2016’s NFL draft results for the first two days:

Round One:

  1. Los Angeles Rams (from Tennessee): Jared Goff, QB (California)
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (from Cleveland): Carson Wentz, QB (North Dakota State)
  3. San Diego Chargers: Joey Bosa, DE/OLB (Ohio State)
  4. Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott, RB (Ohio State)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jalen Ramsey, DB (Florida State)
  6. Baltimore Ravens: Ronnie Stanley, T (Notre Dame)
  7. San Francisco 49ers: DeForest Buckner, DL (Oregon)
  8. Tennessee Titans (from Miami via Philadelphia and Cleveland): Jack Conklin, T (Michigan State)
  9. Chicago Bears (from Tampa Bay): Leonard Floyd, OLB (Georgia)
  10. New York Giants: Eli Apple, CB (Ohio State)
  11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Chicago): Vernon Hargreaves III, CB (Florida)
  12. New Orleans Saints: Sheldon Rankins, DL (Lousiville)
  13. Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia): Laremy Tunsil, T (Ole Miss)
  14. Oakland Raiders: Karl Joseph, S (West Virginia)
  15. Cleveland Browns (from Los Angeles via Tennessee): Corey Coleman, WR (Baylor)
  16. Detroit Lions: Taylor Decker, T (Ohio State)
  17. Atlanta Falcons: Keanu Neal, S (Florida)
  18. Indianapolis Colts: Ryan Kelly, C (Alabama)
  19. Buffalo Bills: Shaq Lawson, DE/OLB (Clemson)
  20. New York Jets: Darron Lee, LB (Ohio State)
  21. Houston Texans (from Washington): Will Fuller, WR (Notre Dame)
  22. Washington (from Houston): Josh Doctson, WR (TCU)
  23. Minnesota Vikings: Laquon Treadwell, WR (Ole Miss)
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: William Jackson III, CB (Houston)
  25. Pittsburgh Steelers: Artie Burns, CB (Miami)
  26. Denver Broncos (from Seattle): Paxton Lynch, QB (Memphis)
  27. Green Bay Packers: Kenny Clark, DL (UCLA)
  28. San Francisco 49ers (from Kansas City): Joshua Garnett, G (Stanford)
    New England Patriots — lost due to NFL discipline (Deflategate)
  29. Arizona Cardinals: Robert Nkemdiche, DL (Ole Miss)
  30. Carolina Panthers: Vernon Butler, DT (Louisiana Tech)
  31. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver): Germain Ifedi, T (Texas A&M)

Read more

AFC Rumors: Browns, Bills, Broncos, Pats

April 30th, 2016 at 12:00am CST by Luke Adams

After selecting USC quarterback Cody Kessler with the No. 93 pick in the draft, Browns executive Sashi Brown said he doesn’t think the team needs to make a roster move involving a quarterback right away, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link).

Cleveland’s depth chart at QB is getting crowded, with Kessler joining Robert Griffin, Josh McCown, Austin Davis, Connor Shaw, and Pat Devlin, so the team will have to make some decisions eventually, but Brown said tonight that he likes encouraging competition at the position.

The Browns’ executive VP of football operations also said after round three that the team will consider trade options at the start of day three. Cleveland currently holds the top two picks of the fourth round, and has four overall picks in the round. The team hasn’t been shy about trading down so far, and Brown is sure the team will receive calls about those fourth-rounders, as Ulrich tweets.

  • The Bills are exploring finding a way to land Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook on Saturday, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who suggests (via Twitter) that it would take “some 2017 ammo” for Buffalo to move up. The club currently doesn’t own a 2016 fourth-round pick that can be traded.
  • Broncos general manager John Elway confirmed that his team is in no rush to add a fourth quarterback to a roster that features Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch, and Trevor Siemian, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Elway didn’t rule out adding another signal-caller, but suggested it’s not a priority for the club.
  • If the Cowboys hadn’t taken Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith early in the second round, the Patriots are one team that would have had interest in nabbing him, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. New England had back-to-back picks late in round two, but traded one of them, with Smith no longer available.

Cowboys Rule Out Re-Signing Greg Hardy

April 29th, 2016 at 11:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Having not seriously engaged in talks with defensive end Greg Hardy since his contract expired last month, the Cowboys have long appeared unlikely to re-sign him. Tonight, owner Jerry Jones formally confirmed that Hardy won’t be back, telling reporters – including ESPN’s Todd Archer – that door is officially closed.Greg Hardy

The Cowboys are looking thin at defensive end, and are in need of pass-rushing help, with Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory facing four-game suspensions and Jeremy Mincey no longer under contract. The club also didn’t use any of its first three 2016 draft picks to select an outside pass rusher.

Hardy would certainly qualify as an upgrade for the Cowboys on the field — the former Panther had another solid season as a pass rusher in 2015, recording six sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception in 12 games. He wasn’t quite as dominant as he was during his best years in Carolina, but Hardy ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender, out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus.

However, Hardy’s off-field history and his behavior during his lone season in Dallas didn’t particularly endear him to the Cowboys as the season wore on. When taking into account his questionable in-season decisions, both on and off the field, as well as his alleged domestic violence history, it makes sense that the Cowboys would consider Hardy to be too much of a liability – or at least a distraction – to invest in going forward.

Here are a few more notes from out of Dallas:

  • Jerry Jones said today that he doesn’t think it’s mandatory that the Cowboys select a quarterback on the final day of the draft. The team had interest in trading up for Paxton Lynch on Thursday, but Jones says he’s comfortable with Kellen Moore as Tony Romo‘s backup (Twitter link via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News).
  • A source tells Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link) that the Cowboys feel better about Jaylon Smith‘s medicals than they did about Myles Jack‘s. That’s not a big surprise, since Dallas selected Smith with Jack still on the board. Even if Smith misses the entire 2016 season, as is expected, there’s a perception that his knee condition will improve, while Jack’s could deteriorate.
  • While Smith will likely miss all of 2016, Jerry Jones cautioned not to count out the former Notre Dame linebacker just yet, tweets Archer.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Pack, Lions, Cards

April 29th, 2016 at 11:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys believe they got an elite prospect when they chose injured Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith in the second round (34th overall). In fact, the team graded Smith as a top-five prospect in this year’s draft, according to owner Jerry Jones. Said executive vice president Stephen Jones, “He may not football play this year. What he is ultimately going to be he is definitely worth our second-round pick” (Twitter links via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Prior to tearing his ACL and LCL on Jan. 1, Smith was seen as a surefire first-rounder and a likely top-10 pick.

More from the NFC:

  • The Packers’ third-round selection of Utah State linebacker Kyler Fackrell should bring about the end of the Mike Neal era in Green Bay, Neal tweeted. Neal, who has spent his entire career with the Packers since they used a second-rounder on him in 2010, is still without a contract despite accumulating at least four sacks for the fourth straight season.
  • Having taken two offensive linemen and a defensive lineman during the first two days of the draft, the Lions may look to add depth at the skill positions on Saturday, GM Bob Quinn said Friday (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). However, the best-player-available approach still figures to win out on day three, Quinn cautioned.
  • The Eagles don’t have a fourth-rounder entering the final day of the draft and executive VP Howie Roseman expects it to stay that way (Twitter link via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer). As of now, they’re scheduled to pick five times Saturday – twice in both the fifth and seventh rounds and once in the sixth.
  • Head coach Bruce Arians doesn’t expect the Cardinals to have to sign another veteran cornerback to their roster, but said the team will “wait and see” if a move is required (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Draft Rumors: Jets, Cravens, Pats, Ravens

April 29th, 2016 at 10:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets’ second-round selection of Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg won’t affect their pursuit of free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick, general manager Mike Maccagnan said Friday (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post). Maccagnan added that he wouldn’t rule out carrying four QBs if the team does re-sign Fitzpatrick, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Fitzpatrick, who reportedly hasn’t had meaningful contract discussions with the Jets in weeks, would be at the helm of a signal-calling corps that also includes Hackenberg, Geno Smith and Bryce Petty.

Here’s the latest on the draft with the second day in the books:

  • USC linebacker Su’a Cravens said he was surprised to end up with Washington, which took him 53rd overall. He expected to land with the Patriots, who picked 60th (Twitter link via Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic).
  • The Ravens tried unsuccessfully to get back into the second round after selecting Boise State edge defender Kamalei Correa at No. 42, GM Ozzie Newsome told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
  • Had the Giants not taken Boise State safety Darian Thompson with the 71st pick, the Bears would’ve scooped him up at No. 72, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (on Twitter).
  • The Eagles considered moving back from 79th overall – where they selected Oregon State center Isaac Seumalo – but they became uncomfortable as names were sliding off the board and decided to stay put, reports Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
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