Teams move up for quarterbacks. Three clubs made traded up the draft board to acquire long-term options under center on Thursday night, as the Bears moved up to No. 2 for North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, the Chiefs went to No. 10 for Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech), and the Texans came up to No. 12 for Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. Each of the three clubs sacrificed a good deal, as both Kansas City and Houston gave up 2018 first-round selections, while Chicago may have been bidding against itself to move up one spot. None of Trubisky, Mahomes, or Watson is entering training camp as a starter, but that could certainly change as the season progresses.
Browns land a quarterback, as well. Cleveland sat tight at No. 1 overall and selected Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett, and the club eventually made two other picks in the first round: Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers and Miami tight end David Njoku. After reportedly discussing trades for veteran quarterbacks during Round 1, the Browns ultimately drafted Notre Dame signal-caller DeShone Kizer during the second round, and could allow him to start during his rookie campaign. In Round 6, Cleveland picked up Florida’s Caleb Brantley, who is facing assault charges (but may not keep him on the roster).
Gareon Conley comes off the board in Round 1. Despite being accused of sexual assault in the week leading up to the draft, Conley was still drafted in the first round, as the Raiders selected him 24th overall. Conley has strongly refuted the allegations, and spoke with representatives of all 32 NFL clubs before the draft got underway. Initial reports suggested the Ohio State product could fall to the third round, but Oakland will have acquired a value pick if the accusations Conley prove unfounded.
Bills fire GM Doug Whaley. Just one day after the conclusion of the draft, the Bills fired Whaley, who had been running the club’s front office since 2013. The move was somewhat expected, as reports had indicated major changes could be coming to the Bills’ personnel staff. New head coach Sean McDermott has reportedly taken the lead in much of Buffalo’s machinations recently.
Veteran backs find new homes. A trio of running backs found landing spots this week, as the Saints signed Adrian Peterson to a two-year deal, the Raiders formally acquired Marshawn Lynch (and signed him to a new contract), and the Patriots landed Mike Gillislee after the Bills declined to match New England’s offer sheet. New Orleans, notably, selected another running back in the draft (Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara) despite now employing both Peterson and Mark Ingram.