2017 April - Pro Football Rumors

Broncos Tried To Trade Up For Christian McCaffrey

April 27th, 2017 at 9:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos tried to make a legacy pick tonight. They explored moving up from No. 20 to land running back Christian McCaffrey, but they were ultimately unsuccessful, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Broncos also inquired about Joe Thomas‘ availability, but they wound up staying at No. 20 and drafting Garett Bolles instead.

Thomas was a trade candidate as the deadline last year and many believed that he would be on the block this offseason. In December, coach Hue Jackson denied that Thomas would be shopped.

“That is not happening, OK? — or I am going with him,” Jackson said. “OK? I guarantee you that. I am going with him.”

Thomas is due to make a non-guaranteed $10MM salary in both ’17 and ’18, so teams like the Broncos were not necessarily warded off by his contract. Last year, he graded out as the league’s No. 8 offensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. The Broncos would have loved to add him, but they could not pry him away.

49ers, Two Other Teams Calling For Lions’ No. 21 Pick

April 27th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are set to pick at No. 21, but they might not actually make the selection. Three teams want that pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears, including the 49ers.

The Broncos are about to make their pick at No. 20 and plenty of big names remain on the board. Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, FSU running back Dalvin Cook, UCLA linebacker Takkarist McKinley, and many more remain available. Soon, we could see the Niners or another team move into the No. 21 pick to get one of those big names.

Earlier tonight, the 49ers moved back from No. 2 to the No. 3 pick and grabbed Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. In the deal, they added picks No. 67 and No. 111 this year plus a 2018 a third-round pick in 2018.

Four Teams Call Redskins About Kirk Cousins

April 27th, 2017 at 9:24pm CST by Zachary Links

“At least four teams” have called the Redskins about quarterback Kirk Cousins, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. It’s not immediately clear whether the Redskins are listening with an open mind. Earlier tonight, we learned that the Browns called to inquire on Cousins, but we don’t know who the other three teams are.

Cousins has been in trade rumors this offseason as the Redskins still have yet to make a long-term commitment to him. For the time being, Cousins is slated to play out the 2017 season on an expensive repeat franchise tag. The Redskins might not be ready to pay him like a top 12 quarterback, but another team likely would be.

I would imagine that any package for Cousins would include a high 2017 draft pick that would allow the Redskins to add a promising young quarterback. With Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, and Patrick Mahomes already off of the board, it’s not clear which available QB, if any, would allow the Redskins to part with Cousins.

Redskins Draft Alabama DL Jonathan Allen

April 27th, 2017 at 9:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins have selected defensive lineman Jonathan Allen with the No. 17 overall pick. The Alabama product was regarded by many prognosticators as a top five talent in this year’s class.

Allen’s slide may have been tied to his medical situation. He is said to have two arthritic shoulders, though he says that he is currently symptom free.

“It’s not really a problem now,” Allen said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “But it might be a problem 15, 20 years down the road.”

Today we learned that the Redskins were high on Allen and were pondering a trade up to get him. Surprisingly, they were able to stand pat and land him.

As a senior, Allen had 69 tackles, including 16 tackles for a loss. He also had 10.5 sacks, nearly matching his 12 sack total from 2015.

Texans Acquire No. 12, Take Deshaun Watson

April 27th, 2017 at 8:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have acquired the No. 12 overall pick from the Browns. The Browns will receive the Texans’ No. 25 overall pick plus their 2018 first round pick. With the pick, the Texans have selected Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.

The Texans, of course, have been on the lookout for a quarterback and Watson could be the player to supplant Tom Savage as the starter in 2017. Watson has been criticized for having less accuracy than other QB prospects in this year’s class, but he has two years of solid football under his belt and he is the most athletic of the bunch.

The Browns now own both the Texans’ first and second round picks in next year’s draft. The Browns previously acquired Houston’s second round pick in the Brock Osweiler trade.

Chiefs Acquire No. 10 Pick From Bills

April 27th, 2017 at 8:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have acquired the No. 10 pick in the draft from the Bills. With the pick, the Chiefs have selected quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs gave up their first (No. 27) and a third round pick (No. 91) plus their first round pick in 2018 to move up to No. 10, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Mahomes completed 65.7-percent of his passes last season for 5,052 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Over the past three seasons, he’s also added another 22 rushing touchdowns.

Opinions on Mahomes and the rest of the quarterbacks this year have varied, but he was universally considered to be one of the five best QBs in the 2017 crop.

Panthers Take RB Christian McCaffrey

April 27th, 2017 at 8:06pm CST by Zachary Links

It wasn’t a smokescreen. The Panthers have selected Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey with the No. 8 overall pick.

Recently, one NFL GM told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that McCaffrey “had the best combine workout I’ve seen. Ever.” McCaffrey has been linked to the top-10 range for some time, and a number of clubs within that space made sense as a landing spot. The Eagles, sitting at No. 14, were reportedly “infatuated” with McCaffrey, but they’re one of many teams that will have to look elsewhere in the first round.

McCaffrey now figures to be the Panthers’ lead running back, ahead of Jonathan Stewart, Fozzy Whittaker, and Cameron Artis-Payne.

This is the first time in a quarter-century that Stanford has had two players go in the top ten of the draft.

Jets Select Jamal Adams No. 6 Overall

April 27th, 2017 at 7:53pm CST by Zachary Links

With the No. 6 pick, the Jets have selected LSU safety Jamal Adams.

Adams was a three-year starter at LSU and he saved his best for the final act. As a junior, Adams had career highs in tackles (76) and tackles for a loss (7.5) as scouts gushed over his hard-charging style. The popular knock on Adams has been that he is a box safety and undeserving of being taken so early in the draft, but scouting experts like Matt Miller of Bleacher Report believe that he can also work well in coverage.

By taking Adams, the Jets are likely replacing Calvin Pryor. Pryor, a pick of the previous regime, has not panned out and the team has already declined his fifth-year option for 2018. Pryor is a one-dimensional hard hitter, but Adams is a much more well-rounded safety.

Browns Attempting To Trade For Kirk Cousins?

April 27th, 2017 at 7:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns are trying to trade for Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). At this time, Rapoport says the Browns aren’t particularly interested in dealing Cousins, but anything is possible.

Meanwhile, Redskins sources are telling Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that Cousins will not be traded to the Browns. Also, top Cleveland exec Sashi Brown told reporters that the Browns have not called on Cousins (via Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer).

For his part, Cousins has said that he wants to remain with the Redskins.

“I want to be where I’m wanted, and that’s what I’ve said all along,” Cousins said recently. “When a team is willing to step up and commit to me fully for the long haul, then why would I want to be anywhere else? I mean, this is an incredible fan base. It’s one of the top five fan bases in the history of the NFL. It goes all the way back to the early 1930s. There’s three Super Bowl trophies, there’s multiple Hall of Famers, there’s high character players still living in the area — Darrell Green, Art Monk, guys that we can learn from. I love this organization and want to see us get back to those glory days that they had with Coach (Joe) Gibbs in the ’80s and early ’90s. And I want to add to that great history. There’s really no reason to want to look elsewhere. It’s a matter of wanting to be where you’re wanted, and I think that’s what all of us want — not just in football but in any walk of life.”

Cousins started in all of the Redskins’ games over the past two seasons and helped the team to a 17-14-1 record, including an NFC East title in 2015. Along the way, Cousins combined for over 9,000 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

Jaguars Select Leonard Fournette

April 27th, 2017 at 7:35pm CST by Zachary Links

With the No. 4 overall pick, the Jaguars have selected running back Leonard Fournette. Fournette gives the Jaguars a big-time running back that might be able to keep defenses honest against quarterback Blake Bortles.

The Jaguars have been heavily connected to Fournette in recent weeks, but no one knew their plans for certain until tonight. There was some talk on Thursday that Jacksonville could consider Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson with the pick. Ultimately, it seems like their plan will be to give Bortles at least another season to turn things around, but we won’t really know for sure until the draft is through.

Fournette is widely regarded as the best running back in this year’s class and he impressed evaluators at the combine with his faster than expected 40-yard-dash time. If he stays healthy, the Jaguars could have a superstar on their hands.