2017 April - Pro Football Rumors

Schefter On Saints, Rams, Trumaine Johnson

April 27th, 2017 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com has published his final notebook before the draft. Here’s a quick look at the highlights:

A few weeks ago, the Saints were willing to trade what was thought to be a second-round pick to the Rams for franchise tendered cornerback Trumaine Johnson. However, Johnson was unwilling to sign a long-term deal with New Orleans because of his desire to remain in L.A. The Rams have pivoted away from Johnson trade talk, but Schefter wonders aloud if a team could gamble by trading for him without a long-term pact in place. Personally, I can’t imagine a scenario in which a team is willing to give up significant draft capital to the Rams without a multi-year contract for Johnson. It’s also hard to see the Rams settling for, say, a mid-round pick. It’s hard to see Johnson playing anywhere other than L.A. in 2017.
Before he underwent wrist surgery Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly visited the Chiefs and also had visits planned with the Seahawks and Bills, Schefter hears. Those teams still represent intriguing fits for Kelly, Schefter argues.
One NFL executive predicts that four quarterbacks would be drafted in the first round and “7-8 teams will take (quarterbacks) in first two rounds.” If it were a deeper class, the exec says, he’d be predicting ten QBs inside of the first 64 picks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/27/17

April 27th, 2017 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

The Cowboys announced that they have waived wide receiver Shaquelle Evans. The move was expected after he was suspended for a substance abuse policy violation earlier this month.
The Jets released defensive end Kenny Anunike. Anunike signed a futures deal with New York in January, but he didn’t get to stay for very long.
The Redskins signed offensive lineman Quinton Schooley. Schooley was released by Pittsburgh with an injury settlement last August.

Latest On Browns’ Draft Plans

April 27th, 2017 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

Will Myles Garrett or Mitch Trubisky be the first player off the board? Right now, Garrett remains the “likely” No. 1 overall pick for the Browns, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Meanwhile, the Browns continue to try and work their way up to the top eight, presumably to draft Trubisky, Cabot hears.

On Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com became the latest insider to report that Trubisky is a very real possibility for the No. 1 overall pick. At this point, it’s hard to get a grip on exactly what is going on. Last year, the Rams were reportedly encouraged by the league office to shroud their selection of Jared Goff in secrecy, and we could be seeing something similar play out with the Browns. Alternatively, this could be some gamesmanship on the part of the Browns to throw everyone’s draft board into flux.

What we do know is that the Browns are exploring all possibilities for the draft as a whole. The Browns have contacted roughly 27 teams with interest in moving up or down, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With the No. 1, No. 12, No. 33 and No. 52 overall picks (plus many more), the Browns are strategizing for all possibilities.

Latest On OSU CB Gareon Conley

April 27th, 2017 at 8:39am CST by Zachary Links

This week, teams have taken a deep dive into the allegations against Gareon Conley. The attorney for the Ohio State cornerback says he has spoken to representatives from all 32 teams since the sexual assault accusation surfaced (via Tom Pelissero of USA Today). A different person close to Conley says the player has spoken with GMs, security people, and other reps from at least 24 NFL teams.

Now that teams have done their homework, the general belief is that he will get drafted this week. Three GMs who spoke with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) predicted that he will go in the third round, which aligns with a report from Wednesday night. That’s a hard fall from his original top 15 status, but it’s a better prognosis than he had just 48 hours ago.

If a team lands Conley in the third round and his name is cleared, he could prove to be the best value pick in the entire draft. If the unsettling allegations against him have merit, however, he may never see the field.

Jaguars Considering Deshaun Watson At No. 4?

April 27th, 2017 at 8:11am CST by Zachary Links

There is growing chatter about the Jaguars selecting Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson at No. 4, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Watson has not really been linked to the Jaguars during the draft process, so this news some as a bit of a shock.

The Jaguars, of course, already have a former top five pick at quarterback in Blake Bortles. However, Bortles struggled mightily in 2016 and it’s not even clear whether Jacksonville will exercise his fifth-year option for 2018. The option, guaranteed for injury only, would give the QB an $18MM salary in that additional season.

So far, the athletic Watson has been widely projected as a late first round type. He might have the most upside of any quarterback in this year’s class, but concerns about his accuracy have him pegged below UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky on most draft boards. If the Jaguars follow through and take Watson at No. 4, the Texans at No. 25 are one team that could be severely disappointed, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In Tuesday’s dueling live mock draft on PFR, I had Houston selecting Watson with their No. 25 overall pick.

2017 NFL Draft Primer

April 27th, 2017 at 8:00am CST by Zachary Links

After weeks of anticipation – or months, if your favorite team was eliminated early from playoff contention – the 2017 NFL draft finally gets underway tonight in Philadelphia. Pro Football Rumors will have you covered for the entire three-day event, passing along all 253 picks, along with all the trades, news, and rumors that come along with the draft.

While ESPN and NFL Network reporters typically don’t scoop teams’ draft picks before they’re announced on the TV broadcast, writers from other outlets have been known to report picks a few minutes before they’re officially announced. If and when that happens this year, we won’t be “spoiling” picks ahead of time on our social media accounts, so if you want to be kept in suspense until commissioner Roger Goodell makes his announcements, you’re safe to follow us on Twitter or Facebook without having to worry that those surprises will be ruined.

However, if a trusted reporter does get word of a pick before it happens, we’ll be passing it along on our site. So if teams’ picks are being reported ahead of time, and you want to know them immediately rather than waiting for an announcement from Goodell, be sure to refresh ProFootballRumors.com early and often tonight. Our post recapping the first-round results will be updated with teams’ picks as soon as they’re reported, even if that happens before they’re formally announced on ESPN.

With that in mind, here’s some info to get you prepared for the 2017 draft:

The schedule for this year’s draft is as follows:
- Day 1 (Thursday): Round 1, 8pm ET/7pm CT
- Day 2 (Friday): Rounds 2-3, 7pm ET/6pm CT
- Day 3 (Saturday) Rounds 4-7, 12pm ET/11am CT
Want to find this year’s full draft order? We’ve got every single selection selection listed here.
Here’s a rundown of draft capital, by team. The Bengals and Browns lead the way with eleven picks each.
We also took a closer look at how exactly this year’s traded picks changed hands, and how 2017’s compensatory picks were assigned.
All of our posts discussing news and rumors related to the 2017 draft can be found on this page, though given how much the draft has dominated the NFL news cycle lately, it doesn’t look much different from our main page at this point.
On our Instagram, we’ve been doing speculative jersey swaps for many of the top prospects in this year’s draft. Click here to follow us on Instagram and see what we’ve got coming up next.

Latest On Browns’ First-Round Picks

April 26th, 2017 at 10:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Cleveland has reportedly had discussions with multiple teams about trading up from the 12th overall pick in the draft, but the club also seems to have interest in moving down. The Browns called teams below them on Wednesday to ask if any would be interested in acquiring the 12th selection, reports Michael Lombardi of The Ringer (Twitter links).

The 12th choice is the Browns’ second, of course, after the No. 1 overall pick. They’re “locked in” at the top spot, notes Lombardi, though it’s still not clear whether they’ll take Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett or North Carolina quarterback/Ohio native Mitch Trubisky. This is only speculation, but the fact that the Browns would consider moving down from No. 12 could be a sign that they’re leaning toward Trubisky, who seems unlikely to be available when they’re on the clock for the second time in Round 1. Notably, the organization’s Trubisky fans – perhaps including owner Jimmy Haslam – fear he won’t fall to 12.

Ultimately, the Browns probably will make Garrett the No. 1 overall selection, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter isn’t as confident. Trubisky is “square in consideration,” per Schefter, and “very smart, very well-connected people” have told him that the Tar Heel will be the first pick on Thursday (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

Photo via Pro Football Rumors’ Instagram account.

Schrager’s Latest: RBs, Trubisky, Howard

April 26th, 2017 at 10:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Two running backs, LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, are likely to be among the top eight players selected in this year’s NFL draft, reports Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The expectation is that Fournette will come off the board first, per Schrager. Speculatively, the 49ers (No. 2), Jaguars (No. 4), Jets (No. 6) and Panthers (No. 8) could be logical fits for either Fournette or McCaffrey. Of those four clubs, only San Francisco’s starting running back (Carlos Hyde) had a strong year in 2016, but the team’s new management reportedly wants to make a change in the backfield.

More from Schrager on the eve of the draft (all links via Twitter):

If the Browns don’t take North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky first overall, they could use their second first-rounder (No. 12) in a package to move up for him. Should that happen, Schrager lists the Jaguars and Titans (No. 5) as potential trade partners for Cleveland. Jacksonville is reportedly considering taking a QB at No. 4 to replace Blake Bortles, but that could be a smokescreen. Meanwhile, the Titans are set under center with Marcus Mariota, and they are indeed motivated to move down and collect more picks.
Alabama tight end O.J. Howard is poised to be the first pass catcher off the board, beating out wide receivers John Ross, Corey Davis and Mike Williams, according to Schrager. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Wednesday (on Twitter) that Howard received an A-plus medical report, adding that he’s “a very clean, complete prospect.”
A pair of linebackers, Temple’s Haason Reddick and Florida’s Jarrad Davis, are entering the draft with soaring stock, relays Schrager. Reddick probably won’t last beyond the first 11 picks, while Davis should go anywhere from 15th to 25th. “Tremendous interviews” helped make Davis a first-round lock.

Ravens Have Strong Interest In Corey Davis

April 26th, 2017 at 9:05pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With the 16th pick in this year’s NFL draft, the Ravens could attempt to bolster an underwhelming receiving corps. The club has “considerable interest” in Western Michigan wideout Corey Davis, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Even though Davis underwent ankle surgery in February and missed the scouting combine, it’s possible he’ll be off the board long before the Ravens are on the clock. Davis is nearly all the way back from the surgery, which bodes well for his draft stock. So does the 6-foot-3, 213-pounder’s production at the college level, where he hauled in 331 passes and 52 touchdowns over four years. Davis was at his best in 2016, finishing with personal highs in receptions (97), yards (1,500) and scores (19).

Landing Davis could be a pipe dream for Baltimore, but somehow adding him would be a boon to a Ravens team in need of more weapons in the passing game. Steve Smith retired after last season, leaving Mike Wallace as the only receiver on the Ravens’ roster with a significant track record of success in the pros. The 30-year-old Wallace is unsigned beyond next season, though, so his time with the club might be winding down.

Behind Wallace, the Ravens’ best option is Breshad Perriman, a first-rounder in 2015 who sat out his rookie season because of injury. Perriman stayed healthy last year and showed promise (33 receptions, 15.1 yards per catch and three TDs), but he wasn’t exactly a force. Meanwhile, the only other wideout on the Ravens’ roster who caught a pass last year, Chris Moore, totaled just seven receptions.

Saints Notes: Butler, AP, Ingram, Snead

April 26th, 2017 at 8:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

New Orleans hasn’t “really had any discussions for quite some time” about acquiring Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, according to Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, while head coach Sean Payton notes that the 27-year-old is “with New England, and I don’t think anything has changed. I don’t see anything being imminent as well (links via Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com).” Their statements came on the heels of a report suggesting the Pats are unlikely to trade Butler, whom the Saints have chased throughout the offseason. New Orleans courted Butler as a restricted free agent and even agreed to a multiyear contract with him, but the club doesn’t want to meet the Patriots’ asking price for the onetime Pro Bowler.