2017 April - Pro Football Rumors

Buccaneers Acquire 107th Pick From Jets

April 28th, 2017 at 10:39pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Buccaneers have acquired the final selection of the draft’s second day, No. 107 overall, from the Jets. Tampa Bay gave up the 125th and 204th picks to land the 107th choice, and has taken LSU linebacker Kendell Beckwith.

The 252-pound Beckwith broke out in earnest in 2014, when he accumulated 77 tackles – 7.5 for loss – and two sacks. He then combined for 175 tackles, 16 of which were for loss, and 4.5 sacks over his final two seasons at LSU. Unfortunately, Beckwith tore his ACL late last season, which could further limit a player who already had speed issues before the injury, notes Pro Football Focus.

Assuming he’s healthy, Beckwith should serve as much-needed middle linebacker depth for the Buccaneers as a rookie. The club entered the draft in need of bodies behind starter Kwon Alexander.

49ers Acquire 104th Pick From Vikings

April 28th, 2017 at 10:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The 49ers have acquired the 104th pick from the Vikings in exchange for the 109th and 219th selections, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link).

San Francisco is using the pick on a quarterback, Iowa’s C.J. Beathard, who became the Hawkeyes’ full-time starter in 2015. Beathard totaled 17 touchdown passes in each of his two seasons at the helm and combined for 15 interceptions, 10 of which came last year. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder has a “very good” arm, observes Pro Football Focus, though the outlet only expects him to develop into a third-stringer at the NFL level. That figures to be his immediate role in San Francisco, which features Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley as its top two QBs.

Giants Select Cal QB Davis Webb

April 28th, 2017 at 9:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants, in need of an heir apparent to Eli Manning, have selected Cal quarterback Davis Webb with the 87th overall pick.

Webb’s name had been tossed out as a potential first-round choice, but in the end he fell to Round 3. Webb, 22, transferred to Cal from Texas Tech after losing out on the Red Raiders’ starting job to Patrick Mahomes. In his only season with the Bears, Webb completed 61.6% of his passes for 4,295 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

At 36, Manning is getting up there in age, leading the Giants to prioritize choosing a young signal-caller in this year’s draft. Of course, if Manning remains healthy and effective during the final three years of his contract, it could be awhile before Webb sees the field in the pros. The Giants previously used a fourth-rounder on ex-Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib in 2013, but he threw just 10 passes with them in four years and is now a free agent. Webb will hope to avoid a similar fate and develop into the Giants’ next long-term answer under center.

Chiefs Acquire Vikings’ No. 86 Pick

April 28th, 2017 at 9:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chiefs have traded for the Vikings No. 86 pick, which they will use to select Toledo running back Kareem Hunt. Minnesota will pick up No. 104, No. 132 and No. 245.

Hunt will give the Chiefs another option at running back, where veteran Jamaal Charles has been released. Hunt will team with Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West.

Patriots Acquire 85th Selection From Lions

April 28th, 2017 at 9:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Patriots have acquired the 85th pick in the draft from the Lions, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. New England has given up the 96th and 124th picks, per Field Yates of ESPN (on Twitter), and will select Troy offensive lineman Antonio Garcia.

The 23-year-old Garcia was a stalwart at left tackle with Troy, but if he remains a bookend in the pros, he could have trouble getting on the field for the time being. The Patriots are all set at both tackle spots with Nate Solder protecting Tom Brady‘s blindside and Marcus Cannon manning the right. Solder is entering a contract year, though, so Garcia could be in position to step into the starting lineup in 2018.

Moving up for Garcia gave the Pats two of the three picks from 83 to 85. With the 83rd selection, they chose Youngstown State defensive end Derek Rivers.

Panthers Acquire 77th Pick From Cardinals

April 28th, 2017 at 9:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Panthers have acquired the 77th pick from the Cardinals in exchange for Nos. 98 and 115, tweets Arizona’s vice president of media relations, Mark Dalton.

Carolina has selected Texas A&M defensive lineman Daeshon Hall, who saw significant playing time in each of his four seasons with the Aggies. The 260-pounder was particularly effective over the previous two years, combining for 27.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 25 games.

Hall, who played second fiddle to No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett in college, will inject some youth into a Panthers defensive line that features accomplished pass rushers in Julius Peppers, Mario Addison and Charles Johnson. All three are over the age of 30.

Titans Acquire Patriots’ No. 72 Pick

April 28th, 2017 at 8:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Titans have traded up to acquire the Patriots’ No. 72 pick, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. New England will pick up Nos. 83 and 124, and will also give No. 200 to the Titans.

With its new pick, Tennessee will select Western Kentucky wide receiver Taywan Taylor. The Titans have now added two pass-catchers in 2017, as they used the fifth overall pick on WR Corey Davis.

Vikings Acquire 70th Pick From Jets

April 28th, 2017 at 8:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Vikings have acquired the 70th overall pick from the Jets, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). Minnesota surrendered the 79th and 160th selections to move up, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. With the 70th choice, the Vikings selected Ohio State center Pat Elflein.

Formerly a guard, the 300-pound Elflein started all of the Buckeyes’ games over the previous three seasons and last year earned the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation’s top center. On paper, the Vikings are already in good shape at center with Joe Berger, but he’s entering his age-35 campaign. If Berger, not Elflein, serves as the Vikings’ pivot next season, the latter could end up at right guard, where Jeremiah Sirles is the penciled-in starter. Sirles worked as a tackle in 2016 and turned in uninspiring results.

Saints Acquire 67th Pick From 49ers

April 28th, 2017 at 8:39pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints have acquired the 67th overall pick from the 49ers, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. New Orleans will give up a second-round pick in 2018 and a seventh-rounder this year, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

The Saints had been working to move back into the second round in order to draft a pass rusher. But the second ended without a trade for the club, which will instead settle for an early third-rounder. Surprisingly, the Saints will select Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara with the newly acquired pick.

The 5-foot-10, 215-pound Kamara was a dual threat as a member of the Volunteers, with whom he averaged 6.2 yards per rush, caught 74 passes and combined for 23 touchdowns over two seasons. It’s unclear how many touches he’ll receive during the early part of his pro career, though, as the Saints already have Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson as their top two backfield options. Of course, a timeshare won’t be anything new for Kamara, who coexisted with Jalen Hurd at Tennessee.

Bills Acquire Falcons’ No. 63 Pick

April 28th, 2017 at 8:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills have traded up for the Falcons’ No. 63 pick, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WKBW. Buffalo will select Temple offensive lineman Dion Dawkins.

In order to move, the Bills gave up pick Nos. 75, 149, and 156, the Falcons announced. Dawkins, meanwhile, figures to act as insurance all along Buffalo’s offensive line, but will likely slot in at guard for the most part. He can also play right tackle to replace Cyrus Kouandjio if need be.