2017 April - Pro Football Rumors

Teams Interested In Packers’ No. 33 Pick

April 28th, 2017 at 4:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Teams are already interested in the Packers’ No. 33 overall pick, the first selection of the second round, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Those clubs include the Chargers (No. 38), Jets (No. 39) and Buccaneers (No. 50), reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Both the Chargers and Jets are attempting to move up for Cal quarterback Davis Webb, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Meanwhile, if the Packers keep the pick, they’ll select either Florida State running back Dalvin Cook or Washington cornerback Kevin King, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.

Here’s a look at some of the other notable names that remain on the board as we head into Day 2:

Forrest Lamp, G (Western Kentucky)
DeShone Kizer, QB (Notre Dame)
Zach Cunningham, LB (Vanderbilt)
Sidney Jones, CB, (Washington)
Joe Mixon, RB, (Oklahoma)
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR (USC)
Teez Tabor, CB (Florida)
Malik McDowell, DL (Michigan State)
Tim Williams, OLB (Alabama)
Alvin Kamara, RB (Tennessee)
Zay Jones, WR (East Carolina)

Extra Points: Hawks, Mahomes, Cowboys, Foster, Texans, Savage, Conley

April 28th, 2017 at 4:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Even though the Seahawks have one of the top starting quarterbacks in the NFL in Russell Wilson, they would have strongly considered drafting Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes if he were still on the board for their first-round pick, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Mahomes, who went 10th to Kansas City, was long gone by the time Seattle was on the clock at No. 26. The Seahawks ultimately traded out of the opening round.

More from Seattle and a few other NFL cities as Day 2 of the draft approaches:

Speaking of the Seahawks, the Cowboys had an opportunity to swap picks with them in the first round, per Dallas executive Stephen Jones (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News). The Cowboys instead chose to stay at No. 28 because they liked the players remaining on the board, and ended up choosing Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton.
When the 49ers called Reuben Foster to inform him they were selecting him 31st overall, he was on the phone with the Saints at the time. New Orleans, which picked 32nd, was already welcoming Foster to the organization. But once Foster got word that he was going to San Francisco, he hung up on the Saints (Twitter links via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee).
The Texans sent a significant haul to Cleveland to move from No. 25 to No. 12 and select Clemson QB Deshaun Watson, but it appears he’ll begin his pro career as a backup. Head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, that Tom Savage will be the Texans’ starting signal-caller next season (Twitter link).
The Raiders were not the team to request a polygraph test from Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley. Instead, it was the Ravens who ordered the test, as Peter King of The MMQB writes. Once the results came in, Conley’s camp forwarded them to teams around the league, but the Raiders would not say whether the results impacted their evaluation of what happened. Conley will meet with Cleveland police on Monday and he’s “very confident that it will be resolved” (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Journal Review). First, however, the 24th overall pick is headed to the Raiders’ facility on Friday to meet with team brass.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jets Shopping Calvin Pryor

April 28th, 2017 at 3:50pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s not just Sheldon Richardson who is on the block. The Jets are also shopping safety Calvin Pryor, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter).

Nicknamed the “Louisville Slugger,” the hard-hitting Pryor has not panned out for the Jets. Gang Green will almost certainly decline to exercise his fifth-year option for 2018 and the pick of Jamal Adams at No. 6 last night pretty much sealed his fate in New York. In a different era, Pryor could have been a top strong safety for the Jets. However, the game dictates that safeties have to be more than enforcers in the middle of the field and Pryor’s substandard coverage just doesn’t cut it.

Last year, Pryor earned a weak 68.7 score from Pro Football Focus, a step down from his two previous ~77.0 showings. He ranked 74th out of 90 qualified safeties in 2016.

Jets Shopping Sheldon Richardson

April 28th, 2017 at 3:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have been making calls regarding a potential trade of defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This was the Jets’ plan coming into the draft, Rapoport writes, but they won’t just give him away.

Of course, we’ve been down this road before. The Jets shopped Richardson at different points over the last year, but they have so far been unable to find a deal to their liking. Unfortunately for Gang Green, Richardson’s trade value is not at a high point due to his inconsistent work ethic and off-the-field indiscretions. He’s also in a contract year, so any team acquiring him will have to pony up significant cash to keep him if he plays well.

The Jets, meanwhile, don’t have a ton of leverage. Teams know that they have already committed major dollars to Muhammad Wilkerson and they have a rising star in Leonard Williams at the other bookend, so keeping Richardson long-term isn’t really viable. The Jets say that they won’t just give Richardson away, but it’s hard to see them doing better than a third round pick at this juncture.

Bengals, Browns Discuss A.J. McCarron Trade

April 28th, 2017 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have discussed a trade for quarterback A.J. McCarron with the Bengals, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, the two sides haven’t gotten very far as Cincinnati is asking for a lot in a potential deal.

Earlier this week, the Bengals were said to be asking for a first round pick for McCarron. With the first round in the books, it remains to be seen whether the Bengals are willing to come down from that absurd ask. No matter what, it sounds like the Bengals will hold out for an impressive offer because they value having McCarron as Andy Dalton‘s backup.

McCarron may not be worth a first round pick, but the Bengals know that he might be the only thing keeping their playoff hopes alive in the event of a Dalton injury. If the Bengals are to part with him, they’ll need both a quality haul and a good amount of confidence in one of the available Day 2 quarterbacks.

Latest On Bears’ Selection Of Mitch Trubisky

April 28th, 2017 at 1:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bears head coach John Fox was unaware of his club’s intention to draft North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky until a “couple hours” before the draft, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The effects of that news aren’t immediately clear, but it should indicate general manager Ryan Pace has complete control over personnel machinations in Chicago. Speculatively, the Bears could have been concerned about leaks, especially with other clubs — including the Browns — reportedly interested in trading up for Trubisky. In 2014, for example, Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell famously kept his plan to select quarterback Blake Bortles to himself for fear of the news affecting other teams’ strategy.

In the end, the Bears traded a haul of draft picks for the 49ers for the right to move up one spot. While one earlier report indicated Chicago was bidding against itself to acquire the No. 2 pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets San Francisco did have an additional “real and legitimate offer” for the second selection. Cleveland, Kansas City, Houston, and Arizona all reportedly had interest in moving up.

Browns Inquired On Jimmy Garoppolo During Round 1

April 28th, 2017 at 1:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns once again asked about the availability of Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo during the draft on Thursday night, but New England rebuffed Cleveland’s advances, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Cleveland, of course, has been interested in acquiring Garoppolo for some time, but the Patriots aren’t inclined to give up the 25-year-old backup. Just last week, Schefter reiterated that a draft-day trade involving Garoppolo was “not happening”, indicating that New England fully intends to hang onto Garoppolo for the 2017 campaign.

At least one report last night also indicated the Browns were attempting to deal for Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, and Cleveland is still in the market for a signal-caller after failing to land one last night. At present, Cody Kessler is the incumbent Browns’ starter, while the club also employs Brock Osweiler and Kevin Hogan.

If the Browns do want to make a trade at some point, they’ll certainly have the assets to do so. They own seven more picks in 2017, and picked up an extra 2018 first-rounder in a trade with the Texans on Thursday.

Browns Cut TE Gary Barnidge

April 28th, 2017 at 1:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have released tight end Gary Barnidge, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It appears that he has been squeezed out by the selection of Miami’s David Njoku. Barnidge has confirmed the news via social media.

“I want to thank the Cleveland Browns for giving me my opportunity and looking forward to seeing the change. Time for the next step,” Barnidge said (Twitter link).

Barnidge signed a three-year, $12.3MM extension with the Browns during the 2015 season. The deal, which featured $5.73MM in guaranteed money, had two years still to go. This year, Barnidge was set to carry a $3.812MM cap number. Instead, the Browns will carry $1.625MM in dead money and save $2.2MM against the cap.

Barnidge has appeared in 61 of 64 possible games for the Browns over the last four seasons. In 2016, he caught 55 passes for 612 yards and two touchdowns. His best season came in 2015, his lone Pro Bowl season, when he had 79 receptions and 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns.

Did Bears Bid Against Themselves For Trubisky?

April 28th, 2017 at 12:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears gave up a fortune to move up one spot and select Mitch Trubisky. It’s not immediately clear whether that was necessary, however.

The Browns, Chiefs, Texans, and Cardinals all had interest in moving up and the Browns and Chiefs in particular coveted Mitch Trubisky, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune hears (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links) hears the Niners shopped the pick hard for a week and found no takers. While some teams, like the Bills, had legitimate interest in Trubisky, none were interested in paying the steep price to move all the way to the second pick.

Could the Bears have stayed at No. 3 and selected Trubisky? We may never know for sure, but it sounds like there could be truth in both reports from Jahns and Robinson. The Browns, Chiefs, and other teams may have been after Trubisky, but they were probably unwilling to leapfrog the Bears to get a deal done. 49ers GM John Lynch says that Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster were two of the top three players on his board and it’s safe to assume that Myles Garrett was the third musketeer, not Trubisky.

The Bears, it seems, got pump faked into paying a king’s ransom when they could have stood pat and gotten their man. At the same time, if Trubisky turns out to be a star who greatly outperforms Thomas, Marshon Lattimore, and other top talents linked to Chicago, none of this will really matter.

Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.

Redskins Not Looking To Draft QB In Day 2

April 28th, 2017 at 12:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins, it seems, have rebuffed advances for their starting quarterback. With that in mind, they are not looking to draft a quarterback on Day 2, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link).

Instead, the Redskins will only look into a quarterback on Day 3, which would indicate that they are more interested in taking a developmental type of player. It’s an interesting play for the Redskins when considering that they have yet to make a long-term commitment to Kirk Cousins. Despite proving himself across multiple seasons, Washington has so far been unwilling to pay him like a top quarterback. If Cousins turns in another strong season, the Redskins will either have to give him the monster multi-year deal he is seeking or give him a third franchise tag which would upwards of $34MM.

The Redskins have plenty of non-QB needs to address in the pivotal second and third rounds, but they’re also doing themselves a disservice if they do not consider some of the top arms available. If they cannot retain Cousins in 2018, they could be left scrambling.

The Redskins own the No. 49 and No. 81 picks in tonight’s section of the draft.