2017 April - Pro Football Rumors

Packers, Chargers Eyeing DeShone Kizer?

April 28th, 2017 at 11:52am CST by Zachary Links

DeShone Kizer is still on the board as we head into Day 2, but he might not be available for long. Kizer is in play for the Packers at No. 33, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Meanwhile, there’s a “lot of smoke” about the Chargers taking Kizer at No. 38, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link).

There were three quarterbacks drafted inside of the top 12, but Kizer did not hear his name called in the following 20 picks. The Notre Dame product was once viewed as a top five candidate, but concerns about his field vision and decision making hurt his stock in the months leading up the draft. Teams like the Browns and Saints both passed up opportunities to take Kizer even though they were in search of a quarterback and that’s not a glowing endorsement for him.

Still, Kizer’s big arm should entice someone to draft him in the top half of the second round. If the word around the Packers is to be believed, then they are at least considering the idea of tapping him as Aaron Rodgers‘ understudy.

AFC North Rumors: Bengals, Ross, Ravens

April 28th, 2017 at 11:32am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals did not receive any calls about trading down from their No. 9 overall pick, according to coach Marvin Lewis.

“Nobody was interested when we were on the clock,” Lewis said (via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer).

With the pick, the Bengals surprised most pundits by selecting speedy Washington wide receiver John Ross.

Here’s more from the AFC North:

Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said the team tried to trade up in to the teens but couldn’t get a deal done (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun). Newsome didn’t say who he was targeting, but Zrebiec believes that Temple linebacker Haason Reddick was one of the candidates.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson said the team will get a first round quarterback “when it’s time for us to get one,” (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal). Jackson noted that the team did try to land a QB in the first round, but it didn’t materialize. Many believe that the Browns had their eye on Mitch Trubisky.
Jackson likes Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs and he’s one to watch on Day 2 for the Browns, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.

NFC Draft Rumors: 49ers, Foster, Bucs, Cook

April 28th, 2017 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

49ers GM John Lynch says that he came away from Day 1 with two of the top three players on his board. Had the Bears taken Solomon Thomas at No. 2, he says the team might have selected Reuben Foster at No. 3 (Twitter links via Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee).

Lynch managed to get both defenders when Foster took a somewhat unexpected slide. Armed with the additional draft capital afforded to him from the No. 2 and No. 3 swap with the Bears, Lynch moved back up into the late first round to get the Alabama inside linebacker. We’ll never know for sure if the Niners would have seriously considered Foster at No. 3, but it’s hard to deny that they got an excellent value by getting him late in the first.

Here’s more out of the NFC:

The Buccaneers passed on FSU running back Dalvin Cook in the first round in part because of what they’ve seen out of Doug Martin, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport hears that he has been the most impressive player at the facility so far this offseason. Martin was disappointing, to say the least, in 2016, but he has shown in the past that he can produce like a top running back.
When asked if the player he had slotted for 37th overall was still on the board, Rams GM Les Snead said: “To be honest, yes,” (Twitter link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com). Gonzalez suggests that receivers Zay Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster and cornerbacks Kevin King and Quincy Wilson could be in consideration for the Rams.
With the No. 23 pick, some in the Giants‘ war room were pushing for Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. Instead, they chose Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram. Cunningham remains on the board as we enter Day 2, but the Giants aren’t scheduled to be up until the 23rd pick in the second round (No. 55 overall).

Saints Rumors: Butler, Lattimore, Foster

April 28th, 2017 at 8:59am CST by Zachary Links

Last night, Saints coach Sean Payton had a candid chat with reporters and shared some interesting info. Here’s a look at the highlights:

The coach said all of the trade possibilities the team previously considered for veteran cornerbacks “still remain open” depending on how the rest of the draft falls (Twitter link via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com). Payton, ostensibly, is referring to the Saints’ trade talks with the Patriots regarding Malcolm Butler. When New Orleans drafted Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore with the No. 11 pick, many assumed that the team would back off of its pursuit. Personally, I don’t believe that the Saints will be willing to give up significant compensation for Butler now that they have Lattimore, particularly since locking him down will require a hefty contract.
Payton said the Saints even had talks about possibly trading up to land Lattimore. They also listened to offers to trade down, but ultimately stood pat (Twitter link via Triplett). He added that Lattimore was the team’s third or fourth ranked player on the board heading into the draft (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate).
The Saints were considering Reuben Foster and Takkarist McKinley at No. 32 before they came off the board, Payton told reporters (Twitter link via Triplett). With both players gone, the Saints selected offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
Payton views Ramczyk, who played left tackle at Wisconsin, as a right tackle (Twitter link via Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune).

Redskins Shopping RB Matt Jones

April 28th, 2017 at 8:08am CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins are shopping running back Matt Jones, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Redskins are likely to add another running back this weekend and that would squeeze Jones out of the picture.

The former third round pick has had flashes of brilliance in the past, but he has not been able to produce consistently. Jones’ struggles with ball security turned him from a rising star to an afterthought and he’s now likely on his way out of D.C. Still, another team might want to kick the tires on Jones based on his potential and inexpensive salary. He’s signed through the 2018 campaign with base salaries under $800K.

Last year, Jones had a pair of 100+ yard games. On October 2, Jones had 22 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown against Cleveland. Then, on October 16, he had 135 yards off of 16 carries and also added a rushing touchdown. The following week, he suffered a knee injury and that opened the door for Robert Kelley to take his starting gig. Even though he returned to full health, he did not see the field for the rest of the season.

49ers Acquire No. 31 Pick From Seahawks

April 27th, 2017 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Who says you can’t trade within your division? The 49ers have acquired the No. 31 pick from the Seahawks. With that pick, they will select Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster. The Seahawks will receive pick Nos. 34 and No. 111 in the deal.

Foster, at one point in time, was viewed as a top ten pick. However, his stock tumbled due to a handful of red flags.

Red flag #1: Bad shoulder.
Red flag #2: Getting into an argument with a hospital worker at the combine.
Red flag #3: Submitting a watered down urine sample at the combine.

Still, he is immensely talented. If he stays on the right track, Foster could prove to be one of the best values in the entire 2017 draft.

Our first mock draft had Foster going to the 49ers within the top ten. It took a little longer, but Foster has landed in San Francisco.

Browns Acquire No. 29 Pick From Packers

April 27th, 2017 at 10:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have acquired the No. 29 pick from the Packers. The Packers will receive pick Nos. 33 and 108. With the pick, the Browns are taking tight end David Njoku.

Tonight, the Browns dialed the Redskins to ask about Kirk Cousins and they missed multiple opportunities to take some of this year’s best signal callers. They could have used this pick to nab a quarterback like DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame, but they opted for Njoku instead.

Heading into the draft, many pegged Njoku as the second best tight end in this year’s class. It turns out that he’s the third tight end to come off of the board after O.J. Howard went to the Buccaneers and the Giants selected Evan Engram.

The No. 29 pick will be the Browns’ third first round selection of the evening. Already, they have taken Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett and Michigan utility man Jabrill Peppers.

Falcons Trade Up To Seahawks’ No. 26 Pick

April 27th, 2017 at 10:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons traded up to the Seahawks’ No. 26 pick. With the pick, they have selected UCLA linebacker/defensive end Takkarist McKinley. The Seahawks will receive Atlanta’s No. 31 pick plus third and seventh round choices.

McKinley came into the draft process with tons of hype but his stock has fallen somewhat in recent weeks. Some teams may have cooled on the pass rusher, but the Falcons are as excited about him as ever.

McKinley may slot in as a starting defensive end opposite of Adrian Clayborn. Currently, it’s something of a full house at linebacker with Vic Beasley, Deion Jones, and De’Vondre Campbell as likely starters.

Raiders Draft Gareon Conley

April 27th, 2017 at 9:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have selected cornerback Gareon Conley with the No. 24 pick. Conley, once thought to have top ten potential, had everything thrown into flux this week when a woman accused him of sexual assault.

After the allegations came to light on Tuesday, teams worked tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened between Conley and a young woman in his Cleveland hotel room. After investigating, the Raiders obviously felt that there was no serious wrongdoing on the part of the Ohio State cornerback.

There was talk this week that Conley would not be drafted at all or perhaps would slip to the third round. He is surely breathing a sigh of relief after being taken by the Raiders late in the first round.

Conley will likely supplant David Amerson as the team’s No. 2 cornerback. With Sean Smith and Conley, the Raiders have themselves a solid duo.

Falcons, 49ers Looking To Trade Up

April 27th, 2017 at 9:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and 49ers are looking to trade up, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The 49ers, unsuccessfully, tried to pry the No. 21 pick from the Lions just moments ago. If the Falcons go pass rusher, the names to remember are Taco Charlton, Tarell Basham, or Jordan Willis, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com tweets.

With 22 picks in the books, other notable names remain on the board including Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, FSU running back Dalvin Cook, UCLA linebacker Takkarist McKinley, and embattled Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley.

Inside linebacker is a need for the Niners, so they could potentially be looking to move up for Foster. McKinley would be a good fit for Atlanta as they seek a pass rusher that isn’t among the three listed by Pauline.