HEADLINES

2019 NFL Draft News & Rumors

Broncos Trade Up For Drew Lock

April 26th, 2019 at 6:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos will be making back-to-back picks in Round 2. They will send the Bengals two late-round picks to do so.

Denver will ship Cincinnati fourth- and sixth-round picks, along with No. 52 overall, to move into position to go back-to-back. After choosing Kansas State offensive lineman Dalton Risner with the No. 41 overall selection, the Broncos traded up to take Drew Lock.

Linked to the Missouri-developed quarterback before their Joe Flacco trade, the Broncos indeed made the move. Mentioned by many to be headed to the Broncos at No. 10 overall, the four-year college starter will head to Denver as Flacco’s backup 32 picks later. The Broncos moved ahead of the Dolphins, Lions and Packers — who each visited with Lock — in this deal.

While Flacco lost his job to 2018 No. 32 overall pick Lamar Jackson, the Broncos may be eyeing a longer-term developmental project by getting Lock here. John Elway mentioned the 2020 quarterback crop. A second-round quarterback investment this year probably doesn’t remove the Broncos from that discussion, but Lock’s development will now heavily factor into their decision on that front.

Lock completed a career-high 63 percent of his throws last season, and as a junior in 2017, the Kansas City, Mo., native threw 44 touchdown passes. Certainly, this will put Flacco — who has no guaranteed money left on his deal — under far more pressure than it appeared he would be coming into Round 2.

Raiders Trade No. 38 Pick To Bills

April 26th, 2019 at 6:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rookie Raiders GM Mike Mayock moved down again, this time agreeing to a second-round trade with the Bills.

Buffalo moved into Oakland’s No. 38 slot, coming up from No. 40. The Raiders will acquire a fifth-round pick (No. 158) in the deal. The Bills used the move up to select Oklahoma offensive lineman Cody Ford. This comes shortly after the Raiders dealt their No. 35 overall pick to the Jaguars.

This continues a massive offensive line overhaul in Buffalo. The Bills’ 2019 offensive line group will feature almost an entirely new cast. Mitch Morse, Ty Nsekhe, Spencer Long and LaAdrian Waddle.

The Bills still have Dion Dawkins, 2018 fifth-rounder Wyatt Teller on the roster and Russell Bodine on the roster, but their group will look quite different next season. Profiling as perhaps a tackle or guard, Ford — a 2018 first-team All-Big 12 selection at Oklahoma — joins what’s become an all-out makeover.

Seahawks Send No. 37 Pick To Panthers

April 26th, 2019 at 6:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

John Schneider gave notice he was on the lookout for additional picks, with the Seahawks entering the draft with a league-low four. He is achieving this goal.

The Seahawks again traded down, giving the Panthers the No. 37 pick. Carolina used it on tackle Greg Little. In return for moving down to No. 47, the Seahawks will add an extra third-rounder — No. 77.

Little adds to the Panthers’ key offensive line transactions this offseason. They re-signed Daryl Williams and added Matt Paradis. Little profiles as a possible left tackle starter. Former second-round pick Taylor Moton held that job down last season.

This marks the third time the Seahawks have moved down thus far in this draft, having made multiple deals on Thursday night.

Raiders Trade No. 35 Pick To Jaguars

April 26th, 2019 at 6:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars made the first trade of Friday night, moving up into the No. 35 overall slot. The Raiders, as GM Mike Mayock said they were considering, traded out of the slot.

Oakland will receive the No. 38 overall pick and No. 109 (a fourth-rounder). Jacksonville selected tackle Jawaan Taylor. The Jags will acquire fifth- and seventh-round picks (Nos. 140 and 235) in this deal.

Taylor was mocked by some to the Jaguars in the first round, so while the Florida blocker endured a bit of a tumble, the team adding a first-round-caliber lineman — in the view of some — in Round 2 represents solid value.

The Jags cut right tackle Jermey Parnell this offseason; left tackle Cam Robinson is coming off a season-ending ACL tear. While Jacksonville added Cedric Ogbuehi and Leonard Wester, Taylor should be considered a strong candidate to be an early-season starter.

Jets Eyeing Round 2 Trade Up

April 26th, 2019 at 3:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are looking to make a splash on Friday night. Gang Green is seeking to make a move all the way from the third round into the early second, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, in order to pull that off, the Jets would need to give up significant capital in future draft picks.

It’s not clear who the Jets are targeting, but Garafolo (Twitter link) estimates that they’re going for a pass rusher. The Jets have spoken to the Seahawks, who own the No. 37 overall pick, Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter) hears, which would represent a significant jump from No. 68 overall in the third round.

Of course, the Jets had a big opportunity to improve their pass rush with the No. 3 overall pick last night, but they opted for Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams over Kentucky’s Josh Allen, Michigan’s Rashan Gary, and other impact edge players.

Draft Notes: Broncos, Bush, Lock, Colts

April 26th, 2019 at 1:51pm CST by Rory Parks

The Broncos were widely connected to Devin Bush in the buildup to the draft, but they wound up trading back when they had the opportunity to draft him. Apparently, they weren’t as high on him as many believed (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic).

“I don’t know if we would have taken him if we didn’t trade,” head coach Vic Fangio said. “He was certainly one of the guys we talked about, but we just felt the trade value trumped the guy we would get there.”

The Broncos didn’t necessarily feel that Bush was the right choice at No. 10 overall, but the Steelers did. That worked to Denver’s benefit, as they came away with a solid haul in exchange for moving down. Denver secured the Steelers’ No. 20 pick – which they used to take tight end Noah Fant – plus the Steelers’ second-round choice and a third-round pick next year.

While you mull the Broncos’ decision, here’s more draft news:

  • Word has it thatMissouri quarterback Drew Lock went undrafted in the first round due to the nine-inch measurement on his hands (Twitter link via Howard Balzer). For comparison, this year’s first-round QBs Kyler Murray (9 1/2 inches), Dwayne Haskins (9 5/8 inches), and Daniel Jones (9 3/4 inches) proved to have larger hands at the combine. Lock was undoubtedly disappointed, but he probably won’t linger long on Friday night.
  • The Colts may not be done trading back even after moving out of the first round. The idea of sliding back from the No. 34 overall pick is “attractive,” GM Chris Ballard says (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of CBS4).

Cardinals Eyeing Byron Murphy

April 26th, 2019 at 10:57am CST by Zachary Links

Washington cornerback Byron Murphy is the heavy favorite to be the first pick of the second round on Friday night, provided that Arizona holds on to the pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Of course, the top choice in the second round is extremely valuable, so it’s entirely possible that another team will be on the clock at No. 33 overall. 

The Cardinals probably aren’t the only team eyeing Murphy and other top cornerbacks left on the board. Only one cornerback was drafted in the first round on Thursday night, leaving LSU’s Greedy Williams, Temple’s Rock Ya-Sin, Michigan State’s Justin Layne, Notre Dame’s Julian Love, Central Michigan’s Sean Bunting, and several others up for grabs.

There were plenty of CB holes to be filled heading into the first round, but general uncertainty about this year’s crop may have stalled things, Browns GM John Dorsey says (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter):

“If you talk to a lot of people around the league, if you talked about the cornerbacks and how they had the cornerbacks rated, I bet you would have 20 different stackings at the cornerback position this year.”

Rams Trade No. 31 To Falcons

April 25th, 2019 at 10:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams have traded the No. 31 pick to the Falcons. Los Angeles will get picks No. 45 and No. 79, while Atlanta will receive No. 31 and No. 203.

Atlanta will select Washington offensive tackle Kaleb McGary. For the second time in the first round, the Falcons will use a first-round pick on a position that they’d already fortified in free agency. Atlanta signed guards Jamon Brown and James Carpenter but used their initial first-round pick on fellow interior lineman Chris Lindstrom. After extending right tackle Ty Sambrailo, the Falcons will now add competition in McGary.

Seahawks Trade No. 30 To Giants

April 25th, 2019 at 10:41pm CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks have made their second trade of the night. The team is sending the No. 30 pick to the Giants, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). In exchange, Seattle will receive No. 37, No. 132, and No. 142 (via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).

So, if you’re counting at home, that means the Seahawks turned the 21st pick into five separate selections. Seattle previously dealt No. 21 to the Packers for No. 30, No. 114, and No. 118.

The Giants have used the pick on Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker. The 2018 Jim Thorpe Award winner was generally regarded as the top cornerback in the class. The 5-foot-11 defensive back had a standout 2018 season with the Bulldogs, compiling 40 tackles, two sacks, nine passes defended, and two picks.

The Giants have added already added a pair of defensive backs this offseason. They acquired safety Jabrill Peppers in the Odell Beckham trade, and they also signed veteran safety Antoine Bethea. Baker will likely slide into one of the starting cornerback spots across from Janoris Jenkins.

This pick marks the Giants’ third selection of the night. The team selected quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth pick, and they later added defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence with the 17th pick.

Colts Trade No. 26 To Redskins

April 25th, 2019 at 10:09pm CST by Ben Levine

The Redskins now have another selection in the first round. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Washington has acquired pick No. 26 from the Colts. The Redskins will send No. 46 and a 2020 second-rounder to Indy, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).

The Redskins have used their new selection on Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat. There were conflicting reports about the lineman’s draft stock following news about an apparent heart condition. There were rumblings that some teams removed Sweat entirely from their draft board, with some teams’ doctors noting that there isn’t an example of a player dealing with this issue in the current NFL. However, we learned yesterday that teams now believe that Sweat’s heart condition was misdiagnosed at the combine, further complicating his draft stock.

Either way, Sweat is clearly one of the most talented edge defenders in the draft. His unique combination of size and speed make him a menace on the outside, and he should continue to develop as a running-game disruptor. Despite the heart condition, Sweat managed to appear in 26 games over his final two seasons with the Bulldogs, compiling 22.5 sacks over that span. His known visits were with the Texans, Bengals, 49ers, Bills, Raiders, Packers and Buccaneers.

The Redskins have invested plenty of draft capital into their defensive line in recent years, as they selected defensive end Jonathan Allen in 2017 and defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne in 2018. Sweat should join the two players to form a formidable front-three.

The Redskins made headlines earlier tonight when they selected Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the No. 15 pick.

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