2020 April - Pro Football Rumors

Trent Williams Nixed Redskins/Vikings Trade

April 25th, 2020 at 8:45am CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the Trent Williams saga almost came to an end last night, but the offensive lineman ended up squashing the trade. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins and Vikings were close to a deal, but Williams made it clear that he didn’t want to play for Minnesota.

“At some point over the course of today, Williams made it known he would rather not go to the Minnesota Vikings,” Rapoport said (via ProFootballTalk.com’s Charean Williams). “Essentially, that ended the trade right there.”

Any hope for reconciliation was quieted towards the end of the second round. The Vikings ended up satisfying their need for a lineman by taking Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland with the No. 58 pick.

Williams denied the rumors on Saturday:

“No, that’s not true,” Williams told ESPN’s John Keim and Courtney Cronin.

Just because the Washington/Minnesota trade didn’t happen, it doesn’t necessarily mean Williams won’t be dealt. Keim reports that several teams remain interested in the lineman, including the 49ers. However, San Francisco’s interest is tied to the status of Joe Staley, who’s flirting with retirement. Keim notes that the Rams could also be a team to watch, as head coach Sean McVay previously worked with Williams in Washington.

We’ve also heard this week that a number of teams haven’t pursued the offensive lineman, including the Eagles and Buccaneers.

Williams, 31, has one year and a $12.5MM base salary remaining on his current contract. While some reports have indicated he wants to become the NFL’s highest-paid tackle with a new deal that averages something near $20MM annually, Williams’ agent has denied those claims.

Vikings Trade No. 105 To Saints

April 25th, 2020 at 8:28am CST by Ben Levine

Another late-night trade to pass along. ESPN’s Field Yates reported (via Twitter) that the Vikings and Saints made the following swap:

Saints acquire:

No. 105

Vikings acquire

No. 130
No. 169
No. 203
No. 244

New Orleans used the third round’s penultimate pick on Dayton tight end Adam Trautman.

Barring a trade, that could be the Saints’ final pick of the weekend; after drafting three players through the first three rounds, New Orleans is now tapped out of picks. As NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets, this could be the first time the Saints come away with three or fewer draft picks since 1999, when they traded that infamous haul for Ricky Williams.

On the flip side, after making four selections through the first three rounds, the Vikings still have 13 picks remaining. The team could certainly make a handful of trades, but Pelissero tweets that Minny is approaching history. The most picks by a team in the seven-round draft era is 14 by the 1997 Jets and 2016 Browns. The 1968 Bengals selected 17 players in the first seven rounds of the 17-round draft.

Jets Trade No. 101 To Patriots

April 25th, 2020 at 8:17am CST by Ben Levine

There were a handful of trades last night after we signed off, and one of them included two division rivals. ESPN’s Field Yates reported (via Twitter) that the Jets and Patriots made the following swap:

Patriots acquire:

No. 101

Jets acquire:

No. 125
No. 129
2021 6th Round Pick

The Patriots ended up using their newfound third-rounder on Virginia Tech tight end Dalton Keene.

This was actually the second time on Friday that New England traded up to take a tight end. Earlier in the night, they acquire No. 91 from the Raiders and took UCLA’s Devin Asiasi. As many pundits have pointed out, this is the first time the Patriots have taken a pair of tight ends in one draft since selecting Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez back in 2010.

Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse are currently the only veteran tight ends on New England’s roster, so there’s a good chance the two rookies will see plenty of targets from Jarrett Stidham next season.

Patriots Trade Up To Raiders’ No. 91, Draft TE Devin Asiasi

April 24th, 2020 at 10:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots swung a deal to move up to the Raiders’ No. 91 overall pick, bringing them back into the third round.

Patriots acquire:

No. 91
No. 159

Raiders acquire:

No. 100
No. 139
No. 172

With the 91st pick, the Patriots selected tight end Devin Asiasi, their first offensive player of draft weekend. Asiasi offers speed and good blocking technique, but scouts say he needs to spend some time pumping iron in order to adjust to the pro game.

The UCLA product figures to play a key role for the Pats in 2020, but you can expect them to explore veteran options between now and the start of the season. Trey Burton, Jordan Reed, and Charles Clay are among the free agent tight ends still left on the market.

Rams Draft OLB Terrell Lewis At No. 84

April 24th, 2020 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams used the No. 84 overall pick to bolster their pass rush. They took outside linebacker Terrell Lewis, giving Alabama its eighth pick thus far in this draft.

Lewis was on track to be picked higher at one point, but an ACL tear in 2018 sidetracked his career. Lewis missed all of the 2018 season, returned in 2019 and registered six sacks for the Crimson Tide.

The Rams moved on from Clay Matthews after one season and let Dante Fowler defect to the Falcons. While Los Angeles added former Bears first-rounder Leonard Floyd and still has Samson Ebukam on its roster, the team probably needed additional help on the edge.

Injuries dogged Lewis for much of his college career. He missed all but four games in 2017 and ended his Alabama run having played in only 14 games. But 10 of those came this past season, and Lewis will look to build on that as a pro.

Lions Acquire No. 75 From Colts

April 24th, 2020 at 9:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions are moving up 10 spots in the third round. They will jump from No. 85 to 75, with the Colts facilitating the move.

In exchange for moving down 10 positions, the Colts will receive fifth- and sixth-round picks (Nos. 148 and 182). This will give the Colts five combined picks in Rounds 5 and 6. The Lions will also pick up a sixth-rounder (No. 197) in the deal.

With the pick, the Lions took Ohio State guard Jonah Jackson. A one-time Rutgers recruit, Jackson helped on an offense that featured prolific numbers from Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins. A 2019 graduate transfer, Jackson received first-team All-Big Ten acclaim in his lone season with the Buckeyes.

Detroit lost longtime guard/center starter Graham Glasgow this offseason. With the team having not addressed its O-line in the draft, Jackson will be a prime candidate to challenge for the guard spot Glasgow vacated.

Browns Trade Pick No. 74 To Saints, New Orleans Takes Zack Baun

April 24th, 2020 at 9:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints reportedly were looking to trade up in the second-round, and they just moved up in the third. They’ve acquired the 74th pick from the Browns, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Cleveland is also sending the 244th pick in the seventh-round, while they’ll get back number 88 and a 2021 third-rounder. As Yates notes in his tweet, this is the first time in this draft that a 2021 selection has changed hands. New Orleans’ willingness to give up future draft capital makes sense, given they’ve been heavily signaling that they’re going all in on one last Super Bowl run with Drew Brees in 2020.

They’ve signed some aging vets, and are trying to get as much out of this draft as possible. The Saints used the 74th pick to take linebacker Zack Baun from Wisconsin, who some thought had a good chance of getting drafted in the first-round. Linebacker had been a relative position of weakness for New Orleans, which explains why they wanted to move up to get the surprising faller. As a senior with the Badgers Baun had 19.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks, earning first-team All-Big 10 honors.

Panthers Acquire No. 64 From Seahawks

April 24th, 2020 at 8:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Known to trade down from time to time, the Seahawks are at it again. They will send their No. 64 overall pick to the Panthers, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

In sliding down to No. 69, the Seahawks will pick up the Panthers’ No. 148 overall choice — at the top of Round 5. The Seahawks now have a seventh pick in this draft. Based on John Schneider‘s M.O., it should be expected they will attempt to pick up more.

After taking defensive linemen Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos with their first two picks, the Panthers traded up for safety Jeremy Chinn.

A 6-foot-3, 221-pound defender out of Southern Illinois, Chinn was one of Division I-FCS’ best players last season. Chinn intercepted 13 passes with the Salukis. He will join a Panthers team that moved on from Eric Reid this offseason and has an opening opposite the recently re-signed Tre Boston.

Ravens Trade No. 60 To Patriots

April 24th, 2020 at 8:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens dropped out of the No. 60 spot in the draft, dealing the pick to the Patriots. New England’s quarterback situation remains unchanged, with Michigan outside linebacker Josh Uche being the Pats’ pick.

New England traded up from No. 71 and gave Baltimore one of its four third-round picks (No. 98) to do so. The Ravens sent the Pats a fourth-rounder (No. 129) in the deal as well. The Patriots now have three third-rounders; the Ravens are up to four.

Uche functioned primarily as a pass rusher for the Wolverines, totaling 14.5 sacks over the past two seasons. He will follow former Michigan teammate Chase Winovich — a 2019 third-rounder — to Foxborough.

The Patriots lost both hybrid pass-rushing cogs Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy this offseason and will have a younger edge corps in 2020. Winovich is certain to be a big part of that crew; his former teammate in Ann Arbor may become an important piece soon as well.

Jets Land Denzel Mims

April 24th, 2020 at 8:20pm CST by Zachary Links

No one thought Denzel Mims would last this long, but the Jets aren’t complaining. With the No. 59 pick they acquired from Seattle earlier tonight, the Jets landed the star wide receiver out of Baylor.

Mims was considered a potential first-round talent and a possibility for the Bengals to open up the second round. Instead, he slipped as WR-needy teams went in different directions.

You won’t find many receivers at 6’3″ that move like Mims. Drops have been an issue for him in the past, but his fluidity, speed, and blocking skills made evaluators drool throughout draft season.

Last year, Mims cracked 1,000 yards receiving for the second time in his career, even though he was playing with a broken hand. The Jets had first crack at every receiver with the No. 11 overall pick last night, but they opted for tackle Mekhi Becton instead. Not everyone agreed with that call, but their patience paid off.

The Jets recently signed deep threat Breshad Perriman to replace Robby Anderson and have slot cog Jamison Crowder under contract. With Mims in the fold and Becton to protect him up front, Sam Darnold is probably pleased with how the Jets’ draft is going so far.