2020 April - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars Received No Offers For Yannick Ngakoue

April 24th, 2020 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars did not receive any offers for Yannick Ngakoue, GM Dave Caldwell says (via ESPN.com’s Mike DiRocco). With that, they’re planning to have him on the roster in 2020, though the defensive end won’t be happy about that.

“I think his options are very limited at this point in time,” Caldwell said. “We’ll welcome him back with open arms when he’s ready to come back, and we look forward to it.”

The Jags discussed a deal with the Raiders earlier this week, but those talks didn’t go anywhere and they fizzled well before the draft started on Thursday night. Also this week, Ngakoue and owner Tony Khan took their battle to Twitter. The two traded barbs as Ngakoue pushed the Jaguars to hurry up and trade him.

“He is a tremendous player, tremendous person,” Caldwell said. “He’s always been first class in everything he’s done here, in the locker room and through his time here, the first four years of his contract. Obviously, he feels like things have not gone the way he wanted. In some aspects, he may have a point. But we put our best foot forward not once but twice, and I hope he sees the light that Jacksonville is a good spot, and it could at the end of the day be his only option.”

Ngakoue has yet to sign his non-exclusive tender for 2020, which would pay him $17.8MM. What he wants is a deal that would be worth roughly $20MM per season – but he doesn’t want it in Jacksonville.

Dolphins Trade 26th Pick To Green Bay, Packers Take Jordan Love

April 23rd, 2020 at 10:27pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Packers are making a surprising splash. They’ve traded up with the Dolphins to get the 26th pick, and are using it on Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.

We’ve been waiting for some fireworks, and this certainly qualifies. Green Bay is setting up for the post-Aaron Rodgers era, and it’ll be very interesting to see what Rodgers thinks of this selection. The Packers gave up pick 136 in the fourth-round to move up four spots from 30. The Pack apparently “secretly coveted” Love in the pre-draft process, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.

The Packers made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game last year, but it wasn’t Rodgers’ finest season statistically and he’ll turn 37 in December. Rodgers is under contract through the 2023 season, and he isn’t likely going to be too happy about a first-round rookie breathing down his neck.

It’s a bold move by GM Brian Gutekunst, and one that will take several years at least to be able to evaluate. Rodgers and others were hoping the team would draft a second receiver behind Davante Adams, but obviously that wasn’t the plan.

Love was a polarizing prospect, with many defenders and detractors in the analyst community. Viewed as a potential top pick after a dominant sophomore season where he averaged 8.6 yards per attempt with 32 touchdowns and six interceptions, he took a big step back in 2019.

In his junior campaign at Utah State, he averaged only 7.2 yards per attempt with 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Clearly that wasn’t enough to scare off the Packers. There had been some talk that the Dolphins might take a tackle with their first pick and look to add Love later on, but obviously they ended up going with Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth pick. Love won’t be the Packers’ starter in 2020, but he’ll create a lot of drama and headlines right away. Buckle up in Green Bay.

Vikings Trade 25th Pick To 49ers

April 23rd, 2020 at 10:17pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The pace of trades is starting to pick up as the first-round draws to a close. The Vikings are trading the 25th pick to the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.

The Vikes will get the 31st, 117th, and 176th picks from San Francisco in return, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). The 49ers made the move to ensure they got the receiver they wanted, as they drafted Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State with the 25th pick. This was the Vikings’ second pick of the first-round, after they took LSU receiver Justin Jefferson at 22.

It’s interesting that the 49ers opted to trade up, considering all the talk surrounding them has been they were looking to move down. San Fran made the draft’s first trade when they swapped the 13th pick for the 14th and 117th picks with the Bucs. They didn’t have any second, third, or fourth-rounders before that deal, and they are without a pick in those middle rounds once again after giving 117 right back up.

Patriots Trading 23rd Pick To Chargers

April 23rd, 2020 at 9:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve got another trade folks. The Patriots are shipping the 23rd pick to the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. Los Angeles will send back picks 37 and 71, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports in a tweet.

The Chargers used the added first-rounder to take Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Los Angeles has one of the most talented defenses in the league on paper, with a top-tier defensive line and secondary. The one weak-spot was at linebacker, so Murray will help solidify an already promising defense.

The Patriots were previously without a second-round pick and weren’t scheduled to pick again until 87, so this move makes some sense for them. Unless they surprisingly trade back into the first later tonight, the Patriots won’t be taking Tom Brady’s successor in the first-round. The Chargers already made a splash by taking Justin Herbert sixth overall, and GM Tom Telesco is staying aggressive.

There had been some talk that New England could take Utah State passer Jordan Love at 23, but that turned out to be unfounded. There were reasons to believe Bill Belichick was leaning toward adding a signal-caller in the middle rounds, and that looks to be the case.

Dolphins And Chargers Never Tried To Move Up

April 23rd, 2020 at 9:11pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It took us until the 13th pick to get our first trade, and despite a lot of speculation it looks like the Lions and Giants were never that close to moving down.

Neither the Dolphins nor Chargers ever made offers for the third or fourth picks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In hindsight, it looks like the Lions and Giants were trying to trade down and were attempting to inflate the interest. There was a lot of talk that either Miami or Los Angeles would try to leap up to take a passer, but both stood pat and ended up getting their quarterbacks of the future anyway.

Schefter notes that the Dolphins and Chargers were always content to stay where they were. Miami of course took Tua Tagovailoa, while Los Angeles drafted Justin Herbert. The Lions nabbed cornerback Jeff Okudah after being unable to find a trade partner, while the Giants picked Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. The draft has been quieter than expected so far, and it seems like there was an overwhelming supply of teams looking to move down, with a very limited demand of teams looking to move up.

49ers Trade 13th Pick To Buccaneers

April 23rd, 2020 at 8:48pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve finally got our first trade of the evening. Plenty of teams in the top ten were listening to calls, but apparently nobody got an offer worth taking.

The 49ers are making the first move, trading back one slot with the Buccaneers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). In order to get the 13th pick Tampa will send the 14th pick and the 117th pick, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The 49ers will also send back the 245th pick as part of the deal.

The Bucs are using the selection to add some protection for Tom Brady, as they’re drafting Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs with the pick. San Francisco previously didn’t have any picks in the second, third, or fourth-rounds, so they were widely expected to explore trading down from one of their two first-rounders.

They are also currently scheduled to pick 31st later tonight, and GM John Lynch clearly wanted to get an extra mid-rounder. Since the Bucs are only moving up one spot, it’s likely the 49ers were threatening to move the pick to a different team who also wanted a tackle like Tampa did.

Dolphins Take Tua Tagovailoa

April 23rd, 2020 at 7:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Dolphins ended many months of speculation, and finally got who they hope is their future franchise quarterback. Miami picked Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall on Thursday night.

There was a lot of talk that the Dolphins could go offensive tackle with their first selection, but it turns out that was a smokescreen. The team has been linked to Tagovailoa for over a year, and it was widely speculated that they tanked the 2019 season with him in mind. Tagovailoa’s devastating hip injury at the end of his Alabama career threw a wrench into things, and uncertainty about his medicals caused some teams to downgrade him.

In recent weeks momentum started to build for Oregon passer Justin Herbert, and there were reports that some inside the Dolphins’ building preferred Herbert. It’s possible that was all a smokescreen as well, and things ended up right back where they started.

Tagovailoa has apparently gotten great reports back from his doctors, although his exact timeline for returning to full-speed is still unclear. The Dolphins also have Ryan Fitzpatrick on the roster who can serve as a mentor and fill in just in case Tagovailoa isn’t ready for Week 1. In addition to his troublesome hip, Tagovailoa has also dealt with wrist and ankle injuries in the past.

If he can stay healthy, the Dolphins might’ve finally found their guy. Miami certainly won’t be tanking in 2020, after they spent big in free agency on guys like Byron Jones and Kyle Van Noy.

Bengals Select Joe Burrow With No. 1 Overall Pick

April 23rd, 2020 at 7:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The wait is officially over. With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, the Bengals have selected LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.

Burrow, who joins Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield as consecutive Heisman winners to be drafted first overall, has long been the favorite to go to Cincinnati at the top of the draft. The Bengals, who earned the No. 1 pick after finishing 2-14 during the 2019 campaign, will now install what they hope is a franchise quarterback in Burrow.

An Ohio native, Burrow posted arguably the greatest quarterback season in the history of college football in 2019, completing 76.3% of his passes for 60 touchdowns (an NCAA record) against only six interceptions. Burrow, who transferred from Ohio State prior to the 2018 season, put up middling results during his first season as LSU’s starter before winning the National Championship in 2019.

While the Bengals had long maintained that they weren’t interested in moving off the No. 1 pick, the Dolphins certainly attempted to make things interesting. Miami pushed Cincinnati, and was still trying to move up earlier today despite the Bengals previously rejecting offers.

Now, Burrow joins a Cincinnati offense that boasts potential despite the club’s lackluster performance in 2019. Burrow will dropped into a unit that includes running back Joe Mixon and wide receivers A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and John Ross. Second-year head coach Zac Taylor and general manager Duke Tobin could attempt to find even more offensive talent — perhaps at wideout or along the offensive line — on Day 2 or 3 of the draft.

Despite that firepower, the Bengals are still in the midst of a rebuild even after adding Burrow. Cincinnati did step outside its comfort zone in free agency earlier this year, however, spending ample money to add defensive tackle D.J. Reader, cornerbacks Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander, safety Vonn Bell, and linebacker Josh Bynes.

Andy Dalton, the Bengals’ starting quarterback since 2011, remains on the roster. He’s still a candidate to be traded or released, but the veteran recently said there is a “scenario” where he sticks around as Burrow’s backup. Dalton has a $17MM cap figure, however, meaning he’d likely need to accept a pay cut in order for that to be feasible.

Redskins Will Not Trade No. 2 Pick

April 23rd, 2020 at 6:28pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Just moments after it was officially confirmed that the Bengals wouldn’t trade the first pick, the Redskins are following suit. Washington has made their decision and they will not trade the second pick, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Rapsheet says they’re keeping the pick “because they love the player who will be there for them,” which is almost certainly Ohio State pass-rusher Chase Young. The Redskins fielded offers for the pick, and the Falcons were reportedly one of the teams that seriously tried to move up to take Young. We heard yesterday that one team had made a “complete offer” for the selection, but ultimately Washington decided they couldn’t part with it.

Young dominated in the Big Ten last season, racking up 16.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in only 12 games. He’s viewed by many as the top overall prospect in the draft, and should provide an instant boost to Washington’s defense. Assuming the pick is Young, the Redskins will have a ton of youthful talent on their defensive front with fellow youngsters Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, and Jonathan Allen also present.

Vikings Exploring Trade Up

April 23rd, 2020 at 6:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings are talking to teams about a trade into the teens, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (Twitter link).

Minnesota, which currently holds both the 22nd and 25th overall selections, may have to give up their second-round pick in order to move up, per Goessling. At present, it’s unclear if the Vikings would be willing to do that, but it will likely depend on what prospects are still available.

Most mock drafts have indicated the Vikings will target wide receivers and cornerbacks in the first round of the draft. During the offseason, Minnesota traded wideout Stefon Diggs to the Bills, released cornerback Xavier Rhodes, and lost CBs Trae Waynes and Mackensive Alexander in free agency.