2022 April - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals Continue To Shop WR Andy Isabella

April 30th, 2022 at 10:59am CST by Ben Levine

After acquiring Marquise Brown the other day, the Cardinals are now looking to chop some fat from their WR depth chart. Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter), the Cardinals are open to trading receiver Andy Isabella.

According to Garafolo, the organization has shopped Isabella “to a few teams” in the past few weeks, and the reporter implies that a deal could finally be completed during the final day of the draft.

After selecting Kyler Murray with the first-overall pick in the 2019 draft, the Cardinals later used pick No. 62 to select Isabella, and the organization was hoping the duo would be their long-term answer on offense. However, the receiver hasn’t been able to carve out a role in Arizona. He barely played on offense during his rookie season, and he only took a minor step forward in 2020, finishing with 21 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns.

Isabella was buried on the depth chart in 2021. He only saw time in eight games, collecting a single reception. We heard earlier this offseason that the wideout was on the trade block, and the recent acquisition of Brown likely spelled the end of Isabella’s tenure in Arizona. Merely cutting the player would save the Cardinals $1.1MM.

Latest On Titans QB Ryan Tannehill

April 30th, 2022 at 9:00am CST by Ben Levine

The Titans made things interesting in their quarterbacks room yesterday when they traded up to select Liberty quarterback Malik Willis with the No. 86 pick. Speaking with reporters, Titans GM Jon Robinson said the front office didn’t consult with veteran QB Ryan Tannehill before making the selection (via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com on Twitter). Further, the executive seemed to indicate that Willis’ playing time will be dependent on the rookie’s development (vs. Tannehill’s production).

“His role will be determined by how quickly he comes in here and learns the offense and improves and gains the respect of his teammates,” Robinson said (via ESPN’s Turron Davenport).

“[Willis] was the best player on the board, and we’re excited to have him on the team. Good arm, athletic, moves around well and has a really good skillset. He throws a good ball and is tough to tackle. He’s got a lot of work to do like all these rookies do.”

Tannehill has seen plenty of team success during his three years with the Titans, guiding the squad to a 30-13 regular season. However, you can’t blame the Titans for seeking a QB with a higher upside; Tannehill finished last season with only 21 touchdowns vs. 14 interceptions, and the Titans have had two-straight one-and-done appearances in the postseason.

Of course, yesterday’s move doesn’t necessarily indicate that Tannehill is slowly being pushed out of Tennessee. While some pundits believe Willis has first-round talent, he was still selected in the third round, a pick that’s easy to write off. Perhaps the Willis selection will even light a fire under Tannehill and solidify the 33-year-old as the team’s sure-fire starter going forward.

Panthers Out Of Running For Browns QB Baker Mayfield?

April 30th, 2022 at 8:43am CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers entered the weekend as the favorites to acquire Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, with ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin tweeting on Friday that talks could soon “heat up” between the two teams. Instead, the Panthers traded up in the draft to select Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral with the No. 94 pick. So what gives?

According to Yahoo’s Charles Robinson (on Twitter), talks between the Panthers and Browns were “halted” after the sides couldn’t come to terms on a deal. Specifically, the two front offices were squabbling over how to divide up Mayfield’s $18.8MM in guaranteed money next season. Of course, the money might not have been the only reason why the Panthers seemingly pivoted from a veteran to a rookie; per ESPN’s David Newton, adding a quarterback via the draft “always was [GM Scott] Fitterer‘s first choice.”

Now, Robinson’s report might not necessarily stop trade talks altogether, but for what it’s worth, Fitterer seemed to shut the door on adding another QB to the grouping of Corral, Sam Darnold, and P.J. Walker.

“I never put an absolute on anything,” Fitterer said (via Newton). “We came into this weekend with the intention of getting a quarterback, and that’s what we did. And we’re going to go with this group.”

With one suitor apparently out of the running, the options appear to be drying up for Mayfield and the Browns. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes, the Seahawks were the only Mayfield/rookie QB suitor to not add a signal-caller through the first two days of the draft. The Lions and Saints have also been mentioned as potential landing spots, while the Panthers and Falcons (who selected Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder) would be out. Fortunately for the Browns, the worst-case scenario is no longer a concern; with the Steelers drafting Kenny Pickett, the Browns no longer have to worry about cutting Mayfield and watching him land in Pittsburgh.

Panthers Trade Back Into Third Round To Draft Matt Corral

April 29th, 2022 at 10:10pm CST by Ely Allen

Now the quarterback dominos are starting to fall. After seeing Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis finally get selected in the third round, the Panthers saw the writing on the wall and traded back into the third round to make their second selection of the 2022 NFL Draft: Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral.

Corral spent his freshman season backing up current USFL quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and took a redshirt after only appearing in four games. He took over the next year as the Ole Miss starting quarterback and led the team to a 4-8 finish completing 59.0% of his passes for 1,362 yards and throwing 6 touchdowns to 3 interceptions as a redshirt-freshman. Corral developed over the next two years completing 69.5% of his passes for a combined 6,670 yards and throwing 49 touchdowns to 18 interceptions over his redshirt-sophomore and -junior seasons. The intrigue with Corral comes from what he adds on the ground. Over those final two seasons, Corral added 1,103 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing the ball.

What this means for the Panther-Baker Mayfield saga is yet to be seen, but it likely points to a stall in negotiations between the two parties.

The Panthers obtained the No. 94 pick used to draft Corral from the Patriots in exchange for their 137th (4th round) pick and a 2023 3rd round pick.

Titans Trade Up To Select Malik Willis At No. 86

April 29th, 2022 at 9:54pm CST by Ely Allen

The long wait is finally over for Liberty quarterback Malik Willis. After seeing Pittsburgh select Kenny Pickett at No. 20 overall and then waiting for what seemed like forever until Desmond Ridder was selected by the Falcons at No. 74, Willis finally heard his named called by the Titans with the 86th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

After sitting out for a year, due to his transfer from Auburn, Willis was named the Flames’ starting quarterback in his first eligible season at Liberty and decided to set college football world on fire. In his first season at the helm of the Flames’ offense, Willis had eye-popping numbers, despite the COVID-shortened season. In ten games, Willis completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,250 yards, tossing 20 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. He tacked on a casual 944 yards rushing, nearly averaging 100 yards per game, along with 14 additional touchdowns on the ground. The Flames were ranked as high as 21 throughout the season with their only loss being a one-point road defeat at NC State. In their bowl game, they were matched up with fellow small-market phenom Coastal Carolina in an exciting overtime affair that left Willis victorious over the Chanticleers.

Willis decided to return for his redshirt-senior year and led the Flames to an impressive 8-5 against a tougher schedule than the prior year. Despite constant pressure from a less than reliable offensive line, Willis put up career passing numbers throwing for 2,857 yards with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He again added a huge component on the ground, racking up 878 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

The obvious asset that Willis brings to the table over the other quarterbacks in the Draft is his legs. He has a quick burst and excellent vision on designed runs and options. The Cardinals, Ravens, 49ers, and plenty of other teams have shown that an offense that incorporates run-pass-option plays (RPOs) can have a ton of success in the NFL if you have a quarterback who can run it effectively.

That being said, Willis is a quarterback, and a good one at that. He’s impressed NFL teams in meetings with his intelligence and ability to pick up on NFL concepts. He has elite arm strength and flashes the ability to fit the ball in tight windows. There are some technique/coaching issues that may help him improve his consistency and touch. He can take some gas off the ball effectively, but needs to improve the arch he puts in the ball’s flight. There are quite a few things for Willis to improve on, but he has so many tools already that the potential from these improvements gives him the highest ceiling of any quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Luckily for Willis, he’ll have some time to develop and improve those issues as he waits patiently behind Titans’ starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is under contract for the next two seasons.

Nakobe Dean’s Slide Ends At No. 83 Overall

April 29th, 2022 at 9:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean was far and away considered on the two best linebacker prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft, behind only Utah’s Devin Lloyd. After a mysterious tumble through the first and second rounds, Dean finally heard his name called midway through the third round at No. 83 overall.

Dean led the National Champion Bulldogs in tackles for loss and was second on the team in both tackles and sacks this past season. Dean watched plenty of his teammates fly past him in the past two days due to multiple rumored medical issues. Many teams looked into his medical history and believed surgery would be on the horizon for the 21-year-old.

Dean will join a linebackers room in Philadelphia that lost leading tackler Alex Singleton, Genard Avery, and Eric Wilson. The Eagles return T.J. Edwards, Davion Taylor, and Shaun Bradley while also bringing in Haason Reddick and Kyzir White. This should give Philadelphia enough depth to allow Dean to get healthy while still giving him ample opportunity to earn a starting job once he’s ready.

Texans Trade Up Past Ravens To Select Christian Harris

April 29th, 2022 at 9:25pm CST by Ely Allen

For the second time in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Texans made a move to slip up past the Ravens, this time selecting Alabama linebacker Christian Harris with the No. 75 overall pick.

Harris has been Top-5 in the Crimson Tide’s defense for tackles each of the last three years. The 21-year-old racked up 27.0 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks over his college career, adding 15 quarterback hurries and 3 forced fumbles along the way.

Harris was expected to be selected somewhere in the second round, so the Texans didn’t hesitate when they saw him inching ever closer to a Ravens team that certainly could use an upgrade at linebacker.

In order to acquire the Broncos No. 75 pick, the Texans had to part ways with their 80th (3rd round) pick and 162nd (5th round) pick.

Falcons Draft Desmond Ridder At No. 74

April 29th, 2022 at 9:11pm CST by Ely Allen

The long wait for the second quarterback to be taken off the board is finally over as the Falcons selected Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder in the third round with the No. 74 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Ridder has produced every season as a four-year starter saving his best year for last. While he reduced his running a bit this past year, he’s shown his abilities in past seasons racking up 650 yards in 2019 and 12 rushing touchdowns in 2020. Perhaps most importantly, Ridder knows how to win, achieving a 44-7 record in four years as a Bearcat.

Ridder comes to a Falcons team that is looking forward to the next era at quarterback. After 13 years with Matt Ryan at the helm, the only players awaiting Ridder’s competition in the quarterbacks room in Atlanta are Marcus Mariota and Feleipe Franks.

Despite not being picked until the third round, Ridder has a very real chance to win the starting job behind center for the Falcons. With weapons like Kyle Pitts and newly drafted Drake London at his disposal, Ridder could see some early rookie fireworks lead to a long-term starting gig.

Bengals Trade Up To Take Cam Taylor-Britt At No. 60

April 29th, 2022 at 8:28pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bengals addressed another secondary position in the 2022 NFL Draft, trading up to take the Bills spot at No. 60 overall, a pick the Bills had just received from the Buccaneers one trade earlier. Cincinnati used the pick to select Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt.

Taylor-Britt led the Cornhuskers in passes broken up last year with an impressive 11, adding six interceptions over the course of his college career. Taylor-Britt was a physical defender forcing seven fumbles and blocking a kick in his career. He earned second team All-Big Ten honors in each of his final two college seasons.

The Bengals gave up their 63rd (2nd round pick) and 209th (6th round) pick in order to move up to 60th for Taylor-Britt.

Bucs Acquire No. 57 To Take Luke Goedeke

April 29th, 2022 at 8:14pm CST by Ely Allen

Central Michigan offensive lineman Luke Goedeke finally hears his name called as the Buccaneers were tired of seeing him slide down the board. Tampa Bay traded up four spots to make sure the 23-year-old found his way to Central Florida.

Goedeke moved from tight end to offensive tackle during his redshirt season with the Chippewas, earning the team’s starting right tackle position as a redshirt sophomore. Goedeke missed the 2020 season due to a knee injury, but came back strong to earn All-Mid-American honors as a redshirt junior.

Despite spending his college career at tackle, Goedeke projects as an interior lineman at the next level. This fills a huge position of need for the Buccaneers who lost Alex Cappa to free agency and Ali Marpet to retirement.

The Bucs’ received the pick used to draft Goedeke from the Bills, giving them their No. 60 pick and No. 180 (6th round) pick in exchange.