HEADLINES

Fabian Moreau

Draft Rumors: Jones, Mixon, Trubisky, 49ers

March 21st, 2017 at 5:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Washington cornerback Sidney Jones underwent surgery today to repair his torn Achilles, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jones, who suffered the devastating injury at his Pro Day earlier this month, is expected to resume running in four months. Projected to be selected in the first round before the Achilles tear, Jones himself tweeted today that he’ll be able to play during the 2017 season, though that could certainly be optimistic.

Here’s more on the 2017 draft:

  • Jones isn’t the only cornerback prospect to be hit by injury, as UCLA defensive back Fabian Moreau is believed to have suffered a pectoral injury while performing a bench press today, tweets Courtney Fallon of NFL.com, who cautions that the “full extent” of the injury is unclear at present. Rob Rang of CBSSports.com projected Moreau as a back-end first round pick (and the third-best cornerback on the board) before news of his injury broke.
  • UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky will work out for the Browns, Jets, 49ers, and Chiefs, among others, per Andrew Carter of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Trubisky, considered one of the top-three signal-callers in this year’s class, is a surefire first-round pick and may be selected within the top five. Cleveland, for one, was said to be “strongly considering” Trubisky with the first overall pick, although that talk has died down recently.
  • Controversial running back Joe Mixon met with the Raiders on Monday, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Because Mixon is from the Bay Area, his visit with Oakland won’t count against the Raiders’ allotment of 30 predraft meetings. Although video has surfaced of Mixon physically assaulting a female, he’s still expected to be drafted next month and a number of clubs have preceded the Raiders in meeting with the Oklahoma back.

Pauline’s Latest: Savage, 49ers, Conley

March 6th, 2017 at 9:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although some around the league reportedly believe the Texans are the best fit for quarterback Tony Romo, other front office members don’t see the fit, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. If Romo does land in Houston, the Texans could end up trading fellow signal-caller Tom Savage to the 49ers, per Pauline. San Francisco is known to be in the quarterback market, and have been tied to options like Mike Glennon, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Kirk Cousins.

Here’s more from Pauline:

  • A.J. Bouye and Stephon Gilmore will ink new contracts and set the market for free agent cornerbacks before Logan Ryan and Dre Kirkpatrick sign deals, reports Pauline. Although Bouye is apparently far apart in talks with the Texans, a feeling exists that he could re-sign with Houston at a cost of $12MM per season. Ryan and Kirkpatrick, PFR’s No. 2 and No. 5 free agent corners, respectively, could earn $10-11MM annually, per Pauline.
  • While the 2017 cornerback draft class doesn’t offer as much top-end talent as the safety class, it does boast more depth, opines Pauline. UCLA’s Fabian Moreau, for example, won’t be selected in the first round, but most scouts expect him to come off the board within the first 15 picks of Day 2, according to Pauline.
  • Some evaluators believe Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley is a superior player to former Buckeye defensive back Eli Apple, who was drafted 10th overall by the Giants in 2016. Conley, per Pauline, could be the “steal” of the cornerback position.