Josh Allen (QB)

Giants Did Not Have Consensus On Draft’s Top QB

May 3rd, 2018 at 8:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants were enamored with Saquon Barkley to the point they didn’t waste much time turning in their card. And the team is now prepared to enter the season without a surefire heir apparent behind Eli Manning.

It turns out, Big Blue’s brass didn’t appear to have a consensus among which of the quarterbacks they would take, with Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reporting different sects of the Giants’ decision-makers preferred three separate signal-callers. And they didn’t feel strongly enough about one of them to pull the trigger at No. 2.

Mostly, the Giants were down to Sam Darnold or Josh Allen, with some Josh Rosen support in the building as well. Schwartz reports there wasn’t much love for Baker Mayfield among the new-look Giants power structure.

If it were up to Pat Shurmur, Allen would have been the quarterback pick — had the franchise been leaning in that direction. Upside drew Shurmur to Allen. However, the Giants would have selected Bradley Chubb if Barkley wasn’t available, per Schwartz.

The Giants placed the same grade on Barkley and Chubb, but the Penn State running back was listed atop Chubb’s name on Big Blue’s board. They proceeded accordingly, and are “ecstatic,” Schwartz writes.

Additionally, Schwartz lists second-round pick Will Hernandez as a near-surefire starter at guard. Hernandez caught the Giants’ eye at the Senior Bowl, and one staffer told Schwartz the the team’s consensus was the UTEP lineman’s Combine performance would not have him available by the time New York’s second-round window opened. The Giants signed Patrick Omameh in free agency and still have returning starter John Jerry on the roster. And Schwartz adds that Lorenzo Carter could well get a strong push to start ahead of free agency addition Kareem Martin, the latter’s knowledge of James Bettcher’s system notwithstanding.

AFC East Notes: J. Allen, Dez, Jets, Pats

April 29th, 2018 at 10:34am CST by Rory Parks

Former Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, whom the Bills selected with the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft, is believed by many to have the highest upside of any rookie QB in the 2018 class. However, he is also considered quite raw, and given that Buffalo acquired A.J. McCarron — who does not have much NFL game experience, but who has at least been in the league for a few years — this offseason, the general belief is that Allen will be McCarron’s backup before he gets a chance to establish himself.

But Buffalo GM Brandon Beane is not willing to relegate Allen to the No. 2 job just yet. Beane said (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, citing NewYorkUpstate.com), “We’re not going to rush him, but you know if he somehow wins the job, he wins it…There will be 52 other players out there and if they see that he’s clearly the best, I don’t think we could [not start him]. We wouldn’t do that at any other position, so we’ll let it go. But he’s got a lot of catching up to do, that’s the thing.”

Now for more AFC East items, starting with another note out of Buffalo:

The Bills could use another quality wideout behind starters Kelvin Benjamin and Zay Jones. They added two receivers with their last two picks of the draft (Ray-Ray McCloud with the No. 187 pick and Austin Proehl with the No. 255 pick), but neither player figures to make an immediate impact. However, the team is not interested in free agent Dez Bryant. Beane said, per Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com, “We have looked at Dez on tape, but I wouldn’t take it any further and I don’t know where that would go. We’re looking to get better at all positions and receiver is one, so if we thought that was the right fit for us we would potentially pursue it.”
The Jets currently have five QBs on the roster, and teams have been in contact with Gang Green about the possibility of trading for one of those five signal-callers, Bryce Petty. Per Calvin Watkins of Newsday.com (via Twitter), GM Mike Maccagnan essentially confirmed as much, and while he did not mention any names, he sounded hopeful that he could find trading partners for all of his QB surplus (which also includes Christian Hackenberg). When asked if he will need to cut a quarterback, Maccagnan said, “We’ll see how that unfolds going forward. There’s always conversations you have with teams and we’ll see how that unfolds in [a] little bit of time.”
There are plenty of mixed feelings on the Patriots‘ 2018 draft class, but as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com observes, the team has a bevy of early picks in the 2019 draft (six selections in the first three rounds). While some have wondered why New England did not draft a signal-caller who could be the heir apparent to Tom Brady, Reiss says the Pats were very aggressive in scouting this year’s crop of QBs but ultimately felt the starting-caliber options did not fall far enough to pursue and did not want to overdraft a backup-type. Reiss, though, believes New England could use their 2019 draft haul to land its QB of the future.

Latest On Josh Allen

April 26th, 2018 at 4:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

While it’s not quite blowing up like the Laremy Tunsil bong incident two years ago, the draft status of Josh Allen has become a key storyline in light of the unearthing of controversial tweets from the quarterback’s high school days.

Some league insiders believe this discovery will be a factor regarding Allen’s introduction to NFL life, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. As for where the Wyoming-honed passer lands, a source informed Florio that if Allen tumbles past the Nos. 5-6 territory, then the passer and CAA (his representation) should start getting nervous.

Allen’s attempted to get in front of this story Thursday, indicating he thought he’d gone through his Twitter account last year. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported this account was vetted in January.

“I had even typed in keywords to see if anything I had tweeted popped up that I needed to clean up, but nothing like these came up or I just missed them,” Allen said, via Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. “My agency went over any past social media, and these didn’t come up after I did the search.”

While this is not exactly the same situation that Riley Cooper found himself in years ago, with Allen being in high school when these tweets containing racially insensitive language were sent, it’s become a key component on a big day in the 6-foot-5 quarterback’s life.

“If I could go back in time, I would never have done this in a heartbeat,” Allen said. “At the time, I obviously didn’t know how harmful it was and now has become. I hope you know and others know I’m not the type of person I was at 14 and 15 that I tweeted so recklessly. … I don’t want that to be the impression of who I am because that is not me. I apologize for what I did.”

Allen said some of these tweets could have been sent by friends, with the Firebaugh, Calif., native telling Mortensen he and his friends occasionally took each other’s phones and sent tweets. One NFL team said with a top-five pick told Schefter its brass didn’t know about the tweets and had heard “nothing but positives” on Allen, who said no teams have reached out to him about them. However, a report earlier today indicated Allen and his camp had contacted teams with high draft picks about this controversy.

“That’s my plan — to show the type of person I am now,” Allen said, via Mortensen. “Whatever team picks me, they are going to get that from me. I will set the record straight for any team, any teammate, the media, and I think once they meet me and they’re around me, see how I act and how I think, that it’s not going to be a problem at all.”

Jets Coaches Making Push For Josh Allen

April 26th, 2018 at 1:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets coaches are making a late push for the team to draft quarterback Josh Allen, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears. Thus far, there hasn’t been a lot of talk connecting the Jets to the Wyoming product, so this would represent a change of thinking in Jets headquarters.

Sitting at No. 3, the Jets have been preparing themselves for a decision between Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen. However, growing buzz about the Browns selecting Mayfield at No. 1 has thrown a wrench in those plans. If Mayfield is off the board, the Jets will have the once unexpected opportunity to select Sam Darnold at No. 3, but it sounds like Jets coaches may prefer the arm strength of Allen.

The Jets were believed to be the team that did the most work on Allen last season, being the only team to trek to Laramie, Wyo., to work out the 6-foot-5 quarterback. But as of late, they’ve been linked most to Mayfield and Rosen. Reported concerns about Allen’s accuracy issues have attached themselves to the Wyoming-honed passer, but with Mayfield possibly set to finish off a major pre-draft rise, Allen going to the Jets at No. 3 wouldn’t qualify as an earth-shattering surprise.

This comes after some tweets from Allen’s high school days paint the passer in a bad light, but it doesn’t sound like some of the teams with QB needs are going to hold that against him.

Darnold has long been a Jets target, but the organization apparently did not believe the USC passer would fall to No. 3. The signals that such a drop could occur caused the Jets to schedule more face-to-face time with Darnold, so him being there and the team still going with Allen would be a notable event.

Poll: Who Will Browns Take At No. 1 Overall?

April 26th, 2018 at 1:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

In one of the wilder lead-ups to a draft in many years, the Browns have been connected to several players with their No. 1 overall pick. The quarterback-desperate franchise is almost certain to announce its expected Tyrod Taylor successor tonight, but the buildup to that moment has been a process featuring many twists and turns.

Having bypassed Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson the past two years, the Browns have now been linked to three quarterbacks at No. 1. The latest could be one of the most unique first-overall picks in memory.

The Browns are now strongly connected to Baker Mayfield, the Heisman Trophy winner and a player who did not appear in the top half of the first round of Todd McShay’s first offseason mock draft. But John Dorsey brought on former Redskins GM Scot McCloughan as a consultant before the draft, and the longtime scouting guru has been an outspoken proponent of the polarizing Oklahoma-developed quarterback. The news the Browns will take Mayfield at No. 1 emerged this week, and that rumor is rapidly gaining steam.

However, the Browns’ previous debate was believed to be a two-horse race between Sam Darnold and Josh Allen. Dorsey has a history of selecting big-armed passers or being affiliated with organizations which have done so, most recently pulling the trigger on Patrick Mahomes in his final draft as Chiefs GM. Viewed as a high-ceiling, low-floor prospect, Allen would represent that kind of bold choice. A report earlier this week indicated Cleveland was down to the Wyoming prodigy or the fast-rising Mayfield.

Darnold has gone from a player viewed as arguably the best combination of production and upside to one that may fall out of the top two and be there for the Jets at No. 3. The Jets scheduled a Darnold visit once they began to sense the USC product falling to them was a legitimate possibility.

The Browns have also been linked to Saquon Barkley at No. 1. While Barkley is viewed as the top running back and possibly the No. 1 overall player in this prospect pool, it’s hard to believe the Browns would again bypass their chance at landing a possible franchise quarterback.

They have not been closely tied to Josh Rosen during this pre-draft stretch, and the latest on a trade-down occurrence is that line of thinking could transpire with the Browns’ No. 4 pick rather than their No. 1 choice.

So, which passer will be bound for northeast Ohio? Is the Mayfield surge legitimate or a massive smokescreen operation? Does Allen’s upside, the unearthing of several tweets from his high school days notwithstanding, warrant this kind of an investment? Or should the Browns take the player they’ve been most connected to in Darnold with the top pick? How about a trade-down scenario? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!

Draft Rumors: Allen, Cardinals, Broncos

April 26th, 2018 at 12:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Allen‘s camp has been doing damage control on Thursday morning, and it seems to be working thus far. Allen and his representatives have been on the phone with possible destination teams today, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link) these old tweets being unearthed is not believed to be an occurrence that will cause his stock to tumble. Allen has told teams these tweets were either references to a Rick Ross song or to movies and TV shows, with Rapoport adding some were tweets to friends. Teams are hesitant to judge the Wyoming- and central California-developed quarterback based on tweets from high school, per Rapoport (on Twitter).

Here’s the latest from the draft:

Maybe a team representing Allen’s floor, the Cardinals are considering moving up for the right price, Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com tweets. This is the latest out of Arizona, which has been linked to trade-up rumors this week. The Cardinals are in need of a long-term quarterback answer, and it’s possible none of the top four will be there when their No. 15 window opens.
The Browns taking Baker Mayfield at No. 1 would be a surprise and could change the Broncos‘ draft outlook. Of the big four, Mayfield and Sam Darnold are the only ones the Broncos take if they’re still on the board at No. 5, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. If Mayfield does go to the Browns, Darnold would be a consideration for the Giants — if they stick at No. 2 — and the Jets’ interest in the USC passer hasn’t been much of a secret. And it’s possible the Bills could move up to the No. 4 spot as well, so the Broncos could be set to go with a non-QB at No. 5 or trade back with a quarterback-seeking team.
While this offseason produced little to indicate the Browns would go with Mayfield, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein tweets we are hours away from that scenario unfolding. Zierlein tweets Mayfield-to-Cleveland “is happening.” He adds the Giants don’t love any of these quarterbacks, perhaps explaining the massive Saquon Barkley-to-New York buzz. Big Blue has now been connected to a trade-down scenario when it did not look like that would be the case for weeks now.
Derrius Guice indicated a team asked inappropriate questions to him at the Combine, but on Thursday, an investigation concluded that no proof of this emerged, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The questions ranged from if the running back prospect liked men or whether or not his mother was a prostitute. “The investigation did not confirm that any club made the reported inquiries,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. The LSU product is considered a late-first-round prospect.

Josh Allen Caught In Twitter Controversy

April 26th, 2018 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

Two years ago, Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil slid down the draft board after a video of him smoking from a gas mask bong surfaced on Twitter. This year, it’s possible that another Twitter controversy could affect Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen. Multiple tweets from 2012 and 2013 have been unearthed in which Allen uses racially insensitive language, as detailed by Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports.

There’s also a questionable tweet from 2013 in which Allen responds to a question asked of him by AskFM. When asked “Why are you so white?,” Allen responds, “If it ain’t white, it ain’t right!” Allen has since told teams that the tweets in question were in reference to TV shows, movies, and songs.

Allen spoke with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith late Wednesday night to apologize for the tweets, saying that he was young and dumb. It remains to be seen how the tweets will affect Allen on draft night, but a team with a top-five draft pick told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that it knew nothing about the tweets and that it had “never heard anything but positives” about the QB.

Allen has been projected to go as high as No. 1 to the Browns in recent days and it was widely expected that he would be selected no later than No. 5. Now, everything appears to be in flux for the talented passer.

Browns To Take Allen Or Mayfield?

April 25th, 2018 at 11:10am CST by Zachary Links

For weeks, we have been hearing that the Browns will select either USC quarterback Sam Darnold or Wyoming QB Josh Allen with the top pick. Then, this week, it was reported that Oklahoma signal caller Baker Mayfield is also in the mix. Now, sources say the Browns appear to be down to either Allen or Mayfield as team executives have cooled on Darnold, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes.

Much has been made about Mayfield’s lack of height, but GM John Dorsey has made it clear that he is not concerned. Dorsey has also indicated that he would not rule out Mayfield over his red flags, which include a public intoxication arrest, grabbing his crotch against Kansas, and planting a flag on the Block O at Ohio State.

“Every young man will make a mistake in his life, I bet you,” he said. “And I think he’s very remorseful of that mistake and I think he’s moved forward from that, and he’s trying to make himself a better person, going through the process.”

Allen, meanwhile, has been praised for his arm strength, but his low completion rate in college underscores his lack of accuracy. If the Browns believe that they can harness his raw skills, then he could be a real consideration for the top choice. However, some would argue that he has the most bust potential of this year’s top four quarterback prospects.

Have the Browns truly drifted away from Darnold? At this point, it is impossible to tell whether the Browns are actually deciding between Mayfield and Allen or if they are simply working to try and drum up a better trade offer. Still, it’s a situation worth monitoring as whispers about Darnold’s lack of polish continue to circulate.

Jets Engaged In Mayfield-Rosen Debate?

April 21st, 2018 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Less than a week remains until the rampant Jets quarterback rumor cycle will slow down, after the Kirk Cousins pursuit and the months-long prospect evaluations have kept the Big Apple’s AFC team at the center of many offseason news cycles.

But the identity of Gang Green’s hopeful franchise quarterback remains unknown, and the latest coming out of Jets headquarters centers on two players — with a catch.

New York would likely be quick to take Sam Darnold if the USC-developed passer remained on the board at No. 3. Though they didn’t work him out, the Jets finalized a Darnold visit because of the signs the Browns may pass on him at No. 1, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. But if he goes to either the Browns or Giants, the Jets look to be engaged in an interesting debate.

Although the Jets were the only team to trek to Laramie, Wyo., to work out Josh Allen, the latest noise related to their No. 3 overall pick centers on a Baker Mayfield-or-Josh Rosen decision. Brian Costello of the New York Post describes a “hearty debate” among Jets brass about the merits of the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner or the brash UCLA product who may be the most pro-ready passer in this draft. Both Schwartz and Vacchiano expect Darnold to be the pick if he’s still there at 3, but if he’s gone, these contingency talks could decide the Jets’ future.

Mike Maccagnan was reportedly a Mayfield skeptic earlier the pre-draft process, with Rosen having the early advantage in this head-to-head comparison, but Vacchiano notes the fourth-year GM looks to have warmed up to him. The Jets’ concerns about how Mayfield would handle the New York market look to have diminished as well. All four of the top QB prospects visited the Jets, but they did the most work on Allen.

As we heard earlier this month, the Jets have concerns about Allen’s readiness — mostly based on his accuracy at Wyoming — and may not be especially interested in the 6-foot-5 prodigy. However, a Jets faction “loves” Allen’s skill set. Allen falling past the Browns would create an interesting scenario, because the Giants appear to be zeroing in on Darnold or Saquon Barkley at No. 2. His being there at No. 4 could make the Browns’ second first-round pick valuable for QB-seeking teams, because John Elway — whose Broncos hold the No. 5 selection — has a history of preferring this type of quarterback.

The Jets did not call the Giants about moving to No. 2 instead of No. 3, but Vacchiano reports the NFC’s Big Apple team would have listened to an offer. With the Jets having surrendered three second-round picks to move up to the Colts’ slot, though, Vacchiano notes there is a feeling in the building that the team has already made its big move and is set to stay at No. 3 and pick its favorite quarterback remaining.

Latest On Giants’ No. 2 Pick

April 20th, 2018 at 9:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Round 1 looms in six days, Saquon Barkley has surged to the center of the Giants’ radar screen. While that interest is real, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv, this shouldn’t be viewed as a surefire pick.

There are some at Giants headquarters who think passing on a possible franchise quarterback “would be nuts,” per Vacchiano, who adds Sam Darnold likely remains the quarterback Big Blue would target (if he’s available). The Giants do not appear to be interested in Baker Mayfield or Josh Allen, and Vacchiano adds the team doesn’t seem to be as sure about this quarterback class as the one 14 years ago that produced their current starter.

Josh Rosen‘s stock may have taken a slight hit compared to where he was at the end of his final UCLA season, but one source informed Vacchiano he should not be ruled out of a New York selection. He was believed by some to be the favorite here early in the pre-draft process. A report earlier this month indicated the Giants were down on Rosen, but we are in peak smokescreen time.

Barkley is likely the No. 1 player on the Giants’ board, Vacchiano notes, adding that the team appears to prefer him to Bradley Chubb and may just view the Penn State sensation as an too much of a talent to pass up, regardless of positional value. ESPN’s Todd McShay has heard immense Barkley praise coming out of New York lately, and PFR readers’ early consensus is Barkley will be Big Apple-bound.

While the Giants are high on Chubb and Quenton Nelson, Vacchiano writes these two are likelier fits if they trade down, pointing to the Notre Dame guard in particular in a trade-down scenario. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reported Nelson was a top-three player on New York’s board and a target if the team trades down. If the Giants were to move down and target Chubb, they probably wouldn’t be able to drop too far. Any trade-down move, though, may be less likely than the franchise just picking its preferred prospect.

“Why would we (trade down) and pass on either the best quarterback or best player on our board?” one Giants source told Vacchiano.

This is the highest pick the Giants have held since 1981, when they landed Lawrence Taylor, and Dave Gettleman has repeatedly said he would like a “gold jacket” player with his first pick as GM.

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