2016 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Draft Updates: Lynch, Broncos, Bengals

April 12th, 2016 at 5:33pm CST by Luke Adams

A previous report had indicated the Broncos were expected to bring in Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch this week, and Troy Renck of the Denver Post confirms (via Twitter) that visit is taking place on Tuesday. The Broncos, of course, continue to consider all their options at QB in the wake of Peyton Manning‘s retirement and Brock Osweiler‘s departure.

UCLA guard Alex Redmond, who is drawing plenty of attention leading up to the draft, visited the Bengals on Monday, per Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Florida wide receiver Demarcus Robinson is paying a visit to the Raiders on Tuesday, tweets Mike Kaye of First Coast News.
Houston offensive lineman Alex Cooper also visited the Raiders on Tuesday, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. Cooper participated in Houston’s local prospect workout on Saturday. Cooper started every game for UH at three different positions (left tackle, right tackle, and right guard) and served as a team captain.
The Colts are working out William & Mary middle linebacker Luke Rhodes, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Purdue offensive lineman David Hedelin is drawing interest from the Chiefs, Lions, Falcons, Broncos, Patriots, Washington, and Dolphins, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.

Cole’s Latest: Raiders, Goff, Wentz, 49ers

April 12th, 2016 at 5:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report released a series of videos today on a handful of noteworthy NFL topics. Let’s dive right in and round up the latest from Cole….

The idea of the Raiders potentially moving to Las Vegas is gaining some momentum, a “well-placed” NFL source tells Cole (video link). According to Cole, Raiders owner Mark Davis is scheduled to speak later this month in Las Vegas about the possibility of building a stadium in the city, and Las Vegas decision-makers will have to decide whether to devote tax funds to a stadium.
Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News notes (via Twitter) that the Raiders‘ interest in Las Vegas – assuming the funding falls into place – “can’t be overstated,” while Cole suggests that Davis would commit to attempting to relocate the franchise to Vegas if the city is prepared to put up the necessary money.
Contrary to a previous report, quarterback prospects Jared Goff and Carson Wentz won’t be visiting the 49ers this week, according to Cole (video link). That doesn’t mean the two top QB prospects won’t eventually make the trip to Santa Clara, but the 49ers have already worked them out individually and have gotten a closer look at them. Cole also hears that GM Trent Baalke really likes Michigan State signal-caller Connor Cook.
There’s a “growing sense within the Cowboys‘ organization” that Dallas is seriously considering drafting a quarterback at No. 4, a source tells Cole (video link). Per Cole, some members of the organization prefer to target a defensive player or even a running back (Ezekiel Elliott) at that spot, but there are others who are arguing for a QB since they don’t believe the Cowboys will be drafting this high again for quite some time.

Draft Visits/Workouts: Joseph, W. Jackson, Valles

April 12th, 2016 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

West Virginia safety Karl Joseph, who is recovering from a torn ACL, won’t be able to run before the draft, but that isn’t stopping several teams around the NFL from bringing him in for a visit to get a first-hand look at him.

According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link), Joseph, who was in Pittsburgh on Monday, also has visits with the Cowboys, Vikings, Broncos, Bengals, Giants, Texans, and Colts on his pre-draft schedule. In Pro Football Rumors’ first 2016 mock draft, our Rob DiRe had Joseph coming off the board 21st overall, but there’s a good chance health concerns will drop him into the second round on draft day.

Here are several more of the latest updates on draft visits and workouts for prospects. All links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson unless otherwise indicated:

We can add the Rams, Bengals, and Jaguars to the list of teams hosting Houston cornerback William Jackson III for pre-draft visits (Twitter link). Jackson is a probable first-round pick.
Monmouth tight end Hakeem Valles worked out for the Seahawks on Monday and will work out for Falcons tight ends coach Wade Harman on Thursday. Valles also has meetings (or has had meetings) with the Buccaneers, Falcons, and Chargers and will work out at the Eagles‘ and Giants‘ local days (Twitter links).
Mississippi State cornerback Taveze Calhoun has or had workouts with the Cowboys, Lions, Jaguars, 49ers, and Buccaneers, and is visiting the Patriots and Dolphins (Twitter link).
San Diego State offensive lineman Darrell Greene has worked out – or will work out – for the Texans, Browns, Eagles, Colts, and 49ers, and has visited the Vikings and Chargers (link).
There usually aren’t more than a couple punters drafted in a given year, but Texas Tech punter Taylor Symmank is drawing some interest. He recently worked out for the Jets and participated in the Cowboys‘ local workout, and is meeting with the Lions today (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Draft Notes: Titans, Bills, Ragland

April 12th, 2016 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s no secret that the Titans are willing to trade down from No. 1 in this year’s draft, and one high-level executive from a team in the top half of the draft suggests to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Tennessee may be torn between top tackles Laremy Tunsil and Ronnie Stanley. Tunsil is widely expected to be selected first, but if the Titans were to move down a little, the team could potentially draft whichever tackle is still on the board at that point – likely Stanley – while picking up an extra selection or two in the process.

As we wait to see what general manager Jon Robinson ultimately decides to do with that first overall pick, let’s round up another handful of draft updates from out of the AFC….

The Bills are hosting Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland for a visit today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Ragland, who visited the Rams on Monday, is projected to be a first-round pick, and could still be on the board when Buffalo picks at No. 19.
After making a visit to Kansas City last week, Northern Illinois linebacker Perez Ford is meeting with another AFC West team today, per Aaron Wilson, who tweets that Ford is visiting the Raiders.
UCLA pass-catching tight end Thomas Duarte is visiting the Dolphins today, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Getlin suggests that Duarte may be an ideal match for Adam Gase’s offensive scheme.
Most of the Steelers‘ pre-draft visitors so far have been defensive players, but the team took a look at an offensive prospect today, bringing in Oklahoma wide receiver Sterling Shepard, tweets Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Having already worked out for New Orleans and Philadelphia, Boston College linebacker Steven Daniels is paying a visit to New England to meet with the Patriots, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net, who tweets that the Pats would be a good fit for Daniels.

Draft Rumors: Jack, Dolphins, Saints

April 11th, 2016 at 9:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Myles Jack told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that he has only worked out for the Dolphins and Saints so far. The UCLA linebacker, widely considered to be one of the top talents in the 2016 draft, is pegged to go No. 2 overall to the Browns in PFR’s (v. 1.0) mock draft. The Saints (No. 12 overall) and the Dolphins (No. 13 overall) may have to move up in the draft order if they want to land the athletic prospect.

Here’s the latest NFL draft news:

LSU linebacker Deion Jones has already visited the Saints, Ravens, and Jets, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jones is now set to visit the Eagles and Colts this week. He also had solo workouts with the 49ers, Dolphins, Titans, Lions, Falcons, and Panthers (link).
Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler visited the Seahawks on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). After that, he has the Lions on Tuesday, the Buccaneers on Wednesday, and the Bills on Thursday.
Utah running back Devontae Booker will visit with the Dolphins on Tuesday and also with the Patriots later in the week, Rapoport tweets.
Baylor wide receiver Jay Lee has visits lined up with the Ravens, Browns, and Seahawks plus private workouts for the Patriots, Cowboys, Lions, Seahawks, and Jaguars, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
San Diego State offensive tackle Darrell Greene visited the Vikings and Chargers and he’ll have private workouts with the Texans, Browns, Eagles, Colts, and 49ers, Wilson tweets.

North Rumors: Browns, Gordon, Kuhn, Packers

April 11th, 2016 at 8:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the football world was rocked by the news that embattled Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has apparently failed another drug test, putting his NFL future in jeopardy. However, top execs in the Cleveland front office probably weren’t all that shocked. The Browns were getting the sense for weeks that Gordon wasn’t going to be reinstated anytime soon and felt that it was possible that he might not get reinstated at all, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. The league office had concerns about who Gordon was continuing to associate with (link) and, after some initial optimism, the Browns started to fear the worst.

While we wait to learn more about Gordon, here’s the latest from the North divisions:

With one week to go before the start of the Packers‘ offseason program, veteran fullback John Kuhn remains unsigned, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. Agent Kevin Gold says he is still waiting to hear whether the Packers will re-sign Kuhn or instead roll with second-year player Aaron Ripkowski. In 2015, the Packers did not re-up Kuhn until April 13th, so it’s possible that he could still be in the mix for 2016.
Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), tight end Hunter Henry said he has had five or six workouts with teams, but has only visited one club so far — the Bears. The former Arkansas Razorback is widely viewed as the top tight end in the draft.
The Lions, with wide receiver Corey Fuller already on their roster, will take a look at another Fuller brother this week, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, who reports that Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller is visiting Detroit.

AFC Rumors: Steelers, Patriots, Easley, Texans

April 11th, 2016 at 7:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have used the majority of their pre-draft visits within the last week, and announced several more today. As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes, the following players were in Pittsburgh today to meet with the club: Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones, West Virginia safety Karl Joseph, South Carolina wide receiver Pharoh Cooper, Virginia Tech linebacker Dadi Nicolas, Colorado cornerback Ken Crawley, Maryland safety Sean Davis, and Boston College safety Justin Simmons.

Here’s more from the AFC:

Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams is visiting with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium today, sources tell Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter). The Pats previously met with the tailback at the combine. Williams, 22, missed the 2015 regular season after undergoing foot surgery. In 2014, he racked up 1,190 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground despite splitting carries.
Patriots defensive lineman Dominique Easley has hired agents Drew Rosenhaus and Michael Katz of Rosenhaus Sports for representation, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Easley, 23, has been plagued by injuries since being selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. In December of last season, he was placed on IR with a leg injury. In his injury-shortened sophomore year, Easley totaled 15 tackles and two sacks as a part-time player.
Texas Tech’s Jakeem Grant is visiting the Texans, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. The wide receiver/kick returner has also worked out for the Dolphins, Colts, and Jets. Grant returned four kicks for touchdowns over the course of his collegiate career with the Red Raiders and caught 90 passes for 1,268 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

West Notes: A. Davis, Chargers, Cardinals

April 11th, 2016 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

In his MMQB column this week, Peter King noted that one source believes the 49ers “want to trade” veteran offensive tackle Anthony Davis, who remains on the reserve/retired list for now. Davis took to Twitter to let his followers know that GM Trent Baalke sent him a text message calling King’s tidbit “false reporting.”

What to make of King’s report and Baalke’s response (via Davis)? For what it’s worth, King presented the info as something that one high-ranking team executive believed, rather than something King himself was formally reporting. Still, it’s unlikely that the team exec simply invented the notion that Davis might be on the trade block. It’s possible that Baalke and the Niners have sent out feelers without explicitly shopping their offensive tackle, attempting to get a sense of their options.

As we wait for further developments on the Davis situation, let’s round up some more items from out of the NFL’s West divisions…

The Chargers, who hold the third overall pick in this month’s draft, hosted Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil for a visit today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Tunsil is considered by many experts the top prospect in this year’s draft class, so he may not be on the board at No. 3, but San Diego is doing its homework just in case.
Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, who is in Pittsburgh today, is scheduled to visit the Chargers next, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
After playing for the Cardinals for 12 seasons, longtime safety Adrian Wilson is now a part of the team in another capacity. According to a press release, Wilson has joined Arizona’s personnel department as a full-time scout.

QB Rumors: Cook, Goff, Wentz, Manziel

April 11th, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

After spending the last week “sniffing around on the situation,” Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com is more convinced than ever that Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook will come off the board earlier than expected in this year’s draft. While other quarterbacks, such as Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, and Paxton Lynch, are being discussed more frequently in media circles, La Canfora suspects that a few NFL teams are hoping Cook flies under the radar.

According to La Canfora, at least one club is considering moving up from the second round to late in the first round to take Cook, if he’s available, and several teams have him rated as the second-best quarterback on their boards.

“We like the kid a lot,” said an executive from one team that has Cook second on its draft board. “We don’t think there is a whole lot separating some of these quarterbacks and Cook is the most ready to play. Goff, look at his tape against Utah, it’s not pretty. And Wentz, there is a lot to like there, but he needs to go somewhere and sit for a year or two and develop.”

Cook will have a busy schedule this week, according to La Canfora, who writes that the QB is visiting the Cowboys, Dolphins, Broncos, and 49ers. Cook will also visit the Jets and Bears, and work out for the Rams. He has previously visited the Ravens and Bills, and met with the Browns.

Here are a few more updates on quarterbacks who are seeking NFL jobs:

Jared Goff and Carson Wentz will be in Santa Clara this week to meet with the 49ers, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. San Francisco holds the No. 7 overall pick and is believed to be in the market for a quarterback.
In addition to meeting with San Francisco, Goff will visit the Saints, Eagles, and Jets in the coming days, tweets Michael Silver of the NFL Network. Unless Goff slips a little in the draft, at least two of those clubs would likely have to trade up to have a chance to land the Cal QB, so the fact that he’s meeting with those teams is interesting.
Wentz and Paxton Lynch, like Goff, will be visiting the Eagles this week, says Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link).
Penn State signal-caller Christian Hackenberg is among the quarterbacks meeting with the Jets this week, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Although Johnny Manziel told TMZ over the weekend that he’s living with Von Miller in Los Angeles, sources tell ESPN that Manziel is actually living with Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon. While it’s entirely possible that Manziel and Gordon are helping one another to stay out of trouble and get back on the field, the arrangement may not look great to potential Manziel suitors, or – in Gordon’s case – to the league office. It probably also didn’t improve Manziel’s odds of landing a job that he told TMZ that he had been out in West Hollywood five or six nights in a row, adding that he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with “partying.”

Draft Updates: Higbee, Titans, Byard, Reed

April 11th, 2016 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the top tight end prospects in this year’s draft, Tyler Higbee was charged with second-degree assault, alcohol intoxication in a public place, and second-degree fleeing or evading police on Sunday, Zach Greenwell of the Bowling Green Daily News reports.

The 23-year-old Western Kentucky product was considered a potential Day 2 pick, but these charges will undoubtedly cloud his draft weekend. Higbee caught 48 passes for 563 yards and eight touchdowns last season but missed five games due to a knee injury that he told reporters at his pro day was 75-80% healed.

Here are a few more Monday draft updates:

Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa are among the standout prospects visiting the Titans this week, tweets Jason Wolf of the Tennessean. The Titans are believed to like Bosa, but Tunsil remains the odds-on favorite to come off the board first overall if the club keeps its pick.
West Virginia cornerback Daryl Worley has made pre-draft visits to the Eagles and Cardinals, and has private workouts for the Panthers, Lions, and Jaguars, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
After a busy few days last week, Middle Tennessee State defensive back Kevin Byard will be on the move again this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Byard will be visiting the Cardinals today and the Rams tomorrow, followed by the Saints and Bengals.
In addition to making previously-reported visits to the Panthers, Lions, and Saints this week, Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed will also make trips to meet with the Bills and Bears, tweets Rapoport.
UCLA wide receiver and return man Devin Fuller has several visits and workouts left on his schedule, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network. Per Getlin, the Dolphins, Packers, and Chargers are among the teams that will get a close look at Fuller.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

2016 NFL Draft News & Rumors