2016 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Titans Notes: Roster, Staff, No. 1 Pick

January 18th, 2016 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

In an afternoon press conference, the Titans introduced their new general manager Jon Robinson, along with new permanent head coach Mike Mularkey. The club didn’t confirm the hiring of Terry Robiskie as offensive coordinator, which was reported earlier in the day, but there were still a handful of notable tidbits to come out of the presser. Let’s round them up….

Robinson will have control of the 53-man roster, while Mularkey will have control of the coaching staff, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Mularkey indicated that “there will be multiple coaching changes” in the near future, as Jason Wolf of The Tennessean tweets.
Former offensive coordinator Jason Michael will become the Titans’ new quarterbacks coach, Mularkey confirmed today (Twitter link via Kuharsky).
Discussions regarding the defensive coordinator job are ongoing, with Mularkey declining to comment on whether Ray Horton asked to leave (Twitter link via John Glennon of The Tennessean).
According to Titans president and CEO Steve Underwood, the team was turned down by only one candidate for the general manager job (Twitter link via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com). That one candidate was probably Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta, whom the Titans reportedly wanted to interview.
While Underwood didn’t unequivocally come out and say it, he hinted strongly that controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk had a pretty good idea that the team would be hiring Mularkey before the head coaching search even began, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Underwood cited a “comfort level” that ownership had with Mularkey, tweets McCormick.
Robinson suggested that there will be many avenues open to the Titans as they look to improve their roster in the offseason. The team will explore the free agent market for good fits, and will consider all possible options for the No. 1 overall pick, including trading it (Twitter links via McCormick).
Running back is a position expected to be addressed this offseason by the Titans, according to McCormick, who says Mularkey seems to favor having a power back (Twitter links).
Underwood confirmed today that the NFL has expressed some concern with the Titans’ ownership structure, but not with the owners themselves (Twitter link via Kuharsky).

Draft Notes: Quarterbacks, Smith, Clemson

January 16th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

An AFC team’s scout revealed North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz rates as his team’s No. 1 quarterback in the 2016 draft class, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report writes.

Said team doesn’t expect the Division I-FCS national champion signal-caller to be on the board, however, when they select late in the first round.

Missing time due to injury this season, Wentz threw for 42 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions in his two years starting for the Bison.

Conversely, early-entry player Paxton Lynch did not impress one school’s scouting director, who told Miller, “Go watch him against any good team and tell me how he did. He’s overrated.”

In Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock draft, the 6-foot-7 Lynch goes off the board at No. 15, with Wentz lasting until No. 22.

Here is some more about the upcoming draft class:

Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams announced he’d return for the 2016 season after fracturing his neck in a preseason accident. He would have rated as Miller’s No. 1 receiver in this class had he declared early. Miller also places Tigers defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd among his top 25 prospects.
Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith‘s floor should be no lower than No. 18, an AFC scouting director tells NFL.com’s Albert Breer. The anonymous scouting director hasn’t seen any medical reports on Smith’s knee, recently repaired via reconstructive surgery, and how the early-entry linebacker’s medical evaluations go at the Scouting Combine next month will contribute to his placement, notes Breer, who adds the Irish’s top prospect would have gone in the top three or four picks had he not torn his ACL and MCL.
Another collegiate player with an ACL injury — Mississippi State corner Will Redmond — is also drawing attention from NFL scouts, per Breer. Redmond, who injured his knee in October, could be ready for the beginning of the season, and while he is now projected as a mid-round pick, he was garnering interest as potential first-rounder prior to his ACL tear.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Alabama DL A’Shawn Robinson To Enter Draft

January 15th, 2016 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Four days after winning the national championship as a member of the Crimson Tide, Alabama defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson has announced his decision to leave school early and enter the 2016 NFL draft (Twitter link). Robinson joined running back Derrick Henry as Alabama prospects officially declaring their intent today.

[RELATED: Derrick Henry to enter 2016 draft]

Robinson, who likely projects as a defensive tackle for a team running a 4-3 scheme or a defensive end for a 3-4 defense, is considered one of the top defensive linemen available this spring. A Consensus All-American in his junior year, Robinson recorded 46 tackles (7.5 for a loss) to go along with his 3.5 sacks.

Recently, ESPN’s Todd McShay (Insider link) projected Robinson to go 19th overall in this year’s draft. McShay’s ESPN colleague, Mel Kiper Jr., was even more bullish on the defensive lineman’s prospects, suggesting in his first mock draft of 2016 that Robinson will come off the board at No. 12 overall, to the Saints (Insider link).

Kiper suggests the 6’3″, 313-pound lineman is “an immediate starter who combines great awareness and strength to make plays and hold the point in the run game, as well as the ability to push the pocket.”

Extra Points: Kaepernick, Jets, Foster, Draft

January 14th, 2016 at 10:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers announced today that Chip Kelly will be the team’s new head coach, which created a whole new set of questions about whether Colin Kaepernick might have a future in San Francisco after all. After being benched in 2015, Kaepernick, who is owed a base salary of nearly $12MM in 2016, looked like a candidate to be traded or released this offseason.

According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), however, Kelly told the Niners in his interviews that he likes both Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert, so the team and its new coach are keeping their options open. Kelly plans to sit down with Kaepernick at some point to determine which direction to go, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who tweets that Kelly will make the call on the club’s quarterback.

While we look forward to seeing if Kaepernick can be rejuvenated under Kelly, let’s check out a few more odds and ends from around the NFL….

General manager Mike Maccagnan indicated today that his Jets would like to re-sign Muhammad Wilkerson and the franchise tag is definitely in play for the defensive lineman, says Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Still, Wilkerson is facing a six-month rehab for his broken leg, and may have to be placed on the PUP list to start training camp. Cimini gets the sense that the Jets GM isn’t optimistic about keeping both Wilkerson and defensive tackle Damon Harrison.
As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes, Arian Foster‘s future with the Texans remains up in the air, but it looks like something’s got to give, since the veteran running back is coming off a torn Achilles and has a cap hit of nearly $9MM in 2016. “We’ll have to see how healthy he is,” Texans owner Bob McNair said. “But until we know that, there’s really not much you can think about.”
The Jets are showing significant interest in CFL star wide receiver Eric Rogers, who visited them on Wednesday after working out for them a few weeks ago, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that the Lions and Rogers may be a logical fit as well, since new GM Bob Quinn worked him out in New England, and wide receiver may be a position of need for Detroit.
Mel Kiper’s first mock draft of 2016 at ESPN.com (Insider-only link) features Joey Bosa, Jared Goff, and Laremy Tunsil coming off the board in the top three to the Titans, Browns, and Chargers respectively.

Alabama RB Derrick Henry To Enter Draft

January 14th, 2016 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Alabama running back and Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry has decided to enter the 2016 NFL draft, according to Joe Schad of ESPN.com. By entering this year’s draft, Henry will forgo his final year of college eligibility.

Henry, a Consensus All-American, led the nation with 395 carries for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns in his junior year at Alabama. He capped his incredible year by rushing for 158 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries in the Crimson Tide’s championship win earlier this week.

Henry’s staggering workload may be of some concern to teams, since only six running backs in NFL history have ever racked up 395 or more rushing attempts in a regular season. Still, he is viewed as one of the top backs in this year’s draft class, trailing only Ezekiel Elliott in the estimation of CBSSports.com and ESPN’s Todd McShay. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report currently places Henry fourth among running backs on his big board.

While Henry doesn’t currently project as a first-round pick, he looks like a good bet to come off the board on day two of this year’s draft. He could also be joined by several of his Alabama teammates in the 2016 draft class. Schad reports that defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson has seriously considered entering the draft, while defensive end Jonathan Allen and tight end O.J. Howard have also weighed the possibility.

The deadline for NCAA underclassmen to declare their intent is next Monday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Updates: Alexander, Kearse, Dodd

January 13th, 2016 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander has confirmed that he’ll leave school early and enter the 2016 NFL draft, tweets Joe Schad of ESPN. While Alexander’s team may have fallen short in this week’s national championship game against Alabama, the young defensive back appears poised to do very well this spring.

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link) recently ranked Alexander as the seventh-best overall prospect on his big board, while CBSSports.com places the Clemson defensive back 10th overall, behind only Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey among cornerbacks. Several teams picking in that neighborhood could use help on defense, so Alexander will be an interesting name to watch leading up to the draft.

Here are a few more draft updates:

Alexander is hardly the only Clemson player declaring his intent to enter the draft. Safety Jayron Kearse announced today (via Instagram) that he’ll be leaving the Tigers for the NFL, and defensive end Kevin Dodd did the same (link via David Hood of TigerNet.com).
Oregon State center Isaac Seumalo is entering the 2016 draft, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link). While Seumalo has plenty of talent, potential suitors will have to consider his injury history when deciding whether to draft him.
Delaware Blue Hens punter Eric Enderson will forego his senior season and enter the draft, as Craig Haley of Stats FCS tweets.
Following the NFL’s Wild Card weekend, the draft order for 2016 became set through No. 24, as Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com writes. Washington picks at No. 21, the Texans at No. 22, the Vikings at No. 23, and the Bengals at No. 24. The top 20 was set at the end of the regular season, while the remaining postseason games will determine the order of the final eight.
The NFL’s scouting combine is expected to remain in Indianapolis through 2020, with a new deal potentially in place sometime this week, writes Mike Chappell of CBS4Indy.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith To Enter Draft

January 11th, 2016 at 11:40am CST by Zachary Links

JANUARY 11: Smith has announced (via Twitter) that he’ll enter the 2016 draft, despite his knee injury. A Friday report indicated that surgery on that torn ACL and MCL went about as well as could be expected, so perhaps the linebacker’s stock won’t slip too significantly.

JANUARY 5: Notre Dame outside linebacker Jaylon Smith will undergo reconstructive left knee surgery on Thursday, sources tell ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter). Smith was projected to go somewhere in the top 10 in this year’s draft by many pundits. Now, it’s unclear whether he’ll declare for the draft at all.

Smith was said to have suffered a “significant knee injury” during his team’s bowl game against Ohio State on New Year’s Day. Smith, a junior, was expected to be drafted near the top end of the first round — Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, for example, had Smith rated as his No. 2 overall player. Now facing a major injury and recovery time, Smith could either declare for the draft and get himself guaranteed money as he rehabs or return to school in an effort to be a top ten selection in 2017.

The most recent example of a top collegiate prospect suffering a knee injury is, of course, Todd Gurley, who was drafted with the 10th overall pick after tearing his ACL. However, these are two separate cases. Gurley, a running back, suffered his injury in mid-November, not January, and was considered a generational talent. Smith might not be regarded as a slam-dunk prospect to begin with, so it’s hard to say where his stock would be for this year’s draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sunday Roundup: Wood, Burfict, Koetter

January 10th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Parks

As the Vikings and Seahawks do battle in frigid Minneapolis, let’s take a look at some links from around the league:

New Lions president Rod Wood admits to not having any football experience, but no one was especially concerned about that, as Wood is expected to handle the business side of the club while new GM Bob Quinn will handle the football side. But as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Detroit’s press release announcing Quinn’s hire noted that Quinn would report to team ownership and to Wood, which suggests that Wood could be wielding more power than initially believed.
Unsurprisingly, Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict is facing a suspension for his hit on Antonio Brown last night, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
ESPN’s Ed Werder believes it is “unlikely” that the Bengals will part ways with head coach Marvin Lewis (Twitter link), and Mark Maske of the Washington Post lays out the reasons for his belief that Lewis should stay.
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel believes the Packers‘ efforts this season have been hampered by GM Ted Thompson‘s lack of in-season roster moves to address the team’s weaknesses. Since 2010, Green Bay has been awarded just two players on waivers, and Thompson has gone to the practice squad 70% of the time to fill vacancies on the 53-man roster.
Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune tweets that Dirk Koetter is still the leading candidate for the Buccaneers‘ head coaching job, though Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Koetter “really impressed” the 49ers during his interview with San Francisco yesterday. Tampa Bay also interviewed Panthers DC Sean McDermott yesterday.
Gus Bradley is taking his time with the Jaguars‘ search for a new defensive coordinator and has yet to establish a deadline for the decision, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida-Times Union.
Texans unrestricted free agents Ben Jones and Jared Crick both expressed their desire to remain in Houston, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Meanwhile, two notable players have declared that they will enter the NFL draft: Arkansas RB Alex Collins (Twitter link via ESPN’s Joe Schad) and Utah State LB Nick Vigil (Twitter link via Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net).

Extra Points: Lions, Colts, Broncos, J. Smith

January 8th, 2016 at 9:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Now that the Lions have hired Bob Quinn as their new general manager, Detroit coaches are wondering if they still have a job, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Obviously, there will be some turnover as a new regime takes over, but two Lions coaches told Birkett they have not been updated as to the status of their employment.

However, the club’s head coach, Jim Caldwell, might be one of the lucky ones, as a Patriots insider tells Mike O’Hara of Lions.com that Quinn is likely to retain Caldwell for 2016. Detroit’s upper management has been adamant that the new GM would get to decide Caldwell’s fate, and while we’ll have to wait for official word, at least one source thinks Caldwell will get to stay.

Meanwhile, while interim GM Sheldon White was thanked in a team statement, there’s been no indication as to whether he’ll revert back to his old position of director of player personnel, tweets Paula Pasche of the Oakland Press.

Extra Points: M. Lewis, Flacco, Smallwood, L.A.

January 7th, 2016 at 5:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Marcedes Lewis is eligible for free agency this winter, but the Jaguars tight end is hopeful he won’t reach the open market, preferring to work out a new deal that keeps him in Jacksonville, as Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com details.

“You rarely see players play 10 years for one team, let alone finish their career [with the same team], so it’s something that I want to be able to do,” Lewis said. “Hopefully we can get it done before all the other stuff even starts, if it’s possible. … I know where I want to be.”

As Lewis notes, he has spent the last decade with the Jaguars, catching 331 balls for the club during that stretch. Still, it’s not yet clear how serious the team will be about keeping him around going forward, now that Julius Thomas is in the mix. The 31-year-old hasn’t caught more than 25 passes since the 2012 season, and his 16 receptions in 2015 represented his lowest total since his rookie year, way back in 2006.

Here are more Thursday odds and ends from around the NFL:

Speaking this morning to Glenn Clark of PressBox (link via Justin Silberman of PressBoxOnline.com), Joe Linta – the agent for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco – was cagey about his client’s contract situation. Flacco is projected to have one of the league’s highest cap numbers, at $28.55MM, but Linta said there are no negotiations ongoing with the Ravens at this point, adding that the veteran QB isn’t in any rush to rework his deal. “I mean, that’s the price of these types of quarterbacks,” Linta said. “Every deal that’s going to be done is going to be in that realm.” Earlier today, GM Ozzie Newsome acknowledged that the Ravens would like to reduce Flacco’s 2016 cap hit, but said the team has a plan to work around it if it remains at $28MM+.
Big 12 rushing leader Wendell Smallwood changed his mind about staying at West Virginia, and has now decided to enter the 2016 NFL draft, as Allan Taylor of the West Virginia MetroNews writes. Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk notes that Smallwood will join teammate Daryl Worley in heading to the NFL, despite the fact that the cornerback doesn’t project as a top pick.
During Wednesday’s team owner meetings in New York, Panthers owner – and Carson supporter – Jerry Richardson was “silent all meeting,” according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who wonders if Richardson may be backing down from the joint Raiders–Chargers plan.
Cornerback Josh Norman is one of the most noteworthy players eligible for free agency this winter – he ranked third in PFR’s most recent free agent power rankings – but he says he won’t think about a new deal until the Panthers are eliminated from the playoffs or win the Super Bowl (link via ESPN’s David Newton). Meanwhile, GM Dave Gettleman admits it’s a “headache” trying to figure out how to keep Norman and all the other potential free agents the Panthers don’t want to lose, but he’s optimistic that the club will figure it out (link via Newton).

2016 NFL Draft News & Rumors