Panthers Acquire 77th Pick From Browns
The Panthers have acquired the 77th pick from the Browns, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), and have chosen West Virginia defensive back Daryl Worley, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. In addition to No. 77, the Panthers received the 141st choice in exchange for Nos. 93, 129 and 168, per Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). The 77th selection has changed hands multiple times, with Detroit previously sending it to Philadelphia and then the Eagles trading it to the Browns.
Worley was a playmaker at West Virginia, where he picked off 10 passes during his three-year college career, including a personal-best six last season. Along with free agent pickup Brandon Boykin and second-rounder James Bradberry, Worley’s presence in Carolina should help to fill the void left by star cornerback Josh Norman, whom the team pulled the franchise tag from last week. Norman went on to sign with Washington.
Saints Acquire 61st Pick From Patriots
The Saints acquired the 61st pick from the Patriots in exchange for Nos. 78 and 112, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). New Orleans then selected Ohio State safety Vonn Bell. The Patriots, meanwhile, now have three third-round picks.
Bell will join a a Saints defense that allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL last season and hauled in just nine interceptions. Bell picked off nine passes himself during his three-year tenure with the Buckeyes and should play a prominent role in New Orleans’ defensive backfield.
Buccaneers Acquire 59th Pick From Chiefs
The Buccaneers have acquired the 59th selection from the Chiefs, tweets Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. In return, the Chiefs will land the 74th and 106th picks, according to the NFL Network. Surprisingly, the Bucs will choose Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Aguayo is the highest-drafted kicker since the Jets used a second-rounder on Mike Nugent in 2005. The Buccaneers had the third-worst field goal percentage in the NFL last season at 72.5 percent and finished toward the bottom in extra-point success rate (91.5%), so upgrading was in order on paper. However, after the team replaced Kyle Brindza with Connor Barth in October, its kicking performance improved significantly. Barth hit 23 of 28 field goals and only missed one extra point on 26 attempts.
Aguayo missed nine kicks during his three-year college career, though five of those came last year on 26 tries. During his best season, 2013, he nailed 21 of 22 field goals, won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker, and earned first-team All-America honors.
Latest On Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick
The Jets used a second-round pick on Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg on Friday, but they don’t plan on throwing him into the fire as a rookie. Instead, their goal is to sit Hackenberg next season and break him into the NFL slowly, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Rapoport expects the Jets to bring back veteran free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick on a one-year 
deal, though the two sides haven’t had meaningful contract talks in weeks, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link).
Fitzpatrick and the Jets have been at an impasse since the signal-caller’s contract expired last month. Per an ESPN.com report Thursday, the Jets’ offer to Fitzpatrick remains in the $7MM to 8MM annual range, while the veteran signal-caller is believed to be seeking upward of twice that amount.
At least one report has suggested that the Jets’ offer to Fitzpatrick is similar to the deal the Eagles gave Chase Daniel, which was worth $21MM over three years, but included another $15MM in incentives. However, on the heels of a career season in which he threw 31 touchdowns and helped the Jets to a 10-6 record, it appears Fitzpatrick wants New York to make an offer less reliant on incentives and heavier on base value.
If the Jets and Fitzpatrick aren’t able to find common ground, the second-best option available in free agency is Brian Hoyer. While Hoyer visited with the Jets earlier this month after the Texans released him, New York reportedly isn’t one of the teams that has made him an offer. The Steelers, Cowboys and Bears are pushing for his services, and he’s likely to make a decision on his future soon.
Packers Acquire 48th Pick From Colts
The Packers have acquired the 48th overall pick from the Colts, reports Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). In return, the Colts will get three choices this year from the Packers – a second-rounder (No. 57), fourth-rounder (No. 125) and seventh-rounder (No. 248) – according to Mike Chappell of FOX59 (Twitter link). The Packers selected Indiana offensive tackle Jason Spriggs with their newly acquired pick.
Spriggs started 46 games for Indiana and could be the long-term solution at left tackle for the Packers, whose current starter – David Bakhtiari – is a year away from free agency. General manager Ted Thompson isn’t one to give away draft picks, so moving multiple selections for Spriggs is a significant vote of confidence in the young lineman.
Draft Rumors: Jack, Bills, Cowboys, Bears
Had the Jaguars traded down from No. 5 in the first round into the teens, they might have taken UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, according to general manager David Caldwell (Twitter link via John Oehser of Jaguars.com). The Jags stayed at fifth overall and selected Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, and they still ended up with Jack in the second round (36th overall). Jack, who’s recovering from a knee injury, took out a pre-draft insurance policy on himself, though he won’t collect any money from it because it wasn’t scheduled to kick in until the 45th pick, reports Darren Rovell of ESPN (Twitter link via Schefter).
Here’s more of the latest from the draft:
- Bills general manager Doug Whaley contacted every team picking before Buffalo in the second round in an effort to trade up for Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland, he said (link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). Whaley ultimately did move up and grab Ragland after sending the Bills’ second-rounder (No. 49) and a fourth-rounder in each of the next two drafts to the Bears for the 41st choice.
- Speaking of the Bears, they nearly had a deal to acquire the Cowboys’ second-rounder, No. 34 overall. Talks fell apart, though, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), and the Cowboys ended up using the pick on Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith.
- As a result of the knee injury he suffered in January, Smith took out on a $5MM insurance policy on himself before the draft and will now collect an estimated $900K in tax-free payment, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- The Cowboys have fielded trade inquiries on veteran offensive lineman Ronald Leary, but they’re not inclined to give him away for an underwhelming return, said executive vice president Stephen Jones. The Cowboys would rather keep Leary, leave him inactive all year, and get a compensatory pick for him next year when he leaves in free agency (Twitter links via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Leary, a four-year veteran, signed his second-round restricted free agent tender with the Cowboys on Thursday.
Bills Acquire 41st Pick From Bears
The Bills have acquired the 41st overall pick from the Bears, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tweets. In exchange, the Bears will receive three picks – second- and fourth-rounders (Nos. 49 and 117) this year and a fourth in 2017 – reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter). The Bills will select Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland with the pick.
Ragland, who slipped from potential first-round status, figures to lead a Bills linebacker corps that was unspectacular last season and has since lost Nigel Bradham in free agency. He’ll join Manny Lawson, Preston Brown and offseason signing Zach Brown as prominent members of the group. Along with Clemson edge rusher Shaq Lawson, Ragland is the second significant addition to the Bills’ defense in the first two rounds of this year’s draft.
Dolphins Acquire 38th Pick From Ravens
The Dolphins have acquired the 38th pick from the Ravens in exchange for Nos. 42 and and 107, Baltimore announced on Twitter. The Dolphins will select Baylor cornerback Xavien Howard, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). This represents the second time the Ravens have moved down tonight, as they previously sent the 36th pick to the Jaguars for the 38th and 146th choices.
Howard is the third notable offseason addition to a Dolphins secondary that struggled against the pass last year, joining fellow corner Byron Maxwell and safety Isa Abdul-Quddus.
Jaguars, Ravens Swap 36th, 38th Picks
The Jaguars have acquired the 36th pick from the Ravens in exchange for Nos. 38 and 146, reports John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link). Jacksonville will select UCLA linebacker Myles Jack with the pick, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Jack was expected to go early in the first round, perhaps as high as No. 5 to the Jags, but concerns over his knee led to his stock dropping. Jack suffered a torn meniscus early last season and subsequently underwent surgery. There were questions as to whether Jack would need microfracture surgery at some point, but renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews told him today that he does not require the procedure, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Jack will now become the most talented member of a Jags linebacker corps that features Paul Posluszny, Dan Skuta and Telvin Smith. He’s the latest big-time pickup for a defense that added first-round cornerback Jalen Ramsey on Thursday and nabbed accomplished free agents in Malik Jackson, Tashaun Gipson and Prince Amukamara earlier this offseason.
Broncos Out On Hoyer; Three Teams Have Made Offers
On the heels of selecting Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch with the 26th pick in the draft, the Broncos informed free agent Brian Hoyer on Friday that they won’t be signing him, Mike Klis of 9News reports. The Broncos will instead go forth with their current signal-calling trio that consists of veteran starter Mark Sanchez, Lynch and second-year man Trevor Siemian.
General manager John Elway doesn’t currently intend to add any more QBs because he doesn’t want to take reps from any of Sanchez, Lynch or Siemian. Further, team brass is confident that Sanchez is a good fit for head coach Gary Kubiak‘s West Coast offense. Sanchez, whom the Broncos acquired last month from the Eagles for a conditional pick, has struggled mightily since going fifth overall to the Jets in the 2009 draft. However, he was part of two Jets teams whose strong defenses helped lead them to back-to-back AFC title games. The Broncos, of course, won the Super Bowl last season on the strength of their all-world defense and figure to continue stymieing opposing offenses next season.
Prior to adding Lynch, the Broncos visited with Hoyer shortly after the Texans released him this month. They wanted to sign Hoyer as of last week, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link), but Thursday’s developments obviously changed that. Hoyer has offers to serve as a backup with the Steelers, Cowboys and Bears, per Renck, and will decide his next team soon. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune corroborated Renck’s report that the Bears are in on Hoyer (via Twitter).
The 30-year-old Hoyer made 11 appearances (nine starts) for the Texans in 2015 and enjoyed his best season as a pro. The Michigan State product completed more than 60 percent of his passes and racked up 2,606 yards, 19 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. The AFC South-winning Texans went 5-4 in Hoyer’s starts, but his horrible first-round playoff showing (four interceptions in a 30-0 loss to Kansas City) helped lead to the signing of ex-Bronco Brock Osweiler, thus sealing Hoyer’s fate in Houston.