Panthers Draft Former XFL S Kenny Robinson
The XFL is on the board. With the sixth pick in Round 5, the Panthers selected safety Kenny Robinson, who last played for the St. Louis BattleHawks.
Before his half-season in Vince McMahon‘s rebooted league, Robinson starred at West Virginia. As a sophomore, he made first-team in the conference, notched 77 stops, and hauled in a team-leading four interceptions. Then, he was ejected from the Mountaineers’ bowl game and booted from the program for alleged academic fraud.
With wingspan to swat passes and aggressive tackling (albeit, sometimes too aggressive), Robinson will look to make the cut in Carolina.
Bears To Decline Mitch Trubisky’s Option?
The Bears have kept mum on the situation, but league sources believe they will decline Mitchell Trubisky’s fifth-year option, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Currently, the 2021 add-on is projected to be north of $24MM.
Rumored to bring in a veteran to compete with Trubisky early this offseason, Chicago did so by acquiring Nick Foles from Jacksonville. The Super Bowl LII MVP figures to have a good chance of unseating the 2017 No. 2 overall pick as the Bears’ starting quarterback. Trubisky’s future in the Windy City became murky after GM Ryan Pace swung the Foles deal.
In 2019, Trubisky couldn’t stay healthy. Throughout the year, he was plagued with hip, shoulder, and other trouble. In the offseason, he went under the knife to fix the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. The typical recovery time for the labrum surgery is around two months. Trubisky’s surgery took place sometime in January, so the Bears should have some read on his status before the fifth-year option date.
In 2018, the former North Carolina passer posted a 95.4 quarterback rating and threw for 24 touchdowns against 12 interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl nod. Last year, however, was a pretty big step back – he had just 17 TDs against ten INTs and the Bears’ talented D couldn’t make up for the offense’s shortcomings. The Bears went 8-7 in Trubisky’s 15 starts and finished .500 on the season, leaving them short of the postseason.
Trubisky’s name will always be linked to Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, the quarterbacks on whom the Bears passed three years ago. It is certainly possible Trubisky will not be part of the 2021 Bears.
Jets Select FIU QB James Morgan
The Jets have themselves a new quarterback. With the No. 125 overall pick, Gang Green selected FIU’s James Morgan to serve as Sam Darnold‘s backup. 
Morgan has been something of a draft darling over the last few months. The Bucs, Titans, Colts, Patriots, Packers, Bears, Raiders, Giants, Bills, and Dolphins all checked in with the young signal caller. Morgan’s stock skyrocketed thanks to an impressive performance at the combine and a big showing at the East-West Shrine Game, putting him in the next tier of QBs behind the likes of Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Jake Fromm. Washington’s Jacob Eason enjoyed a similar rise – he went three spots earlier to the Colts at No. 122 overall.
Morgan was said to have one of the three strongest arms in the draft, along with leadership ability and football IQ. After a rocky stretch at Bowling Green, he transferred to FIU in 2018 and completed more than 65% of his passes for 26 touchdowns against seven picks. His performance dipped a bit in 2019, but his tape kept him afloat during draft season.
The Jets aren’t looking to slide Darnold out of the QB1 spot, but Morgan is a developmental arm who can hold down the fort if Sam Darnold misses time. Hopefully, the Jets’ offensive line will be in better position to protect Darnold in 2020 with Louisville standout Mekhi Becton at tackle.
49ers’ Joe Staley To Retire From NFL
Now, the Trent Williams trade makes even more sense for the 49ers. Six-time Pro Bowler Joe Staley informed the club that he will retire due to “health concerns”, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reports. Specifically, it was Staley’s neck injury that forced him to make the decision, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets. The ailment become especially painful in San Francisco’s playoff run, and doctors informed him that it had become quite serious.
[RELATED: 49ers Trade For Trent Williams]
Staley, 35, has been one of the league’s best offensive tackles for years. And, out of loyalty to the team, he gave the Niners a quiet heads up on his plans so that they could replace him. 49ers GM John Lynch, in turn, swung a deal for seven-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams.
Staley has reportedly been pondering retirement for a while now, despite repeated denials. In January, Staley insisted that he would continue playing despite a slew of injuries, including a broken fibula suffered in Week 2 of the 2019 season.
“I don’t know why everyone’s been asking me that question,” Staley said. “Because I got injured, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be retiring now.’” He added,“I signed a contract here. I still love playing football. It’s like the ninth time someone’s asked me that, and I’m starting to wonder why.”
Staley first entered the league as the No. 28 overall pick in the 2007 draft. Despite the medical hiccups, he played hard right through the end. In the season finale against the Seahawks, he turned in his best performance of the year to help SF lock down the top seed in the NFC. And, with Staley up front, the 49ers reached the Super Bowl to cap the campaign.
Before all of that, Staley was able to stay relatively healthy and play through the pain. He missed just four games from 2011-18 and was named to five Pro Bowls in that span. Despite being in his 12th pro season in 2018, Staley graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 overall tackle – and that was actually a slight drop from his performances for most of the decade.
Staley leaves the sport after 181 games played, good for eleventh on the 49ers’ all-time list. As of last year, Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was the only active non-quarterback to start more games for the team that drafted him than Staley.
Staley indicated he wants to remain in football in some capacity and has discussions with the 49ers in that regard (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). He also has media options to consider, but he will spend 2020 with his family before entering the next chapter of his football life.
We here at PFR wish Staley the best in retirement.
Patriots Trade Up To Raiders’ No. 91, Draft TE Devin Asiasi
The Patriots swung a deal to move up to the Raiders’ No. 91 overall pick, bringing them back into the third round.
Patriots acquire:
- No. 91
- No. 159
Raiders acquire:
- No. 100
- No. 139
- No. 172
With the 91st pick, the Patriots selected tight end Devin Asiasi, their first offensive player of draft weekend. Asiasi offers speed and good blocking technique, but scouts say he needs to spend some time pumping iron in order to adjust to the pro game.
The UCLA product figures to play a key role for the Pats in 2020, but you can expect them to explore veteran options between now and the start of the season. Trey Burton, Jordan Reed, and Charles Clay are among the free agent tight ends still left on the market.
Jets Land Denzel Mims
No one thought Denzel Mims would last this long, but the Jets aren’t complaining. With the No. 59 pick they acquired from Seattle earlier tonight, the Jets landed the star wide receiver out of Baylor. 
Mims was considered a potential first-round talent and a possibility for the Bengals to open up the second round. Instead, he slipped as WR-needy teams went in different directions.
You won’t find many receivers at 6’3″ that move like Mims. Drops have been an issue for him in the past, but his fluidity, speed, and blocking skills made evaluators drool throughout draft season.
Last year, Mims cracked 1,000 yards receiving for the second time in his career, even though he was playing with a broken hand. The Jets had first crack at every receiver with the No. 11 overall pick last night, but they opted for tackle Mekhi Becton instead. Not everyone agreed with that call, but their patience paid off.
The Jets recently signed deep threat Breshad Perriman to replace Robby Anderson and have slot cog Jamison Crowder under contract. With Mims in the fold and Becton to protect him up front, Sam Darnold is probably pleased with how the Jets’ draft is going so far.
Ravens Draft RB J.K. Dobbins
The Ravens’ running back room just got even more crowded. With the No. 55 overall pick, the Ravens snagged Ohio State standout J.K. Dobbins.
Dobbins was viewed as one of the best pure runners in this year’s class. He doesn’t have the best hands in this year’s crop, but his feet mostly make up for it.
Dobbins posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons at Ohio State and the Ravens believe that he can anchor the running game behind Lamar Jackson. Last year, he topped 2,000 yards (yes you read that right) with 23 total touchdowns. One year ago, some saw Dobbins as the best RB in this year’s class. He was leapfrogged by the likes of Georgia’s D’Andre Swift over time, but he still figures to have a bright NFL future, especially in Baltimore’s dynamite offense.
The rookie will fight for carries this year alongside Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill.
Eagles Draft QB Jalen Hurts
The Eagles (ahem) selected quarterback Jalen Hurts with the No. 53 overall pick. Few could have predicted that the Eagles would use significant draft capital on the QB position, but they apparently see him as a potential heir to Carson Wentz.
To say it’s a shocking pick would be a pretty big understatement. Wentz has been injury-prone during his time in the pros, and it’s possible the Eagles just wanted a reliable backup the next time Wentz has to miss games. Regardless of their reasoning, this is going to cause some waves in Philly. Hurts had a very unique and decorated college career, leading Alabama to a national championship before transferring and becoming a Heisman finalist at Oklahoma.
Originally not regarded as an elite pro prospect, Hurts became a late riser after putting up gaudy numbers under Lincoln Riley with the Sooners. After Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, he’s now the third straight Oklahoma passer to be drafted early. Wentz tore an ACL and LCL in 2017, then missed significant time with a back issue in 2018.
He started all 16 regular season games last year, but was knocked out of the Eagles’ playoff loss to Seattle early on. Hurts showed well at the combine, and did enough to thrust himself firmly into Day 2. Last week we heard the Packers and Chargers were interested, both teams that ended up drafting signal-callers in the first-round.
Hurts averaged a ridiculous 11.3 yards per attempt last year, tossing 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. A dynamic threat with his legs as well, he also added 1,298 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. It’s anyone’s guess as to what Howie Roseman had in mind with this pick, but it’ll be very interesting to see how it all plays out. Wentz is under contract through 2024 after signing a four-year, $128MM extension last offseason.
Browns Take LSU S Grant Delpit At No. 44
Grant Delpit is off the board. With the No. 44 pick, the Browns grabbed the standout LSU safety. 
The Browns fortified safety by signing Karl Joseph and Andrew Sendejo, but they also wanted to address the group in the long run. Joseph and Sendejo are both on one-year deals and, at this stage of his career, Sendejo profiles more as a supporting cast member.
Delpit notched five tackles and one sack in LSU’s championship victory. All in all, he closed out three seasons with a combined 199 tackles, 17.5 sacks, seven interceptions, 24 passes defended, and two fumble recoveries.
Delpit has demonstrated the ability to lock down defenders in both man and zone coverage. He’s also an effective blitzer, as evidenced by those 17.5 sacks. He’ll have to tighten up his tackling form at the next level, but evaluators say his future is bright.
Seahawks Trade Up To Jets’ No. 48, Take Darrell Taylor
The Jets considered a move up the board in Round 2, but they ultimately traded back with the Seahawks. The Seahawks moved up to No. 48 overall to select defensive end Darrell Taylor. In exchange, the Jets got the No. 59 and No. 101 overall choices.
Taylor racked up 8.5 sacks last season to solidify his early round draft status. He might not offer the kind of upside as new Panthers pickup Yetur Matos-Gross, but he’s much more NFL ready. In Seattle, he’ll join forces with first-round linebacker Jordyn Brooks to boost the front seven. Also in the front seven: Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa. At this point, the Seahawks seem to be bracing for life without Jadeveon Clowney.
The Jets, meanwhile, still have lots of work to do after addresssing their tackle need in Round 1.