Browns Didn't Try To Trade Up For Lynch
- The Browns didn’t attempt to trade up late in first round last night for Memphis QB Paxton Lynch, a source familiar with the situation told Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter).
Titans Acquire No. 8 Pick From Browns
8:25pm: The Browns have announced the exact terms of the trade: Cleveland will acquire a 2016 first-rounder (No. 15), a 2016 third-rounder (No. 76), and a 2017 third-rounder, while the Titans picked up the No. 8 pick, and a 2016 sixth-rounder (No. 176).
8:03pm: After trading down from No. 2 to No. 8 earlier this month, the Browns have once again moved down in the first round. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter), the Browns and Titans have agreed to a trade, with Tennessee moving up to No. 8. Tennessee will select Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link).
The Titans will send the No. 15 pick, a 2016 third-rounder, and a 2017 third-rounder to Cleveland in exchange for the eighth pick, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The Browns, meanwhile, will also send a sixth-rounder to Tennessee, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
The deal makes sense on a number of levels, as the Titans had been rumored to be exploring a trade up to acquire an offensive tackle, while the Browns had reportedly been looking to move down an acquire more draft capital. The trade, interestingly, is comprised of the two clubs who originally owned the first and second overall selections.
Browns, Cowboys To Explore Adding Extra First-Round Pick?
6:55pm: If the Cowboys take Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4, Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that they won’t move back into the first round for a quarterback. Rather, Dallas could target a defensive lineman.
6:41pm: Both the Browns and the Cowboys could consider trading into the back end of the first round, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who speculates that a quarterback — such as Memphis’ Paxton Lynch — could be the target of both clubs.
Both Cleveland and Dallas had been rumored to be in the market for quarterbacks earlier in the draft process (especially when the Browns still held the No. 2 overall pick), but with the Rams and Philadelphia all but certain to select Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, there might not be another QB option who either club is willing to take at either No. 4 (Cowboys) or No. 8 (Browns). But if either team is able to move up from the beginning of the second round — where Cleveland currently holds pick No. 32 and Dallas has pick No. 34 — it might leap at the chance to secure a signal-caller.
One added benefit, of course, would be obtaining a fifth-year option on whatever player (quarterback or no) the Browns or Cowboys might select at the end of the first round. Fifth-year options only pertain to first-round picks, so for Cleveland, moving up just one spot might be critical, as a fifth-year option would enable the team to control its draftee through the 2020 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Exploring Multiple Trade Scenarios
- The Browns have spoken to teams about the possibility of moving down from No. 8, but they’ve also had conversations about moving up from the second round into the late-first, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who wonders if Cleveland might be eyeing a particular quarterback. Earlier this evening, a Browns source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that there was “nothing new” on the trade front for the club.
King: Browns Will Try To Trade Down From No. 8
In his column this morning, Peter King of The MMQB writes that he is skeptical of the idea that the Chargers will trade down. The Bolts were fielding tons of calls from teams prior to the Browns-Eagles trade for the No. 2, but the interest has “dried up since then,” according to King. Football people continue to link the Chargers to Notre Dame tackle Ronnie Stanley, which echoes a report from Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller on Wednesday night.
- King hears that there weren’t many trade calls made on Wednesday, but that could change today. King anticipates the Ravens to call around and gauge interest in their No. 6 pick. He anticipates that the Titans (No. 15) will continue to look into trading up for a tackle. The Dolphins (No. 13) could try and move up for Ezekiel Elliott if the Cowboys don’t beat them to the punch. The Jaguars (No. 5) and Browns (No. 8), he expects, will “aggressively” try to move down.
- King doesn’t believe that the Jets or Browns will take Paxton Lynch.
Pauline’s Latest: Falcons, Neal, Joseph, Titans
Cal quarterback Jared Goff and North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz are widely expected to come off the board in that order with the top two picks on Thursday night, but there’s some uncertainty about how the next several picks will play out.
After speaking to several people around the league, Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com takes a shot at forecasting how picks three through eight will go. In Pauline’s view, the most probable scenario would see DeForest Buckner land with the Chargers, Jalen Ramsey to the Cowboys, Myles Jack to the Jaguars, Laremy Tunsil to the Ravens, Ronnie Stanley to the 49ers, and Joey Bosa to the Browns.
Ezekiel Elliott is a wild card – if he’s still on the board at No. 8, the Browns could potentially trade down with a team like the Dolphins – but otherwise Pauline’s predictions for the top eight seem entirely plausible. According to the draft scribe, the Chargers feel like they “desperately” need to add a standout defensive lineman, while the 49ers also covet Buckner, so that’s a situation worth watching too.
Here’s more from Pauline:
- While Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee has frequently been linked to the Falcons at No. 17, Pauline hears that Clemson linemen Kevin Dodd and Shaq Lawson are also in play. According to Pauline, head coach Dan Quinn has been pushing for the team to select safety Keanu Neal, though that’s probably only a possibility if Atlanta trades down.
- Washington wouldn’t mind trading down and nabbing West Virginia safety Karl Joseph, says Pauline.
- According to Pauline, there’s a decent chance that the Titans will use one of their second-round picks to grab Ohio State wideout Braxton Miller, assuming the team doesn’t use any of those selections in a trade. Tennessee will also likely consider Buckeyes linebacker Joshua Perry on day two.
- The Broncos plan on drafting a running back on day three, and Pauline hears that they like Auburn’s Peyton Barber in the neighborhood of the sixth round.
- Teams are already talking to prospects and their agents in an effort to sign those players as undrafted free agents after the draft, and some clubs are creating “bad blood” with their approach to this process. According to Pauline, a couple teams have called potential UDFA targets and told them that they’re unlikely to be drafted. Those players are still optimistic about being mid-round selections, so being told that they’re likely to go undrafted has soured those players (and their agents) on those teams, per Pauline.
Browns Withdraw Offer To Miller
- The Browns withdrew their minimum tender offer to offensive lineman Darrian Miller, thereby withdrawing their rights to him, as Wilson tweets.
Draft Rumors: Texans, Pats, Bears
The latest draft rumors from around the NFL:
- Texas A&M cornerback Brandon Williams worked out privately for Texans coach Bill O’Brien and also visited the Steelers, Patriots, and Bears, Wilson tweets. Williams bench pressed 225 pounds 18 times at the NFL scouting combine and is said to be turning heads with his athleticism. Wilson writes that the A&M product, who had 34 tackles and seven passes defended in 2015, is drawing third/fourth round grades from scouts.
- Michigan linebacker James Ross is drawing interest from the Colts, Raiders, Ravens, and Lions, Wilson tweets.
- Temple wide receiver Robby Anderson had visited the Packers, Browns, Bengals, Chiefs, and Raiders, Wilson tweets. Anderson caught a career-high 70 passes for 939 yards on his way to an all-conference selection in 2015. The 6’3″, 190-pound receiver ran a 4.28 second 40-yard-dash at his Pro Day.
- The Buccaneers and Chargers worked out Iowa State receiver Quenton Bundrage, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (on Twitter). Bundrage, who posted a 4.5 second 40-yard-dash time, finished his senior year with 41 receptions, 548 yards, and one touchdown as a senior. He missed the 2014 season with a knee injury.
- Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton is drawing late interest from the Texans, Vikings, and Cardinals, Wilson tweets.
NFL To Speed Up Manziel Investigation
- The Bills and Jets are “extremely” interested in quarterback Paxton Lynch, according to multiple NFL executives who spoke with Cole. Both teams see Lynch as a future star in the NFL and know that they will have to move up into the high teens to possibly land him. The Browns pick at No. 8 and are said to be fond of the Memphis product, though that’s probably a little too high to pull the trigger on him. By the same token, the belief is that Lynch will move up the board with Jared Goff and Carson Wentz going in the top two.
Browns "Wide Open" To Trading Down From No. 8
- The Browns remain “wide open” to the possibility of trading down from No. 8, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. In a full column detailing draft-day trade scenarios for the Browns and a handful of other teams, La Canfora goes into more detail, suggesting that Cleveland wouldn’t mind landing Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell or possibly Michigan State tackle Jack Conklin.