2017 NFL Draft Order Set
With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, the offseason is officially underway for all 32 teams. We now have the complete draft order for the entire first round, with one exception which is noted below.
The Patriots, of course, will have the honor of having the last pick. The Falcons, after losing in heartbreaking fashion, will have the penultimate selection in the first round.
Here is the complete order, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter links):
1. Browns
2. 49ers
3. Bears
4. Jaguars
5. Titans
6. Jets
7. Chargers
8. Panthers
9. Bengals
10. Bills
11. Saints
12. Browns
13. Cardinals
T-14. Eagles (via the Vikings)
T-14. Colts (Note: The Vikings and Colts have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broke by coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 14 and the other team getting the No. 15 pick.)
16. Ravens
17. Redskins
18. Titans
19. Buccaneers
20. Broncos
21. Lions
22. Dolphins
23. Giants
24. Raiders
25. Texans
26. Seahawks
27. Chiefs
28. Cowboys
29. Packers
30. Steelers
31. Falcons
32. Patriots
Broncos Deployed John Lynch As Part-Time Scout
- John Lynch isn’t completely devoid of scouting experience, with Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com noting the former Buccaneers and Broncos safety joining recently hired 49ers exec Adam Peters in Broncos meetings and prospect evaluations, eventually accompanying Denver’s contingent to the 2013 Combine. John Elway also put Lynch on some special assignments in recent offseasons, per Maiocco, dispatching the eventual Hall of Fame finalist to evaluate draft-eligible safeties.
Justin Forsett Mulling Retirement
After nine NFL seasons, Broncos running back Justin Forsett is mulling retirement, according to Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post.
“After the Super Bowl, my wife and I are going to take a vacation. My wife is going to have a baby so we’ll take a little time off after that,” said Forsett, who has played for six teams. “In a month or so, we’ll come up with a decision.”
If Forsett does come back for what would be his age-32 season in 2017, it might be in another uniform. Forsett is scheduled to become a free agent after spending just four games in Denver, which claimed him off waivers from the Lions in early December. Forsett wasn’t any kind of solution in his 2016 stint with the Broncos, though, as he averaged a mere 3.6 yards per carry on 43 attempts. That came after Forsett posted just over 3.0 yards per rush on a combined 44 tries with the Lions and Ravens, the latter of whom released him in October.
Forsett, who entered the league as the Seahawks’ seventh-round pick in 2009, had success as a reserve both there and in Houston before breaking out in Baltimore. In 2014, his best individual season, Forsett ran for 1,266 yards on 235 carries (good for an impressive 5.4 YPC), scored eight touchdowns and caught 44 passes as a member of the Ravens.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos To Discuss Extension With John Elway
The Broncos are expected to resume contract talks with general manager John Elway soon, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, who notes that Elway is entering the final season of his contract. Now that Denver has revamped its coaching staff, the club will now turn its attention to the front office.
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“I’ll start to have discussions with his representatives and I know he’ll want to move that along and I’m confident that we’ll be able to get a deal done and keep him here for a long time,” Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said. “As it should be.”
Elway, 56, took over as Denver’s vice of president of football operations in 2011, and was named general manager in 2014, when he signed a three-year extension with the club. Elway’s run with the Broncos can’t be considered anything other than a tremendous success, as he’s kept the club competitive while cycling through head coaches, quarterbacks, and schemes. Denver has posted a 67-29 under Elway’s leadership, and won the Super Bowl in 2016.
Bills Interested In Tony Romo
The Bills have “significant” interest in Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, although Buffalo is still eyeing a future with incumbent QB Tyrod Taylor, albeit on a cheaper contract than the his current option-based deal, which would guarantee him north of $30MM.
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Romo, meanwhile, unsurprisingly prefers to land with a contending team, and it’s not clear that he views the Bills in such a light. Instead, Romo’s list of favored destinations includes the Broncos, Texans, Cardinals, and Chiefs, per La Canfora. Denver has been tossed out as a suitor for Romo before, but the general manager John Elway & Co. are reportedly more likely to target Romo as a free agent than as an acquirable asset. Houston, too, doesn’t appear to be in the running, as the Texans are more likely to draft a quarterback than pursue a veteran option.
Barriers block a potential path between Romo and Arizona/Kansas City, as well. Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has reportedly been contemplating retirement, but the chances of his return could be buoyed by wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald‘s announcement that he’ll continue his career in 2017. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have Alex Smith under contract for the next two seasons, but could theoretically release him with a post-June 1 designation, and take on dead money charges of $3.6MM in 2017 and 2018.
Romo, hypothetically, would be a solid fit in new Buffalo offensive coordinator Rick Dennsion‘s scheme, which utilizes many of the same zone-blocking concepts deployed by the Cowboys. The Bills ranked first in rushing DVOA last season but just 19th in passing DVOA.
49ers To Hire Adam Peters As VP Of Player Personnel
New 49ers GM John Lynch was said to be eyeing Adam Peters as his top assistant. Today, he got his man. Peters, who spent the previous eight seasons in the Broncos’ scouting department, agreed to sign on as the 49ers’ vice president of player personnel, a source told CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco.
Peters just completed his first season as the Broncos’ director of college scouting and he has previous experience as a regional scout, national scout, and assistant director of college scouting. Before joining Denver, Peters served as a scout for the Patriots. Peters comes with a strong track record as well as personnel experience, both of which Lynch lacks.
The Niners were also looking at former Bucs GM Mark Dominik as an option, but that’s likely not happening now that Peters has been hired. Assistant GM Tom Gamble, meanwhile, appears to be staying with the team.
49ers To Interview Broncos’ Adam Peters
First-time general manager John Lynch isn’t going to break into his new role in San Francisco without some quality help around him. With that in mind, Lynch has targeted current Broncos director of college scouting Adam Peters as a candidate to join the Niners’ front office, per reports from NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link) and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
The 49ers will interview Peters to become their director of player personnel, according to Florio, who notes that the Broncos could have blocked the Niners’ request. However, Broncos GM John Elway – Lynch’s fellow Stanford alumnus – opted against doing so as a way to reward Peters for his work with the franchise. Peters has only been serving in his current role for a year, but he has garnered extensive front office experience with both the Broncos and Patriots – two eminently successful franchises.
Even if they hire Peters, the 49ers could still tab Mark Dominik for an executive role, per Florio, who reported earlier Monday that “buzz is building” on the team adding the ex-Buccaneers GM to its front office.
Broncos Promote Eric Studesville To Assistant Head Coach/RBs Coach
- Broncos head coach Vance Joseph has added “assistant head coach” to running backs coach Eric Studesville‘s title, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Studesville drew interest from the Jets earlier this month in their search for an offensive coordinator, but he elected to stay in Denver, where he has coached RBs since 2010.
Opinion: Broncos Need New Returner
- It’s time for the Broncos to find a consistent and explosive returner, Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post writes. Jordan Norwood had trouble holding on to punts and that uncertainty cancelled out a lot of the good things he did on the field. This offseason, Norwood is a free agent along fellow core special teams players Kayvon Webster and Dekoda Watson.
Broncos Could Pursue Tony Romo As Free Agent
If Tony Romo has a say in the matter, he would like to be suiting up for the Broncos in 2017. And, as Mike Klis of 9News writes, the Broncos may be willing to oblige, if Romo should become a free agent in the offseason. Per Klis, “[a] source in the Broncos’ football department did not dismiss the possibility of bringing in the Dallas Cowboys quarterback — providing the situation reaches the point where Romo is no longer Cowboys’ property.”
Romo, of course, is under Cowboys’ control through the 2019 season, but after the emergence of Dak Prescott in 2016, Dallas will likely look to move their long-time quarterback in the coming months. The Cowboys’ preference would be to trade Romo and to recoup some sort of draft pick compensation for him, but given that the soon-to-be 37-year-old is currently slated to earn $14MM in 2017, $19.5MM in 2018, and $20.5MM in 2019, that could be a difficult proposition.
If Romo were to be released, however, he would surely garner a fair amount of interest on the open market, and the Broncos could be in play. As Klis writes, Denver is unlikely to swing a trade for Romo, but if the club was in a position to negotiate a reduced contract with him, it may make sense for them to do so. After all, the Broncos are loaded on the defensive side of the ball, and they have some serious talent at the offensive skill positions as well. Their quarterback play could prevent them from taking full advantage of that talent, and the addition of Romo would immediately make them legitimate championship contenders.
GM John Elway has repeatedly stated that he is happy with the team’s current quarterback group of Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, but while those young signal-callers may well develop into quality starters, they clearly have a ways to go before they reach that point. By the time they do, the rest of the roster may not be as strong as it is now.
As Klis observes, Elway did pursue Colin Kaepernick last year, so it stands to reason that he would make a push for a much more accomplished quarterback this offseason, assuming the price is right.