AFC Notes: Chargers, Ravens, Broncos, Fins
Asked about the Chargers‘ trade up for Melvin Gordon, general manager Tom Telesco said his club had seven “impact” players targeted in the first round, and the Wisconsin back was the last one available (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune). The Chargers were motivated to move up two spots to snag Gordon since they felt the Texans might be interested, and recognized that another team might try to move ahead of them.
Telesco added that the Chargers feel like Gordon is the best pass-protecting running back in the draft, which helps make up for not selecting an offensive lineman (Twitter link via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune).
- The Ravens selected wide receiver Breshad Perriman with the 26th overall pick, but if Perriman hadn’t been available, Baltimore likely would’ve tried to trade out of that spot, per GM Ozzie Newsome (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- According to GM John Elway, Missouri pass rusher Shane Ray was a top-10 player on the Broncos‘ draft board, so it’s not surprising that the team was willing to move up a few spots to No. 23 overall to grab him (Twitter link via Troy Renck of the Denver Post).
- After taking a receiver in the first round, the Dolphins figure to target cornerbacks, guards, linebackers, or even defensive tackles with their second round pick, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, providing a few names to watch. Having sent their third-rounder to the Saints earlier in the offseason, the Dolphins will only pick once tomorrow unless they make another move.
Draft Rumors: DGB, Ray, Bradford, Falcons
Troubled receiver Dorial Green-Beckham received a lot of interest from teams in the middle of round one, but none selected him, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), who suggests that in 2014 (before the NFL dealt with numerous high-profile off-the-field incidents) DGB would have been selected already.
More from the draft…
- Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff says he’s not opposed to trading back into the first round, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Another NFC GM — Rick Spielman of the Vikings — doesn’t think his club will be able to get back into Round One, given that they didn’t acquire any extra ammunition by trading back from No. 11 (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune).
- The Broncos thought they needed to move ahead of the Ravens to get Shane Ray, justifying their trade with the Lions, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Browns GM Ray Farmer says he never officially made an offer for the No. 2 pick, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Eagles head coach Chip Kelly says he’s still interested in an extension with Sam Bradford (Twitter link via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News), and added that he offered no players to either the Titans or the Buccaneers (Twitter link via Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com).
Breer’s Latest: Titans, Gurley, Rams, Bears
With the draft less than an hour from getting underway, Albert Breer of the NFL Network took to Twitter to pass along a number of draft-related nuggets. Here are the highights from Breer (all Twitter links):
- The Titans have fielded offers for the No. 2 pick, but haven’t gotten any to their liking yet and are ready to draft Marcus Mariota. The club isn’t very interested in picks below 15th overall as a central part of any trade package.
- Teams like the Browns, Dolphins, and Chargers are eyeing Todd Gurley, and it’s possible one of those clubs – or another suitor – will get anxious and trade up for the Georgia running back, given the interest he’s generating.
- Although Washington, the Jets, and the Rams are all viewed as trade-down candidates in the top 10, St. Louis is a little more flexible than the other two teams, who may not want to drop too far. Washington may target an offensive lineman like Brandon Scherff or Ereck Flowers if Scot McCloughan decides to move down, and those players – or Andrus Peat – could be targets for the Giants and Rams as well.
- There’s a belief that Giants GM Jerry Reese would prefer a pass rusher to an offensive lineman at No. 9, but depending on how the first few picks play out, the value might not match up.
- According to Breer, the run on offensive lineman may happen earlier in the first round than people think, which may motivate one or two teams to trade up. Cameron Erving has a chance to go in the teens. The Panthers and Broncos are among the teams picking late in the first who are seeking offensive linemen.
- Cornerback Trae Waynes is generating buzz and could go as high as seventh overall to the Bears. Dupree and Kevin White are also in the mix at No. 7. The draft range for Amari Cooper appears to be between the third and sixth overall pick, so he likely won’t be available for Chicago at No. 7.
- The Falcons may decide to move up from No. 8 for an impact defender like Leonard Williams, but if they stay where they are, Bud Dupree could be their man.
- Either Sean Mannion or Bryce Petty figures to be the third quarterback off the board, and it’s not likely to happen in the first round.
- According to Breer, teams believe Shane Ray will slip but will be picked in the first round, whereas Randy Gregory isn’t viewed as a first-round pick.
Draft Rumors: Gurley, Saints, K. Johnson
Three teams who pick in the top ten are considering Georgia running back Todd Gurley, according to Todd McShay of ESPN (Twitter link). The Dolphins are also known to be in on Gurley, but it sounds like he may not last that long.
Here are some more rumors as we approach the start of the draft:
- A “high-level” Saints source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that the club doesn’t intend to take a quarterback in the first round. Previous reports had indicated that New Orleans would be interested in Baylor QB Bryce Petty at No. 31.
- Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson is expected to be off the board by the time the Ravens pick at No. 26, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who notes that the Dolphins, at pick No. 13, could consider Johnson.
- It’s possible that we see a run on offensive tackles near the end of the first round, which could cause the Broncos to consider trading up. However, Denver won’t give up a second-rounder to do so, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
- The Lions recently called Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi to double-check his contact information, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). That might not mean much on its face, but at least we know Ogbuehi, who is recovering from an ACL injury, is still on Detroit’s board.
- The Rams have received calls from teams interested in moving up to the tenth pick, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Draft Rumors: Collins, Bucs, Gurley, Titans
We heard yesterday that police are looking to question La’el Collins following the shooting death of a pregnant woman last week, though the LSU offensive lineman isn’t considered a suspect. Jim Boren, the attorney for Collins, tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that he has been in constant contact with the lead detective in the case, and spoke to the district attorney yesterday.
“We took the investigation seriously,” Boren said on Tuesday. “We’ve tried to rule him out as a suspect. We’re going to provide that information to the police, and ultimately [Collins] will sit down and talk to them. But the timing is poor.”
Indeed, even if Collins is officially ruled out as a suspect by police, which appears likely, it’s not clear if that will happen before the draft gets underway tomorrow night, and teams figure to approach the lineman with extra caution.
As we wait to see how the ongoing investigation affects Collins, let’s round up a few more Wednesday draft rumors from around the league….
- According to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, trade inquiries involving the No. 1 overall pick are on the rise this week, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Still, I think Tampa Bay would have to be blown away to move out of that first overall spot.
- One team has Georgia running back Todd Gurley at No. 1 overall on its draft board, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, adding that it’s safe to say that’s not the consensus around the NFL. In fact, scouts who have spoken to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report don’t believe Gurley will be a top-10 pick, as has been rumored.
- Within Freeman’s piece, the BR scribe notes that the Jets are still very much in the hunt for Marcus Mariota, though he’s skeptical that New York will offer enough to move the Titans out of the No. 2 spot.
- Speaking of those Titans, Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network (Twitter links) hears that Tennessee isn’t just taking trade calls — the club is making them as well. So far, things haven’t gotten serious, but trade talks involving that second overall pick could heat up today and tomorrow, says Darlington.
- Amidst reports that Shane Ray could slide out of the first round, and perhaps much further than that, one NFL executive tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link) that the Missouri pass rusher “isn’t going to fall very far” following his citation for marijuana possession.
- Northwestern quarterback Trevor Siemian appears to be a popular target, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that Siemian has received calls from 11 teams in the past two days. Those teams are the Broncos, Jets, Jaguars, Raiders, Vikings, Packers, Browns, Bills, Seahawks, Rams, and Dolphins.
AFC West Notes: Manning, Wilkerson, Bolts
Earlier today, the Chiefs announced that president Mark Donovan has signed a long-term contract extension to remain in Kansas City. Donovan doesn’t deal much with the football side of things, but he is in charge of the fan experience at Arrowhead Stadium. Recently, Arrowhead has come under fire for its subpar concessions and one can only hope that Donovan will turn things around. Here’s more from the AFC West..
- Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is 39, but he’s not thinking about calling it quits, Mike Klis of 9 News writes. “I wouldn’t call it that,” Manning said when asked about a possible farewell tour. “That’s not how I see it.” Manning is under contract with Denver through 2016.
- At least two teams have called the Jets about a potential trade for defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson. Those teams have not been named but Bill Williamson of ESPN.com thinks the Raiders should get in on the defensive end if they haven’t already. Defensive end is one of Oakland’s primary need areas and Wilkerson is a standout in his prime. The Raiders, who have about $20MM in salary-cap space, could easily give Wilkerson the new deal he seeks.
- Mock drafts are all about projecting who teams will take, but Greg A. Bedard of The MMQB ran down the players that each team should pick. For the Raiders at No. 4, Bedard says the easy and obvious choice is USC defensive tackle Leonard Williams, if he’s available. Further down in the draft, he recommends Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton for the Chargers. Bedard argues that he makes sense for the Bolts since they don’t have anybody of substance on the defensive line beyond Corey Liuget.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Today’s minor moves..
- Defensive end Quanterus Smith was waived by Broncos after failing a physical, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post writes. A fifth-round draft choice in 2013 out of Western Kentucky, Smith played 15 games last season as DeMarcus Ware’s backup, posting 11 tackles and zero sacks. He appeared in 308 snaps, showing flashes of pass-rush ability, but was unable to gain traction.
Extra Points: Bradford, Carter, Broncos
Teams like the Bears looking for edge pass rushers in the draft know that they have to assess some serious risk, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. It can be hard to gauge rush linebacker/ends and that was illustrated by the 2011 and 2012 drafts. The 2011 class produced the likes of Von Miller, Aldon Smith, J.J. Watt, Ryan Kerrigan, and more. But in 2012, another year with a supposed cluster of elite edge rushers, the results were not nearly as strong. That group included guys like Bruce Irvin, Quinton Coples, Melvin Ingram, Shea McClellin and none of the edge rushers taken in the first round have been to a Pro Bowl. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Despite speculation to the contrary, the Eagles acquired Sam Bradford to be their quarterback and not a trade pawn, Chris Mortensen of ESPN tweets. He adds that Bradford would only sign an extension with the Eagles if it includes a no-trade clause since he wants to play for Chip Kelly and Pat Shurmur.
- Before Tony Carter signed his contract tender from the Broncos, the Vikings had a few discussions with the representatives for the restricted free agent cornerback, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. According to Wolfson, Minnesota didn’t make an formal offer to Carter before last Friday, the deadline for RFAs to sign offer sheets.
- It’s a virtual certainty the Broncos will take a quarterback with one of their 10 draft picks, Mike Klis of 9 News writes. It’s a necessary move for Denver since Peyton Manning is 39 years old and returning to play for his 18th season after giving retirement some consideration. Meanwhile, backup Brock Osweiler is entering his contract year and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be around beyond this season.
Broncos Re-Sign Tony Carter
Broncos defensive back Tony Carter has become the latest restricted free agent to sign his tender to return to his team, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The Broncos had assigned Carter a low-end RFA tender, so he’ll be in line for a salary of $1.542MM for the coming season.
Carter, who turns 29 next month, didn’t play much for the Broncos in 2014. Chris Harris was coming into his own as one of the league’s best cornerbacks, and the club also had notable offseason signee Aqib Talib and first-round pick Bradley Roby at the position. Given the crowded depth chart, there were some whispers at last October’s trade deadline that Carter could be on the move, but the Broncos ultimately elected to hang on to the former Florida State Seminole.
Around the time that the Broncos tendered Carter a contract offer last month, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com indicated (via Twitter) that there was “strong” outside interest in the cornerback. However, the deadline for rival teams to sign Carter to an offer sheet came and went without any additional rumors. It’s not clear whether the RFA tender diminished that outside interest, or whether potential suitors simply couldn’t work anything out with the Denver corner.
Either way, Carter appears poised to return to the Broncos for the coming season, and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next March. If the Broncos secondary suffers an injury or two, he could take on a larger role in 2015 — if not, he may be the subject of trade rumors again this fall.
AFC Notes: Broncos, Maclin, Jets
The Broncos need stability up front to establish a physical running game and they should find that in the upcoming draft, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post writes. The inability to find adequate replacements midstream last year undermined the Broncos, leaving them lacking an identity in the playoffs. It sounds like Denver is well aware of that and they likely see several lineman that could fit. “There are a lot of good tackles in this draft,” said Broncos GM John Elway. “I think that is one area where the draft does have some depth, especially at the top.” More from the AFC..