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NFC Draft Notes: Giants, Lions, Falcons, Vikings, Eagles

April 26th, 2022 at 9:24pm CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at draft notes out of the AFC earlier this evening. In anticipation of Thursday’s draft, let’s pivot to the NFC:

  • The Giants are currently sitting with picks No. 5 and No. 7, but there’s a chance they move back in the first round. If they end up finding a trade partner, Dan Duggan of The Athletic believes the organization could be targeting Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum later in the first round. Staying in New York, Peter King of Football Morning in America writes that the Giants could select Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux at No. 7. Some recent reports indicated the Giants front office was down on the prospect, but King says the team has “done a ton of work on him since his Pro Day.” The Giants are also “extremely interested” in Florida State pass rusher Jermaine Johnson II and Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com.
  • Speaking of Thibodeaux, there’s a chance the edge jumps all the way to No. 2. While King has the Lions selecting Michigan edge Aidan Hutchinson with the second-overall pick, the reporter cautions that Detroit is “smitten” with the Oregon defender and could shake up the draft board by selecting him earlier than expected. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Todd McShay doesn’t see Thibodeaux falling pass the Falcons at No. 8.
  • Wrapping up King’s notes, the reporter writes that the Falcons like Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. King has Atlanta trading up to select the signal-caller at No. 32, but there’s a chance Corral ends up falling to them anyway at their current selection at No. 43. Meanwhile, there hasn’t been much buzz connecting the Falcons to a quarterback at No. 8, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.
  • The Vikings are eyeing cornerbacks at No. 12, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. The reporter hints that a team outside of the top-12 could look to jump the Vikings in pursuit of one of the draft’s top cornerbacks.
  • McShay had a handful of notable tidbits about some NFC squads. The Seahawks are taking a “hard look” at Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis at No. 9, and the front office is also intrigued by LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.. Meanwhile, the Eagles “preference” at No. 15 could be Alabama wideout Jameson Williams, and there’s little chance the receiver falls past the Saints at No. 16. Albert Breer of SI.com shares a similar sentiment about the Eagles, with sources telling him that the Eagles are seeking a pass rusher.
  • Continuing in Philly, the Eagles may not end up even selecting at No. 15. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggests (on Twitter) that the Eagles could be a candidate to move up in the first round. The reporter suggests that the front office could be targeting a cornerback or edge rusher.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/26/22

April 26th, 2022 at 8:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

Lions Pick Up TE T.J. Hockenson’s Fifth-Year Option

April 26th, 2022 at 6:39pm CST by Ben Levine

As expected, the Lions have locked in tight end T.J. Hockenson through the 2023 season. Tim Twentyman of the team’s website tweets that the Lions have picked up Hockenson‘s fifth-year option. The move will attach the tight end to a $9.39MM salary for the 2023 campaign.

This seemed to be the expected move after the two sides didn’t agree to an extension. We learned earlier this month that the Lions were expected to pick up the fifth-year option, but only as a placeholder as they looked to extend the Pro Bowler.

The eight-overall pick in the 2019 draft has emerged as one of Detroit’s top targets. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2020 after hauling in 67 receptions for 723 yards and six touchdowns, and he followed that up with 583 yards and four scores in 12 games in 2021. Thumb surgery ultimately shelved him in December of last year.

The Lions still have plenty of time to extend Hockenson. Last year, we saw the Patriots sign Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry to deals that averaged $12.5MM per year, and Dallas Goedert later one-upped the duo by inking a deal worth $14.25MM AAV. The league’s highest-paid TEs, George Kittle and Travis Kelce, clock in a bit above that at $15MM and $14.3MM, respectively.

Hockenson’s agent would be hard pressed to reset the market at tight end. However, the $9MM+ commitment for 2023 indicates that the two sides can’t be that far apart.

Packers, Lions Interested In Deebo Samuel?

April 25th, 2022 at 10:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Staying in character, the Jets are prepared to make an offer involving the No. 10 overall pick for Deebo Samuel. In addition to the persistent wide receiver-chasing team, NFC squads are interested in the disgruntled 49er.

The Lions and Packers are believed to be on the radar for Samuel, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). Green Bay is on the verge of entering the draft with a glaring hole at the position, and although Detroit saw Amon-Ra St. Brown progress down the stretch last season, Samuel would step in as a clear-cut No. 1 weapon with the rebuilding team. The prospective price would hover around a mid-first-round pick, per Rapoport. The 49ers dealt DeForest Buckner for a mid-first-rounder in 2020, doing so after extension talks reached a price point too high for the team.

[RELATED: Samuel, Brown, McLaurin To Skip Offseason Workouts]

Of course, this all might be premature. The 49ers are not believed to be listening to Samuel proposals, and while John Lynch said these recent hiccups have surprised the team, the plan remains to find a way to salvage this partnership.

“I can’t ever imagine wanting to move on from Deebo,” Lynch said Monday. “He’s just too good of a player. You don’t let guys like that walk.”

Samuel trade rumors have only emerged in the past week, though the trade-and-extend sequences involving Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill have impacted the receiver market for several weeks. The 49ers have planned Samuel and Nick Bosa extensions, but the team’s initial offer — less than $19MM per year — did not go over well with the All-Pro wideout. Samuel submitted a trade request last week, with issues like his frequent backfield usage and not wanting to live in California any longer surfacing. The 49ers, however, have thus far closed off this route.

The 49ers trading their top receiver to the Packers, one of their top conference rivals, seems farfetched. An interconference deal to the Jets would add up, especially given ex-49ers coach Mike LaFleur running the Jets’ offense. The Lions (Nos. 2 and 32), Jets (Nos. 4 and 10) and Packers (Nos. 22 and 28) each have two first-round picks, providing additional ammo in the event the 49ers do decide to enter trade talks. The team still holds considerable leverage, with Samuel under contract through 2022 and the franchise tag in play for 2023, but may well be able to recoup better value ahead of the draft.

Multiple Teams Looking To Trade Down In Draft

April 25th, 2022 at 12:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

The defining characteristic of this year’s draft class is the lack of bluechip prospects at the top of the board. As a result, a number of teams have expressed a willingness to trade down from even the highest draft slots towards the middle of the first round or later. 

Days away from the first round, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms that the desire to move back still remains (Twitter link). “Multiple teams”, as he states, have called others currently slated to pick outside of the top half of the opening round regarding trade scenarios. Not surprisingly, however, “the interest in moving back… has greatly exceeded the interest in moving up”.

The Jaguars have been named amongst the teams looking to trade down, though they have yet to receive offers for the top pick. The Lions have made it known they would be willing to cede the second overall selection; given the lack of quarterbacks worthy of that slot, however, it is also unlikely they will move down. That has turned attention to the trio of teams who each hold two picks in the top half of the round.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio recently spoke about the possibility of moving either the third or 13th overall selections. The latter seems to be the far likelier target for a team looking to move up, pointing further to the possibility of the top 10 remaining as-is come Thursday night. The two key teams with respect to those initial 10 picks are the Jets and Giants; Big Blue may have an incentive to move down from No. 7 for, among others, financial reasons, but both teams could stand to add impact rookies across a number of positions with their respective selections.

Overall, draft day trades will, as always, be a key storyline to watch. It won’t come as a surprise, though, if there are fewer of them on Day 1 than in previous years.

NFC Rumors: Toney, Packers, Hainsey, Ragnow

April 23rd, 2022 at 7:42pm CST by Ely Allen

With the news early this morning that Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney is on the trading block after only one season in New York, questions have arisen about the value Toney commands. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, interest in Toney covers the gamut across the NFL.

Howe reports that some teams have absolutely no interest, while other teams believe that giving him a chance to develop in their system will allow his talent and ability to shine. Toney showed explosive ability in college at Florida, scoring on big plays and showing elite ability after the catch. The Giants looked past several off-field concerns during his time in Gainesville when drafting Toney at 20th overall. Unfortunately for New York, Toney’s off-field issues continued into Year One of his NFL career.

Howe thinks that New York has potentially been trying to move Toney for a while now with little success. He posits that the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft will create some urgency either for receiver-needy teams looking for a young boost to their pass-catching group or for New York to accept a lesser price to get any value out of their failed first-round experiment from 2021.

Here are some other rumors from around the NFC, starting with a new name in Green Bay:

  • According to the Packers’ website, Green Bay finalized their staff this week with the addition of John Donovan as a senior analyst. After 19 years in college football culminating in offensive coordinator jobs at Vanderbilt and Penn State, Donovan first entered the NFL as an offensive quality control coach for the Jaguars. He left Jacksonville to return to college for the offensive coordinator job at the University of Washington. After two years in that role, Donovan will give the NFL another try, this time in Green Bay.
  • Former third-round pick Robert Hainsey played offensive tackle at Notre Dame before working through his rookie year in Tampa Bay at center. Greg Auman of The Athletic believes Hainsey could split the difference and compete for a starting job at guard this year. With Ali Marpet retiring and Alex Cappa signing in the offseason with the Bengals, the Buccaneers will need to replace both spots. They addressed one position, signing former-Patriots guard Shaq Mason to slot in at right guard. They also re-signed Aaron Stinnie who has been a reliable backup in Tampa Bay, but has only started one game in his four-year career. Expect Hainsey to get a chance to compete for the starting spot this offseason.
  • After suffering a season-ending toe injury in a Week 4 loss to the Bears last season, the Lions have reported that Frank Ragnow is feeling strong, healthy, and ready to return to his role as a leader in the middle of the Lions’ offensive line. The Lions will look forward to getting Ragnow back to lead an impressive-sounding group that includes Jonah Jackson, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Taylor Decker, and Penei Sewell.

Georgia LB Quay Walker Visits Lions

April 20th, 2022 at 10:23pm CST by Ely Allen

The Lions are looking into possibilities to fill a position of need, bringing in Georgia linebacker Quay Walker yesterday for a visit, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The question of importance, though, is: will he still be there at the end of the first round? 

Detroit holds the No. 2 overall pick, but will have to use it on one of the 2022 NFL Draft’s top talents. They will have their pick of whoever is left out of Aidan Hutchinson, Travon Walker, Evan Neal, and Ikem Ekwonu, among others. They do have a second first-round pick, with the Matthew Stafford–Jared Goff trade giving them the Super Bowl-winning Rams’ 32nd overall pick.

After seeing Jalen Reeves-Maybin depart in free agency last month, the Lions certainly have a hole to fill at linebacker. They do return contributors in Alex Anzalone and Josh Woods. They also brought back Jarrad Davis after he spent a year with the Jets. Walker would fill an important role in the middle that could help solidify Detroit’s front seven.

Walker is seen by many as the third-best linebacker prospect in the Draft behind Utah’s Devin Lloyd and teammate Nakobe Dean. In the rankings provided by Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Walker slots in as the 31st overall prospect, with Dean at 29th and Lloyd at 9th.

Brugler certainly lines it up to be a close call in determining if Walker will make it to Detroit at 32, but it largely depends on when the first linebackers get taken. If Lloyd finds himself in the top ten picks, a run could ensue with linebacker-hungry teams jumping from their seats to select one of the Bulldogs. If no linebackers are drafted till the middle of the round, the Lions might find themselves lucking into a solid new starter in the middle.

RFA/ERFA Tender Signings: 4/19/22

April 19th, 2022 at 8:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Here’s a look at the latest tender signings from around the NFL:

RFAs

Signed:

ERFAs

Signed:

Latest On Jets’ Decision At No. 4 Overall

April 19th, 2022 at 5:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Possessing an opportunity to nab two instant starters in this draft, the Jets might not be in lockstep with their two top-10 picks. While the team’s wide receiver pursuit continues to be connected to the No. 10 choice, its No. 4 pick supplies more intrigue.

GM Joe Douglas “loves” North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. Although Douglas could supersede any other staffer’s preference, Vacchiano’s mock draft features Robert Saleh winning a power struggle that concludes with defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux on his way to the Big Apple.

The Jets’ Thibodeaux visit last week involved a grilling on the motivation and personality issues that have affected the Oregon product’s draft stock, Vacchiano adds, noting that the Jets were impressed with the polarizing pass rusher. The Lions have also been connected to Thibodeaux, but the issues that have dinged his stock may be too much for Dan Campbell. The second-year Lions coach is not believed to be high on Thibodeaux, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Gang Green would then be in position, should the Texans pass at No. 3, to stop a potential Thibodeaux freefall.

George Fant‘s emergence lessens the Jets’ O-line need, but Mekhi Becton‘s reliability nosedive has the 2020 first-round pick on unstable ground. The Jets are prepared to try Becton on the right side, and Vacchiano adds Ekwonu may not be a Day 1 starter if selected by the Jets. That would be unusual for a top-five pick and would depend on Becton’s readiness, but this overlap — despite the Jets’ interest in adding an impact tackle — could push the team to spend its top pick on another position.

This could certainly go the other way as well, which would have the Jets using three first-round picks on O-linemen in three years. Hearing Ekwonu connected to the Jets more than anyone else, Breer mocks the tackle to New York. Ekwonu played both tackle and guard with the Wolfpack; this could solve the positional overlap with Becton. Some teams view guard as Ekwonu’s best position, Breer adds.

Carl Lawson‘s ACL tear wounded the Jets’ pass rush before last season started, and Saleh’s first Jets defense ranked last. Although Lawson is set to return, the Jets still have a need on the edge. The team has famously struggled to address its edge position since 2006’s John Abraham trade. No Jet edge defender registered more than two sacks last season.

Lions Meet With QB Malik Willis

April 19th, 2022 at 2:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions could go in a number of directions with their No. 2 overall pick, one the rebuilding team has discussed trading. Detroit is also open to developing a quarterback behind Jared Goff. The team is wrapping up its homework on this subject.

Malik Willis finished up a visit with the team Tuesday, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Kenny Pickett is set to meet with Lions brass on Wednesday, the final day for top-30 visits. While it would surprise if the Lions drafted a quarterback, this prospect would make sense for a team that has time to develop one.

[RELATED: Lions Fine With Trading No. 2 Pick Before Draft]

GM Brad Holmes said the team remains confident Goff can start next season. With little expected from the upcoming version of the Lions, the concept of Willis or Pickett sitting for at least a year while Goff keeps the reins has almost certainly come up at team headquarters. But, with this QB class not on the level of those in recent years and behind the 2023 crop (as of now, at least), the Lions would be passing on the kind of instant starter Dan Campbell has said he wants with the No. 2 pick.

The Willis and Pickett meetings could also double as a last-ditch attempt to drum up trade interest in the second pick. This draft is short on surefire impact players at the top. A move down would give Detroit more ammo to address its many needs. ESPN ranks Willis as its No. 21 prospect, while NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah slots the Liberty passer 27th. Quarterback reaches occur annually, due to the positional value at play, but this would be one of the more notable climbs for a passing prospect.

Should the Lions go with a “best player available” strategy at 2, they still hold the Nos. 32 and 34 overall picks. That window would give the team another crack at quarterback, though Willis and Pickett should be considered unlikely to be available by then. Matt Corral, Desmond Ridder and Sam Howell very well could remain on the board here, however.

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