Vikings, Jets Make Another Round 5 Deal
Mike Maccagnan and Rick Spielman look to have had another phone conversation, because the Jets and Vikings have made a second deal for Round 5 picks.
The Jets dealt their No. 167 choice to the Vikings, the pick Minnesota previously owned before moving into the Jets’ No. 157 slot. After taking a tight end following the teams’ previous trade, the Vikes selected Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson.
New York dealt the No. 167 and No. 225 selections to Minnesota in exchange for the Nos. 180 and 204 overall choices, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
A three-time Lou Groza award finalist, Carlson is the first kicker to be selected this year. Kai Forbath served as the Vikings’ kicker last season after joining the team in 2016. Minnesota re-signed Forbath in March for one year and $790K, but he’ll now be pushed by a highly regarded specialty prospect. Although the 30-year-old incumbent made 32 of his 38 field goal tries last season, he missed five extra points.
Vikings Land Jets’ No. 157 Pick
The Jets and Vikings exchanged late-round draft choices, clearing the way for Minnesota to land Central Michigan tight end Tyler Conklin.
Minnesota acquired the No. 157 overall pick in return for the Nos. 167 and 225 selections, per NJ.com’s Darryl Slater (via Twitter). Prior to this deal, the Vikes held four sixth-round draft choices. They still have three after moving up in Round 5.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound pass-catcher surpassed 500 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons, totaling 11 touchdown grabs in that span. The Vikings didn’t have much invested at the tight end spot behind Kyle Rudolph previously, so Conklin could have a chance at playing time fairly early.
Buccaneers Trade Into Vikings’ No. 94 Slot
The Buccaneers will trade a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round selection to move into the Vikings’ No. 94 spot at the end of this third round.
Tampa Bay gave up the No. 180 selection to swing this deal with Minnesota. The Bucs used this deal to select Alex Cappa, an offensive lineman out of Humboldt State.
This continues a busy night for the Bucs, who have now made four selections on Day 2 in this draft. They took running back Ronald Jones, cornerback M.J. Stewart, cornerback Carlton Davis and now Cappa, who was a stellar performer throughout his career at the Division II program.
The Bucs have a recent history of looking far and wide for offensive line help, with Division III product Ali Marpet being a multiyear starter in Tampa. Cappa was a four-time first-team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference choice and finished his career as a first-team Division II All-American in 2017.
Spielman Has Affinity For ACC Prospects
- Vikings GM Rick Spielman seems to have an affinity for taking players out of the ACC, as Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune writes. The Vikings drafted Dalvin Cook, Danny Isidora, Stacy Coley, Bucky Hodges and Jack Tocho, all from the ACC, last year. Conversely, Spielman rarely takes players from the Big 12, with only two selections from that conference — Tyrus Thompson (Oklahoma) and Elijah Lee (Kansas State) — in his six drafts at the wheel.
[SOURCE LINK]
NFL Draft Rumors: Browns, Price, Broncos
The Browns‘ No. 1 pick remains a mystery to everyone, including head coach Hue Jackson, according to Robert Klemko of The MMQB (on Twitter). He also adds that Dorsey has already made his determination, contrary to what has been leaked to the press.
On Wednesday morning, it was reported that the Browns are likely to select either Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen or Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield. Of course, that could just be a smokescreen as many still believe the Browns will take USC’s Sam Darnold.
Here’s the latest NFL Draft buzz:
- On Wednesday, the doctor for Billy Price announced that the Ohio State offensive lineman will be ready for training camp (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Now that Price is on track for this summer, it seems likely that he’ll still go within the first 32 picks. Price could be one of several interior offensive linemen to come off of the board in the bottom third of the first round.
- The Broncos have received calls from teams interested in what it would take to trade up to their No. 5 pick, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. GM John Elway has said that he is open to trading, so it’s a situation to keep an eye on.
- Many believe the Vikings will select an offensive lineman with the No. 30 overall pick, but GM Rick Spielman says that’s not necessarily the case, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Instead, Spielman says they could draft a player from four other positions.
Browns, Colts Lead League In Cap Space
The Browns and Colts have the most cap room of any team in the NFL heading into draft, as Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes. Here’s the official rundown of every team’s cap space for 2018 on the eve of draft weekend:
- Browns – $69.5MM
- Colts – $59.8MM
- 49ers – $43.8MM
- Titans – $35.8MM
- Texans -$35.6MM
- Bears – $24.1MM
- Jets – $21.9MM
- Bills – $19.4MM
- Jaguars – $18.6MM
- Cardinals – $18.1MM
- Redskins -$17.1MM
- Bengals – $16.8MM
- Packers – $16.2MM
- Vikings – $15.5MM
- Broncos – $14.6MM
- Patriots – $13.8MM
- Buccaneers – $12.3MM
- Cowboys -$11.9MM
- Chargers – $11.4MM
- Lions – $9.4MM
- Giants -$9.4MM
- Ravens – $8.8MM
- Seahawks – $7.6MM
- Chiefs – $6.7MM
- Saints – $5.7MM
- Panthers – $5.2MM
- Dolphins – $2.9MM
- Eagles – $2.2MM
- Steelers – $2MM
- Raiders – $1.8MM
- Falcons – $1.3MM
- Rams – $264K
Everson Griffen Healing Well From Plantar Fasciitis
- Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter) that he tore his Plantar Fascia ligament in Week 8 last season, electing to play through it for the rest of the year. Griffen appeared in 15 games last season, along with the team’s two postseason contests. “It’s doing great (now),” Griffen said, via Tomasson. “I feel good. I’m excited to be back here.’‘
Dalvin Cook On Track For Full Participation At Vikings Training Camp
It appears Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is on track to be a full participant when the team opens training camp in July, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Cook, who tore his ACL in Week 4 of his rookie season last year, has been participating in some on-field drills since the Vikings began their voluntary workouts on April 16.
The Vikings took Cook in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Florida State and he had a superb start to his NFL career, rushing for 354 yards on 74 carries (4.8-yard average) to go with two rushing touchdowns, while also catching 11 passes for 90 yards.
Minnesota advanced to last season’s NFC Championship game, relying on the services of Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon at running back. Cook had assumed the starting role to open the year over Murray, who’s set to enter the second year of a three-year deal. McKinnon signed with the 49ers this offseason.
“When I first got hurt, I told [Vikings athletic trainer Eric Sugarman], ‘I’m going to attack this thing 100 percent,’ ” Cook said, via Tomasson. “And the staff we’ve got around me, the people they put around me, there was no chance that I wasn’t going to come back.”
Tomasson notes that the departure of McKinnon likely means the Vikings will add depth at the position through the draft. Mack Brown is currently the only other running back on the roster outside of Cook and Murray.
Richardson's Incentive Marks Revealed
The $3MM incentive package for Sheldon Richardson will center on the interior defender’s sack production. Richardson’s one-year, $8MM Vikings deal will include a $667K bump if he reaches six sacks, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes. Should Richardson register eight sacks, that number spikes to $1.3MM. It rises to $2MM for a 10-sack slate. These benchmarks will be difficult to hit. The former first-round pick has only exceeded six sacks once in five seasons (eight in 2014). Richardson can also earn $500K if he makes the Pro Bowl, which he has done once (in that ’14 season). That will increase to $1MM if a first-team All-Pro nod follows the Pro Bowl acclaim, per Goessling.
Extra Points: Brothers, Edmunds, Kirk, Marshall, Poll
Vikings linebacker Kentrell Brothers released a statement following his four-game suspension by the NFL for violating its policy on performance-enhancing drugs, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
“While it was not my intention to violate any league policies, I understand that it is up to me to be aware of what goes in my body, and I take full responsibility for that. I sincerely apologize to the Vikings organization, my teammates and our fans for my mistake. I take my job as a professional seriously and will continue to support my teammates during this time.”
It has still yet to be revealed what Brothers, a fifth-round pick in 2016, tested positive for. He’ll be able to take part in the team’s entire offseason program, including preseason practices and games.
Brothers appeared in just nine defensive snaps in 2017 but was also a contributor on special teams.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is nearly a lock to be taken in the first round of the upcoming draft. But Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter) has been hearing that his older brother, Terrell Edmunds, a safety from Virginia Tech, could also go in the first round.
- While at a charity event Saturday in Phoenix hosted by Larry Fitzgerald, Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk said he’d visited with the Cardinals, who hold the No. 15 overall pick of the upcoming draft, via Mike Jurecki (on Twitter).
- Free-agent wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who was recently released by the Giants, was also at the charity event and declined comment on his free agency, via Jurecki (on Twitter).
- USA Today’s Jarrett Bell and Lindsay H. Jones polled 25 agents from around the league on a variety of topics when it comes to dealing with NFL front offices. The 49ers graded out at No. 1 when it came to which team was most prepared in free agency and the Bengals graded out as the worst. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome was graded to be the most-trusted executive and Redskins president Bruce Allen was found to be trusted the least.