Cowboys Trade No. 211 To Patriots
The Cowboys and Patriots agreed on a sixth-round deal, one that will send Dallas’ No. 211 pick to New England, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.
UCLA offensive tackle Conor McDermott will join the Patriots as a result of the exchange, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com (on Twitter). McDermott is the second tackle the defending Super Bowl champions have taken this weekend, with the UCLA talent being set to accompany Troy tackle/guard Antonio Garcia to Massachusetts. All four of the Pats’ picks have been linemen thus far.
The Cowboys collected Nos. 216 and 239 from the Patriots.
Chiefs Acquire 183rd Pick From Patriots
Kansas City has gotten their hands on a third fifth-round pick. The Chiefs have acquired the 183rd pick from the Patriots, the team announced on Twitter. In exchange, New England will be receiving the 216th pick and tight end James O’Shaughnessy.
O’Shaughnessy, a 2015 fifth-round pick, has spent his entire career in the Chiefs organization. The Illinois State product has 23 NFL games under his belt, having compiled eight receptions for 86 yards. The 6-foot-4 tight end also has eight career tackles. He’ll be joining a Patriots tight ends corps that already features Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen.
Patriots Exercise Brandin Cooks’ Option
Not much of a surprise, but Brandin Cooks will be sticking around New England through at least the 2018 season. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), the Patriots have picked up the wideout’s fifth-year option.
Cooks is in line to make a very-affordable $1.56MM this offseason, but his fifth-year option is likely to be valued around $8.5MM. As our own Connor Byrne previously noted, the Patriots are likely to see what Cooks does in their offense before they hand him a lucrative extension. Either way, the 23-year-old should expect to make at least $10MM annually on his next contract.
The Patriots were left out of the fun on Thursday night after having dealt the 32nd pick (along with pick #103) to New Orleans for Cooks (and pick #118) earlier this offseason. The 23-year-old will provide Tom Brady with another talented target, joining a receiving corps that already features Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, and tight end Rob Gronkowski. Over the past two seasons, Cooks has averaged 81 receptions for 1,155 yards and more than eight touchdowns.
There are still several 2013 first-rounders who are awaiting decisions on their fifth-year option, including Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles and Bills receiver Sammy Watkins.
Patriots Acquire 85th Selection From Lions
The Patriots have acquired the 85th pick in the draft from the Lions, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. New England has given up the 96th and 124th picks, per Field Yates of ESPN (on Twitter), and will select Troy offensive lineman Antonio Garcia.
The 23-year-old Garcia was a stalwart at left tackle with Troy, but if he remains a bookend in the pros, he could have trouble getting on the field for the time being. The Patriots are all set at both tackle spots with Nate Solder protecting Tom Brady‘s blindside and Marcus Cannon manning the right. Solder is entering a contract year, though, so Garcia could be in position to step into the starting lineup in 2018.
Moving up for Garcia gave the Pats two of the three picks from 83 to 85. With the 83rd selection, they chose Youngstown State defensive end Derek Rivers.
Titans Acquire Patriots’ No. 72 Pick
The Titans have traded up to acquire the Patriots’ No. 72 pick, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. New England will pick up Nos. 83 and 124, and will also give No. 200 to the Titans.
With its new pick, Tennessee will select Western Kentucky wide receiver Taywan Taylor. The Titans have now added two pass-catchers in 2017, as they used the fifth overall pick on WR Corey Davis.
Browns Inquired On Jimmy Garoppolo During Round 1
The Browns once again asked about the availability of Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo during the draft on Thursday night, but New England rebuffed Cleveland’s advances, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Cleveland, of course, has been interested in acquiring Garoppolo for some time, but the Patriots aren’t inclined to give up the 25-year-old backup. Just last week, Schefter reiterated that a draft-day trade involving Garoppolo was “not happening”, indicating that New England fully intends to hang onto Garoppolo for the 2017 campaign.
At least one report last night also indicated the Browns were attempting to deal for Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, and Cleveland is still in the market for a signal-caller after failing to land one last night. At present, Cody Kessler is the incumbent Browns’ starter, while the club also employs Brock Osweiler and Kevin Hogan.
If the Browns do want to make a trade at some point, they’ll certainly have the assets to do so. They own seven more picks in 2017, and picked up an extra 2018 first-rounder in a trade with the Texans on Thursday.
Saints Rumors: Butler, Lattimore, Foster
Last night, Saints coach Sean Payton had a candid chat with reporters and shared some interesting info. Here’s a look at the highlights:
- The coach said all of the trade possibilities the team previously considered for veteran cornerbacks “still remain open” depending on how the rest of the draft falls (Twitter link via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com). Payton, ostensibly, is referring to the Saints’ trade talks with the Patriots regarding Malcolm Butler. When New Orleans drafted Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore with the No. 11 pick, many assumed that the team would back off of its pursuit. Personally, I don’t believe that the Saints will be willing to give up significant compensation for Butler now that they have Lattimore, particularly since locking him down will require a hefty contract.
- Payton said the Saints even had talks about possibly trading up to land Lattimore. They also listened to offers to trade down, but ultimately stood pat (Twitter link via Triplett). He added that Lattimore was the team’s third or fourth ranked player on the board heading into the draft (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate).
- The Saints were considering Reuben Foster and Takkarist McKinley at No. 32 before they came off the board, Payton told reporters (Twitter link via Triplett). With both players gone, the Saints selected offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
- Payton views Ramczyk, who played left tackle at Wisconsin, as a right tackle (Twitter link via Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune).
Malcolm Butler Trade Still Possible
A Malcolm Butler trade is “unlikely … but not impossible,” according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Zack Cox of NESN). With just hours to go before the draft, the Saints and Patriots will have to act fast to get something done. 
The Saints and Butler have reportedly agreed to terms on a potential contract, but the Saints and Patriots have been far apart on trade compensation. The Saints could have signed Butler to an offer sheet as a restricted free agent, but an unmatched sheet would have forced them to part with the No. 11 overall pick. Some believed that the two sides would ultimately compromise on a trade sending the Patriots’ No. 32 pick back to New England, but that has not materialized thus far. The Patriots, reportedly, are not interested in acquiring 2018 draft compensation for Butler, so time is ticking for a trade to go down.
As it stands, Butler is set to play out the 2017 season on his $3.91MM one-year tender.
Saints, Pats Haven't Discussed Malcolm Butler "For Quite Some Time"
New Orleans hasn’t “really had any discussions for quite some time” about acquiring Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, according to Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, while head coach Sean Payton notes that the 27-year-old is “with New England, and I don’t think anything has changed. I don’t see anything being imminent as well (links via Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com).” Their statements came on the heels of a report suggesting the Pats are unlikely to trade Butler, whom the Saints have chased throughout the offseason. New Orleans courted Butler as a restricted free agent and even agreed to a multiyear contract with him, but the club doesn’t want to meet the Patriots’ asking price for the onetime Pro Bowler.
Patriots Hosting LB Dan Skuta On Visit
Free agent linebacker Dan Skuta is visiting the Patriots today, reports Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Skuta has been on the open market since the Jaguars released him April 11.
Skuta, who turned 31 last week, parlayed a five-sack 2014 season as a reserve with the 49ers into a five-year, $20.5MM deal with the Jags in 2015. That move clearly didn’t pan out for Jacksonville, though, particularly during a 2016 campaign that saw Skuta play just 24.8 percent of defensive snaps and total two starts in 13 appearances. Skuta made a minimal impact defensively, racking up a mere 18 tackles, though he did see time on nearly half of the Jaguars’ special teams snaps.
In New England, Skuta would likely function as depth behind fellow outside linebackers Shea McClellin and Rob Ninkovich. The Patriots also have 2016 sixth-round pick Elandon Roberts, who partook in 26 percent of their defensive snaps as a rookie, and Jonathan Freeny on hand.