Draft Rumors: Elliott, Cowboys, Saints, Titans
The idea of selecting running back Ezekiel Elliott is “gaining steam” inside the Cowboys organization, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote earlier tonight that Dallas is “struggling” with their decision on Elliott, while the Ravens are also a contender to draft Elliott at pick No. 6.
Here’s the latest with the draft only about 30 minutes away…
- While a report earlier tonight indicated that we could see quite a few first-round trades, Saints head coach Sean Payton feels differently, telling Larry Holder of NOLA.com (Twitter link) that he doesn’t believe there will be many deals tonight, at least in the top half of the first round. New Orleans is comfortable picking where it is (No. 12), per Payton.
- Though the Chargers are reportedly open to trading out of the No. 3 pick, general manager Tom Telesco tells Britt McHenry of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that while he’s taken calls, “nothing of significant interest” has caught his ear as of yet.
- The Dolphins and Titans are still trying to move back into the top-10 picks, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who adds that Miami has its eye on Elliott, while Tennessee would like to pick up an offensive tackle. Meanwhile, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com used two separate draft value charts to calculate what it would take for the Titans to trade up to various locales on the board.
Giants Not Considering Myles Jack At No. 10
8:49pm: Some teams that are interested in Jack are thinking about having him sign an injury waiver, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets. In an entry on WalterFootball.com, Pauline details how such a waiver would work:
“Teams can start their due diligence now and see if Jack would accept such a request before deciding on whether or not they would draft him. The injury waiver would be a clause that waives any compensation for Jack if he injures or re-injures the knee in question. The teams in question would require this for their short or long term protection, but it should be noted that verbal agreements of this sort are non-binding,” Pauline writes.
The Saints at No. 12 are a team to watch if Jack slips, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.
7:37pm: The Giants are not considering linebacker Myles Jack with the No. 10 pick, sources tell Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The linebacker is considered to be one of the best talents in this year’s class, but the Giants have serious reservations about his medical situation. 
[RELATED: Giants Exercise Option On Justin Pugh]
“If the injury is so significant… It’s like school. F is bad and A is good. Anything in between… If it’s a C, there’s some risk,” Giants general manager Jerry Reese said last week when asked about draft prospects with medical concerns. “If there’s a D, there is a lot of risk, and if it’s an F, we’re not going to take them. It’s hard for us to take a D. We rarely take a D.”
The Giants reportedly like Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd and Michigan State tackle Jack Conklin, two players who are regarded as safer picks than Jack, at No. 10. According to Raanan, Floyd is the Giants’ preference at No. 10 and Conklin is viewed as the fallback option, provided that he is also available.
Jack missed most of the 2015 campaign thanks to a torn meniscus in his knee. Now, there is growing concern that Jack could require further surgery that could keep him off the field for part of the 2016 season.
News of the Giants shying away from Jack comes on the heels of the linebacker personally doing a poor job of selling himself in a conversation with Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter link):
“[The degenerative problems are] there, but it’s nothing extreme. Down the line, possibly I could have microfracture surgery – potentially. Who knows what will happen? Nobody knows how long anybody is going to play in this league. To play three years in this league would be above average,” Jack said.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints Notes: Draft, Norman, QBs
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis spoke to reporters today about his team’s draft plans, and took the opportunity to take a shot at one reporter who wasn’t involved in the presser. After Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested earlier this week that the Saints had a discussion about trading up to No. 1 before the Rams acquired the pick, Loomis said today that his club had “absolutely no conversations” with any teams at the top of the draft (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune). “Another miss by that reporter,” Loomis added.
It’s not the first time Loomis has been dismissive of a Rapoport report — last January, he asserted that Rapoport “has about a 30% accuracy rate if you pay attention to things he puts out there.” As I wrote when Rapoport first tweeted about the Saints’ talks for the No. 1 pick, it’s not clear whether he was suggesting the team actually spoke to the Titans about a deal, or simply had an internal discussion about the idea of moving up. Either way though, Loomis’ comments today confirm that New Orleans never seriously considered the possibility at all.
- Loomis did confirm today that the Saints were in the mix for Josh Norman before the standout cornerback ended up in Washington. “We made a strong offer,” the Saints GM said (Twitter link via Woodbery).
- The Saints are considered likely to select a quarterback at some point in this draft, and Loomis didn’t dispute that notion, telling reporters that his team looks into QB prospects every year. “I don’t see [this year] as being dramatically different,” Loomis said (Twitter link via Woodbery).
Saints Never Seriously Considered Trade To No. 1
Earlier today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that the Saints “had talks” about potentially moving up to the No. 1 pick, before Tennessee ultimately sent the pick to Los Angeles. At the time, I noted that it wasn’t clear whether Rapoport was suggesting New Orleans actually engaged the Titans in trade talks, or whether the Saints simply had internal discussions about the possibility.
According to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, however, a source said the Saints had no talks about trading for the first overall pick. Once again, it’s not entirely clear whether Triplett is referring to discussions between the Saints and Titans, or simply internal conversations in New Orleans, so it’s possible he and Rapoport are on different pages. In any case, it seems as though the team was never serious about the idea of moving way up in the first round.
In fact, that source tells Triplett that the Saints are more likely to trade down than up, adding that the idea of drafting quarterback Paxton Lynch appears to be a long shot, at best. The club is more likely to add a QB in the middle rounds of the draft, says Triplett.
Saints Discussed Possible Trade For No. 1 Pick
- Before the Titans sent the No. 1 overall pick to Los Angeles, the Saints had discussions about moving up to No. 1 for a quarterback, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s not clear whether New Orleans actually engaged in talks with the Titans, or simply discussed the idea internally, but Rapoport wonders if the team will target Paxton Lynch in the first round.
- Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) adds the Saints to the list of clubs that have worked out Cal running back Daniel Lasco in the weeks leading up to the draft. Lasco, whose stock is believed to be on the rise, worked out for at least five other teams besides New Orleans.
Saints Cut Barnes, Sunseri
- The Saints have released second-year defensive end Tavaris Barnes, a league source tells Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune (on Twitter). Barnes, a Clemson product, appeared in 12 games for New Orleans in 2015.
- The Saints have also waived safety Vinnie Sunseri, as Woodbery tweets.
Draft Rumors: Lawson, Lynch, Jack, Bosa
In his latest mock draft, Peter King of TheMMQB.com has Clemson edge defender Shaq Lawson coming of the board at No. 11 to the Bears. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report likes that prediction, tweeting that the idea of Lawson to the Bears is “heating up,” with Chicago having done a ton of homework on the young pass rusher.
According to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via PhiladelphiaEagles.com), not all NFL teams are comfortable with Lawson’s shoulder — a few clubs believe he has a degenerative condition that will create problems down the road. However, Lawson believes his shoulder is good to go, and his camp sent a video to all 32 teams over the weekend to prove it, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Here are a few more draft-related odds and ends from around the league:
- The NFL has notified all 32 teams that no player tested positive for banned substances during the February combine, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Some clubs are concerned about Paxton Lynch‘s “alarmingly low score” on the Wonderlic test, and while there are still plenty of teams that like him, some people around the NFL believe the Memphis quarterback may be picked after Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg, according to Tony Pauline. Pauline cautions that he doesn’t buy that idea, but he does expect Hackenberg to be selected during the early part of the second round.
- Despite concern about the long-term health of Myles Jack‘s knee, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) says that the UCLA linebacker is still a virtual lock to come off the board within the top 15 picks in the first round, while Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter link) doesn’t expect Jack to get out of the top 10.
- The trades for quarterbacks at the top of the draft could push some defensive players down the board, but it’s “highly unlikely” that Ohio State pass rusher Joey Bosa slips beyond No. 7, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
- Baylor basketball player and tight end Rico Gathers has his pro day at the Saints‘ facility today, with 24 teams sending reps, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Given how weak this year’s tight end class is, teams are more intrigued by Gathers than initially expected, says Rapoport.
Travis Feeney, Alex Lewis Visited Saints
- The Saints held pre-draft visits with Washington linebacker Travis Feeney and Nebraska offensive lineman Alex Lewis, reports Joel Erickson of the Advocate. Both prospects project as Day 3 picks, and Lewis is particularly interesting as the college tackle could be moved inside to guard at the pro level.
Drew Brees Restructure Offer A PR Ploy?
- Drew Brees reportedly being willing to restructure his $30MM cap number to help the Saints sign Norman struck Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio as a PR move as the 15th-year quarterback prepares for questions about that figure, which is by the largest in the league in 2016 — $6MM clear of Eli Manning‘s $24MM cap charge. Florio believes Brees was the source for the ESPN.com report that emerged after Norman signed with Washington, and the writer categorizes it as a calculated salvo from Brees in an attempt to preempt backlash that could come from fans realizing his 2016 cap hold was the main reason New Orleans couldn’t afford Norman or a player of his ilk earlier in free agency. The perpetually cap-strapped Saints cut Jahri Evans and Marques Colston in March, making the two Bayou icons the latest such casualties. The Saints have the least amount of space in the league at $2.9MM.
- One of the receivers the Texans brought in for a visit, Leonte Carroo acknowledged the team is looking for a receiver to pair with DeAndre Hopkins, whom the Rutgers prospect spoke to during his Houston tour, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. “That’s what I’m excited about, that they’re looking for a wide receiver,” Carroo told Wilson. “I fit their system very well. They could use a big, physical receiver like myself on the other side from Hopkins. I feel like I could help them tremendously.” Houston has essentially been seeking a quality No. 2 wideout during the franchise’s entire run, with Kevin Walter‘s late-2000s work representing the best the Texans have coaxed from this role. Carroo also visited the Saints, Patriots and Dolphins and worked out at the Jets’ and Giants’ local pro days.
Drew Brees Would Have Modified Contract To Help Land Josh Norman
- The Saints reportedly made a late push to sign Norman, and Drew Brees wanted to help New Orleans’ secure the cornerback’s services. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Brees was willing to modify his contract in order to find the funds to sign Norman. Brees only has one year left on his deal, so a restructure isn’t possile — he would have had to accept a paycut or sign an extension to free up cap space.