King’s Latest: Mack, Manziel, Beckham Jr.
Once again, Peter King of TheMMQB.com has opened the week by sharing a number of intriguing notes, courtesy of his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column. Let’s work through the most interesting highlights:
- There is still talk that the Texans would like to either trade down from the first overall pick, or select Khalil Mack rather than Jadeveon Clowney. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported as much yesterday, and King adds that though a team like the Falcons is expected to be interested in trading up to No. 1, the Texans likely wouldn’t receive an overwhelming return.
- The Rams seem to be set on Greg Robinson at No. 2, rather than either Sammy Watkins or Jake Matthews. But things could get interesting when the Rams are back on the clock with the 13th pick — St. Louis’ GM Les Snead recently met with Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was Johnny Manziel’s offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, and left the visit believing Manizel could flourish in the NFL.
- The main concern of the Jaguars appears to be avoiding risk and making a safe selection; King observes that both Watkins and Matthews would fit that profile.
- The Vikings may look to add a defensive contributor with the eighth pick (perhaps Aaron Donald), and then select their quarterback of the future at pick No. 40.
- King hears that the Eagles are interested in trading up to select a receiver, with eyes on acquiring a versatile threat like Odell Beckham Jr. GM Howie Roseman has talked to at least two teams in the middle of the first round about moving up.
- The Cardinals remain interested in Derek Carr, but King wonders if it is prudent for Arizona to use a first-round pick on a “redshirt” quarterback when the team is so close to contention.
- Browns GM Ray Farmer has talked to one team with a low first-round pick about trading back into the first round, using Cleveland’s second-round pick as bait. This would mean the Browns would have three first-round picks in total, leading King to believe Cleveland wants to move ahead of the Texans at pick No. 33 in order to secure a franchise quarterback.
- One team within the top ten is seriously considering selecting Zack Martin, who is picking up the most buzz of any player in the draft.
Prospect Notes: Manziel, Clowney, Mack, Carr
The Browns are in need of a quarterback and this year’s draft class gives the team a number of different options. According to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan seems to be particularly infatuated with former Aggies’ passer Johnny Manziel.
“It’s obvious how good of a player he is, how fun he is to watch,” said Shanahan. “I think it does translate to the NFL. If you can make those plays in college, you can do it in the NFL.
“He’s going to be able to make plays in this league. Eventually when they try to contain him, he’s going to have to do everything he didn’t always have to do in college.”
Shanahan and his staff put Manziel through a private workout at Texas A&M in addition to hosting him in Cleveland. The Browns have the fourth-overall pick.
Let’s see what’s going on with some other notable prospects…
- After speaking with people who know Texans general manager Rick Smith, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport is no longer certain that the team will take Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick (via Twitter). In a subsequent tweet, Rapoport adds that the team would be willing to trade down.
- Following up on the report by SI’s Peter King, Rapoport confirms (via Twitter) that Khalil Mack is an option for the number-one pick.
- If the Texans do indeed pass on Clowney, Rapoport points out the “incredible drama” the Rams would be presented with (via Twitter).
- Derek Carr said that four or five teams told him that they would like to trade into the 20-29 range to select him, reports John Clayton of ESPN.com.
- In the same post, Clayton adds that the Lions would like to move up a few spots to select receiver Mike Evans.
- Washington State safety Deone Bucannon and Boise State linebacker Demarcus Lawrence could be surprise first-round picks, tweets Eric Galko of OptimumScouting.com.
Mayock Talks Manziel, Bridgewater, Clowney
NFL Network’s resident draft guru Mike Mayock shined some light on the upcoming NFL player selection meeting with Steve Serby of the New York Post. We’ve parsed the best quotes for your reading pleasure below…
On the difficulty of evaluating Johnny Manziel:
“I think he’s the most different quarterback evaluation I’ve ever had to do. No. 1 is his style on the field, and No. 2, is off the field. And you have to buy into both to say that he’s a franchise quarterback. I love watching this kid play, and I think whatever “it” is, he has “it.” I think he’s got a little bit of that edge with a Lawrence Taylor, a Warren Sapp where Sundays, he’s gonna show up and want to be the best player on the field every Sunday. However, you’re gonna have to deal with some of his off-the-field stuff, and you’re gonna have to try to get him to develop into a pocket passer also. Put a gun to my head, and say I can take only one quarterback and I have to take one in the top 10, he would be my guy.”
On the lack of an “it factor” with Teddy Bridgewater:
“Yeah, that’s one of the harder ones for me just because basically, you go to a kid’s Pro Day at the quarterback position to confirm what you’ve seen on tape. And he’s the only top-level quarterback I’ve seen in 10 years, where I haven’t been able to confirm in person what I saw on tape. I think ultimately he’s gonna be a good quarterback in the league, but I think he’s a year or two away from being able to accept the challenge.”
On Jadeveon Clowney’s pro prospects:
“He’s easy on tape to evaluate. I keep saying that when he woke up this morning, he was the most talented defensive lineman in the world. That doesn’t necessarily translate into the best defensive lineman, unless he has the work ethic and the edge to want to prove that. And when you hand him $20 million guaranteed, will he? So, I think the jury is still out on the kid, but it certainly isn’t out on the talent.”
On potential trade activity in the first round of the draft:
“I think that the first three or four teams would love to trade down. The perception is this draft is so good and so talented, let’s go get some more picks. The reality of this draft is that certain positions are very thin — defensive tackle, edge rusher … offensive tackle, it drops off after about 8 or 9. So I think we’re gonna see some different places in the draft where there’s a run on a particular position. And I think early in the draft in that top 10, it’ll be interesting to see if Atlanta or somebody comes up to try and get Clowney.”
On the chances the Cowboys take Manziel at No. 16 if he’s there:
“I don’t know. That to me is really interesting. They got a 34-year-old quarterback coming off his second back surgery, and they’ve got a hometown hero and an owner that’s not afraid of making a splash. So, you add all that up, and if they got on the clock and Manziel is available. … I think there’d be a greater than 50/50 chance they pull the trigger on him.”
AFC Mailbags: Raiders, Bengals, Jags, Colts
We took a look at some NFC mailbags earlier, so let’s take a look at some tidbits from ESPN’s AFC writers…
- The Raiders like Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald, but selecting him fifth overall may be “too rich for the Raiders blood”, says Paul Gutierrez. If the team was to trade back a couple of slots, Gutierrez thinks Donald would be a likely pick.
- If Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins and Khalil Mack are all off the board by the time the Raiders pick, Gutierrez believes the team should seriously consider trading down.
- Gutierrez suggests trading Denarius Moore for a fifth-round pick if the Raiders select Watkins.
- The Bengals are not likely to trade up, writes Coley Harvey. The team historically hasn’t been active in draft trades and Harvey says the team has little incentive to make a trade this year.
- The Jaguars are “definitely” looking at the 2015 Draft for quarterbacks, but Michael DiRocco would be surprised if the team doesn’t select a passer this season.
- Safety is a bigger priority for the Colts than an offensive lineman, writes Mike Wells.
Texans Owner Talks No. 1 Pick, QBs, Clowney
Texans GM Rick Smith hasn’t been overly forthcoming when discussing his team’s approach to the first overall pick in next week’s draft, though it sounds as if he and his staff at least have a specific target in mind if the club doesn’t trade down. Owner Bob McNair divulged a few more details in a conversation with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, providing a couple interesting quotes on the top quarterbacks in this year’s class and on Jadeveon Clowney, who McNair calls “obviously the best player” available.
Let’s dive in and check out a few of McNair’s more noteworthy comments….
On what the team will do with the first overall pick:
“Really at this point we don’t know and we really won’t know until right up at the time we have to make a decision because people are talking to us about the possibility of trading down and it’s a question of what people offer, whether their offer is such that it’s worthwhile to trade down.”
On trading down from No. 1:
“If somebody wants you to drop down and they give you two or three more picks that would let you get two or three more quality players, are you a stronger team dropping down a little bit, getting these additional picks and getting more depth? …. I think that we’re going to greatly strengthen our team as a result of the draft. We’ve got 11 picks now in the draft and it’s a deep draft. So we’re going to get some good players regardless as to what we do. If we trade down and pick up two or three more players, we’d have 13 or 14 [picks]. So you’re going to see some significant strengthening of our team as a result of this draft.”
On the top quarterback prospects:
“You got three quarterbacks and all of them have some holes in their resumé…. You drop down and there’s another group close behind [the top three], not exactly where they are, and maybe one of those quarterbacks will become better than one of these other three…. There are no slam dunks. There are no Andrew Lucks out there, no Peyton Mannings. If there were it would be an easy decision, but that’s not the case.”
On Clowney:
“He’s obviously the best player in the draft, but he’s a defensive end. He’s not a quarterback. If he’s a quarterback and the best player it’s easy, but that’s not the case. So can that defensive player have a greater impact on the success of your team than one of these quarterbacks? It’s not a sure thing that he is.”
On doing what’s in the best interest of the team:
“We did that in ’06 when public opinion was that we should pick [Reggie] Bush. We said then that we’re going to do what’s in the best interest of the team and ultimately public opinion will recognize that if we’re correct. In ’06 it was easier because you had a top defensive player (Mario Williams) versus a running back and an outstanding running back is not as valuable as an outstanding quarterback. That was I think an easier decision for us and I think we made the right decision. I think it proved out. I think that’s an indication of how we go about doing our business.”
Texans Notes: Clowney, Draft, RBs, Watt
John McClain of the Houston Chronicle provided a few Texans-related insights on Twitter today, suggesting that he believes Jadeveon Clowney will be the pick if the team doesn’t trade down from No. 1. If the Texans do indeed pass on someone like Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles to grab a pass rusher like Clowney or Khalil Mack, McClain isn’t sure which signal-caller the club would be targeting later in the draft.
Here’s more on the Texans:
- Texans GM Rick Smith would like to acquire as many picks as possible in this draft, particularly in the first three rounds, so there’s a chance he trades the team’s second-round pick, according to McClain.
- In McClain’s view, it would cost a team like the Falcons their first-round pick this year and next, along with this year’s second- and fourth-round picks to trade up to the Texans’ spot at No. 1. McClain doesn’t believe Smith would send the first overall pick to Atlanta for this year’s first- and second-rounders and next year’s first-rounder. If that’s true, I’d be surprised to see the Texans move the pick.
- For what it’s worth, Smith indicated yesterday on Fox Sports Southwest that he “absolutely” knows who he wants to take with the first overall pick.
- According to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter), the Texans have done “a lot of work” on running backs, and could potentially draft one before the end of the third round. The club lost top backup Ben Tate in free agency this offseason.
- Last week, former agent Joel Corry and former team executive Ari Nissim published the first installment of a mock contract negotiation between J.J. Watt‘s agent and the Texans. Today, the second part of the series is up at the National Football Post, as the two sides continue to discuss a hypothetical deal for Watt.
Draft Notes: Rams, Texans, Easley, Fleming
The Rams, armed with the second and 13th overall picks in the draft, will head to College Station to work out top Texas A&M prospects Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans, and Jake Matthews, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (via Twitter). ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan notes (via Twitter) that the workouts should happen on Friday, which will also give GM Les Snead, coach Jeff Fisher and company the opportunity to stop tomorrow in Alabama to work out quarterback A.J. McCarron, as Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets. Let’s round up a few more draft notes, including another one on the Rams….
- Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Ohio State are also expected to be among the Rams‘ stops before May 8 as they work out a number of top draft prospects, tweets Mortensen.
- John McClain of the Houston Chronicle believes that if the Texans don’t trade down from No. 1, the team’s choice will come down to Manziel vs. Jadeveon Clowney. If Houston moves down and those players are off the board, Blake Bortles and Khalil Mack might be the club’s top two choices, says McClain.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has heard from two top scouts who believe Florida’s Dominique Easley will be selected in the first round despite the fact that the defensive lineman is recovering from a torn ACL.
- Adam Caplan (Twitter link) adds the Titans to the list of teams visited by Stanford tackle Cameron Fleming, and the Bengals to the list of clubs that worked him out. As Caplan tweets, Fleming, who had one of the highest Wonderlic scores among this year’s offensive linemen, is projected to come off the board on the second day of the draft.
- Ohio State wideout Corey Brown visited the Browns and worked out for the Patriots and Panthers, tweets Caplan.
- More from Caplan: He tweets that South Dakota edge defender Tyler Starr visited the Patriots and had a private workout with the Colts, and reports (via Twitter) that San Diego State safety Eric Pinkins visited the Dolphins and Seahawks.
Draft Updates: Bucs, Bills, McCarron, Savage
A handful of teams picking at the top of next week’s draft have expressed an openness to move down in the first round, and we can add the Buccaneers to this list. Speaking to reporters today, including Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com, Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht didn’t rule out the possibility of trading down.
“That’s definitely something we’d look into,” Licht said. “We’ve already reached out to teams. If our player isn’t there, we’d be open to conversations about moving back.”
Here are several more draft-related items for Tuesday afternoon:
- Within his latest mock draft at ESPN.com, Todd McShay cites three league sources who have told him in the past week that the Bills are trying to trade up from No. 9. According to McShay, if Buffalo does make a move, it will likely be to land Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins, or Greg Robinson.
- Appearing on The Paul Finebaum Show, Alabama signal-caller A.J. McCarron suggested he’s been told he could be drafted as high as 16th in the draft, which is the spot the Cowboys currently hold (link via Andrew Gribble of AL.com).
- Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage quietly made a pre-draft visit to the Jets last week, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
- After previously identifying a few teams who hosted Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com names a few more, tweeting that Ward also visited the Colts, Saints, Texans, and Vikings.
- LSU guard Trai Turner has worked out privately for the Lions, Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, and Saints, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson adds that Turner also visited the Cowboys, Cardinals, Colts, and Dolphins.
- Kansas wide receiver and special teams ace Josh Ford has drawn interest from the Packers, Panthers, Texans, Jets, and Chiefs, tweets Wilson.
- The Giants, Jets, and Lions were among the teams to host Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle for a pre-draft visit, writes Wilson.
- Finally, Wilson reports that Wisconsin defensive tackle Beau Allen had a total of eight visits and three private workouts, and tweets that Albany tackle Kadeem Williams has been informed he’s on an AFC South team’s draft board.
King’s Latest: Falcons, Manziel, Rams, Mack
With teams reluctant to reveal any of their plans, the weeks leading up to the draft are often filled with a mix of real and false information on teams’ preferences and players’ stocks. Peter King of TheMMQB.com points to a Johnny Manziel rumor as one example of potential misinformation, noting that he heard from one reliable source that the Eagles are considering moving up to draft the young quarterback. However, King goes on to say that a second source, who would know even better, insists it “absolutely won’t happen.”
While it seems there’s nothing to that Manziel rumor, King cites it as an instance where a team may be trying to make a “misdirection play” and passes along several more draft-related updates that he considers to be more reliable. Here are the highlights from the latest MMQB column:
- “Momentum is gaining” for the Falcons to trade up to No. 1 to draft Jadeveon Clowney, according to King, who estimates the odds of a deal are about 40% at this point. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com also reported today that the Falcons are exploring trade options, though he notes that the club hasn’t engaged in negotiations with the Texans for that first overall pick yet. In King’s view, it would take at least Atlanta’s 2015 first-rounder in addition to this year’s No. 6 overall pick to get Houston’s attention.
- It’s a safe bet that Rams GM Les Snead will trade at least one of his two first-round picks, if not both, says King. The team currently holds the second and 13th overall selections.
- An offensive coordinator whose team likely won’t be drafting a quarterback early, to King: “If I had the first pick in the draft, I’d take Manziel.”
- King spoke to Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack, who is pushing to be the first player off the board and would love to play with J.J. Watt in Houston. Although Mack hasn’t yet gotten a sense of where he’ll be selected, King would be surprised if the linebacker lasted more than six picks.
- King passes along the top 10 players on one team’s draft board, though he’s not sure of the order: Clowney, Mack, Manziel, Blake Bortles, Aaron Donald, Sammy Watkins, and four offensive tackles (Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews, Zack Martin, Taylor Lewan).
- Nevada offensive lineman Joel Bitonio could be a top target for the Panthers in the second round if he’s still on the board at No. 60, says King.
NFC Notes: Rams, Turner, Latimer
Despite the concerns surrounding South Carolina standout Jadeveon Clowney, his potential will make it next to impossible for the Texans or Rams, who hold the top two picks in the draft, to turn him down, writes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Echoing those sentiments, ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner is hearing that Clowney will be the No. 1 overall pick, whether Houston drafts him or another team moves up to nab him (for what it’s worth, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets that even if Houston wants to trade out of the first pick, the team may be unable to do so).
As a result, the Rams will still be on the lookout for defensive tackles when they are on the clock with the No. 13 overall pick. We heard a couple of days ago from our own Luke Adams that Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald will have a number of teams interested in his services between picks No. 6 and No. 16, and, in a separate piece for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Thomas writes that Donald’s pass-rush skills would be a perfect complement to starters Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford.
Wagoner, meanwhile, thinks that even if the Rams miss out on Clowney, the team might nonetheless be inclined to trade down from its No. 13 overall selection, perhaps to a club like the Browns that wants to move up to secure a QB. Although St. Louis would also be interested in trading down from its No. 2 overall pick, Wagoner believes there is little chance of that happening.
A quick look at some other NFC clubs:
- SI.com’s Don Banks thinks that the Rams will not be able to pass on Clemson WR Sammy Watkins with the No. 2 selection.
- Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune provides a nice look at the approach new Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner is taking with his roster this spring, particularly his quarterbacks.
- ESPN.com’s Andy Jasner writes that the Eagles‘ interest in Indiana WR Cody Latimer might be growing, but Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine has a hard time believing Latimer is a real possibility for the Eagles’ No. 22 overall pick. Kapadia is probably correct, but Latimer is one of the biggest risers in this year’s draft and probably would be a first-round selection in a year where the wide receiver class was not as deep.
- Although ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett believes the Saints have quality run-stoppers on the defensive line, he does believe they need to get more athletic at linebacker over the course of the next several seasons.
- In his latest mock draft, Jim Duncan of the Times-Picayune says the Saints will trade up seven spots to No. 20 overall to select Oregon State WR Brandin Cooks.