Marcus Mariota - Pro Football Rumors

Pompei On Flowers, Mariota, Cooper

April 30th, 2015 at 8:54am CST by Zachary Links

Ereck Flowers could be the surprise player to go in the top ten, Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report tweets. The reason for that? The murky La’el Collins situation could vault him up the board. Here’s more draft news from Pompei..

The Titans have been doing a lot of talking, but as of this point the chances are very good they will stay put and take Marcus Mariota at No. 2 (link).
The Rams are a wildcard. They could move up for Amari Cooper and, if they don’t, they could drop back (link).
Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff is hot with the Giants, Rams, Jets, Washington, and others potentially in play (link). If there’s a trade up made beyond the top five, it could be for him, Pompei reasons.
The Jets and Washington are the most likely trade-down candidates (link).
Meanwhile, the Falcons, Rams, Browns, and Eagles are the most likely to trade up (link).

Eagles Pushing Hard To Trade Up

April 29th, 2015 at 9:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are are “doing all they can” to make the move from No. 20, according to a source that spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Presumably, they’re gunning for the No. 2 pick to take Oregon star Marcus Mariota.

The Eagles could potentially get up to the No. 2 pick without giving up much thanks to the Browns’ persistent interest in quarterback Sam Bradford. While the Eagles publicly and privately have denied that they’d want to trade Bradford shortly after acquiring him, they could be convinced to part with him if it would give them the assets necessary to get Mariota.

Florio speculates that the Eagles could use the No. 12 pick (from Cleveland), the No. 20 pick (their own), and a 2016 first round pick to meet the Titans’ exorbitant asking price. It’s possible that on top of that, the Titans would push for a third round choice, but Chip Kelly could meet that asking price if he’s really as smitten with Mariota as people say he is.

Browns Make Titans Offer For No. 2 Pick?

April 29th, 2015 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

5:04pm: Browns GM Ray Farmer tells NFL Media’s Andrea Kremer that he spoke to Webster, but specific compensation for the No. 2 pick wasn’t discussed.

“Things remain fluid and you always have to listen,” Farmer said. “When you get needy, you get desperate. We aren’t either.”

11:59am: In his full report on the trade talks between the Browns and Titans, McManamon writes that the Browns’ offer to the Titans “includes” the team’s first-round picks, which implies there may be more to it. However, he adds that another source close to the Browns says there have been “no substantive talks” yet with the Titans.

Presumably, McManamon is confident in enough in his first source to believe that there’s something to the story — it sounds to me like the two sides have definitely discussed a potential deal, even if nothing is imminent at this point.

11:53am: In an effort to move up to land Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the Browns have offered their two first-round picks – 12th and 19th overall – to the Titans for the No. 2 overall pick, according to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com (Twitter link). However, fellow ESPN.com reporter Paul Kuharsky (Twitter link) hears from a Titans source that the Browns have not made an offer for that second overall pick.

Throughout the draft process, the Browns have been viewed as a candidate to shake up the first round, since they hold two top-20 picks. However, it would be a surprise if the 12th and 19th overall picks were all it took to move up to No. 2 to snag Mariota, so even if the Browns have made those picks available for the Titans, I’d expect further discussions to take place.

Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net reported last week that the Titans had asked the Browns for their second-round pick in addition to the Nos. 12 and 19 selections, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it took a little more than that to sway Tennessee — John Middlekauff of 95.7 The Game tweeted today that the Titans would want both 2015 first-rounders, a 2015 second-rounder, and a 2016 first-rounder.

Additionally, Titans general manager Ruston Webster said yesterday that he has first-round grades on 16 or 17 players in this class, so that No. 19 selection may not appeal as strongly to Tennessee as it would to other clubs.

With the Eagles, Jets, and Chargers all still being linked to Mariota and the No. 2 pick as well, it would be a surprise if the Bucs moved the pick before they’re on the clock tomorrow night, even if there are currently offers on the table.

King’s Latest: Bucs, Mariota, Cowboys, Pats

April 29th, 2015 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

Before answering readers’ questions in his weekly mailbag this week, Peter King of TheMMQB.com passed along a number of the latest draft rumors he’s hearing with the first round just one day away. Let’s dive in and round up the highlights….

The Buccaneers have yet to receive a trade offer that “would come close” to making them decide to move down from No. 1.
The Titans, Buccaneers, and Jaguars have all inquired with teams picking late in the first round about moving up from the second round, says King. The three teams have the first, second, and fourth picks, respectively, in round two.
One GM told King that while the Titans still look like the favorites to end up with Marcus Mariota, he wouldn’t be shocked if Cleveland “trades the farm” to land the Oregon quarterback. The thinking is that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is sick of the merry-go-round at the position, and would like to land a “squeaky-clean” signal-caller to lead the franchise.
The Cowboys would love to see running back Melvin Gordon fall to them at No. 27, but two other names to watch are linebackers Eric Kendricks (UCLA) and Benardrick McKinney (Mississippi State).
One team considering drafting a tackle in the first round is debating whether or not LSU’s La’el Collins will be on its draft board on Thursday night. While King acknowledges that this may be unfair, he explains the club’s thinking: “How can you draft a guy who’s being sought in connection with the death of a woman, even if police are saying now he isn’t a suspect? He needs to be exonerated by Thursday.”
The Patriots like USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who looks like a logical target for the club if he’s still available at No. 32.
With the 21st overall pick, the Bengals are considering Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, who had ACL surgery in January. King views this is a sign that teams are willing to wait on a prospect who wouldn’t be healthy enough to contribute immediately if they think he can be a premier player in the long term.

Draft Rumors: Collins, Bucs, Gurley, Titans

April 29th, 2015 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

We heard yesterday that police are looking to question La’el Collins following the shooting death of a pregnant woman last week, though the LSU offensive lineman isn’t considered a suspect. Jim Boren, the attorney for Collins, tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that he has been in constant contact with the lead detective in the case, and spoke to the district attorney yesterday.

“We took the investigation seriously,” Boren said on Tuesday. “We’ve tried to rule him out as a suspect. We’re going to provide that information to the police, and ultimately [Collins] will sit down and talk to them. But the timing is poor.”

Indeed, even if Collins is officially ruled out as a suspect by police, which appears likely, it’s not clear if that will happen before the draft gets underway tomorrow night, and teams figure to approach the lineman with extra caution.

As we wait to see how the ongoing investigation affects Collins, let’s round up a few more Wednesday draft rumors from around the league….

According to Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, trade inquiries involving the No. 1 overall pick are on the rise this week, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Still, I think Tampa Bay would have to be blown away to move out of that first overall spot.
One team has Georgia running back Todd Gurley at No. 1 overall on its draft board, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, adding that it’s safe to say that’s not the consensus around the NFL. In fact, scouts who have spoken to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report don’t believe Gurley will be a top-10 pick, as has been rumored.
Within Freeman’s piece, the BR scribe notes that the Jets are still very much in the hunt for Marcus Mariota, though he’s skeptical that New York will offer enough to move the Titans out of the No. 2 spot.
Speaking of those Titans, Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network (Twitter links) hears that Tennessee isn’t just taking trade calls — the club is making them as well. So far, things haven’t gotten serious, but trade talks involving that second overall pick could heat up today and tomorrow, says Darlington.
Amidst reports that Shane Ray could slide out of the first round, and perhaps much further than that, one NFL executive tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link) that the Missouri pass rusher “isn’t going to fall very far” following his citation for marijuana possession.
Northwestern quarterback Trevor Siemian appears to be a popular target, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that Siemian has received calls from 11 teams in the past two days. Those teams are the Broncos, Jets, Jaguars, Raiders, Vikings, Packers, Browns, Bills, Seahawks, Rams, and Dolphins.

Miller’s Latest: Cooper, Browns, Gurley

April 28th, 2015 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report reported yesterday that while there are NFL teams interested in drafting Dorial Green-Beckham in the first round on Thursday, ownership has squashed those plans. In fact, a source from one team drafting in the top 15 tells Miller that ownership responded with a flat-out “no” when the topic of DGB in the first round was broached.

Miller has many more items in his latest piece at Bleacher Report, so let’s dive in and check out the highlights….

Raiders sources tell Miller that coaches in Oakland have “fallen in love” with Amari Cooper. The Alabama wideout, who has also been linked to the Jaguars at No. 3, could be the surprise pick over Leonard Williams if he’s available at No. 4.
The Browns like Marcus Mariota a lot, and Miller continues to hear that the team has interest in trading up to land him. Miller also hears that Cleveland has spoken to the Giants – drafting ninth overall – about a possible deal.
Browns sources don’t expect safety Tashaun Gipson to be on the roster in 2016. According to Miller, the belief is that he’ll price himself out of Cleveland’s range. Gipson is currently forgoing the Browns’ voluntary workouts, having not yet signed his RFA tender.
Todd Gurley‘s knee is looking better than anticipated, with one team source telling Miller the running back could play in Week 1 of the NFL season.
The Eagles are being connected to UCF wideout Breshad Perriman, according to several GMs who spoke to Miller.
Miller asked four different teams about Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory, and while none of those four clubs expect him to be selected within the top 10, they all believe he’s still a first-round player.
Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead has been the popular pick for the 49ers in mock drafts, and Miller hears that Armstead is indeed a Niners target at No. 15 if the club doesn’t trade up or down.
Chronic knee problems have resulted in a pair of guards – Florida State’s Tre‘ Jackson and Alabama’s Arie Kouandjio – failing physicals during the pre-draft process, sources tell Miller. Both players’ stocks figure to take a significant hit as a result of injury concerns.

Eagles Could Still Trade Bradford

April 26th, 2015 at 11:39am CST by Rory Parks

After making one of the more surprising trades in recent memory when they dealt for Sam Bradford last month, the Eagles have insisted that they are not planning on using Bradford as a trade chip to move up in the draft to select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. However, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Philadelphia has done nothing to dispel that rumor since the deal was completed.

Specifically, the team has engaged in no contract talks with Bradford, who is entering the final year of his current deal and is owed nearly $13MM in 2015. Of course, Bradford could have some say in that as well. One team that could deal for Bradford would be the Browns, who are in desperate need of a franchise signal-caller and who have already tried to acquire the Oklahoma product this offseason. Under the framework of a three-team deal that Florio has put together, Cleveland would receive Bradford, Philadelphia would move up high enough in this year’s draft to select Mariota, and a third team could receive multiple high-round draft picks from bot the Eagles and Browns.

But if Bradford had his druthers, he surely would not want to be shipped to Cleveland, and if he were to sign a new multi-year deal with the Eagles, he would only become more valuable to a team like the Browns, which could keep him under club control beyond 2015. And that’s not to mention the financial aspect of a new contract, which would certainly require extensive negotiation. Bradford, after all, is hoping to play his way into a big payout in 2016 and is not willing to accept a “substandard” contract.

So the saga continues, despite the Eagles’ insistence that Bradford is not a stepping stone to Mariota. However, if a trade were to happen, one would think that the parameters would already be in place, or at least preliminary discussions would have been held. But just as there has been no chatter surrounding a new deal between the Eagles and Bradford, there have similarly been no substantiated rumblings about Philadelphia trading him. In any event, it looks like all possibilities remain on the table, and only Thursday night will bring any real clarity.

In addition to the Bradford piece, there are a few more Eagles nuggets to pass on today:

The Eagles cannot hide their interest in UConn CB Byron Jones, and Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the case for Philadelphia to grab the speedy, physical corner with the No. 20 overall pick.
In a separate piece, McLane examines the size, speed, and other physical measurables that head coach Chip Kelly–whose “big people beat up little people” mantra has become a catchphrase–and vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz use to weed out certain players from their draft board. Although scheme, position, fit, and intelligence of course remain important components of the team’s evaluation process, if a player does not have the right build, the odds are he will not wind up on the Eagles’ radar. McLane wonders if that process is unnecessarily restricting the crop of talent from which Philadelphia picks.
Speaking of Marynowitz, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the challenges that await the newly-promoted 31-year-old.
Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes that the Eagles will not be selecting Alabama safety Landon Collins with their first round selection. Collins is widely regarded as the best safety in an otherwise weak class.

North Notes: Browns, A. Brown, Vikings

April 26th, 2015 at 8:54am CST by Rory Parks

The Browns have drafted a quarterback in the first round in two of the past three seasons, and by the time their first pick in this week’s draft rolls around–they hold the N0. 12 overall selection–the top two quarterbacks in the class, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, will be long gone. After those two signal-callers, the general consensus is that the drop-off to the next tier of QBs is pretty steep.

But Cleveland needs a quarterback. They’ve needed one since they rejoined the league in 1999. Which is why, despite their recent investments at the quarterback position, investments that can only be classified as abject failures at this point, they may consider moving up in the draft to nab Mariota. Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the Browns’ interest in Mariota is “very real,” but whether they decide to pull the trigger and trade up would of course depend on the price. Trading up to the No. 2 overall pick–which they may have to do, since the Titans, who currently hold that selection, are reportedly more interested in Mariota than many originally believed–would probably be too cost-prohibitive.

But if Mariota slides past Tennessee, than the Browns may be tempted. In addition to the No. 12 overall pick, they also hold the No. 19 selection, so they have the ammunition to move up. Given the team’s series of missteps at quarterback, such a move would certainly make Browns fans nervous, but until Cleveland gets a franchise player under center, they will continue to stare up at the other three teams in their division. Despite his shortcomings, Mariota has the chance to be that player if the system, and the price, is right.

Now for some more notes from the league’s north divisions:

Antonio Brown, who is coming off a magnificent 2014 campaign, is reportedly trying to renegotiate his current contract with the Steelers. But as Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, Pittsburgh holds all the cards at the moment. Brown would suffer significant fines, signing bonus give-backs, and lost wages if he were to hold out beyond voluntary workouts and OTAs this spring, and the Steelers simply do not renegotiate this early in a player’s contract (Brown still has three years left on his current deal).
Matt Vensel of The Star Tribune looks at a few key positions the Vikings might target in the first round of the 2015 draft and makes an argument for each. Ultimately, he concludes that trading back might represent the team’s best option.
Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press says all signs point to the Vikings selecting Michigan State corner Trae Waynes in Thursday’s first round.
Although Matt Forte‘s decision to skip the opening phase of the Bears‘ offseason program was reported, Martellus Bennett‘s decision to do the same thing went unannounced. Bennett is coming off a career year, but the average annual salary of his current deal ($5.1MM) puts him fairly low on the list of the league’s highest-paid tight ends. As ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson writes, the team has a three-day voluntary minicamp scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday of the coming week, and the Bears will have a better idea of Forte’s and Bennett’s offseason intentions at that time.
Kyle Meinke of MLive.com ranks the Lions‘ pre-draft needs, with the guard position topping the list.

AFC Mailbags: Jets, Chiefs, Raiders, Bengals

April 25th, 2015 at 12:36pm CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN.com’s NFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift our focus to the AFC…

Rich Cimini wouldn’t be in favor of the Jets sacrificing a future first-rounder to secure Marcus Mariota at the second pick. However, the writer would be in favor of swapping the team’s first and third rounder to switch spots with Washington.
The Chiefs would presented with a “dilemma” if running back Todd Gurley is available at pick number-eighteen, says Adam Teicher. Gurley would certainly be the best player available at that point in the draft, but the team already has a stud running back in Jamaal Charles.
Meanwhile, among players who could “reasonably be available” for the Chiefs first pick, Teicher points to Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson, Stanford offensive tackle Andrus Peat, Florida State center Cameron Erving and USC wideout Nelson Agholor could be potential targets.
Bill Williamson suggests the Raiders could target a guard in the middle rounds to pair with Gabe Jackson, sending Khalif Barnes to more of a reserve role.
Following the additions of Pat Sims and Michael Johnson, Coley Harvey has been told that the Bengals have no open spots on the defensive line. However, the writer believes the team could still pursue a rookie lineman if they could get good value at the draft spot.

AFC East Notes: Mariota, Gurley, Patriots

April 25th, 2015 at 10:51am CST by Rob DiRe

There has been a lot of talk about the Jets making a move to go up at get Marcus Mariota, but Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Daily News gives one big reason why the team shouldn’t trade up for the Heisman-trophy winner.

New general manager Mike Maccagnan was hired because of his track record as an evaluator who will build through the draft, and Cannizzaro wants him to trust his abilities and not give up future picks to move up in the draft. If Mariota should fall that would be different, but believes Maccagnan should give himself as many chances as possible to draft players and worry about the franchise quarterback another time without mortgaging multiple picks for one player.

Here are some more notes from around the AFC East:

The Dolphins seem to be very high on Todd Gurley, but that doesn’t mean they are planning on targeting the Georgia running back in the first-round, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. The Dolphins got a great season out of Lamar Miller in 2014, and Gurley’s injury history is a red flag that high in the draft for a team with so many needs.
The Patriots could go a number of ways in the draft, returning a solid roster from their Super Bowl team despite losing a few big names on the defensive side of the ball. Judy Cohen of WEEI.com picks out a player who could come in and help on that side in Arizona State defensive tackle Marcus Hardison. Hardison could be a day two pick, and could even fall to round four it the Patriots wait on him.
Another player Cohen takes a close look at is offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo. He could be a great pick as a swing tackle for the Patriots, with the physical tools to handle either side of the line. He played quarterback and tight end in the eighth grade and high school before moving to the defensive and offensive lines. Sambrailo is expected to be a day two pick.