Miller’s Latest: Trubisky, Mahomes
We took a look at some fresh draft rumors earlier Friday. Here are several more, courtesy of Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller:
- While Browns head coach Hue Jackson wants the team to select Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett first overall, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, that doesn’t mean he’s against taking North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Jackson “likes Trubisky a lot,” writes Miller, who notes there’s a chance the signal-caller will still be on the board when the Browns make their second first-round selection at No. 12 (assuming Garrett’s their initial pick, of course).
- The Jets have met with Trubisky on multiple occasions, but Miller’s not quite buying their interest. They “would love” if someone traded ahead of them at No. 6 and chose Trubisky, Miller contends.
- Both the Cardinals and Chiefs “really like” Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes, two sources have told Miller. The Cardinals are reportedly interested in trading up from No. 13 for Trubisky, but they could perhaps stay where they are and grab Mahomes. As for the Chiefs, who own the 27th pick, Mahomes visited them last month.
- The Titans are likely to draft Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore if he’s still available at No. 5, according to Miller; in the event he’s gone by then, Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams will garner consideration. The club met with Lattimore earlier this month, and it subsequently created a need at corner when it released Jason McCourty on Thursday. Tennessee hosted Williams on Tuesday, and has done its homework on the 6-foot-3, 225-pounder.
- Lattimore may well end up with the Bears at No. 3 overall. Whether it’s him or someone else, one executive is “99 percent sure” the Bears will wind up with a defensive back in Round 1.
- The Saints “would love” to select Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster at No. 11, per Miller. Otherwise, New Orleans is a possible destination for one of Foster’s college teammates, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, as are the Titans and Ravens.
- Ohio State running back/wide receiver/return man Curtis Samuel might come off the board before Florida State RB Dalvin Cook, a scout told Miller. Samuel’s ability to impact games in all of those areas is improving his stock, with teams mindful of the damage Kansas City’s jack-of-all-trades weapon, Tyreek Hill, did last season.
- Like Samuel, Michigan defensive lineman Chris Wormley is a candidate to go earlier than expected. Miller pegs Wormley as a Day 1 starter in a 3-4 defense, adding that he’s unlikely to last beyond the top 50 picks.
Draft Rumors: Jets, Mahomes, Foster
It’s not a guarantee that the Jets will select a quarterback at No. 6 overall, but they’re certainly doing their homework in that area. Today, the Jets are meeting yet again with Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Earlier this month, Mahomes did a private workout with Gang Green and he apparently did well enough to warrant further consideration. After the college season, Mahomes looked to be a second or third-round type of player. Now, all signs are pointing towards him going in the first round. It’s even possible that he could be the second QB off the board.
Here’s more NFL Draft news:
- The Saints are still evaluating linebackers and expected to have Reuben Foster in for a pre-draft visit on Wednesday, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Foster has already met with a number of clubs and has a busy schedule still ahead of him between now and the draft. He won’t be on the board for long and Dallas Robinson’s mock draft 1.0 has him going inside of the top ten.
- 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback coach Rich Scangarello flew to Chapel Hill, North Carolina last Thursday to work out Mitch Trubisky, a league source tells Schefter (on Twitter). If the latest rumors are to be believed, Trubisky might not be available when SF picks at No. 2.
- Cal quarterback Davis Webb is visiting the Seahawks today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Many believe he’s a first-round QB, Rapoport adds.
- The Jaguars are still doing their quarterback homework and they have scheduled a private workout next week with Pitt QB Nathan Peterman, a source tells Rapoport (on Twitter).
- The Raiders have scheduled cornerback Kevin King for a visit today (Wednesday). King is an Oakland-area native.
Latest On 2017 QB Draft Market
Mitch Trubisky is likely to become the first quarterback off the board in the draft later this month, but ordering the rest of the class is exceedingly difficult, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Scouts consider the second-tier of signal-callers to be comprised of Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, but it’s unclear which prospect will be selected first among that pair. Davis Webb, meanwhile, is picking up more steam as a potential first-round pick, while “attitude and maturity” questions could force DeShone Kizer out of the first round.
The Chargers are putting in “ample work” on this year’s quarterback class, and are perhaps more likely to select a passer at No. 7 than many observers believe, per La Canfora. Both head coach Anthony Lynn and owner Dean Spanos have intimated their openness to drafting a quarterback in 2017, and Los Angeles is reportedly “serious” about finding a long-term successor to Philip Rivers. So far, the Chargers have been linked to Kizer, Webb, and Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs.
Like Los Angeles, the Saints and Cardinals may also try to secure replacements for Drew Brees and Carson Palmer, respectively. New Orleans will select a quarterback on Day 1 “in all likelihood,” writes La Canfora, and could use either pick No. 11 or No. 32 to draft a passer. For what it’s worth, I sent Kizer to the Saints at the end of the first round in PFR’s first 2017 mock draft.
Arizona, meanwhile, is attempting to “gauge internally” the price of trading up from No. 13 in order to draft a quarterback, reports La Canfora. Cardinals brass met with Trubisky on Monday, as team owner Michael Bidwill, general manager Steve Keim, and head coach Bruce Arians dined with the UNC signal-caller in Phoenix, tweets Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910. Arians voiced concerns about Trubisky last month: “The growth potential is obviously there,” said Arians. “The question is why wasn’t all that talent starting for the last three years? That’s always bugging me.”
Finally, the Texans “are drafting a quarterback high,” declares La Canfora, and Mahomes is unlikely to fall past Houston at No. 25. Clearly, the Texans are in need of talent under center, as the only quarterbacks currently on the roster are Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden. Veteran passers such as Jay Cutler and Colin Kaepernick aren’t expected to interest the Texans, so a draft pick will probably be added to the squad.
Miller’s Latest: Bills, Watson, Mahomes
They say that you shouldn’t draft a box safety in the top 10, but that’s not enough to get Matt Miller of Bleacher Report to cool off on LSU’s Jamal Adams. That’s because he doesn’t view him as a box safety. Yes, the Tigers had Adams playing more in the box last year, but he did more coverage work in 2015 and excelled. Anyone who thinks he’s just a box safety, Miller argues, hasn’t looked closely enough at the tape. Miller believes he can go as high as No. 3 to the Bears and “can’t see any way he falls out of the top 10.”
Here’s more from Miller:
- The buzz is that Bills GM Doug Whaley is “in love” with Deshaun Watson. In fact, Watson may be the first QB off the board if the Bills go for him at No. 10 overall. The 49ers, Bears, Jaguars, and Jets are also in the market for a QB, but some believe that might not happen in the first round.
- Tennessee edge-rusher Derek Barnett looks like a first-rounder on film, but he hasn’t done well in workouts, Miller hears. Recently, he ran a subpar 4.89 second 40-yard dash at his pro day.
- Some scouts who attended Patrick Mahomes‘ pro day weren’t super impressed by the Texas A&M product’s scripted throws . One scout said he’s a “thrower, not a passer” while another said “[he’s] got some [Colin] Kaepernick to his arm.” All in all, however, those in attendance were high on Mahomes’ arm, athleticism, and poise. Meanwhile, Miller polled six execs and they all said that Mahomes will come off the board in the first round.
- Solomon Thomas seems like a top five lock and the Jaguars really like him if he’s on the board at No. 4.
- Chad Kelly injured his wrist during his pro day, but the Ole Miss product was recently cleared to throw and do drops, Miller hears.
- John Ross‘ 4.22 second 40-yard-dash time turned a lot of heads, but teams Miller have spoken to are worried about his injury history. He has had knee injuries in the past and suffered a torn labrum that was operated on right after the combine.
Patrick Mahomes To Visit Browns
The Browns already put Patrick Mahomes through a private workout, but the team will continue to determine a possible fit for the fast-rising quarterback. The Texas Tech standout arrived in Cleveland on Thursday night and will visit with the Browns on Friday, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.
Once given a second-round grade, Mahomes has been a hot pre-draft commodity. The Browns, who hold the No. 12 pick in addition to the No. 1 choice that looks set to be used to draft Myles Garrett, put the former Red Raiders passer through a workout last month. Cabot reported the Browns prefer Mahomes to DeShone Kizer, who entered the offseason as the better prospect but hasn’t generated the kind of buzz Mahomes has, and has linked Cleveland to Mahomes, Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson.
She posits the Browns could target Mahomes if they don’t draft Watson or Trubisky at No. 12, possibly using the No. 33 pick to trade back into the first round and nab the cannon-armed passer. Mahomes has met with the Jets, who are believed to have strong interest in him, along with numerous other teams. As of last week, he’d participated in a league-high 18 visits or private workouts.
The Browns are still considering each of the top four quarterbacks in this draft, per Cabot. Watson’s visit with the Browns remains ahead, while Kizer came to northeast Ohio on Wednesday. The Browns appear quite serious in examining these quarterbacks, pointing them in the direction of pulling the trigger on one of them with either their second or third pick in this draft.
Bills To Audition Patrick Mahomes
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will have a private workout with the Bills next week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This is the latest in a long line of reported workouts for the Texas Tech product. 
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What makes this work out particularly interesting is the Bills’ long-term situation at quarterback. Rather than exercising Tyrod Taylor‘s hefty multi-year option this offseason, the two sides worked out a last-minute agreement to effectively keep Taylor in Buffalo through 2017. After that, the Bills will have a similar decision on their hands: they can keep Taylor for an additional season, but only $1MM of his $10MM salary for 2018 is guaranteed.
The Bills could give Taylor the peace of mind of being the team’s unquestioned top signal caller in 2017. Alternatively, they could look into taking a developmental quarterback right now, giving them a safety net in the event that Taylor falters. Right now, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the Bills are serious about taking Mahomes as his stock continues to rise. It’s possible that they simply are doing due diligence on a top prospect, as most teams do during this time of year.
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Jets Work Out Patrick Mahomes
The Jets had a private workout with former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes this morning, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com noted earlier today, the Jets will have met with every top QB prospect in the draft by the time draft day arrives, but Cimini believes those meetings are largely just a smokescreen to drive up the value of their No. 6 overall pick.
Nonetheless, Gang Green does need a long-term solution at the quarterback position, as free agent acquisition Josh McCown is a stopgap, and it is unclear what the team has in 2016 second-round pick Christian Hackenberg and 2015 fourth-round pick Bryce Petty. Mahomes has been scheduled for a league-high 18 official visits and private workouts, and he recently worked out for the Bengals, Cardinals, Saints, Chargers, and Browns.
Mahomes’ stock has been on the rise for the last couple of months. In February, the NFL’s College Advisory Committee gave the quarterback a second-round grade. Meanwhile, with an overall underwhelming crop of quarterbacks in this year’s class, it’s not hard to see Mahomes going somewhere in the first round. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com previously estimated that his floor could be No. 25 overall when the Texans are scheduled to be on the clock. His ceiling, according to La Canfora, could be as high as top three overall.
Mahomes passed for 5,052 yards last season for the Red Raiders along with 41 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He completed 65.7 percent of his throws. Over the past three years, Mahomes rushed for 22 touchdowns while running a spread offense. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay recently said of the signal-caller, “He is a big-time developmental prospect, and I mean big time in both the positive and negative. I think his upside may be as great as any quarterback in this class, but his learning curve could be as great as any quarterback in this class because he comes from a system that has not translated well to the NFL.”
This workout is in keeping with a report several days ago indicating that the Jets have strong interest in Mahomes. The Jets also worked out former Texas Tech tight end Tyler Scalzi on Sunday.
Draft Rumors: Mixon, Charlton, McCaffrey
The Chiefs are “still doing research” on embattled Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, as Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star writes. Several teams have reportedly scratched Mixon off of their draft boards, while others are “digging in hard” on him. Kansas City, of course, selected another talented player with an ugly domestic abuse incident on his record, Tyreek Hill, last year, and Hill was a key component of the club’s success in 2016. Chiefs brass was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of drafting Mixon, simply saying that there is more evaluation to be done. A report last month suggested that, despite Mixon’s history and the fact that some teams are not considering him at all, his draft stock is on the rise.
Now for more draft-related rumors:
- Add the Dolphins to the long list of teams with interest in Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports that Miami has scheduled a visit with Charlton, who is a consensus first-round talent. Charlton has also met, or will meet, with at least seven other clubs.
- As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com observes, the Jets will have met with every top QB prospect in the draft by the time draft day arrives, but he believes those visits are more of a smokescreen than anything else. New York is clearly in rebuilding mode, and Cimini posits that the Jets are hoping to drive up the value of their No. 6 overall pick, which he does not believe the club will use on a signal-caller, despite public suggestions to the contrary.
- Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com believes the Giants will select a quarterback in the draft, but he does not think Big Blue will use a first- or second-round selection on one. Instead, he suggests New York will target a player like Josh Dobbs or Jerrod Evans in the middle rounds. He adds that the Giants would love to draft former Stanford star Christian McCaffrey, but it’s unlikely McCaffrey will still be on the board when the Giants make their No. 23 overall selection.
- Thanks to Jesse James‘ surprisingly effective 2016 campaign, the Steelers do not have to select a starting-caliber tight end in this month’s draft, as Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests. The club has proven that it can win with James as a starter, although Ladarius Green‘s health concerns may still compel Pittsburgh to select a developmental tight end in the middle rounds of the draft. Fittipaldo names Michigan’s Jake Butt — who may have been a first-round prospect but for his devastating knee injury in the last game of his collegiate career — Arkansas’ Jeremy Sprinkle, and Iowa’s George Kittle as potential targets.
- Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer believes that the Browns will draft Mitch Trubisky somewhere in the first round — although presumably not with the No. 1 overall selection, as the team seems set to take Myles Garrett there — if Trubisky is available. If they cannot somehow land Trubisky, Cabot believes Patrick Mahomes is the backup plan. Mahomes is probably not worth the Browns’ No. 12 overall selection, but he may be gone by the time Cleveland picks again at No. 33, so if the Browns want Mahomes, they may need to trade into the bottom of the first round to get him.
Draft Notes: Mahomes, Texans, Ravens
Some assorted draft notes from around the NFL…
- The Texans held a private workout for Bucknell left offensive tackle Julién Davenport, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Davenport, who has also worked out for the Patriots, Cowboys, and Jaguars, is projected to be a late first/early second-round pick. As Wilson notes, the Texans could certainly use some reinforcement on the offensive line, especially with Derek Newton expected to miss next season with torn patellar tendons.
- Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been scheduled for a league-high 18 official visits and private workouts, sources tell Wilson. The signal caller recently worked out for the Bengals, Cardinals, Saints, Chargers, and Browns. Mahomes completed 65.7-percent of his passes last season for 5,052 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Over the past three seasons, he’s also added another 22 rushing touchdowns.
- Purdue wide receiver DeAngelo Yancey will visit the Ravens later this month, reports Wilson (via Twitter). As a senior, the wideout hauled in 49 receptions for 951 yards and 10 touchdowns. NFL.com predicts Yancey could be selected on the third day of the draft.
Draft Notes: Trubisky, Mahomes, Steelers
North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky figures to go early in this year’s draft, though Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians is concerned that he only started one year with the Tar Heels. “A really talented player,” Arians said of Trubisky (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com). “The growth potential is obviously there. The question is why wasn’t all that talent starting for the last three years? That’s always bugging me. So you have to go and answer those questions with him, with his coach, but the physical talent is there.” Arians isn’t the only talent evaluator around the NFL who’s leery that Trubisky was a backup prior to 2016, as another one told Cabot he has similar concerns.
More on the upcoming draft…
- Cognizant that Ben Roethlisberger isn’t going to be around forever, the Steelers have made it known that they’ll consider drafting a potential long-term successor this year. That could be Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes, whom the Steelers observed Friday at his pro day. Pittsburgh sent “at least one” representative to watch Mahomes, writes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
- The Browns worked out Florida cornerback Teez Tabor on Friday, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s unclear how early Tabor might go in the draft – while Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com places him 35th overall among prospects, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report could see the defender lasting until Day 3. Tabor’s stock seems to be dropping on account of subpar 40-yard dash times.
- Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt, brother of Texans superstar J.J. Watt, is drawing interest from a bevy of teams and getting looks at various front seven positions. The younger Watt has lined up at outside linebacker, inside linebacker and along the defensive line in recent workouts. Watt told Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com that he has worked out for the Cowboys, Lions and Patriots in the past week. He’s scheduled to work out for the Panthers, too, and will visit the Cowboys’ and Redskins’ facilities soon.