Cowboys Acquire No. 246 Pick From 49ers
The 49ers have sent the 246th overall pick in the NFL draft to the Cowboys in exchange for Dallas’ 2016 sixth-round selection, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), the Cowboys used the pick to draft Texas tight end Geoff Swaim.
Prior to completing the deal, San Francisco had made nine picks in the draft and still had two more to go, so it makes sense that the team would be willing to move one of those selections for a 2016 pick. Without taking into account compensatory picks, the Niners already have nine selections lined up for next year, with an extra fifth-rounder and sixth-rounder in hand.
NFC West Notes: Wilson, Irvin, Lee, Gunter
Contract talks between the Seahawks and Russell Wilson are going “a little slow,” according to head coach Pete Carroll, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). They are talking, but are not progressing as fast as the two sides would like. Condotta writes that Adam Schefter of ESPN followed that news up by reporting that Wilson is looking for guaranteed money of a quarterback while the Seahawks are trying to sign him for less (via Twitter).
Here are some other notes from around the NFC West:
- Condotta also points out that while Carroll says nothing is final about a possible extension for former first-round pick Bruce Irvin, but also says nothing to a report that the Seahawks would like to trade the young linebacker (via Twitter).
- The 49ers have not asked punter Andy Lee to take a pay cut, but drafting Clemson punter Bradley Pinion in the fifth-round certainly puts his future with the team in question, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Cole notes that Lee is scheduled to make $2.05MM in base salary in 2015, suggesting the team could look to save some money at that position on the roster.
- The Cardinals felt forced to trade up in the fourth round to select Delaware State’s Rodney Gunter, as they were convinced that another team drafting in that area was going to take their coveted defensive line prospect, according to Kent Somers of AZCentral.com (via Twitter).
- After drafting Missouri receiver Bud Sasser in the sixth round, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes Rams have now gone with an offensive player in all six of their selections in the 2015 NFL Draft (via Twitter). They have taken three offensive linemen, a quarterback, and a running back to go along with Sasser so far, in hopes of building up an offense that has been far behind their stout defense the past few seasons. The last defensive player they have chosen was Michael Sam in the seventh round last year.
Colts Acquire No. 151 Pick From 49ers
The Colts have traded up in the fifth round to No. 151, trading with the 49ers according to the team’s official Twitter account. The Colts will give up their fifth-round pick (No. 165) and a seventh-round pick (No. 244) in order to move up to that spot.
The Colts make the trade in order to select Stanford defensive tackle David Parry, reports Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral.com (via Twitter).
The team has made an effort to rebuild their defensive line this offseason by signing Kendall Langford. They also drafted Parry’s teammate on the defensive line Henry Anderson yesterday in round three. After losing in the AFC Championship game to a Patriots’ team that was able to run all over them, becoming more stout in the front seven was a priority for general manager Ryan Grigson.
NFC Notes: Eagles, Bennett, Collins, Boone
The latest from the NFC as Friday comes to a close:
- Eagles coach and football czar Chip Kelly said he hasn’t received any calls regarding linebacker Mychal Kendricks, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The Eagles have been shopping the three-year veteran, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported earlier this week.
- In other Eagles linebacker news, one scout called their selection of Texas’ Jordan Hicks in the third round (84th overall) a “stupid pick,” per Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. However, the Bengals would’ve taken him with the next pick, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Further, Kelly says the Eagles had a second-round grade on Hicks and saw him more than any other prospect prior to the draft, reports the Inquirer’s Zach Berman (via Twitter).
- Despite all the recent rumors surrounding his team, Kelly claims he hasn’t talked to anyone during the draft about trading players, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter). What’s more, Kelly had to call multiple players recently to tell them that they weren’t trade bait, per USA Today’s Lindsay Jones (Twitter link). Mosher reports (Twitter link) that Kendricks and cornerback Brandon Boykin did not receive calls, while defensive end Vinny Curry did.
- Bears general manager Ryan Pace says tight end Martellus Bennett has not requested a trade, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). However, Biggs notes that Bennett might want more money. Bennett, who amassed 90 catches and six touchdowns in 2014, has two years left on his contract, but no guaranteed money left. He was said earlier this week to be on the trade block.
- Saints head coach Sean Payton says the team hasn’t taken LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins off its board, per Sean Fazende of Fox 8 (Twitter link). On the possibility of using a seventh-round pick on Collins, Payton went on to state, “I don’t know that we would consider that right now until we get more clarity.” Collins, whom Baton Rouge police wish to question regarding the murder of his ex-girlfriend, has seen his draft stock drop precipitously in recent days, and may not sign with a team that drafts him tomorrow.
- General manager Trent Baalke says the 49ers haven’t spoken with guard Alex Boone or his agent, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Boone, who is entering the final year of his contract, will skip all voluntary offseason activities. Baalke referred to that as a “non-issue.”
- Before the Rams swung a deal Friday to swap second-round picks with the Panthers (going from 41st to 57th) and acquire a pair of other selections, St. Louis had discussions with five other teams, per Howard Balzer (Twitter link), who says the team was willing to move down so far in the second round in order to pick up a third-round pick. Coach Jeff Fisher said the Rams were comfortable moving down because they felt they’d still be able to get one of the offensive linemen they liked, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner (Twitter link). That proved true, as they ultimately took Wisconsin offensive tackle Rob Havenstein.
- Trading up could be a possibility Saturday for the Cardinals. Their general manager, Steve Keim, mentioned the possibility twice Friday, reports Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys would be comfortable taking a running back in the fourth round, tweets Rapoport.
NFC Draft Notes: 49ers, Thompson, Bucs, Gregory
NFL.com’s Marc Sessler explores which teams could move up during Friday’s portion of the draft. The Cowboys and Cardinals top the list, as the writer believes the teams could make a move for a targeted running back. The Lions are a candidate to move up and grab a defensive lineman, while the Saints could target a young quarterback.
Let’s take a look at some more draft notes from the NFC…
- 49ers GM Trent Baalke told reporters (video link on 49ers’ website) that he didn’t draft defensive end Arik Armstead as insurance against Justin Smith‘s possible retirement. Smith’s status for 2015 and beyond is still up in the air but Baalke has said all along that his uncertain status wouldn’t affect the team’s draft plans.
- If linebacker Shaq Thompson hadn’t been selected by the Panthers at pick No. 25, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times says (via Twitter) the Cowboys were ready to “pounce” at No. 27.
- Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times says (via Twitter) the Buccaneers are “thrilled” that offensive tackles Jake Fisher (Oregon) and T.J. Clemmings (Pittsburgh) are still one the board. The writer notes that the team will target one of the lineman with pick No. 34.
- Meanwhile, ESPN’s Ed Werder says Randy Gregory is on the Buccaneers draft board, which indicates that the embattled linebacker is also being considered at pick No. 34 (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Lions, Saints, 49ers, Cowboys
Earlier tonight, we rounded up a few leftover draft-related items out of the AFC. Now let’s shift our focus to the other conference and pass along some NFC notes….
- The Lions had three offers to trade back, GM Martin Mayhew tells Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link), but the Broncos’ decision to offer Manny Ramirez helped Detroit make its decision.
- Had Andrus Peat not been available to the Saints, they would have been fine with choosing Danny Shelton, says head coach Sean Payton (Twitter link via Sean Fazende of FOX 8).
- The 49ers had several options in the first round, as GM Trent Baalke tells Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) that there were still five or six prospects the team “coveted” when the No. 15 pick rolled around. As such, it made sense for the Niners to move back a little.
- The Cowboys would’ve thought hard about trading down had Byron Jones not been available, says Dallas exec Stephen Jones (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Jones says the club had a couple other players who were in play at the back end of the first round.
- Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown was still on the board when the Patriots grabbed him with the last pick of the first round, and it sounds like Brown himself thought he’d be picked sooner — according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), the newest Pat was told he could have gone as high as No. 7 to the Bears.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Chargers Acquire No. 15 Pick From 49ers
The Chargers have acquired the 15th overall pick from the 49ers, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The 49ers will get pick No. 17, a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 117), and a 2016 fifth-round pick, per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
San Diego will use their newly-acquired pick to select Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The NCAA’s leading rusher last season, Gordon will fill the void left by Ryan Mathews, who left for the Eagles in free agency. The Chargers were a rumored destination for Todd Gurley, but since he went 10th overall, the Bolts will settle for the draft’s second-rated back.
Latest On Todd Gurley
With the draft about to begin, let’s check out the latest on perhaps the top running back available, Georgia’s Todd Gurley…
- Dolphins sources have provided hints that they want to select Gurley, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). No source has said this outright, per Salguero, but reading between the lines, it sounds like Miami wants Gurley.
- Though Salguero (via Twitter) suggests that the Chargers could look to move ahead of the Dolphins for Gurley, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union Tribune says (Twitter link) that San Diego could prioritize offensive line help over adding an RB.
- Another team could be in on Gurley, as the 49ers could be surprise contender to draft the running back, per Dianne Marie Russini of NBC 4 (Twitter link).
- Earlier tonight, we heard that in addition to the Dolphins and Chargers, the Browns could aim to trade up for Gurley.
Draft Rumors: Collins, Gregory, DGB, Spain
There’s “some suspicion” that LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins may go undrafted all three days this weekend, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Even though Collins is not considered a suspect in a Louisiana police investigation, the case involves a shooting death and NFL investigators haven’t been able to uncover much info on it, so teams figure to play it safe until they know more. In an effort to buy time to clear his name, Collins asked for permission to withdraw from his draft and be eligible for the supplemental draft instead, but the league denied that request.
Here’s more on the draft:
- A personnel man whose team has a top-10 pick tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that his team is preparing to draft Nebraska edge rusher Randy Gregory tonight. “We’re not going to let him get past us,” Getlin’s source said. That sounds like it could be a smoke screen, given all the negative reports swirling around Gregory this week. Still, according to Getlin, this personnel man believes Gregory may be the most talented player in the draft, likening him to Derrick Brooks and Jason Taylor (Twitter links).
- A source close to Dorial Green-Beckham‘s camp tells Danny Parkins of 610 AM in Kansas City (Twitter link) that the Chiefs, Cowboys, Bengals, Texans, and 49ers have shown “a lot” of interest in the young wideout within the last 36 hours.
- West Virginia offensive lineman Quinton Spain, who received a fourth-round grade from some teams, worked out for the Jets, Steelers, Bengals, Titans, Falcons, and Buccaneers, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
- Albert Breer of the NFL Network identifies six teams he believes can control this year’s draft.
49ers Sign Philip Wheeler
The 49ers announced that they have signed linebacker Philip Wheeler. In related moves, the team also released wide receiver Trindon Holliday and waived guard Fou Fonoti and wide receiver Lance Lewis.
Wheeler, 30, has spent time with the Colts, Raiders, and Dolphins over the course of his seven-year career. In total, he has played in 108 games (60 starts) and has registered 455 tackles, 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In 2013 with the Dolphins, he led the team with a career-high 118 tackles. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Wheeler as the 18th best outside linebacker in a 3-4 set last season, giving him an overall grade of 2.6.
Holiday, a kick return specialist, appeared in the team’s season finale against the Cardinals and returned three kickoffs for 83 yards. Fonoti never saw the field for the Niners after being placed on IR in late July. Lewis, meanwhile, spent the 2014 season on SF’s taxi squad before signing a reserve/future deal in December 2014.