2017 NFL Draft Order Set
With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, the offseason is officially underway for all 32 teams. We now have the complete draft order for the entire first round, with one exception which is noted below.
The Patriots, of course, will have the honor of having the last pick. The Falcons, after losing in heartbreaking fashion, will have the penultimate selection in the first round.
Here is the complete order, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter links):
1. Browns
2. 49ers
3. Bears
4. Jaguars
5. Titans
6. Jets
7. Chargers
8. Panthers
9. Bengals
10. Bills
11. Saints
12. Browns
13. Cardinals
T-14. Eagles (via the Vikings)
T-14. Colts (Note: The Vikings and Colts have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broke by coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 14 and the other team getting the No. 15 pick.)
16. Ravens
17. Redskins
18. Titans
19. Buccaneers
20. Broncos
21. Lions
22. Dolphins
23. Giants
24. Raiders
25. Texans
26. Seahawks
27. Chiefs
28. Cowboys
29. Packers
30. Steelers
31. Falcons
32. Patriots
Buccaneers Open Extension Talks With Free Agents
The Jaguars announced that they’ve hired former CFL head coach Scott Milanovich as their new quarterbacks coach. Milanovich, who played in the NFL with the Buccaneers from 1996-99, has been coaching in Canada since 2003. After serving in a variety of offensive roles for the Montreal Alouettes from 2007-11, Milanovich took over the Toronto Argonauts in 2012, winning the Grey Cup in his first season as head coach and posting a 43-47 record overall.
- Although the Buccaneers have started dialogue with a good deal of their pending free agents, general manger Jason Licht is clearly targeting a few key players for re-signing, as Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com and Roy Cummings of FloridaFootballInsiders.com detail in separate articles. Defensive end William Gholston and running back Jacquizz Rodgers appear to be “priorities” for Tampa Bay, while the club also wants to keep quarterback Ryan Griffin given that fellow backup QB Mike Glennon is expected to leave via free agency.
Dirk Koetter To Retain Play-Calling Duties
- Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter is likely to retain his offensive play-calling duties, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Koetter said at his season-ending news conference that he was considering giving up his role as play-caller, but he appears to have thought better of it.
Will Buccaneers Go Defense With Their First Pick?
While some scouts believe the 2017 quarterbacks class is “one of the worst in recent memory,” Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com believes one prospect has the potential and skill to be the first pick in the draft.
“DeShone Kizer, I went to see his first game against Texas, and this looked like a potential first-overall pick,” Jeremiah said of the Notre Dame quarterback. “He’s big, he’s physical, he can make every throw. He can move around, he’s got 18 rushing touchdowns over the last couple of years. His play, along with Notre Dame’s, kind of tailed off at the end of the year.”
Ultimately, Jeremiah had Kizer going to the Jets at the sixth pick.
Let’s take a look at some other rumblings pertaining to the NFL draft…
- Several draft analysists have the Buccaneers taking a defensive player with their first-round pick, and Roy Cummings of FloridaFootballInsiders.com generally agrees with that logic. Prolific pass rushers like Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton and Missouri defensive end Charles Harris would only be available in the first round. While the team could certainly use some reinforcement on offense, Cummings points out that the team could snag a wide receiver or running back in the later rounds.
- The Dolphins could use some depth at tight end, and head coach Adam Gase has had success when featuring tight ends in his offense (like Martellus Bennett in Chicago and Julius Thomas in Denver). Fortunately, this year’s draft will be particularly deep at that position, and ESPN.com’s James Walker notes that the Dolphins could snag a tight end in the second round or later.
- Walker also passes along quotes from draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., who explains the types of tight ends the team could expect to take in the later rounds. “You got to take advantage of the depth at that spot,” Kiper said. “A kid I think can be really good is Cole Hikutini out of Louisville. If you can get Hikutini in the third or fourth round, I think that will make a lot of sense… They can get the linebacking help and they can get the tight-end help in this draft.”
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/20/17
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Cincinnati Bengals
- K Jon Brown
Seattle Seahawks
- G Robert Myers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- QB Sean Renfree
- C James Stone
Buccaneers Aim To Retain Key Free Agents
- With $65MM-plus in cap space, the Buccaneers will prioritize re-signing their own soon-to-be free agents before the market opens, general manager Jason Licht revealed Friday (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). “We have a track record of rewarding our players that produce, keeping key players that thrive in the system and we have the salary cap flexibility to make it happen,” said Licht. In light of Licht’s statement, Stroud expects the Bucs to make an effort to retain defensive end William Gholston and Jacquies Smith, wide receiver Russell Shepard and cornerback Josh Robinson.
A. Peterson Interested In Texans, Bucs, Giants
With his tenure in Minnesota potentially set to end this offseason, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson already has a few potential employers on his radar. The seven-time Pro Bowler revealed Thursday on ESPN that he’s interested in the Texans, Buccaneers and Giants.
Of course, in order for Peterson to join another team, the Vikings are going to have to part with him first. The soon-to-be 32-year-old stated that he’d like to remain a Viking. That would require a construct restructuring, though, as Peterson’s slated for an $11.75MM salary and $18MM cap number in 2017. Those are each unpalatable figures given his age and injury-truncated 2016, which saw him tear his meniscus in Week 2 and rack up a meager 72 yards on 37 carries.
With a $6MM roster bonus due March 11, an answer on Peterson’s future is coming soon, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Considering Peterson isn’t a fan of going through the offseason program and training camp, he could force his release and sign with a club closer to the start of the regular season, Florio observes.
Of the franchises Peterson is targeting, Houston stands out as the one that clearly isn’t a fit. While the Texans play in Peterson’s home state, they already have a starting running back in Lamar Miller, whom they gave $14MM in guarantees on a four-year, $26MM deal in free agency last winter.
The Bucs also doled out big money to a back a year ago in re-signing Doug Martin, but his future with the team is in question as a result of a late-2016 suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. In addition to costing him one game this season and three in 2017, the ban voided Martin’s $7MM in guarantees for next season. Theoretically, then, Tampa Bay could jettison him for Peterson if it wants.
The Giants, meanwhile, have a slew of rushers, though there might not be a bell cow among them. Paul Perkins, who had a decent rookie year, stands out as the most promising back New York has. Veterans Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen could end up on the chopping block this offseason. Even if they don’t, neither is a No. 1-caliber rusher.
Peterson, on the other hand, is one of the premier backs in NFL history. Although his 2016 was nightmarish, he isn’t far removed from winning the league’s rushing title in 2015.
NFLPA Announces Cap Carryover Amounts
The NFL Players Association has announced all 32 teams’ salary cap carryover amounts for the 2017 season (Twitter link). Next season’s cap figure isn’t yet known, but it’s likely to be in the $165MM range. When that becomes official, it can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that club’s official spending room for 2017.
Here are this year’s carryover totals:
- Cleveland Browns: $50,123,269
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $39,314,310
- San Francisco 49ers: $38,708,916
- Tennessee Titans: $24,046,522
- Washington Redskins: $15,055,131
- Carolina Panthers: $13,208,020
- Miami Dolphins: $8,363,708
- Chicago Bears: $8,103,197
- Oakland Raiders: $8,000,000
- Green Bay Packers: $7,984,687
- Philadelphia Eagles: $7,933,869
- Denver Broncos: $7,243,248
- Indianapolis Colts: $6,614,106
- Cincinnati Bengals: $6,578,866
- New Orleans Saints: $5,754,000
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $5,330,779
- New England Patriots: $5,292,335
- Kansas City Chiefs: $5,002,168
- Houston Texans: $4,935,924
- Detroit Lions: $4,725,644
- Arizona Cardinals: $4,405,068
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $3,269,367
- Buffalo Bills: $2,837,222
- Baltimore Ravens: $2,553,126
- Dallas Cowboys: $2,401,553
- Seattle Seahawks: $2,065,865
- New York Giants: $1,800,000
- Atlanta Falcons: $926,541
- Minnesota Vikings: $400,184
- New York Jets: $371,487
- Los Angeles Rams: $304,311
- Los Angeles Chargers: $113,693
Jets Interested In QB Mike Glennon?
The Jets quarterback situation figures to be one of the more noteworthy positional quandaries in the league this offseason, but the club may already have their eyes on one potential target. The “word on the street” is that Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon will receive interest from New York when free agency opens in March, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Jets Extend Brian Winters]
Gang Green will likely be searching for a new signal-caller this spring, as the Jets front office reportedly has little to no faith in young quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, each of whom was drafted relatively early in recent years. General manager Mike Maccagnan and staff view Petty as a long-term backup, while one Jets source told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that Hackenberg “will never make it.” Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw 17 interceptions in 11 starts last year, is unlikely to be asked back.
Glennon, 27, hasn’t managed regular playing time since his rookie season in 2013, when he started 13 games and threw 19 touchdowns against nine picks. Since that time, Glennon has acted as a No. 2 to Josh McCown and Jameis Winston, starting five games (all in 2014) and attempting 214 passes. Still, Glennon will enter free agency as one of the few youthful quarterbacks with significant playing time under his belt, and could command as much as $13-15MM on the open market.
2017 Proven Performance Escalators
According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.
If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure should be around $1.8MM in 2017. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.
Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2017 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:
49ers: Aaron Lynch, LB; Marcus Martin, OL
Bears: Charles Leno, T; Will Sutton, DT
Bengals: Russell Bodine, C
Bills: Preston Brown, LB; Seantrel Henderson, T
Broncos: Michael Schofield, OL
Browns: Christian Kirksey, LB
Buccaneers: Kevin Pamphile, G
Cardinals: John Brown, WR
Chiefs: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, G; Zach Fulton, G; Phillip Gaines, CB
Colts: Donte Moncrief, WR
Cowboys: Anthony Hitchens, LB
Falcons: Devonta Freeman, RB
Giants: Devon Kennard, LB
Jaguars: Aaron Colvin, CB; Brandon Linder, G; Telvin Smith, LB
Lions: Nevin Lawson, CB; Travis Swanson, C
Packers: Corey Linsley, C; Richard Rodgers, TE
Panthers: Tre Boston, S; Trai Turner, G
Raiders: T.J. Carrie, CB; Justin Ellis, DT; Gabe Jackson, G
Rams: Maurice Alexander, S; E.J. Gaines, CB
Redskins: Bashaud Breeland, CB; Spencer Long, G; Morgan Moses, T
Texans: C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE; Andre Hal, S
Titans: DaQuan Jones, DL; Avery Williamson, LB
Vikings: Shamar Stephen, DT