Additional Details On Titans/Rams Trade
- As part of the trade for the No. 1 pick, the Rams agreed to send a 2017 third-round pick to the Titans. According to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, that third-rounder will be a compensatory pick, since those comp picks can be traded beginning in 2017, and the Rams expect to get one for losing Janoris Jenkins. If L.A. doesn’t get a third-round comp pick, the team will send its own pick to Tennessee, and get a 2017 seventh-rounder back from the Titans.
Titans Working To Move Back Into Top 10?
After the Titans sent their No. 1 overall pick and two other selections to Los Angeles in exchange for four 2016 picks and two 2017 selections, general manager Jon Robinson referred to his collection of picks as “currency,” suggesting that his team might not be done trading. And according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), Robinson may be trying to make another first-round move.
[RELATED: Titans send No. 1 pick to Rams]
La Canfora reports that he continues to hear the Titans are “working hard” to trade back into the top 10. Tennessee is currently set to pick at No. 15, and getting back into the top 10 would ensure that the team could land a top defensive player or offensive tackle.
While the Titans explore another draft-pick swap, the Browns, who hold the No. 2 overall pick, are also mulling a move, says La Canfora (Twitter link). According to the CBSSports.com insider, most teams expect the Rams to use their top pick on Cal quarterback Jared Goff, who is Cleveland’s preferred signal-caller. Taking that into account, the Browns’ interest in trading their pick has “intensified,” since they don’t think Goff will be available for them.
Of course, while La Canfora’s sources seem confident that both the Rams and Browns prefer Goff to Carson Wentz, there have been conflicting reports on both fronts. As we detailed yesterday, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times and ESPN’s John Clayton are among the reporters who believe the Rams intend to pick Wentz, and multiple reports in recent weeks have indicated the Browns like Wentz as well.
Many draft-pick trades aren’t officially consummated until draft day, once teams trading up can be sure that their desired target(s) will be available, so there may not be any resolution on these situations within the next few days. It’s certainly something worth monitoring as April 28th approaches though — it seems possible that there could be a decent amount of movement at the top of this year’s draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans Worked Out Yannick Ngakoue
- Vanderbilt linebacker Stephen Weatherly has worked out for the Panthers, Patriots, Colts, and Cardinals, and has visited the Panthers, Broncos, Saints, Raiders, Chiefs, and Vikings. Meanwhile, Maryland linebacker Yannick Ngakoue worked out for the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, Colts, Titans, Ravens, Dolphins, and Patriots, in addition to making several previously-reported visits. Pauline believes both players may come off the board earlier than expected.
[SOURCE LINK]
Rams Believed Eagles Were Serious About Trading For No. 1 Pick
- The Rams gave the Titans a massive haul of picks to get the No. 1 selection because they believed Tennessee was about to pull the trigger on a deal with the Eagles, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets.
Titans Open To More Draft Trades
Titans general manager Jon Robinson completed a major trade today, sending the No. 1 overall pick – along with a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder – to Los Angeles in exchange for six picks, including two first-rounders. In fact, according to multiple reports, the deal was finalized last night, but the Rams wanted to wait until today to announce it to avoid stealing headlines during Kobe Bryant’s final game.
Speaking to reporters today, Robinson suggested that he may not be done dealing. Armed with four picks in the top 45, and six in the top 76, the Titans GM referred to those extra picks as “currency,” suggesting Tennessee has options when it comes to moving up or down during the draft. Robinson added that his phone “is still working,” inviting teams to call him if they want to discuss trades (Twitter links).
- Before agreeing to send their top pick to L.A., the Titans had spoken to the Eagles about the possibility of a swap involving that No. 1 pick, but Philadelphia withdrew its offer earlier this week, a source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link). As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, we shouldn’t rule out the possibility of Philadelphia continuing to explore a potential trade with the Browns, who hold the No. 2 pick. Of course, that would only be plausible if the Rams don’t select the QB the Eagles like, and the Browns decide not to take a QB of their own.
Rams Acquire No. 1 Pick From Titans
9:14am: After initially suggesting the Rams would likely grab Carson Wentz with the first overall pick (as noted below), Sam Farmer and Matt Miller have walked that back a little. Farmer tweets that he believes the Rams are leaning toward Wentz, but cautions that Jared Goff remains “heavily in the mix,” while Miller cites multiple sources who believe the Rams prefer Goff (video link).
Peter King tweets that the Rams “have not decided with certainty” which player they’ll take with that No. 1 overall selection, which seems somewhat hard to believe, given the haul the team gave up to land that pick. Presumably, the Rams at least have a pretty good idea which player they’ll be drafting.
8:04am: With two weeks to go until the 2016 draft gets underway, a new team will be on the clock to open day one. According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter), the Titans have traded the first overall pick in the draft to the Rams. Tennessee has confirmed the swap.
According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, the Rams will get a fourth-round pick (No. 113) and sixth-round pick (No. 177) from Tennessee, in addition to the No. 1 overall pick.
In exchange, the Titans will receive the 15th overall pick this year, two second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 45), and a third-round pick (No. 76). Tennessee will also get Los Angeles’ first-round pick and third-round pick in 2017.
Four years after the Rams landed a huge haul of draft picks when they sent the No. 2 overall pick – and the right to draft Robert Griffin – to Washington, Jeff Fisher‘s club is on the other side of a blockbuster deal that will likely allow the club to land a quarterback. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) suggest North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz is believed to be the top target for the Rams, though Cal’s Jared Goff also figures to be considered.
Fisher, GM Les Snead, and the Rams have insisted throughout the offseason that they’re comfortable with Case Keenum as their starting quarterback, and while Keenum may still get the opportunity to win that job, it seems the club has tacitly acknowledged that he’s probably not the long-term answer at the position. As for Nick Foles, he could end up falling to third on the Rams’ QB depth chart, or even fourth depending on how the team feels about Sean Mannion‘s development, which likely makes Foles a trade candidate.
The Titans, meanwhile, have indicated for weeks that they were open to moving down in the draft, with reports earlier this week suggesting they had one or two promising trade offers on the table. GM Jon Robinson also said earlier this month that he wouldn’t mind completing a deal sooner rather than later, to give his team plenty of time to map outs its new approach to the draft.
It’s hard to know which players will be available at No. 15, but the Titans have reportedly done plenty of homework on offensive tackles, and could be hoping to land someone like Ronnie Stanley or Jack Conklin. Still, with three second-round picks, Robinson and his team could go in a number of different directions.
While the deal will allow the Rams to make a huge splash as they make the move west to Los Angeles, it also shakes things up for other teams at the top of the draft. If the Browns want to take a quarterback, and the Rams prefer Wentz, Cleveland would presumably opt for Goff. And if the Rams and Browns do both go the QB route, that would allow top prospects at other positions, such as Laremy Tunsil, Jalen Ramsey, and Joey Bosa to all still be on the board beginning at No. 3.
Of course, if the Browns aren’t committed to taking a QB, and another club covets Goff, Cleveland could now receive increased trade interest in that No. 2 overall pick. Essentially, the blockbuster Rams/Titans swap blows up most mock drafts and creates a handful of new scenarios for day one of the draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans Work Out Spriggs, Consider Conklin
Many view Spriggs as the best pure left tackle in the draft outside of Ole Miss star Laremy Tunsil. Spriggs has been rising on draft boards around the league and the Hoosiers senior has already visited the Broncos and Saints and worked out for the Titans and Ravens.
- Recently, it was reported that the Titans would consider trading down from No. 1 to select Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley. Pauline hears that Michigan State’s Jack Conklin is also in the conversation if the Titans move down. Pauline previously ID’d Conklin as a possible Top 12 pick in this year’s draft.
Titans Considering DL Prospects
While the defensive line doesn’t appear on the surface to be a glaring hole for the Titans, it may be more of a priority in the draft for the team than we think, says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. One personnel man tells Kuharsky that Tennessee’s line has “no depth,” and given how deep this year’s draft class is at that spot, it makes sense that the team would use at least one of its picks on a defensive lineman.
Rival Teams Expect Titans To Trade No. 1 Pick
- The Titans have at least two trade offers on the table for the No. 1 overall pick that they consider “worthy starting points toward an eventual deal,” and La Canfora says rival teams expect GM Jon Robinson to eventually deal the pick. “They’ll market it up to the draft to get the best ransom they can, but they’ll move it,” said one executive for a team that has explored moving up. If the Titans do keep the first overall pick, La Canfora expects Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil to be the choice.
[SOURCE LINK]
Florio: Titans Torn Between Top OT Prospects?
It’s no secret that the Titans are willing to trade down from No. 1 in this year’s draft, and one high-level executive from a team in the top half of the draft suggests to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Tennessee may be torn between top tackles Laremy Tunsil and Ronnie Stanley. Tunsil is widely expected to be selected first, but if the Titans were to move down a little, the team could potentially draft whichever tackle is still on the board at that point – likely Stanley – while picking up an extra selection or two in the process.