Eagles Trade With Titans, Move To No. 42
The Eagles have acquired the No. 42 overall pick in the second round from the Titans, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The Eagles gave up their fourth round pick (No. 122) to go from No. 54 to No. 42, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. The Eagles will use the pick to take wide receiver Jordan Matthews out of Vanderbilt, according to La Canfora (on Twitter).
The 6’3″, 205 pound wide receiver didn’t come into the draft with as much hype as Marqise Lee, who was snagged by the Jaguars at No. 39, but he comes with tremendous hands and solid route running skills. Matthews worked out for a number of teams individually, including the Falcons, Raiders, and even the Titans, but he’ll go to Philadelphia to join Nick Foles & Co.
Cowboys Trying To Move Up From No. 47
6:07pm: In addition to the Cowboys, the Jets and Titans are also looking to move up in the second round, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
5:37pm: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier this afternoon (via Twitter), that the Cowboys are trying to make a “big move up” in the second round to secure help for their front seven. Now, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter) provides more details on that report, tweeting that he’s hearing the Cowboys are trying to jump ahead of the Falcons (No. 37) to land Boise State edge rusher Demarcus Lawrence.
The Cowboys had been expected to select a defender in the first round last night, but when a number of their targets came off the board before No. 16, they switched gears and nabbed offensive tackle Zack Martin. A move up into the top four picks of the second round would be tricky for the Cowboys, who are currently at No. 47. As our list of draft picks by team shows, only a handful of clubs have more picks to work with than Dallas, but six of the club’s remaining 10 picks for 2014 are seventh-rounders.
Browns Looking To Trade Up For Manziel?
8:32pm: A league source believes Cleveland was trying to trade up for Johnny Manziel, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.
8:22pm: The Browns made a strong effort to trade up again to No. 11, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter). However, the Browns bailed before the Titans submitted their pick. The Titans will keep the pick and select tackle Taylor Lewan, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
The Browns have been incredibly active so far tonight, having already traded from No. 4 to No. 9 to No. 8. The Browns picked up the Bills’ 2015 first round pick and more along the way, so they certainly have the assets to move up from No. 26 or acquire another first-round pick in tonight’s draft.
Cleveland bailing on talks with the Titans could indicate that they have a deal struck elsewhere, but we’ll have to wait and see if that’s the case.
Jets Draft Notes: QBs, Trading Up, CBs
The Jets continue to be linked to quarterback prospects, writes NFL.com’s Mike Huguenin. His colleague Ian Rapoport tweeted the team is “doing a lot of groundwork” on fringe first-rounders, specifically naming Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo as players to watch. Here’s more on the Jets:
- Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that New York may also be looking to trade up in the first round, likely in order to land a receiver. The Titans, who have the 11th overall pick, are one of the teams the Jets have spoken to about a deal, per Rapoport.
- With Rapoport’s reports in mind, the Jets’ need for a man-cover cornerback make for an interesting storyline, if not a potentially conflicted draft room, as Manish Mehta points out in the New York Daily News. If the Jets stay put at No. 18 and have a chance at one of the draft’s top three corners – Justin Gilbert, Kyle Fuller, or Darqueze Dennard – it would be interesting to see what the club decides.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com provides five Jets-related items to watch for during the draft, reiterating that the club has interest in trading up.
Draft Notes: Power Brokers, Kiper, Tackles, DB Prospects
In possession of 11 picks, including six in the top 100, the 49ers are positioned as the draft’s power brokers, writes NFL.com’s Albert Breer, who lists five more teams with the means to dictate action and manipulate the board: The Rams, Browns, Jets, Ravens and Jaguars.
Here’s a handful of miscellaneous draft links:
- In his final mock draft, Mel Kiper of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) has the Texans selecting Jadeveon Clowney No. 1 and the Rams (if they stay at No. 2) taking tackle Greg Robinson. From there, he has the Jaguars going with linebacker Khalil Mack at No. 3, Sammy Watkins to the Browns at No. 4, and Mike Evans going to the Raiders at No. 5.
- Kiper’s ESPN colleague Todd McShay’s final mock draft (Insider subscription required) has an identical top five. In McShay’s estimation, three quarterbacks will go in the first round, and if he’s right, there will be no shortage of drama, as he’s projected Blake Bortles to the Titans at No. 11, Johnny Manziel to the Cowboys at No. 16 and Teddy Bridgewater to the Browns at No. 26.
- “College left tackles picked in the first round and asked to play right tackle almost always struggle that first year and sometimes never quite arrive at all,” asserts Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. With the exception of Patriots RT Nate Solder, Salguero makes a convincing argument by citing recent history littered with college left tackles (drafted highly) who struggled converting to the right side. Accordingly, with the Dolphins in desperate need of a right tackle, Salguero has projected Tennessee’s Ja’Wuan James, who started 49 career games at right tackle, as the team’s first-round pick.
- This year’s draft crop includes three big-bodied defensive backs who stand to benefit from copycat nature of the NFL in the wake of the Seahawks winning a Super Bowl with a dominant, physically imposing secondary. Eric Branch of sfgate.com profiles Nebraska’s Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Utah’s Keith McGill and Lindenwood’s Pierre Desir.
- Despite technological advances, freely available game tape, overwhelming amounts of information, dizzying oversaturation and decades of precedent to (presumably) learn from, the draft remains an inexact exercise, writes the Star-Ledger’s Conor Orr: “The best general manager sifts through all of the information and makes the right decision, though most admit that, even after all the preparation, there is indecision that lingers well into the allotted 10-minute pick.” Orr also unearthed a significant statistic to illustrate the crapshoot nature of the draft, noting 180 of the 255 players drafted in 2010 are no longer with their original team.
- Everyone but the NFL league office hates the draft in May, says SI.com’s Robert Klemko, who lists the reasons why.
AFC South Notes: Jags, Colts, Titans
With the draft pushed back two weeks this year, the Jaguars’ staff used the extra time to delve back into prospects while trying to avoid falling into the trap of “paralysis by analysis.” Accordingly, offensive coordinator Jed Fisch says he’s been examining prospects in specific game situations — from a coach’s perspective — rather than just watching tape like a scout and assigning a grade.
Said Fisch: “Let me take a look at this guy’s throws to his left versus the other guys this year or the guys last year,’ or, ‘Let’s look at their two-minute drives,’ or, ‘With this offensive lineman, let’s look at all of the outside run plays. Now you’re looking for something different. You have to mix it up the second go-around. The first time, you’re watching them to watch them and then you’re grading. But if you’re making a decision on one guy against another guy against another guy, you comparison shop.”
In other AFC South news and notes…
- The general rule of thumb suggests mining three good players makes for a successful draft, but with 11 selections and roster thin on talent, the Jaguars are looking for four or five legitimate starters in this year’s draft, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- Thanks to last year’s Trent Richardson trade — which turned out to be Richardson for the 26th pick — the Colts don’t have a pick in tonight’s first round, but the stakes remain high for GM Ryan Grigson, writes Stephen Holder in the Indianapolis Star.
- The Titans are expected to have a more harmonious draft room than in year’s past, writes Jim Wyatt in the Tennesseean.
- Wyatt also tweeted a list of quarterback prospects the Titans have worked out and/or spent time with.
- Meanwhile, ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky asks the question: “What if the Tennessee Titans draft a first-round QB?” Considering the team will not pick up 2010 first-rounder Jake Locker‘s fifth-year option, the possibility exists the Titans could draft another quarterback, especially if new head coach Ken Whisenhunt isn’t sold on Locker’s long-term prospects. Kuharsky writes, “While the Titans are loyal and patient and committed with regard to Locker, they also aren’t operating with blinders on.”
Titans GM Talks Draft, RBs, Kickers
Earlier today, we recapped comments made by Redskins GM Bruce Allen and Vikings GM Rick Spielman in their respective pre-draft press conferences. Now we’ll turn our attention to the AFC South, where Titans GM Ruston Webster spoke to local reporters today at Tennessee’s pre-draft presser. Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean and Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweeted several highlights, so let’s dive in….
- The Titans only have six picks in this year’s draft and would like to acquire more if possible. In Webster’s opinion, the best chance to do so will happen when Tennessee is on the clock later this week.
- Webster stressed that it’s important for the Titans to draft players who will fit into the team’s new offensive and defensive systems, noting that the change to a 3-4 defense opens things up to land a pass rusher in the draft.
- About 26 or 27 prospects received first-round prospects from the Titans, according to Webster.
- While Tennessee filled several holes in free agency, there are still a couple areas of need, including running back, said Webster. However, don’t expect the Titans to target backfield help too early — the club feels there will be value at the position in the fourth or fifth rounds.
- The Titans will be having multiple kickers compete to replace Rob Bironas, who was released this offseason, and Webster didn’t rule out the possibility of adding one on the third day of the draft.
Monday Roundup: Keisel, More Draft Notes
It might come as a bit of a shock, but there is one piece of non-draft news to pass along tonight. According to ESPN.com’s Scott Brown, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has not ruled out a possible reunion with DE Brett Keisel. Tomlin added that the team has to add to its defensive line (Twitter link).
Now let’s round up some more draft-related rumors for the final post of the evening and gear up for another day of draft nuggets tomorrow.
- More and more teams are trying to mimic the examples set by master draft manipulators like Baltimore’s Ozzie Newsome and New England’s Bill Belichick, and so there has been a great deal of speculation regarding what teams might want to move up or down in the 2014 draft, particularly in the first round. The defending AFC champions are no exception. Broncos GM John Elway says he is open to trading up or down, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, and although the team could use a cornerback, the top CB prospects are likely to be gone before Denver’s No. 31 overall selection. Linebacker and offensive lineman are also first-round possibilities for the club.
- ESPN.com’s Mike Sando has compiled a list of the top eight questions to consider heading into Thursday’s first round. The whole article is worth a read, but the highlights include Sando’s belief that Khalil Mack could be the top prospect to have an Aaron Rodgers-like fall in the draft, and his insight that Odell Beckham, Jr., not Mike Evans, could be directly behind Sammy Watkins as the No. 2 wideout on some teams’ boards.
- Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes that Michael Sam, despite the positive publicity he has garnered over the past few months, is widely regarded as a “non-entity” by many top executives.
- Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net writes that the Ravens‘ top target is TE Eric Ebron, who may or may not be around when the Ravens pick at No. 17 overall. According to Pauline, the Giants may be souring on Ebron, though if Baltimore does not trade up, the Steelers are also considered a top suitor for Ebron’s services.
- ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky looks at some potential targets for the Titans if they choose to trade down.
- ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco makes a case for the Jaguars to draft Teddy Bridgewater.
- NFL.com’s Albert Breer tweets that the Chiefs could be a surprise team in the market for a first-round QB, as negotiations with Alex Smith are not progressing well.
Draft Notes: Caplan, Safeties, Beckham
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan held a Q&A on Twitter Monday evening, and that session contained a few interesting nuggets. All links, of course, go to Twitter:
- Caplan does not believe Johnny Manziel will make it past pick No. 7, but his absolute floor is No. 13.
- He also does not think Manziel’s former teammate, Mike Evans, will make it out of the top 10.
- Caplan tweets that TE Jace Amaro could go in the first round, but is more likely a 2nd-round prospect, along with Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
- Caplan believes another high-riser, DT Aaron Donald, has turned himself into a top-10 selection.
- As he has been saying all offseason, Caplan thinks the Vikings will bolster their defense with the No. 8 overall selection.
And as beat writers and national analysts continue to churn out draft tidbits like so much butter, let’s dive into some more draft-related links:
- Barring a trade, the Colts will not pick until deep into Day 2, as their first selection is No. 59 overall. When they finally do send a draft card to the podium, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star writes that the team will take a “long look” at safeties. Which is understandable given how thin they currently are at the position.
- However, this year’s safety class is fairly weak, and Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Eagles, another team that needs safety help, will find slim pickings even in the first round. As Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman says, “I don’t think it’s a good group overall.“
- ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini tweets that if the Jets really want LSU wideout Odell Beckham, Jr., they will have to trade up to get him. At least one team above the Jet’s No. 18 overall selection is said to be in love with Beckham.
- Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle tweets that seven teams called Baylor CB Demetri Goodson today, and that the Titans expressed strong interest.
- The Bears and Ravens both have mid-first round picks, and both are set at the quarterback position. As such, a run on QBs early in the first would benefit both teams by allowing talent at other positions to fall, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune and Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com. Biggs believe that such a run will, in fact, happen.
- In the same piece, Brown writes that the Ravens could also stand to benefit even if there is no early run on quarterbacks, as their No. 17 overall selection would be more appealing to teams in search of a top QB prospect. Although Baltimore has been widely expected to take an offensive lineman or wide receiver in the first round, Brown believes they could “pull a surprise” and take a cornerback first if someone like Justin Gilbert or Darqueze Dennard should fall.
AFC South Notes: Jaguars, Carr, Bucannon
A lot of talk has been made about what the Jaguars are going to do in the first round. A team with so many holes and needs is in a unique position to take the best player available or trade down in the draft. The team’s biggest need is arguably quarterback, and general manager David Caldwell has some interesting thoughts about some of those top prospects, specifically Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel, writes Daniel Lago of BlackAndTeal.com.
“Johnny would probably be the one guy you could plug in there sooner rather than later,” Caldwell said. “Just because his style of play isn’t going to change much from Year 1 to Year 2.”
Caldwell also noted the team would not have to drastically change their playbook to accommodate Manziel’s unique skill set.
Here are some other notes from around the AFC South:
- While he either really likes Manziel or just wants to help find a trade partner looking to move up for the star quarterback, Caldwell also had good things to say about Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater. Lago notes that while most teams have downgraded Bridgewater due to poor workouts, the Jaguars remain relatively high on him. Although, the team would still be considered unlikely to select him with the third-overall pick.
- The Jaguars are not the only team in the division looking for a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft. It has been made clear that the Texans are going to bring in a signal caller in the first two rounds, but the Titans have shown a lot of interest in improving the position as well. Paul Kuharskey of ESPN.com pegs the Titans as having major interest in Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr, and could either move down in the first round or up in the second round to acquire his talents.
- The Colts do not come to the podium until the 59th overall selection late in the second round, but that doesn’t stop those draftniks from trying to figure out who they will select. Mike Chappell of IndyStar.com wrote that the team would be ecstatic if safety Deone Bucannon of Washington State was still available that late in Day 2 of the Draft. Chappell writes that it would help ease the blow of losing Antoine Bethea.