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What I’m hearing about the draft, and the significant teams in it
The Saints will be a headline act. I don’t believe it involves Drew Brees, because I think the Saints are committed to at least one more season of Brees at quarterback. But I hear New Orleans wants to be even more active before the draft, and that could mean dealing stalwart guard Jahri Evans for a third- or fourth-round pick. Or it could mean signing or dealing defensive end Cam Jordan. As of today, the Saints are the biggest power players in the draft. They’re the only team with five picks in the first three rounds. They have 13, 31, 44, 75 and 78. So actually they have five picks in the first two-and-a-half rounds. That gives aggressive GM Mickey Loomis the ammo to start to remake his team.
You want to pick in the top nine. Here’s what a few football people who were at the league meetings are thinking about the breakdown of this draft: Nine prime picks, then eight or 10 really good prospects, then maybe 30 or so of the same-level player. The top nine: quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, defensive tackle Leonard Williams, wideouts Kevin White and Amari Cooper, pass-rushers Dante Fowler and Vic Beasley, offensive tackle Brandon Scherff and cornerback Trae Waynes. After that, beauty starts to be in the eye of the beholder. I had one GM tell me: “The 17th pick on our board might be the 53rd pick on another team’s board—and that could be a team we really respect.”
Todd Gurley is the draft’s fascinating player. Every year, draft prospects injured the previous college football season go back to Indianapolis, site of the combine, to have their surgeries re-checked before the draft. This year, the re-checks will be April 17 and 18 in Indy, two weeks before the draft. Gurley tore his ACL on Nov. 15 and had knee reconstruction by Dr. James Andrews on Nov. 25. So he’ll be drafted five months after surgery. The book on Gurley is that he’ll be good in 2015 and tremendous in 2016. It’ll be interesting, particularly with the devaluation of running backs in recent drafts, to see who picks Gurley, and where. I think he’ll be gone by the 25th pick.
New England could be a big power player late on day two. The Patriots have their own picks in rounds one and two, 32nd and 64th overall. Then they have their own at the end of the third round, a third-round compensatory pick and a pick at the top of the fourth round from the Logan Mankins trade last August. They have the 96th, 97th and 101st overall picks. Don’t be surprised to see Bill Belichick/Nick Caserio flip one of those for, say, a prime 2016 pick.
The Browns and Falcons could lose mid-round picks this week. Cleveland GM Ray Farmer has admitted texting his coaches during games, a violation of league rules, and the Falcons have admitted piping in extra crowd noise at the Georgia Dome. I doubt either transgression rises to the level or a first- or second-round pick as a penalty, but I believe both teams will be docked a pick or picks. Today, Cleveland has six picks in the top three-and-a-half rounds: 12, 19, 43, 77, 111, 115. The league still has a while to go on the Jets-Patriots tampering case.
Other Chicago draft nuggets. As of now, no top prospect besides Jameis Winston has said no to coming to the draft in Chicago … Once drafted, players will do the mandated TV and radio interviews at the draft, with many of the interviews taking place outside the Auditorium Theatre and among the crowd of fans at the draft … Because of space limitations at the draft venue, the draft tables for team representatives will be placed outside in what the NFL is calling Selection Square, in close proximity to the public. The NFL is setting up a “Draft Town” fan festival in Grant Park, across Michigan Avenue from the Auditorium Theatre.
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/03/30/extra-points-pat-rule-change-nfl-draft/
