7 NFL Draft rumors including Broncos, Rams, Patriots, Commanders, Chargers, and more

If you, dear reader, are tired of all the rumors surrounding the NFL Draft, we have some good news for you.

This will be Friday’s final rumor roundup before the 2024 NFL Draft.

This series isn’t over. No, dear readers. You can look forward to one of these every day next week until the draft finally begins. Then we’ll discuss actual draft picks instead of rumors.

There will be more rumors, unless you consider the second round mock draft next Friday. In that case, well, it’ll all be over soon.

Until then, let’s keep the DeLorean rumor going. If this thing reaches 88 miles per hour, something serious will happen…

Why the Rams may not draft a DT early

With the retirement of Aaron Donald, defensive tackle has become a position often associated with players. Los Angeles Rams.Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II Rams common selections in mock draftsLos Angeles ranks 19th overall.

But as the Rams pointed out, it’s likely to go in a different direction than the one given. rams wire. As Cameron DeSilva points out, the organization has known for a while that Donald was likely heading into his final few seasons in the league, giving the team time to prepare accordingly.

After Aaron Donald announced his retirement from the NFL, the immediate question was, “How will the Rams replace him?” They haven’t signed any free agents, indicating they are drafting a defensive tackle early to fill the big hole left by No. 99.

No one player will replace the future Hall of Famer, but it’s possible the Rams already have his successor on their roster. That player is Coby Turner, who was supposed to win Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023.

If you think about it, the Rams actually drafted Donald’s replacement a year ago when they drafted Turner 89th overall. wake forest. He’s the main reason Los Angeles may not draft a defensive tackle like Byron Murphy II or Johnny Newton as quickly as many think.

…

Needless to say, the Rams probably knew Donald would only play two more years when he signed his new contract in 2022.Tony Pastors, Vice President of Football Operations Said The Athletic When Donald signed for 2022, he “looked me in the face and said, ‘I’m going to play two years.'” The structure of Donald’s contract, with an option in 2024, meant the Rams had a strong He has also indicated that he will retire after the 2023 season.

As a result, they knew they needed to find Donald’s replacement sooner or later, which is why they drafted Turner when they found one.they saw he Not as a rookie in the 2024 class, but as Donald’s successor.

Adjust your expectations and mock drafts accordingly.

Sean Payton wants to avoid a repeat of 2017

of denver broncos They are among a group of first-round teams targeting the quarterback position.

For head coach Sean Payton, this draft is perhaps a chance to do what he wasn’t able to do in New Orleans in 2017.

According to Tony Poulin: sports keeda Payton had his eye on Patrick Mahomes that draft cycle. Who has the 11th pick? new orleans saints Poulin said he intended to be in the top 10, but the deal fell through.time cincinnati bengals Payton, who drafted wide receiver John Ross with the ninth pick, believed he was home free.

then, kansas city chiefs The dream was ruined, and they moved up more than 15 spots in the first round and drafted Mahomes right in front of New Orleans.

It’s a feeling Payton never wants to endure again.

“Why does it matter to the next draft? Sources say losing to Mahomes left a permanent bad taste in Payton’s mouth.” Pauline writes. “The latest rumors around the league are that the Broncos coach is mortgaging the future of the franchise with a promotion and is ready to select a quarterback on Thursday night.”

Perhaps that fear is what drove Peyton to do this.

As many people on social media have pointed out, the run time is around 2 hours. money ballor draft day.

Will the managers be traded back to the first round?

Earlier this week, my good friend Adam Epstein 910 The Fan In Richmond, Virginia, commander of washington In addition to drafting a quarterback in the first round, they will return to the lineup Thursday night to add an offensive tackle.

Adam might be on to something.

At the annual pre-draft press conference NFL Network Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah made the same claim.

“I think they’re the prime candidates to stand up and try to scoop up tackles,” Jeremiah said. “If Amarius Mims exists [Georgia], floating around in the teens, they have a lot of ammunition to get aggressive and start offensive tackles. For me, that’s what I like to focus on. “I don’t see them sitting there sitting there at 36 and 40. I think I see them trying to make moves and deal with the offensive line.”

If commanders were to accept such a move, they would have large amounts of draft funds at their disposal. Barring action by Thursday, Washington will begin draft week with nine draft picks overall, including six in the first three rounds.

• Round 1, Selection 2 (choose 2nd place overall)
• Round 2, Selection 4 (36th overall pick)
• Round 2, Selection 8 (40th overall selection)
• Round 3, Selection 3 (picked 67th overall)
• Round 3, Selection 14 (78th overall pick)
• Round 3, Selection 36 (100th overall selection)

Commanders “feel great” as No. 2

Continuing with the Commanders and trade ideas, while Washington is gaining momentum towards returning to the first round, the idea of ​​the Commanders moving outside of No. 2 overall is almost entirely on the table.

If Washington had any thoughts of trading down, new general manager Adam Peters shot down that idea during the team’s pre-draft press conference on Thursday.

Peters said the managers are nearing a final decision on which player, or more specifically, the quarterback, they will designate for that spot. However, as a “process owner”, the organization runs the tape.

The Commanders have been linked with nearly every quarterback prospect this draft cycle. Soon we will finally know their decision.

Patriots “reopening” in third place

The Washington Commanders appear to be aiming for the top pick in the draft, but teams right behind them may be interested in taking the No. 3 pick.

At the pre-draft press conference, new england patriots Scouting director Elliott Wolfe said the team is “open for business” in third place.

“If you’re picking a price this high, the good news is that interested teams are doing the same, so they’ll probably contact you sooner than we would if we had time. , it makes it easier in this particular situation,” Wolf said, adding that “we’re definitely open to” trading back or adding players to the process via trade.

But even if a deal doesn’t happen, Wolf is content to have a top quarterback at the position. “I think we’re comfortable with that,” Wolf said when asked about drafting a quarterback at No. 3.

Giants GM Joe Schon believes the draft will ‘start at 2 o’clock’

Joe Schon was one of the general managers who held a pre-draft press conference on Thursday, and the Giants’ general manager insisted that this year’s draft will start at No. 2 with the Washington Commanders in attendance.

“I think everyone has a guess who will be number one, and we all agree that it’s probably going to be Caleb. [Williams to Chicago], and the draft begins at 2 p.m. Let’s see what Washington does. There were rumors that the team behind us wanted to play and we got some phone calls as well,” Shane said on Thursday. “You don’t know what’s going to happen at 2 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 5 o’clock, whether people are going to come up behind you, but those are all things that we’re talking about and going through different scenarios. .”

The Giants are one of the teams that could potentially trade up for a quarterback in the draft, possibly for a quarterback at No. 4. arizona cardinals — Schoen said he’s getting a lot of calls about moving up from teams that pick behind the Giants with the No. 6 pick.

“I didn’t expect there to be this much activity from the guys behind us at 6 o’clock,” Shane said. “So if you want to go back, how far back do you want to go, those are also options.”

The Giants’ QB relationship has come up during this process, but Schoen insisted the team is happy with the QB room currently in place. “I’ll think about it with Drew.” [Lock’s] His experience starting the game and playing, and Daniel’s experience,” Shane said. “So, Tommy [DeVito] Just like last year, another year in this system, Tommy has come a long way. ”

We’ll see in less than a week how accustomed he is to that group.

What are the Chargers thinking with No. 5?

Given that the Giants are in 6th place, the only teams targeting the quarterback are either past New York at 4th place (currently held by the Arizona Cardinals) or at 5th place, which is home to Jim Harbaugh and the Cardinals. You might try to get into either one. Los Angeles Chargers I’m sitting.

Because of this, some analysts believe the Chargers are considering a potential trade down. NFL Network Draft analyst and Chargers radio commentator Daniel Jeremiah is among those looking at Los Angeles as a potential trade candidate. “I think a trade out is the best path forward,” Jeremiah said on his recent episode. pirated soccer Podcast. “I imagine [general manager] Joe Hortis is praying that phone rings. ” ESPN‘s Adam Schefter recently agreed with that idea, saying: This week’s “Sports Center” “The Chargers make more sense than anyone else,” and it’s no wonder they’re out of the top 10.

But what are the Chargers thinking about trading away from that spot?

The company’s policy for now is for Los Angeles to stay with five teams and acquire “the best players available,” new general manager Joe Holitz said.

Now, what if the Chargers get “more than a fair trade”?

Then maybe we can talk.