Draft day buzz

April 30, 2015

They’re back !!! … With just 10 hours or so to go before the actual picking starts at the 2015 draft there are still conflicting reports as to what will happen with the second pick overall. The one story that simply will not go away is that Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles are still very much in on the Marcus Mariota sweepstakes. And the only real scenario for the Eagles to get to the #2 pick overall, as we have been suggesting for several weeks now, would be to work a three-way deal with Cleveland with the Eagles sending QB Sam Bradford to the Browns for the 12th pick and then packaging that selection with the 20th, and very possibly their #1 pick next year, to the Titans for the 2nd pick. And in the end every body gets pretty much they wanted. The Titans get a package of picks – 4 first rounders over two years – to build a team around Zach Mettnberger, the Browns get their veteran QB, while the Eagles get the QB Kelly figures can be the transformative leader of that offense without really mortgaging the team’s future, although they may be tempted to give up some of their present. Indeed, along with QB Bradford, the Eagles are reportedly looking to deal several veterans including MLB Mychal Kendricks and CB Brandon Boykin, while star DT Fletcher Cox has also been mentioned as possibly being involved. However, that’s a lot of moving parts and in the end nothing could get done or the Browns could make a deal with the Titans for Mariota themselves. Whatever, if anything is to happen it likely won’t shake out until the Titans actually get on the clock around 8:10 PM ET later this evening … Several teams are thought to be plotting to try and move up from the mid-teens in order to acquire Louisville WR DeVante Parker once Alabama’s Amari Cooper and West Virginia’s Kevin White come off the board somewhere in the top 6-7 picks. Miami, in particular, is believed to be really interested in moving up from the 14th pick. There are also rumblings that Kansas City, which has 10 picks including two in each of the 3rd, 5th and 6th rounds, is also looking to move up; same with New Orleans, which has two first rounders and 5 picks overall in the first three rounds and would really like to get one of this year’s elite defenders in USC DE Leonard Williams and OLBs Dante Fowler of Florida and Clemson’s Vic Beasley … One team that likely won’t be in the Mariota sweepstakes are the New York Jets after team owner Woody Johnson was quoted gushing positive things about the development of Geno Smith, whom the Jets selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. Johnson went on to add that what he thinks the Jets really need to try and do this weekend is add another target for Smith to throw to. The Jets, of course, look to be in prime position to come out of the draft with either of top-rated receivers Cooper and Kevin White with the 6th pick … Dallas owner/GM Jerry Jones again downplayed the Cowboys’ perceived need to add a RB in Thursday’s draft saying they could live with what they have at the position after signing Darren McFadden to replace DeMarco Murray. However, when asked ‘What is a must?’ for the Cowboys that they ‘need to help the defense as a must, by hook or crook.’ Jones also did not rule out the possibility that the Cowboys might try and move up in the opening round from the 27th if it did not look like any of the guys they were targeting would fall that far … There are always surprise picks in the opening and names that one keeps hearing as possible first-rounders – and not neceassrily buried at the end of the opening round include WRs Nelson Agholor of USC and Miami’s Phillip Dorsett, along with Oregon OT Jake Fisher, Clemson MLB Stephone Anthony and even Duke OG Laken Tomlinson. On the other hand, guys who could drop because of health concerns include Boise State RB Jay Ajayi, OGs Tre Jackson of Florida State and Alabama’s Arie Kouandjio, and UCLA MLB Eric Kendricks.