Tag: 2024 NFL Draft

Rumor: Colts could be a team ‘worth watching’ if top WRs available

Could the Colts make a trade up in the first round? Peter Schrager says they are a team worth watching if a top WR is available.

In Peter Schrager’s first mock draft, which was released a few days ago, he had the Colts trading up from pick 15 to pick 9 with the Chicago Bears to select LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.

On Thursday, Schrager appeared on the Pat McAfee Show and expounded on why he had the Colts jumping up the draft board in his mock draft:

” I think there’s a chance the Colts make a couple calls here and move up, especially if Nabers, Odunze, or Harrison falls out of that top five or six. I love Pittman and Pierce, but imagine having Nabers, Pittman, and Pierce. The Bears, I look at them at No. 9, and I know Ryan Poles real well, and they love Caleb Williams, but that nine spot, the Bears have only four draft picks in this draft right now, and they don’t have a second-round pick. That nine spot could be really enticing if Nabers or Odunze falls down there to nine. Teams might be looking to trade up. It’s a mock draft. I’m just putting it out there. Planting some seeds, but I think the Colts could be a team worth watching.”

In a vacuum, adding Nabers or Washington’s Rome Odunze to the Colts’ offense makes all the sense in the world.

At his season-ending press conference, GM Chris Ballard was very clear that adding more playmaking to the offense was a priority this offseason–and certainly either Nabers or Odunze would provide that.

Odunze ranked 11th last season, averaging 17.8 yards per catch, and Nabers ranked 13th at 17.6 yards per catch. Nabers finished ninth in total YAC, with Odunze at 24th, while Odunze led college football with 783 of his yards coming on pass attempts of 20-plus yards. Nabers was second.

However, as we all know, there would be a cost for the Colts to make this jump up the draft board. In Schrager’s mock draft, he had the Colts sending Chicago their 2025 second-round pick. Although, as Schrager pointed out, the Bears only have four total picks in this year’s draft, and my guess is they would prefer to get draft capital this year rather than next if they were to trade down.

If we use the 2024 Rich Hill trade value chart to get an idea of what the Colts would have to part with pick 15 (315), pick 82 (54), pick 151 (12), and pick 191 (6) for pick 9 (387) in return. This is not the only way to strike a deal, but goes to show what the Colts may have to be willing to give up if they want to make this move happen.

The Colts themselves only have seven selections in this draft – only four teams have fewer, and having to part with two to three picks would leave them with only four or five in total.

While receiver is certainly a big need, the Colts have other positions to address as well, including in the secondary and at edge rusher, but a trade of this magnitude would limit their ability to do so.

Ballard has certainly shown a willingness to move around the draft board, but his draft history tells us that he prefers to move back and accumulate assets rather than parting with draft capital to move up.

If you’re hoping that the Colts make a bold move up the draft board for a top receiver, step one in that process is having Odunze or Nabers make their way to the back end of those first 10 selections.

ESPN suggests Saints package Trevor Penning in a trade for his replacement

ESPN has a unique trade proposal for the Saints, suggesting they package Trevor Penning in a trade for his replacement:

There’s a real possibility the New Orleans Saints could call it quits on the Trevor Penning experiment. If they can find a better left tackle in the 2024 NFL draft, it’s worth moving him to guard or right tackle to play the better player — and it just might be worth moving him to a new team altogether if it means they can go get that better left tackle.

That’s the scenario offered by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who drew up trades for every team picking in the first round of this year’s draft. If there’s a possibility the Saints could package Penning in a deal to move up and get this year’s top tackle (whoever they prefer; Notre Dame stud Joe Alt is the consensus pick to be first off the board), Barnwell says they should do it.

Here’s why Barnwell argues the Saints should trade Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers, along with their second-round pick at No. 45, in a big move up from No. 14 to No. 5:

If there’s no market in the top six to move up for a quarterback, the Saints might be able to jump ahead of the line to grab their favorite tackle in this class. The Chargers don’t have to trade down and could comfortably consider a wide receiver or tackle themselves at No. 5, but they’re also a team that could stand to add extra draft capital. (So are the Saints, of course, but why would GM Mickey Loomis start trading down in Round 1 now?)

Moving up would cost the Saints their second-round pick and the guy they thought was going to be their left tackle of the future in Penning, who looks and feels like he needs a change of scenery after two disastrous seasons. Penning missed most of 2022 with an injury, and after starting 2023 on the left side, he was benched in Week 6 and barely played the rest of the way. The Chargers already have Rashawn Slater locking down the left side of the line, but Penning could compete with Trey Pipkins at right tackle or serve as the swing tackle. This deal would value him as being worth the 88th pick in the draft by the Jimmy Johnson chart.

That would exciting, sure. Alt has everything you look for in a franchise left tackle. He’s an exceptional athlete with plenty of starting experience at a blueblood college program. He’s a much better prospect now than Penning was coming out of college a couple of years ago. Alt could immediately slot into the left tackle spot and allow the Saints to focus on plugging holes at right tackle and left guard, among other positions.

But there’s the problem: they’ve got almost nothing left to work with after this trade. The Saints wouldn’t pick again until No. 150 in the fifth round after trading their picks in the first and second rounds to move up. This team is not one player away. They need to be careful spenders on draft day and target safe picks who can help them right away. Beyond the offensive line, there are big vulnerabilities along the defensive line, at wide receiver, tight end, safety, and running back. There are more unsettled position groups than sure things.

It’s funny — the Saints have finally given their critics (like Barnwell) the offseason that’s been asked of them. They’ve spent conservatively in free agency without moving more money around than necessary in their usual restructures. They’re poised to clear big salary cap hits for Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara, if they choose, over the next year or two. The situation is significantly less grim than it once was. But Barnwell still expects them to throw caution to the wind, reverse course, and steer right for the rocks. We’ll see if that’s the plan come draft day.

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LSU prospect Maason Smith met with Saints on pre-draft visit

Could the Saints finally hold that tiger? LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith made a visit to the team facility before the 2024 draft:

Could this be the year the New Orleans Saints make LSU fans happy? The Saints have been linked to several prominent Tigers prospects in the 2024 NFL draft, having hosted wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. at their local pro day while sending a huge contingent of coaches, scouts, and other team personnel to LSU’s pro day workouts.

And we can add LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith to the list of players they’ve met with before the 2024 draft. Smith told The Draft Network’s Justin Melo that the Saints were the first  of many formal visits he’s made in recent weeks: “I started off in New Orleans with the Saints last week. I flew to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. I also met with the Jets and Giants. I went to Minnesota, Buffalo, Green Bay, and Charlotte. I just got back from Arizona. I have a few more visits coming up later this week.”

Smith is from Houma, La., which is an hour’s drive from New Orleans, so he should count as a local prospect and not factor into the limit of 30 players the Saints can host on official visits. Teams are obviously intrigued by the former five-star high school recruit, but questions have been raised by media analysts centering on his lack of production at LSU. The Tigers were too easily beaten at the point of attack for a unit with such a strong recruiting pedigree.

Smith acknowledged that disparity himself, telling Melo: “I’m going to continue getting better at the next level. I think my potential means I can do whatever I need to do to be whoever I want to be. The sky’s the limit for me. I’m looking forward to reaching that potential. … I want to be an impact player for whichever organization drafts me. I’m excited for my rookie season. I want to set the tone for what’s going to be a successful career.”

Still, Smith finished his LSU career with 944 defensive snaps played in 20 games — with 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss, respectable numbers for a defensive tackle on that sample size. But you’d like to have seen more from him. Maybe NFL coaching in a professional environment can get more out of him. Smith’s projections are all over the place but he’s generally expected to  be picked in the third or fourth rounds of this year’s draft. Maybe he ends up staying in Louisiana.

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Explosive Memphis RB Blake Watson visits Browns ahead of 2024 NFL draft

Will the Browns add another running back in the draft?

It wasn’t surprising that the Cleveland Browns reworked running back Nick Chubb’s contract to lower his cap hit and keep him in Northeast Ohio. However, this has not stopped them from bringing in the explosive Memphis running back Blake Watson for a top-30 visit in preparation for the 2024 NFL draft.

The team also added Nyheim Hines and D’Onta Foreman to the room, containing Jerome Ford, who was the lead back a season ago. The team still needs some long-term answers at the position, and Andrew Berry could look to add one via the draft.

Watson does a great job of exploding through rushing lanes with a great burst and overall speed. He, however, has great vision and is a patient runner, allowing things to play out in front of him and letting his blockers set up.

The versatility to make an impact as a pass catcher, especially in the screen game, is a major plus. He is smaller but could be a good developmental player on day three of the draft.

B/R: Saints’ inactivity hurts their offseason grade heading into the draft

The rubric: free agency, cap management, draft preparation and team direction. How does Bleacher Report grade the Saints’ offseason?

Bleacher Report scouting department has graded the offseason for each NFL team. Kris Knox evaluated the NFC teams while his constituent Alex Ballentine evaluated the AFC. Free agency obviously plays a big part, but salary cap management, preparation for the 2024 draft and general team direction all play a part in forming the team’s grade.

The New Orleans Saints haven’t been overly active in free agency. The biggest move they made was bringing in Chase Young on a prove it contract. That likely brings down their grade, but they have managed the cap well this offseason. The rest of the rubric is subjective. Cumulatively, Knox gave the Saints a C. Here’s why:

There really isn’t much to discuss regarding New Orleans’ offseason. The Saints entered the offseason facing a massive cap deficit, and general manager Mickey Loomis had to work just to get the franchise in compliance.

Everything will hinge on how New Orleans fares in the draft because the Saints’ penchant for kicking contracts down the road is catching up to them. Give Loomis credit for not selling off the entire roster just to manage the salary cap, but New Orleans largely looks like the same squad it was a year ago.

The first line sums up why a low grade was expected. “There really isn’t much to discuss regarding New Orleans’ offseason.” That’d be acceptable if the Saints were at least coming off a playoff berth. Finances played a part, but it does feel like they played it safer than required.

Knox lays out offensive line and wide receiver as positions of need heading into next week’s draft. Wide receiver still needs more bodies despite the addition of Cedrick Wilson Jr., Stanley Morgan, and Equanimeous St. Brown. They also need an impactful player whether in the form of a draft pick or A.T. Perry. The offensive line needed help coming into the offseason and the outlook, like Ryan Ramczyk’s health, got worse as the offseason has progressed.

You can’t return essentially the same team that didn’t make the playoffs and feel good about it. That places a lot of pressure on Klint Kubiak as the biggest new piece to tilt the Saints’ trajectory upward. He can’t afford for Derek Carr and Chris Olave to have as many quiet spells as we saw last season. Even with their flashes last year, New Orleans needed some juice heading into the upcoming season. The NFL draft will be vital to the success of this team moving forward.

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What is Texans GM Nick Caserio looking for in 2024 NFL draft?

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio gave a better look at the team’s draft strategy heading into Thursday night.

With the 2024 NFL draft officially a week away, most general managers will meet one final time with reporters before on the clock. 

The Houston Texans aren’t positioned to draft on Day 1 after sending the 23rd overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings. However, they do hold two selections in the second round at picks No. 42 and No. 59, respectively. 

General manager Nick Caserio didn’t mince his words when discussing potential roles for draft picks.

“Whoever we draft, hopefully, they’ll come in here and create a role and niche for themselves,” Caserio told reporters Thursday. ‘It’s probably going to be hard to make this team or make a significant impact.”

Since Caserio arrived from New England in 2021, his approach has been to rebuild the team through short-term deals in free agency while finding long-term fixtures in the draft. Over the past two seasons, Houston’s played more rookies than nearly every other franchise. 

The rookies of the past or now veterans of the present, leaving fewer holes to fill on the roster following a promising first season under new coach DeMeco Ryans. 

Houston’s actions align with Caserio’s comments. The Texans feel content at cornerback after inking one-year deals with Jeff Okudah and C..J. Henderson to play opposite Derek Stingley Jr. At linebacker, there’s newcomer Azeez Al-Shaair and third-year pro Christian Harris. 

Even after trading Maliek Collins and losing Sheldon Rankins to free agency, the Texans stockpiled options at defensive tackle, including signing former Jaguars starter Foley Fatukasi and Titans’ standout Denico Autry. 

“Generally speaking, a lot of these players are behind just relative to their development, where they are physically,” said Caserio. “I would say for whatever reason this year, seems like more players are further behind.”

There are multiple ways to comprehend that, but the Texans may use the draft as an avenue for depth purposes over adding first-year starters like last April with the selections of C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. 

Houston signed the second-most players during free agency at 24, according to Over the Cap. 

“The big thing is trying to add the right people with the right mindset and right mentality that just want to come in and work hard and do their job,” Caserio said. “Again, try to create as competitive an environment and situation as possible, which DeMeco has talked about that.”

The challenging part of the pre-draft process is learning about prospects past the X’s and O’s and rather the personality. Perhaps the best way to do this is to bring them in on visits, which the Texans have not wasted.

Houston’s brought in over a dozen players for top 30 visits and hosted its local prospect day on Apr. 4.

Caserio has been keen on drafting players who have had top 30 visits with Houston because he and the coaches can gather the information needed to feel comfortable selecting them.

Stroud and Anderson, who won Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, respectively, after dominant campaigns, visited NRG Stadium a year ago. Five of the Texans’ nine draft picks from the 2022 class came in for top-30 visits. 

“You’re just trying to gain as much information as you can so you can make a good decision,” Caserio said. “If there is a loophole that you need to close, this provides you an opportunity to do so.”

Houston has nine picks entering Thursday night. That’s likely to change given Caserio’s track record over the previous two years.

In back-to-back drafts, Caserio has orchestrated franchise-record totals in draft-day trades. Last season, he made eight pick swaps, doubling his total from 2022.

“The draft ends ups being really about positioning and where do you think you have to move,” Caserio said. “It’s knowing the players not only at the top, but at the bottom as well.”

Houston has four picks in the final two rounds, so finding talent to help the team for the long haul might be the goal. Caserio highlighted 2023 seventh-round pick Brandon Hill as someone who rarely contributed during his rookie year but could be ready for more time.

“Some players in this year’s draft who physically might not be ready to contribute maybe early on in the season, so maybe you’re drafting them for next year,” Caserio said.

Raiders Draft Radar: Top cornerback fits by round

It seems like every year the Raiders head into the draft with a need at the cornerback position. This year is no exception. While they had Nate Hobbs locking down the slot, the boundaries were a revolving door of cornerbacks that is still not …

It seems like every year the Raiders head into the draft with a need at the cornerback position. This year is no exception. While they had Nate Hobbs locking down the slot, the boundaries were a revolving door of cornerbacks that is still not settled.

From the looks of things, Jack Jones is the answer on one side, but the other side is very much in need of an influx of talent. The team flat out ignored the position in free agency, leaving them in the same situation today.

Though it’s hard to really blame them for being skeptical that free agency would solve anything. Last year, they signed two cornerbacks early in free agency (David Long Jr and Duke Shelley) and then Marcus Peters just before camp and none of them were on the team by the end of last season.

They also drafted Jakorian Bennett in the fourth round and he was benched after four starts. So, now they must take another shot at it and you would figure that would happen by the end of day two. Perhaps more than once.

Brad Holmes praises the value of the ‘lone wolf’ in the draft evaluation process

Lions GM Brad Holmes praises the value of the ‘lone wolf’ in Detroit’s draft evaluation process

One of the big selling points in the Lions hiring process for GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell back in 2021 was their strong commitment to consensus building. The team-building process is a collaborative effort between the coaches, scouts and front office.

So far, that willingness to listen to different voices in the draft process has served the Lions very well. Yet sometimes, the consensus isn’t always an easy arrival. Holmes called it being a lone wolf, and discussed why he likes not having universal agreement on every prospect or choice.

In his pre-draft press conference, Holmes talked about one situation in the 2023 draft where he and Campbell were out on their own against the rest of the draft room consensus.

“Sometimes I am the lone wolf. I might be the lone wolf. I’ll tell you, me and Dan (Campbell) were the lone wolves on a player that we took last year and it worked out. We loved the player. The rest of the group was like, ‘No, no, no, get this guy,’ at the same position.”

Holmes refused a later request to identify which player he and Campbell were the lone wolves on. He did elaborate more on the value of having dissenting voices and opinions in the draft process.

“So, if I am the lone wolf and everybody else is completely different than me, no one really knows what I think and I am listening to everybody, I am like, ‘Man, I need to go back and look. I missed something,’ and I have the confidence and the humility to do that because I have so much respect for the process. It’s an art form.”

Holmes continued,

“The best thing about scouting is you get 20 people, 10 people, however many, looking at the same film in a dark room and you have 10 different opinions. That’s what’s awesome about it.”

The GM has the humility and balance to understand the checks and balances in place to prevent a lone wolf from being a rogue wolf.

“So, when I am the lone wolf, and everybody is the opposite, I am like, ‘Man, I need to look back and see if I missed something.’ If hear the lone wolf that matched up with what I thought, I am like, ‘Well, at least that person saw it, but everybody else still was the same.’ It just depends – but if I saw something that the rest of the group said, and the lone wolf said something different, oh, damn right I am going to go back and look and see because that person is in the room for a reason and I have got a lot of respect for that person’s evaluations,” Holmes concluded.

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Browns host MSU CB Decamerion Richardson on 2024 NFL draft top-30 visit

As the 2024 NFL draft nears, the Browns continue to host prospects. This time, they brought in cornerback Decamerion Richardson.

Could the Cleveland Browns draft another cornerback in the 2024 NFL draft? With the event one week away, the Browns have hosted Mississippi State cornerback Decamerion Richardson on a top-30 visit to Berea.

The Browns have drafted a cornerback in each of the last three draft classes, selecting Greg Newsome II in the first round in 2021, Martin Emerson Jr. in the third round in 2022, and Cameron Mitchell in the fifth round just a year ago.

The team will not turn down any added depth to their secondary as they have kept that room locked and loaded.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds, Richardson ran a blazing 4.34 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He racked up seven passes defended by the Bulldogs in 2023.

The Browns found great success in the last Mississippi State cornerback they drafted in Emerson Jr. just two years ago. Could Richardson follow in Emerson’s footsteps to Cleveland next weekend?

Browns visit with offensive lineman Bayron Matos as 2024 NFL draft nears

Andrew Berry continues to study this offensive line class

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to studying this offensive line class. The Browns need depth and potential starters for the future on the line, and this is the draft to need that area. The latest prospect to visit the Browns on a pre-draft visit is Bayron Matos, who has never actually played a snap of football in an actual game.

At 6-foot-7 and 313 pounds, Matos has the size and athleticism to potentially play the position. Matos would be eligible to be a 17th practice squad player as a part of the NFL’s International Player Program. Matos is a raw player, but he showed how good of an athlete he is on his pro day, running 4.90 40 to go with a 9’5″ broad and a 4.77 shuttle time.

He will likely go undrafted this year but would make a perfect developmental tackle to stash on the practice squad.