AROUND THE NFL

The NFLPA did not reach a decision in its meeting on Monday and they are apparently taking some modifications in the “negotiated” CBA proposal.  As a result, the start of the NFL year has been pushed back two days.  Mark Maske of the Washington Post:

The NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed Saturday to push back by two days the window for teams to apply the franchise tag and transition tag to players. That window will begin Thursday instead of Tuesday, and it will run through March 12 instead of March 10.

The delay provides more time before teams begin conducting offseason business for the NFLPA to consider potential ratification of the proposed 10-year collective bargaining agreement with the league and owners. The owners approved the proposed CBA when they met Thursday in New York. The NFLPA’s team-by-team player reps postponed an expected vote when they spoke Friday by conference call.

NFL players appear divided on new CBA, postpone vote on proposal approved by owners

Representatives of the players are scheduled to meet Tuesday in Indianapolis with negotiators for the league and owners. The vote of the player reps is expected to take place after that meeting.

According to people familiar with the players’ deliberations, the NFLPA plans to have the player reps’ vote serve merely as a nonbinding recommendation, and the proposed CBA is expected to be put to a vote of all NFL players. It would have to be ratified by a majority of the players to be put into effect. The deal includes a 17-game regular season, shortened preseason, expanded playoffs and changes to the league’s marijuana policy and player discipline system.

The players’ CBA decision affects the rules governing franchise and transition tags. If the players ratify the proposed new CBA, the usual rules will be in effect and each team can use one tag, either the franchise tag or the transition tag, on a single player. But if the NFLPA rejects the proposed CBA, the existing CBA would remain in effect and would be in its final year with altered rules that allow a team to use both the franchise and transition tags, potentially limiting the free agent mobility of two players.

That could be particularly important to a team such as the Dallas Cowboys: Quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper are both eligible for unrestricted free agency beginning March 18.

More from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The timing is particularly important for the Cowboys, Buccaneers and Titans, three teams that would probably like to use both the franchise tag and the transition tag — if both are available to them, which they won’t know for sure until the players vote on the CBA proposal.

Mike Florio:

For Dallas, it’s quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver Amari Cooper. If there’s a new CBA, one of them will be hitting the market — unless the other signs a new deal before the deadline for applying the tag. And for as much as the Cowboys need to keep Prescott, the prospect of using a first-round pick for Cooper and getting only a season-and-a-half out of him is the kind of thing that could get a G.M. fired, if the G.M. wasn’t also the owner.

For Tennessee, there’s an urgency to keep running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill. With CAA now representing both players, the chances of one signing so that the other can be tagged are slim. Tennessee will have to risk letting one of them get to the market, and to hope that they can convince him to stay.

In Tampa, it’s still not clear whether the Bucs want to keep quarterback Jameis Winston. But they definitely want to keep defensive end Shaquil Barrett, who most likely will be franchise-tagged, absent a new deal. The transition tag could be a useful way to figure out Winston’s market, but that option may not be available even if the Buccaneers want to use it.

And while the transition tag ultimately provides only a right to match and no compensation, its value in a year with plenty of quarterback options comes from forcing a team that signed a player to an offer sheet to wait five days for an answer. As the clock ticks on whether the offer will be matched, other options may end up signing elsewhere.

More from Florio:

But here’s the real reason for the creating of this post: The two-day delay in the closing of the tag window shows that the league has flexibility to adjust fundamentally artificial deadlines to accommodate CBA talks.

Currently, the new league year begins on Wednesday, March 18. So what if it starts the next day? Or the day after? Or the following Monday, or Wednesday?

– – –

The only real deadline when it comes to starting the league year is the draft, which starts on April 23. Given the way free agency unfolds (first wave of big spending, second wave of bargain shopping, third wave of signing players whose teams have a right to match), all business could get done before the draft by starting the league year on Thursday, April 2. The league could also potentially push it to Thursday, April 9, with Monday, April 6 a potentially ideal middle ground.

Then there’s the possibility that the league won’t bat an eye at free agency coming after the draft. Some coaches have mused that it should happen all the time. And in 2011, the lockout forced a rushed free agency period in early August, months after teams picked their players. (The lack of free agency is one of the reasons why three underwhelming quarterbacks — Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and Christian Ponder — went No. 8, No. 10, and No. 12 overall that year.)

The bottom line is that the folks who write the checks can do whatever they need to do in order to allow the CBA talks to get wrapped up before teams start spending money under the rules of the final year of the current deal. The inconveniences arising from bumping the start of free agency by days, weeks, or even multiple months are minuscule potatoes in comparison to the one contract that the NFL currently is focused on getting signed. And if giving the NFL Players Association a little more time, a little more time, a little more time to come to terms with the potential reality that the best deal they’ll get is on the table now, the league may be willing to find a way to do it.

NFC NORTH

DETROIT

The Lions bring back WR DANNY AMENDOLA on a one-year deal.  Adam Maya of NFL.com:

Danny Amendola’s stop in Detroit was a quiet success. So much so that both sides are extending the stay.

The Lions are re-signing the veteran wide receiver to a one-year deal, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager reported, per sources informed of the situation.

Amendola caught 62 balls for 678 yards and a touchdown last year while making nine starts. Those numbers were in line with his best years with the Patriots. The two-time Super Bowl winner ended up in the Motor City after being cut last spring by the Dolphins, who’d signed him to a two-year contract the previous spring.

There was scuttlebutt that the 34-year-old slot receiver would reunite with Tom Brady, in New England or elsewhere. Instead, Amendola figures to again be a top-three wideout for the Lions.

His production might even improve with a healthy Matthew Stafford. Amendola has caught at least 59 passes in each of the last three seasons, two of which heavily involved backup quarterbacks.

Justin Rogers of the Detroit News has other gossip and rumors about the Lions offseason intentions:

There doesn’t figure to be many days off between now and April’s NFL draft for Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn and his staff. The past few weeks have been stuffed with draft and free-agency meetings, as well as preparation for next week’s scouting combine.

There a record number of underclassmen in this draft class and the combine will be the Lions’ first exposure to those players in an interview setting. They’ll need to use their time wisely, as the league has reduced the number of official team interviews from 60 to 45 this year.

Quinn ranked the interviews as the most important part of the combine, then the medical evaluations, followed by the on-field drills.

“Obviously, as an organization, the medical information is crucial,” Quinn said. “So our doctors and trainers, it’s kind of a behind-the-scenes things that not a lot of fans really realize what’s going on, but that’s the basis of all our medical grades and evaluations on all the draft prospects.”

As for the reduction in official interviews, it’s part of the reason the Lions are intending to fully staff the event, as opposed to some other teams that are transitioning to leaving a significant portion of their scouting and coaching staffs at home. Quinn continues to see value in the team’s position coaches meeting informally with prospects.

On top of all the prep work, Quinn has also been having a number of conversations with Detroit’s pending free agents with eyes on potentially re-signing some before they hit the open market in the middle of March.

“We’re talking to a lot of agents of our current guys, currently,” Quinn said in a video interview posted on the team’s website. “There’s a little bit of a stall with the uncertainty of the CBA. If there’s a new CBA, a lot of things can change, in terms of how you structure things. You see a couple deals going for a few teams, but I think we’re having some good conversations. Nothing is past the finish line yet, but we’re hoping to get a few things done here in the next week or so.”

Quinn was also asked about cornerback Darius Slay, who remains under contract for the 2020 season, but has been subject to trade rumors since last year’s deadline. Not surprisingly, the GM didn’t reveal much about those negotiations, only noting the two sides continue to have positive conversations.

Speaking of the trade block, Quinn once again denied reports he has been exploring the possibility of moving quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“He’s here, he’s our quarterback,” Quinn said. “All those rumors, not sure exactly where they came from, but they were, like I said before, 100 percent false.”

As for what the Lions have in mind for the No. 3 pick in the draft, Quinn said he feels like he has a head start on the evaluation process after the team worked the Senior Bowl, but they’re still leaving all options open heading to the combine.

“Way too early to narrow it down to any one position or any one player,” Quinn said. “I think we’re going to the combine with an open mind, talk to a lot of prospects we haven’t talked to. All the underclassmen are brand new to us. Obviously, there are a lot of them this year that are going to be at the combine. It’s really going to be our first exposure to them in an interview setting, so a lot of things could change.”

Among the underclassmen that could be on Detroit’s radar in the first round are Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah and Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons.

Quinn also confirmed he’s open to trading the team’s first-round pick, but there have been no conversations on that front. At least not yet.

“Open to any trades,” Quinn said. “Those are conversations that generally the higher you are in the draft, the sooner the conversations begin. I have not had any trade conversations with anybody, as of yet. Those usually tend to start at the combine, at the hallways we roll through. We’ll see how that goes.”

GREEN BAY

An extension for PK MASON CROSBY.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Packers kicker Mason Crosby won’t be going anywhere.

Crosby and the Packers agreed to a three-year contract, Crosby’s agent Mike McCartney announced on Twitter.

The Packers drafted Crosby in 2007, and he has been in Green Bay ever since. Crosby had a strong season last year, missing just two field goals and one extra point, and the Packers apparently believe has more good years left in him.

Crosby will turn 36 before this season and would be with the Packers through his age-38 season if he fulfills this contract.

Among players on the current roster, only Aaron Rodgers, who was drafted in 2005, has been with the Packers longer than Crosby.

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS

A 20-20 note for 2020 concerning QB DREW BREES from QB Grant Gordon:

In playing at least one game next season, Brees will become the 20th player in NFL history to play in 20 or more seasons, per NFL Research.

At 41 years young, Brees is currently the all-time leader in passing yards (77,416) and passing touchdowns (547). Though Tom Brady’s second-place yardage total is a distant second at 74,571, Brady’s second-place touchdown total stands currently at 541. Thus, there could be some jockeying throughout the 2020 season between the all-time greats and drinkers of the fountain of youth. Brady, of course, has also eclipsed 20 seasons in the league.

Brees has made it known that he intends to play his 15th season with the Saints and, as aforementioned, it will be his 20th overall. Of the previous 19 NFL players to have hit two decades in the league, six were on the NFL All-Time Team and just as many are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As Brees’ impending next foray into the history books looms, he would join Brady once more as the only two quarterbacks to have played 20 or more seasons with two or fewer franchises. Brady, of course, might well join Brees as the only QBs to play that long with two franchises if he decides to move on from New England.

Before Brees, five other quarterbacks played 20 or more seasons. There’s Brady, of course, and then Brett Favre, Earl Morrall, Vinny Testaverde and the timeless wonder that was George Blanda, who played a historic 26 campaigns.

One way in which Brees can track down Brady is his performance in his 20th season. Brady, despite plenty of criticism that his 2019 play wasn’t to his usual standards, threw 24 touchdowns, which was the most by a QB in his 20th season.

Should Brees eclipse that mark, he’d have another record under his helmet.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

The Ravens ink Wink.  Ian Rapoport of NFL.com with the tweet:

@RapSheet

Sources: The #Ravens have signed defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale to a new 3-year contract making him the highest paid DC in the league. Richly deserved for a coach they believe will be a top head coach candidate next offseason.

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS

The Colts are signaling they will be active in the quarterback market.

During a Sunday press conference in Indianapolis, Colts owner Jim Irsay claimed that the team was going to take Russell Wilson in the fourth round of the 2012 draft had he still been on the board.

It’s interesting to think about how different the league would be had the Colts doubled down on quarterbacks after taking Andrew Luck first overall, but it does nothing to help the Colts as they try to move forward after Luck’s retirement last year. Jacoby Brissett took over as the starter and Irsay said on Sunday that he thinks Brissett needs time to develop, but stopped well short of guaranteeing he’ll get it in Indy.

“I can’t talk about any specific player,” Irsay said, via Andrew Walker of the team’s website. “I will say that all options are open. . . . All options are on the table. I’ve never quite been in a year when this was so unusual, if you will.”

One option that doesn’t seem to be on the table is a change of heart from Luck. Irsay suggested the door remains open from the team’s side, but he hasn’t spoken to Luck about it after trying to convince him to keep playing last summer and Luck’s father said recently that his son is enjoying life out of the public eye.

Many have noted that Colts head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni worked with outgoing Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in the past, but there are plenty of paths the team could take in free agency, the draft or via a trade. Irsay expressed his confidence that Reich and General Manager Chris Ballard will make the right call on which of them the team will ultimately take this offseason.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

Surgery for T JON FELICIANO is one of the reasons that offensive tackle could be on the Bills’ offseason wish list.  Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic:

The fact that the Bills were mum on whether Cody Ford will move inside to guard suggests they are open to the possibility. Ford had an uneven rookie season while splitting time with Ty Nsekhe at right tackle. The Bills also have uncertainty on the interior of the offensive line with Quinton Spain’s contract expiring and Jon Feliciano coming off a torn rotator cuff. Feliciano should be ready for training camp and retain his spot in the starting lineup, but Spain’s future is up in the air. The Bills could solve two issues with one pick by drafting an offensive tackle.

Our Dane Brugler lauded the top-end talent at offensive tackle in his most recent position rankings and estimates six or seven will come off the board in the first round. The Bills might want to take advantage of that depending on how the board falls in the first round. Three names to watch at the combine: Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland and Louisville’s Mekhi Becton. All three have the type of athletic traits that will make them stand out during combine drills.

NEW YORK JETS

The Jets are giving a shot to WR JOSH DOCTSON, a first round bust of the Redskins. Adam Maya of NFL.com:

Wide receiver Josh Doctson will attempt to reset his career in the city affectionately known as the land of opportunity.

The New York Jets announced they have signed the former first-round pick.

Doctson is coming off a lost season in Minnesota in which he appeared in just one game and did not register a catch. He signed with the Vikings last September but spent most of the 2019 campaign on injured reserve before being waived in November.

The Redskins parted ways with the 22nd overall pick in the 2016 draft after three unremarkable seasons. Doctson caught 81 passes for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in Washington. He joins a Jets receiving corps featuring former teammate Jamison Crowder and not much else in terms of bankable production.

The DB, who usually notes such things, had never heard of New York being know, affectionately or not, as the “Land of Opportunity.” 

The United States as a whole? Yes.

Officially, we note that Arkansas, the home of Wal-Mart and Bill Clinton, had “Land of Opportunity” as a license plate slogan from the 1940s to 1995.  Arkansas is now “The Natural State”.  Prior to “Land of Opportunity”, it was “The Wonder State.”

So is New York or New York City, the “Land of Opportunity”?  We found just enough references with a Google search, none related to an official site, to let Maya slide with his claim, but it isn’t one of 14 nicknames for the city listed at Wikipedia:

The Big Apple

The Capital of the World

The Center of the Universe

The City So Nice They Named It Twice

The City That Never Sleeps

The Empire City

The Five Boroughs

Fun City

Gotham

The Greatest City in the World

The Melting Pot

Metropolis

The Modern Gomorrah

New Amsterdam

New York State is, of course, the Empire State.

THIS AND THAT

SKY JUDGE

Coaches want someone, presumably more competent and decisive than Al Riveron, to rule over each individual game from a perch in the sky.  Mark Maske of the Washington Post:

This offseason, NFL coaches could renew their push to have a “sky judge” added to each officiating crew.

Coaches tried unsuccessfully last offseason, amid deliberations by which the NFL made pass interference calls (and non-calls) subject to instant replay review, to have such a system implemented. A sky judge, stationed in the press box at each game, would be a video official who is empowered to overturn obviously erroneous on-field calls.

The sky judge concept is on the agenda to be discussed by the coaches subcommittee of the league’s competition committee during its meetings in the coming days at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. A person familiar with the process said the league and the competition committee will allow the coaches to have their say, but the league office and the NFL’s officiating crews remain skeptical, that person said, adding that the league does not regard the sky judge system as a viable method for achieving the officiating consistency that coaches are seeking.

NFL will ‘look at everything’ to address officiating problems, including pass interference

One problem cited by the league last offseason was finding enough qualified video officials to fill prospective sky judge jobs. Currently, replay rulings are made by members of the NFL’s officiating department, headed by Al Riveron, stationed in New York, in consultation with the video official and the on-field referee at the game.

The competition committee’s agenda for its meetings during the combine include a discussion of the rule that made interference reviewable by replay. That rule was ratified by the owners last March, in the aftermath of the missed pass interference call in the NFC title game in New Orleans that sent the Los Angeles Rams, rather than the Saints, to the Super Bowl to conclude the 2018 season.

The owners approved the new replay system for only one year, meaning the rule will be up for a renewal vote of the owners in March in Palm Beach, Fla., at the annual league meeting. Players, coaches and fans this past season regularly expressed their dissatisfaction with the new system, saying they did not believe Riveron’s replay rulings on interference-related plays were consistent.

And this from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com on comments from Competition Committee Chairman Rich McKay:

At times during the 2019 season, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that replay review for pass interference calls and non-cals would not be renewed for a second season. Now, it’s not so clear that the biggest source of 100th season consternation will be scrapped.

Via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said Sunday that it’s too early to comment on whether he believes the procedure will be or should be renewed when owners gather in March. Because it was adopted on a one-year-only basis, it will take 24 votes to keep it in place. Once it becomes a permanent rule change, it will take 24 votes to scrap it.

“You have to decide from a cost-benefit analysis standpoint: Is this worth it?” McKay told Maske. “Are we getting enough bang for our buck as far as the game goes? And that’s one that the clubs have to answer that question. . . .

“I think we all saw the frustration that we all had during the year. And I do think it began to get better. But I want to see it all and the total picture and not deal from emotion.”

Even when it began to get better, it still wasn’t good. Nearly every application of it was unpredictable and, at times, flat-out maddening, thanks in large part to a standard that shifted and changed throughout the season, always without warning.

Of course, if the league doesn’t renew replay review of pass interference calls and non-calls, it will need another device for fixing mistakes like the one that applied an asterisk to the outcome of the 2018 NFC Championship. And the only viable alternative is the sky judge concept, which the league seems to be resisting, likely in whole or in part because of the cost.

Even though the NFL will make plenty of money from legalized gambling and even though sky judge could help avoid the kind of outcomes that would spark a gambling-fueled public outcry, the league ultimately authorizes expenditures that it deems necessary. If replay review of pass interference calls and non-calls can be improved to the point at which it can be regarded as satisfactory, it will be much cheaper than hiring 17 extra officials who would, ideally, serve as an extra set of eyes that isn’t operating among the gladiators, and thus isn’t primarily concerned with avoiding serious injury or worse.

Still, sky judge would be a better process, both as to pass interference and any other calls for which the officials on the field would benefit from the immediate perspective of another official who isn’t at risk of being trampled — and who isn’t limited to flashes and blurs that the naked eye often can’t discern.

Like so many other things, however, the NFL won’t embrace sky judge until it absolutely has to. Despite the flaws inherent to replay review of pass interference calls and non-calls, the NFL clearly doesn’t believe that it’s absolutely necessary to write the check for sky judge now.

2020 DRAFT

Chad Reuter of NFL.com, who is good at these things, has a three-round Mock Draft to savor:

I have included a few first-round trades and projected compensatory picks for the third round (Picks 97-104) based on free agent departures last spring. The NFL usually awards comp picks in late February.

Round 1

1 – CINCINNATI

Joe Burrow – QB

School: LSU | Year: Senior (RS)

The Ohio native comes home to provide the leadership required to lift this franchise out of the doldrums.

2 – WASHINGTON

Chase Young – Edge

School: Ohio State | Year: Junior

The shocker here could be Washington giving away Dwayne Haskins after one year like the Cardinals did with Josh Rosen. Barring that move, Ron Rivera and Co. pick Young to attack opponents’ quarterbacks.

3 – MIAMI (projected trade with Detroit)

Tua Tagovailoa – QB

School: Alabama | Year: Junior

PROJECTED TRADE WITH LIONS. Tua wants to play in Miami and the Dolphins should want Tua’s accuracy from the pocket. If his medical checks are satisfactory, it would not be a surprise to see Miami trade up to avoid losing the young passer to the Chargers, Panthers, Raiders or Colts.

4 – LA CHARGERS (projected trade with NY Giants)

Justin Herbert – QB

School: Oregon | Year: Senior

PROJECTED TRADE WITH GIANTS. In the 2016, ’17 and ’18 drafts, three teams pulled off trades to get a future signal-caller. Philip Rivers’ departure means the Chargers are in the market, and there are multiple teams also in the hunt for Herbert’s services.

5 – DETROIT (projected trade with Miami

Jeff Okudah – CB

School: Ohio State | Year: Junior

PROJECTED TRADE WITH DOLPHINS. Detroit, at No. 3 overall, is in a great spot to grab multiple quality draft picks because several QB-needy teams could be looking to move up to get their guy. In this mock, I see the Lions moving down to No. 5 in exchange for a first- and second-rounder from Miami this year as well as an early-round 2021 pick. Detroit gets a hefty bounty and still lands Okudah, the outstanding corner the franchise might’ve taken in the original draft slot.

6 – NY GIANTS (projected trade with LA Chargers)

Mekhi Becton – OT

School: Louisville | Year: Junior

PROJECTED TRADE WITH CHARGERS. GM Dave Gettleman moves down two spots to re-gain the third-round pick he sent to the Jets for Leonard Williams, plus a 2021 second-round selection. An additional asset could be included in this deal, as well, like in the Bears- 49ers trade from three years ago, when Chicago gave up two third-rounders and a fourth to move up one spot and select Mitchell Trubisky. The Giants’ choice between Becton, Jedrick Wills and Andrew Thomas will be one of the more interesting storylines in the early part of the draft.

7 – CAROLINA

Derrick Brown – DT

School: Auburn | Year: Senior

Brown would meet a great need for the Panthers up front, as fellow big men Vernon Butler and Gerald McCoy are set to be free agents.

8 – ARIZONA

Javon Kinlaw – DT

School: South Carolina | Year: Senior

Extending D.J. Humphries allows the team to focus on its offensive line later in the draft. The Cards can now pick the top defender on the board to play the 5-technique.

9 – JACKSONVILLE

Isaiah Simmons – LB

School: Clemson | Year: Junior (RS)

The Jaguars really missed Telvin Smith in 2019. Simmons is a similar player who could fill multiple linebacker spots.

10 – ATLANTA (projected trade with Cleveland)

K’Lavon Chaisson – Edge

School: LSU | Year: Sophomore (RS)

PROJECTED TRADE WITH BROWNS. GM Thomas Dimitroff is willing to make a deal for a player he covets. If Chaisson looks fluid in linebacker drills at the combine, the Falcons could consider him a replacement for Vic Beasley or De’Vondre Campbell.

11 – DETROIT (projected trade with NY Jets)

CeeDee Lamb – WR

School: Oklahoma | Year: Junior

PROJECTED TRADE WITH JETS. It’s unclear whether GM John Elway will prefer Lamb or Jerry Jeudy with his top pick, but either way, I could see him jumping ahead of his division rival to land his explosive wideout of choice for Drew Lock.

12 – LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Jerry Jeudy – WR

School: Alabama | Year: Junior

Between Lamb and Jeudy, head coach Jon Gruden and GM Mike Mayock would be happy with whichever receiver is available to them at this pick.

13 – INDIANAPOLIS

Jacob Eason – QB

School: Washington | Year: Junior (RS)

Eason’s combine workout could really help him secure a first-round spot. If the ball comes out as well as expected, it will be tough for teams to ignore him.

14 – TAMPA BAY

A.J. Epenesa – Edge

School: Iowa | Year: Junior

Even if Shaq Barrett returns, as is expected, the Bucs could use another big body like Epenesa on the defensive line.

15 – NY JETS (projected trade with Denver)

Jedrick Wills – OT

School: Alabama | Year: Junior

PROJECTED TRADE WITH BRONCOS. Wills lived up to the recruiting hype in 2019, showing nice athleticism in pass pro and destroying his man in the run game. The Jets pick up third- and fourth-round picks from the Broncos in this trade scenario.

16 – CLEVELAND

Andrew Thomas – OT

School: Georgia | Year: Junior

PROJECTED TRADE WITH FALCONS. The Browns find a nice value at a position they need to upgrade even after moving down the board. The trade with Atlanta nets them a second-round selection and a late-round “sweetener” pick. I suspect they’ll use one of their second-round picks on a receiver if they decide to move Odell Beckham Jr. before or during the draft.

17 – DALLAS

Xavier McKinney – S

School: Alabama | Year: Junior

Dallas needs to find a playmaker at safety, as the team averaged just over one takeaway per game in 2019 to finish among the lower third of the league in that category.

18 – MIAMI (from Pittsburgh)

Tristan Wirfs – OT

School: Iowa | Year: Junior

Wirfs may get a shot at left tackle for the Dolphins, who traded Laremy Tunsil last year for a bounty.

19 – LAS VEGAS (from Chicago)

Kenneth Murray – LB

School: Oklahoma | Year: Junior

Murray recognizes plays quickly and attacks with all-out effort. Gruden and Mayock will love his talent.

20 – JACKSONVILEE (from LA Rams)

Cole Kmet – TE

School: Notre Dame | Year: Junior

Adding the pro-sized, athletic Kmet should aid Nick Foles, Gardner Minshew or whoever is Plan C at quarterback for the Jaguars.

21 – PHILADELPHIA

Henry Ruggs III – WR

School: Alabama | Year: Junior

Ruggs could become the new DeSean Jackson-type deep threat for the Eagles’ offense.

22 – BUFFALO

Cesar Ruiz – OL

School: Michigan | Year: Junior

The Bills’ guard play was less than stellar in 2019. Ruiz started at guard early in his career at Michigan, but moved to center with Ben Bredeson and Michael Onwenu manning either side of him.

23 – CAROLINA (projected trade with New England)

Jordan Love – QB

School: Utah State | Year: Junior (RS)

If Matt Rhule liked Charlie Brewer — the passer who showed ability to make plays with his feet during Rhule’s three years at Baylor — he’s going to love Love. The Panthers could probably convince the Patriots to move out of the first round for a 2021 second-rounder, as Washington did with Indy last year in order to draft Montez Sweat.

24 – NEW ORLEANS

Brandon Aiyuk – WR

School: Arizona State | Year: Senior

Drew Brees recently announced he’ll be returning in 2020. Giving him Aiyuk to pair with Michael Thomas would be dangerous for opposing defenses.

25 – MINNESOTA

Trevon Diggs – CB

School: Alabama | Year: Senior

I just love the idea of the Diggs brothers battling in Vikings practices. (Of course, that would require big brother Stefon staying put.) The elder Diggs might win a bunch early, but Trevon will eventually learn his tricks.

26 – DETROIT (projected trade with Miami)

Tee Higgins – WR

School: Clemson | Year: Junior

PROJECTED TRADE WITH DOLPHINS. With Higgins in the fold, Kenny Golladay should have more freedom downfield.

27 – SEATTLE

Ross Blacklock – DT

School: TCU | Year: Junior (RS)

Free agency could gut the Seahawks’ front four. Blacklock is an active player with a mean streak that would fit in right away.

28 – BALTIMORE

Yetur Gross-Matos – Edge

School: Penn State | Year: Junior

If Matt Judon does not return to the Ravens, the team could replace one No. 99 with another.

29 – TENNESSEE

Josh Jones – OT

School: Houston | Year: Senior (RS)

The Titans will want a tough-minded right tackle to replace free agent Jack Conklin if he changes addresses. Jones plays nasty and could easily swing to that side of the line.

30 – GREEN BAY

Patrick Queen – LB

School: LSU | Year: Junior

Queen fills a big hole in the middle of the Packers’ defense, assuming they lose Blake Martinez in free agency.

31 – SAN FRANCISCO

Grant Delpit – S

School: LSU | Year: Junior

Delpit’s combine workout will be huge — a good performance may allow teams to overlook some of the missed plays that put a damper on his draft stock last year.

32 – KANSAS CITY

D’Andre Swift – RB

School: Georgia | Year: Junior

I don’t even want to think about how good the Chiefs’ offense will be with Swift in the fold.

ROUND 2

33 – CINCINNATI

Laviska Shenault – WR

School: Colorado | Year: Junior

34 – INDIANAPOLIS

Austin Jackson – OT

School: USC | Year: Junior

35 – DETROIT

Zack Baun – Edge

School: Wisconsin | Year: Senior (RS)

36 – NY GIANTS

Justin Jefferson – WR

School: LSU | Year: Junior

37 – LA CHARGERS

Hunter Bryant – TE

School: Washington | Year: Junior

38 – NEW ENGLAND (projected trade with Carolina)

Jake Fromm – QB

School: Georgia | Year: Junior

39 – MIAMI

Jonathan Taylor – RB

School: Wisconsin | Year: Junior

40 – ARIZONA

Bradlee Anae – Edge

School: Utah | Year: Senior

41 – CLEVELAND

Leki Fotu – DT

School: Utah | Year: Senior

42 – JACKSONVILLE

Noah Igbinoghene – CB

School: Auburn | Year: Junior

43 – CHICAGO

Damien Lewis – OG

School: LSU | Year: Senior

44 – INDIANAPOLIS

Brycen Hopkins – TE

School: Purdue | Year: Senior (RS)

45 – TAMPA BAY

J.K. Dobbins – RB

School: Ohio State | Year: Junior

46 – DENVER

Terrell Burgess – S

School: Utah | Year: Senior

47 – ATLANTA

Clyde Edwards-Helaire – RB

School: LSU | Year: Junior

48 – NY JETS

Jalen Reagor – WR

School: TCU | Year: Junior

49 – PITTSBURGH

Terrell Lewis – Edge

School: Alabama | Year: Junior (RS)

50 – CHICAGO

Kyle Dugger – S

School: Lenoir-Rhyne | Year: Senior (RS)

51 – DALLAS

A.J. Terrell – CB

School: Clemson | Year: Junior

52 – LA RAMS

Marlon Davidson – DT

School: Auburn | Year: Senior

53 – PHILADELPHIA

Lloyd Cushenberry – C

School: LSU | Year: Junior (RS)

54 – BUFFALO

Curtis Weaver – Edge

School: Boise State | Year: Junior (RS)

55 – CLEVELAND (projected trade with Atlanta)

K.J. Hamler – WR

School: Penn State | Year: Sophomore (RS)

56 – DETROIT (projected trade with Miami)

Antoine Winfield Jr. – S

School: Minnesota | Year: Sophomore (RS)

57 – HOUSTON

C.J. Henderson – CB

School: Florida | Year: Junior

58 – MINNESOTA

Antonio Gandy-Golden – WR

School: Liberty | Year: Senior

59 – SEATTLE

Jordyn Brooks – LB

School: Texas Tech | Year: Senior

60 – BALTIMORE

Denzel Mims – WR

School: Baylor | Year: Senior

61 – TENNESSEE

Julian Okwara – Edge

School: Notre Dame | Year: Senior

62 – GREEN BAY

Harrison Bryant – TE

School: Florida Atlantic | Year: Senior

63 – SAN FRANCISCO

Kristian Fulton – CB

School: LSU | Year: Senior

64 – KANSAS CITY

Trevis Gipson – Edge

School: Tulsa | Year: Senior (RS)

You can pick up his 3^rd round here.