NFL draft rumors 2017: Trades, team interests, and more

The 48 hours before the first night of the NFL draft are a buffet of trade rumors. But like any smorgasbord, there’s really nothing besides the soft-serve machine that’s worth your time.

A lot of the rumors have some basic kernel of truth to them. For instance, some team with a top-five pick might really be fielding calls from teams looking to move up in the draft. The likelihood of that happening declines once they get a chance to weigh the offer.

You also have to consider the motivations at play. A team might be selectively planting a trade rumor to drive up the price of its pick, undercut some other team in trade talks, etc. The possibilities are endless. But it makes most of those exciting trade rumors you read about on Wednesday dead on arrival a day later.

However, we here at SB Nation NFL are dedicated to delivering to you the juiciest of draft rumors, if only so we can poke holes in them. Consider it service journalism for NFL draft fans.

Rumors have been swirling around for a long time about how the Jets want to trade Sheldon Richardson. However, according to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero, New York is also shopping former first round pick Calvin Pryor.

Green Bay has the 33rd pick in the draft after a Thursday night deal with the Browns. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says they’re getting plenty of calls from teams interested in moving up to get the Notre Dame quarterback, but he adds that the Packers might keep the pick and take Kizer themselves.

This sounds like a classic case of a team trying to drive up the asking price for their pick. We’ll see.

Sidney Jones, Teez Tabor, Quincy Wilson, Chidobe Awuzie and Fabian Moreau are all still on the board. Could there be a run on corners early in the second round? There are already rumors that this could occur.

The Chicago Bears hold the No. 3 pick, but Adam Schefter reports that they’re looking to trade out of the spot. If such a trade gets completed, that would send the dominoes falling pretty quickly this early in the first round.

According to Ian Rapoport, the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to trade up into a spot in the top 10. This follows an earlier report that Patrick Mahomes could go off the board in the first 10 picks.

If the Chiefs move up, it’s possible they’re making a play for Mahomes, though they might also be looking at the inside linebacker position.

No one has seen their stock rise in the pre-draft process more than Mahomes. The cannon-armed Big 12 quarterback has gone from mid-round pick to Day 1 selection in the past two months. On the eve of the draft, sources suggest he could even be one of the first 10 prospects off the board.

With several passer-needy teams dotting the top 10 — the Browns, Jets, 49ers, and Bears foremost among them — it would be no surprise to see a quarterback taken early, even given 2017’s disappointing crop. For Mahomes to make this kind of leap, he’d have to surpass Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer, and possibly even Mitchell Trubisky in scouts’ eyes.

The Tennessee Titans were on the brink of their first playoff appearance since 2008, but if they believe the missing piece on their quest for the postseason is out there, he may not be available at No. 5. The franchise has reportedly engaged in several discussions about trading the lower of their two first round picks Thursday. If they jettison the fifth overall pick, they’ll still have the No. 18 selection.

Despite recent rumors Mitchell Trubisky will be the Browns’ top pick on Thursday, Myles Garrett’s agent believes his client will be the first player selected at the NFL Draft.

”I do not know, but I am hopeful it will happen,’’ Cook said in a telephone interview late Thursday afternoon. “And I am encouraged by something. We represent Jamie Collins. When we did his deal with Cleveland they stressed that they were going to build that franchise from the ground up on defense. If that’s the case, if they still feel that way, then Myles is the guy in this draft for that. We’ll see.’’

Unless, of course...

Myles Garrett has looked like a sure-thing for the No. 1 pick since he announced he’d enter the draft, but the rumors of Mitchell Trubisky interest just won’t go away. Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is one of the best draft prognosticators and he has projected Trubisky will be the No. 1 pick in his mock draft.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network stoked the flames a bit too on Wednesday night when he said even the No. 1 pick looks difficult to predict. SB Nation’s Dan Kadar is still sticking with Myles Garrett like all the rest of the media, but there sure is a lot of smoke still floating around.

Adam Schefter reported that early Wednesday morning. This is one of those textbook draft rumors. It’s quite possible the Titans have received some calls about trading down. The fifth pick in the draft looks like a great spot for teams who want to move up and take a quarterback like Mitchell Trubisky or Deshaun Watson.

You could say the same about the fourth spot, the sixth spot, and maybe even the seventh. This feels like one of those rumors floated out there by the team to try and drive up interest in its pick.

When is it OK to pick a running back in the top five? Never. But that won’t stop some team from doing it. Peter King said, “don’t be shocked” if the Bears do take the LSU running back with the third overall pick.

I wouldn’t be shocked because the Bears have a tendency to be kind of a disaster of a franchise. Rebuilding teams like Chicago have too many other needs to consider before drafting a running back. The Bears also have a pretty good running back in Jordan Howard. Chicago fans should hope this is one of the draft rumors that never materializes.

Well of course they are! Every team wants to move down in the draft. But Schefter says the Bucs are talking to three teams about moving down later in the first or even into the second.

Tampa Bay has been connected all spring to various running backs in the draft. Moving down from No. 19 would be a smart way to go if that’s what the Bucs really intend to do. Hello, Dalvin Cook?

That’s the word from Ian Rapoport at the NFL Network. A scout told him that the Cal product “has Dak-like intangibles,” something that will NEVER EVER come back to hurt that scout. Nope.

If a team does want to draft a QB, trading back into the late part of the first round isn’t a bad idea because you get that fifth-year option, which is really nice to have when you think about how much franchise QBs cost.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that despite reports of plenty of teams wanting to move down, the Broncos want to move up in the first round.

The Denver Broncos have most often had offensive linemen mocked to them, with Ryan Ramczyk from Wisconsin being the player most often projected to them. It’s also possible that they could be chasing Christian McCaffrey, whose father Ed played for the Broncos as well.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that Washington’s Bruce Allen along with others had dinner with Jabrill Peppers in Ann Arbor last weekend. Ian Rapoport added that they have discussed trading back late in the first round, needing help in the secondary.

Peppers plans on being a safety in the NFL, as he indicated while he was at the NFL Combine. He would also be a welcome addition in the return game for Washington, with DeSean Jackson leaving for the Buccaneers in the offseason.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Falcons may move up from No. 31. The Falcons are in need of a defensive end, but could also be drafting an offensive lineman. In our mock draft database, the player most projected to the Falcons has been Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton. Other leading options have been Forrest Lamp, Cam Robinson, Charles Harris, and Takk McKinley.

Rapoport also noted that the Bills may be switching things up and possibly moving down. Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams has been the player most mocked to the Bills at No. 10, along with tight end O.J. Howard and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Buffalo Rumblings has the Bills needs in the draft as cornerback, wide receiver, tight end, right tackle, and linebacker.

His combine workout wowed teams, and he’s not expected to be a top 10 pick, according to Adam Schefter. One team being linked to the Stanford product is the Philadelphia Eagles, who currently have the 15th pick. There are already rumors that they could trade up.

Prior to the news this week that Gareon Conley has been accused of sexual assault, the Ohio State corner was consider by many as a potential first-round pick. He could still get picked on Thursday night, and one team to watch is the Cowboys.