Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Love surpasses Herbert as draft’s 3rd-best QB, and other storylines
Speculation usually runs rampant during the week NFL coaches, executives, scouts and draft prospects get together in Indianapolis for the NFL combine, and this year didn’t disappoint.
Take a look at the top-10 topics NFL insiders were buzzing about at the NFL combine with free agency set to begin on March 18, and the NFL draft to start on April 23:
Brady’s likely leaving New England
The intrigue about where Tom Brady will play in 2020 and beyond was the main topic of discussion at the NFL combine. Rumors circulated that the Titans, Chargers, Raiders and Buccaneers would/ could/should all make a run at the 42 year old Brady, who has led the Patriots to six championships. Brady reportedly wants the Patriots to build a strong offensive line, and get him better weaponry at tight end and receiver this offseason. New England coach Bill Belichick appears to be positioning that franchise for slight rebuild with youngsters, and could shortchange the legendary quarterback on the contract he’s requesting to purposely send him into the arms of another team.
Tagovailoa gets medical clearance, expects to play in 2020
Tua Tagovailoa’s medical exams at the NFL combine lasted nine hours as doctors from 32 NFL teams poked and prodded his various injuries, especially his surgically repaired hip. Numerous reports said the Alabama quarterback is making a speedy recovery, and appears to be on pace to start doing football drills this month. Tagovailoa said he’ll workout for NFL teams on April 9, and expects to be healthy enough to play in 2020. That should silence those who expected the Alabama standout to sit out all of the 2020 season.
Four sensational offensive linemen will be early picks
Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Louisville’s Mekhi Becton and Georgia’s Andrew Thomas are talented enough to be the first offensive linemen selected in any of the past five drafts. They are that athletic and talented. Problem is the foursome is in the same draft, one that appears to be the deepest for offensive tackles in a decade. Expect all four to be taken in the first half of the 2020 draft, and don’t be surprised if another three offensive linemen — Houston’s Josh Jones, TCU’s Lucas Niang and Auburn’s Prince Tega Wanogho — are top-50 selections because the law of supply and demand. Plus, it’s cheaper to draft an offensive tackle in the first round than pay a veteran $15-18 million a season.
Half a dozen tailbacks can be rookie starters
Georgia’s D’Andre Swift, Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins, LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire, FSU’s Cam Akers and Utah’s Zack Moss are all viewed as top-50 talents in the draft, and each of them has the skill set required to be a 1,000-yard rusher, and an every-down back in the NFL. Your preference simply depends on your personal taste. But this draft class offers a wide selection of tailbacks that can help any team with a respectable offensive line. The biggest question is which — if any — will be taken in the first round.
Washington willing to trade out of No. 2 spot
New coach Ron Rivera made it clear at the NFL combine that he’s not married to Dwayne Haskins, the quarterback Washington selected in the first round of the 2019 draft. That explains why the Redskins will be hosting LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa on visits, kicking the tires on the draft’s top-two passers. That means the Redskins, who own the second overall pick, could give Haskins, who won two of the seven games he started and produced a 76.1 passer rating, the same treatment Arizona gave Josh Rosen when they traded him to Miami for a second- and fifth-round pick after taking Kyler Murray No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft.
Love has leapfrogged Herbert for QB No. 3
Justin Herbert has the biggest arm in the 2020 draft but his personality and quiet demeanor seem to be turning NFL teams off, apparently opening the door for Jordan Love to leapfrog Herbert in some team’s assessment of who the third-best quarterback is in this draft class. There is plenty of buzz about Love, who struggled during his junior season at Utah State, being a top-10 selection and speculation that the Dolphins could easily take him with the fifth overall pick if they aren’t comfortable with Tagovailoa’s health, or if he’s selected before they make their pick. Love has a live arm, a quick release, and athleticism. But he’s green, which indicates he’ll likely need to sit and watch for a year.
Clemson’s Simmons is a freak of nature
There isn’t a team in the NFL that wouldn’t benefit from adding a linebacker who can rush the quarterback and cover a slot receiver. By running a 4.39 second 40-yard dash, producing an 11-foot broad jump and 39-inch vertical, Simmons likely locked up a spot as a top-10 talent in this draft. Simmons lit the NFL combine on fire without doing any on-field drills. The biggest question most teams have is exactly where to play him? Is he a safety, a 4-3 weakside linebacker, a pass-rushing outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, or a nickel cornerback? Then again, teams like the Dolphins crave that type of versatility.
Edge players will be hard to find
The edge class appears relatively thin after Ohio State’s Chase Young, and the fact Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa, who most projected as a first-round selection, posted a 5.04 second 40-yard dash doesn’t help the group’s cause considering he’s one of the better edge players in this draft. Epenesa’s disappointing 40 time likely opens the door for LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson, Penn State’s
Yetur Gross-Matos, Wisconsin’s Zack
Baun, UM’s Trevon Hill and Florida’s Zabari Zuniga and Jonathan Greenard to push their way to the front of the line.
Free agency will be flooded with veterans
Adding draftees and unrestricted free agents isn’t the only way NFL teams can improve their roster. In the coming days and weeks NFL teams will flood the market with salary-cap casualties, releasing or trading veterans like pass rusher Olivier Vernon, cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson, A.J. Bouye and Xavier Rhodes, receiver Sammy Watkins and tailback Devonta Freeman because the guaranteed portion of their contracts has concluded, and their departures would create salary-cap space. Last season the Dolphins were sellers, trading away quarterback Ryan Tannehill and defensive end Robert Quinn. This season, Miami could be a buyer considering the Dolphins need to add veteran leaders to their young roster.
This is an excellent receiver class
Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III headline a very talented receiver class, one that might rival the 2014 crop of wide outs. But it’s not just top-shelve prospects. This draft might produce playmakers well into the third day of the draft because it features so much depth, and versatility because of talents like Baylor’s Denzel Mims (big possession receiver), Florida’s Van Jefferson (route-running specialist), and SMU’s James Proche (a slot monster). Even if your favorite team doesn’t need a receiver, this would be the year to take one.