Thursday Draft Rumors
Updated April 26, 2018
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter
@draftcampbell.
The 2018 NFL Draft is finally here! Here are some rumors that I have heard from sources with the draft just hours away.
The big mystery of the 2018 NFL Draft is what the Giants will do with the second-overall pick. I’ve heard that general manager Dave Gettleman has their top players rated Saquon Barkley, Bradley Chubb, and Quenton Nelson in the top three. However, I’ve also heard that the team’s owners want the organization to take a quarterback. If Sam Darnold does not go to the Browns, I’ve been told that ownership would not want Gettleman to pass on Darnold. That does not mean that Darnold or another quarterback will be the pick, but that is the latest scuttlebutt I’ve heard about the Giants. There has been no doubt that the Buffalo Bills are going to go all out to get a potential franchise quarterback in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. However in speaking with Bills sources, one quarterback who is not in consideration is Lamar Jackson. Jackson is viewed as a quarterback who will need to have the offense reworked and catered to him. It sounds like that kind of project is not something Buffalo has in mind. The order I hear the Bills have the quarterbacks rated is Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and then Baker Mayfield. However, Buffalo likes all four of those signal-callers and they are all potential targets for the Bills depending on how they come off the board. If Buffalo is able to hold onto pick No. 22 and not trade it away, it sounds like the team is leaning toward a cornerback, a linebacker, or offensive line help. Some prospects who are said to be in the running and players who Buffalo likes include Colorado cornerback Isaiah Oliver, LSU cornerback Donte Jackson and Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans. Any of those three would fill a need, because the Bills could use a corner to pair with Tre’Davious White and also have a big hole at linebacker.
Earlier in the week, we disclosed some teams that have injury and off-the-field concerns with prospects. Two other players who sources have mentioned in the past couple of days as also coming up with medical redflags are Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander and Mississippi State offensive tackle Martinas Rankin. The problem they see with Alexander is relating to his knee. A knee injury caused him to miss multiple games last season. Sources did not describe the nature of Rankin’s injury. If Alexander slides in the first round or Rankin slides on Friday night, any drop could be injury related.
