NFL draft rumors: Latest news on teams, players, trades
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The 2016 NFL draft will begin on Thursday night, but college players are still completing last-minute workouts for interested teams. Speculation is higher than ever over where players will fall in the draft.
The first round of the draft will be completed on Thursday, with the second and third rounds taking place on Friday. The draft concludes on Saturday with the fourth through seventh rounds.
Watch NFL Draft Live tonight, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Presented by MET-Rx and Carhartt.
View the full 2016 NFL draft order here.
• NFL draft storylines to watch | 2016 NFL Mock Draft
Find a round-up of the latest rumors ahead of the draft below:
April 28
• The Cowboys and Browns have inquired about acquiring an additional first round pick as interest in Paxton Lynch grows, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Browns are looking to move back in the first round, then back up from the second. The Titans are also flirting with moving up, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.
• If the Browns trade down from their No. 8 pick, they will target a wide receiver, reports The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Ole Miss product Laquon Treadwell could be their guy.
• The Chargers are looking at Notre Dame tackle Ronnie Stanley for the No. 3 draft pick, according to Pro Football Talk. NFL Network's Mike Mayock agrees in his latest mock draft, although many other experts still have San Diego selecting Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil or Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner.
• Some teams have dropped Reggie Ragland down their board after the Alabama linebacker was flagged for an enlarged aorta, reports Rapoport. Ragland was projected to be a mid to late first round pick.
• North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz has not been contacted by the Eagles since Philadelphia traded up for the No. 2 draft pick, he told CBS Sports on Wednesday. Wentz is projected to be selected with either the first or second pick of the draft.
• Louisiana Tech defensive lineman Vernon Butler, who will be in Chicago for the first round of the draft, has visited the Lions, Buccaneers and Bills, and has worked out for the Raiders, Panthers, Titans and Texans, reports Aaron Wilson for the National Football Post.
• The Cowboys are the most likely landing spot for Lynch, but if Dallas doesn’t select the former Memphis quarterback he may not be drafted in the first round, according to Schefter.
• The Jets had previously been interested in Lynch, but ESPN’s Rich Cimini reports New York has concerns about his maturity and ability to adjust to a professional offense. Cimini reports the Jets are still interested in Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg.
• The Jets could be planning to select a wide receiver in the first round, Rapoport reports. They could be interested in TCU’s Josh Doctson or Notre Dame’s Will Fuller, Rapoport reports.
• Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott could be selected higher in the draft than anticipated, according to Schefter.
• CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora expects at least three trades in the first round of the draft.
• Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd could be selected within the top 10 picks, Rapoport reports.
• Texas El-Paso defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris worked out for an AFC East team on Wednesday and has worked out for or visited nine teams, Wilson reports.
• On ESPN, Urban Meyer called Ohio State wide receiver Mike Thomas "the most competitive player I've ever had."
• According to Rapoport, the Saint and Cowboys have interest in Wentz, he falls to them.
• San Francisco had no contact with QB Paxton Lynch predraft, according to Rapoport.
April 27
• A draft scout criticized Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple because he “can’t cook,” reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Bob McGinn.
• The New York Jets could target a wide receiver such as Josh Doctson or Will Fuller in the first round of the draft, reports NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
• Eastern Kentucky linebacker Noah Spence, who was banned by the Big Ten in 2014 for failing multiple drug tests at Ohio State, sent his most recent 20 negative tests to all 32 NFL teams in an effort to show he is no longer using drugs, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Spence is projected to be selected in the first round of the draft.
• Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith is expected to be selected by the end of the third round of the draft and potentially as early as the end of the first round, league sourcestold Schefter.
• Colts general manager Ryan Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano had dinner with Illinois defensive lineman Jihad Ward on Tuesday night, reports the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Colts have the No. 18 pick of the draft.
• Though Mississippi offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil has been considered the top tackle prospect in the draft (SI’s Chris Burke projects he will be the draft’s No. 6 pick), several NFL general managers have told the NFL Network’s Michael Silver they favor Notre Dame tackle Ronnie Stanley.
• Tunsil is being sued by his stepfather for “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” reports Daniel Paulling of the Clarion-Ledger.
• The Browns are open to trading their No. 8 pick after already trading down from No. 2, reports CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. The Browns are reportedly targeting Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell or Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin.
• The Browns have also been having discussions with teams behind them in the draft who would want to come up for Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, reports Rapoport.
• The Dallas Cowboys are also reportedly interested in drafting Elliot, according to NFL.com.
