A trade that sent shockwaves through the NFL gave the Los Angeles Rams the first pick of the draft and dropped the Tennessee Titans into the middle of the top round. What's going to happen with the second pick of the draft? Here's the latest draft buzz from around the league ...
1. The trade that took place between the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams caught a number of league insiders by surprise. Besides the haul of draft picks the Rams gave up for the draft's top spot, few people expected the Titans to drop down as far as they did. Reports late last week stated the Titans will try and use some of the acquired selections to move back into the top 10. If they are able to pull it off, I'm told the Titans will target offensive tackle Jack Conklin of Michigan State or Ronnie Stanley from Notre Dame.
2. Additional reports say the Cleveland Browns are shopping the second pick of the draft. In conversations last week, several general managers say they don't believe a trade will occur until the Rams have decided on which quarterback they are selecting with the first pick. And what if the Browns cannot move the pick? Many of those general managers believe Cleveland will draft Laremy Tunsil then trade Joe Thomas.
3. The need for quarterbacks means many of the signal callers available this year will be overdrafted, possibly none more so than Kevin Hogan of Stanford. Several teams are enamored with Hogan's athleticism and upside, believing he could eventually develop into a starter on Sundays. The Stanford signal caller is receiving second-day grades on a few boards around the league, something the game film does not support. The senior finished up on a strong note last season after a disastrous opening loss to Northwestern. While some make the argument that Hogan is a terrific developmental prospect, it's just as easy to counter he'll need a ton of work, both on his mechanics and with his reads, before he'll ever be ready to step underneath center on Sunday. He's worth no more than a last-day pick.
4. Teams are undecided to the point of being concerned as to where Emmanuel Ogbah lines up on Sunday. The Oklahoma State junior is a tremendous athlete who produced on the football field, finishing with 64 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 13 sacks last season. Ogbah went to the NFL Scouting Combine and tipped the scales at 273 pounds before turning in some impressive testing numbers including a 40-yard dash timed at 4.62 seconds, a vertical jump of 35.5 inches and a broad jump which measured 10-1. Does Ogbah play outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment on Sunday or is he best as a conventional defensive end? Questions about Ogbah's intensity and desire add concern to this decision. Would he be willing to shed 20-pounds for a team that wants him at linebacker? How does he hold up against the run out of a three-point stance? Ogbah's tape speaks for itself and the sky's the limit if he applies himself and plays at the level scouts expect.
5. Nebraska fullback Andy Janovich is turning into one of the better stories moving toward the draft. Receiving almost no notice from scouts prior to the 2015 season, the former walk-on was not only a devastating lead blocker for the Cornhuskers, but one of the better special teams players on Nebraska's roster. He also averaged 6.3 yards on 42 carries when his number was called in the huddle. Janovich will be a last-day pick but scouts now believe he'll see significant playing time as a rookie on coverage units as well as in several offensive packages.
Tony Pauline has been a draft analyst for more than 25 years, and is president and editor of DraftInsider.net, a site dedicated year-round coverage of the NFL Draft. You can follow on Twitter @TonyPauline*
