Who doesn’t love a good rumor discussion? Think about it for those of you who trudge into the office during the work week. The water cooler talk must be part of the reason you do not quit your job. Without the freedom to have the rumor discourse at the office, online, or with your buddies, this time of year would be a wasteland for fantasy football owners. Alas, it is @Razzball to the rescue again. ***In my best (worst) disc jockey voice*** Comin’ atcha with today’s freshest rumors prior to the Thursday NFL Draft.
@BobbyLaMarco will be chatting Tuesday night about these rumors and will follow up, post-draft, on Friday to see which rumors became a reality and which fell as flat as your weekly staff meeting with the accounting department about how your team can shave $10 off the company supply budget.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Kansas City Chiefs) –Coming off their Super Bowl victory to complete the 2019 season, the Chiefs selected CEH out of LSU. In the subsequent fantasy draft season, I saw CEH go at/near the end of the first round in several drafts. The shine of that season has quickly dulled as CEH could be counted on by zero-RB strategists during the 2022 draft. After a hot start to the season, CEH faded as Jerrick McKinnon took over, becoming a fantasy darling, while Isiah Pacheco produced interesting numbers down the stretch. The rumors abound, and the writing appears to be on the wall that CEH will be dealt on or close to draft night. He has good hands, and there must be a team out there willing to deal a Day 3 pick to acquire a Super Bowl winning RB to come in as their third down back, right? We shall see soon enough, as Brett Veach, Chiefs GM, has been mum regarding the team picking up CEH’s fifth-year option, which is rumor mill talk for ‘we are actively shopping him’.Â
Derek Henry (Tennessee Titans) – How much tread is left on those big King Henry tires? Apparently, those floating rumors think there is just enough remaining for the Philadelphia Eagles to take a shot on the stud RB. Can you imagine the dual-threat running attack of Jalen Hurts and Derrick Henry? How would opposing defenses stack up against the run? Load the box with eight and allow Hurts to scramble or throw to one of the stud pass catchers? Seriously, a backfield with those two large men running downhill would keep defensive coordinators up at night. Assuming Tennessee is in rebuild mode and that ***bonus rumor*** the Jets are considering Ryan Tannehill as the backup plan to Aaron Rodgers, then talks must be about how high the Eagles might go in draft compensation to the Titans. With Rodgers dealt to the Jets, it appears Tannehill stays put in Tennessee unless something happens on draft night which could probably be on the heels of a Henry deal. I do not think the Eagles will trade their first-round selection, #10 overall, but maybe they swap firsts and move down to #11 while also handing over some Day 2 and 3 picks.
Trey Lance (San Francisco 49ers) – Remember last year when Trey Lance was the darling QB of your fantasy draft? Remember how hyped you were to grab him in the middle rounds as QB14? Well, how did that work out for you? Injury right out of the gate, and Lance’s season was done. After using what felt like 13 QBs, the 49ers handed the keys to their last hope, Brock Purdy. Well, Mr. Irrelevant lit it up, giving the 49ers’ front office something to think about moving forward. Their thoughts appear to be on the amount of NFL teams needing a starting QB heading into Thursday night’s draft. The rumor mill abounds with college QB talk and where each will land. The top two QBs feel locked in at 1-2, with Levis and Richardson being wild cards. Is it possible the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts disregard the college names and find a deal for Lance? The Bucs head into the draft with Baker and Trask as their (current) QB1-2, which spells a quick end to their playoff aspirations.  Lance would arrive on a rookie deal which helps the cap-strapped Bucs and will allow them to focus on other shortcomings during the draft. The question for the 49ers is, ‘what will it cost GM X to obtain Lance?’ The Colts can select Will Levis with the hope that he pulls a Peyton Manning beginning his second year in the league. But, for every Manning example, there are 50 Sam Darnold’s, Desmond Ridder’s, and Mac Jones’s. Which team is willing to let San Fran off the hook by taking Lance off their hands, and what will be the required compensation? Maybe we find out on Thursday night. Also, do not be shocked if the Titans (see above), Texans, and even possibly the Vikings are checking in on Lance’s price tag.
DeAndre Hopkins (Arizona Cardinals) – Well, the Kilff Kingsbury experiment is finally over. I thought the Kyler Murray experiment would follow, but that has not happened yet. What has happened is the rumor mill working overtime on where Nuk Hopkins will catch his next NFL pass. It most certainly is not in Arizona, as he has made it clear he wants out so much so that he is willing to work with the new team by adjusting his contract to make it work within the budget of the acquiring organization. Rumor has it there are a handful of vulture GMs circling the Cardinals offices in Glendale, AZ. The Chiefs watched all WRs not named MVS and Kadarius Toney walk this off-season, leaving a few open chairs in the WR room. What WR would not want to play with Patrick Mahomes? The Chiefs would be an interesting fit for Nuk. The Titans, who, as mentioned above twice, could be in full rebuild mode, have rumors floating about their affinity for Hopkins. The only way a deal gets done is if Tennessee holds both Henry and Tannehill and makes one final push for a title. The Vikings would love to replace Adam Thielen with Hopkins and force defenses to stop both Jefferson and Hopkins on the outside. Those two WRs would be a nightmare for opposing defenses.
Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings) – Do not be shocked to see Cook dealt on draft night to one of the Bills, Chargers, or Dolphins. Buffalo would be interesting (and fun) as that would reunite the Cook brothers on a team with significant upside and the ability to knock off the Chiefs in the AFC. Miami appears to have a bunch of guys in the RB room, but they do not appear to have any real ‘dudes’ at the RB position. Miami needs to take some pressure off Tua and the passing game by presenting the run as a viable option. Cook would bring that to South Beach. The Chargers will only make a move for Cook if they continue to stay within the current impasse they appear to have with Austin Ekeler. If the team and Ekeler’s people cannot get an extension done, they may part ways and look to bring in Cook as the short-term replacement.
Thank you for coming back to read our stuff and be a part of the podcast by listening and commenting. We are here for you! We will be back on Friday to discuss the fallout from the NFL Draft.
-Mitch-
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