NFL Hot Press

*Walt taking 2014 and 2018

Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst
Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell for updates.
Led all NFL media in draft rumor accuracy in '15, '16, '17, '18, and '20
Led all NFL media in correct picks for the 2017 and 2019 NFL Drafts

2021 NFL MOCK DRAFT - WALT'S | CHARLIE'S ROUND: 1

2018 Senior Bowl: Tuesday Rumor Mill

Updated Jan. 23, 2018
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

With all the general managers, coaches and scouts in attendance for the Senior Bowl there is a lot of chatter going around. Here are some of the highlights from around the league on day two of the 2018 Senior Bowl week.

An NFL general manager of an NFL team in the market for a quarterback thinks that Wyoming signal-caller Josh Allen could explode as a prospect at the combine. That general manager thinks that Allen is going to have a tremendous performance, showing off his powerful arm, athleticism and size. The general manager of a different team, which is picking in the top 10 and also is in the quarterback market, said their team is very eager to interview Allen. They are interested in learning about his leadership as it relates to the NFL, but league sources say that Allen is a great kid and they think he will interview well. Thus, Allen could end up acing the interviews, and teams already believe that he is going to shine at the workouts.

Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch is a first-round signal-caller from a couple of years ago who has a similar skill set to Allen. It will be interesting to see if Lynch becomes available this offseason. Sources with Denver tell me that Lynch was not popular in the locker room and obviously has underwhelmed to the point that the Broncos are aggressively scouting the top 2018 quarterbacks while also considering the veteran market for a new starter. In speaking to Denver sources and those at other teams, many are expecting the Broncos to make a huge run at acquiring Kirk Cousins this offseason. If Denver lands Cousins, Lynch could be available in a trade and will have to fight for a roster spot.

Star cornerback Aqib Talib was another player who had locker room issues in Denver last year. Talib spent lots of time complaining about safety T.J. Ward being cut in the preseason. Chris Harris joined Talib in voicing that issue constantly and it never went away with those defensive backs causing turmoil about the move all the way through the end of the season. Sources say the Broncos will probably shop Talib this offseason, and if they don't find a trade partner, they might move on from Talib and release him.

One prospect whose stock is on the decline is Boston College defensive end Harold Landry. Multiple teams sources told me that Landry belongs on the second day of the draft. They said that his senior-year tape was not impressive. Landry had a big drop in his pass-rush production and had some ugly games in run defense.

Sources say that Landry is smaller than his listed numbers of 6-foot-3, 250-pounds. They say he is an inch or two shorter and weighs in the 240s, which makes him more of a linebacker body type for the NFL. Teams that run a 4-3 defense have concerns about Landry holding up on the edge, as he is very undersized to be a base end. Multiple team sources see Landry as a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

The Cleveland Browns have made some dubious decisions over the past few years, including passing on franchise quarterbacks of Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson. The Browns eschewed each of those quarterbacks in trades down to get more picks for the draft in the next year. Teams across the league love having a lot of early-round selections, however Cleveland has had so many that they could be setting themselves up for a tough situation in a few years.

One NFC general manager said if all of their first-round picks pan out, thus far five selections over 2017 and 2018, the Browns could be in a tough situation to get all of them extended when they come to the end of their contracts. They could find themselves in a position having a hard time fitting all of those big contracts into a 2-year span and may have to let some leave. Of course, that is a good problem to have, but having a handful of big contracts due all at the same time is one of the flaws of the Browns' strategy.