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NFL Draft Rumor Mill Tidbits

Updated April 8, 2016
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

With the 2016 NFL Draft less than a month away, here some NFL Draft rumor mill tidbits I've picked up from speaking with team sources.

The Redskins are said to be in the market to get younger and faster on the defensive line. This certainly is a strong draft to make that happen. In speaking with Redskins sources, two players the team was not gung-ho on were Alabama defensive tackles Jarran Reed and A'Shawn Robinson. There were other defensive lineman they were more excited about, so Reed and Robinson sound unlikely to land in D.C.

Two playoff teams say that Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith is in play for their first-round pick if his medical recheck goes well. If they feel that Smith's going to miss limited time and not suffer long-term effects of his knee injury, Smith will get heavy consideration on Thursday night. They feel that they would land a top-five talent at a massive discount and they have the strong roster to stash him for half a season, or his entire rookie year, with the payoff coming in 2017 of a player they shouldn't have been able to land. Keep an eye on the Chiefs, Packers, Texans, Bengals, and Vikings.

One of the most polarizing players in the draft is Houston cornerback William Jackson. One general manager from a playoff team that is adept at drafting defensive backs told me they had a fifth-round grade on Jackson prior to the Combine. Another team picking early that needs cornerback help said they had Jackson as a third or lower. Two other playoff teams said they saw Jackson as a late first- or second-round pick. One of the reasons for the big divide is the scheme-fit projection. Thus, if Jackson gets initially passed on by the teams that like him, he could be in store to have a slide on draft day.

I asked a few teams if either Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa or if Oregon defensive lineman DeForest Buckner could slide in the top 10. The answers were that Buckner shouldn't be available to the Buccaneers and Giants picking ninth and 10th, respectively. Bosa had that possibility. Part of the difference is teams love Buckner off the field, and Bosa is just OK on the character/intangible grades.

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