Peter King NFL Draft Takes: Ryan Tannehill to Seattle Seahawks and More

Few people in the business are more connected that Sports Illustrated's Peter King, so his Monday Morning Quarterback column is an every-week must-read. In this week's column, King drops a lot of strong draft takes. Some seem outlandish but are actually viable, and some are just outlandish.

Cleveland Browns

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I heard different things over the weekend from people I trust. GM Tom Heckert loves [WR Justin] Blackmon and that would be his pick; president Mike Holmgren is still trying to decide with finality if [QB Ryan] Tannehill is the franchise quarterback worth taking here. The safest pick? [RB Trent] Richardson, at a need position, even though receiver is a bigger need.

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My Take

Taking Tannehill is too bold for this regime. Blackmon makes no sense because they already have a very similar receiver in Greg Little.

Trent Richardson is going to be the pick. As King states, Cleveland and Minnesota would love to induce trade-ups to third and fourth, but it isn't going to happen.

Philadelphia Eagles

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The Eagles don't want to trade up from 15 to anywhere between three and eight...The Eagles might pay something to move up for Tannehill, but it won't be much, and the move won't be far.

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My Take

The idea of the Eagles trading into the premium pick for Tannehill never passed the sniff test. King isn't really sticking his neck out here.

Kansas City Chiefs

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In the unlikely event Tannehill makes it out of the top 10, I believe he'll be the 11th overall pick. That spot belongs to the Chiefs. I don't see the Chiefs taking Tannehill. I see Kansas City taking the best offer for the pick, and there will certainly be offers for that pick if Tannehill slips.

Still, the most likely scenarios are Tannehill to Cleveland at four or Miami at eight. But why 11? Because teams around the league know how much Seattle loves Tannehill. And you can write this down: If Tannehill were to be there at 12, Seattle would take him. [Emphasis mine.]

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My Take

Seattle's three-year, $10 million guaranteed contract to Matt Flynn is not a "franchise QB" contract. Tannehill needs a year or two to develop before being thrown into the fire.

King mentions Pete Carroll's presence and "giggling like a schoolgirl" at Tannehill's pro day. My evaluation of Tannehill leads me to the outcome that he could be that enticing. King states this as if it is common knowledge around the league, so I'm not dismissing it. Chances are we won't get to find out if King was telling the truth.

St. Louis Rams

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Jeff Fisher loves Trent Richardson, and the impact of the Rams ending up with the Alabama running back would be huge. First, the Rams would presumably either trade or release Steve Jackson if this happens.

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My Take

I agree that Fisher would love to get Richardson, but Jackson would stick around in what would probably become the most talented one-two punch at RB in the league.

Jackson's trade value would be minimal with his $7 million price tag, and I just don't see the Rams releasing their best player over the last five-plus years just because they have his successor on the roster.

Jacksonville Jaguars

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South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the second corner on the board now that Janoris Jenkins' character has knocked him out of the first round, could go anywhere from 7 to 27...

A couple of years ago, Jacksonville overpaid for Alualu at 10, unable to trade down a few spots where GM Gene Smith would still be able to take him. Gilmore could be tempting for the Jags.

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My Take

I put Gilmore in the top 15  a little over a week ago, so I won't argue with this one bit. Jacksonville needs a corner, and the market for cornerbacks in free agency was red-hot. 

Michael Floyd

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The Notre Dame receiver (Michael Floyd) could go as high as 10 to Buffalo; Arizona (13), Cincinnati (17, 21), San Diego (18), Chicago (19) and Cleveland (22) all would love to have a shot at him.

Two months ago, the receiver group was Blackmon alone at the top and then a big gulf. Now it's Blackmon edging Floyd—and I talked to one team in the top 10 with a receiver need that had Blackmon just barely over Floyd entering the final week of board-shuffling.

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My Take

Notice that he doesn't mention the Jets at 16th even though they need a wide receiver, but he does mention San Diego, who just signed Robert Meachem to a big deal. I brought up the possibility of Blackmon falling behind Floyd, but I think in the end Blackmon will still go top 10 and Floyd will go in that late-teen range.

Dontari Poe

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I can't see Carolina reaching for Poe at 9, and I can't see Kansas City taking him because of his poor college production, but I do think he'll go somewhere soon after that.

I could see Jets coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who had Ngata at Baltimore, thinking they can make history repeat itself with Poe.

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My Take

Poe is the ultimate tape vs. potential draft pick. I agree with King that the top 12 may be too high for him even though he has been mocked there frequently.

Falling and Rising Draft Stock

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Falling: DE Melvin Ingram, T Riley Reiff, DE Quinton Coples, G-T Cordy Glenn, T Jonathan Martin.

Rising: CB Stephon Gilmore, S Mark Barron, DT Fletcher Cox, OLB Shea McClellin, QB Brandon Weeden, OL Amini Silatolu.

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My Take

I love Ingram, but his lack of pass-rush talent/polish could be causing him to fall. I also like Glenn, but his lack of flexibility and questions about where he fits could drop him to the 20s.

Coples has been a question for months now. His effort issues will cause hesitation in the first. Reiff is good, but projects best on the right side, and Martin might only be adequate. Reiff outside of the top 10 and Martin outside of the top 25 makes sense to me. 

Barron and Weeden aren't rising on my board, but I can see why they might be on others. Cox, Silatolu and McClellin are all players that I see taken at or near the top of their range, including the first round for Silatolu and McClellin.