NFL Draft Rumors: Latest Buzz and News from Around the League

With less than two weeks to go before the start of the 2012 NFL draft, we take a look at some of the bigger rumors floating around Friday, including the New England Patriots' potential with Janoris Jenkins, where Stanford tight end Coby Fleener may end up and if the Buffalo Bills have a genuine interest in Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill.  

No Jenkins in New England?

Former Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins is widely considered a first-round talent on the field, but his long list of off-the-field flags has most pegging him as an un-draftable player among the first 32 picks.

Greg Bedard, the New England Patriots beat writer for the Boston Globe, can't see the Patriots spending one their first-round picks on Jenkins in a couple of weeks. He's more open, however, to the second-round possibility. 

"I would be shocked if Patriots took Jenkins in the first round, where they usually manage risk," Bedard tweeted Friday. "In the second? Sure, possibly."

The Patriots obviously have a need at cornerback, but Jenkins is such a risk that it's hard to see any team making a first-round investment in him. At the end of the second round, however, Jenkins represents a good value.

I'd be willing to bet some team snags him early in the second, given the talent Jenkins can bring right away.

Fleener: A Late First-Round Pick?

Just as we saw in the 2011 NFL draft, the first tight end taken off the board in a couple of weeks is likely to go late in the first round or in early second-round range. 

According to Mike Mayock of the NFL Network, Stanford tight end Coby Fleener is likely to fall in the same range Kyle Rudolph went last April. Minnesota picked Rudolph 43rd overall.

Mayock had this to say on Fleener in the Philadelphia Daily News: 

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He’s got very good hands and can get vertical. In Stanford’s offense, they demand physicality. This kid is not a trained killer. He’s not a great blocker. But he gives effort in the run, which is the most you can ask of these tight ends coming out of college these days. He should get bigger and stronger in an NFL building, and ultimately he's going to be a weapon in the pass game. If he sneaks into the first round, it wouldn’t surprise me. But ability-wise, he's a second-rounder. I expect him to go somewhere between 28 and 40.

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It seems more than possible for Fleener to go in the late first round, as almost every team is looking for a Rob Gronkowksi/Jimmy Graham/Jermichael Finley-type at tight end. 

But given some of Fleener's limitations, as Mayock listed above, an early second-round prediction might fit better. Several teams at the start of the second round make sense for the Stanford tight end. 

Chargers Open to a Trade?

San Diego Chargers GM A.J. Smith has always been an active trader during the NFL draft, and it doesn't appear as if that will change with the 2012 version fast approaching. 

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune:

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We’re wide open. We have been always since I’ve been here, and we’ve done everything. We’ve gone up in the attack. We’ve bailed out in the past, and we’ve stayed where we are. It depends on circumstance.

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As the guys over at Rotoworld pointed out, the Chargers have acquired three Pro Bowl players—Philip Rivers, Ryan Mathews and Eric Weddle—through draft-day trades. Picking at No. 19 overall in the first round, San Diego appears to be in perfect position to make another move.

They could target another pass-rusher if they move up, or acquire more picks in a trade down. Smith has the opportunity to be flexible. 

Coples a Fit in Jacksonville?

There has been some speculation that North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples could fall in the draft. However, Russ Lande of the Sporting News targets Jacksonville as a team that could ensure that doesn't happen.

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I believe as an end in a 3-4 scheme or a defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme, he has a chance to be a highly productive starter in the NFL. Despite his limitations as an edge rusher, there are rumors that the Jaguars (who pick seventh overall) and Bears (19th), both 4-3 teams, may be interested in drafting him.

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The Jaguars certainly need another pass-rusher to place opposite Jeremy Mincey, who the team re-signed this offseason. While Melvin Ingram (South Carolina) and Nick Perry (USC) remain options, Coples might have the highest overall ceiling as a pass-rusher. 

No Tannehill in Buffalo?

While Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill has a pre-draft visit scheduled with the Buffalo Bills, beat writer Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 Radio in Buffalo can't imagine the Bills taking Tannehill with the No. 10 overall pick. 

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No, I think this Tannehill visit is simply a case of the Bills attempting to drum up some interest to try and induce a team to move up to the 10th pick—ahead of Kansas City who has shown a lot of interest—and move down in the draft. Smokescreens are the game at this point in the pre-draft process, and the Bills are certainly ones to play. So to answer your questions: No, I don't expect Ryan Tannehill to be drafted by the Buffalo Bills.

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The Bills have been aggressive in free agency, which leans to the idea of Buffalo going for a shot at the playoffs in 2012. Taking Tannehill, who isn't even a value pick at No. 10 overall, would go against that thinking.

Buscaglia is on board with the Bills taking a left tackle with their first-round pick.