NFL Draft Rumors: Latest Buzz on Joe Burrow Trade, Giants, Brandon Aiyuk Injury

The 2020 NFL draft is little more than two weeks away, and all 32 teams have plenty of preparation to do before making their selections.

In fact, some teams appear to be concerned about "hacking" during the draft given it will be conducted virtually, which is yet another hurdle on top of evaluating players and making concise decisions via whatever platform front offices will use to coordinate.

Naturally, these concerns and questions about the functionality of a virtual draft distract from the actual personnel decisions teams need to make as they figure out draft boards. However, there is still plenty of action in that regard.

If anything, restricted travel because of the coronavirus pandemic might be encouraging more teams to conduct interviews and videoconferences with a number of players, since Pro Day tapes and individual workouts are less readily available.

Regardless, this draft is sure to be one of the more challenging and intriguing in NFL history. Here are some of the latest rumors, including a scenario involving presumptive No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow.

"Not Impossible" Dolphins Could Trade Up For Burrow

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The Cincinnati Bengals will almost certainly select Burrow with the top pick. However, another team invested in drafting a quarterback might be in play to pull off a blockbuster in landing Burrow.

Cameron Wolfe of ESPN reported though it is unlikely the Miami Dolphins would be able to trade for Burrow, it is "not impossible," per sources around the league. Wolfe reported the Dolphins are high on Burrow, although they would likely have to give up a massive package just for the draft rights to the former LSU star.

The Dolphins are indeed looking to transition after veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick was the starter last season, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Josh Rosen as a future franchise quarterback. Though there are some other intriguing options at quarterback, none seem to be as appealing as Burrow.

Burrow dominated in 2019, completing over 76 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns against just six interceptions en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. He also has the benefit of being an experienced quarterback with success at the collegiate level, which has seemed to help current NFL stars like Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson.

Miami would have to give up a ton to be able to select the Athens, Ohio, native. Any such deal would almost certainly start with the inclusion of the No. 5 pick, as well as future draft considerations or even multiple picks in 2020.

Still, it seems the Dolphins would feel more comfortable with Burrow than the likes of Tua Tagovailloa or Justin Herbert, which could mean they choose to roll the dice.

Andrew Thomas To Meet With Giants

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Offensive tackle is a fairly top-heavy position in this year's draft, and multiple teams with young quarterbacks figure to improve the offensive line with their first selections. The New York Giants might fit into that category.

The Giants have made a concerted effort to improve the defense via free agency, but they figure to use the draft to address offensive needs as they hope for improvement in quarterback Daniel Jones' sophomore season. Of course, protecting Jones figures to be a major step towards seeing improvement.

Jones was sacked 38 times and fumbled a league-high 18 times in 2019, and New York's offensive line ranked 17th in football, per Pro Football Focus, and their tackles, in particular, have struggled.

As such, Jordan Reid of The Draft Network reported the Giants are scheduled to have a FaceTime meeting with former Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas.

Pro Football Focus ranked Thomas as the "best all-around tackle prospect" in this year's draft, as he excels in both pass-blocking win rate and pressure allowed.

But will the Giants have the opportunity to draft Thomas?

The first two picks of the draft are likely to be LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and Ohio State EDGE rusher Chase Young, but the Giants (who have the fourth pick) might need some luck at the No. 3 spot, where the Detroit Lions could well take Thomas. However, Detroit has mostly seemed focused on defensive players, which might give the Giants a window.

Brandon Aiyuk Has Core-Muscle Surgery   

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

While there is something of a shortage of depth in terms of offensive line prospects, wide receiver is another story entirely.

Most teams have been bypassing adding a wideout in free agency with the hopes of bringing in some new talent via the draft, and there are a number of excellent pass-catchers in this year's class. Arizona State wideout Brandon Aiyuk is one of them.

Aiyuk had a monster year for the Sun Devils, hauling in 65 passes for 1,192 yards (18.3 yards per reception) and eight touchdowns. He followed that by running a 4.50 40-yard dash and posting a 40-inch vertical leap at the scouting combine. But Aiyuk is taking this time to get healthy.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported Aiyuk had core-muscle surgery on Tuesday, electing to fix the issue now given organized team activities (OTAs) are unlikely to take place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Although knowledge of this injury might impact Aiyuk's draft stock somewhat, it could also be the case his transparency will be valued as he figures to make a healthy return on schedule for whichever team selects him later this month.

All stats obtained via Sports Reference, unless otherwise noted.