Speaking: Rick Spielman on days 2 and 3. Jamaal Stephenson on Fourth round picks. Mike Zimmer on the entire draft.
Received:
2017 second-round pick (No. 41)
Traded to Bengals:
2017 second-round pick (No. 48)
2017 fourth-round pick (No. 128)
2 (41). RB
Dalvin Cook, FSU - Started making calls as soon as they knew he was falling to the second day. Too talented of a player to not take a swing. Great value… No concerns with medical. “Some things in his background” might be the reason of Cook fell. Extensive research. Spoke with Cook for 45 minutes on the morning of day two… Cook’s sincerity and honesty were important. Spielman says Cook was never charged for alleged bar incident. No concerns at all. Told Spielman he will leave the bad influences behind… Watched him live against Ole Miss. great balance and vision. Explosive plays out of the backfield as a receiver. Needs to clean up pass pro. Willing to do it, but needs to clean up technique… New RBs coach will put an emphasis on ball security. “No doubt” we can correct Cook’s... Zimmer had no influence on bengals trade. Had a good feeling he wasn’t going to last until No. 48… A good running back can help an offensive line. Brought up
Barry Sanders and Adrian Peterson… All of the scouts liked the player… “Has all the physical tools you could want at the position”... Hard to play action pass when you can’t run the ball… You can control the game more when running game is successful
Received:
2017 third-round pick (No. 70)
Traded to Jets:
2017 third-round pick (No. 79)
2017 fifth-round pick (No. 160)
3 (70). C/G
Pat Elflein, Ohio State - Had doubts they could get an offensive lineman they targeted at 79, so they traded up… Tone setter up front. Can play C and G. Coaches will decide best spot. Visited as a top 30. Brings physical… Got a lot better in the running game on day two… Fielded 20-30 calls on day two about trading picks. “Just put it out there” is his philosophy… Compensatory picks allowed for even more trades… Nasty playing style. Physical. Brute strength. Tone setter. Athletic limitations, but having bumpers on the side of you helps that… Perfect fit for what we want to do… “Bit back” at Spielman during Combine interview. You can tell how competitive he is, easier to get him there… Watched him for many years because thought was he would declare in 2016… The kind of guy we’ve been looking for… Will start off at center. Very good there…
Received:
2017 third-round pick (No. 104)
2017 fourth-round pick (No. 132)
2017 seventh-round pick (No. 245)
Traded to Chiefs:
2017 third-round pick (No. 86)
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Received:
2017 fourth-round pick (No. 109)
2017 seventh-round pick (No. 219)
Traded to 49ers:
2017 third-round pick (No. 104)
4 (109). DL
Jaleel Johnson, Iowa - Had a target in round three, but adding picks with the amount of players they like on the board, trade down made sense… Trading up and down is the funnest part of the draft for Rick Spielman… Have a lot of contact with Iowa. Big man. Strong. Athletic… Several defensive tackle contracts up after the 2017 season… Will be a swing guy. More of a power rusher than quickness. Explosive hips… Felt that the big defensive linemen would go off the board early. Outstanding Senior Bowl.
4 (120). LB
Ben Gedeon, Michigan - Loves to play the game. Tough guy. LB depth shallow at the moment… Can play inside or outside. Good at the point of attack. Instinctive… Played a lot of special teams…
Received:
2017 fourth-round pick (No. 139)
2017 seventh-round pick (No. 230)
Traded to Eagles:
2017 fourth-round pick (No. 132)
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Received:
2017 fifth-round pick (No. 170)
2017 fifth-round pick (No. 180)
Traded to Chiefs:
2017 fourth-round pick (No. 139)
5 (170). WR
Rodney Adams, USF - Explosive athlete. Likely a slot receiver. Jet sweeps. Possible returner.
5 (180). G
Danny Isidora, Miami -
Received:
2017 sixth-round pick (No. 201)
2017 seventh-round pick (No. 220)
Traded to Redskins:
2017 sixth-round pick (No. 199)
2017 seventh-round pick (No. 230)
6 (201). TE
Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech - When you get to the late rounds you see athletes and then rely on coaching staff to go from there… Used out of position last year… Spielman attended the Miami game (3 TDs). Tremendous upside as an athlete. Coaching staff thinks they can develop off unique athletic traits… When jared Cook went to Oakland, team was on the lookout for a mismatch tight end. Hodges possibly can do that.
7 (219). WR
Stacy Coley, Miami - Best player on the board when drafted. Saw him play vs. Virginia Tech. Inside and outside. Can create big plays. Wanted more playmakers on offense. Have a separate board for prospects with return skills.
7 (220). EDGE
Ifeadi Odenigbo, Northwestern - Pass rush ability. Extremely long arms. Can never have enough cover guys, can never have enough pass rushers. Defensive end.
7 (232). LB
Elijah Lee, Kansas State - Brought him in a top 30 visit. Tall, rangy, athletic. Type of athlete the coaches want to work with. Unique in pass coverage. Unique range on the field.
7 (245). DB
Jack Tocho, NC State -