The start of the 2017 NFL Draft is less than one month away, and with most of the free agency frenzy over, most teams around the league have turned their full attention towards it. Here are all the latest draft news and rumors you need to know from around the league:
Christian McCaffrey expected to be a top 10 pick
Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey was expected to be the third running back taken in the draft behind LSU's Leonard Fournette and Florida State's Dalvin Cook, but that does not appear to be the case anymore. According to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports, McCaffrey is expected to be picked in the top 10.
Here's one for Wednesday night. Heard from multiple front office execs over last few days. Feeling is now Christian McCaffery goes Top 10.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 6, 2017
McCaffrey rushed for 1,603 yards and 13 touchdowns last season after breaking the NCAA record for all-purpose yards (3,864) in 2015.
Panthers interested in McCaffrey if Fournette is off the board?
One potential landing spot for McCaffrey in that range is the Carolina Panthers at No. 8, who may draft him if Fournette is off the board, according to ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. via Charlotte Observer's Joseph Person:
But Kiper said Wednesday he thinks the Panthers could turn to Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey if Fournette’s off the board.
McCaffrey checks a lot of boxes for the Panthers, who could use a game-breaking slot receiver and also are looking for a punt returner following the departure of Ted Ginn Jr.
The Panthers’ No. 1 punt returner at the moment is Damiere Byrd, who is untested and coming off knee surgery.
McCaffrey’s not a power back in the mold of Fournette and Jonathan Stewart. But he would offer a change of pace to Stewart and give defensive coordinators matchup issues, first and foremost determining where McCaffrey’s lining up.
Carolina is expected to draft either a running back or defensive lineman with their first round selection.
Richard Sherman trade most likely during the NFL Draft
The Seattle Seahawks have been seriously listening to trade offers for Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman for the past few weeks, and while Seattle calls a trade "unlikely," the best chance of it happening will be during the draft, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.
So the best outcome, if a trade happens, would be for the Seahawks to pull the trigger when they have a clear shot at the guy they want, whether it’s pick No. 18 or No. 118 or anything in between.
It’s also possible for the Seahawks and another team to condition the trade on the player that the Seahawks want still being there when the pick Seattle would be getting is on the clock. If the player is there, the deal goes through; if not, no deal.
That approach would require a high degree of discretion and secrecy, but both sides would have a strong interest in keeping things quiet. So don’t be surprised, then, if things remain quiet for the next three weeks, with the first hint of a deal coming once the Commissioner strolls to the podium and declares to the football-following world, “There has been a trade.”
Sherman, who turned 29 last week, had 58 tackles with four interceptions and 13 pass breakups last season. He has spent his entire six-year NFL career with the Seahawks.
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