NFL Draft Rumors: Teddy Bridgewater, Saints, Seahawks, Cowboys, Lions

Teddy Bridgewater

Matt Miller of the Bleacher Report has spoken with a few team scouts at the Combine who believe Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater should not go No. 1 overall.

The scouts mentioned that Bridgewater’s lower body it too small and played against low-level competition.

Miller still has Bridgewater listed as his No. 1 overall quarterback in the draft, but this isn’t the first we’ve heard that Bridgewater could be overrated right now.

John Middlekauff tweeted on Sunday that the consensus view online of Bridgewater’s draft stock doesn’t add up with what he’s hearing from NFL scouts. Middlekauff added that he wouldn’t be shocked to see him drop out of the top 10.

Saints

Matt Miller of the Bleacher Report reports that the New Orleans Saints have met with “high-level quarterback prospects” who are considered to be first and second-round guys at the Combine.

Miller adds that they could target someone as an insurance policy to QB Drew Brees.

As things stand right now, the Saints have Luke McCown as their backup to Brees after Chase Daniels signed with the Chiefs last year.

The Saints hold the No. 27 overall pick, which seems like a decent spot to be if they want to target a quarterback who’s likely to go in the earlier portion of round one. It would still be somewhat surprising to see them use such a high pick on a quarterback, so it would seem like a better option to wait until the second or third rounds to see who’s available.

Seahawks

According to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net, “if the Seattle Seahawks had their choice of player with the last pick of round one it would likely be Odell Beckham Jr.”

• Pauline adds that Beckham is guaranteed to be available to Seattle by the time they are on the clock at No. 32 overall.
• Pauline expects the Seahawks to go “offensive line heavy” in this year’s draft.

A few days ago, Pauline mentioned that the Seahawks brass are in “love” with Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald, so there are some mixed signals coming in regards to the Seahawks.

Cowboys

Sticking with Tony Pauline and recent draft notes, the buzz around the Combine regarding the Cowboys is that they will target defensive front seven help “early and often in the draft.“

Pauline mentions that Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald is a possibility for Dallas at No. 16 overall.

Donald continues to stand out during the draft process, so it will be interesting to see how high he goes given that his measurables are under what many teams are looking for in defensive tackles.

Lions

Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News writes that the Lions may have a hard time passing on Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard and Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert in the first round if they’re available to them at No. 10 overall.

Katzenstein adds that the Lions have more pressing needs wide receiver and safety, but still believes a cornerback could be in play for them.

The fact that they have a top-10 pick makes it seem like they should probably target the best available player over a specific position given that many believe this is one of deepest draft classes a number of years.

We have the Lions taking Texas A&M WR Mike Evans in our most recent 2014 NFL Mock Draft.

Draft Notes:

• The Chargers are reportedly targeting defensive line help during the early part of the draft. (Tony Pauline)
• The Cardinals are not expected to target an offensive tackle in the draft and could instead target a quarterback at some point during the draft. (Matt Miller)
• Oregon State WR Brandin Cooks recorded the fastest 60-yard shuttle time (10.72) ever in NFL.com combine database. (Kyle Bonagura)
• Georgia Southern RB Jerick McKinnon has “cemented himself as a fourth round pick and could break into the third frame.” (Tony Pauline)