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NFL Draft Rumors: Eagles aggressively pursuing trade up for CeeDee Lamb - BGN
The NFL Draft is nearly one week away and the rumor mill is starting to churn. There’s always a lot of misinformation out there around this time of this year, so it’s important to take everything we hear and read with a grain of salt. Still, it can be fun to discuss. The latest rumor is a juicy one from 97.5 The Fanatic host and Penn Athletics voice Joe Tordy. Apparently the Eagles are smitten with CeeDee Lamb.

Eagles 2020 NFL Draft preview: Defensive end - PhillyVoice
Broken record alert here, but no matter what you think about Brandon Graham or Derek Barnett, the team loves them both, and they’re going to be the Eagles’ starting defensive ends in 2020. Beyond Graham and Barnett, Josh Sweat took a small step forward in 2019, and the Eagles will hope his progress accelerates in 2020. And then they have a slew of guys thereafter, like Genard Avery, Joe Ostman, Shareef Miller, and Daeshon Hall, that they probably like a more than you do.

NFL draft 2020: Only 1 solution to Eagles’ wide receiver dilemma - NBCSP
They need to go into the draft with two goals in mind: 1) Draft the best receiver available. 2) Draft the next-best receiver available. The Eagles pick at No. 21, 53 and 103 next week, and they would be making a grave mistake if they don’t come out of the first three rounds with two wide receivers. As we’ve all heard over the past couple months, this draft has unprecedented depth at wideout. I wrote recently about the talent that will be available in the second round or third round. The one thing we can all agree on about Roseman is that he’s always aggressive, and he has to be, since it’s unlikely an elite game-changing receiver will be sitting there at 21. If the first round starts out like we expect, Roseman owes it to Carson Wentz and the entire franchise to do everything he can to get out of 21 and move up to land Justin Jefferson or another top WR if he starts slipping.

Andy Weidl’s career as a scout has been building toward him running the Eagles’ draft - Inquirer
Douglas’ three drafts before he left to become the New York Jets’ GM last May have produced a mixed bag of players. Roseman has final say, but he was responsible for crafting the board. Weidl certainly had his fingerprints on some selections, and the Eagles have kept Douglas’ blueprint for grading prospects. But Weidl, in assuming control of the draft, will have his own approach, according to Daniel Jeremiah. The former Ravens and Eagles scout and current NFL Network draft analyst said the greatest difference between his former colleagues is that Weild is more dogmatic when it comes to player makeup. “He has hard rules,” Jeremiah said. “If you don’t match with the makeup, you’re done. He’s a lot more demanding, I’d say, from that standpoint. … From the personal character standpoint, he wants to make sure that football is the most important thing and there are no distractions.”

Ranking the best draft picks on current Eagles roster - PE.com
1. 2016, Round 1, No. 2 overall, QB Carson Wentz. The combination of the maneuverings of Howie Roseman to go from No. 13 overall to No. 2 overall and at the same time shedding bad contracts – cornerback Byron Maxwell, linebacker Kiko Alonso, and running back DeMarco Murray – while acquiring extra draft picks to deal and the impact of bringing a franchise quarterback like Carson Wentz into the NovaCare Complex as the Eagles reset their football franchise shortly after hiring Head Coach Doug Pederson puts this selection at the top of the list.

Agent’s Take: Patrick Mahomes, George Kittle and more who could exceed salary benchmarks at each position - CBS Sports
A stagnant cornerback market finally had some significant movement with the five-year, $82.5 million contract Byron Jones received from the Dolphins in free agency. More importantly, Jones has cornerback records of $54.375 million in guarantees and $46 million fully guaranteed at signing. His reign as highest paid cornerback was short lived. The three year extension Darius Slay signed with the Eagles when he was acquired from the Lions via trade averages $16,683,333 per year. Jalen Ramsey reportedly promised the Rams he wouldn’t holdout in 2020 when the Jaguars dealt him during the middle of last season for a 2020 first round pick (20th overall), a 2021 first round pick and a 2021 fourth round pick. Ramsey could become the NFL’s first $20 million per cornerback where he sets new cornerback marks for contract guarantees.

LSU’s WR coach explains why Eagles fans would love Justin Jefferson - Philly Sports Network
Can he beat press? “Go back to his junior film and watch him, he’s outside. The Auburn game, he puts the guy to sleep on the release. He get off the line of scrimmage. He’s bigger, he’s stronger now. That has a lot to do with getting off press coverage, being strong. He did all of that. Let me give you all these names this kid has faced since he’s been here: Donte Starks, Greedy Williams, Kevin Toliver, Kristian Fulton, [Derek] Stingley, and then in the slot he’s dealing with [Grant] Delpit. He’s dealt with Delpit the whole time he was here in the slot. He’s dealing with Delpit and JaCoby Stevens. You take all those corners and you’re telling me all those corners can’t play? We play press man at LSU, so he can beat press. He went up against some of the top DBs in the country outside and he did the same things that [JaMarr] Chase did. You can’t take away what he did.”

Cowboys 2020 Draft: Daniel Jeremiah says Justin Jefferson would bring “firepower” to Dallas offense - Blogging The Boys
Interestingly enough, the LSU wide receiver has been heavily linked to a different NFC East squad, the Philadelphia Eagles, who pick 21st in this year’s draft. Many believe that the Eagles will look to add an offensive playmaker for Carson Wentz, and Jefferson will likely be the best pass catcher on the board. Having to defend Jefferson twice a year would not be fun, especially if the Cowboys are unable to grab a defensive back such as Henderson in the draft. The Cowboys have a need in the slot, and Justin Jefferson put up amazing numbers once he moved to the slot in the LSU offense a season ago. While receiver is unlikely to be the pick in round one for various reasons, Jefferson would seem to be a good fit in the Cowboys offense.

McGinn’s NFL Draft Series: Scouts on top wide receivers and tight ends - The Athletic
9. DENZEL MIMS, Baylor (6-3, 207, 4.38, 1-2): Among his many achievements at the combine was a position-best 6.66 3-cone. “The 6.6 3-cone is crazy for a guy with that lever system,” said one scout. “He can really go up and make acrobatic plays on the ball. He showed at the Senior Bowl he can beat press coverage and get open at the top of routes. He’s better than Lamb and maybe better than Jeudy. He’s bigger, faster, longer. You’ve got a chance to really hit on Denzel Mims.” Mims was a three-year starter for a Baylor program that has never had a receiver make it big in the NFL. “He’s big, but I see a finesse guy who dropped too many balls in traffic,” a second scout said. “He’s got the height, weight, speed. I’ve seen too many guys with traits like that come in and fail out, and he doesn’t play special teams. I don’t see that kind of dog in him.” A three-year starter, he finished with 186 receptions for 2,925 (15.7) and 28 TDs. “He’s got vertical speed, he does have tracking skills and he understands how to use his size in the red zone,” said a third scout. “He’s an outside receiver. He’s going to need a lot of work on how to run routes. He has tight shoulders. Better high-ball catcher than low-ball catcher. More of a 400-meter guy. He’s got inconsistent hands. He’s going to need work on how to get off press. He’s just got average body control. I got him in the second round.” He’s from Daingerfield, Texas and posted a Wonderlic score of 17.

Futures: Arizona State WR Brandon Aiyuk - Football Outsiders
Last season, Aiyuk held the country’s third-highest average yards per return on both punts (16.1) and kickoffs (31.8). Aiyuk only scored one touchdown on 28 combined return attempts in 2019, but being able to so consistently pick up chunks of yardage is a more encouraging sign of a quality returner than touchdowns over a relatively small sample. Save for a small handful of teams, Aiyuk would be the best return man on an NFL roster right away. It is tough to not be at least somewhat intrigued by Aiyuk’s playmaking tools and craftiness in the short area. In the right scheme (duh), Aiyuk can carve out a role as someone who is an extension of the run game on sweeps, screens, shallows, etc. However, that kind of player would be a No. 3 receiver at best in most any offense around the league. Aiyuk also needs a sizable degree of development in order to beat press coverage, sharpen his foot speed, and expand his route tree — and there is no guarantee he ever gets there. Whichever team drafts Aiyuk is likely accepting him as a non-starter in Year 1 and hoping to hone his playmaking tools for future seasons. Aiyuk will almost certainly be a role-player and special teamer in 2020.

ESPN NFL Draft Predictor: Chances Tua Tagovailoa be available at No. 5 and more - ESPN+
If the Las Vegas Raiders want a top-three wide receiver, do they need to take one at No. 12, or can they wait until their second first-round pick at No. 19? Nope, they cannot wait. Of the three — Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy, Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III — Ruggs has the best chance to remain available, but there’s still only a 16% chance he’ll be on the board at No. 19. So if coach Jon Gruden wants to get one of those top weapons, the place to do it is at No. 12, where all three have a better than 50-50 chance to be on the board. Jeudy is the least likely to be available (61%), followed by Lamb (67%) and Ruggs (85%). One receiver the Raiders might be able to wait on for their second pick is LSU’s Justin Jefferson, who has a 68% chance to be there at No. 19.

Falcons sign former XFL CB Josh Hawkins - The Falcoholic
During the 2020 XFL season, Hawkins totaled 11 tackles, two interceptions and four passes deflections. Before joining the now bankrupt XFL, Hawkins spent three seasons in the NFL playing for the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles. During that time, Hawkins had 43 tackles, seven pass deflections and a forced fumble.

Dr. Anthony Fauci outlines how sports could return this summer - SB Nation
Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci outlined his path for a return to sports as part of an interview series with Peter Hamby of Snapchat. Fauci believes there is a way for professional sports to return over the summer, but only if extremely strict guidelines are followed — the biggest of which is playing without fans. The lack of fans is the first of several measures that would need to be adopted by leagues in order to bring sports back with any modicum of safety. Fauci also insists the widespread, regular testing must be adopted — with controllable housing for players at hotels.

Data shows social distancing has slowed down the coronavirus outbreak. But what’s next? - Vox
As the number of reported US coronavirus cases climbs past 600,000 and reported deaths past 26,000 as of April 15, there is a little bit of good news in the data: Things may be getting somewhat better, especially for areas that were hot spots, like New York and Washington state. For the past week, new case numbers have been growing steadily, rather than exponentially. And daily new deaths are lower this week than last week.

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