Ahead of the first round of the NFL Draft, TSN.ca tracks all the latest news and rumours before the Cincinnati Bengals make their selection at No. 1 overall LIVE Thursday at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT on TSN3, TSN4 and TSN Direct.

Dolphins eyeing offensive tackle early in draft?

While most of the pre-draft prognostication had the Miami Dolphins taking a quarterback early in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Miami may have their eyes on another position, and could even trade up from their No. 5 selection to get one.

"The Dolphins have called the teams if front of them for a possible trade up from No. 5 and are gauging the price to come up to No. 3 to potentially take an offensive tackle," Rapoport reported. "We could see a run on tackles in the Top 10 like never before."

There are four offensive tackles projected to go in the first half of the first round Thursday - Iowa's Tristan Wirfs, Alabama's Jedrick Wills, Georgia's Andrew Thomas, and Louisville's Mekhi Becton.

 

What Now?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sent shockwaves across the NFL on Tuesday, acquiring formerly retired tight end Rob Gronkowski from the New England Patriots to reunite him with Tom Brady.

With Gronkowski now in the fold, the attention in Tampa Bay could shift to the future of tight end O.J. Howard, who, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times wrote Tuesday, has already had his future with the team called into question.

“It’s no secret the Bucs aren’t going to pick up his fifth-year option. They tried to trade Howard last October and are shopping him before the draft,“ Stroud wrote.

However, Stroud believes the Buccaneers are content to keep Howard and run two-tight end formations unless they’re blown away by a trade offer before the draft.

Howard, a first-round pick in 2017, had 34 receptions for 459 yards last season with one touchdown. He posted career-high totals in 2018 with 34 receptions for 565 yards with five touchdowns.

According Jenna Laine of ESPN, the Buccaneers were in discussions to trade Howard to the Washington Redskins for left tackle Trent Williams in February before talks fell through.

 

Home Setups

NFL reporter Dov Kleiman is compiling pictures of every team's general manager's home set-up for the virtual NFL Draft. Some setups, like the New York Giants' David Gettleman, seem a bit basic while others, like the San Francisco 49ers' John Lynch, seem quite complex.

 

Not Ruled Out?

Former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney remains on the free agent market, but Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Tuesday the door has not been closed on the 27-year-old returning to the team.

“He came in and did a great job for us,” Schneider said. “We made an effort to re-sign him. The door is not closed, but we couldn’t wait any longer, and so we had to conduct business.”

Acquired prior to the season from the Houston Texans, Clowney had three sacks and 31 tackles in 13 games with the Seahawks last season, forcing four fumbles.

While the door may not be fully closed, ESPN’s Dianna Russini told 710 ESPN Seattle Tuesday she believes the Seahawks have indeed moved on and believes Clowney will land with the Tennessee Titans.