The NFL trade deadline has come and gone with less action than normal. The NFL season is now at its midway point with the majority of college football conferences not far behind. So let’s again open the mailbag to address some of your questions on NFL rumors, college football, and the NFL Draft.
This week’s questions cover Joe Brady’s bright future, Rondale Moore’s mystery injury, some talk on rising NFL Draft prospects, and much more But first, we begin with Jimmy G’s future in San Francisco.
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Remember, if you have a question you want to send in for next week’s mailbag, you can e-mail it to asktony@pfn365.com or send a tweet @PFN365 on Twitter using the hashtag #AskTonyPFN, and we’ll try to include it in an upcoming mailbag column.
NFL Draft Rumors & News: The Tony Pauline Mailbag (11.04.20)
Do you think the 49ers still see Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback of the future, or are there NFL rumors that the Niners may be looking to upgrade the position in the offseason?
It’s still early, but I’ve heard this: the 49ers still see Jimmy Garoppolo as their QB of the future, but they will likely address the position in the NFL Draft and will not pass up a good QB if there’s one staring them in the face. Think Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles, for example.
Related | QB Power Rankings 2020
Is there any chance that Trevor Lawrence testing positive for COVID-19 could impact his draft stock? I’d have to imagine not, right?
No, not at all. It will hurt his Heisman candidacy more than anything else.
What’s the general feeling on Texas’ Joseph Ossai after his standout performance against Oklahoma State?
I graded Joseph Ossai as a solid second-round pick entering the season. Scouts had him more as a late second-rounder. He had been playing well even before the OSU game, where he made my list of risers, so I think scouts will be more aligned with my original grade. And he could very well move into the initial 42 selections.
Are there any rumors that Joe Brady could already be in consideration for an NFL head-coaching gig?
He will get interviews, but I think it’s less than 50 percent he lands a head coaching job at this point.
Rondale Moore has yet to play in a game, and Purdue is not specifying why. Are you hearing anything about what is going on with Moore? And are there any rumors that this may be hurting his NFL Draft stock?
I’ve made some calls, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint anything definitive on Rondale Moore and his injury. It is a bit worrisome coming off last season when he played just four games. The fact that the Purdue-Wisconsin game was called off this weekend helps him, in a weird sort of way.
This is speculation on my part, but if he can play the last four games of the season at 100 percent and works out well before the draft, I think he lands in Round 1.
I feel like Michigan’s Kwity Paye is highly underrated. What do you think about him and what are you hearing from scouts?
Paye is a good edge rusher who is explosive and fast up the field. I have him graded higher than scouts as a potential late first-round or early second-round prospect. Most scouts I’ve spoken with have him as a mid-second or early third-round choice.
Will Sam LaPorta join George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant as the next great Iowa TE to succeed at the NFL level?
LaPorta has looked really good the first few games this season, and he has terrific upside. There’s no reason not to believe he won’t reach those heights or be a bottom half of Round 1 guy at worst.
Tony Pauline is Pro Football Network’s Chief Draft Analyst and Insider. Follow him on Twitter @TonyPauline and follow PFN on Twitter @PFN365 for all the latest NFL Draft rumors and news.