NFL Draft Rumors: Patriots-Deebo buzz, Bills trade happy, Vikings big swings

The opening round of the 2024 NFL Draft took place on Thursday night, live from Detroit, Mich. There was plenty of chalk, especially with the first four picks. There were also surprises, such as the Atlanta Falcons taking Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick, despite guaranteeing $100 million on a four-year contract. The draft had a little bit of everything.

With Round 1 in the books, and Rounds 2 and 3 set to begin on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. ET, let's look at some of the latest rumors in the NFL Draft.

NFL Draft Rumors: Vikings GM says team has to 'take swings for great players'

The Minnesota Vikings had two first-round picks at their disposal -- No. 11 and 23 overall. With that, the expectation was that the team would use the ammunition to move up to get a top quarterback. They did just that, as they moved up one spot with the New York Jets to acquire Michigan signal caller J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick, but they didn't even need to give up their second first-rounder to do so.

Then, the Vikings moved up from No. 23 overall to 17, to take Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner. Turner was considered the top pass rusher in the class and a potential top 10 pick. The Vikings watched Turner fall to the middle of the first-round, and leaped up six spots to select him.

After the Vikings were done in the first round, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said he made the moves up the draft board and sacrificed Day 3 picks to ensure they didn't have any regrets about missing on both those players.

"You know, we're always talking about minimizing regret," said Adofo-Mensah, h/t the Star Tribune. "If you're sitting on your couch one day, and you're like, 'That extra fifth [-round pick] or whatever it was, and you could have had a chance at a guy you think could be special,' you're never going to care about that fifth-round pick. And there's ways of getting it back. Obviously, I'm a spreadsheet guy myself, but sometimes, you've got to step out from there, take your Clark Kent glasses off, have a championship mindset and swing for a great player."

For McCarthy, the Vikings surrendered their No. 129 and 157 overall picks to the Jets to move up one spot. For Turner, Minnesota gave the Jacksonville Jaguars the No. 167 overall pick this year, and a third-rounder and fifth-rounder in 2025. With that, they landed two top prospects at their positions within the top 20 picks of the draft.

Now, the Vikings have just three draft picks next year -- a first-rounder and two fifth-rounders, per ESPN's Field Yates.

The urgency to land McCarthy was there, especially after the Falcons took Penix with the eighth overall pick. With the Denver Broncos sitting behind them, who also had a desperate need at quarterback, the Vikings made sure they wouldn't lose out.

As for Turner, they add a premier weapon for Brian Flores' defense to pair alongside new pass rusher Jonathan Greenard.

With the NFC North division only getting stronger, the Vikings had to make sure they had the roster to stay afloat and compete. Based on the first round, they helped do just that. But now, they wait until Day 3 to draft again, as they don't have a second-rounder or third-rounder

NFL Draft Rumors: Bills may not be done trading down

The Buffalo Bills were a topic of discussion in the latter portion of the first round of the NFL Draft. They had a huge need for a wide receiver, as they traded away Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and lost Gabriel Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. The expectation was that the team would address it and make a move in the first round.

While Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, and Brian Thomas Jr. were off the board, there were still options for the Bills. Instead, they decided to move on from the No. 28 pick...and gave it to the rival Kansas City Chiefs. That's right, the Chiefs that eliminated the Bills from the playoffs in three of the past four seasons. With that, the Chiefs drafted Texas wideout Xavier Worthy, who broke the 40-yard dash record at the Scouting Combine. The Bills basically handed him to their enemy.

Then, the Bills traded away the No. 32 pick they received from the Chiefs to the Carolina Panthers, who took South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette. With that, the Bills will pick first in the second round. A busy night of trading for general manager Brandon Beane, and he might not be done.

According to NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport, the Bills have received calls from other teams looking to trade up for the 33rd pick.

That will certainly be an interesting story to follow entering the start of the second night of the NFL Draft. As Rapoport mentions, the team already moved up 38 spots in later rounds after their trade with the Chiefs, and up 59 spots after their second trade with the Panthers.

The Bills do have needs this offseason besides at wide receiver. They lost cornerback Tre'Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer, center Mitch Morse, edge rusher Leonard Floyd, and more. Not to mention, they didn't have much cap space to work with. Moving back in the draft gives the team more picks to address areas of need, nd not have to break the bank in terms of rookie contracts.

Below are the Bills' current draft pick total entering Night 2 of the draft:

We'll see if the Bills will move down for a team looking to grab a first-round talent that fell into the second, or if they decide to stand pat and select the prospect of their choosing. What is known is that they are listening to all phone calls.

NFL Draft Rumors: Patriots reportedly had trade talks with 49ers for WR Deebo Samuel

Entering the NFL Draft, there was quite the scoop from The Athletic's Dianna Russini. The senior NFL insider reported that the San Francisco 49ers have had discussions with teams to move up in the first round, and they included wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. That would have broken the draft if that had happened, but it didn't. Instead, the 49ers used the No. 31 overall pick on Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. With that, the feel is that a trade of one of Aiyuk or Samuel could be moved.

We now know one team who was in talks with the 49ers for one of their receivers

According to CBS Sports senior NFL insider Josina Anderson, the 49ers had preliminary trade discussions with the New England Patriots for Samuel before the NFL Draft.

This is not to say that a deal will be done, rather the Patriots were doing their homework and to gauge the asking price and if they could reach a middle ground.

The Patriots have one of the weaker rosters on paper entering the 2024 season. With their third overall pick, the Patriots turned away teams like the New York Giants to take their quarterback of the future, North Carolina's Drake Maye. The thing is, the wide receiver corps is far from enticing. The top options thus far are K.J. Osborn, Kendrick Bourne, and DeMario Douglas.

Giving Maye a receiver like Samuel could do wonders. Not only can he contribute in the passing game, but also in the rushing attack. That could help alleviate the pressure off of Jacoby Brissett's and Maye's shoulders.

Now, the football world waits to see if Samuel is dealt in these next two days or later on in the offseason.