Kendall Valenzuela examines NFL news impacting fantasy football, starting with a possible surprise quarterback going in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The NFL Draft is less than a week away and the rumor mill is swirling as it always does this time of year. So what better way to kick off this article than going through some of the NFL Draft rumors that we've heard over these last few weeks to see just how much we believe them. Here we go…

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Rumor #1: Tyler Shough is a potential first-round pick

No, no I did not get the name wrong. We are talking about Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough potentially being a first-round draft pick this year. This first caught my attention when The Athletic's Dianna Russini wrote that a current NFL head coach believes Shough is the best quarterback in this class … yes, even better than Cam Ward!

Then, Tom Pelissero wrote about potential surprise first-rounders and Shough's name popped up again. Pelissero reports that not only has Shough put himself into a completely different tier than when he started this pre-draft process, but that he is now in the same quarterback conversations as Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, and Jalen Milroe. Oh, and here it is again, he also reports that a handful of scouts and coaches also rank Shough above at least one of Sanders, Dart, and Milroe. 

In the Thor 500 (which you all need to check out before the draft), Thor Nystrom has Shough as his QB6. If you look at the numbers after Shough transferred to Texas Tech, the first three seasons were not impressive. He had a 20/11 TD/INT rate over three years and also dealt with a multitude of different injuries, including a broken collarbone (2021), a re-injured shoulder (2022), and a broken fibula (2023). Once he was at Louisville, we were able to see a better version of Shough—in 12 starts he threw for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns. 

Could Shough be a first-round pick, though?! Anything is possible, and there are always a few surprises on night one of the draft. If an NFL team truly does have Shough ranked above Milroe or Dart, then I guess he could sneak into the first round. Especially if quarterback-needy teams like the Steelers or Saints get a little desperate and pull the trigger early. Right now on BetMGM, quarterbacks drafted in the first round sits at 2.5 and the over is a heavy favorite at -450 with the under sitting at +310. I think this rumor totally hinges on the Saints and Steelers. Cam Ward will be taken first overall and Sanders should not be far behind. If either of those teams believe they can't risk leaving the first round without a quarterback AND they have Shough above Milroe or Dart, then let's embrace the chaos. 

Rumor #2: The Cowboys could trade their first-round pick

Let's get one thing straight: Jerry Jones does not care about our fantasy teams, so could this be another draft where we sit and wait for the Cowboys to draft a running back and it never happens???

Executive vice president of player personnel Stephen Jones spoke to 105.3FM the Fan and made it clear that the team isn't necessarily interested in trading up based on their big board, but trading down is very much on the table.

“I could see a situation where we'd move down … But you also look at that pick, and we've had some good things happen to us just outside of the top 10 with DeMarcus Ware, Micah Parsons, and Zack Martin—Hall of Fame-type players—that fall to you, and you just pick them. That very well could be the case in this draft.”

In a dream scenario, Ashton Jeanty falls to Dallas at 12 and it's a no-brainer pick. But most people (including myself) don't believe that Jeanty will make it that far. If Dallas decided to go with a wide receiver like Tetairoa McMillan or Matthew Golden, then maybe they do pick up the phone to trade down if they believe those two could still be on the board.

This rumor is pretty easy to believe, because it feels like the 12th overall pick is a critical point in this year's draft and teams may covet it more than the Cowboys do. It isn't unreasonable to think that they'll have the Steelers ringing their line to try and draft a quarterback at that spot. Then the Cowboys would still get the 21st overall pick and could add some much-needed depth with the other picks they acquire. 

You know what would be really fun, though? Seeing them move up to get Jeanty. I know, I know they told us that probably wasn't going to happen, but after all the criticism they endured when they hired Brian Schottenheimer, don't you think Jerry Jones wants his name in the paper for a good, flashy reason?

I'm just saying, Jeanty has been said to be the best running back prospect to enter the draft since Saquon Barkley, and you're telling me the Cowboys don't want a piece of that? Let's have the Cowboys trade up with the Raiders to No. 6 and get their running back of the future. Javonte Williams just isn't going to cut it. Come on Jerry, care about fantasy football again!

Rumor #3: Could the Bills add to their backfield?

Alright, this isn't a rumor per-say, but I wanted an excuse to talk about the Buffalo Bills and James Cook while we are heading into the draft. Let's remember the small amount of drama that Cook has been stirring up this offseason (and don't get me wrong, I kind of love it). 

Back in February, Cook went from hinting that he wanted $15 million a year to being very vocal about it. He was on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson and made his request known to the Buffalo Bills … 

“I just feel like we're deserving of it. Like, why not? We work all of our life to get paid. Feed me the big bucks … I want to go chase the highest of the highest, and I'm going to keep doing it … I'm just standing on business and what I deserve. That's it. What I deserve.”

Cook is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is set to make $5.3 million during the 2025 season. We also got a recent update from Ian Rapopport saying that while the situation between Cook and the Bills "isn't great right now" that the running back will still play for Buffalo this upcoming season. General manager Brandon Beane said the team is focused on the NFL Draft right now, but could the Bills history be a hint at how they attack this draft?

Fun fact: No running back drafted during Beane's time as general manager (starting in 2017) has received a second contract from Buffalo.

When Devin Singletary was coming up on the final year of his contract the Bills drafted Cook in the second round. Could he now be in the same situation? This is a deep running back class, and if the Bills don't want to use their first-round pick on a running back they do have two picks in the second round (No. 56 and No. 62). 

But if you think there's a chance the Bills don't wait and want to find a successor, their +2200 over on DraftKings to take a running back with the 30th overall pick … just saying!

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