2026 NFL Draft: Inside the Superpower Driving Fernando Mendoza’s Ascent

INDIANAPOLIS — Fernando Mendoza has a plan. He’s the kind of person who has the answers to that confounding series of interview questions: Where do you see yourself in one year? In five years? And in 10? He is, after all, the guy who finished his business degree at Cal in just three years — before transferring to Indiana to win a national championship and the Heisman Trophy. He knows where he’s going. Because of that, as a quarterback, he also knows exactly where he’s going to place the football. When Mendoza joined the Hoosiers through the transfer portal, he got together with his pass-catchers last spring and summer. It wasn't exactly a meet and greet. Rather, Mendoza schooled them on what he wanted when it came to routes, timing and hand placement. "He always puts the ball exactly where he wants it to be," former Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski said in Indianapolis last week. "You gotta get a little bit adjusted to that because you gotta figure out where he wants it to be and exactly where he wants you to be." Exactitude is crucial in a game determined by, as Mendoza says, "small margins." One-inch victories turn into one-point victories. And so it’s of the utmost importance for a quarterback to get on the same page with his pass-catchers — right away. "Chemistry is everything," Mendoza said at the podium at the NFL Combine. "Throughout the season, we were able to build better chemistry from game one all the way through game 16. I think that was really shown by the back-shoulder balls. … Most of the balls we threw, especially in the latter half of the season, were on time. They’re accurate. There’s good anticipation and the receivers all made great catches." Those throws were what made Mendoza so difficult to defend at the college level. They are what NFL evaluators might call his "superpower," a common scouting term used to identify a prospect’s most salient quality. At first, I’ll admit that it struck me as underwhelming that Mendoza’s superpower might be back-shoulder throws rather than his arm talent or creativity. But the truth is, based on chemistry and timing with his pass-catchers, the back-shoulder throw is impossible to defend when executed properly. And so … what better superpower is there for a QB than one that renders his throws indefensible? Mendoza became famous for the back-shoulder throw at Indiana. But even at Cal, he knew that type of throw would be valuable, even if it wasn’t a throw that came naturally to him. "He was OK at it," Jake Spavital, Mendoza's offensive coordinator in 2023, told us last week. "We would practice those daily at Cal. I showed thousands of clips of back-shoulder throws, because that’s really what you do in the NFL. He started studying it, practicing it. And if he didn’t like the throw, he would work and work and work and work and work until he became so great at it." That is more or less the story of Fernando Mendoza’s improbable rise. But there’s more. So much more. *** *** *** Mendoza had just one offer coming out of high school: Yale. That’s one heck of an offer, but it wasn’t the type he wanted from a power conference. "He was still going to all these camps and getting zero love. Nobody wanted this kid," Danny Hernandez, Mendoza’s private QB coach, told me. Hernandez kept in touch with veteran NFL coach Bill Musgrave, who was Cal's offensive coordinator in 2022. After striking out on a pair of top-end high school quarterbacks prospects, Musgrave finally showed up at Columbus High School in Miami to see Mendoza in person. Musgrave offered him a scholarship on the spot — despite Mendoza being the 140th-ranked QB prospect in the country. "That was a true ranking," Mendoza said. "I was a raw prospect. I was terrible." It should come as no surprise that Mendoza spent his first year in college sitting out. Then, in his redshirt freshman year, he was the team’s QB3. But not for long. As always, the dude had a plan. "[In 2023,] we would be up there scripting for practice and finalizing game plans, and he just wanted to be a fly on the wall. And that was really cool to see," Mike Bloesch, run-game coordinator at North Texas told me. "At that time, I was [Cal's] offensive line coach, and he'd come ask me about protections and run game. Then he'd walk into the tight end coach's office and ask, ‘How are we coaching the tight ends on this route?’ And then he walked down to the receivers coach's office. He just really did his due diligence, making the rounds." There’s the old adage that a backup should prepare as if he’s the starter. But at the time, Mendoza was a QB3. And he was spending more time around the coaching staff than the starter and the backup. I, for one, have never heard of that. "I know. I know. That’s just kind of the way Fernando is wired," Bloesch told me. "I don't know that I've been around a guy that truly loves every part of football the way that he does. And nowadays, that's a big deal." It’s a particularly big deal in the NIL age, when college players prioritize their earning potential. Who doesn’t like getting paid as much as they can for their work? But certainly, NIL has shifted the culture of college football, which wasn’t necessarily all about the love of the game beforehand — but it did have more of that element. Mendoza has preserved that love for the game (and the beauty of college football itself). Still, there were some issues in those early starts at Cal, namely that he turned over the football at a high clip, which included 10 interceptions in his first nine games. There was plenty to clean up between his final start of his redshirt freshman year and his first start of his redshirt sophomore season. In those times of transition, Mendoza often leaned on Hernandez, the private QB coach. They would stay in touch during the regular season, with Mendoza regularly texting Hernandez — sometimes in the middle of the night — to ask for his take on a throw that went awry. Hernandez would have an answer, and Mendoza would carry on. Then the offseasons were about bigger changes — and leaps in development. They’d run through their throwing sessions — often including other quarterbacks — and Hernandez would offer feedback. At the end of the session, as the other players left Mendoza would head to the sideline to get on his phone. But it wasn’t like he was scrolling social media. "What he'd be doing on his phone is basically taking notes while it was fresh in his mind, straight from the session," Hernandez told me. "So then he'd come up to me right after the session. He was like, ‘OK, these are things that I remember you telling me today. Of these four things that you were on me about today, what can I do when I get home?’ … He always had a game plan." Despite all the work Mendoza did and all the progress he made, the Golden Bears did not make the commitment to start him entering his sophomore season. He was in an open competition to start 2024 against transfer QB Chandler Rogers. Mendoza won that competition, but the team’s decision to bring in a competitor didn’t sit well with Hernandez or Fernando Mendoza Sr. They were already thinking about where else Mendoza might land in 2025 — perhaps before the QB gave it any thought. "I think no matter what kind of season happens here, he's gonna have to move on," Hernandez remembered thinking. "So then he has the really good season, and I just said, ‘Hey, man, his stock has just improved tremendously.’ I think the combination of the stock improving [in 2024] and kind of the disrespect that Cal had been giving him, it kind of made sense that he should probably move on." Mendoza was solid in 2024, finishing with 3,004 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. It wasn’t exactly the type of production that would land him in the first round of the NFL Draft — let alone the first-overall pick. But Indiana coach Curt Cignetti already had Alberto Mendoza, Fernando’s brother, on the team. When Cignetti dove into Fernando’s tape, the coach was one of many who offered him a scholarship. Spoiler alert: Mendoza chose Indiana. *** *** *** You know that conversation you have when you’re eating slow-burn spicy food? Somebody at the table got into the spicy dish, and they’re freaking out about it. So you try it. But it hasn’t quite hit you yet. So dive in for more. And you don’t know what the fuss is about — until you’re feeling that heat in the biggest way. That’s sort of what it’s like to watch Mendoza’s film at Indiana. The heat isn’t there right away. But as the season wears on, you start to understand what everyone is talking about. And at the end, you feel it. You understand the hype. First, you have to appreciate his progress as a prospect, even over the course of the year. Second, you have to appreciate his consistency and his relentless approach to doing things the right way, which showed up on Saturday for a perfect season. "I think he took a big jump, quite frankly, from the first game to the third and fourth game. He stepped up against Iowa. That was a hostile environment, and he made a couple wild throws," Cignetti said on the Week 7 edition of "Big Noon Kickoff." "He's come a long way, and as much as he's improved since he's been here, he's far from a finished product. His upside is unlimited." Mendoza got there by working endlessly with his pass-catchers, from Omar Cooper Jr. to Elijah Sarratt to Charlie Becker to Nowakowski. He did it by doing what he did at Cal — logging long hours with the coaching staff, including Cignetti and QBs coach Chandler Whitmer. One of Mendoza’s favorite parts of the year was his study of NFL quarterbacks. He talks endlessly about how much he appreciates Tom Brady’s game. And there are the other obvious QBs Mendoza could study: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and the other game-wrecking talents. But Whitmer didn’t put any of those guys up in film study. Instead, he showed Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford. "It helped me learn a lot about the NFL game because you always see the highlights, but it was really interesting to see how they dealt with plays that didn't go their way, when they needed to throw the ball away, or they needed to check it down, and I think that really helped my efficiency this year," Mendoza said on "The Herd." Mendoza kept building out his plan for what should go right — and for what could go wrong. "If there were 25 hours in a day, he'd spend all 25 preparing," Cignetti said on the "Joel Klatt Show." "He wants to be great, and he does everything he can to be great, and teammates love him." Looking back at Mendoza’s 2025 season is staggering. He completed 91.3% of his passes and threw for five touchdowns against No. 9 Illinois in Week 4. He threw a key fourth-quarter touchdown to beat No. 3 Oregon on the road in Week 6. He led a last-minute touchdown drive against Penn State to preserve Indiana's perfect record in Week 10. He threw for 222 yards to take down No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Then he led Indiana on a history-making three-game run in the College Football Playoff. Overall, he threw for 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions. He rushed for seven more touchdowns on the ground — including his run that won the national championship for Indiana. Mendoza helped Miami go 16-0. He knocked off six teams with top-10 rankings. He won the Heisman. You’d think he would get cocky — or even just confident. But he sure seems to have stayed humble. At the NFL Combine, he got to talking about Cooper. "He helped make me this year," Mendoza said. By all estimations, Mendoza worked tirelessly to make himself. He planned. He grinded. He converted. But if you ask him, it was everyone else. That’s not a bad guy to have as a team leader. *** *** *** If Mendoza looked at the Heisman odds in the week leading up to the final tally, he could plainly see that he was going run away with the vote. Perhaps getting the sense that he’d win something significant, he made plans — while in New York — to give back. This was the one accomplishment that wasn’t listed on his Heisman Campaign. For all the work Mendoza did to change the trajectory of Indiana's football program, I’m not sure his accomplishments match a project that has spanned over the entirety of his college career. It’s his work with the National MS Society to fight Multiple Sclerosis. In Berkley, he’d partnered with La Burrita near the Cal campus to make the "Mendoza Burrito" to honor his mother and raise money for the National MS Society. Elsa Mendoza is a former University of Miami tennis player who has lived with MS for nearly two decades. Then in Bloomington, he and his brother, Alberto, did the same thing, working with BuffaLouie's and Gable's Bagels to create sandwiches to raise money and awareness for MS. "My mom means the world to me — she’s the most caring and positive person I know — and I’ll keep doing everything I can to support her and others living with MS," Mendoza wrote on the landing page for his fundraiser. He and his brother had raised $349,795 at the time of publication. One of the things that follows Mendoza wherever he goes is this idea that he’s "authentic." I’ll admit that capturing authenticity is difficult to do in the written word. His coaches and teammates will speak of his geeky-but-tough persona — his exuberant energy. On the football field. At practice. In the meeting room. It was most telling that Sarah Smith, the vice president of external relations at the National MS Society, kept coming back to Mendoza’s "authenticity." "The power of his and the family's authenticity is what has really blown us away internally here," she said. "We've been able to build this trust with the family to really make a difference for something that Fernando's really passionate about." So let’s go back to the morning of the Heisman Trophy ceremony, when Mendoza was at an Adidas-sponsored charity event. He had staged a shopping spree at the Adidas flagship store for four families impacted by MS. "Some of the conversations you heard — there were 5- and 6-year-old little kids whose moms have MS," Smith remembered. "And just talking to Fernando and him saying, ‘I know what you're going through. My mom has MS.’ And just these kids came away with just this sparkle in their eyes, right? … It goes again, back to that authenticity. I think it is pretty rare these days." After the end of the event, Smith was standing near a mother who had MS. "I've been feeling very lonely recently," the woman told Smith. And after she met Mendoza? "I finally felt seen, and I felt not alone," she said. *** *** *** The Las Vegas Raiders pick at No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Everyone knows who they’ll pick. Never mind that Brady, the team’s part-owner, has spoken highly of Mendoza. Never mind that Mendoza makes perfect sense to operate new head coach Klint Kubiak’s system. Never mind that Mendoza would be a sensational option to get a huge season out of star tight end Brock Bowers. Forget all that. Focus on this instead. This is what Raiders GM John Spytek said about what he’s looking for in a quarterback. "A leader. Tough as hell. Somebody that loves to play football. Maniacal preparer. Obviously, someone that can throw the ball well," Spytek said at the combine. "I think just somebody the loves the game and will give everything for their teammates. He added: "There’s a great humility and selflessness required to play that position at the highest level." I mean … come on. Fernando Mendoza has executed his plan to perfection. Now it's the Raiders' turn.

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Big Picture: Seahawks Insist It's Still 'Business as Usual' After Super Bowl Whirlwind, Sale

INDIANAPOLIS — Nearly three hours after his media availability in the Indiana Convention Center for the NFL Scouting Combine, I bumped into Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider, breathing a sigh of relief as he exited the facility. Everyone wanted a piece of Seattle’s top personnel man in Indianapolis. That comes with winning a Super Bowl, and that's why it’s so hard to repeat. Schneider got a chance to briefly exhale after his team’s Super Bowl victory parade a few weeks ago, but now he’s back on the grind, figuring out how he’s going to keep the foundation of his football team together with the start of free agency looming and the draft right after that. "It’s really going to be about my private time, the studying and getting caught up with that," Schneider said when I asked him at the podium about the shrinking timeline this offseason after the Seahawks won 17 games this year. "We had great free agency meetings during the season, so we’ll learn a lot about what’s going on down here this week. But yeah, the timeline part of that is real. … It’s like the discipline on the weekends to try to figure out how to get caught up. "We’ll get to it." Schneider also said he does not expect the sale of the Seahawks by owner Jody Allen to impact his team’s plan for this offseason. "It’s just business as usual for us," Schneider said. The Seahawks only have four draft picks this year. Schneider said part of the reason for that is Seattle anticipated last year’s draft class would be stronger than 2026 and wanted to take advantage of a deep draft talent pool in 2025. Schneider accomplished that by hitting on the team’s first-round selection in offensive guard Grey Zabel, one of the key pieces to Mike Macdonald’s defense in safety Nick Emmanwori, a pass-catching tight end in Elijah Arroyo and a developmental quarterback in Jalen Milroe. While everything fell into place for the Seahawks in 2025, Schneider has done a nice job building a roster that can compete for a Super Bowl for an extended period. Seattle’s average roster age of 25.8 was tied for the fourth-youngest roster in the league at the start of the regular season. Still, Schneider and the Seahawks have some work to do in free agency. Seattle has some money to keep many of its foundational pieces in the fold, including potentially offering new deals to young players eligible for extensions in wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Seattle’s projected over $60 million in salary cap space is the sixth-most in the NFL. The top player set to hit the market is running back Kenneth Walker III, but return specialist Rashid Shaheed, edge rusher Boye Mafe, safety Coby Bryant and cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen also will command attention in free agency. Schneider said he’d like to have Walker back. However, a Memphis native who trains in Dallas in the offseason, will have a robust market after finishing as Super Bowl MVP, potentially pricing himself out of staying in Seattle. Along with that, new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury comes from a franchise in San Francisco that has done a nice job of finding productive runners as mid-round selections in the draft. And Seattle’s zone blocking scheme, which originated in Denver decades ago with Mike Shanahan, is known for producing at a high level with less talented running backs. "We’ll start talking to all the agents and we’ll have a better feel where we’re going here towards the end of the week," Schneider said, when asked about bringing back Walker. "Obviously, we’d love to have everybody. We want to have everybody back, you know, right? When you get done with something special like that, you're like, ‘Let’s run it back. Let’s run it back.’ It’s going to be an interesting process." Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said he still hasn’t watched a replay of the Super Bowl victory and doesn’t plan on doing that anytime soon. "I’m going to Hawaii next week, so I ain’t doing it there either," joked Macdonald at the podium last week. How Macdonald recreated the unique connectivity he established last season will be a priority once players return from a needed break this offseason. Macdonald emphasized the importance of evolving as a franchise, not being complacent about having won the Super Bowl and understanding the fragility of implementing a winning culture within a building. "The principle of how we are going to operate is we want to nail the daily goals — the daily standard of what we’re trying to achieve to become a championship team again," Macdonald said. "It’s really going to be that simple. How we build the offseason program and what we do on a daily basis, that’s going to look a little different for a variety of reasons. "But how we do our business, how we interact with each other and how we attack schematically and how we put things together, that will all stay the same." Macdonald also lost continuity with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak leaving to take the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders. However, he expects the core principles to remain the same on the side of the football with Fleury taking over. "We’re going to be the Seattle Seahawks," Macdonald said. "We’re going to have a different evolution of our offense. It’s going to be built on the same principles, but how it comes to life and the exact plays we’re going to run, I can’t answer that yet. But I know how Brian is going to operate and how our staff is going to operate, and I’m really excited to see this offense come to life." The bottom line is Schneider and Macdonald both understand the arduous task ahead in defending their Super Bowl title. But Schneider believes the Seahawks will be up for the challenge. "Even in the locker room, at the parade, they’re all talking about next year," Schneider said. "It’s just cool. There’s a great mix of veteran leadership — dogs, young dogs, athletes, speed – and then guys that are willing to buy into development and their coaches, and the people in the building that are supporting them." In the Big Picture, we contextualize key moves and moments so you can instantly understand why they matter.

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2026 NFL Draft Odds: Which Franchise Will Draft Jeremiyah Love?

The NFL will feel the love this upcoming season. Jeremiyah Love was arguably the best back in college football for the past two seasons, and now, the major leagues are next. Where will the Notre Dame superstar land? Let's check out the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of March 2. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Which team will Jeremiyah Love be drafted by? Commanders: +225 (bet $10 to win $32.50 total)Titans: +225 (bet $10 to win $32.50 total)Chiefs: +275 (bet $10 to win $37.50 total)Saints: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)Cardinals: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)Giants: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)Jets: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)Vikings: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)Cowboys: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)Steelers: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total) Love was a lovely player for the Fighting Irish for the past two years. In that time, he tallied 2,497 rushing yards and 40 total touchdowns (35 rushing and five receiving). Talk about production. He finished third in Heisman voting this past season, won the Doak Walker Award and was unanimously named a first-team All-American. He also had six 100-yard rushing games last year. Topping the board are Washington and Tennessee. The Commanders own the seventh pick in the first round. After making an NFC title game appearance in 2024, they dealt with injuries to star quarterback Jayden Daniels for the majority of last season, finishing third in the NFC East and missing the postseason entirely. In terms of the rushing game, Washington was one of the best in the league, finishing fourth overall with 134.7 rushing yards per game. It's by committee, however, considering the Commanders have not had a running back accrue more than 900 rushing yards since Antonio Gibson tallied 1,037 in 2021. Daniels (a quarterback) rushed for 891 in 2024, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt rushed for 805 last season. Moving to Tennessee, it was not one of the better rushing attacks in the league, finishing third-to-last in yards per game last season (93.5). It was one of six teams that failed to rush for 100 yards per game. The Titans own the fourth pick in the draft. Rounding out the top three are the Chiefs, who will enter next season without Patrick Mahomes at the helm, as he recovers from a torn ACL. Kansas City had the 25th-best rushing attack in the league last season (106.6 yards per game). The Chiefs last had a 1,000-yard rusher in 2017, when Kareem Hunt put up 1,327 behind Alex Smith. No running back has rushed for 1,000 yards since Mahomes became the starting QB. Kansas City has the ninth pick.

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Texans Reportedly Land Lions RB David Montgomery After Trading RT Tytus Howard

David Montgomery is getting traded after all. The Detroit Lions are trading the running back to the Houston Texans, NFL Media reported Monday. In return for Montgomery, Detroit will reportedly receive offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick. Montgomery's trade came a day after the standout running back seemingly questioned a report that he wanted to get moved this offseason. Detroit was assessing Montgomery's trade value around the league and was hoping to receive an early Day 3 pick for the running back, ESPN reported Sunday. While the Lions were able to get what they were seeking in a Montgomery trade, the Texans are also getting a major boost to their backfield. Houston ranked 22nd in rushing in 2025 as Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon missed the entire season due to injury. Statistically, Montgomery had the worst season of his career in 2025, but he was still quite productive. He rushed for 716 yards, but he did it on a respectable 4.5 yards per carry. He also rushed for eight touchdowns, adding 192 receiving yards. In his first two seasons in Detroit, Montgomery rushed for 1,790 yards and 25 touchdowns in 28 games. He also had 458 yards receiving over that stretch. The emergence of Jahmyr Gibbs as a three-down running back also made Montgomery expendable. Gibbs was top-10 in all-purpose yards again this past season, and he's also up for a contract extension this offseason. A potential extension would likely make Gibbs one of the highest-paid running backs in football. The Texans' trade for Montgomery came hours after it was reported they traded starting right tackle Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick. It's clear the Texans are reshaping their offense following another playoff shortcoming and some struggles on that side of the ball, largely relying on their defense for success. Both trades can't be finalized until the new league year begins on March 11.

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2026 NFL Draft: Top 50 Prospects After the Scouting Combine

It remains to be seen how many NFL stars the 2026 draft will produce, but the Scouting Combine proved at least one thing: this class offers plenty of speed. Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green, Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq and Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. all turned in 40-yard dash times that ranked among the fastest at their respective positions in league history, while Mississippi State wideout Brenen Thompson topped all runners this past week with a blistering 4.26 mark. Still, many of the best prospects in this class play along the line of scrimmage, and I expect defensive and offensive linemen will make up much of the first round. With only Pro Days and private workouts remaining, here is how I currently rank the best 50 prospects of the 2026 NFL Draft. 50. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State He is among the handful of prospects to surge on my latest board, proving at the Combine that his stellar production in college was due not only to refined technique but underrated athleticism. Consider Dennis-Sutton one of this year’s biggest winners at Lucas Oil Stadium. 49. Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia Branch is likely going to generate some Tyreek Hill comparisons during the pre-draft process, powered by the 4.35 speed he demonstrated at the Combine. Like Hill, Branch is at his best as a vertical threat or in the quick game, offering the kind of instant spark to a passing attack that only elite speed can provide. 48. Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas Few boosted their stock at the Combine more than the burly Washington, whose 4.33-second 40-yard dash time not only was the fastest among all running backs, it was the fastest among any player weighing over 220 pounds. In a relatively weak year for running backs, Washington’s elite size-speed combination warrants top-50 consideration. 47. Christen Miller, DT, Georgia Miller elected not to participate in the timed drills at the Combine, but he’s just too good of a player to not include on this list. I don’t see a flashy athlete, but he has prototypical size (6-foot-4, 321 pounds) for blue collar run-stuffing duties. Miller’s length, strength and grit suggest that he’ll stick around in the NFL for a decade or more. 46. D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana I’m less confident that undersized defenders such as Ponds will be among the first 50 players drafted than I am about him ultimately proving he should’ve been. At just 5-foot-9, 173 pounds, Ponds has obvious limitations, but he’s pound-for-pound the most physical and instinctive DB in this class with 33 pass breakups — including seven interceptions — in three standout seasons at the collegiate level. 45. Kyle Louis, OLB, Pittsburgh At just 5-foot-11, 224 pounds, Louis won’t be a fit for everyone. But, frankly, I think that’s a mistake. Louis is highly instinctive with lightning-quick closing speed. He is a proven big-play magnet with 24 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and six interceptions over the past two seasons. 44. Chase Bisontis, OG, Texas A&M An athletic 6-foot-5, 315-pounder, Bisontis looks and moves like a tackle — he even earned freshman All-American honors at right tackle back in 2023. He played even better inside at left guard the past two years, showing the initial quickness and agility to fit best in a zone-blocking scheme. 43. Jacob Rodriguez, ILB, Texas Tech More decorated than a wedding cake after winning the Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik and Butkus Awards, Rodriguez arguably should’ve been on this list even before a terrific showing at the Combine. But I certainly won’t make the mistake of excluding him after he erased any doubts about his pure athleticism in Indy. 42. Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame As demonstrated with his 4.49 time in the 40-yard dash, Price isn’t the athletic phenom that will earn fellow Notre Dame product Jeremiyah Love a top 10 pick. But he’s actually the more fundamentally sound running back, showing a future NFL bell cow’s blend of vision, burst and contact balance. He’s also one of this year’s most dynamic returners, taking back three kickoffs for touchdowns in just 22 opportunities. 41. Blake Miller, OT, Clemson Miller isn’t as agile or powerful as some of the top-rated tackles higher on my board, but as a rare four-year starter who faced elite competition every day in practice, he’s as safe as a Subaru. Miller has a somewhat gangly frame and upright stance that isn’t always the most aesthetically pleasing, but he’s quick, smart and has excellent hands to steer and sustain. 40. T.J., Parker, Edge, Clemson Like several of his former Clemson teammates, Parker was the victim of his own success, struggling to live up to expectations in 2025 after a dominant 2024 campaign that included 19.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and an FBS-leading six forced fumbles. He’s a functional, rugged edge defender whose game is built more on torque than twitch. 39. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah Quick and coordinated, it was Lomu — and not his more celebrated teammate Spencer Fano — who started the past two seasons at the critical left tackle position for the Utes. Just a redshirt sophomore still growing into his frame, Lomu is currently a better pass protector than run blocker, but he has a bright future if he commits to the weight room. 38. Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami As a sixth-year collegiate athlete, Mesidor (24) was literally a man amongst boys for Miami a year ago, leading the ACC with 10.5 sacks and forcing four fumbles. He wins in more ways than perhaps any rusher in this class, pairing impressive physical traits such as burst, bend and power with refined hand play and nuanced counter moves. 37. Zion Young, Edge, Missouri Young capped a terrific week of Senior Bowl practice by being named the National team’s Player of the Game. At a rocked-up 6-foot-5 and 262 pounds, Young isn’t as explosive off the ball as some of the undersized pass-rush specialists listed earlier, but he is a passionate and physical tone-setter at the line of scrimmage. 36. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo The ability to create turnovers is like catnip to football scouts, and few in this class offer a more tantalizing track record of that than the lanky, hard-hitting McNeil-Warren, who enters the NFL with nine forced fumbles and five interceptions in his career. 35. Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina Cisse has all the traits to become a quality NFL starter — including a prototypical blend of size, speed and physicality in run support. His occasional mistakes on tape seemed coachable, and with Cisse not turning 21 until July, the expectation is that he’s just scratching the surface. 34. Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State A native Nigerian who grew up playing soccer and basketball, Iheanachor is a 6-foot-5, 325-pound investment for the future who seemingly just needs time to master the nuances of the position. His easy movement skills and natural power turned heads at both the Senior Bowl and the Combine. 33. Kayden McDonald, NG, Ohio State At 6-foot-3, 326 pounds, McDonald is every bit the run-plugger his frame suggests, complementing his dense, powerful frame with excellent balance and spatial awareness. He isn’t going to ever lead the NFL in sacks, but he’s no slug against the pass, either, showing effort, power and surprisingly quick feet to play all three downs. 32. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama Simpson, a former 5-star recruit, torched the SEC for 28 touchdowns and a conference-leading 3,567 yards in his lone season as a starter in Tuscaloosa, showing the pro-caliber accuracy to project as a future NFL starter. The traits were obvious during the throwing session at the Combine, all but cementing his position as the No. 2 quarterback in this class. Simpson has a quick release, plenty of zip and excellent touch to make every NFL throw — but there were some "deer in the headlights" moments on his tape. Moreover, the track record of quarterbacks selected in the first round with 20 or fewer starts (Simpson has 15) is a bright red flag. 31. Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State Johnson was named the Mountain West Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, taking two of his four interceptions back for scores. A technician with excellent route awareness, he erased any doubts about his pure athleticism in precisely 4.40 seconds at the Combine. 30. Gabe Jacas, Edge, Illinois Using a blend of physicality and instincts that translates well to the pro game, Jacas led the Big Ten with 11 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2025 before delivering a stellar performance at the Senior Bowl. Jacas may lack the twitch of some of this year’s top pass-rushers, but I see shades of a young DeMarcus Lawrence in Jacas’ game. 29. CJ Allen, ILB, Georgia Many of the top off-ball linebackers in this class are hybrid-types with limited experience taking on and shedding blockers in the hole. Allen isn’t flashy, but he’s as close to a Day 1 starting middle linebacker as this class has to offer. He’s smart, stout and just scratching the surface of his potential at just 20 years old. 28. Denzel Boston, WR, Washington The whole point of playing receiver is to catch touchdowns, and with 20 TDs over the past two seasons, Boston is the most prolific scorer of this year’s top wideouts. He should be able to continue this red zone mastery in the NFL, using his 6-foot-4, 209-pound frame, timing, body control and strong hands to win above the rim. 27. Cassius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M Stubby (30 1/4-inch arms) and less explosive (32.5-inch vertical jump) than expected, Howell slips down my board a bit after a disappointing Combine. But he remains one of my favorite prospects in this class because of his slipperiness off the edge and ability to drop into coverage. If Howell falls to the latter portion of the first round, some playoff contending club is going get a steal. 26. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson Nickel cornerbacks have never been more in demand, and Terrell is my favorite among them in this class. The NFL legacy plays significantly above his weight class (180 pounds), averaging 50 tackles over the past two seasons and generating eight forced fumbles during that span, including an ACC-best five this past year. 25. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon Typecast as a highly instinctive player who played fast, Thieneman proved at the Combine that he possesses elite athleticism to go with his diagnostic skills and soft hands, running the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds (with a 1.52 10-yard split) and generating an explosive 41-inch vertical jump. Thieneman has the look of an "easy" first-round pick at this point and a decade-long NFL starter. 24. Anthony Hill Jr., ILB, Texas Hill was asked to play many roles during his three years at Texas, spanning from edge rusher to inside linebacker to even nickel cornerback. That fact speaks to Hill’s football IQ. The tape shows uncommon agility for a 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker, as well reliable open-field tackling skills. 23. Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee Hood travels as well in the hip pocket of receivers as he does in the transfer portal, bouncing from Auburn to Colorado to Tennessee over the past three years before entering the draft at just 20 years old. He is an easy mover with impressive awareness of the ball and in run support, as well as a legitimate playmaker with touchdowns scored via interception and fumble recoveries. 22. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson Similar in some ways to Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, Woods is young (he’ll turn 21 in March), powerful and athletic, with his best football still ahead of him. He pairs his hands and feet well for such a young player, offering more to affect the quarterback than his five sacks in 35 college games might suggest. 21. KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M With 28 combined rushing and receiving scores in 38 career games at Texas A&M and North Carolina State, Concepcion is easily the top point producer of this year’s standout receiver class. Concepcion’s given name is Kevin, but KC is his preferred nickname and it better describes the silky-smooth athleticism he uses to consistently create space. 20. Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama It isn’t often that a man listed at 366 pounds can be described as muscular, but Proctor boasts as power-packed of a frame as you’ll see. What you see is what you get with Proctor, a bar-room brawler whose girth and power could ultimately push him inside to guard. 19. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State Simply put, Tyson has the best tape of this year’s receiver crop. It isn’t often that receivers of his size, twitch and tracking skills come around. Tyson is a case of "buyer beware," however, as he has missed multiple games because of injuries in each of the past three seasons. 18. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon As demonstrated with one of the greatest workouts from a tight end in Combine history, Sadiq is cut from a different cloth than most players at his position, possessing a squatty 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame and a rare combination of explosive athleticism and physicality. There are bright flashes on his tape as a pass-catcher, but he’s already an NFL-caliber blocker, showing excellent leg drive and grip strength to control opponents. 17. Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State At a dense 6-foot-4, 328 pounds, Ioane is perfectly built for the battles in the trenches, absorbing would-be rushers with his broad frame and heavy hands. While possible tackle converts could ultimately be drafted earlier, Ioane is the consensus top-rated "pure" interior offensive lineman of this class. 16. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee McCoy’s first two college seasons (at Oregon State and Tennessee, respectively) were so impressive that he maintained a first-round grade on my board even after missing the entire 2025 season with an ACL injury. When healthy, McCoy is a smooth cover corner with terrific ball skills, breaking up 16 passes (with six interceptions) over that span. 15. Makai Lemon, WR, USC Lemon reminds me a lot of Golden Tate, a dynamic run-after-the-catch weapon who played 11 years in the NFL. Like the 5-foot-11, 197-pound Tate, Lemon is a difficult matchup for cornerbacks because of a compact, almost RB-like frame to go with dynamic speed and top-notch ball skills. 14. Caleb Banks, DT, Florida Pardon the pun, but Banks has made a lot of money in the past two months, dominating at the Senior Bowl after missing seven games this year due to a fractured foot that required surgery. Standing a massive 6-foot-6, 335 pounds, with 35-inch arms and 10 3/4-inch hands, Banks is simply bigger than most trying to block him, and he can simply rag-doll blockers at times. 13. Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia With a steady stream of NFL blockers ahead of him on Georgia’s depth chart, Freeling had to wait his turn before seeing the field in Athens, starting just 16 games before heading early to the NFL. But there isn’t a blocker in this class who looks the part of an NFL left tackle more than the loose and long 6-foot-7, 315-pound Freeling. 12. Keldric Faulk, DL, Auburn If scouts were asked to draw up the ideal defensive lineman for today’s NFL, it might look a lot like the long-armed 6-foot-6, 285-pound ball of clay that is Faulk, whose size, strength and smooth athleticism offer great positional and schematic flexibility. As one of the youngest players in this class (he won’t turn 21 until September), Faulk is still growing into his frame and will need to get stronger to fulfill his potential, but he possesses the physical traits and intangibles to become one of the best players in this draft. 11. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State Receiver is one of the better positional groups of this year’s draft class, and Tate tops it because of his ability to win in multiple ways. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder has excellent body control, hand-eye coordination and grit to pull in contested passes, and he’s surprisingly slippery as a route-runner with excellent tracking skills. 10. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU Cornerback may just be the strongest positional group of this draft, and Delane tops it by a wide margin for me. He is a terrific man-to-man cover corner, showing easy change of direction and smooth acceleration to shadow receivers all over the field. He didn’t allow a single touchdown pass in 2025. 9. Spencer Fano, OT, Utah A dancing bear at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, Fano looks and moves more like a tight end than a traditional offensive lineman, excelling in pass protection because of his initial quickness, lateral agility and balance. I thought his positional workout at the Combine was one of the best of any player, regardless of position. 8. Sonny Styles, OLB, Ohio State A former safety-turned-linebacker who might evolve into an edge rusher, Styles is the ultimate ball of clay from this draft class. He was arguably the biggest star of the Combine, posting a remarkable 43.5-inch vertical jump and 4.46-second time in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5, 246 pounds. His rare size and agility could allow his future defensive coordinator to move Styles around similarly to how the Seattle Seahawks employed star rookie Nick Emmanwori in their Super Bowl run. 7. Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami It is appropriate that Bain rhymes with pain, as there isn’t a prospect in this class who plays with more violence than the three-year Miami standout. He enters the NFL with 33.5 tackles for loss generated in 38 collegiate games. Bain’s relatively stubby 6-foot-3, 270-pound frame will be a talking point in every NFL war room, but teams shouldn’t make the mistake of overthinking his fit. 6. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami Arguably the most powerful and pro-ready prospect in this draft class, Mauigoa simply engulfs opponents with his sheer size and iron grip, reminding me of another Mario Cristobal pupil, Detroit Lions All-Pro Penei Sewell. Facing a vaunted Miami pass rush every day in practice, Mauigoa has the look of a decade-long anchor at right tackle. 5. David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech Simply put, Bailey is the best pass-rusher in this class, boasting a terrific blend of burst, lateral agility and core flexibility to force whiffs from would-be pass protectors. The concern some will have is that at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Bailey lacks the size and power to be as effective in the running game, but that shouldn’t keep one of the few true matchup nightmares in this class from earning a top-10 selection. 4. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana Mendoza doesn’t possess the strongest arm of this class, nor is he the most dynamic running threat. He is, however, the consensus top quarterback, offering an exceptional blend of anticipation, accuracy and poise to project as a longtime, high-level NFL starter. 3. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame With all due respect to Heisman Trophy winner and likely No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, Love is the best offensive prospect in this class — and frankly, I don’t think it's particularly close. Love isn’t just the best back in this class; he’s among a select handful of the elite runners to enter the NFL since I began scouting a quarter-century ago, offering a blend of size, quick feet and breakaway speed reminiscent of recent blue-chip backs Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson. 2. Arvell Reese, OLB, Ohio State A blue-chip talent who starred mostly as an off-ball linebacker at Ohio State but possesses the twitch to attack off the edge, Reese is arguably the best prospect in this class. In terms of sheer athleticism, versatility and career trajectory, I see an awful lot of similarities between Reese and another former Big Ten star you might have heard of: Micah Parsons. 1. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State Sometimes scouting is easy. Whether at Alabama or Ohio State, Downs’ instincts, closing speed and reliable open-field tackling consistently shined, forecasting for years that his pathway to the NFL would come as a first-round pick. Downs won’t be the first player selected this year — safeties just aren’t valuable enough. But make no mistake, Downs comes with the highest floor, projecting as an immediate starter and foundational piece for one fortunate franchise.

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NFL Combine: 7 Most Telling Comments From the Week in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS — The primary purpose of the NFL Scouting Combine is for teams to gather intel on the top prospects in the upcoming draft and scout them in simulated drills. However, the week in Indianapolis also gave us several tea leaves on what to expect in the NFL this offseason. Will Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby get traded? What does George Pickens' franchise tag mean for the Cowboys? Will the Patriots pursue Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown? Those questions were asked this week, and while they weren't answered, we got comments that gave us plenty to read into. So, here are the seven most telling comments we heard at the combine, and how we interpreted them: Raiders GM John Spytek on a potential Maxx Crosby trade: ‘We’re always listening’ Henry McKenna: This situation feels a whole lot like an organization that is committing to their QB1 — "right now." When a team says something like that, they’re almost inevitably going to replace their QB. So when John Spytek said this about Crosby … "We're always listening," said Spytek, when asked if Crosby was untradeable. It meant that they were almost inevitably going to trade him. Of course, let’s make sure to honor everything Spytek said. Because he’d clearly like to keep the edge player. "Maxx [Crosby] is an elite player," he told reporters at the combine on Tuesday. "I've been very upfront from the start when I got here that we're in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them. And it's hard to build a great team without elite players." It’s understandable that the Raiders don’t want to trade Crosby. It’s also starting to feel unrealistic. He doesn’t want to be there, and when a player of Crosby’s caliber makes a decision like that, it forces the team’s hand. So at some point before the draft, there will likely be a blockbuster trade that sends Crosby to a new home. Brian Schottenheimer says he hopes the Cowboys can lock up George Pickens on a long-term deal McKenna: If George Pickens had made it to free agency without the franchise tag, he would’ve been the most sought-after player. Bar none. In fact, he was ranked No. 1 in our own Greg Auman's top 100 free agents list for this offseason. But as is often the case with pending free agents, the Cowboys are not letting Pickens onto the free market. They placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him, which — for now — sets his 2026 earnings at almost $27.3 million. Prior to news of Pickens' franchise tag, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed whether the team planned to lock up the receiver to a long-term deal. "I hope," he said. "Everything I've been around George from the time he got here, and I say this respectfully, I kicked his ass in shooting free throws in my office. He might not remember it that way. I knew this guy's a competitor and he loves football, so I hope so." With Jerry Jones running the operation, there is almost no margin for error in contract negotiations. But Pickens proved he can be among the league’s most dangerous threats. It’s a no-brainer. Lock him up and enjoy having two elite players at one position that everyone else covets. Mike Vrabel fueled trade rumors by explaining that he and A.J. Brown have a strong bond — years after working together McKenna: Mike Vrabel and A.J. Brown like each other. They have both made that abundantly clear. Earlier this offseason, Brown spoke on how much he appreciates Vrabel — even if the wide receiver didn’t initially love playing for the coach. But there’s a real chance Brown could play for the coach again. The Patriots are going to be in on Brown’s trade market, per MassLive.com. And Vrabel has openly spoken about his relationship with Brown. "I’ve watched him grow. I’ve watched him mature. I’m proud of him, proud of the father that he is. I’m proud of the husband that he is," Vrabel said. "That has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. Those are the things that are important. "We reach out and text each other during the good things that happen to each other. Sometimes things don’t go so well for the people that you’re close with, and you text for those as well. It’s a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today." The question is whether trading for Brown could get the Patriots back into the playoffs for a second straight year. And if the answer is yes, then perhaps we’ll see them pull the trigger. Steelers GM Omar Khan: expecting answers ‘sooner than later’ on Aaron Rodgers Ben Arthur: The Steelers may be in a wait-and-see mode with Aaron Rodgers again, but it feels like they’re positioned in the best way possible given the challenging circumstances of a down quarterback market this offseason between the draft and free agency. First, the door is open for the 42-year-old Rodgers in a way that doesn’t seem like it would cripple their timetable to go after another viable veteran starter should he retire. "I don’t foresee this going like it did last year," general manager Omar Khan told CBS Sports. "I’m pretty certain we’ll have an answer sooner than later." And even if Rodgers returns, they can draft their potential quarterback of the future (Alabama’s Ty Simpson is an option with the 21st overall pick) to sit for a year. The franchise has gushed about rising second-year quarterback Will Howard, too, and he appears to be firmly in the future plans. So it could be Rodgers (or another veteran QB), a quarterback drafted this year, Howard and Mason Rudolph (who still has one year on his contract) in the QB mix. It’s not a great scenario, but it would give Pittsburgh some stability at the most important position in 2026 and something to look forward to in 2027. There are quarterback-needy teams across the league that have much worse outlooks. Nick Caserio called the C.J. Stroud trade speculation ‘moronic’ Arthur: Clearly, Texans general manager Nick Caserio isn’t a fan of the C.J. Stroud trade rumors. "Moronic," he said, in part. And honestly, he’s right. It’s clear to all league observers that C.J. Stroud hasn’t been the same player since his historic rookie season, and that his current trajectory is concerning. That needs to change. But his play shouldn’t warrant panic. Just because he’s now eligible for an extension doesn’t mean Houston has to give him one this offseason. Despite the narrative surrounding Stroud coming out of a disastrous playoff run, the most sensible move with him has long been to pick up the fifth-year option in his rookie contract by the May 1 deadline, which would give him $25.904 million guaranteed for 2027. That’s bottom-tier money for non-rookie contract starting quarterbacks, which is appropriate for his production over the last two years. "He’s our quarterback," Caserio said. "He isn’t going anywhere." Houston can push back talks about Stroud’s future to next offseason. One team told Fernando Mendoza to ‘get arrested’ so he’d slide to them Mendoza looks like the runaway favorite to go first overall. The Indiana quarterback said he had a "fantastic" interview with the Raiders. If they feel the same way, there’s really no reason why they wouldn’t pick him first overall. And that’s why, when he met with another team, they told him that he’d need to "get arrested" to land in their draft spot, the Indiana quarterback said in an interview with CBS Sports. So yeah, it would be stunning to see him slip past No. 1 at this point. It’s Mendoza mania from now until April 23, when the Raiders will turn in the first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. John Harbaugh wants to … build a team like Mike Macdonald. And not the other way around Arthur: We’ve talked so much about what John Harbaugh means for the Giants. What if the Giants are making a profound impact on him as well, in terms of how he sees the game? Harbaugh this week acknowledged that he’s learning from Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald, his defensive coordinator in Baltimore from the 2022 and 2023 seasons, who just won a Super Bowl. "Mike's amazing, and to see that happen for them, the type of team they built — I guess probably more than anything — is really kind of studying the kind of team that they built," Harbaugh said this week. "He and [assistant head coach] Leslie Frazier, as partners in that process, Jay Harbaugh, a part of that too. Seeing the team that they’ve built is reflective, I would say, for sure of the team that we want to build in New York." So often we see older coaches stuck in their way and unwilling to change, especially if they’ve had success doing it their way. And Harbaugh won plenty with the Ravens, who he led to a Super Bowl victory and six division titles in his 18 seasons as head coach. But his remarks show a willingness to learn. Maybe it's the Giants and the fresh start they’ve afforded him that will warm him to fresh, modern ideas in his new chapter.

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Vikings Reportedly Considering Tagovailoa, Murray; Will Release Pair of Veterans

The Minnesota Vikings appear set to undergo a roster overhaul that could see them bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job in 2026. Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins), Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals), Geno Smith (Las Vegas Raiders) and Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons) are all being considered by the Vikings as a possible addition to their quarterback room this offseason, ESPN reported Sunday. Minnesota is also planning to move on from running back Aaron Jones and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave this offseason, according to ESPN. Cousins is the only quarterback in that group that's set to become a free agent as of Sunday. The Falcons said last week that they will release Cousins when the new league year begins on March 11. Of course, Cousins previously played in Minnesota before signing with Atlanta in 2024. He enjoyed a decent amount of success in his six seasons with the Vikings, playing under Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell for two of those years. He helped the Vikings make the playoffs in 2022 before an Achilles tear ended his 2023 season early. Tagovailoa, Murray and Smith, meanwhile, are all candidates to be cut or traded in the coming weeks. Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan suggested that the team was open to all options with Tagovailoa when he met with reporters at the combine this past week, including a release. If Tagovailoa is cut, the Dolphins could potentially take on a record $99.2 million dead cap hit, depending on when they release him. Murray is seeking to be cut by the Cardinals this offseason, a league source told FOX Sports' Ralph Vacchiano and Henry McKenna this past week. The Cardinals have also "grown frustrated" with Murray, a team source told Vacchiano and McKenna. Finally, Smith appears to be on the outs in Las Vegas with Klint Kubiak taking over as head coach and the team presumably taking Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Of those four quarterbacks, Cousins might have the strongest season in 2025. He went 5-3 as a starter, throwing for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. Tagovailoa threw for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions before getting benched for the final three games of the season. Murray threw for 951 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions to go with 173 rushing yards and a rushing score in five games before suffering a foot injury. Smith led the league in interceptions (17) to go with 3,025 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns in 15 games. As for Jones and Hargrave, Minnesota will save over $18 million by releasing the two veterans. They could still reportedly trade the two players, though. Jones rushed for 548 yards in 2025, which was the second-fewest he's had in his nine-year career. His 4.2 yards per attempt were also the second-fewest of his career. Jones also had two rushing touchdowns, 199 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown last season. Hargrave had 52 total tackles and 3.5 sacks this past season. He also had 31 total pressures, per Pro Football Focus, as he was in the first year of a two-year, $30 million deal.

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NFL Combine Survey: 42 Prospects Pick Which QB They'd Turn to With Game on the Line

INDIANAPOLIS — It's one of the most debated questions in all of football: When your team is trailing in the final minute and needs a touchdown, which quarterback are you turning to? Well, we put 42 prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft to the test and asked them that question in our NFL Combine Survey. To no surprise, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the vote. In the three times I've done this exercise (2022, 2025), Mahomes has come out on top in this survey. "It's hard not to say Patrick Mahomes," one prospect told me. Fourteen other prospects in the 2026 draft class also picked Mahomes. Among active quarterbacks, Mahomes is eighth in career fourth-quarter comebacks (20). But he has the most of any quarterback drafted in 2013 or later. The Chiefs' quarterback received nearly double the votes of the second-highest vote getter, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The two-time MVP received eight votes as he has 11 all-time fourth-quarter comebacks. Last year's runner-up, the Eagles' Jalen Hurts, didn't get a single vote, with Philadelphia's offense taking a step back. Bills quarterback Josh Allen (5) received the third-most votes after logging six game-winning drives (postseason included) this past season. Chicago's Caleb Williams (4) came in fourth after a strong season of fourth-quarter comebacks, logging seven fourth-quarter comeback victories in the regular season and postseason. He also had that memorable fourth-down touchdown pass to help the Bears tie the game against the Rams in their divisional-round loss. Speaking of the Rams, Matthew Stafford received three votes following his MVP season. Stafford's 39 fourth-quarter comeback victories are also the fourth-most all-time and lead all active quarterbacks. Four quarterbacks got a single vote each: the Bengals' Joe Burrow, the Seahawks' Sam Darnold, the 49ers' Brock Purdy and the Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield. As for the three players who skipped answering the question, one picked "the quarterback that coach puts out there that he trusts to go out there and execute the job. That's the quarterback we're standing with. Whoever coach puts out there." Another player opted to bypass answering the question for another reason. "I'm more so into hitting quarterbacks," one of the prospects told me. Let's take a full look at the results. RESULTS: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs: 15 Lamar Jackson, Ravens 8 Josh Allen, Bills 5 Caleb Williams, Bears 4 Matthew Stafford, Rams 3 (QBs that received one vote: Joe Burrow, Bengals; Sam Darnold, Seahawks; Brock Purdy, 49ers; Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers)

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NFL Combine: Former Ohio State Stars Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese Dominate

The Ohio State defense dominated college football this past season, leading the nation in allowing just 9.3 points per game and 219.1 yards per game. So it's no surprise that a pair of former Buckeyes defensive players are dominating the NFL Scouting Combine. Linebacker Sonny Styles and edge rusher Arvell Reese showed off their speed and jumping ability on Thursday during the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and broad jump measurements at the combine, separating themselves from their peers. Styles posted an 11-foot, 2-inch broad jump and 43.5-inch vertical jump, setting a new record at the linebacker position. Styles was also the man to beat among the linebackers in the 40-yard dash. He ran a pair of sub-4.50 runs in the 40, with his best 40 time later improving to 4.46 on the official mark. Reese set the best mark for edge rushers on Thursday. He ran an unofficial time of 4.47 seconds on his second attempt, which was later bumped up to a 4.46 on the official reading. These performances would presumably boost Styles' and Reese's draft stock, but it might be hard for their draft statuses to improve as they're already viewed as two of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. FOX Sports' Henry McKenna had both players going in the top 12 in his first mock draft, with the Washington Commanders drafting Reese at No. 7 and the Dallas Cowboys selecting Sonny Styles at No. 12. In FOX Sports Research's most recent mock draft, the Jets took Reese at No. 2 and Styles at No. 16. Reese entered the combine as one of the more intriguing players in the 2026 NFL Draft. He logged 6.5 sacks this past season, but was mostly considered an off-ball linebacker during his time at Ohio State. Styles, meanwhile, was named a first-team All-American alongside Reese.

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5 Takeaways From Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Measurements! Testing! On-field drills! Those are some of the main talking points in Indianapolis as the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine rolled on Thursday with the start of televised workouts. Defensive linemen and linebackers took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, and a few of the top prospects in this year's draft class dominated. But the day also brought us several more media availabilities with top draft prospects. Here are five takeaways from Day 3 of the combine: 1. NFL personnel high on Rueben Bain Jr. despite short arms Miami (Fla.) edge rusher Reuben Bain Jr.’s suboptimal arm length was one of the biggest talking points of this year’s draft entering combine week. We now have an official measurement for it after Thursday: 30 ⅞ inches. At that arm length, the Miami star would have the shortest arms for an edge rusher drafted in the first round since at least 1999, according to data available by Mock Draftable. Despite that, there does seem to be a strong feeling in league circles that Bain has a bright future as a pro. His power, polish and pass-rush repertoire jump out on tape. The reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year registered 83 pressures (!), 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss last season. "Shorter arms or not," a high-ranking AFC executive told me, "he’ll find a way to factor in games." The Titans, who have the No. 4 pick, are one of the teams who’ve publicly spoken glowingly of Bain, too. "His tape is undeniable," coach Robert Saleh told Titans media this week. "He is an unbelievable football player. He plays with great violence. His football IQ is off the charts. … There are certain things he’ll have to adjust to like all these rookies will, but I think he’s a kid that is going to have a lot of success in this league." I do wonder, though, what having an official measurement for Bain’s arm length could do for his draft stock. League personnel have known his arms were short, but do they now become too short? Could he potentially slide into the teens in Round 1, after being a consensus top-five guy? "I really don’t give the time of day for it," Bain said Wednesday on the discourse about his arms. "That’s all stuff I feel like you see on social media. None of the teams had concerns, so I’m not too concerned." We’ll see the true feeling of teams on the first night of the draft. 2. Ohio State's Sonny Styles, Texas Tech's David Bailey were big winners from combine workouts. Arvell Reese impressed, too. Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles, a consensus first-round pick, stole the show Thursday after posting a 43.5-inch vertical and a 4.46-second 40-yard dash with his 6-foot-5, 244-pound frame. That vertical is actually the best mark ever for a linebacker at the combine. He'd already been projected to go in the top half of the first round, but the rare athleticism he displayed could thrust him into the top five or just outside of it. Styles had 82 tackles (6.5 for loss), three pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble for Ohio State this past season. Texas Tech star edge rusher David Bailey also impressed with an official 4.50-second 40-yard dash. Bailey reached 22.91 miles per hour, which is the third-fastest top speed in the 40 by any edge prospect at the combine over the last four years, according to Next Gen Stats. The showing could make Bailey the first edge rusher taken in April's draft. He's been in contention for that possibility with Ohio State's Arvell Reese and Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. The first edge rusher could go as high as No. 2 to the Jets, who are reportedly trading former first-round pick and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson to the Titans for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat. Bailey tied for first in the FBS this past season with 14.5 sacks and second with 19.5 tackles for loss. Reese also had his moment on Thursday when he ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash that was later bumped up to a 4.46. 3. Imagine if Caleb Downs played a premium position … The hype would be nuts, right? Despite being a safety, the superstar out of Ohio State tied Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza for first place when we polled a small group of NFL executives and scouts at the combine earlier this week and asked them to name the top overall prospect in the draft. But there hasn’t been significant hoopla with him, at least not the kind you’d expect for a prospect who’s been given a "generational" label by draft pundits. Downs answered in the affirmative when asked if he’s the best defender in this year’s draft on Thursday. "I feel confident every time I step on the field," he said at the podium. "If I would say I stepped on the field and thought anybody was better than me, yeah, that’s not true." Downs is on track to be the highest-drafted safety since 2017, when Jamal Adams went No. 6 overall to the Jets. He has a realistic chance of going top five. And when you consider all that he can do, he should be. He’s been a versatile, high-impact chess piece in the Buckeyes’ defense the last couple of years. Downs played more than 140 snaps at three different positions this past season: in the box (241), free safety (240) and slot corner (146), per Pro Football Focus. He also played 44 snaps on the defensive line and nine at outside cornerback. His versatility as a safety is similar to Ravens All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. "It’s not really positional value. It’s who affects the game," Downs said. "If you affect the game in a lot of ways, that’s what is most important. That’s really all I can worry about. … At the end of the day, my film is what it is." It shows a premium player, even if he’s not at a premium position. 4. Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq’s combine performance is uniquely valuable It was fitting that Sadiq, the draft’s top tight end, made sure to tell reporters that he was going to make the most of this weekend in Indianapolis. "I want to make a statement and have a dominant combine performance," he said Thursday. "One of the best to do it." He appears to be an impressive athlete, but because he’s just 6-foot-3 — and an inch shorter than his NFL comp, Trey McBride — it’s of the utmost importance that Sadiq confirms his athleticism with impressive testing numbers over the course of the weekend in Indianapolis. "The versatility, I think I bring, explosive pass game. I'm going to go run a great 40 and all those things tomorrow," Sadiq told reporters. "Just showing how explosive I am in the pass game, but in the run game as well, so I can help a team all around." Sadiq seems like a clear Round 1 prospect. But the difference between the Ravens at 14th overall (with a $23.3 million deal) and the Broncos at 30 (with a $16.9 million deal) is considerable. If he can do what he’s saying, there’s a chance he breaks into the top half of the first round. 5. A Curt Cignetti story to leave you with One of the best moments of the day came from Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski, who was discussing Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti. Through laughter, the tight end prospect explained a memorable moment during one of the team’s blowout victories this past season. Backup quarterback Alberto Mendoza, Fernando’s younger brother, was in the game. And the sophomore had pulled the ball on a zone read multiple times in a row. "Then after like, the fourth time of it, it was a terrible read. He should’ve given the (play up) after he lost like two yards," Nowakowski explained. "[Cignetti] tells a coach, ‘Get Bert over here! Get Bert over here!’ So Bert’s like, ‘what? It’s the middle of the game. What are you doing?’ "He runs over to the sideline, bro," Nowakowski continued. "[Cignetti] goes, ‘we’re not paying you to run the ball! Hand the ball off!’ We’re up like 70 points. He’s pissed off, yelling at Bert. "Then he just turned back at me and gave me one of his little smiles, bro," he added. "He was just like, ‘You like that?’" Henry McKenna contributed to this report.

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NFL Combine Survey: 42 Prospects Pick Which Player Was the Best They Faced in College

INDIANAPOLIS — Who is the best player in the 2026 NFL Draft? Well, there's one way to find that answer: ask the prospects who was the best player they faced in college. I did just that in the latest version of my NFL Combine Survey, asking 42 prospects who were invited to the combine who was the best player they went up against in their college days. It's a fun question that can yield three different kinds of answers — big-name former college stars already in the NFL, top prospects in this year's draft class or players who will be back in college football in 2026. In all, we had 34 different players get name-dropped, including seven who were picked by two prospects. No player received more than two votes, though, showing the depth of talent currently in the game. One player abstained from answering this question. Former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was among the group of seven players who received two votes in this exercise. Only two prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft received two votes: Penn State guard Olaivavega "Vega" Ioane and Miami (Fla.) edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. Of the seven players returning to college to receive a vote in this exercise, none of them received more than one vote. Miami (Fla.) wide receiver Malachi Toney made a strong enough impression in his freshman year to receive a vote, though. Unsurprisingly, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith received a vote for the second straight year in this exercise. Smith is widely considered to be a top prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft. One surprise from this question was that the reigning Heisman winner and presumptive No. 1 pick, Fernando Mendoza, didn't receive a vote. Let's take a closer look at who prospects believe were the toughest players they faced in college. RESULTS: PLAYERS NOW IN NFL C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State (now Texans): 2Jared Verse, edge rusher, Florida State (now Rams): 2Laiatu Latu, edge rusher, UCLA (now Colts): 2Jalen Carter, DL, Georgia (now Eagles): 2Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas (now Chiefs): 2 Other current NFL players picked: Braylon Allen, RB, Wisconsin (now Jets)Abdul Carter, edge rusher, Penn State (now Giants)Jordan Davis, DL, Georgia (now Eagles)Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington (now Steelers)Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College (now Ravens)Matthew Golden, WR, Texas (now Packers)Mohamad Kamara, OLB, Colorado State (now Buccaneers)Jacob Saylors, RB, East Tennessee State (now Lions) Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee (now Bears)Bryce Young, QB, Alabama (now Panthers)Peter Skoronski, G, Northwestern (now Titans)Rome Odunze, WR, Washington (now Bears) PLAYERS IN THIS DRAFT Rueben Bain, edge rusher, Miami (Fla.): 2Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State: 2Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake ForestCaleb Downs, S, Ohio StateMikail Kamara, DE, IndianaJeremiyah Love, RB, Notre DameCashius Howell, edge rusher, Texas A&MTy Simpson, QB, AlabamaJordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona StateWesley Williams, DL, Duke PLAYERS STILL IN COLLEGE Isaac Brown, RB, LouisvilleTrinidad Chambers, QB, Ole MissMalachi Toney, WR, MiamiAhmad Hardy, RB, MissouriKam Perry, Miami (Ohio)*LaNorris Sellers, QB, South CarolinaJeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

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NFL Combine: Arvell Reese's Position is TBD, But He's Determined to Play 'Violent'

INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State's Arvell Reese might be the most intriguing talent at the top of the 2026 NFL Draft. Reese was an off-ball linebacker in college, playing the position so well that he was named a consensus All-American in 2025. He's more than athletic enough, though, that he might shine as an edge rusher in the pros. He's earned comps to Micah Parsons because of that, as the Packers' star went from playing off-ball linebacker at Penn State to becoming an All-Pro edge rusher. Even Reese isn't necessarily sure which position he'll play in the NFL yet, telling teams that he sees himself as an "outside linebacker or edge" at the Scouting Combine this week. But there is one thing Reese is sure about: No matter which position he plays, he's going to play it with a voracious tenacity. "On the football field, I'm just always thinking to play violent," said the 6-foot-4, 241-pound Reese when he took the podium at the Scouting Combine. "I haven't even scratched the surface of what I can do pass-rushing, for real." In a draft where many prospects have played five or six years of college football, Reese is a precocious exception. At only 20 years, his body of work at Ohio State is a small one, playing only on special teams as a freshman, then with a half-sack as a rotational player on its 2024 national championship team. In his breakout 2025 campaign, Reese recorded 6.5 sacks as an off-ball linebacker, but he's still learning and developing as he enters the NFL. "It's a position-less thing," Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, himself a former Buckeyes standout who played eight years in the NFL, told me. "Velly's an outside backer who can play inside. It'd be smart for a D coordinator to put him over the other team's offensive lineman and try to get him in space so he can use his athleticism." Where can he still improve? "Everywhere," Reese said. "I think I can get way better at pass rushing, I think I can get way better on coverage, think I can get way better with my pad level. Sometimes I'm too high. There is so much room for improvement for me. I just can't wait to get better." Reese benefited this past season from playing for a longtime NFL coach in Matt Patricia, whose defense not only elevated his play but gave him a preview of the concepts he'll find as a pro. "With his defense, I'm able to explain all 11, with 80 to 90% of the calls," Reese said of understanding the roles of everyone around him, giving him confidence for what he can do within that. Laurinaitis said Reese is quick enough to speed-rush around a tackle, but he also has the strength to power-rush opposing blockers. Of course, Reese will need to determine when he needs to speed-rush and when he should power-rush in order to maximize his skill set. Laurinaitis doesn't see that being a problem, though, noting he has good instincts for when to attack. "There's a very natural feel that he has off the line of scrimmage, too," Laurinaitis said. "When you're talking about off-the-ball linebackers, there's almost a God-given element when it comes to feeling offensive plays. You've got to see a lot, but you also have to see a little. It's really hard to describe, even as someone who did it. How do you feel that all coming? There's so much going through your brain, it's hard to train someone, but he has a natural foundation and a gift, and his explosiveness is really what separates him." Reese could be one of four Ohio State players drafted in the top half of the first round, with safety Caleb Downs, linebacker Sonny Styles and wide receiver Carnell Tate often being included in the top 15 of mock drafts. Reese said being surrounded by that talent — which doesn't count receiver Jeremiah Smith, who'll likely be a top pick in 2027, or the 14 Buckeyes taken in the 2025 draft — fostered a competitive environment in practice that spilled over to Saturdays as well. "That's the reason I went there — there's dawgs everywhere," Reese said. "You've got to be comfortable knowing that you're not going to be the only dawg there, so you have to just work to get better every day. ... We were talented at every position. I think that's what Ohio State does, just produces elite athletes and players." Reese's has earned comparisons to Parsons in the early parts of the draft process due to the position versatility. But when Reese was asked who he would model himself after, he pointed to one of Patricia's old Patriots standouts, instead: Jamie Collins, who racked up 26.5 career sacks while playing as an off-ball linebacker. Reese enters the draft with confidence. He's choosing to do all testing and participate in drills at multiple positions, at a time when Miami (Fla.)'s Rueben Bain Jr. will not work out, attending the combine for team interviews only. Patricia has helped his top prospects by walking them through what they can expect from the combine and the kinds of questions they'll get from NFL coaches and scouts. Many mock drafts have Reese being drafted with one of the top picks, often getting paired with the Jets at No. 2 overall. When Reese was asked what it would mean to go to New York at No. 2, he said he isn't caught up in where he's going. However, he acknowledged that New York would present an exciting future for him. "That would be amazing," Reese said. "Just getting a chance in the NFL would be amazing ... It would mean a lot to me to be one of those guys who kids can now look up to, because there were a bunch of guys I looked up to growing up and wanted to be like."

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Let's Debate: Who Will Benefit Most From the NFL Combine? Who Was Snubbed?

The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine begins this week, which means everybody's favorite college football players from this past season will have a massive platform to showcase themselves to general managers, coaches and scouts. It's a huge deal to be invited, and it's a great opportunity to prove yourself one way or another — through workouts, interviews and press conferences. There have been plenty of examples of how important these four days can be in improving one's stock or crushing draft hopefuls' prospects. In this week's roundtable discussion, our college football analysts debate who might benefit most from the combine and who was overlooked and not invited to participate at all: Who needs to improve their draft stock at the combine? Michael Cohen: Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana Sarratt toyed with entering the NFL Draft last winter following a standout 2024 season in which he caught 53 passes for 957 yards and eight touchdowns in his first year with the Hoosiers. One reason he returned for another season was the chance to reach his personal goal of topping 1,000 yards, — a milestone he had already achieved at James Madison, but one he was eager to reach against Big Ten competition. Nagging injuries sidelined Sarratt for multiple games midyear, costing him the chance to reach that milestone. The fact that he still finished with 65 catches for 830 yards and 15 touchdowns — including three in the College Football Playoff — speaks to how impactful Sarratt can be when healthy. A strong showing in Indianapolis this week could vault him higher in the wide receiver pecking order. Laken Litman: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama Simpson is hoping to be the second quarterback selected in April's NFL Draft behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza. There's also chatter that while Simpson could be a first-round pick, he could also be taken later on. Simpson was at Alabama for four years, sitting patiently his first three behind the likes of Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe. He started the 2025 season and threw for 3,567 total yards (second in the SEC behind Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss) with 28 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He led the Crimson Tide to an 11-4 record and a spot in the Rose Bowl, where they lost to eventual national champion Indiana. However, Simpson's stock took a hit as his performance dipped toward the end of the season. He reportedly turned down lucrative transfer offers to enter the draft because, he said, that playing at another school would "tarnish" his legacy. NFL brass has to like his loyalty and maturity in making that decision. Simpson is expected to throw at the combine, too, which could certainly boost his stock. RJ Young: Joey Aguilar, QB, Tennessee Up until last week, Aguilar believed he would start for Tennessee, leading the Vols toward a second CFP appearance in three years. Instead, he’s now part of a crowded job fair — competing with some of the best quarterback prospects in the world for a chance to make an NFL roster. Aguilar isn’t the type of signal-caller teams typically target in the first two rounds. Still, his lone season at Tennessee was impressive: over 3,700 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions. Even more remarkable, he mastered Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s playbook in the summer and won the starting job in preseason after joining the program through the spring transfer portal. Aguilar must not only perform on the field as an older rookie — he’ll turn 25 this year — but also demonstrate command of the game in one-on-one interviews, navigating formations and schemes with precision. Who was wrongly snubbed from the combine? RJ Young: Jaden Dugger, LB, Louisiana Dugger was an absolute menace in the Sun Belt last year. Along with 125 total tackles in a conference that produced its first CFP invitee — James Madison — Dugger also accounted for 4.0 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. Scouts love his measurables. As an inside linebacker, he stands at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, has an 84-inch wingspan and arms that are almost 35 inches in length. Dugger is the kind of specimen at the position Dallas Cowboys linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. was coming out of Oklahoma but with better production at the collegiate level. Some teams will see him and recognize supreme value in a player who didn’t get an invitation to the combine in a deep linebacker draft. Litman: Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana Black, another transfer who followed Cignetti from JMU, led Indiana last season with 10 rushing touchdowns and was second in total rushing yards with 1,040. He had 80 fewer yards than Hoosiers' teammate Roman Hemby, who was invited to the combine. Black is a talented downhill and patient runner. He ran for 241 yards and three touchdowns across three CFP games, including the 79 yards that led Indiana in the title game. There were 21 running backs invited to the combine. Because he was overlooked, Black will have to impress NFL general managers and head coaches at Indiana's Pro Day on April 1. Cohen: James Brockermeyer, C, Miami (Fla.) The interior offensive line is far from the most glamorous position in football, but Brockermeyer has been viewed as a blue-chip player for quite some time. He was a four-star prospect and the No. 194 overall recruit when he committed to Alabama in the 2021 cycle, ultimately spending two seasons with the Crimson Tide in a reserve role. He transferred to TCU ahead of the 2024 campaign and quickly won the starting center job, allowing just a single sack in 500 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. That was enough to propel Brockermeyer to Miami this past fall, where he anchored one of the strongest offensive lines in the country and helped the Hurricanes reach the national championship game. He did not allow a single sack across 558 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF, and earned third-team All-ACC honors from the league's coaches. There should have been a spot for him in Indianapolis. In Let's Debate, our experts tackle and explain the hot-button issues fans care about.

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2026 NFL Mock Draft: Who Lands Micah Parsons 2.0? Giants, Chiefs Grab Top WRs

INDIANAPOLIS — The 2026 NFL Draft has several strengths, with first-round depth at offensive tackle and edge rusher. There's a premier quarterback at the top — Fernando Mendoza — getting plenty of love. There are some shallow positions, however. It’s not a great year to need a cornerback, for example. But there should be some bona fide stars. There's a potential Micah Parsons 2.0 and a potential Derwin James 2.0 at safety. If you squint just enough, there's a potential Jimmy Graham, too. The first day of drills at the NFL Scouting Combine has arrived, which means that mock draft season is upon us. So, before players seek to boost their draft stock this weekend, let's project what will go down in the first round, which seems far from settled after the No. 1 pick. 1. Las Vegas Raiders (3-14): Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana The Raiders love the idea of Mendoza, a guy whose intelligence and diligence are pro-ready. 2. New York Jets (3-14): Rueben Bain Jr., edge rusher, Miami Coach Aaron Glenn is going to love how Bain will wreck games for opposing offenses — and the Jets badly need a defensive stud after shipping off Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline. 3. Arizona Cardinals (3-14): Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami Whether the Cardinals work with Jacoby Brissett or a new QB, they desperately need help on the offensive line. And it really doesn’t matter that Mauigoa is probably a right tackle. He’s the best offensive lineman in this draft. 4. Tennessee Titans (3-14): David Bailey, edge, Texas Tech Let’s build a force on the defensive line with Bailey and Jeffery Simmons. That’s a foundation that defensive-minded head coach Robert Saleh can work with. 5. New York Giants (4-13): Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State This is an all-important developmental year for QB Jaxson Dart, and receiver might be a need, with Malik Nabers hurt (ACL) and Wan'Dale Robinson slated to hit free agency. 6. Cleveland Browns (5-12): Spencer Fano, OT, Utah Shedeur Sanders might actually get a real chance to show what he can do if the Browns snag a left tackle like Fano. 7. Washington Commanders (5-12): Arvell Reese, (O)LB, Ohio State Dan Quinn was in Dallas when the Cowboys had the inspired idea to convert Micah Parsons into a pass-rusher. Can Quinn do it again with Reese? 8. New Orleans Saints (6-11): Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley paired with Downs? Yes, please. It’ll be Chargers All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr. all over again. 9. Kansas City Chiefs (6-11): Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State The Chiefs invest yet again in their passing game to support Patrick Mahomes. 10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-11): Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU The Bengals get a consistent, high-end playmaker on a defense largely devoid of just that. 11. Miami Dolphins (7-10): Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee McCoy was probably the best corner in college football prior to tearing his ACL in January 2025. But after missing the entire season, he should be good to go in 2026. 12. Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1): Sonny Styles, OLB, Ohio State Here’s the Parsons replacement that the Cowboys have been waiting for. 13. Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons, 8-9): Olaivavega Ioane, IOL, Penn State The Rams’ right guard and right tackle are both slated for free agency. They can shore up their unit with an elite guard prospect. 14. Baltimore Ravens (8-9): Makai Lemon, WR, USC The Seahawks showed us this season that it’s OK to have too many slot receivers. New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle is from the Ben Johnson coaching tree. And Johnson might still be searching for his new Amon-Ra St. Brown — but Doyle could get his in Lemon. 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9): Keldric Faulk, edge, Mississippi State The Bucs have a pair of pending free agents on the edge, so Faulk should solve that potential issue. And even if they can keep both Haason Reddick and Logan Hall, it might be a good thing to put Faulk in a rotation while he smooths out the blemishes in his game. 16. New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts, 8-9): Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana Whoever plays quarterback for the Jets is going to like throwing to Garrett Wilson, Cooper and Adonai Mitchell. 17. Detroit Lions (9-8): Peter Woods, DL, Clemson What happened to the version of the Lions that bit off kneecaps? Woods — a guy who plays like a bar fighter in the interior — should bring toughness to the middle of Detroit’s defense. 18. Minnesota Vikings (9-8): CJ Allen, LB, Georgia The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Allen isn't the biggest linebacker, but he plays bigger than he’s listed. He’ll be an immediate game-changer and leader in the middle of Minnesota’s defense. 19. Carolina Panthers (8-9): Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame Carolina coach Dave Canales told me this week that the best way to help QB Bryce Young succeed is by building a strong running game. Well, by drafting Love — one of the best three prospects in this class — the Panthers can immediately do that. 20. Dallas Cowboys (via Green Bay Packers, 9-7-1): Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, safety, Toledo The 6-foot-2, 202-pound McNeil-Warren is a tall and fiercely physical safety who helps as much in run defense as he does in coverage. 21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7): Denzel Boston, WR, Washington I think Pittsburgh will have either Aaron Rodgers or Malik Willis at QB next season. Rodgers isn’t as accurate as he thinks he is and Willis has a uniquely powerful arm to stretch the field. Either way, Boston — a lengthy athlete in the vein of Tee Higgins — can help either QB. 22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6): Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama The Chargers could put Proctor at guard and watch with joy while the 6-foot-7, 366-pounder mauls the AFC West. 23. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6): Akheem Mesidor, edge, Miami Here’s a no-nonsense pick from Howie Roseman. The Eagles get a productive, high-motor player at a premium position — and late in the first round. 24. Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars, 13-4): Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech It’s a meat-and-potatoes draft for the Browns, who get more impressive in the trenches. 25. Chicago Bears (11-6): Cashius Howell, edge, Texas A&M Who’s the best defensive player still available? Howell? Howell it is, then. He’s an explosive, albeit undersized (6-foot-2, 248), pass-rusher whose production alleviates any worries. 26. Buffalo Bills (12-5): Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon You’d think Bills GM Brandon Beane would want to give new head coach Joe Brady a weapon on offense, but Beane is disciplined and won’t reach. Thieneman should be the playmaker the Bills have needed since the departures and declines of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. 27. San Francisco 49ers (12-5): Blake Miller, OT, Clemson With Trent Williams fighting with the 49ers in another contract dispute, San Francisco might need help at left tackle. 28. Houston Texans (12-5): Caleb Banks, DT, Florida Banks showed what he can be in 2024. It was just that a foot injury in 2025 got in the way of the prospect peaking at the right time. But perhaps that’s to Houston's benefit, as the Texans could land a blue-chip interior pass-rusher. 29. Los Angeles Rams (12-5): Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama From a timing standpoint, this is a great year for the Rams to take a quarterback. They have two first-round picks, and they have another year with Matthew Stafford, who was the NFL MVP at age 37. Simpson seems like just the project for offensive guru Sean McVay. 30. Denver Broncos (14-3): Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon Sadiq may be just 6-foot-3, but he can be a special pass-catcher, particularly after the catch. You’d have to really squint to see five-time Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham, but Sadiq could be a nice match for QB Bo Nix and this offense. 31. New England Patriots (14-3): Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State The Patriots are going to need help at tackle when Morgan Moses retires. Iheanachor will need time to develop, but he could someday be an elite tackle — whether he lands at right or left tackle will depend upon how Will Campbell plays in 2026. 32. Seattle Seahawks (14-3): Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson The Seahawks appear to be on the verge of losing their cornerbacks in free agency, so GM John Schneider works to get younger at the position.

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4 Takeaways From Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — It was the draft prospects' turn to take the podium at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, but some coaches and general managers met with the media, too. That left us with a handful of tidbits on what to potentially expect in the coming weeks and months. Will Malik Willis actually receive a contract larger than we think he will? Could the Patriots swing a trade for a star player? Has a possible top fit already emerged for Miami (Fla.) star edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.? Here are my four takeaways from Wednesday: Arvell Reese is imagining a pass-rushing future … and it’s in his best interest Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, one of the best players in this year’s draft class, is somewhat of a positionless player. The Buckeyes used him as both an off-ball linebacker and an edge rusher to utilize his explosiveness and fluidity as an athlete. But during his combine availability, Reese acknowledged that he’d love to be an outside linebacker and rush the passer at the next level. At least from a financial standpoint, that’s a no-brainer decision. The top of the edge rusher market is currently at $46.5 million in average annual value (courtesy of the Packers’ Micah Parsons), while the bar for inside linebackers is less than half that at $21 million per year (Niners’ Fred Warner). The team that drafts Reese will obviously play a big role in dictating his NFL future. For the Buckeyes last season, Reese registered 6.5 sacks and 69 tackles (10 for loss) in 14 games. The team that drafts him could view Parsons’ path as its vision. The All-Pro defender was a middle linebacker at Penn State before transitioning to the edge for the Cowboys. Rueben Bain-Titans could be a dream pairing One of the top prospects in this year’s draft, Miami’s Rueben Bain said Wednesday that he’d always speak with Cam Ward when the quarterback was back on Miami’s campus (the two were teammates in 2024), and last year’s No. 1 pick told him that he’ll push for Tennessee to take him if he’s still available at No. 4. "Hopefully everything ends up the right way," Bain said at the podium of the Titans. "The interaction with them again was great, had a formal interview. We killed it. Went in and approached everything with the right mindset." All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons has previously vouched for the Titans to take the Miami star as well. And on Tuesday, coach Robert Saleh was effusive in his praise of Bain. "His tape is undeniable," Saleh told local reporters in Indianapolis, via Titans.com. "He is an unbelievable football player, he plays with great violence. His football IQ is off the charts. … There are certain things he'll have to adjust to like all these rookies will, but I think he's a kid that is going to have a lot of success in this league." The quarterback knows him well and is a fan. Your best player (Simmons) wants him. And you have a defensive-minded head coach who needs a foundational piece on defense to begin his Titans tenure. The Hurricanes' edge rusher makes sense on a variety of fronts for Tennessee. What’s next in Sam Darnold’s redemption arc? Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald on Wednesday said that he doesn’t expect much to change in his offense with Brian Fleury as Seattle's new offensive play caller. The 49ers run game coordinator and tight ends coach last season, the 47-year-old Fleury spent the past seven years as a San Francisco assistant. "It’s going to be built on the same principles," MacDonald explained, "but how it comes to life and the exact plays we’re going to run, I can’t answer that yet." I can’t help but think what that will mean for Sam Darnold. After a rough start to his career, the former No. 3 overall pick is firmly a top-10 quarterback. He just helped the Seahawks win their second Lombardi Trophy. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler. But a big part of his ascent over the last few years has been in teaming up with higher-profile offensive playcallers. Klint Kubiak served as the Seahawks’ play caller after having two other stints as an NFL offensive coordinator. Before that, Darnold was with the Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell, a well-regarded quarterback developer and playcaller. And before that, he had the Niners’ Kyle Shanahan (in a backup role to Brock Purdy). Fleury is different. He’ll be a first-time NFL playcaller. He was a quality control coach as recently as 2021. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Darnold have to take the most commanding role in an offense’s development than he’s ever had to do in the NFL. And even though he’s a guy now, I’m curious to see how that plays out. Imagine A.J. Brown and Drake Maye together … As the trade rumors about A.J. Brown in Philly ramp up, Vrabel was asked about his relationship with his former Titans star receiver. "It has meant a lot," Vrabel said of his communication with Brown. "I’ve watched him grow. I’ve watched him mature. I’m proud of him, proud of the father that he is. I’m proud of the husband [he is]. That has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. Those are the things that are important. We reach out and text each other during the good things that happen to each other. Sometimes things don’t go so well for the people that you’re close with, and you text for those as well. It’s a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today." While Vrabel didn’t speak directly to New England’s potential interest in Brown, it’s impossible to ignore the plausibility because of their relationship — and how much he could elevate the Patriots’ offense. Stefon Diggs’ long-term future is uncertain after all, and Brown is exactly the kind of No. 1 receiver that could support Drake Maye, who’ll surely be eyeing a bounce-back 2026 after a rough playoff run. A three-time Pro Bowler, the 28-year-old Brown has registered four straight 1,000-yard seasons.

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