2026 NFL Draft No. 2 Pick Odds: Arvell Reese Favored, Ty Simpson Longshot

Based on the odds, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is a shoo-in to be the first name called in April's NFL Draft. The Hoosiers quarterback had a dynamic season, to say the absolute least. He passed for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns and secured the Heisman back in December. Then in January, Mendoza led his team to a 27-21 win over Miami to capture the College Football Playoff championship. It's easy to understand why Fernando is the heavy favorite to be drafted No. 1. But when it comes to which player will be drafted second, the outlook is not quite as clear. Let's take a look at the lines at Oddschecker.com as of Feb. 18 for which player could be selected second in the 2025 NFL Draft. 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. NFL Draft 2026 Second Pick Betting Odds Arvell Reese (Ohio State): +120 (bet $10 to win $22 total)David Bailey (Texas Tech): +250 (bet $10 to win $35 total)Rueben Bain, Jr (Miami).: +450 (bet $10 to win $55 total)Caleb Downs (Ohio State): +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Ty Simpson (Alabama): +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)Francis Mauigoa (Miami): +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)Mansoor Delane (LSU): +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)Keldric Faulk (Auburn) +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)Spencer Fano (Utah): +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)Carnell Tate (Ohio State): +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)Kadyn Proctor (Alabama): +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total) Here's what to know about the oddsboard: The Buckeye, The Raider: Cleveland native Arvell Reese could be trading his Buckeye Scarlet for Gang Green if the New York Jets draft him with the second pick. At the beginning of the season, Gus Johnson acknowledged the linebacker as the first player to his "Got It" team for being a devastating talent on the field. Additionally, Joel Klatt put Reese at No. 2 in his latest draft projections. In 2024 and 2025 combined, he had 52 solo tackles and assisted on 60. The 6-foot-4 Reese had seven total tackles in the Buckeyes' semifinal loss to Miami, including three solo. Right behind him on the board is Texas Tech's David Bailey. The 6-foot-3 linebacker spent his first three seasons at Stanford before transferring to Tech in 2025. As a Red Raider, he racked up 32 solo tackles, assisted on 20 and had three defended passes. Case for a QB: Ty Simpson's odds to go second are on the longer side, but the Jets are in need of a quarterback. So could he be in play here? According to FOX Sports NFL Reporter Greg Auman, New York could move off of current QB Justin Fields, which might make room for a signal-caller like Simpson. However, Klatt projects the Crimson Tide QB will go toward the bottom of the first round to Pittsburgh. In 2025, Simpson passed for 3,567 yards, had 28 TDs and helped lead Bama to the CFP, where the Tide lost 38-3 in their Rose Bowl quarterfinal game to Indiana.

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Raiders Should Trade No. 1 Pick, Rights To Draft Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza

Everything is setting up for the Las Vegas Raiders to select Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Raiders need a quarterback and have an opportunity to select the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Mendoza wants to play for the franchise, too. However, FOX Sports' Danny Parkins doesn't think it'd be a good idea for the Raiders to draft Mendoza. On Tuesday's "First Things First," Parkins iterated that the Indiana quarterback isn't good enough of a prospect for the Raiders to use the No. 1 pick on him, believing Las Vegas is better off trading the selection. "Given how many holes the Raiders have and the comp for Mendoza seems to be that he's a Jared Goff type who's a little faster, but with a little worse arm — that can miss," Parkins said. "That's [not what the quarterbacks in the NFL look like today]. That can miss." While Mendoza seems to be the clear favorite to be the No. 1 draft pick, he doesn't seem to be viewed in the same light as other top quarterback prospects in recent years. Both FOX Sports NFL Draft expert Rob Rang and analyst Bucky Brooks compared Mendoza to Goff, but Brooks has some questions on whether he can be a difference maker at the next level. Still, Mendoza seems to be the clear-cut top quarterback prospect in this year's draft. Mendoza was the only quarterback to go in the first round in Rang's most recent mock draft. FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt, meanwhile, only had one quarterback other than Mendoza go in the first round of his most recent mock draft. He had the Pittsburgh Steelers taking Alabama's Ty Simpson with the No. 21 pick. So, with a lack of other high-end quarterback prospects in this year's draft, Parkins believes that the Raiders can get a haul for the No. 1 pick. "This draft, there might be more demand than there is supply," Parkins said. "If you can put up the rights to Mendoza for the Jets, Steelers, Dolphins and anyone that needs a quarterback, you can get a heist for him." The last time the first overall pick in the NFL Draft was traded was in 2023, when the Carolina Panthers moved from No. 9 to No. 1 to draft Bryce Young. The Chicago Bears got the No. 9 and No. 61 overall picks in the 2023 draft, plus the Panthers' 2024 first-round pick, 2025 second-round pick and wide receiver DJ Moore for the No. 1 pick. The 2024 first-round pick Carolina gave up ended up being the No. 1 overall pick, which Chicago used to select quarterback Caleb Williams. The Bears also turned the No. 9 pick they got in the 2023 draft into All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright, with that trade helping Chicago win the NFC North this past season. And as Parkins compared Mendoza to Goff, the Los Angeles Rams actually traded up for the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft in order to select Goff. The Rams gave the Tennessee Titans a first-round pick (No. 15 overall), two second-round picks (No. 43, 45) and a third-round pick (No. 76) in the 2016 draft, plus a 2017 first-round pick and a 2017 third-round pick as part of a deal to draft Goff. Los Angeles was able to make it to a Super Bowl with Goff, but that trade also worked out for Tennessee. The Titans used the picks they got in that trade to draft running back Derrick Henry, offensive tackle Jack Conklin and others who turned out to be core pieces for a Tennessee team that made the playoffs in three straight seasons (2019-21). So, recent history does suggest that trading the No. 1 overall pick could be smart, and that might be what's needed to jump start a Raiders franchise that's won seven games over the last two seasons.

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Veteran WR Robert Woods Signs 1-Day Contract To Retire With His Hometown Rams

Veteran receiver Robert Woods has signed a one-day contract to retire with his hometown Los Angeles Rams. Woods announced his retirement decision Tuesday on social media after a 13-year NFL career spent with five teams. The Rams swiftly added that Woods is retiring as a member of the team with which he spent five productive years and won a Super Bowl. "It's time for me to step away from the sport that has given me everything," Woods wrote. "Football has never just been a game to me — it has been my passion, my purpose and my lifelong dream. I cherished every moment my cleats touched the grass. Every time I stepped onto the field, I was determined to leave a piece of myself in every snap." The 33-year-old Woods is a native of suburban Carson who became an All-American at the University of Southern California before spending his first four NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He had the best seasons of his career back home in Los Angeles after he signed with the Rams during the franchise's fateful 2017 offseason — when the team also hired coach Sean McVay, signed stalwart left tackle Andrew Whitworth and drafted fellow receiver Cooper Kupp. Woods had 367 catches for 4,626 yards and 23 touchdowns during his five seasons with the Rams, putting up the only two 1,000-yard seasons of his career and serving as a dependable bookend to the prolific Kupp while catching passes from Jared Goff. Woods topped 85 catches and 900 yards in three consecutive seasons from 2018-20, and he had five catches for 70 yards in the Rams' loss to New England in the Super Bowl in February 2019. Woods was having another productive year with Matthew Stafford and the Rams in 2021 when he tore a knee ligament during practice in November, ending his season. The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl with Odell Beckham Jr. filling in for Woods, who had signed a lucrative contract extension in 2020. But the Rams traded Woods to Tennessee in the ensuing offseason, and he spent one season with the Titans before two years with the Houston Texans. He went to training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers last summer, but didn't make their roster and spent last season out of the league. "This game gave me memories, brotherhood and a legacy I am forever proud of," Woods wrote. "I walk away deeply grateful and fulfilled." Woods is still USC's career leader with 252 receptions over his three seasons with the Trojans. His 32 TD catches are second in school history, and his 2,930 yards receiving are seventh. Reporting by The Associated Press

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Heisman Winner Fernando Mendoza Says He'd Be 'Blessed And Honored' To Play For Raiders

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is now starting to shift his mindset toward the NFL, which really was his goal when he transferred to Indiana. Mendoza and the Hoosiers just happened to have a perfect season together that ended with an improbable national championship. "It’s been a whirlwind," Mendoza said Monday night before receiving the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top college quarterback. "I think now it’s finally settled in, and the dust has started to settle. The national championship, and then boom, next thing you know you’re on a new chapter." The latest award ceremony for Mendoza, the transfer from Cal who grew up a few miles from Miami (Fla.)'s campus, came exactly four weeks after Indiana won its first national championship 27-21 over the Hurricanes in their home stadium. It was also a week before the NFL combine, and just over two months from the opening night of the draft on April 23, when Mendoza very well could be the No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders and their new coach. "I'd be blessed and honored to play for the Raiders, or I'd be blessed to play for any team," he said. "Any NFL team that drafts me, I'd be ecstatic. I know at the draft, I'll probably shed a tear or two just because it's such a full-circle moment for me. ... The goal of transferring to Indiana was to make the NFL. It wasn’t to be a great college player. It was to try to develop into being an NFL quarterback one day." [2026 NFL DRAFT: How Raiders HC Klint Kubiak Can Maximize Fernando Mendoza’s Potential] Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards and an FBS-leading 41 touchdowns while completing 273 of 379 passes (72%) with only six interceptions. He had 4,712 yards passing and 30 touchdowns in 20 games over two seasons at Cal, which gave him a late scholarship offer after he had been prepared out of high school to "put myself into student debt" to play football at Yale — since no athletic scholarships are offered in the Ivy League — because he loved the game so much. Now the 22-year-old QB is preparing to move on to the highest level, knowing that college success won't automatically translate to the pros. "College is great, but that part's behind me," he said. "I feel like I've been satisfied with my college career. However, now I'm on to the NFL career. It requires a new skill set. It's a grown man's league." When Mendoza accepted the Heisman Trophy in December, his intention was to keep the trophy in Bloomington forever, where he felt it belonged. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later, when the Heisman Trophy was in a case on the Indiana campus, that he realized he also got one of his own to keep. "Then I took it back home, and so it’s in my living room, which is great," he said. "Think about that decoration." He even took his trophy to St. Paul Catholic Center in Bloomington, where he regularly attended Mass, to share with the church leaders around Christmas. He also hopes to take the trophy to his high school in Miami. [COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Let's Debate: 6 Burning Questions for College Football in 2026] The ceremony for the Davey O'Brien Award, named for the former TCU quarterback and 1938 Heisman winner, is held only a few miles from the TCU campus. That is also where the quarterback who likely will replace Mendoza was a starter the past three seasons. Josh Hoover threw for 9,629 yards and 71 touchdowns over 36 games for the Horned Frogs before leaving in the portal for Indiana even before the national championship game. Mendoza said he hadn't had the opportunity to speak with Hoover, and said any advice he would have for his successor would be given in person. Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Dolphins Cleaning House: WR Tyreek Hill Reportedly Released by Miami

The Miami Dolphins have made it clear they're turning the page and entering a new era. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been released by the Dolphins, ESPN reported Monday. The news came shortly after it was reported that the team plans to cut edge rusher Bradley Chubb. Miami is also reportedly cutting guard James Daniels and wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Following his release, Hill is now FOX Sports' 27th-best free agent this offseason and the seventh-best wide receiver set to hit the open market. With Hill getting cut, the Dolphins will save $22.8 million in cap space. Hill, who'll turn 32 in March, had one season remaining on his three-year, $90 million deal. Hill from a dislocated knee and an ACL tear he suffered early in the 2025 season. That injury ended Hill's season after four games, and it also ended his streak of seasons with 800-plus receiving yards at eight. Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins from the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2022 season. He continued to be one of the game's top wide receivers while he was in Miami, and was arguably the top wide receiver in the NFL for a bit. He was named first-team All-Pro twice in his four years in Miami, logging 4,733 receiving yards and 28 total touchdowns during that time. Miami's decisions to move on from Hill, Chubb and other veteran players came after it hired a new head of football operations and head coach. It hired Green Bay Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan to replace Chris Grier as its general manager and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to replace Mike McDaniel at head coach. The Dolphins decided to make those moves following a 7-10 season, which caused them to miss the playoffs for a second straight year. In totality, the Dolphins cleared $66.98 million in cap space and over $56 million in 2026 cap space with the moves they made on Monday.

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Jon Gruden Jokes He's 'Studying NASCAR Now' as He Can't Land a Coaching Job

Jon Gruden is desperate to get a headset back on, even willing to switch sports to do so. The Super Bowl-winning head coach teased a possible move to NASCAR when he spoke with FOX Sports' Michael Waltrip ahead of Sunday's Daytona 500. "It's unbelievable. You guys start the season with the Super Bowl. This is the greatest event ever. I can't get a job coaching, so I'm studying NASCAR now," Gruden said. While Gruden exclaimed that he's studying NASCAR, he still relied on his football knowledge when Waltrip asked him what advice to give Bubba Wallace ahead of The Great American Race. "Go trips right, make a left and then if you can't find it, call an audible," Gruden said. Close enough, Gruden. Maybe he can now run his own driver's camp for up-and-coming NASCAR drivers, just as he did for quarterback prospects ahead of the NFL Draft? Or could Gruden help run a team to success, just like he did when he was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002? The possibilities of what Gruden could do in NASCAR are certainly limitless. But the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach certainly seemed to be enjoying himself in Daytona on Sunday, attending a driver's meeting alongside former NFL great Marshawn Lynch and getting some swag from Austin Dillon. Gruden has had trouble landing a coaching job in football after he resigned as head coach of the Raiders amid an email scandal in October 2021. He hasn't interviewed with an NFL team since then and has expressed an interest in coaching the college game, but to no avail. However, he's had some minor coaching roles, serving in a non-full-time advisor role for the New Orleans Saints in 2023 before working as a head coach in the Hula Bowl in January. Gruden has also worked with Barstool Sports since 2024, making frequent appearances on FS1's "Wake Up Barstool."

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Seahawks NFL Free Agency Predictions: 5 Moves for Seattle After Winning Super Bowl

The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champs, but there's work to be done if they want to repeat. Seattle has six players on FOX Sports NFL writer Greg Auman's top 100 free agents list for this offseason. However, Auman also has the Seahawks re-signing four of those players and adding another in his free-agent predictions. The Seahawks are set to have roughly $72 million in cap space this offseason, per Over The Cap. So, finding the cap space to re-sign several key contributors shouldn't be a problem. But which players does Auman think Seattle will re-sign? Here's a closer at Auman's five free-agent predictions for the Seahawks. Re-sign CB Josh Jobe (79th-best free agent, seventh-best free agent cornerback) Auman's thoughts: "Jobe, 27, was cut by the Eagles before the 2024 season, landed on Seattle's practice squad and has quickly ascended to an every-game starter in a talented secondary. He re-signed this season for $2 million, but will be closer to $10 million on his next deal as other teams seek to crib from the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense. Two Super Bowls in four seasons doesn't hurt. Seattle has difficult decisions ahead in their secondary in free agency." Sign Ravens edge rusher Dre'Mont Jones (56th-best free agent, ninth-best free agent edge rusher) Auman's thoughts: "Jones, 29, split last season between the Titans and Ravens and reset his career high with seven sacks. He's been a consistent rotational disruptor bouncing through four teams in seven years, averaging just over five sacks a season. With the coaching change, he could land with John Harbaugh and the Giants or could go back to Seattle with Mike Macdonald, and should get a bump from the $8.5 million salary he earned in 2025." Re-sign CB Riq Woolen (33rd-best free agent, third-best free agent cornerback) Auman's thoughts: "Woolen, 26, led the NFL with six interceptions as a rookie in 2022, making the Pro Bowl, and he's totaled six over the last three seasons in helping the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Seattle has plenty of cap space, but can't keep them all. Woolen has 10-plus passes defended in each of his four NFL seasons. Projections for his next deal are all over the map. Spotrac has him at $8 million, Pro Football Focus has him at $15 million and others think he could draw more than that." Re-sign Rashid Shaheed (16th-best free agent, fourth-best free agent wide receiver) Auman's thoughts: "Shaheed, 27, was electric after Seattle acquired him from the Saints at the trade deadline — the only NFL player with a punt return and kickoff return for a touchdown, adding another kickoff touchdown in the playoffs. His receiving skills — 59 catches for 687 yards and two touchdowns — are a nice bonus, and Seattle will have tough decisions on which impending free agents it can afford to keep. He's likely to draw $15 million a year from a team that values a return threat and can use him creatively on offense as well." Re-sign RB Kenneth Walker III (Sixth-best free agent, best free agent running back) Auman's thoughts: "Walker, 25, ramped it up in the playoffs with four touchdowns before running his way to Super Bowl MVP after rushing for 1,027 yards in the regular season. Seattle was a good bet to extend him already, but the injury to Zach Charbonnet should make that more of a priority. Can he clear $10 million a year on a new contract? The Seahawks are a Super Bowl team still somehow ranked in the top five in available cap space for 2026, so it's hard to imagine them not paying to bring him back as a central part of their offense moving forward."

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