| Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says the 18-game season could be here as soon as 2027: For the 18-game season, it’s a question of “when” and not “if.” And the “when” could be coming soon.Per a source with knowledge of the dynamics, talks between the NFL and the NFL Players Association could begin as soon as June or July.The addition of another regular-season game is widely regarded as inevitable. At the latest, the league would get there via negotiations following the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. And if the players refuse, the owners would lock them out until they cry “uncle” on 18 games.The reality is that the league and the union can reach any agreement on any terms at any time. They can agree on 18 games without extending the term of the current CBA. They can do a comprehensive renegotiation including 18 games. They can do whatever they want.The sooner the league and the union agree to an 18th game, the more leverage the players will have. And remember this — the dates for the next two Super Bowls are set. Super Bowl LXII in Atlanta does not yet have a firm date. In theory, then, an 18th game could be added as soon as 2027.Whether it happens that quickly remains to be seen. The reality is that the NFL wants it, the NFLPA knows it’s coming, and everyone stands to make more money by reducing the preseason to two games and increasing the regular season to 18. Florio also thinks NFL lawyers, after instigation by NFL doctors, are working to ban the Philadelphia version of the sneak. Even if concerns about injury and aesthetics have become embarrassing pretexts for dumping the tush push, the effort to nudge the play out of the rule book has likely started the clock on the official expiration of the technique.By flagging the play as a catastrophic injury waiting to happen, the league has (intentionally or not) activated the legal bat signal.As noted by Kalyn Kahler of ESPN.com in an excellent postmortem on the tush push escapades in Palm Beach, NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills harped on the injury risk, to league staff, the Competition Committee, coaches, and owners.“It’s all about health and safety,” an unnamed owner told ESPN.com. “[Dr. Sills said], ‘It’s not if but when a catastrophic injury occurs.’”When incoming general counsel Ted Ullyot sees that quote, the die will be cast; he’ll say they need to get rid of the play before someone literally dies.Even if the data doesn’t support it, Sills’s adoption of a hair-on-fire posture (possibly at the nudging of those who want to kill the play, including the Commissioner) becomes a massive problem for the league if/when a serious injury happens during a tush-push play.It’s why the NFL changed the kickoff, even if they never say it out loud. They wanted to eliminate the very real risk of (another) catastrophic injury when two large, strong men run in opposite directions at top speed and collide. They have.By introducing the vague possibility of a catastrophic injury on the tush push, the eventual reality (if it happens) of a catastrophic injury makes those remarks a goldmine for proof of league liability. For that reason alone, it now seems obvious for the first time that the anti-tush push forces will get what they want. Especially since the push doesn’t really change what fundamentally is a very effective quarterback sneak.Indeed, the Eagles will still run the sneak. And they’ll do it very well. If/when a serious injury happens, the notion that it happened during the inherently dangerous tush-push play will be off the table and unavailable to the lawyer who is hired to obtain maximum compensation for the player who suffered it.There it is. Game over for the tush push. And the lawyers will be the ones who make it happen — especially since that advice will mesh with what the league office seemingly wants to do, anyway.– – -Albert Breer of SI.com touches on a reason why the DB is in favor of altering the NFL’s playoff seeding format: I’ve heard the Detroit Lions’ proposal—to seed the four division champions and three wild cards in each conference—only had a handful of teams in support when a straw poll was taken in the room Tuesday. But that doesn’t mean it’s dead.And there’s a big motivator for the league to keep working on this, and that’s the level of competition at the end of the regular season. The feeling I got from talking to people is that there’s concern that, with more seeding locked in early in this format, and the grind of a 17-game season apparent, more and more coaches were managing the players through Weeks 17 and 18 if they didn’t have a lot to compete for. Obviously, that affected the level of play.Part of the idea of open seeding is that it would make it less likely that teams would punt on the final weeks of the regular season to be fresh for the playoffs. The 10-win Los Angeles Rams took that sort of strategy to Week 18 last year, and it sure looked like it worked, with their playoff win over the 14-win Minnesota Vikings (beaten up from a war with the Lions for the NFC North title in Week 18) coming the following week.This idea, of course, could become even more of a factor when the league goes to 18 games at some point down the line. |
| NFC NORTH |
| CHICAGOKevin Warren leads the Bears in yet another change of direction regarding a new stadium. And Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports the team will continue to be owned by the McCaskey family: The Chicago Bears’ plans to build a new stadium took a shift in tone Wednesday at the NFL’s annual meeting.Just over a year after the team declared its goal to build a stadium south of the current site of Soldier Field on the lakefront in Chicago, team president and CEO Kevin Warren said the Bears are expanding their options to include Arlington Heights, Illinois, where the franchise currently owns the 326-acre property that previously housed the Arlington International Racecourse.“The focus now is both downtown and Arlington Heights,” Warren said. “These are not linear processes or projects. They take time, they take a lot of energy and effort. I am very, very pleased with where we are. I think we, collectively as a group, are where we thought we would be.”The Bears purchased the land in Arlington Heights for $197.2 million in Sept. 2021 but have not begun developing the site, which was expected to feature a multibillion-dollar stadium project and include restaurants, retail space and real estate. The team began exploring options for a new stadium beyond Arlington Heights in the summer of 2023 when they announced that those plans were “at risk” as negotiations over property taxes reached a $100 million impasse.One day before the 2024 NFL draft, the Bears unveiled plans for a domed stadium on the museum campus in Chicago. While the team has maintained that the construction of a new stadium will be privately funded, concerns over the burden placed on taxpayers to fund the infrastructure around the stadium have led to an impasse.In December, the Arlington Heights Board of Trustees unanimously approved a tax settlement with three school districts, which settled the annual property tax bill for the Bears’ potential stadium site at $3.6 million. While Warren noted the “progress” made with Arlington Heights, he also noted that there is more work to be done.“Because these projects are so complex and so difficult, they’re literally virtually impossible to do if you don’t have all hands on deck and everyone committed,” Warren said. “Even if you have that they’re difficult. So that was important to see the focus on it.”Warren reiterated that the team’s goal is to begin construction on a new stadium in 2025. Bears chairman George McCaskey said that private equity “may be utilized as part of our stadium construction financing plan,” but that the team has yet to make a decision on that front.“Yes, my goal still remains, to be able to move dirt around in 2025, which is important because there’s a lot of preconstruction work that needs to go into these projects, whether you’re at the museum campus, Michael Reese [hospital site] or downtown, to get things ready to go, and so we’re only one-quarter of the way through the year,” Warren said.Also Wednesday, speaking publicly for the first time since the passing of his mother, Virginia Halas McCaskey, an emotional George McCaskey addressed the state of the team’s ownership, which has been in his family for 105 years.“We’ve said for many years that we intend to own the Bears for as long as possible,” George McCaskey said. “Another 100 years would be great. She set it up for us to accomplish that. She gave us the playbook. She coached us up. Now we’ve gotta execute the plan, and we’re prepared to do that. We’ve got to stick together.”McCaskey said that the Bears’ succession plan was approved by the NFL, and he does not anticipate any changes in ownership structure.“[Virginia McCaskey] set it up for a smooth transition, and it’s a credit to her,” George McCaskey said. “In law school, I heard stories about people who just couldn’t contemplate their mortality, and as a result, it caused a lot of confusion and problems for the family, and she had the foresight to set it up so we don’t have that problem.” |
| NFC SOUTH |
| ATLANTAIf and when the Falcons part ways with QB KIRK COUSINS, Mike Florio has a pair of destinations in mind.The Falcons are waiting for an opportunity to trade quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins is waiting until after the draft to decide whether he’ll waive his no-trade clause.In four weeks, we’ll all know whether one or more teams will still be looking for a starting quarterback. At this point, however, the universe seems to be fairly small. It consists of two possibilities: the Steelers and the Browns.The Titans possibly could join that mix, if they trade the first overall pick and don’t draft quarterback Cam Ward. (There’s still a chance that will happen, in part because the Titans in recent years have done some unconventional things.) For now, though, it’s Cleveland or Pittsburgh for Cousins.So which one would want him? To the extent the Steelers witnessed his post-Achilles struggles in Week 1 last year, they might not be thrilled about casting their lot with a player who has lost the footrace with Father Time. (Especially since they did precisely that a year ago.) But if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sign (and he still has his arm, despite his advanced age), the Steelers will be stuck.The Browns make more sense than the Steelers, for a couple of reasons. First, coach Kevin Stefanski spent two years with Cousins in Minnesota. And Stefanski parlayed a final-eight season from Cousins into the job Stefanski now has. Second, Cousins has a low salary for a veteran starter — and the Browns could instantly restructure his $27.5 million, creating nearly $21 million in cap space.Cousins also could decide to play the waiting game. If/when a starter elsewhere gets injured, he could waive his no-trade clause and rush to the rescue. In the interim, he’d be getting paid his full salary from the Falcons.There’s still a chance Cousins will simply be a highly paid understudy to Michael Penix Jr., and that the Falcons will cut Cousins after the 2025 season. The final pieces won’t begin to fall into place until later this month, once the picks have been made and the depth charts come into far greater focus.For now, Steelers, Browns, Falcons seem to be the top (and perhaps only) options. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CINCINNATIEDGE TREY HENDRICKSON, the last key piece of the Keep The Band Together Coalition, goes on Pat McAfee’s Show after hearing some comments from the usually reticent Katie Blackburn of the ruling Brown family. Trey Hendrickson was hoping Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn’s recent comments regarding his contract situation were part of an April Fools joke. Unfortunately for Hendrickson, they were not, which prompted the four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher to issue a public response.Despite the Bengals granting Hendrickson’s request to seek a trade partner earlier this offseason, Cincinnati director of personnel Duke Tobin’s positive comments during the NFL Scouting Combine appeared to suggest that the two sides might be on the verge of coming to terms on a new deal. Yet Blackburn’s comments at the NFL owners meetings this week, and Hendrickson’s response to those comments, have made it clear that that is currently not the case.“That was a little disappointing, because communication has been poor over the last couple months,” Hendrickson said Wednesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” about Blackburn’s comments. “That’s something that I hold in high regard. They have not communicated with my agent directly. It’s been something that’s been a little bit frustrating.”Hendrickson, who initially signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Bengals as a free agent during the 2021 offseason, has one year remaining on his contract after he signed a one-year, $21 million extension in 2023. The NFL’s sack leader last year with 17.5 sacks, Hendrickson is currently slated to make just over half as much this season than fellow pass rusher Myles Garrett (who signed a four-year, $160 million extension earlier this offseason).“I think he [Hendrickson] should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at,” Blackburn said Tuesday, via NFL Media. “I think some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he’s not, you know, that’s what holds it up sometimes. So, you know, it takes him to say yes to something, and also, we have all the respect in the world for him. He’s been a great player. We’re happy to have him. And so maybe we’ll find a way to get something to work. We’re just gonna see where it goes.”Hendrickson (who said the Bengals told him last year that a new deal would get taken care of this offseason if he continued to play at a high level in 2024) clearly took exception to those comments and the fact they were made publicly, and that his contract was being discussed publicly instead of with his agent.“They’re more than welcome to call me,” Hendrickson said. “I’ve had my cell phone, same cell phone number since high school. Open line of communication is always open with me and my agent. So if they have anything they’d like to discuss, we’ve been nothing but willing to listen.”When asked to elaborated on his “poor” comment, Hendrickson said that discussions with the Bengals have been “here and there.” He said that, while he doesn’t have a definitive timetable on when he’d like the situation resolved, Hendrickson alluded to the start of OTAs, which will start up next month.As far as his contract, Hendrickson offered some insight into what he is asking the Bengals for.“We don’t have any desires of being highest paid or, you know, first in line,” Hendrickson said. “I’m not going to go into all the details, but like, there are things that I’m willing to do and willing not to budge on. I don’t think I want to play for incentives that will be out of my control. I don’t think I want to play (on a) short-term contract. … I would like to tell my wife, ‘Here’s where we’re going to live. Here’s we’re going to build a family together.’ You know.”In terms of the next chapter in his football career, the 30-year-old Hendrickson hopes that it continues in Cincinnati for a team that has rekindled its championship aspirations after the recent re-signings of wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. But Hendrickson is also open to continuing his career elsewhere if that’s how the cookie crumbles. He also wants the Bengals to benefit from any possible trade involving him.“I have prepared my family for, if we’re not there … is that something we’re willing to do,” Hendrickson said. “And, you know, my wife has been so great, and she’s so supportive that whatever it looks like. … I personally would love to be in Cincinnati. They got the best fans and obviously the best zoo.”The Bengals also still have one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in Hendrickson, but they’re probably going to have to quickly improve their communication with him if he is going to remain with the team moving forward. As good a player as Hendrickson has been, how many big money years should a 30-year-old pass rusher command?- – -In 1969, Paul Brown crossed the divide from a lifelong home in northeastern Ohio the hinterlands of Cincinnati. Now, his granddaughter quietly hints that London or points unknown could be the next stop in the family’s odyssey. Mike Florio on a move that could happen as soon as next year unless Hamilton County responds appropriately: The Bengals have contract issues, on the field and off.Their lease at Paycor Stadium will expire on June 30, 2026 — unless they exercise an option to extend it by two years on or before June 30, 2025.Team executive V.P. Katie Blackburn was asked about the status of the lease during the recent league meetings.“We play it day by day, and like everything else, we just continue to have discussions, see where things are, and then have to make decisions at the appropriate time,” Blackburn said, via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.If the decision is made to not exercise the extension, the Bengals will essentially become geographic free agents after the upcoming season. And they aren’t bashful about saying it out loud.“We could, I guess, go wherever we wanted after this year if we didn’t pick the up option up,” Blackburn said. “So, you know, we’ll see. Like I said, all these things will be done in due course. We are having discussions, and so we’re hopeful that the county is thinking about it a lot too and wants to get it addressed in a way that would be beneficial to both of us.”That’s a powerful, loaded comment. It implies that the Bengals could leave Cincinnati. As soon as next year.And while she also acknowledged that “[w]e love where we are,” she made the deeper concerns clear: “Our stadium obviously needs to continue to be maintained appropriately, and you want to keep it at a certain level that’s important, just so that we’re competitive with others.”Blackburn’s comments come at a time against a recent history of tension between the team and Hamilton County. If the two sides don’t get on the same page soon, things could get very interesting for the Bengals. And for Cincinnati. And for the NFL.And for any city out there that might be interested in luring a franchise that features franchise quarterback Joe Burrow to town. |
| CLEVELANDThe implication here is that EDGE MYLES GARRETT has not been a “real leader.” Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: The Browns signed Myles Garrett to a four-year, $160 million extension in March that included $123.5 million guaranteed. They now expect more out of the edge rusher.“What we’ve challenged Myles on is, by his practice habits, by his actions, etcetera, to become a real leader of the team,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said this week, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “And he has said he’d do that and we’re hopeful that he will be.”On the field, the Browns have gotten everything they have wanted out of Garrett since they made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2017. He has seven double-digit sack seasons, 102.5 career sacks, a defensive player of the year nod, six Pro Bowls and four All-Pros.He is headed toward a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.But Jason Lloyd of TheAthletic.com reported after Garrett’s extension that is is “well known within the Browns that Garrett is frequently late to the facility . . . [and] has skipped mandatory team activities on multiple occasions.”Nonetheless, the Browns never considered trading Garrett even after he requested a trade.“We had a lot of conversations about it, and there was never serious thought to trade Myles,” Haslam said. “What we know we have in Myles is a Hall of Famer. . . . These kind of situations are emotional. People say things, and you have to realize it’s not just the player. There’s an agent. There’s an agency who are working that process behind the scenes, and they’re really good at it. They’re really effective at it. And we’re just glad it worked out.” |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW ENGLANDThe Patriots say a host of teams would like to pry QB JOE MILTON away from them. Mark Daniels of MassLive.com: According to multiple sources, the Patriots have received multiple trade inquiries for young quarterback Joe Milton III.It remains to be seen if the Patriots will ultimately deal Milton. However, there does seem to be motivation on the player’s side to be moved. A source close to the quarterback said Milton would prefer to be on a roster that best gives him a chance to compete for the starting job.After drafting Drake Maye at No. 3 last year, the Patriots have their franchise quarterback. After signing veteran Josh Dobbs to a 2-year $8 million deal, the team also has a veteran backup. That leaves Milton as the potential No. 3 quarterback for the second-straight season. Of course, all teams prefer to enter a season with adequate quarterback depth. Milton gives the Patriots that – along with an affordable rookie contract.Although there are teams interested in Milton’s potential, it doesn’t mean the Patriots will give him away for nothing.The 2024 sixth-round pick’s name has been floated in trade rumors this offseason after leading the Patriots to a Week 18 upset win. The 25-year-old completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards to go with a passing touchdown. He also ran for 16 yards and scored a rushing touchdown.Considering this year’s quarterback draft class isn’t robust, Milton could provide another team with a young option to compete for a starter’s role.Chances are, there wouldn’t be any movement on Milton until after the draft, when teams assess where they are in relation to their respective quarterback rooms.On Monday, at the NFL Annual Meetings, Mike Vrabel was asked about Milton being a potential trade asset for the Patriots.He seemed to understand Milton’s plight.“Yeah, I think Joe’s did everything that they asked him to do last year. Sounds like in conversations that he worked extremely hard, and that’s tough when you’re a quarterback,” Vrabel said. “Everybody wants to play. Everybody wants to be the starter, everybody and that’s great to have that attitude. And he was ready for his opportunity there late in the season, which I commend him on, just like I would any player that sat there and went through a long season, a difficult season, and then got the opportunity, went out, won a football game, played well, helped his team win.” “And then where that leads to, we’ll see as the draft approaches, or where Joe is on April 7 to start our offseason program. But you have to give Joe credit for being ready to go, going from the third quarterback to being able to win that football game and stay ready and stay hungry.” And, as we go to press, we learn that at least one team was indeed interested in Milton – the Dallas Cowboys. Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com: Joe Milton is headed to Dallas.According to multiple reports, the Cowboys have traded for Milton to backup quarterback Dak Prescott.The Patriots will receive a fifth-round pick in exchange for Milton and a seventh-round pick.It was reported on Wednesday that New England had received multiple trade inquiries on Milton. Dallas’ proposal won out.Milton, 25, was a sixth-round pick out of Tennessee in 2024. He played well in the preseason before making one appearance in the regular season, receiving the majority of snaps in the Week 18 game against Buffalo. Milton completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards with a touchdown in that game. He also rushed for 16 yards with a TD, losing one fumble.The Cowboys needed a new backup after Cooper Rush elected to sign with Baltimore. Trey Lance was also on the roster and remains on the open market as a free agent.Will Grier is also on the roster at QB for Dallas.The Patriots recently signed Joshua Dobbs to a two-year deal to be Drake Maye’s backup. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| AAFCLast year, MLB decided to count the statistics from the Negro Leagues as official. For a host of reasons – including the reliability of those statistics and the fact that very few Negro League players ever migrated to MLB – the DB was not a fan. Now the NFL has reached back and decided the AAFC gets the inclusive treatment. Unlike the Negro Leagues, AAFC teams that we know and love today – the Colts, Browns and 49ers – merged into the NFL, so there is a little bit more apples to apples treatment (AFL stats from 1960 to 1969 have always been “NFL” inclusive). Judy Bautista of NFL.com:The NFL record book is about to be rewritten and Paul Brown, perhaps the most influential coach in modern football history, will be the biggest winner.For 75 years, the exploits of those who played and coached in a long-defunct professional football league that was an early rival to the NFL have been mostly ignored, lost in the explosion of interest in statistics and the merger of the AFL and NFL.Two decades before the vaunted merger of 1969 that created the modern NFL, the All-America Football Conference, an earlier competitor of the NFL, went out of business at the end of the 1949 season. Three of its teams – the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and the original Baltimore Colts – joined the NFL for the start of the 1950 season and a fourth team, the New York Yanks, was essentially a spin-off of some players that had been part of the AAFC team, the New York Yankees. The rest of the teams folded. Despite those links with the NFL, all the records for every team and player from the four years the AAFC existed disappeared, unacknowledged in the NFL’s record books.Included in the Competition Committee report to NFL owners in advance of the Annual League Meeting was notice that the statistics from the AAFC — players, coaches and teams — will finally be incorporated into the NFL’s official records, just as the AFL records were incorporated into the NFL’s record when the merger was completed. The report was officially approved by the owners in Palm Beach on Tuesday.The AAFC was no minor league. Seventeen men who coached or played in the AAFC are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Brown and players like Otto Graham, Y.A. Tittle and Marion Motley. No one seems to know why the records did not carry over to the NFL at the time of the AAFC’s demise, although a long-ago note in the NFL’s record and fact book stated that official scoresheets were not available for the AAFC.That note, though, hasn’t appeared since the 1980s. A move to include the AAFC’s statistics picked up steam in 2019, when the NFL celebrated its 100th anniversary and dove deep into its history. That effort stalled when COVID-19 struck in 2020, and everyone’s attention was diverted to merely getting through the season. But the push was recently revived and more data was uncovered. In 1949, the AAFC published a statistical record that included single game records for all four seasons and the game scoresheets have been recovered. The NFL league office conducted a review and, after consulting with the Elias Sports Bureau and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it decided it was time to correct the oversight.The most significant adjustment will be to Brown’s coaching record. In the 2024 NFL record and fact book, Brown is credited with 21 seasons, 166 regular season wins, four postseason wins (for a career total of 170 wins) and three championships. But Brown coached the Cleveland Browns to the championship in every one of the AAFC’s four seasons. He won 47 regular season games in the AAFC, and five additional postseason games. His career total, then, should be 222 victories and seven overall championships. The 222 victories will vault him up the all-time wins list. In the 2024 NFL record and fact book, Brown was in 21st place. With the AAFC adjustment, he will be in seventh place, just behind Curly Lambeau, who had 229 overall victories, and just ahead of Chuck Noll, with 209. Given Brown’s outsized influence on coaching — he is credited with, among other things, beginning the practice of using film analysis to grade players and calling plays from the sideline — it is hard to imagine anyone quibbling with Brown’s new rank.Among the other changes: Marion Motley will now be fourth on the list of highest career rushing average with 5.7 yards per carry. Ahead of him are Michael Vick (7.0), Randall Cunningham (6.4) and Lamar Jackson (6.1). And the San Francisco 49ers of 1948 amassed 3,663 yards rushing, which puts them in first place all-time over the 2019 Baltimore Ravens, who had 3,296 rushing yards. The 1948 49ers averaged 6.1 yards per run in 1948, which will also put them in first place, just ahead of the 2024 Ravens, who averaged 5.8 yards per carry. |
| 2025 DRAFTWith under a month to go, Josh Edwards of CBSSports.com offers his take on the five biggest storylines of the draft: The 2025 NFL Draft may not be flush with blue-chip talent, but it certainly does not lack in big names or storylines. Miami quarterback Cam Ward is the presumptive No. 1 overall selection, and yet it is another quarterback, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, who seems to be driving headlines.Apart from those two prospects, the league is welcoming Colorado’s Travis Hunter, who is the first player in the modern era capable of playing both sides of the ball at an elite level, and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, who may prove to be the best of the bunch.There are also other storylines regarding NFL veterans that will have some level of impact on the 2025 NFL Draft. As the calendar turns to April, here are five on the mind of fans and talent evaluators alike:Will the Titans trade the No. 1 overall pick?Tennessee has maintained that it is open to trading out of the No. 1 overall selection. However, everything the organization has done this offseason supports the idea that it is going to stick and pick Ward. Former second-round pick Will Levis obviously has talent, but head coach Brian Callahan was clearly frustrated by his decision-making last season. This offseason, the Titans have signed two veteran offensive linemen. Those investments were made to protect some combination of Levis, Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle? Unless they are a surprise contender for Kirk Cousins, the stage seems to be set for Ward.Where will Shedeur Sanders get drafted and will three quarterbacks be drafted in the first round?There has been no singular source of debate greater than Sanders in this draft class. One small portion of the draft community feels as though he is QB1, whereas another small portion believes he will not be taken in the first round. The truth likely lies somewhere in between.Personally, Sanders is not one of 10 prospects who carry a first-round grade in this class, but — not sure if you have heard — there are 32 first-round selections. To this point, my comparison to the Sanders situation is similar to the one that played out with Levis. There are a few teams that could draft him in the top 10 overall, but if they go in a different direction, then he could slide down a bit.At the end of the day, it is very likely he is taken in the first round, but how long he waits could dictate whether a third quarterback is taken on Thursday night.Three quarterbacks or more have been drafted in the first round in eight of the past nine years. Is this year’s quarterback class comparable to the exception that only produced Kenny Pickett in Round 1?How high will Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty be drafted?There is a common misconception that the league does not value running backs in the top 10 overall. But if the talent is deserving, teams have no problem considering a running back that early. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs were taken in the top 15 overall, but a running back had not been taken that early since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall in 2018.Speaking of Barkley, a popular topic this offseason has been about if Barkley’s success with the Super Bowl champion Eagles would lead to a greater investment in the position league-wide. If the talent is deserving, yes. But with a dearth of quality free agents, teams will use the draft to fill needs. Fortunately, it is an incredibly deep draft at running back and starters could be found into Day 3. Will Aaron Rodgers impact draft plans?Unless Rodgers is truly waiting to learn whether Minnesota will be interested in his services, it seems clear he is waiting for the draft to play out so that he can make a final, informed decision. He may not be interested in spending his final playing years fending off a rookie. The same is true of Kirk Cousins.Rodgers will, in all likelihood, sign with Pittsburgh, but the potential presence of a 41-year-old quarterback should not impact an organization’s long-term plan at the game’s most important position.Will there be any trades involving veteran players that impact the draft order?By the time you are reading this, San Francisco will have paid out a roster bonus to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Thus, any possibility of him being traded is probably out the window unless they negotiated back the roster bonus date.If the Titans or Browns do not draft a quarterback in the first round, then Cousins could come in to play. If Cincinnati is unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension with pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, then he could be a candidate to be traded. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert and Raiders tight end Michael Mayer have been the subject of trade talks, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Falcons moved tight end Kyle Pitts. Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II are three others to monitor. – – -Today’s Mock Draft comes from Chris Trapasso of CBSSports.com. We like what he does with the Browns, staying put to get ATH TRAVIS HUNTER, then trading up late in the 1st to get QB JAXSON DART: This close to the NFL Draft, we typically get a few rumors about off-field, maturity-based concerns for prospects.Some concerns were completely justified. Others, we come to realize, we made up out of thin air, likely in hopes of said prospect slipping down the board in the draft.One of those prospects targeted — either deservedly or not — this draft cycle is Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce. This is a tall, still-21-year-old rusher who had 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons in the SEC and dominated the NFL combine in early March.It’s hard to find him in Round 1 of many other mock drafts across the Internet despite those developments. On GoLongTD.com, longtime NFL reporter Bob McGinn recently published some not-so-glowing quotes from scouts on Pearce. On film, he’s an easy first-round talent. But will the off-field concerns lead to him slipping all the way out of Round 1?1 TENNESSEECam Ward QBMiami (FL) • Sr • 6’2″ / 219 lbsThe Titans’ actions in free agency — or lack thereof at the quarterback position — hint they’re going to draft Ward with the No. 1 pick.2 CLEVELANDTravis Hunter ATHColorado • Jr • 6’0″ / 188 lbsEven without a long-term quarterback solution on the roster, the Browns opt for the prospect many believe is the best football player in this class in Hunter.3 NY GIANTSAbdul Carter EDGEPenn State • Jr • 6’3″ / 250 lbsThe Giants love what they’d have up front on defense with Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and now, Carter4 NEW ENGLANDWill Campbell OTLSU • Jr • 6’6″ / 319 lbsEasy pickings here for the Patriots, who get the consensus top blocker in the class for Year 2 of the Drake Maye era.5 JACKSONVILLE Mason Graham DLMichigan • Jr • 6’3″ / 296 lbsNew Jaguars GM James Gladstone had a front row seat to the Aaron Donald era — and how impactful a sturdy defensive line can be — in Los Angeles with the Rams. Graham isn’t quite Donald 2.0, but, to most, the best defensive tackle in the class.6 LAS VEGASArmand Membou OTMissouri • Jr • 6’4″ / 332 lbsNew Raiders GM John Spytek had a front-row seat to the impact Tristan Wirfs had in Tampa Bay. While Membou isn’t quite the prospect Wirfs was, he’s a comparable athlete, and that’s really saying something.7 NY JETSTyler Warren TEPenn State • Sr • 6’6″ / 256 lbsThe Jets have a gaping hole in their tight end room, and this represents the ceiling in the draft for Warren.8 CAROLINAJalon Walker EDGEGeorgia • Jr • 6’1″ / 243 lbsThe Panthers opt to continue to boost the defense and instead wait until Day 2 to add more to the weaponry for Bryce Young.9 NEW ORLEANSShedeur Sanders QBColorado • Sr • 6’2″ / 212 lbsThe Saints go with Sanders, as new head coach Kellen Moore sees a lot of Jared Goff in the game of the Colorado quarterback.10 CHICAGOAshton Jeanty RBBoise State • Jr • 5’9″ / 211 lbsThe Bears get their Jahmyr Gibbs for Ben Johnson after fortifying the trenches in free agency.11 SAN FRANCISCOJihaad Campbell LBAlabama • Jr • 6’3″ / 235 lbsThe 49ers aim for the super-dynamic pairing of Campbell and Warner on the defense.12 DALLASTetairoa McMillan WRArizona • Jr • 6’4″ / 219 lbsThe Cowboys get the consensus top pure receiver in the draft in McMillan, who poses a serious rebounding and YAC threat at 6-foot-4 and around 220 pounds.13 MIAMIKelvin Banks Jr. OTTexas • Jr • 6’5″ / 315 lbsBanks gives the Dolphins stability at potentially two positions up front because of his guard-tackle versatility.14 INDIANAPOLISDonovan Jackson IOLOhio State • Sr • 6’4″ / 315 lbsThe Colts make no mistake about protecting Anthony Richardson by picking the athletic, NFL-sized guard from Ohio State.15 ATLANTA Mike Green EDGEMarshall • Soph • 6’3″ / 251 lbsThe Falcons add more to the outside pass-rushing group with the high-upside bend of Green from Marshall.16 TAMPA BAY Mock Trade from ArizonaMykel Williams EDGEGeorgia • Jr • 6’5″ / 260 lbsThe Buccaneers get aggressive to land the super-long rusher from Georgia with plenty of NFL promise. They sent their third-round pick to the desert (No. 84) in this deal.17 CINCINNATIMalaki Starks SGeorgia • Jr • 6’1″ / 197 lbsThe Bengals go best player available here with Starks, and he’ll help to rebuild the secondary in Cincinnati.18 SEATTLEMatthew Golden WRTexas • Jr • 5’11” / 191 lbsThe new-look Seahawks add another weapon for Sam Darnold in Golden, who shined down the stretch for the Longhorns.19 ARIZONA Mock Trade from Tampa BayDerrick Harmon DLOregon • Jr • 6’5″ / 310 lbsAfter sliding back, the Cardinals get a taller interior rusher to learn from Calais Campbell early in his career.20 DENVERColston Loveland TEMichigan • Jr • 6’6″ / 248 lbsThe Broncos pick the Michigan tight end to anchor the middle of the field for Bo Nix.21 PITTSBURGHJahdae Barron CBTexas • Sr • 5’11” / 194 lbsThe Steelers get a speedy, do-everything, inside and outside corner in Barron.22 CLEVELAND Mock Trade from Los Angeles ChargersJaxson Dart QBOle Miss • Sr • 6’2″ / 225 lbsThe Browns get who they believe can be their quarterback of the future, and make sure they don’t miss him, moving from No. 33 to this spot to get him.23 GREEN BAYKenneth Grant DLMichigan • Jr • 6’4″ / 331 lbsThe Packers stop Grant’s slide to give the defense another big body beyond veteran Kenny Clark.24 WASHINGTON Mock Trade from MinnesotaWill Johnson CBMichigan • Jr • 6’2″ / 194 lbsThe Vikings get their wish, and trade back with Washington for the Commanders to get the high-upside Johnson, who’s coming off an injury and a down 2024.25 HOUSTONEmeka Egbuka WROhio State • Sr • 6’1″ / 202 lbsThe Texans look to reload at the receiver group after the injuries to Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell in 2024. Egbuka has squeaky clean film and gets downfield in a hurry.26 LA RAMSGrey Zabel IOLNorth Dakota State • Sr • 6’6″ / 312 lbsThe Rams can’t resist the movement ability of Zabel at the guard position.27 BALTIMOREDonovan Ezeiruaku EDGEBoston College • Sr • 6’3″ / 248 lbsA departure from the normal, oversized defensive front player for the Ravens, Baltimore gravitates toward Ezeiruaku because of his polish as a pass rusher.28 DETROITTyler Booker IOLAlabama • Jr • 6’5″ / 321 lbsThe Lions aren’t shy about making a surprise pick in the first round of the draft, and here they pick the huge, mauling guard from Alabama despite a poor pre-draft workout.29 MINNESOTA Mock Trade From WashingtonTrey Amos CBOle Miss • Sr • 6’1″ / 195 lbsAfter obtaining a fourth-round pick from Washington, along with a 2026 third-round pick in the trade back, the Vikings get a high-floor outside cornerback for Brian Flores’ defense.30 BUFFALOWalter Nolen DLOle Miss • Jr • 6’4″ / 296 lbsThe Bills are happy to stop Nolen’s slide here to formulate a dynamic upfield pass-rushing group on the inside with Ed Oliver.31 KANSAS CITYJosh Simmons OTOhio State • Sr • 6’5″ / 317 lbsSimmons would’ve likely been picked much higher than this had he stayed healthy in 2024, and he’s an ideal long-term project with potentially enormous upside at a valuable position in Kansas City.32 PHILADELPHIAJames Pearce Jr. EDGETennessee • Jr • 6’5″ / 245 lbsI can’t imagine the Eagles letting James Pearce slide past them at the end of Round 1. He’s too talented. |
