| NFC EAST |
| NEW YORK GIANTSQB JAXSON DART introduced President Donald Trump at an event in New York and the media kerfuffled. DL ABDUL CARTER was initially nonplussed, but apparently there is no rift. Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com: Linebacker Abdul Carter was among New York Giants players Saturday who shut down speculation that quarterback Jaxson Dart’s political views were causing division in the locker room. Dart, the Giants’ second-year starter, introduced President Donald Trump at a pep rally Friday at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. They were at an event for New York Rep. Mike Lawler about 35 miles northwest of New York City. “Look, Big Blue Nation, it’s a pleasure to be here. I’ve got to start this off with a ‘Go Big Blue.’ I’d love if you all would follow with me,” Dart said before leading the crowd in a chant. “What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here. And without further ado, I’m grateful, I’m honored, I’m pleasured to introduce the 45th and 47th president of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump.” Dart’s appearance at the event prompted Carter, the second-year outside linebacker, to respond on social media early Saturday. “Thought this s— was AI, what we doing man,” Carter wrote on X. After the post sparked considerable reaction, Carter followed up later in the day. “Me and JD6 are good! We spoke earlier as Men,” Carter wrote on X. “Yall can keep yall narratives.” Dart’s appearance and interaction caught the attention of other teammates as well. Wide receiver Darius Slayton went to social media to refute a false claim alleging that Dart had made a racist comment in the past. Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor responded to a Boston-area reporter who suggested Dart’s political views had begun to create a divide in the locker room. “Locker Room is fine,” Eluemunor wrote on X. “Focus on New England.” The Giants had just concluded their first three voluntary organized team activity workouts Thursday. They are in Phase 3 of their offseason program. Dart, 23, recently accepted the invitation to introduce Trump. The event was to support Lawlor’s reelection campaign in the area. Dart and Carter were the Giants’ two first-round picks last year. Carter was the third selection out of Penn State, and New York traded back into the first round to select Dart with the No. 25 pick out of Ole Miss. They are expected to be foundational players for the Giants now and into the future. Carter had 43 tackles and four sacks as a rookie. Dart went 4-8 as the starter, throwing 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also had nine rushing touchdowns, which was the second most in the modern era for a rookie quarterback.– – -Some thought GM Joe Schoen was on borrowed time, that new coach John Harbaugh would want his own guy. But instead, Schoen has been extended. Albert Breer of NFL.com: The Giants now can truly move forward. That’s because the team pushed an extension for GM Joe Schoen, who was in a contract year, over the goal line last week. It’s obviously great news for Schoen, but the organization, too, in that it aligns the timelines of John Harbaugh and Schoen neatly and gives those in the building peace of mind that the revamped football operation will now have a real shot to grow in the new coach’s first year. It also shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone paying close attention. If the ownership group was ever looking to walk away from Schoen, it had a funny way of showing it. The Giants announced after firing Brian Daboll in November that the sitting GM would lead the search to replace the coach. The team then announced in early January that Schoen would be retained. Two weeks later, Harbaugh arrived and it was Schoen at the podium introducing him at the team’s press conference. What has happened since, as I see it, is really a credit to both guys. I sat down with the two of them in March to discuss the state of the team, as well as their arranged partnership, and what was interesting to me was how easy the two native Midwesterners were playing off each other in the course of the conversation. Interestingly enough, they both said that no one did anything to force a bond there early on—they let it happen naturally. “We just started talking,” Harbaugh said. “And that was the main thing because we were going to have to be on the same page for it to even get started. And so I’d just say, to me, it was a step-by-step process of not so much like, ‘Oh, you know, we have to know each other, because we’re going to be working together.’ It was more like, ‘Hi, how are you doing? What’s the situation?’” Schoen’s staff was at the Senior Bowl for Harbaugh’s first week on the job and Harbaugh didn’t have a coaching staff yet, which afforded the two a ton of 1-on-1 time, through which they’d start organically forging a vision. Harbaugh wanted to infuse the building with new energy, so they flipped the training, video and football administration departments. Another sign that Schoen was staying: the hire of Dawn Aponte, who Schoen worked with for five seasons in Miami, and the empowerment of Aponte in a new Lions–Rams style model, that would allow for Schoen to focus more on talent evaluation and roster building. And all of this positive momentum has continued since. Now, does that mean it’ll work? It does not. But at the very least, the Giants now know how this is all going to look going forward. Of course, if you’ve paid attention, you probably had an idea of how it would look for a while now. |
| PHILADELPHIAAlthough the Eagles have not negotiated a new contract with DL JALEN CARTER, DC Vic Fangio says it is not because his shoulders are deficient. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter missed a month of football late in the 2025 regular season after undergoing surgical procedures on both of his shoulders. With the offseason program in full swing — and with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio meeting recently with reporters — it was time for an update on Carter’s health. “I think his shoulders are fine,” Fangio said last week in response to a question about Carter’s health. “He’s had a good offseason of lifting. I think he started that earlier than normal for him and you can see the difference in that regard. I think he’s in a better spot now than he was.” Carter continues to be a key piece of the Philly defense, and he’s arguably the best interior defensive lineman in the league. Eyebrows were raised in March when, in the aftermath of the team signing defensive tackle Jordan Davis to an extension with a new-money average north of $26 million, it was reported (leaked) that the Eagles were getting calls about a potential trade for Carter. With Carter’s early-career exploits putting his 2027 fifth-year option at $27.1 million, a new deal quickly becomes very expensive. His franchise tag number for 2028, based on his fifth-year option, would be at least $32.52 million. As with any great player, the longer a team waits to sign him, the more expensive it gets. And the Eagles usually don’t dillydally when it comes to securing their foundational players. The mere fact that Carter, who became eligible for a new deal in January, doesn’t have one invites speculation as to whether he wants significantly more than the Eagles are willing to pay — and whether those reports (leaks) about the team getting trade calls will continue. |
| NFC WEST |
| SAN FRANCISCOLB FRED WARNER learned a new skill to help his return. Matt Barrows of The Athletic: If you’d asked Fred Warner six months ago whether he knew how to swim, the answer would have been: sort of. The San Francisco 49ers’ middle linebacker moved through the water like a lot of people who have never had formal lessons — head up, legs down, a lot of splashing, very little efficiency. Said Sage Hopkins: “He was at Level 1 — not drowning, but if he fell off of a boat far from shore, he likely wouldn’t have made it back.” Hopkins, 53, is in position to judge. He was a junior lifeguard as far back as elementary school, and he’s lived on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii, where he regularly surfed 20-foot waves and occasionally rescued distressed swimmers. For the past 21 years, he’s been the women’s swim and dive coach at San Jose State. That’s where he met Warner, who arrived at the school’s immaculate outdoor pool one day in late November looking for a way to accelerate his rehabilitation from a broken and dislocated ankle. Hopkins noticed two things right away. One was Warner’s star power. The walk from the pool to the university parking garage takes you past the windows of the student recreation center. When the 6-foot-4, 236-pound Warner made that trek the first time, he was noticed immediately, and the building emptied en masse. “He stopped, took a picture with every single person that asked and then had a meaningful interaction with each of them,” Hopkins recalled. “It took a good 20 minutes to walk a hundred yards. I think they were so starstruck. I still see people freeze almost into a momentary catatonic state when he walks up. It happens pretty regularly.” Hopkins also quickly realized Warner wanted — badly — to be pushed hard. His injury had occurred seven minutes into an Oct. 12 road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when teammate Ji’Ayir Brown inadvertently crashed into his lower leg. Warner, who had missed just one game in 7 1/2 seasons, looked down to find his right foot facing the wrong direction. He watched teammates and opponents alike glance at his foot, then frantically summon medical help. “I remember laying down on my side and kind of just waiting for them to get to me,” he said. “And Dr. (Tim) McAdams came up, and it’s — pop, pop! — he snapped it right back. He didn’t really say much to me. He just kind of held my leg, and he snapped it right back. I felt like a crunch. “And then I remember being on my back, and I see Kyle (Shanahan) come to me, Robert (Saleh), and then all my teammates. And they’re all kind of saying, ‘Sorry, buddy.’ And I’m like, ‘I know. I’m good. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.’” Warner isn’t the type to drape a towel over his head and go into woe-is-me mode. In fact, as he was being carted away, television cameras caught him serenely chatting with McAdams, who was concentrating on stabilizing his lower leg. Warner noted things became more hectic as the cart disappeared into the stadium tunnel. “I was telling McAdams I didn’t even get a chance to protect myself, I never even saw it coming,” he said. “And then immediately my mind went to, ‘Oh, no, my mom and my wife just saw that. And everybody in my family.’ So it was, ‘Oh, somebody give me my phone! I’ve got to call my wife! I’ve got to call my mom!’” Warner had surgery two days later. Early on, he said there was “zero talk” about playing again that season. Instead, the plan was for a methodical rehabilitation. Like many veterans, Warner usually doesn’t take part in spring OTA practices. The next time he’d suit up was training camp, which afforded him an unhurried, nine-month comeback. And he was fine with that. Well, he was fine with that at first. Warner was confined to a walking boot, crutches and a scooter for six weeks after surgery to allow the bone to heal and the sutures to fully close. At one point, he went for an X-ray and casually floated to his orthopedist the notion of coming back during the playoffs. The reply surprised him. “I wasn’t expecting a yes to come out of his mouth,” Warner said. Even with that assessment, the 49ers advised him to continue to keep his sights on the 2026 season. When asked by reporters, Shanahan routinely downplayed the possibility of Warner’s returning for the playoffs. Internally, the team was even more skeptical. “I remember (head athletic trainer) Dustin Little being like, ‘Oh, no, don’t worry about that. (The orthopedist) doesn’t really understand what it takes to go out there and play in a game,’” Warner recalled. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’” Still, two things were happening simultaneously as Thanksgiving approached. Warner’s checkups showed he was healing ahead of schedule. And the 49ers somehow kept winning games despite their avalanche of injuries. They were in the middle of what would become a six-game winning streak when Warner decided to press the accelerator on his recovery, hoping he could return for a deep playoff run. Which is how he ended up with Hopkins at the San Jose State pool in late November. Warner and his advisers thought swimming would be a good way to maintain stamina and help the flexibility of the ankle, which was decidedly stiff when the boot finally came off. Though they were cautious at first, Warner could tell right away the pool work had an effect. “I was constantly dealing with swelling,” he said. “So when I would put it in the water and just kick, it was a natural flushing of the ankle. Every time I got out of the water, my ankle looked so much better than it did going in.” Hopkins, meanwhile, noticed his pupil was learning at an exponential rate, and that having him toddle around on a foam noodle wasn’t going to cut it. Teaching adults how to swim is hard. They’re usually uncomfortable getting water in their mouth. The breathing technique doesn’t come naturally. Parts of their body float, others sink and the entire process is disorienting. Warner, however, got better right away. “One of the definitions of talent that I like best is how quickly you can learn something,” Hopkins said. “And with Fred, I could give him one cue, tell him one thing and it was immediately understood and retained.” Hopkins devised a regimen that would appeal to a football player. At first, he had Warner swim the width of the pool — 25 yards — and timed him on every lap. Warner found that as his technique improved, his times went down. “He was immediately asking me: ‘What would Michael Phelps do for a time on this? What would your fastest sprinter do?’” Hopkins said. “And that made me realize it was going to be a motivating factor for him.” He also hooked Warner up to various resistance devices, mimicking what rehabilitating football players do on a field. One was a “power tower,” which connects a swimmer via a harness to a bucket-and-pully system on the side of the pool. The more water that goes into the 15-gallon bucket, the harder it is to swim. “He was going with almost a full bucket of water, which is a lot,” Hopkins said. “We’ve got sprinters on our team that couldn’t pull as much as him. So I figured this was stuff that would really resonate with him, that was in his wheelhouse.” Steadily, Warner’s head came down, his legs came up and his back straightened. He went from swimming the width of the pool — and having to take breaks in between — to going the full length with few rests. Hopkins said the linebacker was in the pool two days a week for 45 minutes to an hour, including one sequence in which he swam on New Year’s Eve and was back for another session on New Year’s Day. His form isn’t perfect yet. Football players have massive quads, which tend to sink. Hopkins mused that “trap bulk” might be the reason Warner’s left arm doesn’t come over as smoothly as his right. And his sheer size makes coming out of the wall — where you have to be as compact and streamlined as possible — difficult. They haven’t really worked on that yet, and the only stroke Warner has mastered is freestyle. But Hopkins said Warner could now beat some of his swimmers in a short sprint, and that in six months, he became a better swimmer than people who’ve spent their whole lives in the water. “Our curve was just exponential,” he said. “I wish I would have videoed our starting point. As I told him (recently), he swims better than a lot of Division I water polo players.” As for the ankle and Warner’s endurance, both benefited greatly from the pool work. As the regular season drew to a close, the 49ers altered the plan and decided Warner might be able to play in the NFC Championship if the team made it that far. Still, they wanted him to wait as long as possible — just before the championship game — before getting back on the practice field to give the ankle and leg the maximum time possible to recover. Warner beat even that. He didn’t want to pack everything into championship week and instead practiced ahead of San Francisco’s divisional showdown against the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers lost that game 41-6, but Warner’s practice went … well, swimmingly. And he said he definitely would have been on the field had the 49ers pulled off the upset in Seattle. “My endurance was great,” he said. “That was the least of my worries. That was something I wondered about — kind of being thrown into the fire of a Wednesday practice format. And I just got thrown into all the individual drills with no restriction. I felt great. I thought it was a best-case scenario of how it went that day.” Although he might not take part in the OTA practices that begin Wednesday, Warner is now fully cleared for football. And he still swims at San Jose State one day of the week. “It’s funny,” he said. “I always dread going over there. Because I know it’s going to whup my ass. But at the end of day when I get done, I’m so glad I did it. Because it’s a great workout.” The guy who could barely stay afloat six months ago now jokes about taking part in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Hopkins doesn’t think it’s all that far-fetched. “I think Fred could be in the Olympics in a whole variety of sports,” he said. “He’s got a gifted ability to understand movement and to learn movement very quickly.” |
| AFC WEST |
| LAS VEGASQB FERNANDO MENDOZA really hates to have fun at the expense of work. Austin Boyd of Heavy.com: After spending months going through the pre-draft process, new Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza is happy to put the focus back on football. However, there are still other offseason activities he has to participate in. Recently, he had to go to the 2026 NFLPA Rookie Premiere, which was mandated by the NFL for him to attend. The event gives rookies the first chance to wear their team’s uniform and also learn a lot about the resources the NFLPA provides them. While Mendoza is always happy to learn, he actually wasn’t thrilled that he had to attend. “I’m going to be completely honest with you, I’d rather be practicing right now, and I was really upset about actually having to miss practice for this,” Mendoza told Sports Illustrated. “Still, it’s been a great moment to where it was mandatory to be here. I’m not going to feel sorry for myself and feel wishy-washy. I’m going to have a smile on my face and make the most of that present moment. Live and learn all the NFLPA benefits, make all the connections with different mentors here, let me make sure I can maximize my time to be able to create a positive impact and learn about my situation and surroundings. Those are all the things I really benefited from being here.” Mendoza Talks ‘Step Brothers’ ParodyIt has become a tradition in recent years for teams to get creative with their schedule release videos. This year, the Raiders decided to have Kirk Cousins and Mendoza parody the 2008 film “Step Brothers.” The team’s schedule release video ended up getting a lot of attention, but it sounds like it came together quickly. “We actually didn’t really prepare,” Mendoza said of filming the video. “However, Kirk for sure outshined me and helped me because he’s a little bit of a marketing vet, especially with the Netflix documentary that he did. So, he was great. He took a little bit of a vet role as well in that production. It was a fun and funny thing we wanted to do for the fans. I was really glad that it came out well.” While many fans enjoyed the video, head coach Klint Kubiak is more focused on the season. “I’d love for him to focus on football more,” Kubiak said. Mendoza Doing All the Right ThingsCousins is getting the first-team reps for the Raiders in practice right now, as Mendoza learns the NFL game, but it could be difficult to keep him off the field. Right now, Mendoza is doing and saying all the right things. He’s already working hard and showing how humble he is. He’ll likely defer to Cousins a lot this offseason. However, he’s bigger, younger and more athletic than the veteran quarterback. Cousins will probably start the season, but Mendoza won’t make life easy for him. If Mendoza isn’t ready, the Raiders won’t play him, but with how hard he works, it’s hard to imagine he won’t be ready to play as a rookie. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| TENNESSEEQB CAM WARD is assuring WR CARNELL TATE that he will take care of him. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: On the outside, the Titans’ decision to use the fourth overall pick in the draft on receiver Carnell Tate was a surprise. On the inside, it was a no-brainer. Eventually, it will be time for Tate and the Titans to prove that the right decision was made. Quarterback Cam Ward firmly believes that will happen. “He’ll have an explosive year just because he’ll get a lot of one-on-one matchups,” Ward said last week, in an article posted Monday morning by Turron Davenport of ESPN. “That’s what we want. We want guys to come down and play man [coverage] because we think we can beat him. “He’s got great hands, wins in man coverage, and he’s a strider,” Ward said. Tate knows that his ability to thrive in the NFL will begin with his ability to get off the line of scrimmage. “In the NFL, you have to know how to win against press coverage,” Tate said. “That’s all it’s about. You have to take that very personal. . . . The team is going to rely on you to go out there and win that one-on-one matchup with the top corner on the other side of you.” It also will be important to use Tate the right way. The Titans envision him to be the X receiver in the offense, which will put him on the ball and force him to get past the man who is trying to keep him from getting into his route. “I think this is one of the best offenses he could be in just because he’s going to get coached, but he’s not going to get overcoached, and he’s going to still be able to play football how he sees it,” Ward said. The challenge with having a high pick comes from nailing it. Beyond whether the selected player flourishes, it’s inevitable that one of the men that was left on the board will. That’s the downside of having dibs at the top of the draft. Picking — and properly developing — the right player can change everything. Getting it wrong is one of the reasons bad teams stay bad. The Titans are optimistic they got it right. With summer unofficially beginning, we’ll begin to find out whether they did in the days after summer unofficially ends. |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW ENGLANDJared Dubin of CBSSports.com has some big questions for 2026, and among them is whether T WILL CAMPBELL can keep the T in front of his name: Can Will Campbell stick at tackle? How much of his backslide was injury related?For most of his rookie season, Campbell was a solid if relatively unspectacular left tackle. He checked in 39th out of 85 qualified tackles in PFF’s pass-blocking grades from Weeks 1 through 12. But after suffering a knee injury that kept him out for about a month, Campbell struggled badly. He finished dead last out of 81 qualified tackles in pass-blocking grade and allowed 15 pressures in four games. His short arms meant people were skeptical of his ability to stick at tackle, and the struggles down the stretch exacerbated those concerns. We’ll find out quickly how much of those struggles were injury-related and how much were about him perhaps needing to play another position. In other Will Campbell news, he’s getting married to the sister of a high profile LSU teammate. New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell is officially engaged, and plenty of college football and NFL fans would know his new fiancée’s brother and father. Campbell’s fiancée is Ashlynn Nussmeier, the sister of former LSU and current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. Michael Moraitis of The Big Lead: She is also the daughter of former NFL quarterback Doug Nussmeier, who is currently the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints. Ashlynn took to social media last week to announce that she and Campbell are now engaged. Nussmeier’s and Campbell’s engagement comes a little over one year after they went public with their relationship in April of 2025. “She’s amazing,” Campbell said to US Weekly last year. “She has a football background, so she knows what it takes, the sacrifices that have to be made. If she wasn’t as good with that type of stuff, I’m sure it would be a lot more difficult. But she’s a rock star.” |
| THIS AND THAT |
| UNDERAPPRECIATED PLAYERSGennaro Filice of NFL.com presents us with a player on each AFC team who we don’t appreciate enough: Baltimore RavensChidobe AwuzieCB · Age 31Last offseason, Ravens GM Eric DeCosta looked to fortify the cornerback position with veteran experience. The pickup of two-time Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander attracted ample attention, but Awuzie’s signing flew under the radar. Ultimately, though, Alexander appeared in just two games for Baltimore — he was traded to Philadelphia at the outset of November and then stepped away from football to get right physically and mentally — while Awuzie was a bright spot on a disappointing Ravens defense. Yes, Awuzie’s debut campaign in Baltimore ended on a low note. Everyone remembers Tyler Loop’s missed field goal handing the rival Steelers the AFC North title in the final game of the regular season, but it was Awuzie’s slip in coverage that gave Pittsburgh a late lead in the first place. Still, Awuzie proved reliable for most of the season — SEE: the textbook PBU that helped sew up a divisional win in Cleveland — and inherently received a decent pay bump on a new one-year deal this past March. Buffalo BillsJackson HawesTE · Age 25The tight end position is so hot right now that it started a series of fires on Day 2 of April’s draft. Jacksonville’s second-round selection of Nate Boerkircher, in particular, sent shockwaves across Draft Twitter. How does a blocking TE come off the board in such a lofty slot (No. 56 overall)? Well, it feels like Boerkircher and Co. owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Hawes. Despite catching just 16 balls as a rookie last season, Hawes played a significant role in Buffalo’s offense as a blocking specialist. Just ask the Bills’ offensive linemen, who wax poetic about the tight end’s road-grading efforts. “It just brings a smile to all of us, our faces,” Bills center Connor McGovern said to 7 News WKBW last October. “You see him just manhandling people out there, and you’re like, ‘Oh, s—, that’s just Hawes?!’ “ With the 6-foot-4, 253-pounder enhancing Buffalo’s blocking, James Cook III just won his first rushing title while the Bills led the league with an average of 159.6 ground yards per game. Cincinnati BengalsDJ Turner IICB · Age 25A second-round pick of the Bengals after posting the fastest 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine (4.26 seconds), Turner flashed promise in his first two seasons, but inconsistency and injury held him back. That changed in Year 3, when he became one of the most efficient cover men in the league, recording a whopping 18 passes defensed on just 65 targets, per Next Gen Stats. (For comparison’s sake, Mike Jackson and Riley Moss — the co-leaders with 19 passes defensed — were targeted 90 and 116 times, respectively.) With that kind of production, what is Turner doing on a list of underappreciated players? He’s not a household name, as evidenced by one particular slight. “I thought DJ should have made the Pro Bowl,” Joe Burrow said back in December. “But, you know, I told him the other day, ‘Usually, the first year that you should make it, you’re typically an alternate. And then if you stack that year, they usually give it to you in the next year.’ Perhaps 2026 is the year Turner gets his shine. Cleveland BrownsMaliek CollinsDT · Age 31Myles Garrett set the NFL record with 23 sacks, earning his second Defensive Player of the Year award in the past three seasons. But for the first three months of the 2025 campaign, the most feared edge monster in football had quite a pass-rushing partner on the defensive interior. Prior to suffering a season-ending quad injury in Week 13, Collins enjoyed the most productive stretch of his 10-year career, racking up 6.5 sacks in the first 11 games. Garrett certainly appreciates his teammate’s game. “He’s one of the most unique rushers I’ve had the privilege to be with, you know, with the combination of finesse and power,” Garrett said following Collins’ 2.5-sack performance in the Week 12 win at Las Vegas. If Collins returns to full health this fall and Mason Graham continues to develop in Year 2, Cleveland has the firepower on its defensive front to completely wreck games. That’s key, as the Browns continue their never-ending quest for a quarterback. Denver BroncosJa’Quan McMillianNB · Age 25When Denver spent its 2025 first-round pick on Jahdae Barron, it felt like McMillian’s spot in the lineup was under threat. Then McMillian responded with his best professional season yet, inspiring notable praise from Broncos GM George Paton in February: “He’s one of our core players. We love having him here.” A former undrafted free-agent signee, McMillian signed a second-round RFA tender in March, exhibiting how much his value has increased over four seasons in Denver. As the nickelback in Vance Joseph’s aggressive defense, McMillian is a feisty run defender who also offers ball production (two interceptions in each of the past three seasons) and blitz savvy (four sacks in 2025). Not to mention, the guy boasts an undeniable clutch gene. His OT pick of Josh Allen in January’s Divisional Round might have been controversial, but it set up the Broncos for the win. Houston TexansTommy TogiaiDT · Age 26Houston’s defense is loaded on all three levels, with LB Azeez Al-Shaair becoming the latest standout to sign a top-of-the-market extension, joining edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, as well as cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. Amid such a sea of stars, Togiai rarely garners outside attention, but everyone in the building sure appreciates his rugged contributions on the defensive interior. That’s why the whole team showed such glee when Togiai finally got his moment in the sun with a scoop-and-score touchdown that put the cherry on top of Houston’s win over Indianapolis in the regular-season finale. “To close it out the way he did, getting in the end zone, that’s why you saw our entire sideline running down, celebrating with Tommy,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said in the postgame press conference. “Fitting for a guy who just does everything the right way. Everything you ask the guy to do … He’s a coach’s dream, he’s always in the right place, always doing what you ask him to do. And very cool way for him to have that clutch moment and end the game with a touchdown.” Indianapolis ColtsTanor BortoliniC · Age 23Ryan Kelly earned four Pro Bowl nods in his nine years as the Colts’ starting center, putting substantial pressure on his heir apparent. A fourth-round pick in 2024, Bortolini started five games as a rookie replacement while Kelly was injured, but he fully took the reins at the pivot in 2025. And the 23-year-old did not disappoint, especially as a run blocker, where he helped Jonathan Taylor rush for 1,585 yards and a league-best 18 touchdowns. That’s not to say his pass protection was lacking; according to Pro Football Focus, he didn’t give up a single sack on 566 pass-blocking snaps. All in all, “Bort” established himself as an anchor in the middle of Indianapolis’ stout offensive line. And with 2024 third-rounder Matt Goncalves capably filling in for the departed Will Fries at right guard last season, the Colts successfully swapped out a pair of pricey veterans for emerging talents who are cost-controlled for two more seasons. That’s good business. Jacksonville JaguarsAntonio JohnsonS · Age 24This was the most difficult selection on the AFC side of this exercise, given the wealth of viable options. Perhaps it’s a natural byproduct of Jacksonville flip-flopping its win-loss record — from 4-13 in 2024 to 13-4 this past season — but the roster is full of players who deserve more attention. There were multiple candidates on the offensive line alone, including Cole Van Lanen — though the versatile blocker got plenty of love from the team in January, when he signed a $51 million extension. Defensively, tackling machine Foye Oluokun rarely gets his due, while cover men Montaric “Buster” Brown and Jarrian Jones are true assets in Anthony Campanile’s secondary. Ultimately, though, I narrowed the decision down to a choice between a pair of Day 3 steals from the 2023 NFL Draft: S Antonio Johnson and WR Parker Washington. Both broke out in Year 3, but in a fantasy football world, Washington’s contributions drew far more notice. Thus, Johnson is the pick. The versatile defensive back tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions — a striking total, considering he didn’t start a game until November. Kansas City ChiefsKingsley SuamataiaLG · Age 23This man received too much hate in Year 1 and too little love in Year 2. The 63rd overall pick in 2024, Suamataia was immediately tasked with guarding Patrick Mahomes’ blind side as 21-year-old rookie. He was in over his head, lasting just two games as Kansas City’s starting left tackle before hitting the bench and becoming a whipping boy for all of the team’s protection problems. But after the Chiefs addressed OT last offseason in free agency and the draft, Suamataia permanently moved over a spot and won the starting job at left guard. He looked much better inside, starting all 17 games to provide some positive vibrations in the franchise’s worst year of the Andy Reid era. Shoot, the guy even finished last season with a bodacious hurdle attempt, putting a fitting cap on a sophomore campaign that saw him take a major leap forward. Las Vegas RaidersJeremy ChinnS · Age 28A second-round pick out of FCS Southern Illinois, Chinn burst onto the NFL scene as a safety/linebacker hybrid for the Panthers, finishing as the runner-up to Chase Young for 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year and racking up 100-plus tackles in each of his first two seasons. Then injuries and coaching/scheme changes in Carolina caused his production — and reputation — to wane. But after revitalizing his career on a one-year prove-it deal with Washington in 2024, Chinn signed a two-year pact with the Raiders and stuffed the stat sheet once again this past season. Now, the question is where he fits into the plan for Rob Leonard, who was promoted to defensive coordinator by new head coach Klint Kubiak. Las Vegas added a bunch of back-seven talent in free agency and the draft, so it’ll be interesting to see how everything shakes out, but Chinn still offers plenty as an enforcer in the box. Los Angeles ChargersDonte JacksonCB · Age 30A seasoned veteran who’s made 106 starts in eight NFL campaigns, Jackson might have just enjoyed his best season yet, logging four interceptions and 12 pass breakups (both team highs) while Pro Football Focus credited him with a sparkling 58.5 passer rating against. That’s prime production at a premium position, making last offseason’s two-year, $13 million deal look like highway robbery for the Chargers. The 30-year-old’s vast experience could prove even more crucial in the wake of Jesse Minter’s departure to become head coach of the Ravens, with 34-year-old Chris O’Leary coordinating an NFL defense for the first time. Jackson gives Los Angeles a steady presence in coverage, while former fifth-round finds Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart continue to develop their respective games in Year 3. Miami DolphinsPatrick PaulLT · Age 24The 2024 NFL Draft saw eight offensive tackles fly off the board in Round 1, but Paul was not among them. Despite extraordinary size (6-7 1/2, 331 pounds) and length (36 1/4-inch arms), the athletic bookend lasted until Pick No. 55 due to a lack of polish. Unsurprisingly, he only started three games in a rookie season that was more about development than distinction. In Year 2, following the retirement of Terron Armstead, Paul took an enormous step forward, starting all 17 games and posting the third-lowest pressure rate among starting left tackles (6.3%, per Next Gen Stats). And now, with Miami switching from a left-handed quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa) to a righty (Malik Willis), Paul will be tasked with protecting the blind side. The 24-year-old remains better in pass pro than run blocking, but he’s a clear building block for a Dolphins team that’s resetting under Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan. New England PatriotsRobert SpillaneLB · Age 30New England’s rush defense took a hit this offseason when nose tackle Khyiris Tonga signed with Kansas City, but the Patriots still employ one of the league’s best run-stuffers from the second level. With Spillane manning the middle of the defense, New England gave up the second-fewest rushing yards per game (87.7) through the first 12 weeks of the season. But after the downhill thumper injured his ankle in Week 13, the Pats promptly yielded more than 160 rushing yards in three straight games with the linebacker sidelined. Per NGS, New England allowed 3.7 yards per called run with Spillane on the field during the regular season, compared to 4.6 when he was not in the formation. Spillane returned for the playoffs, and even though his ankle wasn’t completely healed, the Pats held three of four postseason opponents below 90 yards rushing. (Kenneth Walker III got the best of them en route to Super Bowl LX MVP honors.) With the AFC East featuring reigning rushing champ James Cook, as well as freshly paid backs De’Von Achane and Breece Hall, Spillane’s presence is paramount to New England staying atop the division. New York JetsHarrison PhillipsDT · Age 30I still don’t understand why the Vikings traded this guy to the Jets last August. Phillips anchored Minnesota’s defensive front during Brian Flores’ first two years with the franchise, and the Vikes ranked eighth and second in run defense. This past season, after parting ways with Phillips, they plummeted to 21st. In related news, Minnesota just spent two of its first three picks on defensive tackles. Although the Jets’ ground D struggled last season, it sure wasn’t Phillips’ fault, as NGS charted him with 51 run stops — tops among all NFL defensive linemen. That underscores the fact that this 307-pounder is much more than a simple space-eater. Over the past five seasons, he has averaged 64 tackles — a massive figure for an interior defensive lineman. Pittsburgh SteelersMason McCormickOG · Age 26Often overshadowed on Pittsburgh’s offensive line by 2024 draftmates Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu, McCormick has quietly established himself as a rock at guard. A pleasant debut campaign in ’24 finished on a sour note, with McCormick breaking his hand in the regular-season finale and missing the Steelers’ loss to the Ravens on Wild Card Weekend. But this past season, the right guard didn’t miss a single offensive snap, reliably neutralizing foes while committing only one penalty (a false start). With the free-agent departure of Isaac Seumalo, the first-round selection of Max Iheanachor and the uncertain health status of Broderick Jones, McCormick could ultimately flip over to the left side in a line reshuffling. Bottom line: The former fourth-round pick out of FCS South Dakota State has clearly cemented a place among the front five in Pittsburgh. Tennessee TitansPeter SkoronskiLG · Age 24A starting left tackle in each of his three seasons at Northwestern, Skoronski immediately moved inside upon entry into the NFL, leading some to question whether Tennessee overdrafted the blocker at No. 11 overall in 2023. His rookie campaign was a roller coaster, with an emergency appendectomy sidelining him early and some leaky pass protection plaguing him late. He showed improvement in Year 2, playing every offensive snap in the process. Skoronski repeated that iron-man feat last season, and he significantly improved his all-around game to become the best offensive lineman — if not best offensive player — in Tennessee. Consequently, the franchise just exercised Skoronski’s fifth-year option. That’s no small development in Nashville, considering the laundry list of recent Titans first-rounders who didn’t receive that extension (SEE: Treylon Burks, Caleb Farley, Isaiah Wilson, Rashaan Evans, Corey Davis and Jack Conklin). Meanwhile, Tom Blair picked 16 underappreciated players in the NFC: Arizona CardinalsHjalte FroholdtC · Age 29This isn’t my first time picking out underappreciated players for each NFC team, and it’s not the first time I’ve wanted to write about Froholdt. He’s been on my radar since he stepped up for a severely underachieving Cleveland squad back in 2022, which has unfortunately become something of a theme for the veteran center, whose next winning NFL season will be his first. (I’m not counting his rookie campaign with the 12-4 Patriots in 2019, considering he spent the entire season on injured reserve.) Froholdt has logged 3,134 offensive snaps since joining the Cardinals in 2023, according to TruMedia, 12th-most in the NFL and 493 more than any other teammate in that span. He’s been a part of 15 Arizona victories, which works out to one win for every 209 snaps. Could you call this a participation award? Sure — if you do so sincerely. Like, you’ve got to commission an actual trophy and pull together an audience to give him a standing ovation, with plenty of whistles and whoops. He’s carried a heavy load over the past few years, which should position him perfectly to be the kind of “everything is a big deal” veteran leader new coach Mike LaFleur can lean on. Atlanta FalconsDivine DeabloLB · Age 27By the time Deablo came back from a stint on injured reserve last year, the Falcons were 3-7 and rapidly falling out of the playoff picture. And his contributions to Atlanta’s late-season defensive surge might have been overshadowed by flashier output from players like Xavier Watts, Jessie Bates III, Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. Not in Next Gen Stats Land, though: The numbers paint a stark difference between the 2025 Falcons’ performance with Deablo on the field (5.1 yards allowed per play, with -0.10 EPA per dropback and -0.10 EPA per called run) and without him (5.7 yards per play, 0.09 EPA per dropback and 0.02 EPA per called run). It’s fair to wonder how much longer Deablo will be in Atlanta’s plans, with one year remaining on his contract and a potential Future Deablo on the scene (fourth-round pick Kendal Daniels). But it’s safe to assume Deablo will have a major role to play for returning coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who should have a pretty good idea of how he can help keep the defense on the right track heading into the Kevin Stefanski era. Carolina PanthersJalen CokerWR · Age 24You are probably familiar with Coker, who made enough noise as an undrafted rookie in 2024 (four games with four-plus catches and 60-plus receiving yards) to pop up on Kevin Patra’s list of that season’s Unsung Heroes. And then the Panthers used the eighth overall pick in 2025 on Tetairoa McMillan, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year behind one of the best debut seasons by a Carolina receiver in recent memory. With third-rounder Chris Brazzell II joining the fray this year, Coker’s target count (he was already fourth on the team last year) might not tick much higher. You know who won’t think any less of him, though? Drew Brees, who worked the broadcast of Carolina’s upset of the Rams last season. Watching Coker rip off four catches, all of them for conversions on key third or fourth downs, Brees used phrases like “secret weapon” and “dirty work” to describe his impact as a blocker and receiver — almost like, you know, he wants us all to appreciate Coker more. Well, sir, I’m doing what I can. Chicago BearsD’Andre SwiftRB · Age 27I was ready to make an argument for Swift’s junior backfield partner, Kyle Monangai, who rampaged to 947 scrimmage yards as a rookie last season. Then fellow full-season prognosticator Ali Bhanpuri suggested going with Swift instead, reasoning that he might actually be the one on the ropes, appreciation-wise, as the old-hat veteran next to an exciting young upstart, and I found that to be much more in keeping with the spirit of this exercise. Monangai could be considered slightly below the radar, but Swift has been around, accumulating the public expectations that come with being part of multiple headline-making transactions. Sure, there are plenty of miles on the odometer, and his contract doesn’t go beyond the upcoming season, but he still averaged 5.39 yards per touch in 2025, eighth among all players with a minimum of 150 touches. He still scored 10 total TDs, most on the team. Dallas CowboysJavonte WilliamsRB · Age 26Though the Cowboys’ playoff viability crumbled early in December, Williams kept chugging along, finishing out a 252-carry, 1,201-yard season with 11 rushing TDs (plus two receiving scores). That wasn’t just a veteran free agent on a one-year prove-it contract putting up a nice line for a team that scuffled to a 7-9-1 finish. That wasn’t even just the best season of his career — it was one of the best running back seasons by any Cowboy this century. Since 2000, three Dallas players have logged at least one season with 1,100-plus rushing yards and 10-plus rushing TDs: DeMarco Murray (2014), Ezekiel Elliott (2016 and ’19) and Williams. CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Dak Prescott deserve the spotlight, but you don’t have to tell Dak how important Williams is to Dallas’ success on offense. And the three-year, $24 million extension Williams signed this offseason hardly pushes him out of the salary range for this list, putting him at the same pay-per-year level as D’Andre Swift ($8 million). Detroit LionsJameson WilliamsWR · Age 25Lions fans probably won’t remember 2025 as anything other than a disappointment, especially if Dan Campbell can get the fireworks machine going again this season. There is one memory they should hold dear, though: Williams’ final transformation into an honest-to-god load-bearing member of the offense. We’re not just talking about earning a pay day; he did that with his effort in the 2024 season, when he cracked 1,000 yards for the first time. Plenty of players have hit that total at least once. But Williams was one of just 11 to reach the 1,000-yard mark in each of the past two seasons. And he’s almost certainly the only player in NFL history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as the follow-up to a one-catch rookie year and multiple suspensions. Yes, he produced the way he was paid to in 2025. He also proved the Lions can rely on him moving forward, which did not seem like such a sure thing at this point two years ago. Green Bay PackersEdgerrin CooperLB · Age 24Like the Panthers’ Jalen Coker above, Cooper is an alum of Kevin Patra’s Unsung Heroes of 2024, and it looked like he was going to become a full-fledged star in Green Bay — until the Packers added one of the most famous defensive players on the planet. Of course, Micah Parsons cannot actually play all 11 positions himself, as the Cowboys well know. And while Cooper’s sack total slipped from 3.5 in his rookie season to 0.5 with Parsons on board, Cooper did manage to put up a team-high 35 run stops, per NGS. Rashan Gary is gone, Parsons and Devonte Wyatt are coming off season-ending injuries and there’s a new coordinator (Jonathan Gannon) and middle linebacker (Zaire Franklin) in the house. Cooper has the chance to prove he can be a steadying hand in Green Bay as he moves through his third professional season. Los Angeles RamsPoona FordNT · Age 30Does a shoutout from Macaulay Culkin count as too much appreciation for Ford to qualify for this list? Or does the fact that Macaulay Culkin feels the need to evangelize for Ford mean he definitely belongs on this list? Ford signed with the Rams on the most lucrative deal of his career last offseason, but he’s still getting paid less per year ($9.2 million) than 36 other interior defensive linemen, per Over the Cap. That seems like a pretty good value, considering the massive difference he made for the Rams. In 2024, Los Angeles gave up 4.6 yards per carry, with a per-tote defensive EPA of -0.02 — figures that improved to 4.1 and -0.14, respectively, when Ford was on the field last season. The young stars up front garner plenty of deserved praise, but we can’t overlook the hefty veteran’s crucial role. Ford’s coaches love him, Macaulay Culkin loves him — what excuse do you have? Minnesota VikingsDallas TurnerOLB · Age 23Turner didn’t do much in 2024 after being drafted 17th overall, appearing in 16 games as a rookie but playing just 28 percent of Minnesota’s defensive snaps and mustering a paltry three sacks. His eight-sack effort last season sort of snuck by me, with 4.5 of those coming between Weeks 13 and 18, when the Vikings were mostly playing out the string on the remainder of a lost season. Turner’s encouraging sophomore effort came into better focus when I was digging deeper into a slightly bizarre (but positive!) speculative case I was building about his team. Thanks to Jonathan Greenard’s exit via trade, it is looking like Turner’s, uh, turn to show what he can really do. So don’t be like me; start appreciating Turner now, before it’s too late. New Orleans SaintsJuwan JohnsonTE · Age 29Do you know who threw Johnson the first successful pass of his NFL career? That’s right, noted Jalen Coker fan Drew Brees, on Nov. 1, 2020, in an overtime win over the Bears, when the tight end logged fewer snaps than two other players with “Johnson” in their surname (Bears corner Jaylon Johnson and Saints DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson). Since then, Johnson has been targeted by a dizzying array of QBs, including Trevor Siemian, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler and, yes, even Taysom Hill (14 times, for 10 catches, 127 yards and a score). This offseason, New Orleans brought in multiple new targets for Tyler Shough, including first-rounder Jordyn Tyson at receiver and a pair of TEs (veteran Noah Fant and third-round pick Oscar Delp), and Chris Olave is still presumably the top dog in the passing game at this point. But let’s not overlook the connection between Shough and his former college roommate. In just 11 games together, Shough and Johnson hooked up on 44 catches for 556 yards — nearly as many as he recorded with Rattler (577) and Carr (587). Johnson’s nine drops, which tied for the league lead last season, per Next Gen Stats, stand out, but that number becomes much more reasonable (two) when we filter only for throws from Shough. And based on catch rate (78.6%), Shough-to-Johnson was practically automatic; it’s the most successful pairing between Johnson and any other QB and between Shough and any other Saints player (minimum of 20 targets). New York GiantsTyrone Tracy Jr.RB · Age 26I get why folks went gaga for Cam Skattebo, who ferociously outplayed his draft slot, running with the same charisma that made him a college star. His zeal was irresistible — until he went down with a dislocated ankle in October. Meanwhile, Tracy churned out another 1,000 yards from scrimmage, becoming the first Giants player since Saquon Barkley to hit that mark in back-to-back seasons, and just the fifth to do it since 2010. Skattebo’s unrestrained style pairs well with Jaxson Dart, and it’s reasonable to assume Skattebo will continue to draw eyeballs. He’s also coming off a catastrophic injury. No matter what happens, there figures to be plenty of work for Tracy, who made nearly as much magic catching passes from Dart (20 receptions on 26 targets for 115 yards, two TDs and a 110.3 passer rating) as Skattebo did (14 receptions on 19 targets for 120 yards, two TDs and a 124.9 passer rating). So, maybe you won’t find Tracy on WWE, but he did end his engagement trip early to see John Harbaugh’s first press conference as Giants head coach, which is kind of extreme in its own way. Philadelphia EaglesTank BigsbyRB · Age 24This is less about lauding an undervalued performance last season and more about providing a general reminder that Bigsby exists. You probably remember him being traded to Philly last September after being displaced in the running back pecking order by Jaguars rookie Bhayshul Tuten. And there’s a good chance you know he ripped off 104 yards on nine carries for the Eagles in a Week 8 win over the Giants. But he otherwise didn’t really do much — with even that 100-yarder overshadowed by 174 scrimmage yards from Saquon Barkley. So maybe you missed some of the reasons to be encouraged about Bigsby, like his per-carry mark (5.9, almost 2 full yards better than Barkley’s 4.1), or the fact that NGS credited him with 13 explosive runs out of his 63 carries (with both Philly and Jacksonville), which worked out to the best explosive-carry rate (20.6%) of any NFL running back with 50-plus rush attempts in 2025. Barkley turned 29 in February and has logged 288 touches or more in each of the past four seasons. If new coordinator Sean Mannion is going to turn the Eagles’ offense around, Bigsby could be busy. San Francisco 49ersJake TongesTE · Age 26Tonges already arguably got his flowers, or at least a daffodil or two, via placement on Kevin Patra’s list of Unsung Heroes of 2025. And he did just sign a new contract with San Francisco. Then again, that pact pays him $4 million per year, less than 34 other tight ends in the NFL, according to Over The Cap — as the going rate for George Kittle insurance, that’s not bad. Let’s zero in on two of Tonges’ five TDs last season. His third of the year, a 6-yard grab against the Rams on Thursday Night Football in Week 5, ended the first possession of Mac Jones’ third win in relief of Brock Purdy. His last, a 1-yard catch against the Bears on Sunday Night Football in Week 17, helped Purdy recover from his opening-drive pick-six in San Francisco’s thrillingly close victory. Both came in Kittle’s absence. Neither catch was especially flashy, but without Tonges there to actually make them, would a sliding-doors scenario have opened up to tip San Francisco’s unlikely playoff run into true nightmare territory? For the purposes of this piece, the answer is yes, obviously. Seattle SeahawksAbraham LucasRT · Age 27If we made a heat map of love for Lucas, it might lay neatly over the Seattle area and Lucas’ nearby hometown of Everett, Washington, with a little jag east toward the Idaho border and his college alma mater of Washington State. It’s a region from which — as a cursory glance at the Seahawks’ sub-Reddit will confirm — Lucas draws plenty of support. Depending on how far you live outside of that boundary, you might not be aware Lucas’ sacks allowed rate (0.8%) was just a tick behind Penei Sewell’s (0.7%), according to NGS, and better than that of any right tackle to log 300-plus pass-blocking snaps for any team that Sam Darnold started double-digit games for previously. There were plenty of candidates to represent a roster built on savvy veteran pickups and well-developed draft picks, but what finally sold me on Lucas was watching a clip of him accidentally clanging his head into a traffic light during the Seahawks’ Super Bowl parade. It was the Ultimate Tall-Guy Mishap, and as a Fellow Gangly myself, I’ve got to give him bonus points for playing it off so well. Tampa Bay BuccaneersCade OttonTE · Age 27Baker Mayfield has thrown passes to a lot of players over the course of his funky NFL journey. One of the best working relationships of his career was undoubtedly with Mike Evans, who caught 27 TD throws from Mayfield during their time together, nearly more than twice as many as anyone else since Mayfield entered the league. What’s Mayfield going to do with Evans in San Francisco? Sure, he’ll throw plenty to wideouts Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka, who are probably two of the most important factors when it comes to the Bucs’ immediate success. But Godwin missed significant chunks of the past two seasons with injuries, and Egbuka only just emerged as a rookie in 2025. Otton, meanwhile, has been there for Mayfield, ranking second on the team in targets in each of the past two years and second in total offensive snaps over Mayfield’s three years with the team (behind only Mayfield himself). And he’s caught 69.8% of Mayfield’s passes to him, a greater percentage than anyone who’s been targeted 50-plus times by the QB. Mayfield definitely has enjoyed more success with Otton than with any other NFL tight end, and I imagine seeing the big target out there is plenty comforting — well worth the $10 million Otton is getting from the Bucs per year on the extension he signed in March. Washington CommandersDorance ArmstrongDE · Age 28If the Commanders’ defense becomes competitive again after finishing 32nd in total D and 27th in points allowed in 2025, expect to hear plenty about the wave of new rookies and veterans who joined the party this offseason. But don’t forget about Armstrong, who sparked a little pass-rushing overhaul of his own last year, when he racked up 5.5 sacks through Week 7, tied with Montez Sweat (2023) and Matthew Ioannidis (2018) for the most by any Washington player in the team’s first seven games of any given season since Ryan Kerrigan had 6.0 in 2017. A knee injury interrupted Armstrong’s attempted one-man renaissance in mid-October. Between all that time on the shelf and the addition of free agents Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson to the depth chart, along with rookie Joshua Josephs, Armstrong might get lost in the shuffle. If he comes back healthy, though, he figures to be just as important to the overall project of giving Jayden Daniels the support he needs to bring this team back to contention. |
| 2027 DRAFTJordan Reid of ESPN.com breaks down 22 quarterbacks who are contending for high spots in the 2027 draft: Top names to know CJ Bailey, NC StateHeight: 6-foot-6 | Weight: 210 poundsClass: Junior Where he excels: Bailey was one of the better non-draft-eligible passers I saw when live scouting last season. In his second season as the starter, he finished with 3,105 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has the arm to drive the ball in the middle of the field and complete passes vertically. He also can be an asset in the QB-designed run game with his long strides, which help him outrace defenders. Bailey turned 20 years old earlier in May and still needs more experience, but he’s a prime candidate to make a big rise this season. Where he needs work: Bailey must add mass to his frame, but there’s room to do so. His play in big games needs to improve as well, as five of his nine interceptions last season came against ranked opponents, including his two worst games (Notre Dame and Miami). Bailey’s base and mechanics under pressure can get wonky and lead to poor ball placement or hanging onto the ball too long, resulting in avoidable sacks. CJ Carr, Notre DameHeight: 6-2 | Weight: 215 poundsClass: Redshirt sophomore Where he excels: Carr won a training camp battle as a redshirt freshman last season and ran with it, finishing with 2,741 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has an easy throwing motion that generates beautiful spirals. When he’s on schedule, his eyes match his feet and he plays the game with a quiet lower half. Though he’s an average athlete, Carr can buy time with his quickness and isn’t afraid to gain yards on the ground when they’re available. Multiple scouts indicate Carr is the most popular choice as the signal-caller who could shoot high in Round 1. Notre Dame lost a lot of top skill players last season, so if Carr can shoulder the load and play well, his stock will rise. Where he needs work: The next step in Carr’s development is limiting chaotic and forced plays. He tries so hard to make every play overwhelmingly positive that he will run in circles in hopes of finding things that simply aren’t there. That causes situations in which he’s too aggressive in attacking throwing windows that have already slammed shut. Learning to relegate to his checkdown or simply throw the ball out of bounds can prevent him from taking unnecessary sacks and straddling the line into turnover-worthy plays. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole MissHeight: 6 feet | Weight: 205 poundsClass: Sixth-year senior Where he excels: Chambliss was a major find in the transfer portal out of Division II Ferris State, assuming the starting role in Game 3 and leading Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff semifinals. He threw for 3,937 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 527 rushing yards and eight more scores. Chambliss is dynamic as a runner and a passer, as his sudden circular throwing motion helps him get the ball out quickly and was a big reason he was sacked on only 2.9% of his dropbacks (seventh best in the FBS). His jittery, controlled running style makes him a challenge in the rushing game, too. After being granted a sixth year of eligibility, how he fares in Ole Miss’ new-look offense will determine how much Chambliss rises in the rankings. Where he needs work: Chambliss’ elusiveness can sometimes be his biggest downfall, as he doesn’t always understand when plays are over. He needs to learn when to take the easier option to keep drives alive. Evaluators also want to see if he can replicate his success from his first season as a starter. Now that he’s the unquestioned starter, Chambliss will have an opportunity to prove that his 2025 play wasn’t just a one-year blip. Jayden Maiava, USCHeight: 6-4 | Weight: 225 poundsClass: Redshirt senior Where he excels: Maiava completed his first full year as a starter in 2025 with 3,711 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He is a composed passer who is a perfect fit in Lincoln Riley’s adaptable scheme. His best moments come when stretching defenses vertically, as he consistently throws with excellent touch. His 37 completions on passes of 20 or more air yards led the FBS; he excels when able to layer throws downfield. Maiava is also a quick decision-maker who gets the ball out of his hand with confidence. Where he needs work: When Maiava struggled last season, he tended to compound mistakes and create bigger issues. His completion percentage dropped to 50.8% when he was pressured, and constant misses resulting from pressure led to unsettled feet, an uneven base and more inaccuracy. He’s also a below-average athlete and isn’t a passer who can consistently create outside of the normal designs of the offense. This minimizes his margin for error and magnifies the amount of protection that will be needed around him. Arch Manning, TexasHeight: 6-4 | Weight: 219 poundsClass: Redshirt junior Where he excels: Manning has a strong arm that allows him to access all three levels of the field. He finished last season with 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and he has explosive dual-threat capability, adding 399 yards and 10 scores rushing. His first year as a starter was a mixture of highs and lows, starting with an underwhelming season-opening performance against Ohio State. Things started to click in mid-October, with his physical and mental toughness shining down the stretch. He consistently withstood pressure and made throws under duress. Can he continue to build on those moments? If he can, Manning will be a strong contender to become the No. 1 overall pick, which is why I had him in that slot in my early 2027 mock draft. Where he needs work: Manning’s footwork is inconsistent, which, when coupled with unnecessary alterations to his release, leads to spurts of inaccuracy. He completed fewer than 48% of his passes in three games last season (Kentucky, UTEP and Texas A&M). His mechanics tend to go on vacation at times, causing poor ball placement and routine throws becoming too hot to handle for his receivers. Manning will also need to improve in working through his progressions. He gets stuck on his primary read too often, hoping it will come open instead of moving on to secondary options. Darian Mensah, MiamiHeight: 6-3 | Weight: 205 poundsClass: Redshirt junior Where he excels: Mensah is on his third school, having spent his first two seasons at Tulane before accumulating 3,973 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and six interceptions for ACC champion Duke last season. He plays with poise and has by-the-book mechanics, with a fluid throwing motion and a strong base. His above-average creativity helps him find extra opportunities, while his confidence allows him to locate and layer throws down the field. His best work came in the red zone, where he was nearly automatic (24 touchdowns to zero interceptions). He joins a Miami offense that helped Cam Ward and Carson Beck thrive the past two seasons. Where he needs work: Ball security was a constant issue for Mensah in 2025. He can be careless with the football, as he had eight fumbles (five lost) last season. His failure to step up in the pocket and inconsistency in feeling pressure points allows edge rushers to swipe the ball out of his hands way too easily. I’d like to see him incorporate more slight pocket moves and be stronger with his hands on the ball. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma StateHeight: 6-3 | Weight: 215 poundsClass: Redshirt sophomore Where he excels: As a former walk-on, Mestemaker was relatively unknown prior to last season. His fiery, three-quarters release helped him excel in Eric Morris’ spread-and-shred offense at North Texas, where he finished with an FBS-high 4,379 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He followed Morris to Oklahoma State and has a chance to boost his draft appeal against a higher level of competition. He has a live arm and the confidence to test the tightest windows from various platforms. His style is unconventional, as he holds the ball at his waistline, but Mestemaker is capable of a couple of “wow” throws every game. He has operated diverse passing concepts, including quick-hitters and high-low reads. Where he needs work: Mestemaker’s confidence can hurt him, especially when throwing over the middle. Too often he’s unaware of underneath defenders. He also tends to lock onto his initial read and force passes instead of working through his progressions. Morris’ offense is diverse, and Mestemaker could struggle to find the exact type of scheme that fits him. He also lacks experience (14 starts), but the jump up in competition — along with a Week 2 game against Oregon — gives him a chance to emerge as a Round 1 option. Dante Moore, OregonHeight: 6-3 | Weight: 206 poundsClass: Redshirt junior Where he excels: Despite being in the running to be the No. 1 pick in 2026, Moore opted to return to school. He was one of the FBS’ best passers last season, finishing with 3,565 yards, 30 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions while completing 71.8% of his throws. From his footwork to his release, Moore is a natural in every aspect of the position. He distributes the ball in a timely, efficient manner with his smooth, effective throwing motion. Moore is an underrated athlete but uses his mobility only as a last resort. He has a wealth of experience with the progression-based concepts that will be asked of him in the NFL. And with 20 career starts, he’s on track to shoot past the 30-start threshold many teams have for quarterback prospects. Where he needs work: Evaluators want to see Moore become more consistent against top-tier defenses. He also struggled when plays went off kilter, as his overall process got sped up and his effectiveness dwindled. Defenses that hit Moore early can get him to become timid as games go on. Speaking of which, scouts would like to see him take more shots and be more forceful with his arm in testing tight windows. Several times on tape Moore was too patient and not aggressive enough, passing over open targets in deeper parts of the field for more comfortable throws underneath. Julian Sayin, Ohio StateHeight: 6-1 | Weight: 208 poundsClass: Redshirt sophomore Where he excels: Sayin excelled in his first season as a starter, finishing with 3,610 passing yards and 32 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He’s a point guard-like distributor whose game centers on accuracy. His 77% completion percentage led all passers last season. His placement makes the after-catch process seamless for receivers, as he puts the ball on the proper parts of their frames. Sayin repeatedly takes what defenses give him underneath while also being aware of when to loft throws downfield. His alertness with protections at the line is also obvious, as he gets a lot of freedom to alter playcalls. Where he needs work: Sayin doesn’t have ideal size, and his lack of arm strength to drive the ball into tight areas is apparent, resulting in few throws in the middle of the field. The Buckeyes’ offense has a lot of predetermined deep throws to the outside and quick-game concepts attacking the off coverage by defenders. Pre- to post-snap coverage rotation was a constant battle for Sayin last season, especially in losses to Indiana and Miami. Scouts also want to see Sayin use his mobility more. His youth might lead him to wait until 2028 to enter the draft. LaNorris Sellers, South CarolinaHeight: 6-3 | Weight: 240 poundsClass: Redshirt junior Where he excels: Sellers is an explosive dual-threat passer with A-level attributes such as arm power, mobility and strength. He was labeled as one of the top 2026 prospects entering the 2025 season thanks to his ability to throw an excellent deep ball, but he went back to school after an inconsistent year. He has a great feel for the trajectory and touch on long passes and can “drop it in the bucket” when attacking downfield. His compact release helps him fire the ball into condensed windows in the intermediate areas of the field. He’s also a game changer on designed QB runs and scrambles. Though he didn’t have the best 2025 season (2,437 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions), his traits and potential are still major selling points. Where he needs work: Sellers was sacked at the second-highest rate in the FBS last season (11.1%) and was often forced into superhero mode. That resulted in many bad habits surfacing. He is a high-variance passer who always straddles the line between making great throws and turnover-worthy ones. Yet he played too stiff and programmed last season and seemed too set on proving that he could be an instinctive thrower from the pocket. He has long-term, upper-tier potential but must be in a situation in which he’s paired with proven talent developers and afforded years of patience. If he’s eligible … Brendan Sorsby, Texas TechA transfer from Cincinnati, Sorsby was set to be a Round 1 candidate in the 2027 draft after finishing last season with 2,800 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions. But his status for the 2026 season is in doubt, as he’s under investigation for gambling on college and pro sports, which is forbidden by the NCAA. He is currently ineligible to play, but he entered a residential treatment facility to treat gambling addiction in late April and recently filed for an injunction against the NCAA to restore his eligibility. Should he be ruled ineligible for the 2026 season, Sorsby could apply to enter the NFL supplemental draft but would need to be approved by the June 22 deadline. The NFL hasn’t had a supplemental draft since 2023, and no one has been selected in one since 2019, when the Arizona Cardinals picked safety Jalen Thompson with a fifth-round bid. A team using a supplemental pick forfeits the selection they bid for the standard draft the following year. Many evaluators I talked to were noncommittal about what type of pick they’d bid for Sorsby and preferred to let his process play out, but a few suggested a late Day 3 pick. If Sorsby is ruled eligible for 2026, he has appealing traits to be an early pick next year. He’s a quick-twitch thrower who can operate from all types of body positions and arm slots. His whippy throwing motion helps create plenty of velocity. But because of those standout traits, he tries to fit passes into nonexistent lanes. NFL teams could be willing to deal with that … whenever he becomes draft-eligible — if he can address his off-field concerns in a satisfactory manner. Best of the rest Byrum Brown, AuburnBrown thrived alongside coach Alex Golesh at South Florida and now follows him to Auburn after throwing for 3,158 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season. Having an unconventional and long-winding release hasn’t hampered Brown from being one of the more consistent dual-threat quarterbacks in the FBS. If he can carry his success over to the SEC, he could quickly climb the late-round passer ranks. Jaden Craig, TCUCraig contemplated entering the 2026 draft, as there were scouts who had strong Day 3 grades on him after he finished with 2,869 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions at Harvard last season. He finished as the Crimson’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Craig chose to transfer to TCU, where he’ll fit in well with the Horned Frogs’ passing attack with a high-arching release that helps him layer the ball downfield with ease. Josh Hoover, IndianaHoover has the unenviable task of following Fernando Mendoza after transferring from TCU. But he arrives fresh off back-to-back seasons of 3,000-plus passing yards and slots well into the Hoosiers’ quick-operating, RPO-centric offense with his fiery, over-the-top throwing release. With excellent skill players surrounding him and a proven system that finds leaks in defenses, Hoover could vault up draft boards like Mendoza did. Nico Iamaleava, UCLAAfter a contentious transfer from Tennessee, Iamaleava showed promise in spurts during his first season with the Bruins. The 6-6, 215-pound passer finished last season with 1,928 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has a natural throwing motion that can dissect and deliver. A long-striding athlete, Iamaleava added 504 rushing yards and four touchdowns and is capable of picking teams apart with his legs. Kevin Jennings, SMUJennings followed a breakout 2024 season with an even better 2025, finishing with 3,641 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He’s an exciting passer who continuously puts defenses in conflict because of his ability to throw downfield and create plays with his legs. When protected, Jennings is a drop-and-settle thrower who can scan and sling the ball to all levels of the field despite his slender build (6 feet, 192 pounds). He needs to limit the turnover-worthy plays and find the balance between making things happen and putting the ball in harm’s way. DJ Lagway, BaylorLagway was a highly touted recruit in 2024 but didn’t live up to the hype at Florida before transferring, finishing last season with 2,264 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. At 6-3, 247 pounds, Lagway has physical tools and stature few passers can match. He also has a live arm that has scouts intrigued about his potential. Lagway is still highly inconsistent and needs to prove that he can put together long stretches of positive play. Durability has also been an issue; he has suffered multiple soft-tissue injuries and had issues with his throwing shoulder. Sam Leavitt, LSULeavitt made this list last year after a breakout 2024 season but battled injuries in 2025. He finished last season with 1,628 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions before undergoing foot surgery last October. Leavitt transferred from Arizona State and is viewed as an integral member of Lane Kiffin’s first LSU class, as his skills fit well in the coach’s attacking offense. Leavitt needs to be more in control, as he can become skittish and unnecessarily seek to escape clean pockets when progressing off his initial read. Drake Lindsey, MinnesotaAt 6-5, 230 pounds, Lindsey is a big, strong-armed pocket passer who can rocket the ball to any part of the field. He finished his first season as a starter with 2,382 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has the downfield arm strength that makes you sit up in your chair. Lindsey isn’t shy with making risky throws and trusting his targets to haul them in. They aren’t showcased much in the Golden Gophers’ scheme, as his 6.9 air yards per pass attempt ranked 119th in the FBS. John Mateer, OklahomaMateer’s first season with the Sooners after three years at Washington State resulted in 2,885 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions along with 431 yards and eight more scores rushing. He started hot, but he had an early hand injury and then put too many erratic moments on tape down the stretch. Possessing a shortstop-like throwing motion, Mateer can make plenty of big-time passes. However, his competitive mindset prompts him to needlessly throw from funky arm angles, sometimes resulting in frustrating, inaccurate passes. Marcel Reed, Texas A&MReed broke out as a redshirt sophomore, finishing last season with 3,169 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has a thin frame at 6-1, 185 pounds, but he has a quick throwing motion and can release the ball with a quick flick of the wrist. He has never seen a throwing window he doesn’t like. Reed’s daring mentality can be a double-edged sword, as he has spurts of puzzling decision-making. His accuracy is also inconsistent, with his unpredictable ball placement making receivers work harder than should be necessary. Demond Williams Jr., WashingtonAn electric but undersized passer at 5-11 and 190 pounds, Williams can slice and dice defenses in multiple ways. He finished with 3,065 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his first season as a starter. His quickness helps him slither through defenses outside of structure and presents headaches for opponents when he runs. Williams is an exciting college player, but there are major question marks about his transition to the next level given his size. Other QBs to watch: Alonza Barnett III (UCF), Rocco Becht (Penn State), Aidan Chiles (Northwestern), Anthony Colandrea (Nebraska), Devon Dampier (Utah), Noah Fifita (Arizona), Avery Johnson (Kansas State), Austin Mack (Alabama), Beau Pribula (Virginia), Gunner Stockton (Georgia) Big QB questions for NFL teams At this point, which team most needs to draft a quarterback to build around?Arizona Cardinals. Jacoby Brissett turns 34 next season and is holding out in hopes of being paid like a starter. The team drafted Carson Beck in the third round this year, but he is seen more as a long-term backup. The team’s other option is veteran journeyman Gardner Minshew II. The Cardinals should be a contender for a top pick in 2027, which could allow them to find their long-term solution under center. What is a sleeper team to watch at quarterback?Minnesota Vikings. They are in the middle of a QB competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy for the starting job, with Carson Wentz behind them as the QB3. If Murray and McCarthy don’t drastically improve from what they put on tape last season, Minnesota could be looking for its next franchise signal-caller as soon as the 2027 draft. |
