McMillan, last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year after catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns, dropped between 10 and 15 pounds during the 2025 season and is working to regain some or all of it before the 2026 regular season. Even if the Panthers use an early round draft pick on a wideout, McMillan will certainly enter the 2026 as Carolina’s No. 1 receiver. Last year he ranked 26th among wideouts in yards per route run, just ahead of Khalil Shakir and Demario Douglas and just behind Romeo Doubs. McMillan ranked 65th out of 110 qualifying receivers in ESPN’s open score, which measures a pass catcher’s separation from defenders.
“Love is an explosive play waiting to happen and would unlock multiple layers of the playbook that Washington couldn’t access last season,” Reid said, projecting the Commanders to take the former Notre Dame running back with the seventh pick of the 2026 draft. Washington in 2025 ranked 11th in rush EPA, just below the 49ers, and tenth in rushing success rate, in line with the run-heavy Packers. Love in 2025 had 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns and had 39 runs of 10 or more yards, trailing only three collegiate backs. Washington was one of the run heaviest teams in the NFL last season, ranking 28th in early down neutral pass rate.
Madubuike recently had surgery to fix a career-threatening neck injury he suffered in Week 2 last season. The neck surgery “left his doctors believing he will be able to resume playing this season,” Schefter said. Madubuike, 28, had 22 sacks over the 2023 and 2024 seasons. His 2025 neck injury was a huge loss for the Ravens front seven. Baltimore’s defense struggled to pressure the passer for much of the year. Madubuike’s return to full health would likely be a marked upgrade for the Ravens under new head coach Jesse Minter.
ESPN’s Draft Day Predictor model gives Simpson a 43 percent chance of going in the first round of the draft, which kicks off on Thursday night. “If the Alabama quarterback were to be selected Thursday, the most likely spots are at Nos. 16 (currently the Jets), 21 (Steelers) and 24 (Browns), though he could go at any pick as the result of a trade,” Walder said. The steam behind Simpson has faded a bit since he rocketed up draft boards in March as the only NFL-viable QB in the 2026 draft class outside Fernando Mendoza, who will be drafted first overall by the Raiders. If Simpson slips into the second round, Walder expects the Cardinals and Jets to strongly consider him. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has already named Geno Smith the team’s Week 1 starter.
Grier returns to the Panthers after starting two games for Carolina in 2019. He completed 52 percent of his passes, with zero touchdowns and four interceptions. Grier has not played in a regular season game since 2019, and will likely function as the Panthers’ No. 3 quarterback behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett if he indeed makes the 2026 roster.
McMillan, last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year after catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns, dropped weight over the past few months and is down to around 205 pounds. Perhaps McMillan is trying to gain speed and quickness, though trimming down could make things more difficult for the boundary receiver. Even if the Panthers use an early round draft pick on a wideout, McMillan will certainly enter the 2026 as Carolina’s No. 1 receiver. Last year he ranked 26th among wideouts in yards per route run, just ahead of Khalil Shakir and Demario Douglas and just behind Romeo Doubs.
“I’m feeling extremely blessed, grateful to be back, feeling great and no restrictions, " Warner told reporters Monday at the team facility for the beginning of the offseason program. His return will be a massive boost to the defensive interior after the Pro Bowl linebacker required surgery to correct a gruesome ankle injury sustained in October of the 2025 season. Warner has made four Pro Bowls during his stellar eight-year NFL career.
The injury occurred during position drills and is reported to be a Jones fracture. The wide receiver prospect is expected to be fully recovered by the start of the NFL regular season. McAlister is not expected to hear his name called during the coming draft weekend but could catch on as an undrafted free agent.
Ballard noted that Jones is throwing and moving while adding that Jones and the team are “shooting for Week 1" for him to be back on the field. Jones suffered his injury in Week 14 and is looking at a long road to recovery after undergoing surgery in December, but he remains optimistic that he can return in time for the start of the season based on how his rehab has gone thus far. His status will be one to watch as we get closer to camp, but if Jones can avoid landing on the PUP list when camp opens, then it would be safe to assume he’s trending toward a return for Week 1.
Harrison was drafted with the No. 27 overall pick back in 2023 and has started all 48 games he’s appeared in since joining the team. He has spent his entire career at right tackle, allowing 10 sacks and 93 pressures in 48 regular-season games, and earned a PFF pass-blocking grade of 75.6 last season — his highest mark to date. Harrison will now be under contract with the Jaguars through the 2027 season.
As Schneider pointed out, the Seahawks currently have four picks in this year’s draft, including just one on Day 3. Seattle has each of its first three-round picks, but picking out of the No. 32 slot, there could be plenty of incentive to trade back and acquire more Day 2 and Day 3 picks should a team be interested in moving up at the end of the first round to make a pick. Whether it happens before or during the draft, the Seahawks will be a team to watch as draft day draws closer and other teams begin considering who they may want to move up for.
Lynch said he doesn’t think it’s a “high probability” that Aiyuk is traded at some time during this weekend’s draft, but didn’t rule out the possibility. Whether they admit it or not, the Niners are positioned to keep Aiyuk on the roster until September 1st, when they would first be required to pay him if he is still on the roster. The split between Aiyuk and the 49ers sounds like there are people on both sides who are annoyed with the situation, but the Niners hold all of the cards after voiding the remaining guaranteed money on his deal while keeping him under contract after he reportedly stopped coming into the facility for his rehab treatments last season. If the Niners can find a team interested in dealing even a late Day 3 pick for Aiyuk, then it’s possible he will be on the move sooner than later, but it seems like they’re willing to wait as long as they can to extract whatever value he may have left before letting him go to join another team.
The last we heard of Nacua, he was being checked into a “luxury treatment facility” in Malibu just days after he was alleged to have bitten a woman and made “unprovoked antisemitic remarks” to her. It’s been a tumultuous few months for the 24-year-old receiver who has taken the league by storm since joining the Rams as a fifth-round pick back in 2023. Now in the final year of his rookie contract, Nacua faces the possibility of having to play out the year without an extension, given his current situation. The fact that he’s back with the Rams for their offseason program is a sign that things are trending in the right direction for him. We’ll see where things go from here.
Beckham’s rumored interest in returning to his former team seems to have taken another step, as the Giants had him at the facilities today for a physical and a workout. The 33-year-old receiver was unsigned during the 2022 and 2025 seasons, and when we last saw him in Miami, he offered little to be impressed with, catching 9-of-18 targets for 55 scoreless yards in a limited role. If he does re-sign with the Giants, Beckham will likely do so on a one-year deal with a chance to earn a role in camp. Given his injury history, age, and time away from the game, it’s genuinely hard to imagine him offering much to an NFL offense at this stage in his career.
Ballard said that Pierce, who signed a four-year, $114 million contract this offseason, is expected to be back sometime during training camp. According to Ballard, Pierce “kept dealing with some pain in his ankle” and opted for surgery after consulting multiple doctors. It doesn’t sound like this is an issue to be overly concerned with at this time, but the clock is officially ticking for Pierce to be ready to go by camp after the Colts paid him WR1 money this offseason and traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers. We’ll likely get another update on his recovery as training camp draws closer.
Wright will now be under contract through the 2027 season. The former No. 10 overall pick allowed just three sacks on 436 pass-blocking snaps last season while also allowing a career-low 19 quarterback pressures. Among 68 tackles with at least 500 snaps last season, Wright’s 81.4 PFF blocking grade ranked 14th-highest and earned Second-team All-Pro honors. If he’s able to turn out a strong 2026 campaign, Wright will likely find himself in line for a long-term extension before the start of the 2027 season.
Garoppolo, 34, is the preferred backup for Matthew Stafford and the Rams after he spent the last two seasons serving as the Rams’ QB2. If he opts to continue playing, he will most likely return to the Rams on a one-year deal, but Garoppolo is reportedly considering hanging things up. The former second-round pick has started 64 games in his career, with 55 of those starts coming with the 49ers. He’s attempted just 41 passes over the last two seasons and did not attempt a pass in 2025.
After redshirting much of his rookie season, Boutte has totaled 76 receptions for 1,140 yards and nine touchdowns over the last two seasons while playing primarily as a deep threat on the outside. Boutte posted a 33-551-6 line last season on 46 targets, and among players with at least 45 targets, his 17.5 ADOT ranked third-highest in the league behind Alec Pierce (20.0) and Christian Watson (18.0). The Patriots signed Romeo Doubs earlier this offseason and remain the frontrunners to trade for A.J. Brown this summer. Should Brown land with the Pats, Boutte could become an expendable player with some trade value as he looks to impress in the final year of his rookie deal in hopes of securing a new contract next offseason.
The Colts have agreed to explore trades for both Moore and Richardson, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to hear that neither player plans to be present for the voluntary offseason workout programs. For now, the trade market for both players has been quiet, but it’s possible they gain more steam during or after the NFL Draft, once teams have had a chance to evaluate their rosters and identify where needs still exist.
Aubrey will receive $20 million in guaranteed money, the most ever for a kicker in league history. The 31-year-old kicker has established himself as one of the top legs in the league since joining the Cowboys as a 28-year-old UDFA in 2023, making the Pro Bowl in all three seasons while also being named a First-team All-Pro in 2023. Aubrey is an impressive 24-for-27 on field goals from 50-plus yards for his career and will now be under contract through the 2030 season.
The last we heard about Greenard was at the league’s winter meetings, when head coach Kevin O’Connell said he expected Greenard to be part of the team in 2026. Greenard broke out for a 12-sack season in 2024 but was held to just three sacks over 12 games last season while totaling 38 tackles and 10 TFLs. He remains under contract through 2027, and the Vikings are reportedly looking for a high-end Day 2 draft pick in exchange for his services. After losing EDGE Jaelan Phillips to the Panthers in free agency earlier this offseason, the Eagles have a need to add another pass-rusher to a defense that totaled 42 sacks last season. Schefter reports trade discussions between the two sides “have lost steam in recent weeks,” but that the two sides could revisit those discussions during this week’s draft.
As serious as it sounds, Pelissero says that Nussmeier “has been asymptomatic since just prior to the Senior Bowl,” but if any complications persist, Nussmeier could undergo a minimally invasive procedure to remove the cyst, which would sideline him for 2-3 weeks. Nussmeier is believed to be a Day 2 prospect in this year’s upcoming draft and struggled during his final season at LSU due to his injuries. Hopefully, this explanation as to the cause of his injury/discomfort will mitigate any concerns teams may have about his health ahead of this week’s draft.
Ariaza has spent the last two seasons with the Chiefs, appearing in all 34 games while averaging 48.2 yards per punt. The “Punt God” attempted 56 punts for the Chiefs last season and landed 27 of those kicks inside his opponent’s 20-yard line.
According to Schefter, the Cardinals would like to deal their No. 3 pick in exchange for more draft picks. There’s some hope that a team would be interested in moving up to the 1.03 round to take Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, who is widely regarded as the best player in the draft and a lock to go in the top-10. Schefter writes in his most recent article that Love going to the Commanders at No. 7 overall “would seem to be his floor.” After going 3-14 last season and releasing Kyler Murray earlier this offseason, the Cardinals are in rebuild mode. They currently hold just seven draft picks, but with multiple positions to address and a potentially strong 2027 QB class incoming, it’s no surprise they want to acquire extra picks as they look to build a contender.