Pelissero isn’t saying he expects Beck to come off the board on the first night of the draft. In his words, there’s simply a “non-trivial chance” the Miami passer is selected in the first 32 picks. We doubt this comes to fruition, but it is a clear sign that NFL teams might be higher than expected on Beck. At a minimum, it sounds like Beck is a good bet to go on the second day of the draft. Coming off a season with 3,813 yards, 30 scores, and 12 interceptions, Beck could have some appeal in Superflex dynasty leagues. He is unlikely to make much noise in redraft formats, barring a surprise tomorrow.
The news comes directly from Bell’s agent a day before the draft, so take it with a grain of salt. Bell suffered a torn ACL late in the 2025 season and is still working his way back from the injury and accompanying surgery. Bell caught 72 passes for 917 yards and six scores in 11 games last year. Had he not suffered the season-ending injury, Bell would have been in the conversation for round one draft capital. Instead, it looks like he’ll have a good shot at going in the second or third round.
Per Thamel, the news comes directly from a letter sent to NFL teams regarding Banks’ health. After undergoing a CT scan on his foot, all signs point toward him being ready well ahead of training camp. Banks suffered a broken bone in his foot at the NFL Combine. He underwent surgery a few weeks after the events. Banks opened the draft process as a first-round hopeful, but now it looks like he will have to wait until Day Two to hear his name called. Health permitting, he should be able to contribute in a rotational role by Week 1.
Owner Jerry Jones apparently woke up and chose violence, shutting down any hopes of an extension for the team’s leading receiver in 2025. Stephen Jones reiterated that the team will have Pickens play on the franchise tag in 2026. This comes less than a month after Jerry told reporters the team has long-term plans for Pickens. As is always the case, the Cowboys are playing with one hand tied behind their backs by taking an adversarial approach with their own players. They have typically found a way to get deals done in the end, but this time sounds different. Pickens, who went for 1,429 yards and nine scores last year, will be a free agent next offseason, barring a change of heart from the Cowboys. Now the question becomes whether he will accept this fate or demand a trade, which likely starts with a hold-in during training camp.
Kansas City, Breech said, “should be the first team to give them a call about making a possible deal” for Pitts, who is reportedly on the trade block, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “The Chiefs currently have two first-round picks heading into the draft and they would likely be able to get a deal done by sending just one of those to Atlanta.” Breech said dealing Pitts, entering his age-26 season, would free up some much-needed salary cap space for the Falcons and give them a first-round draft pick, which they do not have at the moment. Pitts, Breech said, would be the “heir apparent” to Travis Kelce, 36, who re-signed with the Chiefs last month after briefly considering retirement for a third straight offseason. Pitts in 2025 had 88 receptions for 928 yards and five touchdowns, a career season. KC last year ranked 11th in two tight end usage (28 percent).
That assumes the Cardinals remain in the three spot on Thursday night. The team has reportedly tried for weeks to deal the pick and had no luck finding viable suitors, thanks in part to the weakness of the 2026 draft class. Love, who had 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final season at Notre Dame, has been linked to several teams, including Arizona, Tennessee, Washington, and the Giants, all of whom have premium first round picks. Love would enter a backfield alongside veteran James Conner and big-bodied RB Tyler Allgeier, who signed with the Cards this offseason after four years with the Falcons. Though Love would function as the team’s lead back, Allgeier and Conner would certainly be involved in the team’s rushing attack in 2026.
Person said the Panthers, who hold the 19th pick in the 2026 draft, could target two Oregon players: Sadiq, who had 51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns in his final collegiate season, and safety Dillon Thieneman, one of the most sought-after secondary options in this year’s draft. The team would likely have to trade up to make sure they have a shot at Sadiq, who would join Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders in the Carolina tight end room if he lands with the Panthers. The Panthers in 2025 targeted the tight end position at a 21 percent clip, the seventh lowest mark in the NFL. “Could that change with Brad Idzik taking over the play calling and the addition of offensive specialist Darrell Bevell, who was in Seattle with Canales when the Seahawks traded for All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham?” Person said. “Possibly.” Sadiq, who ranks 11th in yards per route run among tight ends in the 2026 draft class, would probably be a rotational player in Carolina.
Rapoport reports the Jets are between the two pass rushers for the second pick of this year’s draft. The Jets recently cancelled a top-30 visit with Bailey, presumably due to having enough information on the Texas Tech EDGE and needing the visit for another prospect. Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is also in heavy consideration. Much of the draft after pick No. 2 will be determined by which pass rusher the Jets select; pick No. 3 is currently with the Cardinals but could be moved depending on the selection at No. 2.
Howard and Rudolph have split reps so far in Pittsburgh’s offseason program. With Aaron Rodger still on radio silence, the Steelers are making do with their current quarterback room. Howard is a sixth-round pick from last year while Rudolph is a veteran backup who has started for the Steelers before. They are splitting reps, indicating Howard is getting developmental opportunities while the Steelers are keeping Rudolph ready with the offense in case the veteran needs to step in. Of course, all this could be moot if Rodgers returns, but for now Howard and Rudolph are getting equal starting opportunities early in the offseason program.
We’ve seen some muted buzz on Pitts this offseason — to the point where Falcons GM Ian Cunningham gave a non-answer “it’s my job to listen” when asked about him at the NFL Owner’s meetings — but it does feel like real news that the Falcons are in a world where they’d consider moving him after Pitts signed the franchise tender earlier in April. Pitts, who doesn’t turn 26 until October, would represent an interesting upside swing. It remains to be seen if the Falcons could get enough for him, given the fact that he’d likely require an extension, to actually make moving him interesting for their long-term future.
Dexter Lawrence is gone, the Giants are searching for bodies. Jones has not cracked a higher PFF grade than 53.3 in any of his five years in the NFL, but has hung around in a rotational role with the Dolphins and Lions.
“The noise across the league is getting impossible to ignore,” Jones writes in putting Simpson on the Cardinals in a trade-up at the end of the first round. Arizona’s current quarterback situation of a holding-out Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and Kedon Slovis could desperately use a new, younger direction. We’re not sure that Simpson really is that direction, but one thing we can say about him is that he’s definitely available to draft right now, unlike all those better quarterbacks that are certainly coming in 2027.
It was the right-of-first-refusal tender. Apparently the free agent market was not kind to Tucker. He’ll enter the year third on Tampa’s depth chart at running back behind Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell, but could remain a thorn in Irving’s fantasy upside if he retains a sizeable red zone role under new OC Zac Robinson.
There is no timeline on that decision, per McVay. Ian Rapoport reported yesterday that Garoppolo was considering retirement, something that makes his slow-developing market make more sense. McVay wanting Garoppolo back makes perfect sense when you consider the alternative is currently Stetson Bennett as Los Angeles’ QB2.
He links them to Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers in a mock draft filed a few days before the actual event, and notes that they need someone to complement the “all-around play of Hunter Henry and the blocking prowess of Julian Hill.” The Patriots never replaced Austin Hooper, who fled to the Falcons in free agency. A Day 2 pick on a receiving tight end — Stowers or otherwise — could cut into Henry’s TE1 odds in 2026.
Buckner underwent season-ending neck surgery late last year. It’s a good sign that he’s meeting with reporters and that GM Chris Ballard also had the same timeline for his return yesterday. The star defensive tackle is entering his age-32 season and the final year of his contract in 2026.
McCoy’s ACL is fine and the scans look good. But some team doctors, per Pelissero, think McCoy might need another surgery to replace the bone plug used to repair a cartilage defect in his knee — that would be a long recovery. Thus, McCoy — a first-round pick in most mocks — feels like he could tumble down draft boards on Thursday. Or maybe even Friday.
Gutekunst said Tom would be “ready to roll as we get going,” so he’s probably likely for the start of training camp based on the six-month recovery from this procedure. His injury was one of many that sapped the Packers towards the end of last season.
“I think Aaron is probably more in tune than we would realize,” the coach said, mythologizing Rodgers further. The question doesn’t feel like if Rodgers will return — the Steelers would feel a lot more desperate if they didn’t think he would return — but how many more blurbs we can make about him before he’s out there at training camp. Will Howard and Mason Rudolph are splitting reps with the ones early in the offseason program.
It’s a positive sign for Jones four months removed from his Achilles tear, and it’s in line with general manager Chris Ballard’s April 20 assessment that Jones is “progressing really well” in his offseason recovery. Signing a massive contract extension with the Colts, Jones will be the team’s starter in 2026. Whether he misses a couple early season games depends on the speed of his recovery from the Achilles injury. With Anthony Richardson unlikely to be back with the team, Riley Leonard could function as Indy’s No. 2 quarterback behind Jones. Jones ranked sixth in drop back EPA before tearing his Achilles.
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.