4 weeks ago
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ESPN
Ben Solak: How all 32 teams can ace their picks, needs
If neither Caleb Downs nor Jeremiyah Love make it to No. 7, the Commanders should trade back. They’re missing both their second- and fourth-round picks as a result of the Laremy Tunsil trade, and they have more needs than their first two picks can address.
Another safety to start opposite Nick Cross should be a major focus, especially if new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones wants to field three safeties (as Brian Flores’ defense did in Minnesota). Three free agents at edge rusher (Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu) aren’t enough to fill all the snaps, especially because Oweh and Chaisson both lack the ideal run-defending profile. A trade back could see the Commanders in range of Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman at safety or Auburn’s Keldric Faulk at edge.
Wide receiver could also be a target either at No. 7 or after a trade back. Carnell Tate (Ohio State) will likely go at the top of that range, while Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and USC’s Makai Lemon could go somewhere in the teens. Washington desperately needs a legitimate second pass catcher opposite Terry McLaurin, and ideally someone who can blossom into a WR1 since McLaurin is almost 31. The Commanders have a much bigger chance of taking a wide receiver in the first round than people realize.
This is all well and good … but after the release of center Tyler Biadasz, the Commanders still need someone to fill those snaps. Jake Slaughter (Florida) and Connor Lew (Auburn) are two likely targets at No. 71.
The bottom line: Trade back to score an extra pick to address receiver, center and at least one of the two outstanding defensive needs.
NFL.com
2026 NFL mock draft … with a twist! What every team SHOULD do in Round 1 (by Adam Rank)
Look, Commanders: I’ve seen a lot of mock drafts where you don’t take a receiver in Round 1, and that’s just wrong. The TOP priority should be making sure Jayden Daniels has as much offensive firepower around him as possible. You can’t roll into next season with Luke McCaffrey and Treylon Burks as Terry McLaurin’s top companions at receiver. I personally love Makai, who has drawn comparisons to Amon-Ra St. Brown — perhaps it’s because they both played at USC — but you need to come out of this first round with a new wide receiver of some sort. In my mind, Lemon is going to be an NFL stud.
The Athletic (paywall)
2026 NFL Draft safety guide: Big nickels, deep safeties, and do-it-all playmakers
Big nickel
A.J. Haulcy
Haulcy has one of the most fun tapes to watch because he’s trying to destroy guys on every play. He’s extremely active, but to his own detriment at times. He tries to pounce on every play. Though he mostly played deep at LSU in 2025, he should play in the box early on as he learns a system in the NFL. His reactivity might be better in the slot, where he won’t leave a receiver wide open because he nailed down on an underneath route too quickly. He has the size, physicality and burst to thrive in the box.
The Beast
Wild card: Kyle Louis
Louis played a hybrid role at Pitt. He played “star” linebacker — a term usually reserved for nickels. He was essentially a nickel and played on the wide side of the field. Louis’ sideline-to-sideline burst pops on film. He’s too light (220 pounds), nor does he have the physicality to play full-time linebacker, but his movement skills are elite. He has a great understanding of zone and how to play passing lanes. He showed his man coverage chops at the Senior Bowl, locking up running backs and tight ends, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. In this new era of light box defenses, Louis can be an interesting fit as a big nickel.
Deep safety
Jakobe Thomas
Thomas mainly played as one of the deep safeties in Miami’s quarter-based system. Thomas plays with reckless abandon and little worry for self-preservation with the way he throws his body around. Though he’s physical coming down and playing the run from the alley for driving on underneath passes, he’s rarely out of position. He can miss tackles because of his aggressiveness, but he doesn’t bust coverages often. There are times I want him to trigger a little faster against passes, and his movement skills are average, but he’s a player you can trust to play deep and come up against the run with physicality.
Podcasts & videos
Strong Convictions, Lightly Held | Commanders Log: Season 5, Episode 1
“Mark My Words: It’s Gonna Be a Hit” | Players’ SURPRISE Reaction to New Commanders Uniforms
NFC East links
Blogging the Boys
Stephen Jones: No one has called Cowboys about George Pickens
Speaking on Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan, Dallas Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones fielded a number of questions about the team’s draft strategy and overall situation ahead of next week. One of the questions asked had to do with George Pickens and the prospect of moving him. Stephen noted that so far no other NFL team has called with interest in Pickens.
Recall that the Cowboys placed the non-exclusive tag on Pickens which means other teams are permitted to negotiate with him directly. Should a team come to terms with him on deal then the Cowboys have right of first refusal and if they decline it they would be owed two first-round picks.
This is why a team, if they truly are interested in Pickens, may prefer to trade for Pickens with the Cowboys in the conventional way. They could work out the deal and surrender less capital than multiple first-round picks would be. According to Jones though, no one has attempted to do so.
For what it’s worth, he also noted that trades around this time of year do not generally tend to pick up until you are on the clock.
Big Blue View
So which is it?
After all the talk this is the “gorilla in the room” question(s) that no one has really answered yet.
What do you want Dex? Is it more money to re-inflate your ego? Are you saying that with an additional 5M or so you’ll suddenly return to the superman you were in early 2024 season? Has he ever let on WHY he asked for this trade?
Or does he want to win badly, and believes he has a better chance to do that somewhere other than NY? Is he going to be asking for more money from the next team if he’s traded? You signed for 90 MILLION dollars for 4 years, gave us one half of one season of great play and now THIS?
Whatever the case, he played like crap last year! For him to come out now and play hard ball is really disappointing and makes me believe that he’s lost the edge that made him the incredible player he was just 2/3 short years ago!
These things usually don’t end well. The Giants need to get it behind them one way or the other, and as quickly as possible. Hopefully before the draft.
NFL league links
Articles
Pro Football Talk
Eric DeCosta: This draft has a talent drop-off midway through the first round
DeCosta said that when he evaluates the overall talent level available this year, he sees a strong first half of the first round, but a weaker second half.
“First round, there’s definitely a drop off probably midway through the round in terms of talent,” DeCosta said.
DeCosta said the overall talent level this year is “a little less than last year.”
“We have just under 200 players that we have ranked as draftable for us,” DeCosta said. “If the board came off exactly the same way as we have it, we’d have to go outside of that to finish our draft because there’s over 250 picks.”
Pro Football Talk
Report: Jets canceled pre-draft visit with David Bailey
The Jets canceled their top-30 visit with Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey, Connor Hughes of SNY reports.
It is unclear when Bailey was scheduled to visit. Pre-draft visits ended on Wednesday.
Bailey is the betting favorite to be the No. 2 overall pick, which belongs to the Jets. Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese, who had been favored to be drafted after the Raiders select Fernando Mendoza, was one of the Jets’ top-30 visitors.
ESPN
NFL begins onboarding potential replacement officials
The NFL has started onboarding potential replacement officials as the expiration of its collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Referees Association approaches, clubs were informed Wednesday in a memo from Perry Fewell, the league’s senior vice president of officiating.
“Several” replacements have completed background checks with NFL security, according to the memo, and they will soon be given physical examinations. Online and in-person training sessions with league officiating supervisors are scheduled to begin on or near May 1.
The CBA between the sides expires May 31. Fewell wrote that teams will receive a tentative schedule in the coming weeks with details about replacement officials’ availability to work at OTAs and minicamps beginning June 1, if there is no agreement before then.
“Throughout the process we will continue to solicit your feedback on the performance of the potential replacement officials as we finalize the game official roster for training camp and preseason games,” Fewell wrote.
Front Office Sports
NFL, YouTube in Advanced Talks for 5-Game Package
The NFL has extra inventory to sell following ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network. As a part of the deal, ESPN assumed the games that previously aired on the league-owned cable channel, while relinquishing its Monday Night Football doubleheaders.
Price and duration of the YouTube package were not immediately known, nor was when the games would air. NFL Network’s previous package of games primarily consisted of international games that kicked off at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Flag Football
Front Office Sports
Fanatics-Tom Brady Flag Football Deal With Saudis in Peril
Riyadh Season, a promotional vehicle for Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), had a sponsorship deal for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic to take place in Riyadh last month. The event, which aired on Fox, was moved to Los Angeles after a coalition including the United States and Israel attacked Iran, triggering turmoil in the Middle East. Fanatics and Saudi Arabia officials were at odds about moving the event, with the latter preferring to postpone it and host it in Riyadh once the geopolitical situation cools down, sources said.
The Saudis pulled out of further funding the event after it moved to Los Angeles, a source said. The source added that Fanatics Studios, the upstart production arm of the apparel and collectibles company, is expected to continue producing the event with or without Saudi funding.
The uncertainty surrounding the Fanatics partnership comes as Saudi Arabia is reevaluating its spending priorities. The Financial Timesreported Wednesday that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is “on the verge of cutting its support for LIV,” the golf league that poached a number of renowned golfers including Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm from the PGA Tour for nine-figure sums several years ago. (Koepka has since returned to the PGA.)
