NFL Player News

The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks entered the draft with just four picks, with Schneider saying in the days leading up to the draft that the team would “be looking to move back.” With no deal in place, the Seahawks went out and addressed a glaring need at running back with the selection of Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price with the No. 32 overall pick. Price figures to see an early workload as a rookie with Zach Charbonnet (Achilles) likely to miss a good portion of the season and Kenneth Walker now with the Chiefs. Standing in his way, at least for now, is Emanuel Wilson, who rushed for 125-496-3 with the Packers last season, but Price feels like a fairly safe bet to at least open the 2026 season in a committee with Wilson, but with only 15 career receptions to his name he could be at risk of sitting on most third downs. With two Day 2 picks at their disposal (No. 64 and No. 96), it’s possible Schneider still finds a way to acquire more picks later in the draft to give the Seahawks more options beyond the fourth-round pick they currently hold on Day 3.

Schultz also reports that the Cardinals and Bills have “received calls about potential trades at the top of Round 2.” The Niners currently hold the first pick of the second round and enter the day with a total of eight picks left to make. They traded out of the first round on Thursday with the Jets, who used the 30th overall pick to select Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. In a draft that seems to lack notable talent after the first round, sliding back to acquire more picks could be a common theme on Day 2.

Rodrigue, during an NFL Daily podcast discussion about the Rams taking QB Ty Simpson with the 13th pick in the first round of the 2026 draft, said the Rams have traditionally operated with a level of hubris uncommon in pro football. “I don’t say that as an insult,” Rodrigue said. “Because they have job security and continuity they have built a reputation of going and trying things, of shooting their shot.” Rodrigue described the Rams’ first-round selection of Simpson as “really surprising” considering the offensive line and defensive holes the team has to fill for 2026 and beyond. Rams head coach Sean McVay has said the starting quarterback job belongs to Matthew Stafford going into 2026, and that Simpson will compete with Stetson Bennett for backup duties. Simpson has almost no chance of playing this season unless Stafford, 38, goes down with injury.

This comes after Lynch said he was surprised no teams made a trade offer for Jones during Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. While Lynch may be surprised, the rest of the league may not be, as it was reported back in March that teams around the league believed the 49ers’ asking price for Jones was “astronomical” for the 27-year-old signal-caller. While anything remains possible, all signs seem to point to the Niners preferring to retain Jones for next season after he threw for 2,151-13-6 in just 11 games last season. Jones’ contract expires at the end of next season. It’s possible a few strong outings in 2026 could help generate a decent market for him in free agency during the 2027 offseason.

Per Rapoport, the Steelers were actually on the phone with Lemon when the Eagles traded up with the Cowboys to acquire the No. 20 overall pick. The Eagles then tried calling Lemon, but could not get hold of him because he was on the line with the Steelers. Ultimately, the Eagles submitted the card anyway and came away with a new wide receiver. The Steelers instead drafted Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor one pick later. We expect the Steelers to be in the market for a new wide receiver on Day 2.

Price (5’11/203) missed his freshman season after suffering a torn Achilles during summer workouts. Though he only played a backup role as a sophomore, his kick return production — highlighted by a touchdown versus USC — proved the Achilles issue was behind him. Price unfortunately never got his chance to truly shine at Notre Dame as he would play behind Jeremiyah Love over the next two seasons. He racked up 233 carries for 1,420 yards and 18 scores during that time. In 2025, Price easily led the country in kickoff return yards per attempt (37.5) and tied the FBS-high in return touchdowns at two. Price is a one-cut sprinter, but his 4.49 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine isn’t overwhelmingly fast. He’s also severely limited as a pass-catcher, having brought down a total of 15 balls over three seasons. Price’s limitations may put a ceiling on his fantasy value, but he fits the boom/bust archetype that has worked out for players like Ken Walker and DeVon Achane in recent years. Price should immediately slot in as the RB1 for the Seahawks with Kenneth Walker now in Kansas City and Zach Charbonnet recovering from an Achilles injury.

The versatile lineman will join Robert Saleh’s defense in Tennessee. Faulk (6’6/285) delivered a strong and versatile season off the edge for Auburn, posting 44 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, and 11 run stops across 12 games while playing with laudable technique against the run. His 91.7% tackle efficiency and a 70.5% run tackle share, metrics that aligned with an 85.5 PFF run defense grade, made him Auburn’s most reliable edge setter. As a pass rusher he was more of a steady compressor than a pure closer, generating 29 pressures on 294 rushes (9.9% pressure rate) with 27 first pressures and a 66.0 PFF pass-rush grade, but only finishing with two sacks. Faulk ran a promising 90th-percentile 4.67s 40-yard dash with a 35” vertical (85th%), but his 17 bench reps was a disappointing 24th% mark. Still just 20 years old, Faulk is a bonafide trench stabilizer who projects to carry a high run-defense valuation with pass rushing upside at the next level if he can harness his natural physical gifts.

Cooper Jr. (6’/199) redshirted as a freshman and filled a backup role as a sophomore. He made a name for himself in 2024 by leading the BIG 10 in yards per catch (21.2) while playing exclusively on the outside. He was a prototypical field-stretching WR2, running over 90 percent of his routes from out wide with an average target depth of 16 yards. Curt Cignetti then moved him into the slot for his senior season and everything clicked. Cooper racked up 937 yards and 13 touchdowns on 69 grabs. He also ran in a touchdown for the second year in a row. Cooper averaged over seven yards after the catch per reception in each of his two final seasons at Indiana. As a senior, he forced more missed tackles (27) on receptions than all but three FBS players. He isn’t quite as dynamic as Deebo Samuel. No one is. But he is the closest a first-round prospect has come to Samuel in a while. Cooper’s strong YAC numbers make him a great complement to Garrett Wilson, who is a phenomenal target-earner but has never added much after the catch.

Peter Woods (6’3/310) anchored Clemson’s interior defensive line with a high-floor, snap-eating role, logging 562 total snaps across 12 games. He posted 33 total tackles (13 solo), 5.0 havoc plays, 2.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks and 6 run stops, showcasing steady run-fit discipline despite modest splash-play volume. His pass-rush production was limited on the stat sheet (11 pressures, 3.2% pressure rate), but his PFF pass-rush grade (65.5) reflects more pocket-influence than raw numbers. Woods’ strongest area remained run defense, with a 74.2 PFF run-defense grade and 90.9% run-tackle rate, fitting Clemson’s interior spill/anchor structure and enabling edge creators like Will Heldt and T.J. Parker to finish plays. His athletic profile is somewhat underwhelming, with 31 ¼” arms and middling jump marks combining for a respectable 7.59 RAS. The biggest area for continued refinement is his tackling acumen, as he displays inconsistency when finishing plays. Woods profiles as a rugged gap plugger and run game disruptor whose NFL role will likely be tied to block-destruction and early-down reliability.

The Bills received the 28th pick, among others, from the Texans in exchange for the 26th and 91st overall picks. They then traded the 28th pick to the Patriots in exchange for the 31st and 125th overall picks to put the Pats in position to draft Lomu (6'6"/308), who proved to be a reliable protector, logging 769 snaps at LT without surrendering a sack and a 1.7 percent pressure rate on 362 pass-blocking snaps this year. His consistency showed up in the data as well, where he posted an 82.1 PFF pass-block grade and modest 62.0 PFF run-block grade, reflecting a scheme that leaned heavily on gap concepts (70 percent of run snaps) behind his lead blocking. He recorded 428 run-block snaps with only a 1.2 percent blown-run-block rate, so he was competent assignment-wise. Even in true pass sets, Lomu remained sturdy, helping Utah finish with zero sacks allowed, an 98.9 pass-pro efficiency, and a clean 100% pass block win rate on true pass sets. He dazzled at the Combine running a 4.99s 40 (94th%) with a pair of 95th-percentile jumps for a masterful 9.89 RAS score. Penalties (4) were a noticeable blemish, but overall Lomu’s 2025 film and metrics reflected a slightly raw but athletic and potential starting tackle profile.