NFL Player News

A 2022 blue chip recruit who was rated as a five-star, top-10 overall prospect out of Seattle, Conerly Jr. (6’5/311) was actually a running back before transitioning to OL as a sophomore in high school. As a freshman, he was used as an extra tackle in short-yardage situations and caught a four-yard touchdown pass while not allowing a single pressure. He became Oregon’s starting LT in 2023, logging 900+ reps in each of the last two seasons while earning Third-Team AP All-American status last year. Conerly Jr. recorded a superb 1 percent blown block rate with just one sack and two hits allowed while posting an 83.4 PFF pass block grade for the Big Ten Champion Ducks. He ran well at the Combine with a 5.05s 40-yard dash and 34.5-inch vertical, which verified his athletic traits with an 88th percentile Relative Athletic Score. He tends to give ground on outside pass sets in order to size up his opponent before initiating contact and stiffening up. He fires out of his stance on run plays and is quick enough to get to the proper edge of defenders to turn them and create lanes. Conerly Jr. tries to surround and envelop defenders rather than overpower them, and is susceptible to a well-timed bull rush. A three-year college player, Conerly Jr. has the traits to develop into a solid tackle if he can add functional weight to improve his anchor.

Vea is due $17 million in the final year of his four-year contract, considerably lower than other top defensive big men around the league. It’s a situation to monitor as the season draws near, with the veteran nose tackle clearly looking for a new deal. Whether the saga carries into camp and the preseason remains to be seen, but it is possible Vea wants to put pen to paper before retaking the field.

Both players were signed following a successful workout with the team Tuesday, parlaying strong seasons in the UFL into NFL contracts. Jackson was a member of the Vikings organization for two seasons but appeared in only three games with the franchise in 2023. Both receivers will look to notch strong camps and preseasons as they attempt to stick on the final 53-man roster in Detroit.

Olave has been on blood thinners after a blood clot was discovered in his lung prior to Week 18 of last season, restricting the alpha wide receiver to individual drills up to this point in the offseason program. The good news is that he’s reportedly set to get off blood thinners in less than two weeks, after which he will look to gain clearance to return to unrestricted football activities. The veteran wide receiver is set to play the 2026 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, making the coming season of utmost importance to his future in New Orleans.

He also admitted that his follow-up procedure was because he was dealing with bone spurs. There’s not really any doubt that Nix will be ready for training camp at this point, and the Broncos seem to be taking it easy with him during mandatory minicamp.

McConkey echoed Jim Harbaugh’s message that he doesn’t view it as a significant concern. It is at least a mild one considering it’s costing McConkey reps in a new offense, and could grow into a bigger one if he’s sidelined longer than the internal estimate. That said, most players recover from hamstring strains in weeks instead of months and there’s no reason to believe McConkey won’t be ready for camp.

Pickens’ current ADP is in the 20-30 range and we expect most analysts will give him a little bump now that he’s not holding out of camp. CeeDee Lamb’s health clearly played a role in Pickens’ 2025 season, as did Dallas’ cataclysmically bad defense. Still, he has a real chance to finish as a WR1 this year and full reps at training camp can only help him out as he plays out the franchise tag.

“With improvements in those areas as a senior in college, teams expected him to be in the first-round conversation in the 2027 draft class. But the gambling cloud hanging over his draft projection makes this an unprecedented situation. Is there enough time before July’s supplemental draft for teams to fully understand his recovery and mindset?” Brugler adds. Brugler’s been in the draft game for a long time and has a lot of sources, so we believe this carries some weight even if it wouldn’t be wildly surprising to see Sorsby selected in the second or third round of the supplemental draft. It’s clear that Sorsby has the tools to play in the NFL and also clear that gambling is a line that many franchises will refuse to cross, but it only takes one.

Pace was fired by the Falcons after a few years in the building. His appointment as “football advisor” rather than something closer to his old “VP of football operations” gig appears to point to him losing some clout in the process. He’s probably not a threat to become a general manager again at this point.

Reporters haven’t spotted McConkey at recent practices, though Harbaugh said he will participate in individual drills today. This is likely just a minor injury and Harbaugh has said it “isn’t a big concern.” We’ll keep an eye on this but it probably shouldn’t impact his best ball position much from what we know now.

Jordan returns to the Big Easy for a 16th season. He’ll get an incentive-laden deal per Ian Rapoport. Jordan has played 48 and 54 percent of the snaps for the Saints over the past two seasons, respectively. He’ll be part of — but not the linchpin of — New Orleans’ pass rush rotation in 2026.