The Lions took a step backward in 2025, and as they build their roster for 2026, they’re getting back to grit.
That’s the word from Lions General Manager Brad Holmes, who said finding tough, competitive, physical players was the priority in the draft.
“You’re just looking for very gritty football players,” Holmes said. “You have to have a level of grit to you and that was a huge emphasis for both free agency and the draft process.”
Asked another question about what he looked for in this year’s draft, Holmes returned to the theme of grit, which has been a point of emphasis for himself and Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
“Just finding gritty football players,” Holmes said. “I’m not saying we forgot about our identity, but just making sure that was at the top of mind. That’s why every single player we took, when we’re writing notes we write, ‘This guy’s a football player.’ . . . I’ve said that about every one of our guys. Me and Dan are seeing it the same way, they’re football players that fit us.”
Texas A&M running back E.J. Smith participated in Dallas Day, the Cowboys’ annual workout day for local prospects. That gave Cowboys fans hope that Smith might sign with the hometown team and follow in the footsteps of his father.
But as he did in choosing his college, E.J. Smith is his own man.
After going undrafted, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, is signing with the Chiefs.
E.J. Smith announced his decision on Instagram.
“Excited to officially sign with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent,” Smith wrote. “Nothing is given. Everything is earned. I’m ready to work, learn, and prove myself every single day. Thank you to my family, coaches, teammates, and everyone who believed in me and pushed me to this moment. The journey hasn’t been easy, but every challenge prepared me for this next step. Grateful is an understatement. All glory to God for this opportunity. Let’s get it Chiefs Kingdom.”
Smith spent four seasons at Stanford and two at Texas A&M.
He had only 44 carries for 205 yards and four touchdowns and four catches for 18 yards in 2025, but had two memorable plays for the Aggies. Smith picked up a first down on fourth-and-1 at his own 34-yard line with 10 minutes left in a close game with Arkansas, getting to the stick despite tight end Micah Riley running into him in the backfield. In a game against UTSA, Smith made three blocks on K.C. Concepcion’s 80-yard punt return.
He finished his career with 207 carries for 969 yards and nine touchdowns and added 470 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Diego Pavia is confident that his size won’t stop him from succeeding as a quarterback in the NFL, but the NFL showed a lot more doubt about his future over the last three days.
Pavia was not one of the 257 players selected over the seven rounds of the 2026 draft. That makes him the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since Jordan Lynch in 2014.
Pavia was the runner-up to Fernando Mendoza in the Heisman voting after a spectacular season for Vanderbilt. He was measured at just under 5-foot-10 at the Senior Bowl, however, and that would make him the shortest quarterback in a league that has long favored taller players at the position.
There’s been no report of Pavia agreeing to terms with a team as a free agent yet, but that is now the only path available for the start to his professional career.
The Bears did not draft a quarterback, but they are signing one as an undrafted free agent.
Louisville quarterback Miller Moss has agreed to terms with the team, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Moss was Caleb Williams’ backup at USC in 2022 and 2023. He made his first start in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville when Williams sat out to get ready for the NFL draft and earned offensive MVP honors after throwing six touchdowns.
He started nine games for the Trojans in 2024 before they benched Moss after he threw three interceptions in a 26-21 loss to Washington.
He spent last season at Louisville, completing 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,679 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games.
In his career, Moss passed for 6,148 yards with 43 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
The Packers didn’t draft a quarterback in their six-player class. They are signing one they had in town on a top-30 predraft visit.
Green Bay has agreed to terms with Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones, an undrafted free agent, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.
Drones and Texas Tech’s Behren Morton were the only quarterbacks to take top-30 pre-draft visits with the Packers. The Patriots selected Morton in the seventh round.
Drones spent his first two seasons at Baylor before transferring to Virginia Tech. In three years with the Hokies, he completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 5,566 yards and 44 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,798 yards and 20 touchdowns, giving him 7,364 total yards and 64 total touchdowns.
He joins a quarterbacks room with Jordan Love, Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord.
Garrett Nussmeier had to wait a while, way longer than he expected, to hear his name. Nine quarterbacks went before the LSU quarterback did.
The Chiefs finally ended his fall, picking him in the seventh round, making Nussmeier the 249th overall pick.
Nussmeier appeared emotional as he donned the Chiefs baseball cap and celebrated with his family, which included his father, Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.
Nussmeier joins Patrick Mahomes, Justin Fields, Chris Oladokun and Jake Haener on Kansas City’s roster at the position.
Nussmeier started 23 games in five seasons in Baton Rouge, going 15-8. He completed 64.0 percent of his passes for 7,699 yards with 52 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
The Patriots had only Tommy DeVito behind starter Drake Maye until Saturday. That’s when they used a seventh-round pick on Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton, making him the 234th overall pick.
Morton is the ninth quarterback selected in the 2026 draft, although LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier isn’t one of those.
Morton finished last season with 2,780 yards passing with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games. He missed two games with a hairline fracture in his right leg.
Morton spent five seasons in Lubbock, starting 3 1/2 of those seasons. He started 36 games, going 26-10 and completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 8,989 yards with 71 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
The Commanders have added a fourth player to their quatrerback room in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL draft.
With the 223rd overall pick, Washington selected Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis.
The Commanders have their franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels and their veteran backup in Marcus Mariota, so Kaliakmanis will likely compete with Sam Hartman for the third-string job.
Kalkiakmanis spent five years in the Big Ten. He started 17 games for Minnesota before transferring to Rutgers in 2024 and starting every game for the Scarlet Knights in 2024 and 2025. He finished his college career with unimpressive statistics -- 55.8 percent completion rate with 55 touchdowns and 27 interceptions -- but he showed flashes of talent, and the Commanders thought he showed enough to be worth a seventh-round pick, and worth a look this offseason to see if he can earn a third-string job.
Florida’s Trey Smack became the first kicker off the board in the 2026 NFL draft.
The Packers made him a sixth-round pick, No. 216 overall.
Smack joins Brandon McManus and Lucas Havrisik on the roster. McManus made 24-of-30 field goals, with a long of 56, and he missed one extra point.
The Packers drafted Anders Carlson in the sixth round in 2023, but he missed 11 kicks in his rookie season and never played for them again after that.
Smack is a two-time Groza semifinalist and one of only three FBS kickers to make five field goals of 50-plus yards in 2025. He made a 57-yarder in the Shrine Bowl.
Smack made 82.8 percent of his kicks in college.
Pro Bowler Jordan Stout followed John Harbaugh from the Ravens to the Giants, becoming the NFL’s highest-paid punter. That left the Ravens with a need for a punter.
They selected the best one in the draft, using a sixth-round pick on Michigan State punter Ryan Eckley. He joins Luke Elzinga at the position on the roster.
Eckley was a three-time All-Big Ten selection and the 2025 Big Ten Punter of the Year.
He had a punting average of 47.6 yards per punt in his career, breaking the Big Ten record. He led the conference in punting average in 2024 (47.9) and 2025 (48.5).
Eckley placed 34 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line (50 of 149), with 27 punts downed inside the 10. He had 67 punts of 50-plus yards.
