The NFL has announced the names of the current and former players that will take part in next week’s draft by announcing second-round picks.
The list includes players associated with all 32 teams, including Cardinals running back James Conner. Conner has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area after playing for the Steelers and attending Pitt, which likely made him an easy choice as the Cardinals’ representative.
Former Bears tackle Jimbo Covert, former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, former Chiefs defensive lineman Bill Maas, current Vikings tackle Brian O’Neill, former Jets running back Curtis Martin, and former 49ers punter Andy Lee are other Pitt alums who are set to take part.
The hometown team will be represented by four players. Former Steelers Jerome Bettis and John Stallworth will be joined by Joey Porter Sr. and Jr. next Friday.
The other players taking part and their team affiliations appear below:
Falcons: Michael Turner
Ravens: Mark Ingram
Bills: Shane Conlan
Panthers: Jake Delhomme
Bengals: Ken Anderson
Browns: Phil Dawson
Cowboys: Drew Pearson
Broncos: T.J. Ward
Lions: Calvin Johnson
Packers: John Kuhn
Texans: Billy Miller
Colts: Pat McAfee
Jaguars: Paul Posluszny
Raiders: Matt Millen
Chargers: Shawne Merriman
Rams: Tavon Austin
Dolphins: Dwight Stephenson
Patriots: Deion Branch
Saints: Marques Colston
Giants: Osi Umenyiora
Eagles: Brian Westbrook
Seahawks: Cliff Avril
Buccaneers: Ronde Barber
Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Commanders: Mark Rypien
Patriots Clips
One week ago, no one knew what would happen regarding the photos published by the New York Post of Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini. Many didn’t even know what to make of the situation.
The photos were what they were. The statements from Vrabel, Russini, and The Athletic were what they were. And the general public concluded whatever it concluded regarding whether the photos meshed with the statements.
Now that Russini has resigned from The Athletic amid an investigation that will nevertheless continue in the form of a “standards review,” the attention may turn to the other person in the photos, who has emerged from the imbroglio unscathed for now.
Vrabel made one and only one comment about the photos. Based on his comment, he seems to be intent on making no further comment.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told the Post. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
The mere fact that The Athletic launched an investigation shows its belief that “any suggestion otherwise” was not “laughable.” Which makes sense, given the high bar that The New York Times and, by extension, The Athletic apply to its reporters to “avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.”
No such standard applies to Vrabel in his job as an NFL football coach. There are other rules that potentially impact Vrabel based on the position he holds, but neither the league nor the Patriots seem to be inclined to explore whether the situation potentially implicates those less obvious and more nuanced standards.
When Vrabel next meets with reporters, he likely will be asked about the situation. Russini’s resignation opens the door for, at a minimum, a question regarding his reaction to the outcome as to her. And there’s a good chance, depending on the credentials issued by the Patriots to the upcoming press conferences, that reporters from non-sports outlets will be present and prepared to pepper Vrabel with that and other questions.
Then there’s the locker room. PFT Live Friday co-host Michael Holley recently explained on NBC Sports Boston that, while Vrabel may be able to stiff-arm the media, he’ll need to address the matter with players. At a minimum, Vrabel must maintain his own credibility when it comes to insisting that players not create unnecessary distractions for the team.
Although there’s no reason to think anything will happen as to Vrabel’s employment, it’s something that has the potential to linger unless and until Vrabel finds a way to end it. He can easily end it externally, because he can simply say to reporters, “I’ve said all I’m ever going to say about it.” He’ll need to say something more to the people he will expect to not create distractions moving forward, if only to get them to understand why they should continue to heed that message.
The full communication from The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg to staff regarding the resignation of NFL insider Dianna Russini has emerged. Dylan Byers of Puck has posted the full message.
“I’m writing to let you know that Dianna Russini has submitted her resignation from The Athletic, effective immediately. While I can’t share the details of our investigation into Dianna’s conduct, I want to emphasize that the leadership of The Athletic has taken this matter seriously from the moment that we learned about it.
“Our coverage at The Athletic is deeply rooted in our integrity and our commitment to earning the trust of our audience. Our newsroom has thrived because of our core journalistic values, and we will always ensure they are protected.
“When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter. As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.
“While our investigation into Dianna’s conduct was ongoing, she chose to resign. We will continue a standards review of Dianna’s work that Mike Semel is leading.
“Amid all of this, I want to sincerely thank everyone for continuing to produce the best sports report in the business. I’m looking forward to focusing on our journalism and continuing our momentum.”
It was Ginsberg who provided the initial statement in response to the New York Post securing photos of Russini with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. “These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” Ginsberg told the Post at the time. “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.”
That initial comment from Ginsberg has become a problem for the publication. Russini’s resignation letter reminded Ginsberg that he supported her “unequivocally"; staffers reportedly have taken issue with his handling of the situation, calling it “unnecessarily messy,” “reckless,” “premature,” and “intentionally sneaky.”
Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic during a company review of her work, in the aftermath of the publication one week ago of photos with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
The Athletic will nevertheless continue its investigation.
Jeremy Barr of the Guardian reports that Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, has sent to staffers a Slack message confirming that Russini has resigned.
“While I can’t share the details of our investigation into Dianna’s conduct, I want to emphasize that the leadership of The Athletic has taken this matter seriously from the moment we learned about it,” Ginsberg reportedly wrote.
The message explains that the review of Russini’s work will continue.
“When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter,” Ginsberg wrote. “As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.”
As explained in a prior item, Russini’s resignation may have been intended to prompt The Athletic to terminate its investigation. Her contract with The Athletic was due to expire on June 30.
Since the publication of the Associated Press article regarding Dianna Russini’s resignation from The Athletic, she has posted her full resignation letter on Twitter.
Here is the full text of her letter to Steve Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic:
“Pleasé accept this letter as my resignation from The Athletic, effective immediately. I have come to this decision with deep sadness but with clarity about what is right for me, my family, and the work I have spent my career building.
“You and I have already publicly addressed the recent attacks against me, and I have nothing to add publicly to what we have said. I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published.
“When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful.
“In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts. Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.
“Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.
“Over a career spanning more than fifteen years in sports journalism — at NBC, ESPN, and The Athletic — I have built a body of work I am proud of. I have broken stories, earned the trust of sources across the league, and been guided by the highest standards of professional conduct. That record speaks for itself.
“I remain grateful to The Athletic and for the extraordinary colleagues with whom I have worked there, for the platform it provided, and for the support you showed me during this difficult time. I wish you nothing but continued success.”
Responses to the letter on Twitter have been restricted, which is a sensible move. An innocuous trial-balloon tweet last week regarding the ongoing talks between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association was overrun by the predictable sort of toxicity that characterizes social media.
The letter itself seems to have been written by a lawyer. The giveaway is the designation at the top of the means of deliver: “Via Electronic Mail.” Lawyers almost always start their correspondence that way; non-lawyers rarely if ever do.
If it was written by a lawyer, it could be part of an effort to get The Athletic to stop its investigation before reaching a conclusion. If, in the end, The Athletic were to decide that the photographs of Russini with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel fall short of editorial guidelines that “require that their journalists avoid any activities that pose a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict, so as not to call into question their credibility” and/or that her denial of anything inappropriate was not entirely accurate, that would have made a bad situation even worse.
As it stands, the resignation arguably makes the investigation moot. Whether The Athletic comes to that specific conclusion remains to be seen. Other reporters at The Athletic and its parent company, The New York Times, may be jostling for a final, public statement to be made about the situation, in the interests of the publications’ credibility and integrity moving forward.
Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic, one week after the New York Post published photos of Russini with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at a resort in Sedona, Arizona.
Via Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, Russini submitted a resignation letter to The Athletic on Tuesday.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” Russini wrote, per the letter obtained by Maaddi. “When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.
“Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
It’s for the readers to make their own decisions whether to accept that explanation on its face, or whether to engage in “self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”
One possible explanation, in our view, is that she sensed where the investigation was going, that she knew regardless of the outcome her contract would not be renewed beyond the upcoming deadline, and that she moved on before The Athletic could issue a decision that would provide a far more clear and fully unmistakable definition to her career.
Even without a verdict from The Athletic, it will be very hard for Russini to fully restore her credibility. For now, pulling the plug on the investigation before it reached a conclusion may have been the only way to stop it from becoming even harder to recover from this incident.
One of the draft’s top tight ends is continuing a busy stretch this week.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Georgia’s Oscar Delp is visiting with the Buccaneers and Chargers this week.
Delp previously had top-30 visits with the Patriots, Ravens, and Vikings last week.
Delp did not work out at the scouting combine after a hairline fracture was revealed in his foot during a routine X-ray. But Delp was able to work out at Georgia’s Pro Day last month.
An experienced player at Georgia, Delp was on the field for 55 games with 34 starts. He totaled 70 receptions for 854 yards with nine touchdowns. That includes 21 receptions for 248 yards and four TDs in 2025.
There’s a subtext to the recent Dianna Russini situation at The Athletic. As explained by John Ourand of Puck in the latest edition of his Varsity newsletter, the controversy highlights lingering tensions between The Athletic and The New York Times, which purchased the sports publication in 2022.
Ourand describes the Times as “not quite a media company but rather a loosely organized federation of warring factions.” They have, per Ourand, “tribal leaders with a penchant for nursing longitudinal feuds, petty or otherwise.”
Past pressure points have come from the Times telling reporters working for The Athletic to not identify themselves as employees of the Gray Lady. Reporters with the Times have complained that The Athletic “operates under looser standards and rules.”
Via Ourand, the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel imbroglio “has struck a particular nerve because staffers fear it reflects more broadly — and more poorly —" on the publication’s reputation.
Ourand notes that the drama impacts ongoing collective bargaining talks. The Times Guild wants The Athletic to be folded into the union, a request aimed at preventing the Times from buying nonunion operations and using their coverage to replace union jobs.
It makes for a bigger mess than it would have been if, for example, Russini were still at ESPN. The broader, and preexisting, dance between The Athletic and the Times makes the scandal a political football in the broader chess match between the two operations.
The Patriots currently have two quarterbacks on the roster. They likely will be adding another at some point
V.P. of player personnel Eliot Wolf addressed during his pre-draft question whether the team may fill the third spot in the later rounds of the upcoming selection process, following the recent release of 2025 backup Josh Dobbs.
“We’ve evaluated all the quarterbacks,” Wolf said, via a transcript provided by the team. “We’re continuing to do that. We’re looking at some pro options as well. It was really less about Josh specifically and more about the development and growth that we saw from Tommy DeVito in his practice reps last year. He was, as Josh was as well, a great resource for Drake [Maye]. We’ll continue to evaluate the position, whether that’s draft, a pro free agent, a college free agent or however it ends up falling.”
DeVito has a two-year, $4.4 million deal, which is very affordable as quarterbacks go. Especially with Maye entering the third year of his rookie contract. A low-round draft pick at the position would be even more inexpensive than either of them.
They’ll likely add two, one way or the other. Most teams have four quarterbacks throughout the offseason, and into training camp and the offseason. The question as of late August will be whether they carry two or three on the 53-man roster.
Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf knows the questions about trading for Eagles receiver A.J. Brown are not going away, but he’s doing his best not to confirm or deny anything.
Asked today whether he’s keeping the door open to trading for Brown, Wolf said he is — but he’s also keeping the door open to adding any other player.
“As far as players on other teams, gonna keep the door open to anything that we think may improve our roster, whether that’s with the player you mentioned or other players,” Wolf said.
Speculation has swirled for months that the Eagles are looking to trade Brown, and that the Patriots are among the teams with interest in making a deal. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel previously coached Brown in Tennessee for three seasons, and that strengthens the connection between the player and the team.
A trade likely wouldn’t happen until after June 1, when a deal becomes easier for the Eagles to navigate under the salary cap. Wolf will hear the questions about Brown at least until then.
