NFL

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.

Johnson will join a Miami secondary that struggled mightily through most of the 2025 season. Only four teams allowed a higher EPA per drop back than the Dolphins last season, and three teams gave up a higher adjusted yards per attempt. Johnson (6’0/193) is a high-end coverage artist whose elite 9.84 RAS (4.40 speed, 38” vertical) translates directly to sticky man/zone versatility and game-altering ball production. He allowed just 11 completions on 36 targets (30.6%) for 132 yards, pairing a masterful 6.8 passer rating allowed with a 33.3% forced incompletion rate and 0.41 yards per coverage snap. Johnson’s ball skills pop with 4 interceptions and 9 PBUs, including two defensive touchdowns, consistently converting tight-window contests into turnovers. While he can be out-muscled by bigger receivers and occasionally loses pace locating the ball downfield, his recovery burst and route anticipation mitigate those concerns. Johnson projects as an immediate starting-caliber outside corner in a multiple coverage scheme with Pro Bowl upside driven by elite ball production and athletic traits.

Houston moved up two spots. They gave up picks 69 and 167 but returned pick No. 91. A 2025 first-team All-American for a Georgia Tech rush offense that ranked third nationally with a 52 percent rushing success rate, Rutledge (6’4/316) is a burly interior mauler whose combination of power and movement skills makes him one of the more intriguing guard prospects in the 2026 class. He brings a 9.54 Relative Athletic Score, backed by a 5.05s forty, 4.54s shuttle and 7.54s three-cone, translating to surprising fluidity and range when climbing to the second level or working in space. Rutledge thrives as a drive and combo blocker, generating consistent displacement with heavy, purposeful hands while showing the timing and body control to stay connected through contact. He plays with a nasty demeanor and strong finishing mentality, pairing core strength and balance with enough athleticism to execute across multiple run schemes. Tight hips and heavy feet can limit his recovery ability once beaten, particularly against quicker interior rushers who win early in the rep. With high-end athleticism, brutish physicality and positional versatility, Rutledge projects as a potential long-term starter at guard whose toughness and movement skills give him scheme flexibility.

Thieneman (6’0/201) is a highly productive, instinctive and ultra-athletic deep safety who has stacked 235 tackles, 59 stops and 11 total pressures across 2,417 career snaps, averaging nearly 8 tackles per start with consistent downhill production. In coverage, he’s been targeted just 68 times over three seasons, allowing 44 receptions (64.7%) for 494 yards with improved efficiency in 2025 (8.1 Y/R, 62.1% allowed) after giving up chunk plays earlier in his Purdue tenure. Thieneman’s range shows up in his ability to limit explosives late in his career, trimming his yards per reception allowed from 17.2 in 2023 to 8.1 in 2025 while maintaining ball production (2 career INTs, multiple PBUs in key moments). His 9.71 RAS underscores elite straight-line speed (4.35s forty, 99th%) and explosion (41” vertical, 98th%), aligning with the sideline-to-sideline range he flashes while patrolling the deep half. While his tackling consistency (11.5% career miss rate) and average transition quickness can lead to inefficiencies in space, his processing speed and angles help mitigate those limitations. Thieneman projects as a full-service starting free safety, capable of functioning in split-safety shells while offering enough physicality to rotate into the box when needed.

Concepcion (5’11/196) got his start as a three-star recruit for NC State in 2023. He immediately stepped up as an all-purpose weapon, leading the Wolfpack with 839 yards plus 10 touchdowns through the air with another 320 yards on the ground. Concepcion ran for more yards than any of the team’s running backs while also operating as their top wideout. His role dissipated in 2024, and he went for just 460 yards before transferring to Texas A&M. A change in scenery was exactly what Concepcion needed. He rebounded with 919 yards and nine scores on 61 receptions in 2025. Concepcion also scored three additional touchdowns, two on punt returns and one via rushing. He averaged over seven YAC per reception and won the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile player. Despite being an undersized player with a designed-touch skill set, Concepcion was primarily a boundary receiver throughout his collegiate days and he had no issues beating corners in man coverage. While he may ultimately play more out of the slot in the pros, Concepcion’s five-tool skill set could earn him a WR1 role down the line.