Category: Football

Open Extended Reactions

Though it can be hard to project how NFL draft prospects will fare in the pros, we can get a better sense of their future by making one-to-one comparisons. So we asked a number of our NFL draft analysts and college football experts to pick their favorite prospect-to-player comparisons for the 2026 class.

Their comps were made based on style of play, physical measurements, production and versatility — or some combination of all those traits. And we opened up the possibility for former NFL players to be selected.

Who does Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza remind us of? Which

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Peter Schrager

Apr 7, 2026, 06:25 AM ETOpen Extended Reactions

I’m getting excited for the 2026 NFL draft. Round 1 begins on April 23 in Pittsburgh, just over two weeks away. And while I was in Phoenix at the annual league meeting last week, I spent a lot of time talking to sources and trying to get the latest intel on what teams might do with their first-round picks.

What follows is my first mock draft for the 2026 class. These 32 projections are based on what I’m hearing, rather than what I would personally do at each slot. Nothing is set in

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Open Extended Reactions

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II has requested a trade, and he will not be participating in the team’s offseason workout program that begins Tuesday, league sources told ESPN.

Lawrence and the Giants have been through two offseasons attempting to negotiate a contract reflecting his value to the team over the past three years, but there has not been any progress, per sources.

Lawrence has two years remaining on his deal and is scheduled to make $20 million this upcoming season.

Editor’s Picks

1 Related

Initially there had been optimism that, with changes in the organization, discussions

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Apr 6, 2026, 11:16 AM ETOpen Extended Reactions

Lamar Jackson is getting off on the right foot with new coach Jesse Minter as he reported for the start of the Baltimore Ravens offseason workout program Monday.

The team posted video of Jackson arriving to the team’s facilities Monday morning.

🎱@Lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/ZQ36d8Oopv

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 6, 2026

Minter said last week at the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix that he was unsure what Jackson’s level of participation would be in the program, attendance for which is voluntary.

Monday began Phase One of the program for the Ravens, with activities in the

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Katherine TerrellApr 6, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CloseKatherine Terrell came back to ESPN to cover the New Orleans Saints in the summer of 2022. She left the company in 2019 after joining in 2016 to cover the Cincinnati Bengals. Katherine is a graduate of LSU and a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native, and she has covered the NFL since 2013.Open Extended Reactions

The NFL draft is less than a month away, and the New Orleans Saints hold the No. 8 pick. They filled a number of needs in free agency, adding guard David Edwards, linebacker Kaden Elliss,

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Marc RaimondiApr 6, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CloseMarc Raimondi’s first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn’t his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book “Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling’s New World Order Changed America,” which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.Open Extended Reactions

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — <a

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Bill BarnwellApr 6, 2026, 06:20 AM ET

CloseBill Barnwell is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. He analyzes football on and off the field like no one else on the planet, writing about in-season X’s and O’s, offseason transactions and so much more.

He is the host of the Bill Barnwell Show podcast, with episodes released weekly. Barnwell joined ESPN in 2011 as a staff writer at Grantland.

Open Extended Reactions

It’s time to get weird. Every year, ESPN’s thoughtful, talented analysts produce a bevy of mock drafts to preview and predict what will happen when the NFL gathers at the end of April.

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Aaron SchatzApr 5, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CloseAaron Schatz is an NFL analyst for ESPN.com. He has more than 20 years of experience working in NFL analytics and is the creator of the DVOA and DYAR metric. He also serves as the Chief Analytics Officer at FTN Network.Open Extended Reactions

The 2026 NFL draft is a good one for edge rushers, with seven players projected to go in the first round. Our SackSEER projection system — which predicts sack totals across a player’s first five pro seasons — agrees with the consensus on many of this year’s top prospects. We also identify

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

The Dallas Cowboys held their invite-only workout for local college players Thursday at The Star, and a familiar name attended: E.J. Smith.

His father is Cowboys Hall of Famer and all-time NFL leading rusher, Emmitt Smith. E.J. Smith starred in high school at Jesuit in Dallas, then went to Stanford and ended his career at Texas A&M.

“Very cool,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “You know me, man, I’m family. I’m all family. And you watch his film and he was an incredible short-yardage runner, powerful. But, yeah, just watching him move, seeing him in person, the type of young

Link to Original Article - on ESPN