Category: Football

Mel Kiper Jr.Apr 19, 2026, 06:40 AM ET

CloseMel Kiper Jr. has served as an NFL draft analyst for ESPN since 1984. He is a regular contributor on “SportsCenter,” ESPN studio shows and ESPN Radio. He is the co-host of the First Draft podcast, and he writes regularly for ESPN+.Open Extended Reactions

You’ll see a lot of rankings for the 2026 NFL draft this week, and I’ll have my final top-150 Big Board on Tuesday before the first round begins Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/ESPN the app). But some of my favorite players in the class aren’t necessarily the best ones.

Every April,

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Rich CiminiApr 19, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CloseRich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University.Open Extended Reactions

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Thirty-five years ago, Jimmy Johnson was in the same position as the New York Jets right now: He was sitting on a gold mine of draft picks, hoping to reinvent a

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Jeff LegwoldApr 19, 2026, 06:40 AM ET

CloseJeff Legwold covers the Denver Broncos at ESPN. He has covered the Broncos for more than 20 years and also assists with NFL draft coverage, joining ESPN in 2013. He has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors since 1999, too. Jeff previously covered the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans at previous stops prior to ESPN.Open Extended Reactions

Welcome to the NFL draft that could challenge the math. The top of this 2026 board is filled with players who carry the highest grades but also bring

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Bill BarnwellApr 19, 2026, 12:10 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

When I was putting together my trade tiers column over the summer and listing all the players who might land a first-round pick or more via a deal, Dexter Lawrence II

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Ben BabyApr 18, 2026, 08:36 PM ET

CloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Turron DavenportApr 18, 2026, 06:18 PM ET

CloseTurron Davenport covers the Tennessee Titans for ESPN since 2018. Turron is a former collegiate football player at Cheyney University and is a native of Philadelphia, and he has authored/co-authored four books. You can catch Turron on ESPN Radio on his show “Talking with TD.”Open Extended Reactions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans are exercising the fifth-year option for right guard Peter Skoronski, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Saturday.

Skoronski was selected 11th by the Titans in 2023. He started 14 games as a rookie and all 17 games the

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Daniel Oyefusi

Close

Daniel Oyefusi

ESPNDaniel Oyefusi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. Prior to ESPN, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Miami Herald, as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Baltimore Sun., 

Michael DiRocco

Close

Michael DiRocco

ESPN Staff WriterMichael DiRocco is an NFL Nation reporter at ESPN and covers the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously covered the University of Florida for over a decade for ESPN and the Florida Times-Union. DiRocco graduated from Jacksonville University and is a multiple APSE award winner., 

Seth Walder

Close

Seth Walder

ESPN AnalyticsSeth Walder is an analytics writer at ESPN, specializing in quantitative analysis. He is also a regular on “ESPN Bet

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Louis RiddickApr 18, 2026, 06:30 AM ET

CloseESPN NFL Analyst 12-year NFL scout and Director of Pro Personnel Played in the NFL for six years Graduated from University of PittsburghOpen Extended Reactions

I absolutely love the NFL draft. I love the tape. I love the evaluations. I love the projections and anticipation. And we’re nearly there — the 2026 draft kicks off with Round 1 on April 23. You can catch me on the ESPN set for all three days of the action.

The tape isn’t the entire truth on prospects. The real analysis comes from spending time with them and getting a

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Turron DavenportApr 18, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CloseTurron Davenport covers the Tennessee Titans for ESPN since 2018. Turron is a former collegiate football player at Cheyney University and is a native of Philadelphia, and he has authored/co-authored four books. You can catch Turron on ESPN Radio on his show “Talking with TD.”Open Extended Reactions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi couldn’t help but flash a smile when asked about the upcoming NFL draft set to begin Thursday.

Borgonzi sits at a crossroads because he’s tasked with restocking a roster that’s desperately in need of impact players on both

Link to Original Article - on ESPN

Ben Strauss

Apr 17, 2026, 02:00 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions

NFL REPORTER DIANNA Russini was at home in Bergen County on Easter Sunday when a reporter from the New York Post approached the house. The outlet, the reporter told her, had photographs of Russini, a top newsbreaker at The Athletic, with Mike Vrabel, the head coach of the New England Patriots, together in Arizona.

Russini told the Post reporter that she and Vrabel recently had been in Arizona for NFL league meetings, according to two people briefed on the interaction.

The photos, though, threatened to become a public relations disaster. They were taken at

Link to Original Article - on ESPN