NFL Announces 16 Prospects Attending NFL Draft
There will be 16 players waiting in the green room when the NFL Draft kicks off later this month. The NFL announced the following attendees for the first night of the draft (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport):
- LB David Bailey, Texas Tech
- DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (Fla.)
- DB Mansoor Delane, LSU
- DB Caleb Downs, Ohio State
- DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn
- DB Colton Hood, Tennessee
- WR Makai Lemon, USC
- RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
- OL Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)
- DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
- OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
- LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State
- QB Ty Simpson, Alabama
- LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
- WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
- WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
Of the 16 prospects invited to Day 1 of the draft, a whopping five of them are from one school: Ohio State. For comparison’s sake, the leader during last year’s draft was Alabama, who sent three prospects ot the green room. The Big Ten is the leading conference, with six prospects attending the first night of the draft.
Notably, expected first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza won’t be attending the draft, as the Indiana quarterback revealed that he’ll instead be celebrating with friends and family in Atlanta. That only leaves one signal-caller attending the event in Alabama’s Ty Simpson. There’s no guarantee that Simpson will even be selected on the first night of the draft, a situation we saw most recently when green-room attendee Jalen Milroe fell to the third round last year.
49ers Sign DE Cameron Sample
The 49ers have added some depth to their defensive line. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the team has signed Cameron Sample. It will be a one-year deal for the defensive end.
A 2021 fourth-round pick out of Tulane, Sample saw a consistent defensive role during his time with the Bengals. He missed only four games through his first three seasons in Cincinnati, where he got into more than one third of his team’s defensive snaps while compiling five total sacks and 20 total QB hits.
His 2024 campaign was completely wiped out by a torn Achilles tendon. He re-signed with the Bengals last offseason and managed to make 14 appearances in his comeback season, tallying 17 tackles, a pair of sacks, and one forced fumble. However, he got into a career-low 26 percent of his team’s defensive snaps, and had he earned enough reps to qualify, he would have ranked in the bottom-20 of Pro Football Focus’ ranking of the league’s edge defenders.
The 49ers needed some extra DE depth last season, as both Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams were lost with torn ACLs. That duo should be back in the lineup at some point early in the 2026 campaign, but Sample will be among the grouping to soak up any leftover snaps. At the moment, the free agent addition will be competing with the likes of Sam Okuayinonu (who led the position grouping in snaps in 2025), Keion White, William Bradley-King, and Andrew Farmer.
Eagles Expected To Target Offensive Help Early In Draft
With it looking more likelier A.J. Brown will be elsewhere this coming season, the Eagles may be looking at a glaring void to fill at wide receiver. The team, which also lost No. 3 wideout Jahan Dotson (to the Falcons) in free agency, is expected to target that position early in the draft.
Two weeks away from the draft, Philadelphia has the same offense in place from the one that ranked 24th in yardage last season. The team was better in scoring (19th) and EPA per play (16th), but the Eagles tumbled off their Super Bowl perch due largely to the regression on offense. The Sean Mannion OC hire will be aimed at fixing a lot of what ailed Philly in 2025, but the team does not have a new starter just yet.
[RELATED: How Will Eagles Proceed With Brown?]
The Eagles may not be certain to add a locked-in starter on offense in the draft, but The Athletic’s Zack Berman notes the team is expected to target upgrades on this side of the ball early.
On one hand, the Eagles attempting to add a new starter at wide receiver by replacing Brown would seemingly be a downgrade — for 2026, at least. But there is something to be said for continuity here, as Philly soared to a dominant Super Bowl LIX win with this cast on offense. With the exception of Tyler Steen replacing Mekhi Becton at right guard (a move made last year) and Marquise Brown coming in after the Dotson defection, the rest of the Eagles’ regulars on offense started in that game.
Though, the team will be attempting to get by without highly acclaimed O-line coach Jeff Stoutland. And both Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson are coming off injury-plagued seasons, each considering retirement this offseason. Johnson will turn 36 next month.
“Bringing the band back together was also a year ago, the team that won a world championship, the offense won a world championship,” GM Howie Roseman said, via Berman. “Being {19th) in points scored isn’t really the standard that we’re looking to set. There’s a lot of growth in that area at the same time. We’ve got to continue to add, and I think that we’re looking at that group, and figuring out ways to add to every position group there. Some of those guys, we do think will be better here.
“… We’ll see how it all sorts out. But I understand, as it looks now… What I’m saying is, you can’t say we’re running it back until we actually do run it back. Let’s see how we add, and maybe that’s how we end up doing.”
The Eagles hold four picks in the first three rounds (Nos. 23, 54, 68 and 98); they acquired No. 68 in the 2024 Haason Reddick trade with the Jets. Known well as an aggressive trader, Roseman will also have that available as he looks to shuffle his team’s offensive lineup. Considerable pressure will be on Mannion’s shoulders, however, with much of the Eagles’ 2025 starting group reprising their roles. A meandering OC search featured trepidation among higher-profile options, and the Eagles will be counting on a former backup quarterback who retired after the 2023 season reviving their offense.
Vikings Expect To Retain OLB Jonathan Greenard; Team Seeking C Help?
Jonathan Greenard has come up in trade rumors recently. The Vikings were tied to potentially moving the Pro Bowl edge rusher ahead of free agency, and the Eagles were connected to the ex-Texan after failing to re-sign Jaelan Phillips.
The draft serves as a second trade window of sorts, keeping the possibility Minnesota moves on as reasonable. But Greenard is obviously a key piece in Brian Flores‘ defense — one currently deep at edge rusher — and Kevin O’Connell expects the seventh-year veteran to remain in place.
“Yeah, I expect him to be part of our team,” O’Connell said, via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert. “I know there’s always conversations. There’s conversations throughout the offseason, and we’ll continue to kind of attack things at the different phases. We’re getting ready to really jump heavily into draft meetings when we get back. But at the same time, we’re always going to try to do what’s best for our team and also what we think is best for each one of our individual players. And that’s an ongoing thing throughout every offseason.”
This certainly stops short of slamming the door shut on a potential trade, and last week’s league meetings brought staffers together for potential trade talks ahead of the draft. Minnesota was linked to wanting a Day 2 pick for Greenard, and Philadelphia was connected at multiple points. The Eagles have not made a splash addition here, though they have signed options in Arnold Ebitketie and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
Two years remain on Greenard’s four-year, $76MM contract. Only $4MM remains guaranteed, having locked in on Day 3 of the league year, though Greenard will lock in the rest of his base salary ($18.39MM) shortly before Week 1 as a vested veteran.
Minnesota added Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel in 2024, signing the vets shortly before using a first-round pick on Dallas Turner. The younger rusher impressed as a part-time starter last season, tallying eight sacks and 15 QB hits during a 10-start campaign. Both Greenard and Van Ginkel missed time due to injury, opening the door for Turner. The Vikings are in a good position with three quality edge rushers. Van Ginkel is also going into an age-31 season, and one year remains on the extension he signed in 2025. His status could influence Minnesota with Greenard, though Seifert adds a trade remains possible.
Greenard is believed to have an issue with his contract, which sits 21st among edge defenders after two more offseasons’ worth of deals. With the former Will Anderson Jr. complementary rusher having been voted a Pro Bowl starter in 2024, a push for a revised pact — not unlike where the Vikings were for years with Danielle Hunter — makes sense. Though, Greenard also took a step back in production last season. After a 12-sack 2024, Greenard tallied just three on 12 QB hits last season. He did sprinkle in 10 tackles for loss, which will help his case at an adjustment.
The Vikings are operating without a GM presently, with no official search on tap until after the draft. Minnesota’s next GM, should the team pass on a pre- or mid-draft trade, will have this matter to deal with. Training camp serves as another trade window, so this matter may linger even if Greenard makes it through the draft as a Viking.
Elsewhere on Minnesota’s roster, the team lost center Ryan Kelly to retirement. Kelly had signed a two-year, $18MM deal, but after a three-concussion 2025, the longtime Colts blocker opted to walk away. As of now, Blake Brandel is the starter. O’Connell labeled the utility lineman a center recently, but Seifert notes the team’s starter here may not be on the roster yet.
Tied to a three-year, $9.5MM contract that expires after this season, Brandel has made 31 career starts. He was Kelly’s primary sub last season, logging 383 center snaps, but had never made any snaps in the NFL prior to 2025. An injury to backup Michael Jurgens — a 2024 seventh-round pick — also affected Brandel’s standing last season.
Brandel, 29, was Minnesota’s full-time left guard in 2024, but the Vikings have Will Fries and Donovan Jackson at guard. The team used a first-round pick to bring in Jackson last year. O’Connell said the Vikings “wouldn’t hesitate” to bring in another center in the draft or free agency. Veteran starters Ethan Pocic and Andre James are among the available snappers. No center looks to be realistic for the Vikings in Round 1, but as Day 2 begins, Minnesota appears interested in adding a true Kelly replacement.
Bucs To Add CBs Chase Lucas, Kemon Hall
The Buccaneers lost several members of their secondary in free agency, including starting cornerback Jamel Dean. They are now set to sign former Lions and 49ers defensive back Chase Lucas, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Lucas has primarily operated as a backup during his career. The Bucs are also adding veteran reserve/special-teamer Kemon Hall to their cornerback room, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. This duo joins holdovers Zyon McCollum, Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish in Tampa Bay’s CB group.
A 2022 Lions seventh-rounder, Lucas impressed in the preseason with the 49ers last year and earned a career-high 98 defensive snaps. For the most part, though, San Francisco used Lucas on special teams. The Arizona State product saw action on 53% of the 49ers’ ST plays last season. That came after the Lions gave him a 72% ST snap share. Lucas served as a backup in the slot with the 49ers, giving the Bucs some depth behind Parrish.
Entering the NFL in 2019, Hall joins Lucas in never starting a game. The North Texas alum — a regular in our Minor NFL Transactions posts this decade — is now on team No. 7. Hall has previously played for the Chargers, Vikings, Saints, Cowboys, 49ers and Titans. Hall, 28, has only played more than six games in a season once — with the Chargers in 2021 — so it will be far from a given he earns a 53-man roster spot come August.
Tampa Bay parted with Dean (now with the Steelers) after seven seasons and lost Christian Izien as well. The team should be expected to deploy Morrison alongside McCollum and Parrish next season. Fourth-year player Josh Hayes — a 2023 Bucs sixth-rounder — remains on the roster, as does ex-Raven Damarion Williams. Lucas, 29, and Hall will make their cases for roster spots over the coming months. It should probably be expected the Bucs add here in the draft, but the team does have some additional options thanks to these signings.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Visits Patriots, Browns, Cowboys, Falcons, Steelers
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs has long been considered the top player at his position in the 2026 draft class. Evaluators are split between Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren for the No. 2 spot, but both are considered potential first-round picks.
McNeil-Warren has been making the rounds with a number of teams who will be on the clock in the back half of the first-round. He has already visited the Patriots, Browns, Cowboys, and Falcons, with the Steelers on tap for Friday, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The first three of those teams could use an upgrade at their third safety spot right away with starters who are older and/or set to hit free agency in 2027.
The Patriots, who have the 31st pick, lost Jaylinn Hawkins in free agency and signed Kevin Byard to pair with 2025 fourth-rounder Craig Woodson. But Byard is 33 years old with a one-year deal, so McNeil-Warren could learn from the veteran as a rookie and succeed in him the long-term.
Browns starting safeties Ronnie Hickman and Grant Delpit are both in the last year of their deal, and the current roster lacks a high-level No. 3 who could step into a starting role if necessary. The competition jump from the Mid-American Conference to the NFL is steep, but McNeil-Warren could certainly contribute in a box role right away. Cleveland holds the 24th and 39th picks, either of which could be a landing spot for the Toledo standout.
The Cowboys, drafting at No. 20, retained Malik Hooker and added Jalen Thompson and PJ Locke this offseason. Thompson is the youngest at 28 years old, and Hooker and Locke are both on one-year deals. After a rough year for their pass defense, Dallas could use a short- and long-term upgrade at safety.
The Steelers and Falcons, however, seem to have more set safety situations. Pittsburgh has Jalen Ramsey signed through 2028 and DeShon Elliott through 2027 with Jaquan Brisker and Darnell Savage on one-year deals. They could stand to add some youth to their safety room, but allocating the No. 20 overall pick to the position this year only makes sense if they have a very high grade on McNeil-Warren.
Atlanta has an even better starting duo in Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts with 2025 fourth-rounder Billy Bowman and former Eagle Sydney Brown as depth. Bates is 29 years old and entering the final year of his contract, but he has expressed a desire to retire a Falcon. Bowman was also a full-time player before his Achilles injury, and he should be back on the field close to the start of the regular season. The Falcons do not have a first-round pick, but McNeil-Warren could be a value play in the second round, where Atlanta has the No. 48 pick.
Titans Not Planning Much Alontae Taylor Slot Usage; Team Not Done Adding At CB
Alontae Taylor brought one of the most versatile profiles into this year’s free agent market. While that may have helped the former Saints second-rounder drive his price to the near-$20MM-per-year place his market settled, the team he signed with does not seem to have an intention of capitalizing too much on the hybrid skillset displayed with New Orleans.
Robert Saleh said (via veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky) the team is preparing to use Taylor mostly as an outside cornerback. Considering the gulf between the slot and boundary markets, it is not too surprising that Tennessee had more of a perimeter role for Taylor in mind. That said, Taylor entered free agency as the rare corner to log more than 1,500 snaps inside and outside during his first four seasons.
The Titans also added Cor’Dale Flott on a three-year, $45MM deal, overhauling a cornerback cadre that had underperformed. Tennessee soon released the injury-prone L’Jarius Sneed, who did not deliver on a tag-and-trade transaction. In Taylor and Flott, the TItans are prepared to entrust their outside coverage responsibilities to two players with extensive slot experience.
Taylor has 1,664 career slot snaps and 1,597 as a boundary defender, creating an interesting profile that moved PFR to rank him atop the cornerback market entering free agency. The Titans gave him a three-year, $58MM deal that included $42MM guaranteed at signing. That said, Taylor indicated he had never worked as a regular nickel prior to 2023. The Saints used him extensively there over the past three seasons, however, creating a Byron Murphy– or Deommodore Lenoir-like hybrid role for the Tennessee alum. Also playing his high school ball in Tennessee, Taylor returns home with big responsibilities.
The Giants drafted Flott in the 2022 third round, having a slot role in mind, but the LSU alum ended up being primarily a perimeter cover man. A slot regular in 2023, Flott settled in on the boundary over the past two seasons. The 6-foot-2 CB will do so again in Tennessee, but with both he and the 6-foot Taylor set to play outside, an opening inside exists.
“We have two guys on the outside now that started games in Taylor and Flott,” GM Mike Borgonzi said, via ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport, at the annual NFL meeting. “And Marcus [Harris] has played inside. So we feel good about where we’re at there, but we’re not done.”
A 2025 sixth-round pick, Harris played 168 outside snaps and 128 in the slot as a rookie. Pro Football Focus ranked the former Cal, Idaho and Oregon State corner 32nd among all CBs in 2025, creating some promise. The Titans scrapped their plan for Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie to team up quickly, cutting Awuzie (who had signed a three-year, $36MM deal) after one season. A year later, Sneed — who was on a four-year, $76.4MM extension — was out. For depth purposes, the Titans also added Joshua Williams — a four-year Chief who overlapped with Borgonzi in Kansas City — on a lower-cost deal (two years, $6.75MM).
Borgonzi confirmed (via TennesseeTitans.com’s Jim Wyatt) the team is not done at corner. It would stand to reason the Titans are eyeing at least competition for Harris in the slot, seeing as they devoted considerable free agency resources to Taylor and Flott. Saleh also did not rule out some slot usage for Taylor to capitalize on his blitz prowess (six sacks from 2024-25). This will be an area to monitor after Round 1, as the Titans assuredly will not address the position at No. 4 overall.
Miami T Francis Mauigoa Undergoing Imaging For Back Issue
APRIL 9: There were “no new issues or concerns” with Mauigoa’s medical recheck, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He has met with or visited several teams with top-10 picks, and with a clean bill of health, he will likely land in that range.
Miami OT Francis Mauigoa’s recheck is complete, with no new issues or concerns, source says. After the request for a recheck was made in early March, Mauigoa met/visited with teams in the top third of the first round, an sign of his confidence any concerns would be satisfied.
APRIL 8: While it’s still to be determined who the top offensive lineman taken in the 2026 NFL Draft will be, many of the same names are routinely included in consideration. One such player, Miami (Fla.) offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, will reportedly be present at Combine rechecks Friday to undergo testing for a minor back issue, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Arriving in Coral Gables as a consensus five-star recruit ranked as the second-best offensive tackle in the country, Mauigoa earned an immediate starting role with the Hurricanes at right tackle and started every game there from his true freshman season opener to the team’s National Championship Game loss in their home stadium a few months ago. Rapoport reports, though, that the 20-year-old is dealing with a disc issue that “caused him some discomfort late in the season.”
Enduring a streak of starts that lasted 42 games despite the potential back injury, Mauigoa has gone on to perform at his pro day without experiencing any of the discomfort that bothered him at the end of the year. Rapoport adds that a full professional consultation determined that Mauigoa is “not considered a candidate for immediate surgery.” Still, some teams have requested additional imaging to learn more about the issue, and with nothing to hide, Mauigoa has agreed to undergo the additional testing.
Rapoport followed up his initial report to relay that “the initial belief is that this will not cause” Mauigoa to fall in the draft. Field Yates of ESPN’s sources also seemed to indicate that Mauigoa’s draft stock has not been “affected much, if at all.” Both reporters caution, though, that teams interested in Mauigoa will continue to monitor the situation as they fashion their draft boards and prepare for draft night.
Assuming his draft stock remains untouched over the next three weeks, Mauigoa is expected to be a top-10 pick. He’s been projected throughout the top half of the Day 1 picks, mocked as high as No. 2 overall and as low as 14th overall. He’s in competition with Utah’s Spencer Fano, Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, and recently, Georgia’s Monroe Freeling for top lineman honors.
Jets Down To Arvell Reese, David Bailey At No. 2?
The Jets seem to have narrowed down their options for the second overall pick in April’s draft to edge defenders Arvell Reese and David Bailey.
Reese seemed to emerge as a clear favorite earlier this week, as noted by PFR’s own Adam La Rose. However, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN’s Peter Schrager believe that Bailey will be the Jets’ choice on draft day.
“Bailey is a much more polished pass rusher,” Jeremiah explained. “He’s the more known commodity, whereas with Reese, you’re planing the upside game and hoping what you’re going to get.”
Schrager and Jeremiah then said they have both heard that the Jets prefer Bailey as a “bird in the hand” pick – a more pro-ready, polished prospect who will immediately upgrade New York’s pass rush. But Brian Costello of the New York Post threw some cold water on that projection, arguing that their source was probably coming from outside rather than inside the organization.
It seems, therefore, that the Jets have yet to lock in their choice for the No. 2 pick. With two weeks until the draft, they still have plenty of time to settle what seems to be a two-man race. Jeremiah compared the Jets’ choice to the Jaguars’ in 2022.
“It reminds me so much of the [Aidan] Hutchinson–Travon Walker debate,” he said. “‘Hutch’ is the better pass rusher right now and Travon Walker was this physical freak who’s not there yet, but you’re hoping he’s going to get there. Now, both of them have been really good pros. In that scenario, the better athlete went ahead of the more polished player.”
In this case, though, he believes that the opposite will happen. Bailey has more experience as an edge rusher compared to Reese, who primarily played off-ball linebacker at Ohio State and will need to develop a pass rush repertoire in the NFL. Bailey already has a full set of moves and a gameplan for how to use them to get to opposing passers. And as Hutchinson shows, having a high floor does not mean that there is a low ceiling in terms of upside.
Resumption Of Talks On 18-Game Schedule Not Imminent?
Expansion to an 18-game regular season has long been viewed as an inevitability based on the owners’ support of an increased slate of games. Negotiations on that front have been on hold during the NFLPA’s period without a full-time executive director.
J.C. Tretter was recently elected to the role, marking a surprising comeback after he resigned from the organization last summer. He and the union will now move forward in preparing for negotiations with the NFL on a number of matters. One of those will be an 18-game schedule, although talks on that front do not appear to be imminent.
Expanding the regular season was not something on the agenda at the recent league meeting. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes, making progress toward an agreement with the NFLPA on this matter “is not a pressing issue” as things stand. The view of owners has long been that an 18-game slate would be beneficial to all involved based on the increase in revenue it would provide. The league is also known to be eyeing a setup in which 16 international contests are played per year; that would of course be more viable with an additional game on the NFL calendar.
Even so, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones confirms a major ramp-up in negotiations on the matter of schedule length should not be expected in the immediate future. Any agreement prior to the 2028 season at the earliest would come as a surprise, he adds. The current collective bargaining agreement runs through March of 2031, but a new deal can be arranged at any time prior to that point. A strong push from the owners to institute an expanded schedule nevertheless remains something to watch for given the NFL’s immense popularity, something Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke about when asked by Jones about the idea of additional games.
“When the ducks quack, feed them,” Jones said. “And we have that demand for our games. And because of the hard work and great players that we have, we have great demand. We should address it, respond to it and feed it.”
Each of the past five seasons have included a 17-game schedule. That will remain the case for 2026, and more years beyond that under the current setup could be in store if Tretter – who has spoken out against schedule expansion – and Co. choose to remain patient in preparing for the latest round of CBA negotiations.