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2025 NFL Draft News & Rumors

Patriots Kept K Andy Borregales From Falling To Ravens

June 29th, 2025 at 6:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Make no mistake, the Patriots were in dire need of a kicker, and to address this, they took Miami kicker Andy Borregales with the 182nd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. New England was strategic about where they selected Borregales, though, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Drafting kickers is a notoriously risky proposition. To illustrate, from 2010-16, only 11 kickers were selected through the NFL draft. Of those 11 drafted kickers, only three — Greg Zuerlein, Randy Bullock, and Dustin Hopkins — are still in the NFL today. In the meantime, several undrafted kickers have made impressive careers for themselves. Justin Tucker is the prime example, as he ended his time in Baltimore with him holding the highest field goal conversion percentage in NFL history. Players like Brandon Aubrey, Chris Boswell, Cameron Dicker, and Younghoe Koo have all followed in Tucker’s footsteps as undrafted standouts in recent years.

For this reason, teams tend to wait as long as possible before drafting a kicker. Not doing so has historically bit the teams who spent significant draft capital on the position. Former second-round kicker Roberto Aguayo only lasted one season in Tampa Bay and never kicked in the league after getting waived by the team that drafted him. More recently, Jake Moody was drafted by the 49ers in the third round. After struggling through an injury-riddled sophomore campaign last year, San Francisco brought in a veteran to compete with him this summer.

The Patriots knew they were going to add a kicker at some point in the offseason, but in the sixth round of the draft, one certain factor led them to pull the trigger on Borregales. Per Reiss, the Patriots brass knew that Baltimore was going to be looking to draft a kicker at some point to address Tucker’s troubling legal situation. Four picks in front of the Ravens, they tabbed Borregales. Baltimore ended up with Arizona’s Tyler Loop instead, who has reportedly been struggling so far in offseason activities.

Regardless, Borregales stands to be a key player in New England’s rookie class. Borregales never converted less that 80 percent of his kicks in four years with the Hurricanes, and he ended his time in Coral Gables with his strongest season. In a high-scoring offense led by No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, Borregales did his part converting all 62 extra point attempts and 18 of 19 field goals attempts, including a 56-yarder.

For a team that, for so long, relied on the legs of consistent stars like Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski, Borregales represents a hope that the team will return to that norm of consistency. In the years following their decision to move on from Gostkowski, Reiss points out that the Patriots rank 22nd in field goal success rate and 27th in extra point success rate. The Patriots made a move they hope will get them back on the right track, and they did it by taking the first kicker in the draft, just out of reach of the kicker-hungry Ravens.

Jaguars Sign WR/CB Travis Hunter

June 22nd, 2025 at 9:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

Earlier this month, Travis Hunter and the Jaguars were not close to an agreement regarding his rookie contract. Team and player have now finalized the deal, however.

The 2024 Heisman winner signed his four-year pact on Sunday, per a team announcement. Hunter will collect $46.65MM as this year’s second overall selection, and that figure includes a $30.57MM signing bonus. ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes Hunter has received his entire signing bonus up front (as opposed to in installments as usual). There is limited precedent for such a move (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), but it nevertheless marks a departure from standard practice.

Many presumed Hunter would hear his name called just after Cam Ward, and that did indeed wind up happening. The fact the Jaguars – not the Browns – selected him came as a surprise, though. Cleveland and Jacksonville pulled off a swap negotiated well in advance which allowed the Jags to move up to No. 2 and draft the two-way Colorado product.

Once of the most intriguing storylines leading up to this year’s draft was the matter of how Hunter would be used in the NFL. The Jaguars opened the offseason by having him acclimate to the receiver spot, but by the onset of OTAs he was also taking reps as a cornerback. It is expected that will continue through training camp as the team evaluates how to manage his workload as a rookie. That could very well shift on a week-to-week basis, especially depending on how Jacksonville’s WR and CB depth charts shake out over the coming months.

First-year general manager James Gladstone has made no secret about how highly he thinks of Hunter since the opening night of the draft. The All-American was an impact player on both sides of the ball in college, averaging well over 100 total snaps per game last season. He will take on the challenge of replicating that workload over the course of his rookie deal (which could run through 2029 in the event his fifth-year option is picked up).

The Jags have two remaining unsigned members of their draft class given today’s news. Needless to say, though, the team’s most lucrative pact on that front has now been taken care of.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/20/25

June 20th, 2025 at 5:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

Friday’s lone draft pick signing:

New England Patriots

With Woodson now on the books, running back TreVeyon Henderson is the only member of New England’s draft class which has not yet signed. A deal for the latter may not be coming any time soon, of course, given the precedent set earlier this spring for second-round picks receiving fully guaranteed deals and the logjam which now exists for players picked during that round.

Saints’ Tyler Shough Wants Fully Guaranteed Deal, Delaying Second-Round Signings

June 19th, 2025 at 10:01pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Several second-round picks from the 2025 NFL Draft remain unsigned as they seek fully guaranteed rookie contracts, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports.

Back in May, the Texans gave No. 34 pick Jayden Higgins a fully guaranteed deal, the first of its kind for a second-round pick. In past years, the first few picks of the second round have received three years of fully-guaranteed money with increasing fourth-year guarantees after each draft. The Texans’ move put pressure on the Browns to do the same with No. 33 pick Carson Schwesinger, which they did the next day.

With this new precedent, Saints second-round quarterback Tyler Shough is demanding a fully-guaranteed rookie contract of his own, per Corry. That would be a sizable jump from 2024 No. 40 pick Cooper DeJean, who only received partial guarantees in his third year and none in his fourth, per OverTheCap. Shough was taken with pick No. 40, six spots after Higgins, but the recent retirement of Derek Carr has positioned him as the Saints’ starting quarterback, giving him some extra leverage in negotiations.

Knowing that, the players drafted between Higgins and Shough are waiting to sign with their teams. If Shough can get a fully guaranteed contract from the Saints, every player selected before him will have an argument to receive the same deal. However, their teams will argue that Shough’s situation – and quarterbacks in general – are unique when it comes to contract negotiations.

Players selected in the early 40s will also be “hoping to benefit from a trickle-down effect” from Shough’s negotiations, according to Corry. If he extracts a fully guaranteed deal, the next few picks will push for their first three years to be fully guaranteed and potentially ask for guarantees in the fourth year as well.

Giants Sign RB Cam Skattebo, Complete Rookie Class

June 18th, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

As the Giants wrapped up their minicamp today, they finished business on another front, as well. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo posted early in the afternoon that New York and fourth-round rookie running back Cam Skattebo had agreed to terms on his first NFL contract. The team confirmed this a few hours later, when Skattebo officially put pen to paper and wrapped up the Giants’ rookie signings.

Coming out of Rio Linda, just outside of Sacramento, Skattebo was an unranked recruit in high school. Determined to continue playing football, he committed to the only Division I program to offer him a scholarship: nearby Sacramento State. After COVID-19 cancelled his first season, Skattebo played a complimentary role for the Hornets before exploding the next year as the starter with 1,382 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, not to mention a passing and onside kick return touchdown, as well.

Having been named an FCS first-team All-American as a sophomore, Skattebo hit the transfer portal and landed at Arizona State. On a team that went 3-9, his first campaign with the Sun Devils was a bit of a struggle, but once again, he would explode in Year 2. While it was always going to be damn near impossible to keep pace with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Skattebo was part of an elite group of four other backs who all averaged more than 130 rushing yards per game, and of those four, he was the only one to reach the end zone over 20 times. Finishing second in the nation in rushing yards (1,711) and sixth in rushing touchdowns (21), Skattebo led the Sun Devils to a Big 12 Championship and, consequently, a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Despite these statistical achievements and a fifth-place finish in the Heisman race, Skattebo was considered a fringe-Day 2 pick. Essentially, scouts seemed to recognize his tenacity, effort, and feel for the game but noted that he lacked any elite traits and feared that he may be exposed for that in the NFL. Still, Skattebo brings added value to New York thanks to the receiving production that helped make him such a versatile prospect.

Coming to New York, Skattebo joins a team that finished 23rd in rushing in 2024 after losing Saquon Barkley to their division-rival. He currently projects as RB3 behind last year’s top rushers, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary. Tracy, last year’s fifth-round pick, is a converted wide receiver who has never rushed for 1,000 yards in college or his rookie campaign, but his 839 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns led Big Blue in 2024. Singletary began last year as the starter before getting demoted to RB2 following a Week 4 groin injury. Skattebo will work to compete with Singletary for opportunities behind Tracy, but he comes into his rookie season with much more acclaim than Tracy did.

Here’s a final look at the Giants’ 2025 rookie class, now complete:

Bills Sign Round 1 CB Maxwell Hairston

June 13th, 2025 at 11:33am CST by Sam Robinson

Only three unsigned first-round picks now remain. The Bills checked theirs off the list Friday, agreeing to terms with Maxwell Hairston on his four-year rookie deal.

Hairston’s agreement leaves only Travis Hunter, Jahdae Barron and Shemar Stewart without contracts from Round 1. Hunter is not expected to sign for a bit, while Stewart is embroiled in a strange stalemate with the Bengals over guarantee language.

[RELATED: Bills Discussed Jaire Alexander Trade With Packers]

The Bills, who also signed fourth-round defensive tackle (and ex-Hairston Kentucky teammate) Deone Walker, have only one pick left to sign. Second-round DT T.J. Sanders remains out of contract, but the second round has served as a sticking point as guarantee value for that draft sector continues to climb. While Walker figures to see a depth role in 2025, Hairston will face pressure to become an immediate starter for a Super Bowl contender.

Projected to become a Bill at No. 30 in Ely Allen’s PFR mock, Hairston indeed ended up in Western New York. He is the Bills’ third Round 1 CB investment since 2017, following Tre’Davious White and Kaiir Elam. Hairston brings elite speed to Buffalo’s secondary. The Kentucky product blazed to a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the Combine — this year’s fastest clocking — to cement his status as a first-round-level talent. The Bills opted to leave Rasul Douglas in free agency and draft Hairston, adding a rookie-contract complementary piece following their Christian Benford extension.

A Kentucky-record three pick-sixes placed Hairston on the map in 2023, but he followed up the five-INT campaign with only one interception and five passes defensed in an abbreviated 2024. Though, that singular pick was also returned for a score. Hairston’s ball skills draw the most attention, but he works with a keen awareness of how the defense around him is unfolding. A shoulder injury caused him to miss five games last season; the Bills will bet on the 5-foot-11 corner anyway, doing so with a track record of injuries and draft misfires taking place at the position during the Sean McDermott-Brandon Beane era.

White saw injuries blunt his All-Pro momentum, with his ACL and Achilles tears costing the Bills dearly in narrow playoff losses to the Chiefs — as Buffalo CB availability has become a defining component in this series — and eventually leading him out of town as a cap casualty. White, however, is back (on a one-year, $3MM deal). Elam represented one of the biggest first-round busts in Bills history; the team admitted a mistake on him by dealing the 2022 draftee to Dallas in a late-round pick-swap agreement. The Chiefs picked on Elam, thrust into Buffalo’s lineup because of another ill-timed Benford playoff injury, in their AFC championship game win.

The Bills’ latest postseason loss to their nemesis undoubtedly influenced the Hairston investment, and the AFC East powerhouse’s CB depth chart points to the speedy rookie setting up camp atop the depth chart alongside Benford and slot bastion Taron Johnson. The Bills will have Hairston signed through 2028 and will hold a fifth-year option on the contract for 2029.

Eagles Sign First-Round LB Jihaad Campbell

June 11th, 2025 at 8:26pm CST by Ely Allen

One of the last seven unsigned first-round picks of the 2025 NFL Draft put pen to paper today. Alabama defender Jihaad Campbell signed his rookie contract with the Eagles today, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The four-year deal with a fifth-year option is reportedly worth $14.90MM. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 adds that Campbell’s deal includes a signing bonus of $7.48MM.

Campbell comes out of Alabama, where he originally committed to the Crimson Tide as a five-star edge rushing prospect out of IMG Academy (FL). Injuries to the team’s defense forced Campbell out of his natural spot as he filled in as an off-ball linebacker and excelled there. He spent the team’s 2023 campaign almost exclusively playing linebacker but was able to get some playing time back at his old position last year as Alabama utilized his versatility.

There were rumors in the weeks after the draft that Campbell could be the latest in the mold of former Penn State linebackers Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter, who both became eventual pass rushers in the NFL, with thoughts that Campbell could have a chance to return to his old position after all. It doesn’t quite look like that will come to pass, though. Campbell hasn’t been working out, as he continues to rehab a shoulder injury from his last season with the Tide, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told the media last week that, once he returned to the field, Campbell would be working out with the linebackers.

Part of his current assignment could be due to the assumption that Nakobe Dean will start the 2025 NFL season on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from a torn patellar tendon suffered late last season. With only last year’s fifth-round linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to fill in if Dean and Campbell aren’t there, Campbell’s talents are likely needed more at linebacker to start his career. There’s always a chance, though, that Philadelphia ends up cross training him and giving him more freedom and flexibility across the defense.

With Campbell signing his name on the dotted line, the Eagles only have one more rookie to sign to finish up their class. Second-round Texas safety Andrew Mukuba is the lone remaining un-signed rookie in Philadelphia. Here’s a look at the Eagles’ rookie class:

Cardinals Sign First-Round DT Walter Nolen

June 10th, 2025 at 1:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Walter Nolen is the latest member of the 2025 draft class to sign his rookie deal. The Cardinals’ top choice is officially on the books, per a team announcement.

Nolen’s four-year deal is worth $19.3MM (h/t ESPN’s Adam Schefter). That figure includes a $10.7MM signing bonus and is guaranteed in full. If the Cardinals pick up his fifth-year option, Nolen will be under team control through 2029.

The top recruit amongst defensive linemen in 2022 (and second nationally to only Travis Hunter), Nolen faced massive expectations in college. During his two years at Texas A&M, however, things did entirely go according to plan. He totaled five sacks and 11 tackles for loss with the Aggies before deciding to transfer within the SEC for his junior campaign. Nolen spent 2024 at Ole Miss, and he enjoyed a strong campaign there.

Nolen racked up 6.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and three pass deflections with the Rebels. Those totals helped earn him first-team All-SEC and All-American honors and cement his status as one of the top options in a deep defensive line class. While questions were raised early in the pre-draft process about his range, it was clear just before the opening round Nolen would likely not need to wait long to hear his name called.

Indeed, it came as little surprise when the Cardinals selected him at No. 16. Nolen joins an Arizona team which has been in need of improved play along the defensive front. Plenty of departures have taken place along the D-line this offseason, but the Cardinals reunited with Calais Campbell in free agency. The team also made notable splashes on the open market in the form of Dalvin Tomlinson and edge rusher Josh Sweat. Expectations will be high for a step forward from that unit in 2025.

Nolen will have at least a rotational role during his rookie season as part of the D-tackle group. Beyond that, he will be seen as a key figure along the interior for years to come if he develops as planned. Given today’s news, second-round corner Will Johnson is now the only unsigned member of the Cardinals’ draft class.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/6/25

June 6th, 2025 at 7:16pm CST by Ely Allen

We saw another 2025 NFL Draft pick sign their rookie contract today:

Tennessee Titans

Dike was the first of three rookie wideouts that the Titans brought in for their No. 1 overall pick. Despite Dike having lower receiving numbers than both of the other rookie receivers, a 4.34-second 40-yard dash and a strong interview helped inform the Titans’ decision to take him as the first pick on Day 3 of the draft.

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