Chiefs Add 20 UDFA Rookies
In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chiefs found themselves drafting in the top 10 for the first time since they selected Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech at No. 10 overall in 2017. They took advantage with their three selections in the first 40 picks, adding heavily to the defense before shifting focus to the other side of the ball on Day 3. After only ending up with seven rookie additions from the draft, Kansas City let loose with contract offers, adding these 20 undrafted free agent rookies:
- Vincent Anthony Jr., DE (Duke)
- Wesley Bissainthe, LB (Miami)
- Cole Brevard, DT (Texas)
- Jeff Caldwell, WR (Cincinnati)
- Jacob De Jesus, WR (California)
- Anthony Dunn, DE (Toledo)
- Omari Evans, WR (Washington)
- John Michael Gyllenborg, TE (Wyoming)
- Ethan Hurkett, DE (Iowa)
- Amari McNeill, DT (Colorado)
- Xavier Nwankpa, S (Iowa)
- Pete Nygra, C (Louisville)
- Jaydn Ott, RB (California)
- Damon Payne, DT (Michigan)
- D’Arco Perkins-McAllister, CB (Louisiana-Monroe)
- Bryce Phillips, CB (San Diego State)
- DeShon Singleton, S (Nebraska)
- EJ Smith, RB (Texas A&M)
- Josh Thompson, G (LSU)
- Zelmar Vedder, CB (Houston)
After adding a few on offense at the end of the draft, Kansas City continued to add some weapons in undrafted free agency. Ott showed a ton of potential as a sophomore two years ago, when he attended the same school De Jesus transferred to for 2025. He led the Golden Bears with 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in 2023, but his production and efficiency hit a nosedive the next year. Despite starting 10 games, his production fell to 385 rushing yards and four touchdowns. After transferring to Norman, his production continued to freefall as his usage dwindled nearly down to nothing. There are questions about his toughness and ability to play through minor injuries, but the height of his production showed a dynamic, one-cut rusher with NFL potential.
Caldwell is raw and didn’t dominate at the same level after transferring from Lindenwood to Cincinnati, but a 6-foot-5 frame with a 4.31-second 40-yard dash put him on the map for the NFL with projections that he could have been a fifth- or sixth-rounder. The Chiefs get the developmental project post-draft, though, and could come away much better because of it. It’s probably not a great sign that Gyllenborg didn’t produce much in five years at Wyoming, but scouts see some extremely promising physical tools that boast plenty of potential to work in the league.
On the defensive front, Anthony comes to Kansas City after notching 12.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss in his last two years starting for the Blue Devils. He has a decent set of moves to disrupt the offenses he faces but will need to add weight and clean up his game to stick at the next level. Bissainthe’s level of play rose with each of his four years at Miami — three as a starter — as he developed his game all over the field. He hasn’t proven to be especially strong in any one area, but he’s a hard hitter who has shown a knack for improvement in the face of each challenge.
In the secondary, the Chiefs landed two promising safeties who had strong chances of getting drafted; Singleton was even projected to go in the fifth or sixth round. Showing up all over the stat sheet, Singleton could establish a role as a nickelback if the depth chart stacks up just right. Nwankpa had a really strong senior year with the Hawkeyes, but his future may be as a standout special teamer. At cornerback, Phillips was a player Kansas City coveted. In order to secure his signature, the Chiefs gave Phillips an undrafted free agent contract with $247,500 in guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Ravens Sign 19-Man UDFA Class
As the Ravens spent the early days of free agency under the impression that Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson were both coming to take up a significant portion of the team’s salary cap, they watched unrestricted free agents parade out of Baltimore without being able to add much more. As a result, the Ravens have plenty of room to bring in bodies, and they’ve announced the signing of these 19 undrafted free agents to go along with their 11 draft picks and make up a 30-man rookie class:
- Cortez Braham, WR (Memphis)
- Ethan Burke, OLB (Texas)
- Nick Dawkins, C (Penn State)
- Dominic DeLuca, LB (Penn State)
- Joe Fagnano, QB (UConn)
- Aaron Graves, DT (Iowa)
- Matthew McDoom, CB (Cincinnati)
- Dontae McMillan, RB (Eastern Michigan)
- Diego Pavia, QB (Vanderbilt) (story)
- Ty Pezza, TE (Brown)
- Diego Pounds, T (Mississippi)
- Jahquez Robinson, S (Auburn)
- Octavian Smith, WR (Maryland)
- Trevonte Sylvester, T (Louisville)
- Elijah Tau-Tolliver, RB (Michigan State)
- Silas Walters, S (Miami [OH])
- Lardarius Webb Jr., CB (Wake Forest)
- Reid Williford, LB (Charlotte)
- Dion Wilson Jr., DT (Syracuse)
Fagnano wasn’t expected to do much at UConn after transferring from Maine, but the 25-year-old ended up leading a strong Huskies offense by the end of his seven-year collegiate career. He made few mistakes, boasting a touchdown:interception ratio over his career of 93:18 and only throwing one pick compared to 28 touchdowns in his final year of school. Fagnano’s processing, decision-making, and accuracy all score high marks, but his arm strength and mobility leave a lot to be desired.
It was a bit surprising to see Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft come and go without Pounds coming off the board. The starting left tackle for most of the past two years at Ole Miss, Pounds was projected by some as a potential fourth-rounder. The North Carolina-transfer has all the makings of a strong blindside blocker of the future with reliable pass pro habits, but his run grading has room for improvement. He’s got a great frame for an NFL tackle but will need to make sure he’s putting good weight on that frame.
Burke is a Baltimore-native who ended up in Austin for high school and stayed there for college. With only 10.5 sacks in 17 starts over four years, he may not project as a future starter in his hometown, but with three blocked field goals in his last two years, he shows the potential to find a roster spot on special teams. He’s joined in his virtual homecoming by Webb, whose father played all nine years of his career with the Ravens. The senior Webb led the team in interceptions (5) and passes defensed (20) in 2011 and led the league in passes defensed (22) in 2013.
While the Ravens drafted the top interior offensive lineman of this year’s class in Penn State’s Vega Ioane, they failed to draft a new starting center. Taking a chance on Dawkins, who spent the past two years starting next to Ioane in Happy Valley, could be a strong bet. Dawkins will certainly have chemistry with his former line-mate, and a thin depth chart at the position could give him a strong chance to earn a roster spot.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/1/26
Here are Friday’s rookie signings from the 2026 NFL Draft:
Baltimore Ravens
- DT Rayshaun Benny (seventh round, Michigan)
Green Bay Packers
- DT Chris McClellan (third round, Missouri)
- OLB Dani Dennis-Sutton (fourth round, Penn State)
- C Jager Burton (fifth round, Kentucky)
- CB Domani Jackson (sixth round, Alabama)
- K Trey Smack (sixth round, Florida)
New England Patriots
- CB Karon Prunty (fifth round, Wake Forest)
Philadelphia Eagles
- G Micah Morris (sixth round, Georgia)
- DT Uar Bernard (seventh round, IPPP)
For both the Ravens and Packers, today’s signings leave them with only one unsigned rookie draft pick. Both teams still need to ink their second-round picks to closeout their 2026 draft class signings.
Discovered playing basketball at 16 years old in Nigeria, Bernard earned invitations to the NFL Nigeria camp in 2024 and the NFL Africa camp in Cairo in 2025. As part of the league’s International Player Pathway program, if Bernard is unable to make the initial 53-man roster, he can be placed on the practice squad without counting against the unit’s 16-player limit.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/26
Here are Friday’s minor transactions:
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers (from Titans): DE Ali Gaye
After playing the past two seasons in Tennessee, Gaye is returning to the team that initially signed him as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. Gaye spent his first year in the league on the Texans’ taxi squad, and when he failed to make the initial 53-man roster in Year 2, the Titans claimed him off waivers. Playing in 15 games with Tennessee in 2024, he even notched his first career sack against C.J. Stroud. Gaye started 2025 on the Titans’ practice squad and was called up to the active roster in mid-October, but he ended up on the injured reserve by November with a knee injury that would hold him out of the remainder of the year.
Born in the Gambia, Gaye qualifies for the exemption afforded to players as part of the International Player Pathway Program. This means that, if he lands on the Texans’ practice squad again, he won’t count against the unit’s 16-player limit.
Eagles Assistant GM Alec Halabay Leaves Position
After 17 years in an NFL front office, all of them with the Eagles, assistant general manager Alec Halaby has made the decision to step away from his position with the team. According to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Halaby is leaving to “start a new professional chapter of his career.”
In a statement released to the media (via Zach Berman of The Athletic), Habalay said, “I am deeply grateful to the Eagles organization, especially (chairman/CEO Jeffrey Lurie) and (general manager/executive vice president Howie Roseman), for giving me a chance to work in the game I love. Jeffrey’s stewardship has created a first-class organization. Howie has been a mentor to me from Day One, for which I am greatly appreciative.
“It has been a rare privilege to contribute to building championship teams for the city of Philadelphia. The experience has been enriched by a set of special relationships with front office colleagues, coaches, and players. Football has been a core part of my life for as long as I can remember; that won’t change. Nevertheless, after 17 years in Philadelphia, I’ve decided to step away to start a new professional chapter. It has been a wonderful journey. Go Birds.”
A Harvard graduate, Halaby began his tenure with the Eagles with two separate internships in 2007 and 2009. In 2010, he was hired into his first official role with the team as a player personnel analyst. Two years later, Halaby was named special assistant to the general manager in Roseman’s third season in the GM role. In 2016, Halaby was promoted to vice president of football operations and strategy, a position he held for six years before finally completing the ascension from assistant to the general manager to assistant general manager.
Halaby walks away from that role now after four years, doing so with two Super Bowl rings. It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for the longtime Eagles staffer. He has seemingly been considered a general manager candidate in recent years, interviewing for open jobs in Carolina and Washington in 2024 and with the Jets in 2025. There is currently an open GM job in Minnesota, after the team made a late move to fire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, but there’s also a chance Halaby could follow an old colleague.
A couple days ago, it was announced that former Eagles senior vice president/tertiary football executive Bryce Johnston would replace former Falcons senior director of football administration Chris Olsen. Johnston worked alongside the Eagles personnel department during his time in Philadelphia and may be open to welcoming a familiar face in Halaby to a quickly evolving front office, though that decision seems to be to up to new president of football Matt Ryan. Regardless, Halaby’s next chapter will be his first not with the Eagles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/29/26
Wednesday’s midweek minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: FB Ben VanSumeren
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed franchise tender: WR George Pickens (story)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Joe Bachie, DT Jay Tufele
Kansas City Chiefs
- Received international exemption: T Chukwuebuka Godrick
- Waived: RB ShunDerrick Powell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Leki Fotu
Los Angeles Chargers
- Received international exemption: TE Thomas Yassmin
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DT Eric Johnson II
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Harrison Bryant
The Seahawks are adding some depth in their tight ends room by bringing in the former Mackey Award winner out of FAU. Seattle relied heavily on a two-man crew featuring AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo until a knee injury placed the second-round rookie, Arroyo, on injured reserve for most of the rest of the team’s Super Bowl run. When Arroyo went down, veteran Eric Saubert came in to supplement Barner with minimal contributions from undrafted Minnesota rookie Nick Kallerup.
In his rookie year, Bryant looked like he might displace David Njoku as TE2 behind Austin Hooper in Cleveland. He found himself third in the pecking order in Year 2, but returned to TE2 duties, this time behind Njoku, after Hooper was no longer on the team.
Eagles Add NDSU QB Cole Payton In Fifth Round
The Eagles have taken a swing on an athletic quarterback option, drafting North Dakota State dual-threat passer Cole Payton with the 178th pick in the fifth round of the draft. Payton becomes the sixth quarterback off the board and the fourth Bison quarterback drafted since Carson Wentz went second overall in 2016, following in the footsteps of Trey Lance, Easton Stick and Cam Miller before him.
Jalen Hurts‘ job is clearly secure in Philadelphia at this moment. It appears to be Tanner McKee‘s hold on the backup job that may not be secure.
The Stanford product has made two NFL starts since the Eagles drafted him in the sixth round three years ago. Both games were meaningless Week 18 contests in each of the past two seasons. In the first, McKee looked fairly effective, completing 27 of 41 pass attempts for 269 yards and two touchdowns in a win. This past season’s start didn’t go as well as he barely completed half his attempts for 241 yards a touchdown and an interception in a loss.
The first sign that changes in the room may be on the way came when the Eagles traded for veteran backup passer Andy Dalton near the start of free agency. Despite not holding a role as a true starting quarterback since his days in Cincinnati, Dalton has made at least one start in all 15 years of his NFL career. Over the course of his most recent three-year stint with the Panthers, Dalton earned seven starts, going 1-6 in those games.
Payton really stuck it out during his time in Fargo, sitting as a backup quarterback for four years until Miller got drafted last year. He made the most of his lone season leading the Bison offense. Though North Dakota State didn’t rely heavily on Payton’s arm, it was reliable when utilized. Payton completed 71.9 percent of his pass attempts for 2,719, averaging 16.9 yards per completion for 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions. On the ground, Payton averaged 5.7 yards per carry en route to 777 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing. While backing up Miller as a redshirt sophomore in 2023, Payton still found his way onto the field, carrying the ball 84 times for 615 yards (7.3 per carry) and 13 scores.
Payton certainly needs polishing before he holds any significant responsibility in the NFL. His throwing motion and dropback mechanics need refinement, and he will have to develop some pocket awareness at the next level. Still, there are a lot of good attributes to build on here. With an athletic frame, strong arm, surprising speed, and unquestionable work ethic, Payton will be an interesting prospect to watch in Philadelphia. Dalton may have been brought in to serve as QB2 in 2026, but with both his and McKee’s contracts expiring at the end of the season, Payton may just be the plan for the future of the role.
Broncos Draft Buffalo LB Red Murdock As Mr. Irrelevant
With the final pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Broncos have made Buffalo linebacker Red Murdock this year’s Mr. Irrelevant. He sneaks his way into the seventh round of the draft at No. 257 overall.
This is actually far under where Murdock was projected to go. A starter for the Bulls over the last two years, Murdock’s propensity for making plays had him projected by some to go much closer to the start of Day 3.
The 22-year-old arrived in Buffalo after attending Fork Union Military Academy, and after a minor role in his first year with the Bulls, he started earning more playing time in 2023. Elevating into a starting role over the back half of that season, Murdock ended his time in college with 31 straight starts.
Murdock had a strong nose for the ball on the Bulls’ defense. In his two full years of starting duty, he tallied 298 total tackles, seven sacks, and 30 tackles for loss. One of Murdock’s most striking attributes was his ability to separate ballcarriers from the rock. Just over the last three years of his career, Murdock forced 17 fumbles — an FBS record for a college career. His seven forced fumbles in 2024 set another NCAA record for most in a single season. The only caveats that come with his crowded stat sheet is that much of that production came against opponents who likely will not be playing on Sundays.
Murdock joins a linebacking corps in Denver led by returning starters Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. Dre Greenlaw, who served as LB3 for the Broncos last year, returned to San Francisco after a Denver release. Joining one of the NFL’s best defenses from last year with linebackers that Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked the 24th- and 25th-best at their position seems like an ideal situation for Murdock. He should have every opportunity to earn a role somewhere in the Broncos’ system, and if he can make the transition from MAC to NFL without a drop-off in production, he may stand a chance at sticking.
Patriots Draft QB Behren Morton At No. 234
The Patriots are one of five teams, so far, that have opted to bring in a signal-caller late on Day 3. Texas Tech’s Behren Morton has been taken by New England at No. 234. He becomes the ninth quarterback off the board and the first out of Lubbock since Patrick Mahomes was taken in 2017.
While much of the Red Raiders’ success in 2025 came from the transfer portal, Morton was a redshirt senior in his final year with the program. Where most find their way to Lubbock for college, Morton was born and raised there. A move to New England will mean quite a change in scenery.
Morton earned his first starts at Tech over a four-game stretch in his redshirt freshman year as an injury replacement. He began the 2023 season as the backup to eventual Saints starter Tyler Shough but took over the starting role in Week 5 and held on from there.
Morton showed a lot of promise in his first extended look as a starter. The team went 6-2 with him behind center, but Morton only averaged about 175.7 yards per game en route to 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His production took a huge jump the next season. He added over 100 yards per game to his weekly average as he threw for 3,335 yards, 27 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 12 games. While his total yardage fell short in 2025, his efficiency increased as his yards per attempt went from 7.2 in 2024 to 8.8.
While Morton displayed a versatile arm at Tech, throwing from multiple arm slots, his arms strength has been called into question. He can throw with anticipation, but his accuracy leaves room for improvement, and his mechanics could use some refinement. He proved to be a tough athlete over the years, but injuries will be something to keep an eye on moving forward. Morton missed at least two games in three of his five years in school.
Morton is set to join a quarterbacks room that has a clear starter and backup in Drake Maye and Tommy DeVito. He’ll have the opportunity throughout the offseason to convince the Patriots to hold on to three passers for the 2026 NFL season, even if that might destine him for a spot on the practice squad.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Commanders Add Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis In Seventh Round
While LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier remains on the board in a stunning slide, the Commanders have added a new arm to their quarterbacks room in Athan Kaliakmanis. The Rutgers product becomes the eighth passer off the board and the first of the seventh round at No. 223 overall.
Kaliakmanis’ journey started at Minnesota where he spent three years as a Golden Gopher. After redshirting as a true freshman, Kaliakmanis earned his first starting opportunity when usual starter Tanner Morgan was held out with a concussion. Morgan got injured again two weeks later, and Kaliakmanis took over down the stretch, starting five games and going 3-2 as a starter, including a win in the team’s bowl game. He won the starting job for Minnesota in 2023 but, after a 5-7 campaign, transferred to the Rutgers a year later.
Kaliakmanis continued to develop with the Scarlet Knights, improving each year as a passer. After sporting completion percentages of 53.1 and 53.9 in his first two years of full-time starting duties in Piscataway, Kaliakmanis finished 2025 at a mark of 62.2 percent. He also ended his collegiate career with highs of 3,124 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns in his final season, throwing seven interceptions in each of his final two years of play. Kaliakmanis also demonstrated decent mobility at Rutgers. In 2024, he rushed for 251 yards and three touchdowns.
Kaliakmanis heads to a crowded quarterbacks room in Washington. Jayden Daniels is the clear starter, while Marcus Mariota and Sam Hartman serve as two generations of backups. Kaliakmanis’ production in college may not excite, but the 22-year-old has the physical tools to compete and showed a lot of improvement in his last season of play. He should be granted an opportunity to compete with Hartman for a shot at QB3.