NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/7/25
Today’s 2025 NFL Draft pick signings as we begin to get into rookie minicamps. Here is another group of mid- to late-rounders who signed their four-year rookie contracts today:
Denver Broncos
- WR Pat Bryant (third round, Illinois)
- DE Sai’vion Jones (third round, LSU)
- OLB Que Robinson (fourth round, Alabama)
- P Jeremy Crawshaw (sixth round, Florida)
Houston Texans
- CB Jaylin Smith (third round, USC)
The Broncos followed up yesterday’s signing of tight end Caleb Lohner (seventh round, Utah) with rookie contracts for two more of their 2025 draft picks.
Bryant’s 6-foot-2, 204-pound frame, jumping ability, and strong hands make him a reliable receiver at the catch point, but his below-average athleticism will limit his separation in the NFL. He posted 984 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior year at Illinois but will face an uphill battle for playing time as a rookie in a crowded Broncos receiver room.
The Broncos used a sixth-round pick on Crenshaw after moving on from veteran Riley Dixon this offseason. Barring injury or a disastrous training camp, the former Gator will take over as Denver’s punter this season. He was the only punter selected in the 2025 draft.
The Texans surprised many by taking Smith in the third round after he was projected to be a Day 3 pick. His size may restrict him to nickel duties in the NFL, a role he filled in 2022 and 2023 for the Trojans. He played on the outside in 2024 and could still compete for a boundary role in Houston, who just extended safety/nickel defender Jalen Pitre this offseason.
Broncos Considered Trading Up For Ashton Jeanty
The Broncos explored multiple trades during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, including a blockbuster move into the top-10 for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
Denver made no secret of their desire to add a running back during the lead-up to the draft, but the price to trade up was ultimately too high. Snagging Jeanty likely would have required the fifth overall pick considering his pre-draft links to the Raiders, who owned the next selection. Moving up 15 slots from the No. 20 pick could have cost multiple future first-rounders, which was likely a non-starter for the Broncos after losing their top picks in 2022 and 2023 to the ill-fated Russell Wilson trade.
Instead, Denver stood pat at No. 20 and selected Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, who was widely seen as the best player on the board. Terry Joseph, Barron’s defensive pass game coordinator at Texas and cousin of Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, endorsed the versatile defensive back, per Fowler, giving the team even more confidence in their pick.
The Broncos were also interested in Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who went off the board one pick before they were on the clock. Had neither Egbuka nor Barron been available, the Broncos were prepared to trade back for a running back in the first round, discussing terms with the Texans for their pick at No. 25.
In that case, Denver’s target likely would have been another former Buckeye in TreVeyon Henderson, who went to the Patriots with the 38th pick before the Broncos were back on the board. They pivoted to UCF running back R.J. Harvey with their next pick at the end of the second round, allowing them to come away from the draft with a coveted running back without a costly trade up in the first round.
Texans To Re-Sign DT Foley Fatukasi
More veteran defensive line help is heading to Houston. The Texans are reuniting with Foley Fatukasi, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Fatukasi spent last season with the team, coming over after a Jaguars release. Fatukasi will join one of the most experienced defensive tackle groups in recent NFL history. The Texans now roster Fatukasi, Sheldon Rankins, Denico Autry, Mario Edwards and Tim Settle at the position.
Rankins is going into his 10th season, while Edwards is heading into Year 11. Autry has both beat, being set for his 12th NFL campaign. Fatukasi and Settle, by comparison, are youngsters; each will be in an eighth slate come 2025. This is an interesting veterans-only setup the Texans are attempting, and Fatukasi will be back after lingering in free agency for nearly two months.
The Texans used Fatukasi as a full-time starter last season. The former Jets sixth-rounder logged 11 starts, missing six games due to injury. Fatukasi, 30, missed six of the Texans’ final seven games. The shoulder injury Fatukasi sustained delayed his free agency process, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds. Giving Fatukasi a 46% snap rate on defense, the AFC South champions saw the low-cost DT produce a sack and four tackles for loss. He added a key TFL during the Texans’ wild-card win as well. The imposing interior presence has never been known as a pressure artist, with run-stuffing more the DT’s calling card.
The above-referenced quartet of previously acquired D-tackles have Houston covered for inside pressure to complement Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., while the team will hope Fatukasi can potentially help his D-line mates see better matchups. Pro Football Focus has not been remotely as high as teams on Fatukasi — at least, not since his early Jets years. The advanced metrics website ranked the UConn alum as the third-worst interior D-line regular last season. This marked a steep drop from his second and final Jaguars campaign, when PFF slotted him 60th at the position.
Jacksonville shed Fatukasi’s three-year, $30MM deal from its payroll in 2024. Houston added him on a one-year, $5.13MM accord. DeMeco Ryans‘ D-line will include veteran contracts surrounding Anderson, with Derek Barnett and Darrell Taylor in place at defensive end as well. The Texans also circled back to DT Kurt Hinish rather than tender him as an RFA. While the Texans will need a long-term D-tackle plan soon, they are going stopgap-heavy in 2025.
No Timeline For Texans WR Tank Dell’s Return
Tank Dell‘s 2024 season came to an abrupt end when he suffered a massive knee injury in Week 16. The Texans wideout still faces a very long road to recovery, and no firm timeline exists for him to return to the field. 
“For Tank, I want him to continue to get better, continue to attack each day of the rehab process the right way, like he’s been doing, with a great attitude,” head coach DeMeco Ryans said when speaking to the media on Monday (video link via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2). “There’s nothing to rush. There’s no set timeline that we need him back by this certain day. We need Tank back when Tank is ready to be Tank, and that’s good enough for me.”
Not long after the injury, it became clear Dell would require multiple surgeries to repair the damage (which included ACL, PCL and LCL tears along with a torn meniscus and a dislocated kneecap). As of March, the 25-year-old had undergone a pair of operations, marking a key checkpoint in his rehab process. The possibility still remains, however, that Dell will miss most or even all of the 2025 campaign.
Selected in the third round of the 2023 draft, Dell’s rookie campaign showcased a strong connection between he and quarterback C.J. Stroud. That year also featured a major injury, however, in the form of a broken leg. Missing considerable time during this coming campaign would of course hinder the Iowa State product’s value for a potential extension. Dell’s rookie deal runs through 2026.
Houston lost Stefon Diggs in free agency, although the team pulled off an intra-division trade to acquire Christian Kirk. The Texans’ receiver corps will continue to be led by Nico Collins moving forward, but the Texans also have John Metchie and Justin Watson in the fold, along with rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Both members of that Iowa State tandem will look to carve out roles during training camp. As that takes place, Dell will continue rehabbing without a hard target for when to return to action.
2025 NFL Draft Rumors: Texans, Browns, Williams
We entered the 2025 NFL Draft in unprecedented waters as all 32 teams were set to have their own first-round picks for the first time since the AFL-NFL merger. In fact, when the Tennessee was put on the clock, all teams still had their own first-round picks. Before that, the closest the draft had ever come to starting without any first-round trades was in 1993, when the Chiefs traded their first-rounder to the 49ers for Joe Montana just five days before the draft.
While Cleveland and Jacksonville were the first teams to ruin that pristine first round with a trade, the Texans and Rams were the only teams to trade completely out of the first round. In fact, all nine of Houston’s draft picks were the results of trades. We already discussed how the team looked to move back up into the first round for Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, but on Fan Duel TV’s Up & Adams show with Kay Adams, Texans general manager Nick Caserio detailed how they were initially attempting to move up into the top half of the first round but were unable to find a partner, so they looked instead into moving down, fielding several offers.
“We tried to move up a little bit,” Caserio told Adams. “It didn’t really work out. At about the 18, 19, 20 range, we started to get some calls about our pick, so we were putting the information up on the board.”
“We had actually three different trade scenarios that were on the board at one time,” Caserio continued. “We had trade scenarios, we were prepared to pick a player…and then we were on the clock, and a pick before — I think when Minnesota picked at 24 — and after they picked, we were able to consummate the trade with the Giants. So, we scooted back there to the second round and then had the second pick there to start Friday.”
Here are a few other draft rumors from the days following the 2025 NFL Draft:
- In a Q&A earlier this week, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated dropped an interesting tidbit about the Browns‘ potential first-round strategy last Thursday night. We’ve covered Breer’s earlier report that Cleveland attempted to get back into the first round for Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr., but he has since reasoned that the team was potentially looking for Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart late in the first round. Ultimately, it was the Giants that made the move back into the 25th overall spot for Dart, but there’s a chance the Browns may have done so if New York hadn’t acted when they did.
- Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams found himself getting drafted at the tail end of the first round by the Lions at No. 28 overall. Shortly after the draft, Williams told Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network that he believes the Bills would have taken him two picks later if Detroit hadn’t selected him. Buffalo had considered defensive tackle a serious position of need as DaQuan Jones heads into a contract year, and head coach Sean McDermott and defensive line coach Marcus West told Williams they loved his game and how he played. There’s a chance Williams could’ve been headed to northern New York had Lions general manager Brad Holmes been more receptive to the phone calls he’d received gauging his interest in trading back from the 28th overall pick.
2025 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team
Here is every team’s haul from the 2025 NFL Draft:
Arizona Cardinals
- Round 1, No. 16: Walter Nolen (DT, Ole Miss) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 47: Will Johnson (CB, Michigan) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 78: Jordan Burch (OLB, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 115: Cody Simon (LB, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 5, 174 (from Cowboys)*: Denzel Burke (CB, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 211 (from Cowboys)*: Hayden Conner (G, Texas) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 225 (from Jets through Chiefs): Kitan Crawford (S, Nevada) (signed)
Atlanta Falcons
- Round 1, No. 15: Jalon Walker (LB, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 1, No. 26 (from Rams): James Pearce (DE, Tennessee) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 96 (from Eagles): Xavier Watts (S, Notre Dame) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 118: Billy Bowman (S, Oklahoma) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 218 (from Browns through Chargers): Jack Nelson (T, Wisconsin) (signed)
Baltimore Ravens
- Round 1, No. 27: Malaki Starks (S, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 59: Mike Green (OLB, Marshall) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 91: Emery Jones (T, LSU) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 129: Teddye Buchanan (LB, Cal) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 141* (from Titans): Carson Vinson (T, Alabama A&M) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 178 (from Titans): Bilhal Kone (CB, Western Michigan) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 186 (from Jets): Tyler Loop (K, Arizona) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 203: LaJohntay Wester (WR, Colorado) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 210*: Aeneas Peebles (DT, Virginia Tech) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 212*: Robert Longerbeam (CB, Rutgers) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 243: Garrett Dellinger (G, LSU) (signed)
Buffalo Bills
- Round 1, No. 30: Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 41 (from Bears): T.J. Sanders (DT, South Carolina) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 72 (from Bears): Landon Jackson (DE, Arkansas) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 109 (from Bears through Bills and Bears): Deone Walker (DT, Kentucky) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 170 (from Cowboys)*: Jordan Hancock (CB, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 173*: Jackson Hawes (TE, Georgia Tech) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 177 (from Giants): Dorian Strong (CB, Virginia Tech) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 206: Chase Lundt (T, UConn) (signed)
- Round 7, 240 (from Vikings through Browns and Bears): Kaden Prather (WR, Maryland) (signed)
Carolina Panthers
- Round 1, No. 8: Tetairoa McMillan (WR, Arizona) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 51 (from Broncos): Nic Scourton (OLB, Texas A&M) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 77 (from Falcons through Patriots): Princely Umanmielen (OLB, Ole Miss) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 114 (from Cowboys): Trevor Etienne (RB, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 122 (from Broncos): Lathan Ransom (S, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 140 (from Giants): Cam Jackson (DT, Florida) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 163 (from Ravens): Mitchell Evans (TE, Notre Dame) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 208 (from Eagles through Broncos): Jimmy Horn (WR, Colorado) (signed)
Chicago Bears
- Round 1, No. 10: Colston Loveland (TE, Michigan) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 39 (from Panthers): Luther Burden (WR, Missouri) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 56 (from Vikings through Texans and Bills): Ozzy Trapilo (T, Boston College) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 62: Shemar Turner (DT, Texas A&M) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 132 (from Bills): Ruban Hyppolite (LB, Maryland) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 169 (from Bills)*: Zah Frazier (CB, Texas-San Antonio) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 195 (from Steelers through Rams): Luke Newman (G, Michigan State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 233 (from Bengals): Kyle Monangai (RB, Rutgers) (signed)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Round 1, No. 17: Shemar Stewart (DE, Texas A&M) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 49: Demetrius Knight (LB, South Carolina) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 81: Dylan Fairchild (G, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 119: Barrett Carter (LB, Clemson) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 153: Jalen Rivers (T, Miami) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 193: Tahj Brooks (RB, Texas Tech) (signed)
Cleveland Browns
- Round 1, No. 5 (from Jaguars): Mason Graham (DT, Michigan) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 33: Carson Schwesinger (LB, UCLA) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 36 (from Jaguars): Quinshon Judkins (RB, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 67: Harold Fannin Jr. (TE, Bowling Green) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 94 (from Bills): Dillon Gabriel (QB, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 126 (from Vikings through Jaguars): Dylan Sampson (RB, Tennessee) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 144 (from Patriots through Seahawks): Shedeur Sanders (QB, Colorado) (signed)
Dallas Cowboys
- Round 1, No. 12: Tyler Booker (G, Alabama) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 44: Donovan Ezeiruaku (DE, Boston College) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 76: Shavon Revel (CB, East Carolina) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 149: Jaydon Blue (RB, Texas) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 152 (from Cardinals): Shemar James (LB, Florida) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 204 (from Lions through Browns and Bills): Ajani Cornelius (G, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 217 (from Titans through Patriots): Jay Toia (DT, UCLA) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 239 (from Packers through Titans): Phil Mafah (RB, Clemson) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 247 (from Chiefs through Panthers): Tommy Akingbesote (DT, Maryland) (signed)
Texans Host Trio Of Veteran RBs
After finishing 23rd in rushing in 2023 without a 1,000-yard for the fourth season in a row, the Texans invested some draft capital to acquire former Bengals rusher Joe Mixon. With diminishing returns from Dameon Pierce, who is headed into a contract year, and the lack of a true receiving back, Houston has been making attempts throughout the offseason to bring competition to the room. 
The Texans carried five running backs (Mixon, Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, J.J. Taylor, and British Brooks) on their 53-man roster last year. All five return to the roster in 2025, as does practice squad rusher from last year Jawhar Jordan, but that hasn’t stopped Houston from exploring plenty of other options. To start, the team drafted USC back Woody Marks in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Additionally, the team hosted veterans Nyheim Hines, Chris Evans, and Trayveon Williams for workouts yesterday, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
Hines is certainly an interesting option who is extremely familiar with the AFC South after spending parts of six seasons with the Colts. He split the 2022 season between Indianapolis and Buffalo and hasn’t appeared in a game since. He missed the entire 2023 season after tearing his ACL in a jet ski incident in the offseason, and after getting released and signing with the Browns, Hines was unable to make a return in 2024. Although Hines hasn’t appeared in a game in over two years, he’s an intriguing option based on the receiving abilities he displayed over his time with the Colts; he actually has more career receiving yards (1,778) than rushing yards (1,202). He’s also been a prolific return man in his career.
Williams and Evans signing with Houston would be an interesting development in that it would reunite them with Mixon and put three former Bengals in the Texans’ running backs room. Williams, a sixth-round pick in 2019, is a Texas-native who went to college at Texas A&M. Over six seasons with Cincinnati, he only accumulated 307 rushing yards and 74 receiving yards with no scores. He does add some special teams value as a kickoff return man.
Evans, a sixth-round pick in 2021, only has 89 rushing yards (no touchdowns rushing) in his four years with the team, but he showed more as a receiving back with 188 yards and three scores over that time. Like Hines, though, he has a recent injury history after a ruptured patellar tendon kept him out of the Bengals’ 2024 campaign. He, too, has return experience on kickoff returns.
No signings resulted immediately from the workouts, but all three veteran options seem to be likely candidates to add some competition to the room. If not, Marks may be the easiest answer. The rookie showed significant receiving potential at Mississippi State with a 502-yard, three-touchdown season in 2021, but his fifth-year senior season with the Trojans saw him contribute much more as a rusher than a receiver.
2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker
NFL teams have until May 1 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2022 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of performance- and usage-based benchmarks:
- Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
- One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
- Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th-highest salaries at their position:
- At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
- A 75% snap average across all three seasons
- At least 50% in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position
We covered how last year’s Pro Bowl invites affected the 2022 first-round class. With the deadline looming, we will use the space below to track all the 2026 option decisions from around the league:
- DE/OLB Travon Walker, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
- DE/OLB Aidan Hutchinson, Lions ($19.87MM): Exercised
- CB Derek Stingley Jr., Texans ($17.6MM): Extended through 2029
- CB Sauce Gardner, Jets ($20.19MM): Exercised
- OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, Giants ($14.75MM): Exercised
- T Ikem Ekwonu, Panthers ($17.56MM): Exercised
- T Evan Neal, Giants ($16.69MM): Declined
- WR Drake London, Falcons ($16.82MM): Exercised
- T Charles Cross, Seahawks ($17.56MM): Exercised
- WR Garrett Wilson, Jets ($16.82MM): Exercised
- WR Chris Olave, Saints ($15.49MM): Exercised
- WR Jameson Williams, Lions ($15.49MM): Exercised
- DT Jordan Davis, Eagles ($12.94MM): Exercised
- S Kyle Hamilton, Ravens ($18.6MM): Exercised
- G Kenyon Green, Eagles* ($16.69MM): Declined
- WR Jahan Dotson, Eagles** ($16.82MM): Declined
- G Zion Johnson, Chargers ($17.56MM): Declined
- WR Treylon Burks, Titans ($15.49MM): Declined
- T Trevor Penning, Saints ($16.69MM): Declined
- QB Kenny Pickett, Browns*** ($22.12MM): Declined
- CB Trent McDuffie, Chiefs ($13.63MM): Exercised
- LB Quay Walker, Packers ($14.75MM): Declined
- CB Kaiir Elam, Cowboys**** ($12.68MM): Declined
- G Tyler Smith, Cowboys ($20.99MM): Exercised
- C Tyler Linderbaum, Ravens ($20.99MM): Declined
- DE Jermaine Johnson, Jets ($13.92MM): Exercised
- LB Devin Lloyd, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
- DT Devonte Wyatt, Packers ($12.94MM): Exercised
- G Cole Strange, Patriots ($16.69MM): Declined
- DE George Karlaftis, Chiefs ($15.12MM): Exercised
- DB Dax Hill, Bengals ($12.68MM): Exercised
- S Lewis Cine, Vikings: N/A
* = traded from Texans on March 11, 2025
** = traded from Commanders on August 22, 2024
*** = traded from Eagles on March 15, 2024; traded from Steelers on March 10, 2025
**** = traded from Bills to Cowboys on March 12, 2025
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/25
Here are the latest minor moves from around the NFL:
Houston Texans
- Waived: DT Jayden Peevy
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Collin Johnson
Texans Attempted To Trade Up For WR Emeka Egbuka; Rams Showed Interest?
As we come out of the draft, the annual tradition of what-ifs regarding high-value investments persists. The Falcons probably would not have traded a 2026 first-round pick had Jalon Walker been off the board (as the team expected) by No. 15, while the Cowboys had Tetairoa McMillan in their sights — before a Panthers move for the WR preceded Dallas not selecting a wideout at all last weekend.
The Broncos also eyed a trade-down move for TreVeyon Henderson; instead, they stood pat and circled back to their running back need at No. 60 (R.J. Harvey). Henderson saw four of his Buckeyes teammates go in Round 1. While Donovan Jackson (Vikings), Tyleik Williams (Lions) and Josh Simmons (Chiefs) came off the board during the second part of the round, Emeka Egbuka looks to have drawn the most interest.
Prior to the Buccaneers drafting Egbuka at No. 19, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the Texans (No. 25) were believed to have made a trade-up effort to land him. An accomplished Buckeyes receiver who profiled as a slot option, Egbuka landed in Tampa despite the Buccaneers already carrying an apparent surplus at the position. The Bucs moving Egbuka off the board at 19 looks to have stopped the trade calls, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero said during a Dan Patrick Show appearance.
The Rams (No. 26) also were believed to be eyeing Egbuka, per Pelissero, who corroborates Breer’s account on the Texans’ interest. Both the Texans and Rams, who had been calling teams in front of them before the Bucs’ surprise WR move, then traded out of the first round.
Houston lost Tank Dell to a second major injury — this one potentially threatening to sideline him for much of the 2025 season — and a visibly distraught C.J. Stroud looked on as an ambulance transported Dell out of Arrowhead Stadium. The Texans then let Stefon Diggs defect to the Patriots in free agency, after seeing the veteran tear an ACL near the midseason point. Although receiver reinforcements came later in the draft, the Texans attempted to reunite Stroud with one of his college weapons.
Egbuka stayed at Ohio State for four years, moving past 2004 first-rounder Michael Jenkins to become the Buckeyes’ career receiving leader (2,868 yards). A four-year career and an extended season boosted Egbuka’s chances to reach No. 1 on that list, but he entered the draft as one of this year’s safest prospects. The Bucs concurred, as GM Jason Licht said during a Rich Eisen Show appearance (h/t JoeBucsfan.com) Egbuka carried a top-10 grade on the team’s board.
The Bucs drafted Egbuka despite using a third-round pick on Jalen McMillan and continuing to re-sign Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The latter turned down bigger offers elsewhere — one almost definitely from the Patriots — to sign a three-year, $66MM Bucs deal. Evans is in a contract year once again, but for 2025 at least, Tampa Bay is quite deep at receiver thanks to Egbuka’s arrival.
Stroud’s Buckeyes career overlapped with Egbuka from 2021-22. Although Egbuka shifted to a Marvin Harrison Jr. sidekick (after playing alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in 2021), his career-best 1,151-yard receiving total came with Stroud at the controls in ’22. The Texans later targeted Iowa State’s receiving corps to stock theirs, adding Jayden Higgins in Round 2 and Jaylin Noel in Round 3. That Cyclones duo will join Nico Collins, Christian Kirk and John Metchie in Houston.
The Rams did not draft a receiver until Round 7 (Pitt’s Konata Mumpfield), but they did see Puka Nacua miss a chunk of last season. That said, Los Angeles both re-signed Tutu Atwell (on a one-year deal) and added Davante Adams. The latter’s contract also includes an out after Year 1, keeping another WR addition on the L.A. radar.