Multiple Teams Had Concerns Over Eagles 2nd-Rounder Eli Stowers’ Knee
The Eagles have counted on tight end Dallas Goedert as one of their top pass-catching options throughout his eight-year career. Goedert is sticking around Philadelphia for a ninth season in 2026, but the team may have drafted his successor in second-rounder Eli Stowers.
The Eagles liked Stowers enough to select him 54th overall, though there were a “few” clubs that had concerns over what is believed to be a “minor” knee issue, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports. The Panthers, who passed on Stowers at pick 49 despite an obvious need at tight end, may have been among those teams. They “weren’t totally comfortable” with taking Stowers, per Fowler, though he does not specify the reason.
As a star high school quarterback, Stowers tore his left PCL and meniscus in 2019. The injury required surgery. Stowers has bounced back nicely from it, but there is nonetheless some leeriness regarding how the 6-foot-4, 239-pounder will hold up in the NFL.
After spending his first two college seasons as a backup QB at Texas A&M, Stowers transferred to New Mexico State in 2023. In the wake of multiple shoulder injuries, he transitioned to tight end. Stowers caught 35 passes for 366 yards and a pair of touchdowns in what proved to be his only season at New Mexico State. He moved to Vanderbilt in 2024 and became one of the most prolific tight ends in the nation. Stowers followed up a 49-catch, 638-yard, five-touchdown 2024 with 62 receptions, 769 yards and four TDs last year. He earned first-team All-SEC honors in both of his seasons with the Commodores. More impressively, Stowers was a unanimous All-American and the John Mackey Award winner (given to the best college tight end) in 2025.
A couple of months after wrapping up his superb Vanderbilt tenure, Stowers continued boosting his stock at the Combine in February. If his knee is a problem, he did a good job hiding it. Stowers’ 45.5-inch vertical leap set a record for his position, and he topped tight ends in the broad jump. He also finished tied for second among TEs in the 40-yard dash (4.51 seconds) and the 10-yard split, trailing only Jets first-rounder Kenyon Sadiq in those events.
Aside from Stowers’ knee, there are legitimate questions about his blocking skills (or lack thereof). But if Stowers’ past knee injury does not affect him going forward, his high upside as a receiving tight end suggests he could turn into a weapon for Philadelphia. With A.J. Brown likely on his way out via trade before next season, the Eagles restocked the cupboard in the draft in adding Stowers and first-round receiver Makai Lemon.
Caleb Lomu Expected To Be Patriots’ Swing Tackle
Patriots first-round pick Caleb Lomu is expected to be the team’s primary swing tackle in 2026, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
The 21-year-old made all 24 of his college starts at left tackle, but New England is committed to keeping 2025 No. 4 pick Will Campbell on the blind side despite an up-and-down rookie year and a rough showing in the Super Bowl. At right tackle, the Patriots have Morgan Moses, who just put up back-to-back season with a top-10 pass blocking efficiency among starting tackles.
Moses, though, is entering his age-35 season with no guaranteed money after this year, which likely positions Lomu as his long-term successor. While the No. 28 pick lined up at left tackle at rookie minicamp, he is expected to take reps on both sides in training camp with first-team reps on his veteran teammate’s rest days, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.
Lomu said at minicamp that he sees himself “as a tackle in general – left or right side.”
“I just happened to play left in college and that’s what I got comfortable to, playing those three years at left tackle at Utah,” he continued. “My first year there I was kind of a swing tackle.” The former Ute added that he has spent time working on the right side during the pre-draft process.
The Patriots also see a lot of upside in third-round pick Eli Raridon. They rode out a run of seven tight ends on Day 2 before landing him with the 95th overall selection. With Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq going in the first round, that made Raridon the ninth player selected at his position, but New England “had him ranked considerably higher,” Reiss reports.
With 32-year-old Hunter Henry entering a contract year, Raridon could be the team’s tight end of the future. The 22-year-old only started for one year at Notre Dame, but Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf said the team sees “untapped potential” in the “tremendous athlete.” He will likely spend his rookie year as the team’s TE3 behind Henry and free agent signing Julian Hill, but quickly developing a rapport with quarterback Drake Maye could expand his role.
Nick Herbig’s Role Could Increase In 2026; Big Payday On Horizon?
Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig came up as a potential trade candidate before the draft, but general manager Omar Khan downplayed the possibility of a deal. Herbig remains on the roster almost a month later, and it does not appear that will change. He is expected to log even more playing time under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham in 2026, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
An increase in snaps would be a welcome development for Herbig, who is going into a contract year. Since joining the Steelers as a third-round pick in 2023, the former Wisconsin Badger has made just 11 starts while stuck behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in the pecking order. With 16 sacks and nine forced fumbles in 45 games, Herbig has still made an impact.
After playing just 17% of defensive snaps as a rookie, Herbig was much more involved during the past two years under the former head coach-coordinator tandem of Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin. His defensive snap share jumped to 50% in 2024 and climbed to 60% last season, when Watt missed three games with a punctured lung. Herbig stepped up with a career-high 7.5 sacks in 15 games (six starts). He also forced three fumbles and set personal bests in tackles (30), QB hits (18), pass deflections (three) and interceptions (one).
Beyond the traditional numbers, Pro Football Focus ranked Herbig’s performance an outstanding sixth among 119 qualified edge defenders (Highsmith and Watt were 12th and 31st, respectively). Only Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Will Anderson, Aidan Hutchinson and Trey Hendrickson earned a better pass-rushing grade than Herbig. Pretty good company.
Teams in need of a pass-rushing boost are likely to take notice if Herbig reaches the open market next year, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who reports there are “plenty” of clubs that would welcome him as a full-time starter. Between the ever-rising $300MM-plus salary cap and the high demand for edge defenders, it would not be a surprise to see Herbig cash in big if he puts up another solid showing in 2026. To name one example, Herbig could land a similar payday to Boye Mafe, who went from the Seahawks to the Bengals in free agency this year. Mafe parlayed 20 sacks and three forced fumbles in 65 games into a $20MM AAV contract (three years, $60MM).
Although a full-time starting gig for Herbig has not been in the cards so far, Kahn has expressed interest in keeping him around for the foreseeable future. It makes sense. Set to turn 25 in November, Herbig is far younger than the soon-to-be 32-year-old Watt and Highsmith, who will play his age-29 season in 2026.
Watt and Highsmith are under contract for at least two more years apiece, but Fowler notes the Steelers could try to trade the former if Herbig sticks around on a new deal. While that would mean parting with a franchise legend, it would also allow the Steelers to get out of an exorbitant contract for an aging player. Watt, who is signed through 2028, is due a fully guaranteed $32MM salary in each of the next seasons. He will also count $42MM against the Steelers’ cap in both of those years.
Steelers Explored Trade With Bucs To Take Makai Lemon At No. 15
While the Steelers did not call the Cowboys about trading up for Makai Lemon during last month’s draft, they did explore a move to the Buccaneers’ No. 15 pick to land the USC wide receiver, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via the Rich Eisen Show).
Tampa Bay, though, did not expect Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. to be available midway through the first round, and they quickly pounced on one of their top-ranked defenders. Pittsburgh looked at the five teams ahead of them at No. 21 – the Jets, Lions, Vikings, Panthers, and Cowboys – and assessed that none would take a wide receiver. They were correct; however, they did not anticipate getting jumped by Philadelphia, who traded up for Dallas’ pick and selected Lemon.
In what may be remembered as an infamous draft night moment, the Steelers were on the phone with Lemon informing him that he would be the 21st pick – while the Cowboys were still on the clock – when the Eagles made their move. General manager Howie Roseman called Lemon, who awkwardly hung up with the Steelers and got the news that he would be headed to Philly instead.
The Steelers pivoted to Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, a 6-foot-6, 330-pound physical specimen who will fill a key need in Pittsburgh right away. If he proves to be a high-level starter, then missing out on Lemon may have been a blessing in disguise, as reliable offensive tackles are much harder to find than productive wide receivers. Trading up with the Buccaneers likely would have cost the Steelers their third-round pick, too, which they ended up using on Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
Pittsburgh was also willing to trade up for safety Caleb Downs and wide receiver Carnell Tate, Dulac added, though both were selected long before they were in the Steelers’ range. Tate went surprisingly early to the Titans at No. 4, while the Cowboys moved up one pick to snag Downs at No. 11. An aggressive move up for Downs would have required Pittsburgh’s second-round pick, which they used to grab one of their other preferred wideouts, Alabama’s Germie Bernard.
Stefon Diggs Interested In Rejoining Pats; Reunion Could Hinge On A.J. Brown Trade
The Patriots released wide receiver Stefon Diggs in early March, but he may not have played his last down in their uniform. Still a free agent two months later, Diggs “would love” to re-sign with the Patriots, per Albert Breer of SI.com
While Breer is also of the belief the Patriots “love” Diggs, he notes a reunion could depend on whether they acquire wideout A.J. Brown from the Eagles. It is widely expected the two teams will swing a trade centering on Brown sometime after June 1, though they have not yet seen eye to eye on compensation.
The Eagles would spread $43.51MM in dead money over two years by moving Brown next month or later, whereas a pre-June 1 trade would force them to eat the entire amount this season. They would also lose over $20MM in cap space for 2026. That explains the delay in this months-long saga.
Brown is one of the greatest receivers in Eagles history, but their offseason moves have seemingly prepared them for life without the three-time Pro Bowler. General manager Howie Roseman moved up three spots in the first round of the draft to select former USC star receiver Makai Lemon 20th overall. Roseman also acquired Dontayvion Wicks from the Packers for two late-round picks and then immediately gave him a one-year, $12.5MM extension. The Lemon and Wicks pickups came after the Eagles signed Marquise Brown and Elijah Moore in free agency. Moore is not a lock to make the roster, but Lemon, Wicks, Brown and standout DeVonta Smith are in line for notable roles. The Eagles also have a strong pair of pass-catching tight ends in Dallas Goedert and second-round rookie Eli Stowers.
Smith would take over as the Eagles’ clear-cut No. 1 receiver in the event of a Brown trade. Meanwhile, unless they reel in Brown, the Patriots may go into the season without a bona fide top dog at the position. They brought in one of Wicks’ former teammates, Romeo Doubs, on a four-year, $68MM pact in free agency, though he was more of a No. 2/3 receiver in Green Bay than a primary target. The Patriots also have Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams under contract at the position.
The Pats’ current group of receivers looks adequate, but Diggs handily outproduced all of them last season. Returning from the torn ACL he suffered while with the Texans in October 2024, the four-time Pro Bowler played a 17-game season and was far and away the team leader in catches (85), targets (102) and yards (1,013). He also hauled in four touchdowns from MVP-contending quarterback Drake Maye. Diggs’ post-injury resurgence was key for a club that stunningly jumped from 4-13 to 14-3 in a one-year span. The Patriots won the AFC East, ending the Bills’ five-year run atop the division, and wound up falling to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
A month after their season ended, the Patriots parted with Diggs to save $18.5MM in spending room, though he still counts $9.7MM against their cap. Thanks in part to off-field legal troubles, there has been little to no reported interest in the 32-year-old since he became available.
Diggs entered free agency facing strangulation and assault charges stemming from an alleged incident with his former personal chef. Although a Boston jury acquitted Diggs on May 5, the NFL is continuing to review the matter. Diggs is arguably the best remaining receiver in a class that also includes the likes of Tyreek Hill, Deebo Samuel and Keenan Allen, but his market may not pick up until teams have an answer on whether the league will discipline him. It would also help Diggs’ cause to have clarity on Brown’s future.
Texas QB Arch Manning Not QB1 For 2027?
It’s not often PFR has a deep catalogue of posts on a college player before they’re drafted. Usually a prospect has a few visits registered, maybe a Prospect Profile. Texas quarterback Arch Manning, though, has been heavily featured for over a year now, and he’s still just under a year away from maybe being drafted. Draft pundits over-anticipated Manning’s early potential a year ago, but some recent reports from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer made an attempt to halt the hype.
By no means is anyone under the illusion that Manning is a bad quarterback, but a year after he was being prematurely heralded as a future No. 1 overall pick, Breer sought the opinions of NFL personnel professionals to gauge Manning’s outlook for next year. At the moment, Manning is widely viewed as a good (not great) NFL prospect at the quarterback position. It doesn’t mean he’ll stay that way, but NFL decision makers aren’t going to be blinded by the nameplate on the back of his jersey and forego evaluations.
Initial high expectations weren’t completely unwarranted after Manning displayed some strong performances in Austin as a backup to Quinn Ewers. As a redshirt freshman, Manning lived up to his last name in early garbage time snaps against Colorado State and UTSA. Over those two contests, he completed 14 of 18 pass attempts for 318 passing yards and five touchdown passes, adding 53 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground. His first two starts came due to a Ewers injury, and after a shaky starting debut against Louisiana-Monroe (15-for-19, 258 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions), he turned things around with an impressive SEC debut against Mississippi State (26-for-31, 325 yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown).
Starting the his 2025 campaign under the brightest of spotlights, Manning resembled the version of himself that struggled against the Warhawks. Over the first five games of the season, he completed under 60 percent of his passes in three contests, throwing 11 touchdowns to five interceptions and losing two of those games. Over the next eight games, Manning looked much more like the man that walked the Bulldogs. Even in two games over that stretch in which he completed less than 50 percent of his passes, Manning stayed mistake-free with no interceptions while pulling out wins in both games.
That seemed to be the key for Manning and the thing scouts were relieved to see. Despite his early struggles against subpar competition, Manning showed improvement from week to week. He continued to show more poise in the pocket, allowing plays to develop as designed and trusting the abilities of himself and his offensive line. That said, his consistency with accuracy could benefit from a big step forward, and his decision-making under pressure is still a concern. If he continues to improve week after week again this year, there’s no reason he can’t continue to brighten his future.
How bright can that future get, though? While Manning will have every opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his uncles, who were both No. 1 overall picks out of their respective SEC schools, he is far from being considered a sure thing. Breer’s NFL source compared Manning to a former No. 1 overall pick that replaced a Manning as the franchise QB in Indianapolis, Andrew Luck. Luck was considered to be “freaky smart, a freaky athlete” with an extremely high floor. While Manning’s floor isn’t considered to be necessarily low, it’s not as high as Luck’s, With his current abilities and knack for improving, though, there’s belief Manning’s ceiling could match those of Luck and his ancestors.
With the Manning-hype being lowered to a simmer, Breer offers that Oregon passer Dante Moore is currently viewed as “the top guy going into the 2026 college season.” As far as ceilings go, Moore’s may not reach those of Luck or even Manning, but last year, he showed far more consistency than Manning and was even considered a potential first-round option in this year’s draft before ultimately opting to return to school.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 5/15/26
Pro Football Rumors' Sam Robinson will be holding a live chat at 2pm Central today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/26
Here is today’s only minor NFL move as we head into the weekend:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Reverted to IR: DT Brodric Martin
After getting waived on Wednesday to make room for veteran defensive tackle Benito Jones, Martin has cleared waivers and been reverted to the team’s injured reserve.If he stays there until the start of the regular season, he risks being placed on season-ending IR without the ability to be activated later on in the season.
Panthers DT Tershawn Wharton ‘Out Indefinitely’ After Neck Surgery
The Panthers operated for several games last year without starting defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton as he dealt with injury. According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Carolina will be without him for a bit more time as Wharton is reportedly “out indefinitely following neck surgery this month.”
Wharton came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri S&T, signing with the Chiefs out of college. He spent the first five years of his career in Kansas City, playing a significant role in the defensive rotation from Day 1. Where Derrick Nnadi served as a strong run defender next to star defensive lineman Chris Jones, Wharton stepped up as a more balanced option off the bench. The only changeups Wharton saw during his time with the Chiefs were when he tore his ACL and missed all but five games in 2022 and when he was asked to play a bigger role in 2024.
In that 2024 season, Wharton started 10 games for the Chiefs. With the additional play time, Wharton matched a career high with 29 total tackles and saw career highs in sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (7), and batted passes (2). The breakout campaign led Wharton to Carolina, where he signed a three-year, $54MM contract. Handed a full-time starting role for the first time in his career, Wharton’s absences were interspersed throughout the year. He played two games over the first six weeks of the season and missed the team’s final four games before returning for the playoffs.
It was hamstring and toe issues that lingered throughout the 2025 season, so news of Wharton’s neck surgery comes out of left field as a seemingly unrelated new situation. As neck injuries tend to have serious implications, Wharton’s indefinite timeline could be cause for concern. According to Person, though, Wharton is expected to play in 2026.
Set to open the summer on the active/physically unable to perform list, if Wharton is forced to miss any time in the regular season, rookie second-rounder Lee Hunter could see some early usage on the first-team defense. The Texas Tech-product could end up starting next to Derrick Brown and Bobby Brown III, but he’ll likely have to beat out LaBryan Ray and second-year players Cam Jackson and Jared Harrison-Hunte for playing time.
Panthers Sign Round 2 DT Lee Hunter, Wrap Draft Class
5:52pm: Hunter’s deal comes with full guarantees through 2028 and partial guarantees in ’29, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The total percentage of guarantees is 94.39, a much higher number than the 78.94% last year’s 49th pick, Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight, received.
12:39pm: The Panthers officially have their entire 2026 draft class under contract. Second-round defensive tackle Lee Hunter signed his four-year rookie deal on Friday, the team announced.
As the 49th overall pick, Hunter’s arrangement is worth approximately $10.07MM. There is likely a significant amount of guaranteed money in the pact. Falcons cornerback Avieon Terrell, who went one pick before Hunter, received a fully guaranteed accord. The 50th selection, Jets corner D’Angelo Ponds, landed $8.95MM in guarantees on a $9.84MM agreement.
Originally set to select 51st overall, the Panthers moved up two spots in a trade with the Vikings to secure Hunter. The 6-foot-3, 318-pounder came off the board early on the heels of a productive four-year college career divided between UCF and Texas Tech.
Hunter broke out in 2023, his second season at UCF, where he piled up 69 tackles, 11 TFL and three sacks in 13 games. He earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2024, a 12-game, 45-tackle campaign, and then transferred to Texas Tech. In his lone season as a Red Raider, Hunter notched 41 tackles, 10.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks in 14 contests. In addition to picking up a first-team All-Big 12 nod, he was a first-team All-American.
Thanks in part to Hunter, Texas Tech finished first in the nation in run defense last year. That is an area where the Panthers will hope to improve in 2026, as they ranked an underwhelming 20th against opposing ground attacks last season. They now have Hunter as a run-stuffing option on a Derrick Brown-led D-line that also features Bobby Brown and Tershawn Wharton.
Along with Hunter, the Panthers added six other rookies in the draft. Here is a refresher on the group:
- Round 1, No. 19: Monroe Freeling (T, Georgia)
- Round 2, No. 49 (from Vikings): Lee Hunter (DT, Texas Tech)
- Round 3, No. 83: Chris Brazzell II (WR, Tennessee)
- Round 4, No. 129 (from Bears): Will Lee III (CB, Texas A&M)
- Round 5, No. 144 (from Titans via Panthers): Sam Hecht (C, Kansas State)
- Round 5, No. 151 (from Dolphins): Zakee Wheatley (S, Penn State)
- Round 7, No. 227 (from Dolphins): Jackson Kuwatch (LB, Miami (OH)