Steelers Have 1st-Round Grade On Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
The Steelers have a first-round grade on Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, though that does not mean they’ll prioritize the position over other needs in next week’s draft.
Instead, Dulac writes, Pittsburgh will likely target a defensive lineman or even a running back with their first-round pick. Both positions have projected top-10 picks (Michigan’s Mason Graham, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty) who are not expected to fall to the Steelers with multiple second-tier talents that should be available at No. 21.
The team’s defensive line targets include Georgia’s Walter Nolen, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, and Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, per Dulac. At running back, Pittsburgh could target North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton or Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson, though they may wait until Day 2 to pick from a deep class.
Pittsburgh used 17 of their top-30 pre-draft visits on defensive linemen and running backs, another indication that their first-round pick will target one of the two positions.
The Steelers’ top brass also did their homework on this year’s quarterback class. They have a first-round grade on Dart and “really like” Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, per Dulac, making both potential options with the 21st round pick if the talent at DL and RB thins out. The team also scouted a number of Day 2 quarterbacks via pro days and top-30 visits.
Ultimately, though, it’s hard to believe that the Steelers would pass up the opportunity to draft a potential franchise quarterback after cycling through a half-dozen starters since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. They may still sign Aaron Rodgers to start this year, but they have no long-term options on the roster and a clear desire to add one. It would be strange to have first-round grades on Dart and potentially Sanders but prioritize other positions when quarterback is such a dire need in 2025 and beyond.
Aaron Rodgers’ Age, Durability Were Giants’ Biggest Concerns
The Giants seriously considered pursuing Aaron Rodgers, but concerns about his age and durability were too significant for team president John Mara to move forward with a potential signing, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.
General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll preferred Rodgers to the other quarterbacks available in free agency, but Mara needed to be convinced. Rodgers has a reputation as an intense personality in the locker room with no shortage of off-field controversies
The Giants reached out to three members of the last Jets regime – head coach Robert Saleh, general manager Joe Douglas, and defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel – who said that Rodgers was “no problem in the locker room,” per Dunleavy. (Manuel was hired in January as the Giants’ new defensive pass game coordinator.) There was no way around the mercurial quarterback’s attention-grabbing words and antics, but the team was willing to overlook that, especially for how cheap Rodgers would be.
What the Giants could not get past, according to Dunleavy, was the potential for Rodgers to miss time this season due to injury. Mara has repeatedly expressed his lack of patience with the team’s lack of results in the last two years, and Rodgers showed signs of limited mobility in 2024 after tearing his Achilles a year prior. He’s also openly debated retirement in each of the last few offseason, including this one, making it clear that he’s not a long-term answer at quarterback.
Instead the Giants went with younger players in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston on incentive-laden one-year deals to see if one can emerge as a plus starter in 2025. They’ve also done their homework on the current draft class and could add a new franchise quarterback next week.
Prospect Profile: Donovan Ezeiruaku
Boston College doesn’t always act as a pipeline of talent into the NFL, but often, the players they do put into the league (e.g. Matt Ryan, Luke Kuechly, Chris Lindstrom) have potential to be some of the best at their respective positions. Premier pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku has potential to do the same for the Eagles as a possible first-round pick this coming Thursday. 
Originally a Philadelphia native, Ezeiruaku grew up and went to high school just half an hour south of the city at Williamstown HS (NJ). Even after leading his high school to back-to-back state championships, Ezeiruaku didn’t have a rank on most recruiting sites. He ended up being ranked as a three-star athlete, with 247Sports ranking him as the country’s 195th-best linebacker.
After getting his second ring at the high school level, Ezeiruaku started to garner some attention, picking up offers from FCS programs like Holy Cross, Stony Brook, and Wagner. His intelligence was on display, as well, as he saw offers come in from Harvard and Princeton. Eventually, FBS offers would arrive with Northern Illinois, Old Dominion, Temple, Boston College, and Vanderbilt all soliciting his services. Without the availability to take visits because of COVID-19, Ezeiruaku committed to head coach Jeff Hafley and the Eagles sight unseen.
As a true freshman, Ezeiruaku didn’t start but played a huge role off the bench, logging three sacks and four tackles for loss in 10 game appearances. Becoming a full-time starter in 2022, he earned All-ACC second-team honors with a breakout season that saw him lead the team in both sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (14.5). Despite a down season for the Eagles defense the following year, Ezeiruaku still led the team in both categories while only recording two sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss in 13 starts.
Whatever Ezeiruaku lacked in production in 2023, he made up for in his senior season. This past year, Ezeiruaku finished second in the country with 16.5 sacks (behind only Marshall’s Mike Green) and fourth in the country with 20.5 tackles for loss (behind Green, Penn State’s Abdul Carter, and Ohio State’s JT Tuimoloau). Because he played in one fewer game than Green, Ezeiruaku passed him on avergae as first in the country with 1.38 sacks per game (over Green’s 1.33). Similarly, Carter and Tuimoloau both played in 16 games, so Ezeiruaku passed them to finish second in the country with 1.71 tackles for loss per game (behind only Green’s 1.73).
There’s lots to like about Ereizuaku as a pure pass rusher. He has great bend and acceleration during an outside speed rush. He also has a range of pass rushing moves that utilize his lateral mobility and quickness. He also has the flexibility to rush from both sides of the ball. He showed durability throughout his time in Chestnut Hill, starting 36 straight contests after missing three games his freshman year. He also showed leadership characteristics as a team captain in his last two years of school.
Ezeiruaku isn’t a perfect pass rushing prospect, though. Ideally, he needs to add size and strength in order to compete with NFL linemen, particularly since he doesn’t have an effective bullrush move. That lack of muscle moves can limit him if he gets pinned inside on a pass rush. While he’s an elite disruptor, he lacks elite abilities on other parts of the field. He rarely showed an ability to drop into coverage, and if a quarterback or ball carrier slips away from him, he doesn’t have great speed to pursue.
These shortcomings haven’t stopped teams from doing plenty of homework on Ezeiruaku as a potential first-round pick. The reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year and consensus All-American (the school’s first since running back Andre Williams in 2013) was a hot topic among scouts at the start of the month and has only seen his stock rise from there. While some view him as an early-Day 2 prospect, a run on pass rushers could help Ezeiruaku slip into some first-round money, and with how deep this year’s pass rushing group is, a run is likely to occur.
Draft Rumors: Hunter, Sanders, Banks
With the 2025 NFL Draft just four days out, the Browns are increasingly expected to select Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter with the second overall pick in the first round. Several sources have told FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano that Cleveland will take the multi-positional talent at No. 2 overall, clearing the path for Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter to land with the Giants.
The Hunter-to-Cleveland steam has been building over the last few weeks, especially following comments from general manager Andrew Berry indicating the team’s willingness to play Hunter on both sides of the ball. The reigning Heisman has repeatedly expressed his desire to continue his two-way exploits in the NFL, even saying he would consider sitting out if he’s only permitted to play one position.
It seems, though, that Hunter can avoid that potential outcome in Cleveland, and the closer we get to Thursday, the more likely that outcome is to occur.
Here are a few other draft rumors from around the NFL:
- Hunter’s teammate, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, has been one of the draft’s most polarizing prospects in the last few months. According to ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, some scouts believe Sanders’ head coach at Colorado and father, NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, is contributing to the wide range of evaluations. Typically, when scouts or position coaches visit a university to either watch tape or conduct a workout with a prospect, they will visit with a staff member, usually a head strength coach or NFL liaison to elicit some frank and honest information about the prospect. Some believe that Deion being the father of Shedeur and the superior of these employees has created a conflict wherein NFL personnel have had difficulty getting an understanding of who Shedeur is because of Deion’s influence.
- After missing half of his junior year after undergoing hip surgery, Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison did not participate in drills and workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine or the Fighting Irish’s pro day. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, though, Morrison will conduct “a positional workout for teams on Monday” at his former high school in Arizona. Morrison currently grades as a potential Day 2 pick, and his father, former Washington safety Darryl Morrison, is currently the team chaplain for the Cardinals.
- Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. has been a popular prospect leading up to the first-round of the draft. We noted a visit for Banks two weeks ago with the Falcons, but Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 updated his visit list to include the Panthers, Patriots, Cardinals, Cowboys, Raiders, and 49ers. He adds that the Texans spoke with Banks at his pro day in Austin, as well.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.
Commanders Looking To Draft A WR
The Commanders are interested in adding a wide receiver during next week’s draft, per Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline, though their lack of a third-round pick could complicate their strategy.
Washington traded for Deebo Samuel to pair him with Terry McLaurin as one of the league’s most exciting starting WR duos, but both are in the last year of their contracts. In fact, the team currently only has one receiver – 2024 third-rounder Luke McCaffrey – under contract past the 2025 season with a number of veterans on one-year deals. That makes wideout a clear priority for the Commanders, who only have two picks across the first two days of the draft after trading for Marshon Lattimore at the 2024 trade deadline.
One of the team’s coveted targets is Tai Felton, according to Pauline. Felton is a local product who was born and raised in Ashburn, Virginia and played college football just outside of Washington, D.C. at the University of Maryland. The 22-year-old played sparingly across his first two seasons as a Terp before emerging as a starter in 2023 and a star in 2024. Last season, he recorded a school-record 96 receptions for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns and led the Big 10 in catches and yards per game. That production, as well as strong performances at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, have positioned Felton to be drafted late on Day 2 of the draft.
The Commanders have shown interest in Felton throughout the pre-draft process, attending his pro day in College Park and hosting him at the team’s local pro day where they worked him out as a returner. His draft projection poses a strategic dilemma for general , who have a large gap between their second and third selections (Nos. 61 and 128). There may be better players available at the end of the second round, but Felton may not last to the Commanders’ next pick at the end of the fourth.
Oregon DT Derrick Harmon A 1st-Round Lock?
NFL front offices expected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon to go in the first round of next week’s draft, according to Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post.
Michigan’s Mason Graham is widely considered the draft’s top DT, but there’s no clear No. 2 behind him. That could be Harmon, who has earned praise for his schematic versatility as a run defender and a pass rusher.
“He fits whatever defense you want to run if you know what you’re doing,” said one evaluator (via La Canfora), who listed the Steelers and the Ravens as fits for Harmon’s physical, disruptive play style. Harmon is on Pittsburgh’s list of first-round targets, and he’s frequently been mocked to Baltimore in the last two months. Both AFC North squads are returning two of their starting defensive linemen, but each lost a key veteran this offseason.
The Steelers will have Cameron Heyward for a 15th consecutive year alongside 2023 second-rounder Keeanu Benton, who has played better than his limited production would suggest. Pittsburgh moved on from Larry Ogunjobi in March and didn’t add replacement-level talent in free agency. Harmon would be an instant member of the Steelers’ starting DL rotation and could potentially take over for the soon-to-be 36-year-old Heyward in the long term.
The Ravens have Nnamdi Madubuike locked down through 2027, but 2022 third-rounder Travis Jones is entering a contract year and Broderick Washington could be a cap casualty after the 2025 season. Veteran nose tackle Michael Pierce retired in March as well, making defensive line a short- and long-term need for the Ravens in the draft.
Harmon making it to Pittsburgh at no. 21 or Baltimore at no. 27 feels unlikely at this point with a number of other teams, including the division-rival Bengals, looking to add a premier defensive linemen earlier in the first round.
AFC West Notes: Thuney, Chiefs, Raiders
While the Chiefs again turned to Patrick Mahomes‘ increasingly team-friendly contract for a restructure to create cap space, they did move on from a core player to make room for Trey Smith‘s franchise tag. Kansas City traded three-time All-Pro Joe Thuney to Chicago, moving the guard’s contract-year salary off the books after tagging Smith. The team then re-signed Nick Bolton. Signed when the Chiefs transformed their O-line following a Super Bowl LV blowout loss, Thuney gave the Chiefs stability at left guard.
“As the years go on and we hope to keep this winning tradition up and have sustained success, it only becomes more difficult,” GM Brett Veach said during his pre-draft press conference. “(We) knew early on that we would be limited and that was obviously the reason why we had to make that trade with Chicago with Thuney. I mean, that was a player that we loved, and it was gut-wrenching to have to do that, but you had to do it.”
The Thuney trade saved the Chiefs $16MM in cap space but created a hole at LG. Kingsley Suamataia, who won the team’s LT job out of training camp only to be benched in Week 2, is expected to have a good chance to win succeed Thuney alongside new LT starter Jaylon Moore. Thuney missed just four games due to injury in four seasons, two of them coming to close out the 2023 campaign, but he is going into an age-33 season. It made sense for the Chiefs to swap out high guard salaries, as Smith will turn 26 this year.
Here is the latest from the AFC West:
- Despite showing interest in retaining Tre’von Moehrig, the Raiders let the young safety walk in free agency. The Panthers gave Moehrig a three-year, $51MM deal — now the league’s fifth-most lucrative safety contract — and the Raiders added Jeremy Chinn on a lower-cost contract (two years, $16.26MM). Las Vegas also lost Marcus Epps in free agency, re-signing Isaiah Pola-Mao (two years, $7.45MM). The latter is expected to see plenty of snaps alongside Chinn, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore, who notes the Raiders like their in-house safeties post-Moehrig. Pola-Mao, a 2022 UDFA, made 14 starts in place of Epps last season. It appears the former post-draft find has a clear path to keeping that role.
- The Raiders moved Hunter Renfrow back onto their radar, hosting the former Jon Gruden-era draftee on a free agency visit recently. Renfrow did not play last season and fell out of favor with the Raiders fairly soon after being given a two-year, $32MM extension during Josh McDaniels‘ first months on the job. No reunion has taken place, and The Athletic’s Vic Tafur views it as unlikely. A post-draft reassessment could take place at receiver, depending on how the Raiders fare next week, but Renfrow (29) may need to look elsewhere to secure a comeback opportunity.
- Kolton Miller is locked into a starting job, as he angles for a new contract, while DJ Glaze would appear to have the inside track to the Raiders’ right tackle gig. But the interior O-line will bring competition. Alex Cappa‘s two-year, $11MM contract points to the ex-Buccaneer and Bengal starter landing one of the jobs, but GM John Spytek said the FA addition will join holdovers Jackson Powers-Johnson, Jordan Meredith and Dylan Parham in competition. Cappa will vie for one of the guard spots, while Spytek said (via Tafur) the other three will compete for the guard and center roles. Parham has started at both positions over the past two seasons, while Meredith split his eight starts at both LG and RG last season. It would surprise if Powers-Johnson, a 2024 second-round pick, failed to win a job considering his draft pedigree. A move to center makes sense, as the Oregon product won the Rimington Award in 2023.
- Linked to a few veteran wideouts this offseason, the Broncos are planning to add at the position. Though, it is not known if a significant addition will come via an early-round draft pick or a post-draft free agency move.
Chiefs Preparing To Discuss Extensions With Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
The Tyreek Hill trade gave the Chiefs two first-round picks in 2022. They used their own first-rounder on George Karlaftis and traded up for Trent McDuffie with the pick the Dolphins sent them (via the 49ers) for Hill. Both defenders are now extension-eligible.
McDuffie and Karlaftis have been central cogs during the Chiefs’ franchise apex, each starting in three Super Bowls. While franchise-tagged guard Trey Smith will be the team’s top extension priority after the draft, GM Brett Veach indicated (via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra) dialogue with the 2022 first-rounders is expected to occur as well.
Veach’s stance makes it fairly clear the Chiefs plan to exercise the fifth-year options in each defender’s contract. That will buy the team time, as the options being exercised would keep the 2022 draftees signed through 2026. McDuffie’s option has certainly never appeared in doubt, as the versatile cornerback has booked first- and second-team All-Pro nods over the past two years.
Though, the NFL still using Pro Bowls (original ballot only) as a key option determinant will reduce the cost of that 2026 number; McDuffie has yet to be selected for a Pro Bowl, keeping his option number at just $13.63MM. This exposes a bit of a flaw in the league’s updated option format, but it will benefit the Chiefs.
Karlaftis has started 44 games in three seasons, registering 24.5 sacks in that time and not missing any games due to injury. Operating as a Frank Clark sidekick as a rookie, the Purdue product took over as the team’s top edge rusher after Clark’s 2023 release. The Chiefs have retained auxiliary edge players in recent years, re-signing Michael Danna in 2024 and Charles Omenihu last month, but Karlaftis remains their top outside rusher. The team has not seen 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah contribute much, which should give Karlaftis more leverage once extension talks start.
McDuffie’s extension roadmap will be more interesting on multiple levels. The Chiefs’ Andy Reid-years M.O. at this position has been to deploy low-cost talent at corner, in order to devote funds to other areas on the roster. This has led to Marcus Peters, Steven Nelson, Kendall Fuller, Charvarius Ward and L’Jarius Sneed finding their second contracts elsewhere (via trade or free agency). The team deviated from that blueprint a bit this offseason, however, signing Kristian Fulton to a two-year, $20MM deal. Fulton will be expected to start opposite McDuffie, as the Chiefs did not see Jaylen Watson establish consistency during an injury-marred year replacing Sneed.
Kansas City has also used McDuffie in the slot regularly, though the team cut back on that considerably in 2024. McDuffie, 24, saw his slot snaps drop from 448 in 2023 to 138 last season. Staying on the perimeter stands to help McDuffie, extension-wise. Our latest Trade Rumors Front Office piece examined the disparity between the outside and slot corner markets, though McDuffie manning both spots effectively will up his market. The 49ers use Deommodore Lenoir both inside and on the boundary; his contract (five years, $89.8MM) reflects it, coming in well north of where the pure slot market has settled.
Karlaftis, 24, will not command a top-market EDGE extension, but McDuffie will undoubtedly aim high at corner. Considering the Chiefs’ spending pattern at the position, McDuffie’s market will provide an interesting test. The low fifth-year option number gives Kansas City some leverage once talks begin, but the team completing an extension before the Jets pay Sauce Gardner would probably be a wise move, as the NFL could certainly have two $30MM-per-year corners (after Derek Stingley Jr.‘s deal) once the now-extension-eligible Gardner is paid.
Surgery Not Certainty For QB Derek Carr
9:43pm: ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reports the severity of Carr’s injury is unknown at this time. She adds some members of the Saints’ staff were unaware of the ailment until it was reported, further illustration of the confusion and uncertainty surrounding this situation. Clarity with respect to Carr’s 2025 outlook would certainly be welcomed by all parties.
11:44am: Reports of a shoulder injury to Saints quarterback Derek Carr that may require surgery have put his situation in New Orleans back in the spotlight.
Shoulder surgery could force Carr to miss some, if not all, of the 2025 season, effectively forcing the Saints into a long-avoided rebuild. That could push them to using the No. 9 pick on a quarterback after doing their homework on this year’s class.
However, surgery is not a certainty, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, which could keep Carr on the field this fall and a best-player-available approach on the table for the Saints during next week’s draft.
The reports of Carr’s shoulder injury, combined with his comments rejecting the idea of a pay cut in January, paint an odd picture, especially with a new head coach in Kellen Moore. Carr did not attend the start of the Saints’ voluntary offseason workout program, per Matthew Paras of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, though that’s hardly surprising for a player dealing with an injury.
A recent contract restructure committed the Saints to Carr for 2025 and reduced his cap hit to $20.5MM, an affordable number for a starting quarterback who has performed well in black and gold when healthy. However, the prospect of surgery puts his availability for this season in question, and his contract will become prohibitively expensive next year.
Carr currently has a $69.2MM cap hit for the 2026 season, per OverTheCap. The Saints could reduce that number with another maximum restructure, but that would only increase the $40.5MM in dead money that’s already waiting at the end of Carr’s deal in 2027. An extension is out of the question until there’s some certainty with Carr’s shoulder, and even then, New Orleans is clearly looking for a long-term quarterback in the draft.
It’s hard to know, therefore, if there’s any fire behind this smoke, or if Carr’s injury is just that: an injury.
Brett Veach: Chiefs Eyeing Post-Draft Trey Smith Extension
Trey Smith seemed at one point to be on track for free agency and thus a massive contract sending him to a new team. Instead, the Chiefs kept him in place via the franchise tag, buying team and player time to work out an extension agreement. 
[RELATED: Chiefs Aiming To Trade Up For Tackle Prospect?]
As things stand, Smith is on track to earn $23.4MM next year, a figure inflated by the fact all offensive linemen are grouped together for tag purposes. Landon Dickerson leads the way for guards in terms of annual compensation on multi-year deals at $21MM, something which made the Chiefs’ decision to apply the one-year tender somewhat surprising in the eyes of some observers. Kansas City is aiming to keep Smith in the fold well beyond 2025, though, and general manager Brett Veach recently confirmed as much.
“Hopefully we get that done,” Veach said during his pre-draft press conference when speaking about the Smith situation (via NFL.com). “There’s no lack of interest or will or desire on our end… My guess is once the draft’s over and our focus is back on taking care of the players that are here and trying to get those guys locked up… There’s no secret there that we’d like to get Trey locked up.”
The attention of teams and agents alike will remain focused squarely on the draft for the several more days, but afterwards the Chiefs will have a number of extension candidates to deal with. Smith, 25, is understandably atop that list given his importance to the team’s offensive line. A key factor in the decision to trade away fellow guard Joe Thuney was the need to make a lucrative commitment to a younger option in the form of Smith. The latter has started all 80 of his combined regular and postseason games, and in 2024 he became a Pro Bowler for the first time.
Creed Humphrey reset the center market ($18MM per season) with his Chiefs extension, one which raised questions about the team’s willingness to make another lucrative investment on the interior. Veach’s comments certainly confirm Kansas city is prepared to move forward with a Humphrey-Smith tandem for years to come, however. The ninth-year GM noted extension talks took place with Smith’s agents during the Combine and again at last month’s league meetings.
As a result, it will be interesting to see if traction can be gained in short order with respect to an extension agreement once the draft concludes. If that proves to be the case, Smith’s future beyond the coming season will become clear.