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Mason Taylor

Browns, Texans, Titans All Receiving Trade Interest At Top Of 2nd Round

April 25th, 2025 at 5:21pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Browns, Texans, and Titans, who hold the first three picks in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, have been receiving trade interest for their selections, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Teams trading up are expected to target wide receivers and edge rushers, per Schultz, with both position groups believed to have “tangible drop-offs” on Day 2. However, front offices in Cleveland, Houston, and Tennessee will have to weigh the value of trading back with the risk of missing their primary target.

The Browns are fielding calls for the 33rd pick, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. They also have the 36th pick as a result of their trade with the Jaguars, so they could trade back and still get one or both of their priority second-round targets. Those targets are Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson and LSU TE Mason Taylor, according to Wolfe and Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline. If the Browns trade back, they may want to stay in front of the Jets, who would likely take Taylor at 42, according to Pauline.

The Browns have also done extensive work on Day 2 quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders, Jalen Milroe, and Tyler Shough, per Wolfe, though they may wait until their third-round selections at 67 or 94 to draft one.

The Texans and the Titans may be more concerned about trading back and losing out on their preferred player. Both teams are interested in taking a wide receiver with their second-round pick, per Pauline, with Tennessee potentially eyeing Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins and Missouri’s Luther Burden. Houston was also widely expected to use their first-round pick on an offensive lineman; after trading back with the Giants, they may still use their top 2025 selection to bolster their O-line.

Draft Rumors: Golden, Lions, Texans, Bolts, Broncos, Commanders, Raiders, Browns, Saints, Seahawks, Loveland, Panthers

April 17th, 2025 at 7:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matthew Golden‘s 4.29-second 40-yard dash showing at the Combine helped solidify him as one of this draft class’ top receiver prospects. Not quite a first-round pick in Ely Allen’s PFR mock draft, Golden has landed on the radar as a candidate to go on Day 1. The former Houston and Texas wideout has met with the Broncos, Buccaneers, Packers and Cowboys; he made some more trips before this week’s “30” visit deadline. Golden met with the Lions, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, and stopped through the Chargers and Texans‘ facilities, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks Golden as his No. 16 overall prospect, despite the talented pass catcher not posting a 1,000-yard season in college. He will almost definitely become the third Texas receiver drafted in the first or second round in two years, following Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell.

A week out, here is the latest from the draft:

  • Golden submitted the second-fastest 40 time at the Combine; Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston was fastest, at 4.28. Jeremiah’s No. 35 overall prospect, Hairston made some late visits as well. He also met with the Lions, while also spending time at the Commanders and Raiders‘ facilities, according to Rapoport. Finally, his tour included a Broncos meeting Tuesday, 9News’ Mike Klis adds. Among pure corners (non-Travis Hunter division), Jeremiah ranks Hairston behind only Jahdae Barron (Texas) and Will Johnson (Michigan). Hairston intercepted five passes in 2023, amassing 131 return yards and two TDs. The 6-foot-1 CB added another pick-six last season.
  • Primarily linked to using their No. 20 overall pick on a skill-position player, the Broncos also used a “30” visit on Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen, Klis adds. The Broncos re-signed D.J. Jones (three years, $39MM) but have starters Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers in contract years. Both are believed to be on Denver’s extension radar, but the team has some post-2025 questions here.
  • The Texans also spoke with Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka via Zoom, Wilson notes. A quality slot receiver who played as a sidekick to the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Smith in Columbus, Egbuka profiles as one of the safer picks at the position in this year’s draft. The slot weapon sandwiched an injury-limited 2023 season with 1,000-yard showings, helping the Buckeyes cover for Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s near-full-season absence in 2022. Egbuka also met with the Cowboys and Packers.
  • Shifting to the eight end market, Colston Loveland is expected to be a mid-first-round pick next week, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes, mentioning a 10-22 range in connection with the Wolverines standout. While not rivaling the monster stat line Tyler Warren produced last season, Loveland still made key contributions to Michigan’s 2023 national championship and has checked in consistently as this draft’s second-best tight end prospect. Loveland’s 56 catches set a Michigan TE record last year, and Schultz adds the high-level prospect has interviewed well. If Warren is off the board early, Loveland may not drop past the TE-needy Colts (No. 14).
  • Mason Taylor has made a case to become this draft’s third tight end selection. The younger brother of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, Mason finished up his pre-draft visit schedule with Browns, Saints and Seahawks meetings, Schultz adds. Jeremiah’s No. 32 overall prospect, Taylor is part of a deep TE class. While the group may not match what 2023 brought, prospect-wise, the Warren-Loveland-Taylor-Elijah Arroyo contingent will generate considerable intrigue from teams who just saw a tight end (Brock Bowers) immediately become a team’s go-to target. Taylor caught 55 passes for 546 yards at LSU last season.
  • The Panthers completed a recent visit with UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger, Rapoport adds. Schwesinger was popular on the “30” circuit this year, already meeting with the Raiders after conducting a private pro day in L.A. earlier this month.

Draft Rumors: Dolphins, Johnson, Harmon

April 11th, 2025 at 10:02pm CST by Ely Allen

The Dolphins are reportedly doing some homework on high-ranked tight end prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft. Though, at No. 13 overall, Miami may be out of range of top tight end prospect Tyler Warren of Penn State, the team took a look at two options that could be around for their second-round pick.

According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, LSU’s Mason Taylor was onsite yesterday. Taylor is the son of Dolphins legend Jason Taylor. The younger Taylor is projected to be a fringe first-round prospect, but with tight ends, the ranges can certainly be wider. Taylor did a top-30 visit with the Browns on Monday and has also visited the Seahawks and Chargers.

Earlier this week, the Dolphins also hosted local tight prospect Elijah Arroyo out of Miami (FL), per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Arroyo had a breakout season for the Hurricanes this year and caught lots of attention at the Senior Bowl. After visiting Miami on Monday, Arroyo met with the Browns on Tuesday and Giants on Wednesday. Mike Cugno of CBS Sports adds that teammates Xavier Restrepo and Arroyo have both spent plenty of time around the Dolphins facility in the last couple of days.

Miami saw veteran Jonnu Smith rival Tyreek Hill in the receiving game for the Dolphins last year, but Smith’s contract expires after this season, so Taylor or Arroyo may be viewed as strong TE2 options or potential tight ends of the future.

Here are a few other draft visits we’ve seen reported in recent days:

  • All-American running back Kaleb Johnson has been making the rounds lately. After visiting the Steelers last weekend, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 adds that Johnson has visited the Titans, Broncos, Texans, and Bengals. Johnson is widely considered the third-best running back prospect in the class behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton. Based on interest from the Titans, Johnson could go anywhere from the early-second to early-third round.
  • Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon visited the Jets yesterday. He hasn’t often been mocked in range of the Jets‘ No. 7 overall pick so far, but he could certainly be a candidate to find New York early in the second round or perhaps in the late-first, should the Jets opt to trade back up. Garafolo notes that Harmon has also visited the Browns and Steelers this week.

Draft Rumors: Pro Days, Jackson, Taylor

March 27th, 2025 at 9:28pm CST by Ely Allen

We’re in the thick of Pro Day Season and, while some of the 2025 NFL Draft’s top quarterbacks are showing out after not throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine, some of the draft’s top pass rushers have chosen to sit out of their pro days. Two of the class’s top pass rushing prospects, Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart, have made the decision not to work out at their respective pro day events.

Carter’s announcement, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, was relayed by his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who said that his client was “still finishing up rehab on the shoulder injury” he suffered during the College Football Playoff game against Boise State. He won’t work out at the pro day but will still be measured, which is important because he didn’t get measured at the combine after having to leave early for medicals, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic. Rosenhaus added that Carter may still work out at private team workouts in mid-April.

Stewart also missed workouts at both the combine and his team’s pro day, per Tony Pauline of sportskeeda. Stewart, a former five-star high school recruit, is a true physical specimen, but after only recording 1.5 sacks in each of his three seasons of play with the Aggies, scouts were hoping to get some insight via pre-draft workouts. If he still goes in the first round of the draft, as is currently projected, it will likely be solely based on traits over production.

Here are a couple other draft rumors on potential Day 1 prospects:

  • Another pass rushing prospect, Arkansas’ Landon Jackson is hoping to work his way into the first round with Carter and Stewart. After a phenomenal combine performance that included a 4.68-second 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot-9 broad jump, Jackson continued to impress on the stopwatch with a three-cone drill timed at under seven seconds, per Pauline. While Jackson surprisingly sat out of defensive line drills in Fayetteville, he’s still being projected as an easy top-42 pick, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he found himself getting selected on Day 1.
  • Lastly, LSU tight end Mason Taylor had an impressive pro day in Baton Rouge, timing out from 4.58-4.62, depending on the stopwatch, on his 40-yard dash and repping out 28 on the bench press. While the Giants and Cowboys both ran him through some blocking drills, the only team with an official top-30 visit planned, per Pauline, is the Chargers.