Table of Contents
Jump to a topic
- Ty Simpson stands out on tape
- Jeremiyah Love goes at No. 3
- John Harbaugh gets his guys
- Browns get great value
- Chiefs get aggressive
- Vikings get a strong haul
- Jets build foundation for future QB
- Lions don’t overcomplicate things
- Raiders go all-in on Mendoza
Draft’s done. And so too are the final set of MMQB Takeaways for April 2026 …
Ty Simpson stands out on tape
The Rams saw things some others didn’t in Ty Simpson, and we’ll see how that turns out. And what they saw, for the most part, was based plainly on Simpson’s body of work.
That’s not a mistake either. That’s by design.
Sean McVay’s tape study began a week after the Super Bowl, and his method, when he gets going on the college quarterbacks, is to have his first exposure to them come on the film, and the film alone. Simpson was the first guy he watched. What he saw was eye-opening. Yes, the body of work—15 starts—was short. But as he and the Rams came to see it, those 15 starts had more translatable work in them than other college QBs may compile in 30.
Alabama OC Ryan Grubb put a lot on Simpson, and the Rams felt like the beneficiaries of it in the evaluation. Simpson was playing under center and off play-action. He was redirecting protections and going through full-field progressions, and activating the same sort of concepts he’d have to in their offense. You saw him in quick game and off five- and seven-step timing. You saw an NFL rhythm-and-timing passer. Drew Brees set the recent standard for that genre, and they saw Simpson, stylistically, fitting that sort of mold.
No one’s saying he’s going to Brees, to be clear. But if you want to see a path to becoming a high-end NFL quarterback, that’s the one that Simpson could walk.
But maybe most of all, as I’ve heard it, they loved seeing how he got scraped up, and knocked down, and picked himself up. The Tide got beaten up in the season opener against Florida State, a loss that was taken as a referendum on everyone in the program, a year-and-a-half after Nick Saban’s departure. But in that game, Simpson fought to his very last snap, a 9-yard run on fourth-and-10, on which he ran through three tackles. And he rebounded in the weeks to follow, putting on clinics against Wisconsin and Georgia.
Then, there was the way the season came undone, and how Simpson reacted to that. In the Tide’s 10th game, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables blew open a flaw in the Tide’s empty protection, getting a free runner through consistently, and creating a blueprint for others.
The Rams liked how the Bama coaches put a lot on him to begin with, and what the Sooners drew up made things even harder. Simpson kept battling, like an NFL quarterback has to.
And two throws against Auburn brought the whole thing to life.
• The first was on a third-and-4, from the Auburn 6 at the end of the first quarter. Auburn brought six. Inside linebacker Xavier Atkins came clean, and both Tiger edge rushers won quickly, giving Simpson nowhere to step up in the pocket, or to bail from it. Simpson stood in the face, flicked the ball off his back foot from the 20 to receiver Isaiah Horton, running towards the back left pylon—putting it on his outside shoulder over the top of the coverage, and just past where the corner covering Horton could play it. He knew who’d be open, and put a perfect ball on him, off-balance with three defenders in his face.
• The second came with the game tied at 20, and less than four minutes left. Kalen DeBoer showed confidence in Simpson in going for it on fourth-and-2, when he could’ve kicked the go-ahead field goal, and the Auburn defense challenged him right away. The Tide had a stick concept—a two-man route—called to Simpson’s right in a 3-by-2 look. At the snap, the Tigers had the two receivers to that side covered with three guys. Simpson quickly reset, and got the ball to the third guy in his progression, Horton again running a drag from the opposite side. Not only that, he put the ball on Horton’s front pad, into a short window.
Simpson did that, by the way, on a rough day for the Bama offense, one with a mess of drops from his receivers. He got hit a lot too. He easily could’ve folded. Instead, he squared his jaw, maintained his body language and kept playing quarterback—which is a key to this, too.
The Rams kept seeing him do just that, and there’s a bit of dying art to playing that way at the college level, which is what made watching Simpson so refreshing for some teams and coaches (and my guess would be that’s what ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky was seeing too). They could see him reading plays out with his feet, playing with rhythm, getting deep into progressions, anticipating windows coming open, and unloading the ball on time.
Now, that’s not to say there wasn’t more work done . The input of the ex-quarterbacks on the staff—Kliff Kingsbury, Dave Ragone and Nathan Scheelhaase—was an invaluable part of the process. The background work was too, with Bama’s sports psychologist Bhrett McCabe allaying concerns over the anxiety Simpson was thought to have battled, telling the Rams that the quarterback was simply a very conscientious kid who cares a lot, while touting his capacity for growth in that area (“He’ll calm down,” he told them) and his resilience.
But where this really began and ended was with what McVay, GM Les Snead and the crew saw on tape, which was a quarterback who could run their offense. Really, it started with the tape, after the reality set in that Jimmy Garoppolo probably wouldn’t return as Matthew Stafford’s backup, all the way back in March. It ended on Thursday, after McVay apprised Stafford of the plan, and the Rams pushed the button on the night’s biggest surprise.
Stafford, to be clear, is still very much the team’s present. And if things work out like that film seemed to show, they’ve now got a lot less to worry about for the future.
Jeremiyah Love goes at No. 3
The Cardinals took who they viewed as the best player in the draft. Is that overly simplistic? Sure. It’s also the truth—the question for Arizona was never about just how good Jeremiyah Love is. That part was easy. It was more so about taking a running back that high.
Love is a Cardinal this morning, so we know how all that worked out.
For Mike LaFleur and his new staff, the hay had been in the barn on how good Love is for quite some time. In fact, by the time they met him for the first time, before the coaches (having been hired a little later in the NFL calendar) even got to study him, there was a strong feeling that he was going to be their best option. But GM Monti Ossenfort knew there was work to be done, and some games to be played, to protect the team’s best interests.
What Ossenfort had seen by then, and coaches would soon see on the tape, was a back that was a true difference-maker, fully worthy of being just the eighth back in the last 13 draft cycles to go top 10, and just the sixth back in the last 20 drafts to go in the top five.
Mostly, that, for Arizona, was about the unique combination of traits Love brought. He had special explosiveness for the position, but would still be a good back if he didn’t have that, because he’s tough and can find hidden yards. Conversely, LaFleur was around Kyren Williams in Los Angeles the last three years, and saw how efficient and tough Williams was, always maximizing what’s blocked for him. Love had that, plus he’s a home-run hitter.
There was a play, too, that brought it all together, from the Irish’s 2024 game at archrival USC. The game was tied at 14, with less than two minutes left in the first half, and Riley Leonard threw to Love in the flat on a screen, with blockers in front. Love darted down the left side, where Kamari Ramsey (drafted Saturday by the Texans) had him pinned against the boundary. Ramsey went low, and Love hurdled him, regained his stride like he never left the ground, then buried his shoulder into corner Jaylin Smith (drafted in the third round by Houston last year).
A gain that should’ve been stopped as an 8-yard gain by Ramsey, then as a 22-yard gain by Smith, instead wound up going for 26, putting the Irish in first-and-goal at the Trojan 6.
It was the perfect example of what Love does, as Arizona saw it. Basically, where if you call a crappy play for a really good back like Williams, Williams could make that play not so crappy anymore. Love had that same capability to turn it into a 15- or 20-yard gain. And if you have a decent playcall, like that screen, Love could make it an explosive play. And if you have a good playcall, then Love could legitimately house it.
So with that settled, they had to assess the person. And that part became almost as easy. As soon as he walked in for his interview at the combine, they could feel his presence, with a confidence that was unforced, and balanced off with humility and a comfort in his own skin. So much so, in fact, that they pivoted to being careful showing any more interest, passing on having him in for a 30 visit, and doing two instead of three Zooms (he had one with Ossenfort, another with RBs coach Matt Merritt, LaFleur decided not to do his).
By the time they got there, they’d seen enough. And without a true no-doubter at a premium position, they came to the determination that sounds simple, but is often more complicated than it has to be in a situation like this one.
They simply took the best player.
John Harbaugh gets his guys
The Giants may have landed the two biggest badasses in the draft. That doesn’t mean Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Miami’s Francis Mauigoa are going to be the class’ two best players. Or even that they’ll be hits. But, in taking Reese at No. 5 and then Mauigoa at No. 10, New York got tougher and meaner, for sure, and harder-edged too for the John Harbaugh era.
Which is to say Harbaugh’s first draft class was very much a Harbaugh draft class.
The backstory on the two, though, stretches back well before Harbaugh’s arrival in New Jersey.
With Reese, it actually begins in late August, with GM Joe Schoen starting his annual Labor Day weekend swing through college football in Columbus. Ahead of his trip to go see the Ohio State-Texas showdown, Schoen was watching tape of the two teams, and a backup linebacker wearing No. 20 jumped off the screen. On a national championship defense that had all 11 starters drafted, Reese’s size, strength, length and play-making ability kept showing up, even in limited chances he got as a 19-year-old reserve.
So Schoen had Reese, switching to No. 8 and becoming a starter, circled. And getting to see him in pads that weekend, against then-top-ranked Texas, and how big, long and effortlessly athletic he looked in his first game as a full-time starter stuck with the GM. The Buckeye defense throttled Arch Manning that day, became the nation’s best, and Reese emerged as an All-American whose explosiveness, violence and versatility stood out in a crew of freaks.
Then, Harbaugh arrived, and he and DC Dennard Wilson started planning for a scheme built to highlight positionless players. Because they had Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux already, the Giants evaluated Reese as an off-ball linebacker who’d play on the line in passing situations and saw a sort of amphibious defender who’d be a weapon at all times.
By the end of the process, he was even with Love as the Giants’ highest-graded non-quarterback in the draft, and the pick, by the time Harbaugh, Schoen and Co. got the clock, became an easy one. And with Carter having the flexibility to play off the ball—where he played his first two years at Penn State—and Burns carrying some of that as well, Wilson has the bones of what could be a very difficult front seven to handle.
And two spots below Love and Reese, fourth on the Giants’ board, was Mauigoa.
His story starts over that same Labor Day weekend, with the Giants contingent bouncing from Columbus to South Carolina for LSU-Clemson then to South Florida for Miami-Notre Dame. On the ground, he got to see the densely-built Mauigoa in person, seeing that the right tackle was as easy a translation physically to NFL—with the measurables to play tackle and the mass to move to guard—as he was a player on tape.
There, Schoen got to reconnect with Miami coach Mario Cristobal, who he’d gotten to know better in vetting Cam Ward in 2025, and who became a key piece to the puzzle in looking into Mauigoa. The Giants also had their own head trainer, Adam Bennett, who Harbaugh hired over from Miami, and was there for Mauigoa’s three years on campus, and Will Vlachos, a staffmate of Schoen’s in Buffalo who was assistant offensive line coach at Miami last year, to tap into. And all that came back the same—tough, hard working, consistent.
In the end, that’s the stuff that put Mauigoa, and Reese, over the top for the Giants.
Clearly, there’s a type of guy they’re looking for, that Harbaugh’s looking for, and that organization has historically coveted. “We’re gonna be the Giants again,” said one staffer. They got two guys (and you can throw outsized Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields into that group as well) that certainly should help them get there.
Browns get great value
The Browns had a nice night on Thursday, and it’s not just because they got two players that I think have a real chance. It’s because of how they played the board.
Utah’s Spencer Fano was going to be their pick at No. 6. They’d have been fine taking him there.
But the job of an NFL front office on draft weekend isn’t just assessing players. It’s also assessing value. So as Cleveland GM Andrew Berry discussed the hypotheticals of a trade with his Kansas City counterpart, Brett Veach, he looked at the landscape. A potential move from No. 9 to No. 6, with a goal of getting another top-100 pick, would mean falling behind the Commanders at No. 7 and the Saints at No. 8.
With Fano as his top-rated lineman, Berry saw the quirk there. Washington just extended left tackle Laremy Tunsil, and last year drafted its right tackle, Josh Conerly Jr., in the first round. New Orleans, meanwhile, spent its 2024 first-round pick on Taliese Fuaga and its 2025 first-rounder on Kelvin Banks Jr. It was fair to reason, thus, that neither of those teams would take Fano.
So with the groundwork laid, Veach’s offer came after the Giants took Reese, putting Cleveland on the clock. It’d include the top-100 pick (74th overall) that Berry coveted, plus a fifth-round sweetener (No. 148). The trade off on the draft value chart—the picks Browns were getting add to 1,602 points, the sixth pick is worth 1,600—is just about perfect. But Berry asked for one thing to push the deal past the goal line. He wanted to know whether Kansas City would be taking an offensive or defensive player.
Veach answered defense. Berry agreed to the terms. The Browns have their left tackle.
Cleveland, to be clear, plans to start him there, and keep him there. Cleveland talked to Fano’s college line coach, Jim Harding, and Harding told the Browns that the reason Fano played there after starting at left tackle as a true freshman because they felt like he could handle it. And Patriots first-round pick Caleb Lomu, at that point, was more strictly a left tackle. Fano responded by winning All-America honors twice at right tackle.
The Browns actually did this before, in 2020, moving Jedrick Wills Jr. from right to left. And while Wills didn’t become All-Pro, or close to it, inconsistency and injury, not the switch, was responsible. Also, moving Tristan Wirfs from right to left has worked in Tampa, and Detroit’s now doing the same thing with Penei Sewell.
As for Cleveland’s second first-rounder, the Browns believe that elite NFL receivers are generally elite in two of three areas—before the catch, at the catch point or after the catch. And as they saw it, Texas A&M KC Concepcion was the only receiver in the class who could say that, as a top-shelf separator who may be the draft’s best after the catch.
As for the rest of the haul, the Browns traded both picks, then moved back into the third round, and grabbed Florida OT Austin Barber. In the end, the net of it, for the drop, was Fano, Barber and two 2027 fourth-rounders for the sixth pick and a sixth-rounder (thrown into one of the trades). Which, as opposed to just getting Fano, which would’ve been fine, is a pretty good playing of the board.
Chiefs get aggressive
The other side of that deal was interesting too. So, yes, the Chiefs were sniffing around on trades up over the last few weeks. But there were limits on what they were willing to do.
Basically, they didn’t want to sacrifice the 29th or 40th picks in a trade up.
As Veach saw it, and after asking around and working with his analytics folks, that basically meant they weren’t getting in the top five. As such, the Chiefs saw four players as likely out of play for them—Mendoza, Love, Reese and Texas Tech rusher David Bailey. From there, the idea of ensuring they’d get LSU corner Mansoor Delane started to crystallize.
They liked the player, of course. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo saw some parallels to ex-Chiefs star L’Jarius Sneed in Delane’s game, with his fluidity, patience, calm style of play, ball skills, inside/outside versatility and rare makeup speed. The front office felt like, once he proved his top-shelf speed, with a 4.3 40-yard dash at his pro day, Delane was one of the best corner prospects to come out this decade.
And his value was only bolstered by what was happening with Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy, who entered the process as a 1-B to Delane’s 1-A. But his draft stock was detonated by a very unfortunate prognosis on his knee, which had a lot of teams doubting he’d make it even to the end of his rookie contract. It left Delane alone at the top. It also created a situation where teams might view him as their only shot to get a No. 1 corner in this year’s draft.
Veach saw above him the inverse of what Berry saw beneath him in the order—two teams that would be in play to ruin his night. The Commanders needed corner help, but Berry thought they’d lean receiver first. He figured the opposite with the Saints, who lost Paulson Adebo last year and Alontae Taylor this year at the position. Either way, both teams were an issue, and the analytics folks told Veach that Delane’s likely destination was New Orleans.
The whole thing was sensitive, so the Chiefs moved to cover their tracks. Where they brought in McCoy for a 30 visit, they chose not to do that with Delane, at Spagnuolo’s suggestion—“Let’s just do a Zoom with him,” he said. And the Chiefs scheduled that Zoom to be Delane’s last, two days before the draft, so when other teams asked who he’d Zoom with, he could truthfully omit the Chiefs from the list.
As the draft drew closer, and the Chiefs gamed it out, they figured if they stayed at No. 9, and they lost out Delane, they’d wind up with Ohio State safety Caleb Downs or Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson. Then, they’d probably have to move up to land San Diego State CB Chris Johnson—and give up a third- or fourth-rounder to do it. So, the logic followed, why not just give up the third-rounder and get the guy they liked more?
As a result, they wound up with Delane, and got Clemson DT Peter Woods, a potential successor for Chris Jones as a 3-technique interior rusher (who they thought slipped statistically in 2025 because his responsibilities changed), at 29 and Texas A&M edge-rusher R Mason Thomas, a bookend for George Karlaftis, at 40. And no third-rounder.
How will we view that in a few years? If Delane becomes a No. 1, then favorably.
Vikings get a strong haul
The Vikings certainly had a fascinating couple days. To me, it’s really about the totality of the three days. So let’s run through it …
• They took Florida DT Caleb Banks in the first round, and most scouts I talk to think he has the best chance to become a game-wrecker of the class’ interior defensive linemen—and may be the only one with that potential. I had one compare him to Jeffery Simmons coming out, which seemed a bit rich, but gives you an idea on his ceiling. The problem is he’s been hurt, and there are motivation questions, some tied to his ability to keep his weight down. The hope here, I think, is that the Vikings locker room will help turn him.
• The Vikings’ Friday then began with the trade of veteran pass-rusher Jonathan Greenard, whose situation was originally precipitated by his desire for a raise. Minnesota basically told him that if he could find one with a team willing to part with a second-round pick, the Vikings would probably do it. Minnesota got two third-round picks—one of which they used on Miami S Jakobe Thomas, the other coming next year—and Greenard got his money.
• Minnesota’s other three picks on Friday, in my mind, were all great value picks. Cincinnati LB Jake Golday is an athletic, versatile linebacker capable of playing on or off the line (like Andrew Van Ginkel) that the Vikings got at 51. DT Domonique Orange was said to be the Texans’ fallback plan in the second round, had they not landed Kayden McDonald, and they got him at 82. And Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan, who Minnesota landed at 97, was widely seen as a second-rounder, and the best tackle after the seven that went in the first round.
That’s a good couple days’ work for Kevin O’Connell and interim GM Rob Brzezinski.
Next up for Minnesota: Hiring a full-time GM. That process should get going today.
Jets build foundation for future QB
The Jets are another team whose draft I liked—because now they’re set up for the quarterback to be named later. The first pick, Bailey, is pretty straight forward. The Jets traded Quinnen Williams and Jermaine Johnson. The pass rush needs juice, and Bailey should provide just that.
After that? I love that they got Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq at 16 and Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. at 30, and how it fits into the overall picture of the offense. And I really like how it happened, with the team letting Sadiq fall into its lap, on the premise that four or five wideouts they liked could be there at 33—then getting aggressive and trading up to 30 when one they really liked, in Cooper, wound up falling to the bottom of the first round.
New York now has first-rounders at both tackle spots (Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou), a first and second at tight end (Sadiq and Mason Taylor), two firsts at receiver (Cooper and Garrett Wilson) and a second at running back (Breece Hall). And at this point, with Hall on the franchise tag, only Wilson is on a big second contract.
Having all those guys in-house now will give them a year to work with Frank Reich, and alongside a veteran quarterback in Geno Smith. So that, at least on paper, should make for a cohesive, young ascending crew to plug a young guy into in 2027.
The Jets, of course, did invest in defense, too. Bailey separated from the pack the last couple months, with his tape, through his meetings with the team, and with advanced statistics that, historically, put him in really good company as a pass rusher (his time to pressure, time to hit and time to sack figures were outstanding). And third-rounder D’Angelo Ponds is a tough, feisty, if small, nickel who’ll remind head coach Aaron Glenn of himself.
But I’d bet a big part of how this draft is viewed long-term will be on the situation the team’s next young quarterback walks into. On paper, at least, it looks like it’ll be a good one.
Lions don't overcomplicate things
The Lions again seemed to lead the league in logic. It’s not that all of GM Brad Holmes’s draft picks don’t work out—no one bats 1.000. But what I’ve always liked about what Detroit does is how easily most of their moves can be explained.
So it went with the Lions’ draft class.
You can start with Clemson’s Blake Miller at 17. He’s an edgy, violent, team-first type that fits Dan Campbell’s program to a T. He’s also a right tackle, which fills the spot that Penei Sewell will vacate in moving back to his college position on the left side, after the ouster of Taylor Decker. He started 54 games at college, which positions him as ready to make an immediate impact for a team built to win now, and one that’s been built through its lines.
Speaking of that, then there’s second-round pass-rusher Derrick Moore, who arrived at Michigan as his new linemate Aidan Hutchinson was leaving four years ago. Big and long and strong, Moore’s got the ability to grow into a good bookend for Hutchinson, and, importantly, an affordable one on a rookie contract after Hutchinson cashed in last year.
Then, you have Jimmy Rolder coming in to play linebacker as a fourth-rounder with Alex Anzalone gone, and Keith Abney II as insurance with former first-round corner Terrion Arnold working through some legal problems in Florida.
So the same way taking Tate Ratledge made sense last year with Frank Ragnow retiring, getting Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. to fill a hole corner made sense in 2024, and taking the best players regardless of position, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell, in a down draft year made sense in 2023, these picks do, too.
Again, doesn’t mean they’ll work out.
But the reasoning, to Holmes and Campbell’s credit, ain’t hard to explain.
Raiders go all-in on Mendoza
The Raiders really did do all the work on Mendoza. We said a month ago that it wouldn’t be a coronation, and it wasn’t one. Vegas GM John Spytek was at three of Mendoza’s games in the fall, and assistant GM Brian Stark was at four. They met with him at the combine, brought a convoy to his Pro Day, had minority owners Tom Brady and Michael Meldman in-house for his 30 visit, had dinner with him the night of that visit with Mark Davis, and did the three allowable one-hour Zooms with him to start to install the offense.
Yes, Mendoza was the guy wire-to-wire. Yes, as we’ve written, the decision was very much simplified when Oregon’s Dante Moore, who’ll go high in 2027, decided to go back to school.
But, to paraphrase the legendary Tom Callahan, the Raiders weren’t just going to take the butcher’s word for it on this particular T-bone. They looked at the whole picture, digging into every piece of Mendoza’s past.
And in the end, Mendoza became the first pick by confirming everything they thought.
A little later in the week, we’ll have a whole lot more on just how he was able to do that.
The draft is done! And we’ve got quick-hitting takeaways coming your way …
• Did you know LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier is just the third quarterback Reid has drafted over 13 years with the Chiefs, joining Aaron Murray in 2014 and Patrick Mahomes in ‘17? I’d guess this one works. In Philly, after drafting Donovan McNabb, Reid took A.J. Feeley, Andy Hall, Kevin Kolb, Mike Kafka and Nick Foles outside the first round. Really, only Hall didn’t work out. That history is one reason I think it will for Nussmeier with the Chiefs. He couldn't have landed in a better place.
• I like the first draft for Matt Ryan, Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta. Without a first-rounder, the two Day 2 picks—Clemson CB Avieon Terrell and Georgia WR Zachariah Branch—went lower than I thought they would. And Harold Perkins Jr. should be a fascinating prospect for Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich to work with.
• So I guess now we’ll look at the Ravens having gotten Trey Hendrickson and first-round pick Vega Ioane instead of Maxx Crosby. So judge away on that one. Regardless, Baltimore did the Baltimore thing again, which is to take guys that happen to fall into their laps, which I think went for each of the Ravens’ first four picks.
• Carolina third-round pick Chris Brazzell II has a host of off-field questions. But he’s tall and talented, and the idea he’d be paired with Tetairoa McMillan down the line is pretty enticing. That is, so long as Brazzell can keep his head on straight.
• The Bears replaced Kevin Byard with Dillon Thieneman, and put a center, Iowa’s Logan Jones, in the pipeline to be long-term successor to Drew Dalman. Again, common sense …
• Houston’s biggest need was at defensive tackle. And I like that rather than reach for one, Nick Caserio simply pivoted to add another offensive lineman (Georgia Tech G Keylan Rutledge) to a group that’s going through another big-time makeover. The DT question, by the way, was answered, with a Day 2 trade up to 36 to land McDonald.
• The draft’s fastest man, Brenen Thompson, was picked by the team that just hired Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator. And internally, McDaniel clearly showed no hesitation to let his affection for the Mississippi State speedster be known.
• With two first-round tackles, Tyson now joining another former first-rounder (Chris Olave) at receiver, and Travis Etienne added to Alvin Kamara at running back, the Saints have a nice core on that side of the ball. All of which should help them get their answer on Tyler Shough, for better or for worse in 2026.
• The 49ers got killed for taking Ole Miss WR De’Zhaun Stribling at 33, and I get it. When fans have been looking at mocks for two months, and their team picks someone perceived as a reach, it normally drives them crazy. I’d just say this on Stribling—some really good offensive coaches really liked him, more than the public knows. We’ll see how it plays out.
• Rueben Bain Jr.’s going to a perfect place. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles has routinely gotten the most out of edge rushers of different shapes and sizes. Which is all to say that the arm length thing is less of an issue for him than it might be a lot of other coaches.
• Finally, a bonus quick-hitter—thank you for watching and listening and reading the last two months. I love the draft and put a ton into it, and it makes me happy to know so many people love it like I do. Hope that the last couple months we’ve done a good job covering all this pillar-to-post, and given you everything you want. We’re not done yet, but feel free to get to me on my social media or via email (albert.breer@si.com) with whatever you’ve got!
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ALBERT BREER
Albert Breer is a senior writer covering the NFL for Sports Illustrated, delivering the biggest stories and breaking news from across the league. He has been on the NFL beat since 2005 and joined SI in 2016. Breer began his career covering the New England Patriots for the MetroWest Daily News and the Boston Herald from 2005 to ’07, then covered the Dallas Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News from 2007 to ’08. He worked for The Sporting News from 2008 to ’09 before returning to Massachusetts as The Boston Globe’s national NFL writer in 2009. From 2010 to 2016, Breer served as a national reporter for NFL Network. In addition to his work at Sports Illustrated, Breer regularly appears on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, FS1 with Colin Cowherd, The Rich Eisen Show and The Dan Patrick Show. A 2002 graduate of Ohio State, Breer lives near Boston with his wife, a cardiac ICU nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, and their three children.
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