NEWS AND NEAR NEWS

Pre-draft projection posted … With the 2026 draft now just ten days away, the GBN projection for the first two rounds of the upcoming draft has has been updated. Again, please note that our goal is not to try and predict which particular player a particular team will even just ten days before the actual picks are made; rather we are primarily trying to give some idea where the different players might be selected given the current intel. In fact, we started the exercise several times over the past week and literally waltzed through the first 5 picks, but then got stuck as it felt like anybody’s guess how the next 10-15 selections would fall, especially if, as we expect there are a few trades. Fortunately, we’ll find out for sure sooner now rather than later!

Report of UM DE Bain’s involvement in past fatal car accident emerges … It is literally just now being reported that Miami DE Rueben Bain was involved in a fatal car accident back in 2024 in which a young woman suffered serious injuries from which she subsequently succumbed. Bain was cited for careless driving at the time, but those charges were later dismissed, while there was also a civil suit that was settled out of court. It also appears that NFL teams have known about this for some time and questioned Bain about it during pre-draft interviews so it is not clear the release of this information at this time basically a week and a half before the draft won’t have a huge impact on where Bain is selected, although it certainly isn’t going to help. As a result, there is a question why now? The family in question, for example, has reportedly moved on and wants nothing more to do with the case. That’s led to some speculation that it could have been leaked by a team picking outside the top 10 that was hoping Bain would fall closer to their pick, bit again, that’s just speculation.

Eagles get vet WR Wicks for picks … Philadelphia has acquired veteran WR Dontayvion Wicks from Green Bay for a 5th round pick this year (#153) and a 6th rounder in 2027.

Draft buzz: April 10th … As we noted in a couple of earlier reports there has been a dearth of chatter around the NFL heading toward the 2026 draft which now gets underway in less than two weeks. However, that seems to be changing, although whether the rumors actually change anything on or before the 23rd remains to be seen. Let’s start with the NY Jets who have the 2nd pick overall; literally for weeks now it has been an almost foregone conclusion that the Jets would be taking Ohio State LB Arvell Reese at that spot after Las Vegas makes Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza the first pick. In recent days, though, there is a growing buzz that the Jets could actually be leaning more to Texas Tech DE David Bailey with the 2nd pick. Both Reese and Bailey are considered to be the premium edge rushers in this year’s draft, but while Reese is more a LB/ER combo, Bailey, who led all of college football with 14.5 sacks last fall, is a pure edge player. In that context we also wouldn’t totally rule out the possibility that the Jets might actually be eyeing a trade down with a team like Dallas. Read more

NFL confirms 16 draft attendees … It was previously confirmed that former Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, who is almost assuredly going to be the 1st player selected at this month’s draft, will not be attending the draft in Pittsburgh; instead he’ll watch how things unfold with his family in Miami, but 16 prospects will be there including Alabama QB Ty Simpson. He’ll be joined by 5 former Ohio State Buckeyes including LBs Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, DT Kayden McDonald, S Caleb Downs and WR Carnel Tate, along with Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, WRs Makai Lemon of USC and Jordan Tyson of Arizona State; OT Francis Mauigoa; DEs David Bailey of Texas Tech, Miami’s Rueben Bain and Keldric Faulk, and CBs Mansoor Delane of LSU and Tennessee’s Colton Hood.

Close-to-final Big Board posted … With now just two weeks to go until the picks start coming off the board, the GBN Big Board ranking the top 350 prospects overall has been posted. And while there may be a few tweaks between today and April 23rd, this is getting pretty close to final. As we also like to note, our rankings don’t necessarily grade how we have the stacked the players ourselves, but rather what we hear from a range of sources how teams across the league generally have the players rated.

Medical re-checks coming on Friday … There is a bit of an interesting sub-plot to this morning’s story about Dallas’ possible interest in moving up in the opening round on the 23rd. As noted in the report, the Cowboys, who have the 12th and 20th picks, are hosting 30-visits for most if not all the top defensive prospects in this year’s draft, none of whom are actually expected to be available even by the 12th pick, while they don’t appear to have any visits planned with players likely to be available in that range. Perhaps the most notable exclusion in that latter category is Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy, arguably the ‘next’ best defensive prospect. However, sources indicate that McCoy, who did not play at all this past season after tearing an ACL in fall camp, is actually not under consideration at all by the Cowboys because of durability concerns despite the fact that he put on a strong performance at the Vols pro day earlier this month. In the end, it may just be the Cowboys that feel that way, but it is also very likely that if one team is thinking that way there are others who also have some serious concerns. No doubt, McCoy will be one of the players who who’ll be back in Indianapolis on Friday for the medical re-evaluations of players with injury concerns.

Somewhat surprisingly, one other top prospect who has confirmed that he has been asked to return for a medical re-check is Miami OT Francis Mauigoa. The former Canes’ star actually never missed a snap in his Miami career, but reportedly has some lingering disc issues in his back. According to media reports they are considered minor and do not require surgery at least at this time. But backs are nothing to fool with so we will see what, if any, the impact is on the 23rd.

Cowboys looking to shake up opening round … We are now just 15 days away from the start of the 2026 draft, a period when one would normally expect there to be a certain amount of trade buzz. This year, though, its been mostly crickets to date. The one exception, though, appears to be Dallas which appears to really want to make a splash pick on defence. The Cowboys do have a couple of first round selections in the 12th and 20th picks, but that might not be quite early enough. Dallas, for example, has had most of the top-rated defensive prospects in this this year’s draft in for 30-visits the past couple of weeks including Ohio State LBs Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, Texas Tech DE David Bailey, LSU CB Mansoor Delane and Ohio State S Caleb Downs. However, its highly unlikely any of those players are going to last until the Cowboys get on the clock with the 12th pick. In fact, it is interesting to note that the Cowboys do not appear to have had any players in for visits who would generally be rated around where Dallas picks on either side of the ball. And Dallas owner/GM Jerry Jones certainly sounded like someone who doesn’t expect to sit tight on the 23rd when he said in a recent interview that the Cowboys will ‘absolutely’ be looking at all its options before and during the draft; that when ‘you have the kind of ammunition’ the Cowboys have you have to look at all the machinations. Digging a little deeper, it appears that the two players the Cowboys would really like to acquire are Bailey and Styles. Bailey, though likely would require a trade up as high as the 3rd pick overall with Arizona which actually might think about moving down as the Cardinals primary target appears to be an OT, while Styles might be had with a deal with Cleveland at #6. Stay tuned!

Pigskin Paul mocks AFC West … Pigskin Paul Guillemette continues his series team mock drafts with a projection for the AFC West home of the Las Vegas Raiders who have the #1 pick overall.

Texans get vet LB Mapu from Pats for future late picks swap … Houston has reportedly acquired veteran LB/ST Marte Mapu from New England in a deal involving another of those late round swaps. To wit, the Patriots will get Houston’s 6th round pick in 2027, while the Texans will get a 7th to complete the transaction.

Top pick to skip draft … The 2026 draft will have to go on without its pick as Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, who is all but signed, sealed and delivered to Las Vegas which has the #1 pick overall, has confirmed that he’ll be staying at home in Miami and watching with his family. Which makes eminent sense as his mother, with whom he is very close, is not well.

Positional rankings tweaked … With just 2 and a half weeks to go until the 2026 draft, we have put what are close to the final tweaks and touches on the GBN positional rankings (as per the above drop-down menu) including adding the special teams as kickers are people too! We are also hoping to have a pretty close to final Big Board posted mid-week this week. Again, these are based as much as we can on what we have been able to ascertain to the best of our ability is the way NFL teams have players rated rather than our own grades.  And perhaps the thing that most stood as we did the final positional rankings was just how little change there was. That said, it does appear that there are several areas where there is still some potential volatility. There is a bit of a buzz around the league, for example, that after a very successful pro day last week, CB Jermod McCoy of Tennessee could challenge LSU’s Mansoor Delane to be the first player off the board at the position as he has closer to prototype length and is just a more physical player.

We have also heard from more than one source that nobody should be surprised if Georgia OT Monroe Freeling sneaks into the top 10 on the 23rd. The thing is that the two top OTs in this year’s draft class – Miami’s Francis Mauigoa and Spencer Fano of Utah – are being thought of by most teams around the league as better suited to kicking inside to OG. As a result, any team looking specifically to upgrade at OT might seriously consider taking an actual OT! It also appears that both Blake Miller of Clemson and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, who have been all over boards around the league this year, are back in favor with top 20-25 grades. We are also hearing that teams that do want to upgrade at OT aren’t going to be able to wait as once the top 7-8 prospects at the position are off the board they’ll be looking at a lot of college OTs that look more like they’re destined to play inside at the next level.

There is an interesting dynamic at WR where it appears that there is significant buzz about both of the top receivers – Ohio State’s Carnel Tate and Makai Lemon of USC – the volumes are very different. With Tate, for example, its pretty loud, whereas its rather muffled with Lemon, but it does seem to be there with both. On the other hand, it appears there are some major durability concerns about Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson such that nobody should be surprised if Indiana’s Omar Cooper ends up being the 3rd receiver off the board later this month. In fact, we’re hearing nobody should be surprised if Cooper were to be selected in the top half of the opening round. On the other hand, if there is a player who could be in for a log wait on the 23rd, it could be Tyson. Stay tuned!

Guess who’s coming to dinner! … After the grind of the pro day circuit which came right on the heels of the combine, most personnel people around the NFL got a couple of days off to spend with their families over the Easter weekend, but they will be back in their war rooms for the stretch drive to the draft early this coming week where they’ll be putting the final touches on their boards and formalize their strategies for the actual draft. Of course, they’ll also be hosting an assortment of prospects on 30-visits, which as we have noted in the past can offer some clues as to what teams are thinking as well as where some of the top prospects may end up being selected. The most notable visit this week, though, does not hint at any surprises as QB Fernando Mendoza will be in Las Vegas on Tuesday to meet with the Raiders who are fully expected to take him with the #1 pick overall on the 23rd. Meanwhile, the NY Jets are largely projected to select Ohio State LB/ER Arvell Reese with the 2nd pick and this week he’ll be visiting with Dallas. Really! the Cowboys are picking 12th and would appear to have no shot at Reese. However, they are fully expected to take a defensive player with their top pick, if not all their top picks, and there have been some speculation that Jerry Jones and company would like to make it a splash selection thru a trade up. And lending credence to that speculation is the fact that the players that they have brought in for visits so far have all been top 10 prospects including the Buckeyes’ LB duo of Reese ad Sonny Styles, both of whom are top 5 candidates. Lastly, we also keep hearing whispers not to sleep on USC WR Makai Lemon as a potential top 5-10 pick. Again, he’ll be making 5 visits this month, all to teams picking 11th or higher including both the Jets and Giants, Washington, Kansas City and Miami. Stay tuned, just 18 days to go!!

Cavs’ QB Morris denied 7th year in college … Virginia QB Chad Morris had had his appeal for a preliminary injunction to play another season for the Cavaliers denied by a a state circuit court judge. Morris, who has played at Oklahoma, TCU and North Texas as well as Virginia, now has to decide whether to go forward as part of this year’s draft or to try and continue the fight in court.

US Prez exec order to college football … US President Donald Trump took time out from his busy schedule that includes running a war these days to try and save college football. Trump issued an executive order last night that mandates that the NCAA create rules that college athletes can only play for a five-year period and can allows only one free transfer without having to sit out a season. The rules are supposed to go into effect by August 1st and schools/conferences that ignore it could lose other government funding. The EO may be met with some enthusiasm from university executives and coaches, but less so by the athletes themselves who will almost assuredly sue.

No Love for Titans … maybe … There have been several headlines in recent days suggesting that Tennessee has ruled out taking former Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love with the 4th pick overall at this month’s draft based on comments by new Titans’ head coach Robert Saleh. Saleh did say during a presser at this week’s owners’ meeting that while Love is the type of game-changing player the Titans are looking to add with their top pick, he also considers the team’s running back room to be one of the better ones in football. Said, Salen, a long-time NFL defensive co-ordinator, that those kinds of prospects aren’t necessarily exclusive to offense. Saleh added that when a team is drafting that high they will want to get a a player who can change the game in one play. And, according to Saleh, edge rushers can change the game in one play. In fact, the Titans have had the three top edge rushers in this years draft – Ohio State LB Arvell Reese, Texas Tech DE David Bailey and Miami DE Reuben Bain – for a 30 visits, along with the Irish’s Love. In the end, though, the decision may not entirely be Saleh’s. GM Mike Borgonzi, for example, has said that he feels the Titans have done enough in free agency to simply take the best player available and that likely will be Love, especially if as projected in most mocks these days Reese and Bailey are selected ahead of Tennessee. That would leave the Titans with a choice between Love, the consensus top non-QB prospect in this draft, and a DE like Bain who is not generally considered to be a top 5 candidate. Whatever choice the Titans make, though, will reverberate through the rest of the top 10 picks and perhaps beyond.

Meanwhile, Cleveland has become the first team with a top ten pick in this year’s draft to let it be known that they would be willing to move down from the 6th spot for the right offer. At his owners’ meetings presser, Cleveland GM Andrew Berry acknowledged that the Browns are looking for an opportunity to move down depending on which prospects are available at that spot. And they might get some interest if a quality edge rusher like Miami’s Bain was still on the board. Meanwhile, the Browns have sort of wavered a bit between wanting either a receiver or a LT with their first pick and certainly should have several good options at both if the did move down a few spots. Stay tuned. Just 20 days to go!!

Hoosier OT Smith out for spring … Other item that came out of Indiana’s pro day yesterday, star LT Carter Smith who figures to be one of the top prospects at the position for the 2027 draft, is out of spring practice after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum. However, he is expected to be back to 100% for the start of fall camp in August.

Raiders sign QB Cousins to mentor Mendoza … Former Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, the prospective #1 pick at this month’s draft, got some good news this morning when Las Vegas, who are expected to take him with that top pick, signed veteran QB Kirk Cousins. If nothing else, Cousins should be a perfect mentor for Mendoza early in his career. Plus, there’s a very good likelihood that the Raiders will start Cousins early in the year, giving Mendoza a chance to learn the trade while watching.

QB Mendoza solid at pro day … The annual pro day circuit fittingly wrapped up earlier today with a work out at national champion Indiana featuring QB Fernando Mendoza, the prospective #1 pick at the upcoming draft, going through a scripted passing session. In what was a relatively low-key session – there were no former presidents in attendance, there was no loud blaring music, heck there wasn’t even a guy running around waving a broom in front of the passer – Mendoza put on a very crisp performance. The ball was coming out cleanly with good velocity and almost always on the numbers. For the record, Mendoza threw 56 passes and the ball hit the ground on only three. Also for the record, all 32 teams had reps at Indiana today including the Las Vegas Raiders who have that #1 overall and sent GM John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak to check out their future QB of the future. Of course, Mendoza wasn’t the only former Hoosier to work out today; CB D’Angelo Ponds, for one, reportedly ran a very quick sub-4.35 40 to solidify his status as a top 4-5 corner despite his somewhat diminutive size.

While one top CB sizzles another struggles … As noted in an earlier story today, Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy, who missed the entire 2025 campaign with a torn ACL, posted an impressive 4.38 40 clocking and 38-inch vertical at the Vols’ pro day this morning. Unfortunately, it was a different story for Clemson CB Avieon Terrell who held a private workout yesterday after he was unable to participate in the Tigers’ official pro day earlier this month because of a hamstring issue. Terrell re-aggravated the injury at the private workout and given the late date likely will not be able to work out for pro scouts prior to the draft. Terrell had been considered to be a #3 CB in this year’s draft class behind McCoy and LSU’s Mansoor Delane with top 20 potential. Obviously, its not a career threatening type injury and shouldn’t hurt his overall grade all that much but needless to say, it also doesn’t help.