NFL Player News

The Texans selected Higgins in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 34th overall.

The Texans slotted into this spot after making a trade with the Giants in the first round and still managed to get an excellent value at a position of need. Receiver was an important area for the Texans coming into the draft with Stefon Diggs gone and Tank Dell (knee) working his way back from injury. The selection of Higgins specifically is interesting. At 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds with 4.47 speed, the Texans are getting a Nico Collins doppelganger in this rookie. Higgins began his career at Eastern Kentucky before transferring to Iowa State, where he became a legitimate NFL prospect. He popped for 87 catches for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns on 138 targets in 2024. His workout at the NFL Scouting Combine cemented that he has excellent size-adjusted athleticism, highlighted by his 39-inch vertical and 128-inch broad jump with a big frame and long arms (33.13 inches). The Texans now have two huge catch-radius receivers to attack the boundaries in Higgins and Collins, along with Christian Kirk patrolling the slot.

The Raiders waived Keyton on Friday.

Keyton, who joined the Raiders last August as a UDFA out of Tennessee, caught one of his of three targets for seven yards in eight regular-season appearances as a rookie. With Keyton having been let go, look for Las Vegas to add depth at wideout during Day 2 and Day 3 of the ongoing NFL Draft.

The Lions picked up Williams' fifth-year option Friday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

As expected, Williams is now under contract through 2026, with a projected $15.49 million salary for the fifth and final season of his rookie deal. The Lions may be hesitant to discuss an extension after Williams' breakout third season in 2024, considering his first two NFL campaigns largely were defined by injuries and suspensions. He cleared 1,000 receiving yards on just 91 targets in 15 regular-season games last year, adding 11 carries for 61 yards and a TD, plus two touches for 80 yards and a score in one playoff game. Williams is safe in his starting job but may find it difficult to significantly improve on last year's 6.1 targets per game while sharing the field with WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, TE Sam LaPorta and RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery -- all of whom will be adjusting to new offensive coordinator John Morton, after Ben Johnson left for Chicago's HC job.

The Packers selected Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 23rd overall.

Although Golden probably isn't a prototypical WR1 at just 5-foot-11, 191 pounds, he presents a rare speed element that the Packers lack in the meantime. Golden's 4.29 speed was one of the headlining stories at the combine, and with wheels like that defenses have new reason to reconsider placing the safeties too close to the line of scrimmage. Jayden Reed (4.45-second 40) was the fastest remaining base package wideout for the Packers with Christian Watson (ACL) out indefinitely, so Golden is a good bet to jump into the starting lineup at the expense of either one or both of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Golden was an excellent kick returner at Houston and Texas and could be the same for the Packers, but it would be a disappointment if Golden can't push for at least the WR2 role in Green Bay by the end of his rookie season.

The Buccaneers selected Egbuka in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 19th overall.

Egbuka (6-foot-1, 202 pounds) might be somewhat redundant to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in the short term, but the former Ohio State star can line up either in the slot or the boundary, so at the very least Egbuka can provide a plug-and-play swing backup utility to Tampa Bay while projecting as a long-term replacement for whichever of Evans or Godwin requires replacing first. Fellow wideout and 2024 third-round pick Jalen McMillan could very well be the starter opposite Egbuka at that future point, but in the meantime Egbuka should probably be the favorite to claim the WR3 role at McMillan's expense. Egbuka set the Ohio State career reception record with 205, which he turned into 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns in 49 career games. While Egbuka likely lacks the speed to dictate a vertical presence as a receiver, he likely projects as a high-volume target on underneath and slot routes.

The Panthers selected McMillan in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, eighth overall.

Bryce Young gave Carolina reason to believe he's the quarterback of the future down the stretch last season, and now the team is giving him a premier option out wide to bolster his supporting cast. McMillan entered the season as the top receiver prospect in this class, but Matthew Golden's performance at the combine made that more of an open question after McMillan did not test in Indianapolis. A big-bodied wideout with an elite catch radius, McMillan was a walking highlight at Arizona. He caught 26 touchdowns in three seasons in Tucson, often embarrassing smaller corners in the process. Standing in at 6-foot-4 with 10-inch hands and a 78-inch wingspan, McMillan is a big boundary target for Young. McMillan stands out for his ability to use his frame to win in contested situations. Despite not having dynamic long speed, McMillan can still find ways to come down with the ball. Drake London is a popular comparison for McMillan, and it's apt based on how McMillan performed in college.

The Raiders signed Ismail (undisclosed) to a contract Thursday.

Ismail joins Las Vegas as a reserve option at tight end, bolstering the team's depth mere hours before the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off. He spent last season on the Ravens' practice squad after going undrafted out of Samford, but he missed the last half of the year due to an undisclosed injury sustained mid-October.

Lockett signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Titans on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Lockett spent the first 10 seasons of his career in Seattle but was cut ahead of the new league year in a salary cap move. The 32-year-old wideout is coming off of a down 2024 campaign that saw him post a 49-600-2 receiving line as the third option in the Seahawks' passing game. In Tennessee, Lockett figures to fill the old Tyler Boyd role from last season, sliding in as a veteran slot man on the tail end of his career. Look for the Titans to add more pass-catching help in this week's NFL Draft.

The Steelers have received calls inquiring about trading for Pickens leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.

Pickens is entering the final year of his rookie deal with Pittsburgh, and the team spent a second-round pick to acquire fellow big-play-specialist DK Metcalf earlier this offseason. The Steelers then signed Metcalf to a five-year, $150 million contract, a move that has resulted in questions about Pickens' long-term future with the team. While Pittsburgh reportedly isn't directly shopping the 24-year-old, he figures to have a strong market for teams in need of a No. 1 or talented No. 2 option at wideout, especially if there remains belief around the league that his production upside remains untapped. Quarterback play has doubtless limited Pickens across his first three seasons in the league, and the Steelers' starter under center for 2025 still remains undetermined.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday that Rice (knee) "looks really good" and is "running routes" and "catching the football" at voluntary OTAs, Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports reports.

Mahomes acknowledged that it remains unclear "how much [Rice will] be able to do" during the offseason program, but he expressed encouragement that the standout wide receiver's injury occurred early enough in the 2024 season that "he's going to get pretty much a complete offseason." Coach Andy Reid has already stated that Rice is considered on track for training camp, so while Kansas City may continue taking a cautious approach to the 2023 second-round pick's recovery, he's expected to be fully healthy well ahead of Week 1. That said, Rice remains a candidate to face league discipline related to his involvement in a high-speed, multi-vehicle hit-and-run that occurred in Dallas over one year ago.