NFL Player News

The Seahawks selected Price in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 32nd overall.

If Jeremiyah Love was Notre Dame's Darren McFadden then Price was their Felix Jones, providing consistent big plays off the bench and as a kick returner. Price is not quite as athletic at 5-foot-11, 203 pounds as Jones was out of Arkansas, but the general theme of big plays off the bench is the deal with Price. The unclear early-season availability of Zach Charbonnet (ACL) gives room for Price to make an immediate impact, and upon Charbonnet's eventual return a long-term workload split can be expected between him and Price not unlike the split between Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker previously. Price also might displace Rashid Shaheed from the kick return unit after returning three of his 22 collegiate kick returns for touchdowns (36.1 yards per return).

The Titans selected Faulk in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 31st overall.

Faulk (6-foot-6, 276 pounds) fell to Tennessee due to concerns that he's a 'tweener' who can't rush the edge sufficiently by defensive end standards yet is maybe too tall and/or light to fit at defensive tackle. The solution is simple enough: Faulk has the prototypical frame and skill set to line up in odd-man fronts, and in obvious passing situations he should be able to move inside if he proves unable to develop his edge-rushing game. Don't count out Faulk yet, though -- he's only 21 and his 4.68-second pro day 40 implies untapped developmental potential.

The Jets selected Cooper in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 30th overall.

Cooper (6-feet, 199 pounds) was a productive player in his fourth season at Indiana, though less so in the prior three years. Cooper's 4.42-second 40-yard dash verified that he has real NFL speed to leverage his otherwise standout ability after the catch. The Jets pass-catcher rotation is suddenly somewhat crowded after adding Cooper and TE Kenyon Sadiq, so it's not clear how many targets will be left after Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell get their reps.

The Chiefs selected Woods in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 29th overall.

Woods (6-foot-3, 298 pounds) was a huge recruit for Clemson and provided quality play as a three-year starter, but it's difficult to find evidence of production and his ostensible utility as a two-gap run stuffer might not translate easily to the NFL given his light build, short arms and poor athletic testing. If Woods makes a positive impact with Kansas City it evidently might not show up in the box score, so he'll need to eat blocks.

The Patriots selected Lomu in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 28th overall.

Lomu (6-foot-6, 313 pounds) went much later than his Utah teammate Spencer Fano (ninth overall to Cleveland), yet it was actually Lomu who was the left tackle on the Utah offensive line (Fano played the right side). Landing with New England likely means Lomu will need to move to the right side -- Will Campbell is locked in on the left -- and on the right side Lomu might need a little bit of development time, if only to add some weight. In the meantime Lomu's finesse game is already convincing -- he's an excellent athlete (4.99-second 40, 32.5-inch vertical) and should fit in easily as a pass blocker.

The Dolphins selected Johnson in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 27th overall.

Johnson (6-feet, 193 pounds) was a standout three-year starter on some good San Diego State pass defenses, demonstrating an NFL-caliber skill set in the process. Then Johnson verified at the combine that he has the wheels necessary for his game to translate to the NFL, logging a 4.44-second 40 along with a 126-inch broad jump. New Miami coach Jeff Hafley ran coverages with ambitious zone designs in Green Bay, and Johnson's schematic versatility between man and zone was likely a selling point.

The Texans selected Rutledge in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 26th overall.

Rutledge (6-foot-4, 316 pounds) is something of an underdog story and an unconventional first-round pick, but there's a lot to like about his game and there's reason to believe this pick will age well for the Texans. Rutledge began his collegiate career at Middle Tennessee, where he stood out for two years before playing one year at Georgia Tech in 2025. Rutledge is a relentless mauler who should stand out as a run blocker immediately as an NFL starter for Houston, and his excellent athletic testing (5.05-second 40, 32.5-inch vertical) gives reason to think there's plenty of upside.

The Bears selected Thieneman in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 25th overall.

Thieneman would have been a justifiable selection somewhere in the top 20, so the Bears jumped at the chance to add the speedy safety with the 25th pick. Thieneman (6-feet, 201 pounds) was outrageously productive as a true freshman and sophomore starter at Purdue (2023-2024), accumulating triple-digit tackles in both seasons and intercepting six passes in the first season. Thieneman almost made it three seasons in a row with triple-digit tackles, but he finished with 'only' 96 tackles in his one season with Oregon (2025). With a 4.35-second 40 and 41-inch vertical, Thieneman showed he's a top-tier athlete in addition to a skilled safety.

The Browns selected Concepcion in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 24th overall.

Concepcion began his career at North Carolina State, where he posted one of the most productive true freshman seasons of all time (71 receptions for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns on 106 targets, 41 carries for 320 yards), putting himself on the national map as a big-play open-field menace. His sophomore season was less successful, but Concepcion bounced back as a junior after transferring to Texas A&M in 2025. At 6-feet, 196 pounds Concepcion is just big enough to project for two-wide sets and thus avoid the dreaded 'Slot Specialist' label, but his game will still probably center mostly on the underneath and intermediate portion of the field due to questions with his hands and downfield route-running ability. Concepcion's ability to stop, start and change direction is memorable and should make him a dangerous YAC threat if nothing else. A March knee scope is believed to be a non-issue.

The Cowboys selected Lawrence in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 23rd overall.

After landing safety Caleb Downs with the 11th overall pick, the Cowboys continue to bolster their defense by adding Lawrence. The 6-foot-4, 253-pound edge rusher was one of the big winners at the combine, posting a 4.52-second 40-yard dash to go with a 40-inch vertical and 130-inch broad jump. Lawrence's explosive athleticism showed up in his UCF box score as well, producing 7.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss as a senior in 2025, though the hope is that Lawrence's rare burst will allow him to make even more of a pass-rushing impact at the NFL level.