NFL Player News

The Jets selected Payne in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 228th overall.

Payne started 42 games as a four-year defensive back at Kansas State. In his final season, Payne posted 59 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and an interception. The 22-year-old is a dependable tackler who played all around the formation in college. There's still work to do in coverage, but he's big (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) with some of the longest arms for a safety in the draft (33 and 6/8 inches), and his athleticism (4.40 40-yard dash) should make him a strong special-teams option if he can't crack the defensive rotation right away.

The Raiders selected Cleveland in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 229th overall.

Cleveland was a distinguished two-gap tackle for North Carolina State, and one way or another he should prove a useful enough pick for the Raiders this late. The concern with Cleveland's NFL projection is that at 6-foot-3, 307 pounds, he doesn't have as much natural anchor as you'd like in a nose tackle, especially given Cleveland's lack of explosiveness otherwise. Cleveland has only one calling card -- eating interior blocks to crowd the ground game -- but it's not clear if his anchor will set well enough to play as well in the NFL as it did in college.

The Bengals selected Robinson in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 226th overall.

Robinson (6-foot, 287 pounds), out of Navy, will add depth to Cincinnati's interior defensive line, which got a tremendous boost after the team traded the No. 10 overall pick to trade for Dexter Lawrence from the Giants and also inked Jonathan Allen to a two-year deal in free agency. Though undersized, Robinson boasts impressive strength and is capable of manufacturing pressure, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him carve out a rotational gig early in his NFL career.

Carolina selected Kuwatch in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 227th overall.

Kuwatch transferred from Ohio State to Miami (Ohio) in 2023, but he didn't become a full-time starter on defense until his senior year in 2025, when he was named to the All-MAC Third-Team after logging 109 total tackles, including 5.0 sacks, and one pass defense across 14 games. Kuwatch served as the RedHawks' middle linebacker, and his experience on special teams during his five-year college career could help him earn a spot on the Panthers' 53-man roster for the 2026 season. He'll enter the offseason program and training camp competing for a depth spot at inside linebacker against the likes of Claudin Cherelus, Bam Martin-Scott and Isaiah Simmons.

The Titans selected Kanak in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 225th overall.

Kanak spent his entire four-year collegiate career in Norman with Oklahoma, but it wasn't until his senior season that he saw the field. He didn't disappoint in 2025, compiling 44 catches for 533 yards while dropping just one pass. Kanak is severely undersized for the tight end position at just 6-foot-2, 234 pounds, but he at least makes up for that with a 4.52 40-yard dash time. It remains to be seen if he can stick at tight end in the long run, but he has plenty of special-teams work on his resume and will likely be asked to contribute on that front in Nashville this fall.

The Steelers selected Spears-Jennings in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 224th overall.

It's not often that you see multi-year starting safeties with 4.32 speed fall to the seventh round, but for Spears-Jennings (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) that's exactly what happened after starting at Oklahoma the last two years. Spears-Jennings is a fearless and explosive safety but one whose otherwise uncommon athleticism has proven difficult to harness effectively. Despite his speed, it was challenging for Spears-Jennings to maintain his coverage assignments, and in pursuit he's liable to misfire. The positive news is that even if he never improves at all, Spears-Jennings should be a capable special-teams contributor.

The Commanders selected Kaliakmanis in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 223rd overall.

Kaliakmanis was a full-time starter at Minnesota in 2023 before transferring to Rutgers for his final two seasons. As a fifth-year senior, Kaliakmanis completed 52 percent of his passes for 3,124 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions while connecting on 28 passes for 20-plus yards. He didn't add much with his legs and likely won't in the NFL after running a 4.92 40-yard dash at his pro day. Still, Kaliakmanis has a good enough arm to give him a strong chance to earn the No. 3 quarterback job behind Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Marcus Mariota.

The Bengals selected Endries in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 221st overall.

Endries (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) began his collegiate career with a redshirt 2022 campaign at California, which he followed up with two consecutive years as a starter from 2023-24 before transferring to Texas. In his sole season as the Longhorns' starting tight end in 2025, Endries compiled 33 catches for 346 yards and three scores, a step down from the 56-626-2 line he logged with the Golden Bears in 2024. Endries has the size to find a role at the NFL level but lacks difference-making athleticism, so as a rookie he could have a difficult time competing for depth reps with Erick All (ACL), Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson and Cam Grandy (chest) behind top tight end Mike Gesicki.

Detroit selected West in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 222nd overall.

West spent his entire four-year college career in Tennessee, and while he wasn't a consistent starter on defense for the Volunteers, he did see his playing time steadily increase. He finished the 2025 season with 23 total tackles, including 4.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defense across 12 games. West primarily operated as an edge rusher in college but would also line up in a three-point stance on the interior defensive line. The latter position could be his calling card in the NFL, given his shorter stature (6-foot-2, 283-pound frame).

The Bills selected Pride in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 220th overall.

Pride, out of Missouri, has plenty of speed to keep up with opposing wideouts at the NFL level, posting the second-best 40-yard dash time (4.32) among defensive players at the NFL Combine. However, he's a bit on the smaller side (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) and can struggle with bigger wideouts. He's a solid tackler for his size and likely will be asked to contribute on special teams to maintain a 53-man roster spot.