NFL Player News

The Bears selected Jones in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 57th overall.

Jones is light (6-foot-3, 299 pounds) and even more so has short arms (30 and 3/4 inches), but in literally every other regard the Iowa product is a blue-chip center. Despite his technically smallish build, there's very little concern about Jones translating at the next level. That's in large part due to his rare athleticism -- it's a lot easier to deal with short arms when you run a 4.9-second 40 with strong jumps and agility testing. Jones should be at least an average starting NFL center soon or immediately.

The Jaguars selected Boerkircher in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 56th overall.

One of the older players in the draft class, the 24-year-old Boerkircher spent five of the first six years of his college career with Nebraska before finishing up at Texas A&M in 2025. During his lone season with the Aggies, Boerkircher started in eight of 13 appearances while logging 19 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn't involved much in the passing game during his time with the Cornhuskers, but Boerkircher established himself as a reliable target who could fight through coverage to complete catches this past season. Brenton Strange is slated as the Jaguars' top tight end following a career year in 2025, so Boerkircher will likely vie with Quintin Morris and Hunter Long for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.

The Patriots selected Jacas in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 55th overall.

New England traded up (with the Chargers) to select Jacas, and it's no surprise to see the team prioritize the pass rush after having lost K'Lavon Chaisson in free agency. Jacas was a four-year starter at Illinois, where he led the team in terms of both sacks and tackles for a loss in both 2024 and 2025. Veterans Harold Landry and Dre'Mont Jones are essentially locked into starting gigs, which positions Jacas to handle a rotational role as a rookie.

The Eagles selected Stowers in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 54th overall.

Stowers (6-foot-4, 239 pounds) began his college career as a distinguished quarterback recruit for Texas A&M but couldn't catch on at the position, leading to him converting to tight end. He would play tight end for New Mexico State (2023) and Vanderbilt (2024-2025), and he proved a quick study. By the time he transferred to the Commodores, it was clear that Stowers had standout natural pass-catching ability, both in the sense of ball skills and yardage after the catch. Though Stowers might not be a good blocker by tight end standards, his 4.51-second 40 at the combine is actually faster than fellow rookie and 20th overall Eagles draft pick Makai Lemon's 4.53-second pro day 40. With a 45.5-inch vertical jump and 135-inch broad jump to go with that speed, Stowers is highly athletic even by wide receiver standards. Although he can't play the same type of tight end as starter Dallas Goedert, it might be difficult for Philadelphia to keep Stowers off the field as time passes.

The Packers selected Cisse in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 52nd overall.

Cisse (5-foot-11, 189 pounds) is something of a projection at the NFL level, still needing refinement in terms of route coverage and ball skills, but his combination of speed (4.41-second 40-yard dash) and frame promise intriguing upside as an outside corner. Though Cisse isn't necessarily a lock to push starting CBs Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine for more than rotational reps as a rookie, neither incumbent veteran played to a high enough level in 2025 to be considered truly entrenched. In his rookie year, it also wouldn't be surprising to see Cisse's athleticism earn him a role on special teams. Both Nixon and Valentine are entering the final years of their respective deals, so Cisse should have a clear path to a starting opportunity no later than 2027.

The Colts selected Allen in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 53rd overall.

Allen earned himself a starting role in Georgia's defense during his rookie years in 2023 and emerged as a leader for the Bulldogs over his last two college seasons. He was named to both the All-American First-Team and All-SEC First Team in 2025 after posting 88 total tackles, including 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and four pass defenses across 13 games. Allen missed just one game during that season despite undergoing meniscus clean-up surgery on his left knee, and that kind of drive to stay on the field, coupled with his athletic frame, above-average speed and versatility both as a run stopper and coverage guy could help him emerge as a reliable player in the Colts defense for years to come. Allen has a great chance to start right away as a rookie, considering his main competition at middle linebacker will come from Austin Ajiake.

The Vikings selected Golday in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 51st overall.

Although he started his college career at FCS Central Arkansas, Golday (6-foot-5, 239 pounds) looked like a five-star recruit getting off the bus for Cincinnati, and he showed at the combine that he's also a standout athlete by NFL standards (4.62-second 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical jump). Ivan Pace fell off hard following his promising rookie year, so before the Golday selection the Vikings didn't know who would play in nickel formations alongside Blake Cashman. Although he still needs to earn it, Golday is expected to secure a three-down role at some point before his rookie year concludes.

The Jets selected Ponds in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 50th overall.

Ponds wasn't heavily recruited out of high school due to his 5-foot-8 size, and that might be an issue for him at the NFL level. However, he didn't let that lack of size get in the way of a successful three-year college career that culminated in a National College Championship victory in 2025 with Indiana. During that season, Ponds was selected to both the All-American Second-Team and All-Big Ten First-Team after logging 61 tackles, one forced fumble and 12 pass defenses (two interceptions) across 15 games. The Jets needed to address the outside cornerback position after trading Sauce Gardner (calf) to the Colts in November, and Ponds will compete for a starting job against the likes of Azareye'h Thomas (shoulder) and Qwan'tez Stiggers (knee).

The Panthers selected Hunter in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 49th overall.

Carolina traded up to the 49th overall pick with Minnesota in order to draft Hunter (6-foot-3, 318 pounds), an indication that the team considers upgrading from incumbent nose tackle Bobby Brown. There are no questions about Hunter's size or ability to stuff the run, but his lack of explosiveness -- having posted the worst vertical of the 2026 NFL Combine (21.5 inches) -- gesture toward limitations as a pass rusher. Hunter will turn 24 years old in advance of training camp and boasts the collegiate experience to contribute right out of the gate as a rookie.

The 49ers traded Winters to the Cowboys on Friday in exchange for the 152nd pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

A sixth-round draft pick in 2023, Winters took Dre Greenlaw's starting spot at weakside linebacker last year, when the former posted a career-high 101 total tackles and five pass defenses (including a pick-six) across 17 regular-season games. Winters' spot on the Cowboys' first-team defense is far from guaranteed as he'll face competition from DeMarvion Overshown (concussion) and Shemar James for a starting spot at inside linebacker.