You had a ton of questions. I came up with as many answers as I could. The post-draft NFL mailbag …
From Matthew Confer (@MatthewAlan6621): Will we hear from @AaronRodgers12 this week regarding Steelers?
Matthew, I honestly don’t know. He referenced a personal issue within his circle that had slowed the process to this point, and I think we can all respect that—my feeling is some of the narratives out there wouldn’t have been spun the same way if that information was public earlier. Either way, if whatever Rodgers is working through was enough to press pause on his decision-making process, I can see where the Pittsburgh Steelers would tread lightly.
It makes sense, too. If Rodgers signs tomorrow but is still dealing with off-field stuff, and may be unable to show to certain things, a new line of questioning pops up. This way, at least, he can focus on what he needs to, and the team doesn’t have to deal with that line of “Is he here yet?” questioning that he might be on a roster.
The Steelers have signaled, and even publicly expressed, their confidence that Rodgers will wind up on their roster. And if he doesn’t, I’d imagine they’d explore a trade for Kirk Cousins. It’d be pretty surprising if they opened training camp with Mason Rudolph.
From JayShoe (@JayShoe78): What's your grade on the Commanders draft and what was your favorite pick by them?
Jay, I’d give them a … B-plus? I don’t know. I’m terrible with draft grades.
But Washington selected guys that other teams liked, where you could argue they were bargains. The Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans were trying to trade into the bottom of the first round, and there was a belief it was for Josh Conerly Jr., the Oregon tackle the Commanders picked at 29. In certain scenarios, Ole Miss CB Trey Amos may have snuck into the bottom of the first round (it went the other way, with only two full-time corners going in the first round), and GM Adam Peters got him at 16.
Once you get into Day 3, the projections, in most cases, are just moving targets—so it’s a little harder to say where someone got a player that was valued across the league at that point of the draft. That said, fourth-rounder Jaylin Lane was one of the fastest receivers in the class (4.34 in the 40-yard dash at the combine) and the theme of adding speed continued with sixth-round linebacker Kain Medrano and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
(My favorite pick, I guess, would be Conerly.)
From George Hiotis (@Hiotis4Life): How would you rate the Bengals draft and did they do enough to get Super Bowl-worthy?
Now, Shemar Stewart comes with some risk. For a guy who’s built like he came into the world with a birthright to play defensive end, his production over three seasons at Texas A&M lagged. He had 4.5 sacks and 12 tackles for losses over 37 games. Some of that is attributable, according to scouts, on the way the coaches used him. Still, there are plenty who believe he’s more of an athlete than playmaker. We’ll see.
On the other hand, second-round linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. made plays all over the place at South Carolina—but he’s a little older. He was a six-year college player, having spent four at Georgia Tech and one at Charlotte before joining the Gamecocks last year. Is it a legitimate concern that it took so long for things to come together for him? We’ll see.
And I do like that Cincinnati landed Georgia G Dylan Fairchild late in the third round on Friday. Interior offensive line was a sneaky need they had to address at some point.
From JoeTendo64 (@J0eyCasco): What is Will Campbell's starting position in 2026? Still at left tackle?
Joe, New England Patriots EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf came up in the Green Bay Packers scouting system, and with players such as Campbell, they generally adhered to this formula—let them succeed or fail at tackle, then move them, if necessary. So I’d expect Campbell to get his first look as an NFL player, and a long one, at left tackle.
The Patriots have been chasing the 2018 first-round miss on Isaiah Wynn for seven years now, and at the very least, even if he’s not elite, Campbell should be capable of putting out the fire at the position. And if they have to move him in a year or two because they have a chance to get an elite left tackle, many believe he has the ability to be a top-flight guard.
From Ken Kaup (@speclk19): Besides the NYG, what other teams really liked Jaxson Dart & were prepared to draft him maybe late 1st Rd or early 2nd Rd?
Ken, the two teams I had my eye on going into the draft with Dart other than the New York Giants were the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.
Cleveland did try to get back in the first round Thursday night. I’d heard it was for Conerly. But it’s possible—and I’m not as sure on this, one way or another—that they’d have done the same for Dart before the Giants made the move up to 25 to land him.
I know going into Friday night, with Dart gone, the Saints were very focused on Tyler Shough and he made a ton of sense for them. They may need their rookie quarterback to play right away, and Shough is thoroughly prepared to do so, with seven years of college experience at three schools, and having played for Jeff Brohm at Louisville. So maybe he was their preference. But I know they also liked and did a lot of work on Dart.
From Amol Yajnik (@amolyajnik): If Brian Hartline were to leave Ohio State, more likely to go to another school or the NFL?
Amol, I think if Hartline were to leave, it’d be for the NFL, and it might be a little harder for NFL teams to lure him now that he’s a play-caller at Ohio State. He’s in a very stable situation, has a reputation as one of college football’s top assistants, and could eventually succeed Ryan Day as head coach. I do know he loves pro football, but also is aware of the volatility of jobs at that level.
It is worth noting that NFL teams think very highly of him. At one point, when he was still just the receivers coach at OSU, the Philadelphia Eagles offered him a job as pass-game coordinator.
From DefendTheDen (@Vretz2121): Rams the favorite landing spot for Ramsey? Player and team preference? Especially given the Rams didn't draft or use UDFA to add a CB?
Defend, I think the Los Angeles Rams would love to have him. The money is the issue for the Rams and any other potential suitor, and the Miami Dolphins who are trying to move him as well. He’s due $25.1 million this year, and all but $865,000 of it is fully guaranteed. At this point of the offseason, very few teams have the cash in the budget or room on the cap to take that salary on. In a special circumstance, you might make it work. But as good as Ramsey still is, I don’t know that there are many teams that would look at acquiring him in that way.
So, at that point, you’d be looking for the Dolphins to take on a chunk of the money to essentially “buy” a draft pick as part of the deal to offload Ramsey and his guarantees.
I think a deal with the Rams would probably require that. And I wouldn’t be against it for them, either. I think Ramsey can still play corner and could have a second life as an NFL player, a la Rod Woodson, as a safety down the line.
From cstaneluis (@cstaneluis): Can Andrew Berry really cut fifth-round pick Shedder Sanders if the juice isn’t worth the squeeze, or will other thought partners stop it because he’s selling jerseys?
Congrats—you just gave me a new corporate phrase I’d never heard before. “Thought partners” is a good one.
Anyway, generally, the fifth round is right where the line sits as far as rookies being pretty much guaranteed a roster spot. Two years ago, for example, the Indianapolis Colts made headlines nationally when they cut fifth-round corner Darius Rush at the end of camp. Rush has bounced on and off the practice squads of the Kansas City Chiefs and Steelers since, and is now with Kansas City.
That is to say he’d really have to fall on his face to not make the team. That said, the Browns’ quarterback situation makes it interesting. If we presume Deshaun Watson will be on PUP, at best, to start the season, then it’s easy to figure it’s Joe Flacco vs. Kenny Pickett for the starting job, with the loser getting cut and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and Sanders backing up. But what if the rookies aren’t ready to be second string? In that scenario, do the Browns keep both vets and try to get a rookie to the practice squad? Do they keep four?
Things could get complicated. But, for now, yes, I think Sanders is on the team.
From Manny Ramirez (@JPhelpsBOOM): Kyle Williams’ NFL comp?
Good one I heard for the Patriots rookie—Tyler Lockett.
From AmitGandhi (@Amit_MileHigh): Thoughts on Broncos draft strategy?
Amit, Sean Payton never hid the fact that he was looking for a running back, and he wound up landing R.J. Harvey, the UCF back compared by some to Aaron Jones, in the second round—after passing on Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins at 20 to take Texas DB Jahdae Barron. If Barron hits, the Broncos will have a nasty corner trio, matching him with Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss.
So that, to me, is the most interesting thing. How does the Barron–Harvey tandem compare to, say, what a Henderson–Amos duo would’ve been.
Also worth noting—Payton may have seen shades of Michael Thomas in third-round receiver Pat Bryant. Having smaller, speedier guys such as Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin in the fold, Bryant should be a complement to those guys, and maybe a long-term replacement for Courtland Sutton.
From evan charne (@evanch): Any strategy for WR 2 on Jets? Keenan Allen?
I see the New York Jets throwing everyone into a competition—veterans Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard, 2024 third-rounder Malachi Corley and rookie Arian Smith—in the spring, and seeing what comes of it. And if they have to add from there, fine. But I’m not as worked up with it as some people, with Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and second-round tight end Mason Taylor in the fold.
They have time to figure it out, and if they have to add, barring injury, it’ll only be for a complementary piece.
From Rob (@RobLorge): If the Packers did trade Jaire Alexander, who are the teams most likely to be interested?
Rob, I could throw the San Francisco 49ers, Rams, Steelers and Chiefs out there as teams that entered the draft with needs at the position, and didn’t take corners in the first two rounds of the draft. The question, to me, comes down to money. He’s due $17.5 million this year. And, because of his recent injury history, that’s shown to be a bit rich for interested teams. Alexander, meanwhile, would rather be cut so he can pick his destination, and he might not be willing to help with a contract adjustment to facilitate a trade.
I would think, at this point, the most likely scenario is that he’s back on a reduced contract that has incentives. We’ll see.
From TheRaiders (@12th_Raider): Predict the Raiders week 1 starting O-line?
I feel pretty solid that Kolton Miller and DJ Glaze will be the tackles and Jackson Powers-Johnson will be the center. The guard spots are probably up for grabs, with Dylan Parham, Jordan Meredith and Alex Cappa all in that mix. Also, if Thayer Munford Jr. were to emerge at tackle, Glaze does have the flexibility to kick inside.
From erickleinphd (@DrEricKlein): To resolve the issue of prank calls, would the NFL consider using an app like FaceTime or Zoom when calling their draft picks?
Eric, I’m sure they’ll look at a lot of things in the aftermath of last weekend. There’s only so much they can do, of course, but I do think there were probably too many ways for Shedeur Sanders’s phone to become public.
From MidwayMonsters (@Bulls_Bears_Chi): Biggest differences that separated Loveland from Warren for the Bears? How did the league view Loveland?
Midway, I was actually surprised in the days leading up to the draft how many scouts and coaches had Colston Loveland over Tyler Warren. Why? Well, they’re different players, so I think it boiled down to team preference. Loveland was more the athletic, route-running separator (he’s also three years younger). Warren was more than a Swiss Army knife, who could be used a million different ways, was a big, tough, physical menace with the ball in his hands, and made a ton of catches in traffic.
If you look at what Ben Johnson had in Sam LaPorta in Detroit, the choice of Loveland makes sense.
From Eric Walden (@esotericwalden): Safety to Eagles in R2 was a popular pick, and it happened; but most seemed to think Penn State’s Winston or Notre Dame’s Watts. Why was Mukuba from Texas the guy instead?
Just asking a round a little, I think Philly saw a four-year college starter in Andrew Mukuba who brought explosive athleticism, ball production and position flexibility, and had done it at two schools. On the other hand, Kevin Winston Jr. and Xavier Watts brought a little less of that combination of experience, suddenness and playmaking. We’ll see how it all works out.
From LanceUpper (@LanceupperPI): Did the Giants lose interest in Shedeur after the workout before the draft?
Lance, I really don’t think that was it. I think the Giants liked Sanders coming out of the fall. How much? That’s a fair question. But as much as he may have lost their favor, Dart really won it. He and Brian Daboll spent a lot of time talking, and I think there was a synergy, perhaps in part a product of their shared backgrounds—Daboll learned under Charlie Weis Sr., Dart under Charlie Weis Jr., and both worked with Joe Judge.
In the end, I don’t think that was that tough a call for them by the time they got to Thursday’s first round.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steelers Waiting for Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins a Possibility.