NFL

One NFL executive believes the Carolina Panthers got a comparable player to Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins by selecting Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 pick of the 2025 draft.

"I think he is like Tee Higgins. That is higher than Tee went, but you would still be getting a top-15 receiver in the league," the executive told The Athletic's Mike Sando about the Panthers' draft decision.

The Bengals also drafted edge rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, running back Trevor Etienne, safety Lathan Ransom, defensive tackle Cam Jackson, tight end Mitchell Evans and wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr.

"I do not think Carolina will look back on this draft class, with these players, and regret it. There were not a lot of blue-chip players," the executive told Sando.

McMillan, who matched Higgins' measurements by clocking in at 6'4'' and 219 pounds, was similarly compared to the Bengals star by B/R NFL scout Dame Parson ahead of the draft.

"McMillan is a stellar run-after-catch receiver who has spatial awareness, stop/start ability, and elusiveness to make defenders miss after he secures the ball," Parson wrote. "His play strength allows him room to work through arm tackles for more YAC. With his size advantage, McMillan converts contested catches well."

The Panthers, who allowed an NFL-high 3,057 rushing yards against last season, surprised some analysts when the franchise targeted offense rather than defense with their first-round pick.

"We wanted to have the best player, we wanted to follow our board of who we thought was going to help us the most up there," Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said after the first round. "Again, we got our guy, and we're excited about it."

That choice could prove to be worth it for Morgan and the Panthers if McMillan can help third-year quarterback Bryce Young record a breakout season in 2025.

One NFL executive reportedly believes the Atlanta Falcons paid a "very steep price" to select former University of Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. with the No. 26 pick of the 2025 NFL draft.

The Falcons sent a package including a 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in order to trade up into the first round and select Pearce.

Atlanta also traded the No. 46 and No. 242 picks of the 2025 draft, while receiving the No. 101 selection in return.

“I don't know how many boards James Pearce was on... maybe they had to get ahead of Kansas City or Philadelphia or another team that might take fliers on character risks,” one NFL executive told The Athletic's Mike Sando. “It just felt like a very steep price to pay for somebody who likely would have been there in Round 2.”

Another executive told Sando: “I’m sure the way they are rationalizing it is, ‘We gave up a first next year to get a first this year, and we basically did that for moving back from the second to the third. If you look at that objectively, it’s not as bad as it sounds. People overlook getting the third back from the Rams as part of the deal.”

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that the Falcons had gone into the draft planning to use the No. 15 pick to select Pearce if former Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker didn't fall that far. Walker was ultimately still available at the pick.

General manager Terry Fontenot indicated the Falcons would not have traded up had Pearce not been available at No. 26, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi. Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith also said after the draft giving up the 2026 first-rounder was worth it to select two potential defensive starters.

"You always need multiple pressure players," Smith said, per AtlantaFalcons.com's Terrin Waack. "If we're going into next year, we were hoping that a Jalon Walker would be there next year, a James Pearce would be there next year, to take another pressure player. Well, this year, we're sitting there and we've got an opportunity, if it works, to take two players from that bucket."

Fontenot used the return from the Pearce deal for another trade up in the third round. The Falcons used the Rams' No. 101 pick, in addition to a 2026 fifth-rounder, to get the Philadelphia Eagles' No. 96 selection and draft former Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts.

The Falcons were previously under scrutiny for the team's handling of the 2024 first round, when the franchise used the No. 8 pick on Michael Penix Jr. before reportedly attempting and failing to trade up for edge rusher Laiatu Latu. Fontenot will hope to see defensive improvements this season in order to back up his decisions in the 2025 draft.

NFL insiders believe the Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson are in a good place in their ongoing contract negotiations, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

"I did a little digging on it, and I'm still getting really good vibes coming out of Cincinnati that they're going to try and get a deal done with Trey," Russini said at the 13:15 mark of Friday's Scoop City podcast.

Russini added that the Bengals "seem to be trying to move money and get creative with finding ways to get Trey the money that he's gonna get."

Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season, is seeking an extension and a raise on his expiring contract.

The Bengals granted Hendrickson permission to seek a trade in March. He is currently set to make $15.8 million in base salary with a cap hit of $18.7 million next season before hitting free agency in 2026, per Spotrac.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported in March that Hendrickson is seeking "well above" $30 million annually on his next deal.

Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn said in April she believed that Hendrickson "should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think he'd be happy at," a comment that Hendrickson criticized on a subsequent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Head coach Zac Taylor said last week that the franchise's decision to draft defensive end Shemar Stewart with the No. 17 pick of the 2025 NFL draft had nothing to do with Hendrickson, and that he doesn't "think you can ever have enough defensive linemen, especially in this league and this division."

Russini's report, which indicates communication between Hendrickson and the Bengals has improved over the past month, could mean the Bengals are one step closer to fitting both Hendrickson and Stewart into the defense next season.

Despite the New York Giants' big bet on Jaxson Dart in the 2025 NFL draft, there's skepticism from people within the league about him playing as a rookie.

One NFL executive told The Athletic's Mike Sando that Dart "probably shouldn't play" in his first season.

"Some people think Dart is a year away, more of a project," the exec said. "They probably shouldn’t play him at all this year, or not until very late."

The Giants traded their picks in the second and third rounds (Nos. 34 and 99), plus a 2026 third-round pick to the Houston Texans for the 25th pick that was used to select Dart.

New York did plan for the possibility of needing a bridge option to give Dart development time. Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston were signed as free agents.

Head coach Brian Daboll didn't waver on Wilson being the starter going into the 2025 season even after the addition of Dart.

Even though Dart has extensive college experience as a three-year starter at Mississippi, the Lane Kiffin offense doesn't really prepare players for how to play in the NFL all that well.

The Ole Miss system relies heavily on the types of plays that take a lot of the burden off quarterbacks, like quick passes, RPOs and play-action.

One NFC executive told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler in February that Kiffin's system is a "mess" for incoming quarterbacks.

B/R's Dame Parson noted in his scouting report that Dart's processing if his first read isn't available is "slower than expected for a senior quarterback" and he "does not anticipate throwing lanes well at this stage of his career."

Dart did earn high marks for his athleticism and rushing ability, which did show up in games with 1,498 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in 39 games over the past three seasons.

Wilson isn't necessarily the best quarterback to mentor a young player because his style of play is so unique that it doesn't really work for anyone else. He can play well enough to serve as a bridge to the future if the Giants don't consider Dart ready to start in 2025.

University of Colorado head football coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders took to social media Friday following his son, Shedeur Sanders, sliding to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft last weekend.

Sanders made a post on X about self-reflection, writing "stop the pity party," although it is unclear if the message was aimed at anyone or anything specific:

Entering the 2025 NFL draft, all signs point toward Shedeur Sanders being a first-round pick after his highly productive final season at Colorado under Coach Prime.

Shedeur completed 74.0 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season en route to being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

However, Sanders fell out of the first round and didn't hear his name called until the Cleveland Browns made him the sixth quarterback taken with the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round.

Coming out of the draft, rumors and speculation circulated suggesting that Deion may have played a role in Shedeur's draft slide.

Earlier this week, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel said on the Scoop City podcast (beginning at the 8:50 mark) that comments Deion made last year may have rubbed NFL teams the wrong way.

Daniel said: "And then also we go back to the Deion thing. I think he's doing the right thing for his son, but he hinted it over a year ago, OK, that he might pull an Eli for his son because his son's a top five guy in the draft. Do you think that went over well in draft rooms? Like, we don't have to have hot takes. This is just pure, simply stated facts."

That statement was in reference to Deion's appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast (h/t ESPN.com) in March 2024 when he said, "It's going to be an Eli," when asked what would happen if a team Shedeur didn't want to play for tried to draft him.

In 2004, Eli Manning went public with his desire to play for a team other than the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers still took him first overall, but they traded him a short while later to the New York Giants for quarterback Philip Rivers and draft picks.

It was also reported by NFL draft expert Todd McShay (h/t Dan Benton of USA Today) that Sanders "didn't have a great interview" with the New York Giants and head coach Brian Daboll.

Sanders was reportedly unprepared, Daboll called him out on it, and Sanders didn't react well, which Daboll "didn't appreciate."

That was in line with a previous report from McShay, stating that some NFL teams felt Shedeur didn't take a "professional approach" to pre-draft interviews.

Whatever the reason for Sanders' shocking drop to the fifth-round of the draft, he still has a chance to prove himself worthy of being an NFL starter, as the Browns have perhaps the most unsettled quarterback situation in the league.

When Shedeur Sanders was still on the board in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns decided to aggressively pursue him.

According to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, Browns general manager Andrew Berry "worked hard" to find a trade that would bring Sanders to Cleveland as his fall continued early on Day 3.

The Browns' calls to other teams about moving up started late in the fourth round, according to Oyefusi. They eventually found a partner in the Seattle Seahawks for the 144th pick.

Cleveland moved up 22 spots by sending the Seahawks picks No. 166 and 192 to ensure the front office could select Sanders. It's probably not a coincidence that's the spot in the draft where the Browns made the trade.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted the Philadelphia Eagles, who were picking at 145, had interest in Sanders when the Browns moved up.

It's unclear if the Eagles would have used that pick on Sanders if he had still been on the board. General manager Howie Roseman declined to answer a question about their level of interest during an appearance on Wednesday's episode of The Rich Eisen Show (h/t Chris Franklin of NJ.com).

"I wouldn’t do that with anyone," Roseman said when asked if Sanders was on their draft board. "I certainly don’t want to deal with one single player. That could open the door to many questions, Rich."

The Browns' selection of Sanders, once regarded as a potential first-round pick, was widely praised as a steal.

There were some questions about Cleveland's decision to spend multiple picks on quarterbacks, having already taken Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Berry addressed that subject during his post-draft press conference on Saturday:

"We talk oftentimes about quarterback being the most important position in the sport. It wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but as we talk about, we do believe in best player available, we do believe position value, and we didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round. It got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft."

If Sanders develops into a quality starting quarterback in the NFL, no one will care that the Browns used a second pick on the position. Considering all of the issues over the years they've had finding a long-term answer at quarterback, using multiple draft picks to address the position is hardly the worst idea in the world.

There is reportedly some belief within the NFL that quarterback Tyler Shough will start for the New Orleans Saints as a rookie.

Speaking to Mike Sando of The Athletic, an anonymous NFL executive said the following about Shough: "I'd be surprised if the quarterback is not starting for them. He has the arm talent. He is really smart. He comes across as a veteran already. With him, it's about staying healthy."

New Orleans was the third team to select a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft, nabbing Shough with the No. 40 overall pick in the second round.

The Saints were viewed as a team likely to go quarterback early for numerous reasons, including the arrival of a new head coach in former NFL quarterback and longtime NFL offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Also, a couple of weeks before the draft, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t NFL.com's Nick Shook) reported that veteran starting quarterback Derek Carr was dealing with a shoulder injury that "threatens his availability for the upcoming season."

If Carr is unable to play, it leaves Shough, 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler and 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener as the Saints' quarterback options.

Rattler went 0-6 as a starter last season, throwing four touchdowns and five interceptions, while Haener lost his only start.

After spending seven seasons in college at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville, Shough is already 25 years old, so he is more mature than most rookies entering the league.

Because of injuries, he never appeared in more than seven games in any of his first six seasons, but he finally stayed healthy last season and showed what he could do over the course of a full campaign.

Shough went 8-4 as Louisville's starter last season, completing 62.7 percent of his passes for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.

It raised some eyebrows when the Saints took Shough in the second round since he will turn 26 during the first month of his rookie season, but if the plan was to start him right away, that pick makes a lot more sense.

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers expressed his belief Thursday that quarterback Shedeur Sanders should not have fallen to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

During an appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony (h/t Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper), Nabers said there is "no way in hell" Sanders should have lasted as long as he did:

Nabers went on to suggest that teams should not have discounted Sanders' on-field performance because of perceived attitude concerns, saying:

"You don't do that to somebody like that. You can't knock his talent. ... Some things you just can't knock. Come on, bro. We gotta stop making feelings with how people play that linger. Yeah, he might have some things he might say on camera, off the field, that don’t have to do with how he plays football. We're here for one thing and that's to play football. Everybody's got different personalities."

For much of the predraft process, Sanders was considered a surefire first-round pick and the likely No. 2 quarterback in the draft behind only Miami's Cam Ward.

However, five quarterbacks ended up coming off the board before him. He had to wait until the fifth round when the Cleveland Browns finally took him with the No. 144 overall pick.

Leading up to the draft, some reports emerged that suggested teams had concerns about Sanders' personality, which could explain why he slid as far as he did.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that an NFL quarterbacks coach thought Sanders was "brash" and "arrogant" during predraft interviews. Meanwhile, NFL draft insider Todd McShay reported that some teams believed Sanders did not take a "professional approach" to the interviews.

McShay (h/t Dan Benton of USA Today) also reported that Sanders "didn't have a great interview" with Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Sanders was reportedly unprepared, Sanders didn't like getting called out on it, and Daboll "didn't appreciate him not liking it."

The Giants were considered a strong candidate to draft Sanders, but they instead took Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick and then traded back into the first round at No. 25 to take Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, who may be Nabers' quarterback of the future.

Sanders still landed in what could be an ideal spot for him. The Browns' starting quarterback job is up for grabs with Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders all competing for it.

After striking a deal with tight end George Kittle, the San Francisco 49ers could be nearing an agreement with quarterback Brock Purdy on a long-term contract.

On the latest episode of the Scoop City podcast (starts at 8:45 mark), The Athletic's Dianna Russini said Purdy and the 49ers are "closer" to a deal than is being reported elsewhere.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said on Thursday's episode of The Rich Eisen Show that the two sides were "not close" and no deal was imminent (starts at 19:55 mark).

There was some thought that Purdy showing up to Phase 1 of organized team activities last week might be an indication that an agreement could be coming soon.

General manager John Lynch didn't tip his hand one way or another about what Purdy's presence might suggest.

"That's Brock," Lynch told reporters on April 22. "He's a pro. Brock's very clear-minded and not going to let other people influence what he should be doing. And that's one thing everybody I think respects about Brock. He's done a lot for this organization and we're grateful for him and looking forward to having him as our quarterback for a long time."

Russini previously reported that Purdy and the 49ers were "inching closer" to a deal that would make him one of the 10 highest-paid players in the NFL.

All of the 49ers' key decision-makers have said in no uncertain terms that they want to keep Purdy as their quarterback for many years to come.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters at the end of last season that he plans "on being with Brock here the whole time I'm here." Owner Jed York said in February he's "looking forward to a long-term partnership" with the 25-year-old.

Purdy, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract, has far exceeded any expectations after the Niners selected him with the final pick in the 2022 draft. The Iowa State alum has thrown for 9,518 yards, 64 touchdowns and a 67.5 completion percentage in 40 games over the past three seasons.