NFL

Shedeur Sanders had an interesting approach to the NFL draft process, and that clearly contributed to his slide to the fifth round.

According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, one general manager said the Colorado product treated his meetings with teams ahead of the draft as if he were being "recruited," rather than being "interviewed."

Sanders, who threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns with the Buffaloes last season, was widely projected to be a first-round pick heading into the draft. Even after the first round came and went, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before someone picked him up.

But he continued falling through the second, third and fourth rounds before finally getting selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.

In the days after the draft, several reports made it clear that Sanders' slide had less to do with his skill than it did with the way he went about the draft process.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported in March that one quarterbacks coach from a team drafting inside the top seven said the 23-year-old came across as "brash" and "arrogant" during his interview. According to The Ringer's Todd McShay, teams felt he didn't have a "professional approach" in interviews.

Per CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, Sanders "more or less sandbagged" and "did not give it his all" during interviews with teams he didn't want to play for, which "rubbed some teams the wrong way."

Sanders also reportedly didn't take the blame for interceptions when watching film with teams and failed to identify intentionally placed mistakes in an install.

There have been plenty of players in the past who had bad interviews or came into the draft with a little too much confidence but still were selected in the first round, but teams this year clearly felt Sanders' character issues outweighed what he could give them on the field.

Drake Maye is pretty excited to be paired with Stefon Diggs in New England this season. He's been a fan of the veteran receiver for a long time, after all.

"Had him on my fantasy team and played with him in Madden," he told reporters regarding his high school years. "So it's going to be pretty cool to now be throwing to him."

The Patriots made it a priority to improve the offense around Maye heading into his second year. Alongside signing Diggs and Mack Hollins at receiver this offseason, they also drafted Kyle Williams at the position, signed a pair of veteran offensive lineman in center Garrett Bradberry and tackle Morgan Moses and drafted offensive tackle Will Campbell in the first round and running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second.

He also has a new head coach in Mike Vrabel and new offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels.

“I'm pumped," Maye told reporters. "A lot of new faces, a lot of veterans who played at a high level. We found answers at a lot of different spots that I hope we can plug and play. That's the point of free agency: Get people who can come in here and help us win now. Add that in with some young talent that we've had in the past couple drafts, and I think hopefully we're headed in the right direction."

It remains to be seen how Diggs will recover from his torn ACL. Before the injury last season, he had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns across eight games for the Houston Texans.

Diggs is no longer the player who was a four-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro in his prime. But he should be an upgrade on a position that was a huge weakness last season nonetheless.

Drake Maye loved the energy from the New England Patriots' newest addition on draft night.

After the Patriots selected Will Campbell with the No. 4 overall pick, the offensive tackle said he's ready to "fight and die to protect [Maye] with everything I've got." Hearing that quote from the rookie had Maye ready for the season to start.

“That gets the juices going,” Maye told reporters Thursday, per The Athletic's Chad Graff. “It makes you want to go out there and play football now. (I’m) pumped that we picked Will.”

The Patriots addressed a major need in the draft by taking Campbell, who was the No. 7 overall player on the final big board from Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department.

He'll join a new-look offensive line in New England that also features Garrett Bradbury at center and Morgan Moses at right tackle.

Along with getting Maye some protection, they got him some offensive weapons this offseason. They landed Ohio State star running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round after signing free agent wide receiver Sefon Diggs earlier this offseason.

It's hard to say if the offseason pickups will be enough for the Patriots to make a playoff push, but Maye is more than excited for all the new faces.

The Los Angeles Chargers selected North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton with the No. 22 overall pick at the 2025 NFL draft, bolstering their physical, downhill running attack with one of the top options at the position.

And suffice to say, the incoming rookie is excited to play under Jim Harbaugh.

"It's been great just getting to know him and everything," Hampton said of his new head coach during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show this week (h/t Omar Navarro of Chargers.com). "We know he's going to run the ball, he's decided to run the ball and it's something he wants to do. He did it all his career, so I'm just excited to get started."

"With him being my head coach, I couldn't be more happy," he added.

Run the ball they will. Under Harbaugh, the oft-injured J.K. Dobbins rushed for 905 yards and nine touchdowns, the best season of his career. Hampton should offer the Chargers an even more explosive and dynamic option.

Granted, he'll likely share carries and snaps with veteran Najee Harris, who was signed this offseason. But the Chargers wouldn't have drafted Hampton in the first round if they didn't believe he could be a truly dynamic option at the position.

"We know they're going to run the ball, so I'm loving it," Hampton said. "I'm excited, we got me and Najee, a dominant duo backfield. ... I'm excited to learn from him, I'm excited to get out there. We got a good offensive line, a good quarterback. I feel like we're building something special here."

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen gave his thoughts on incoming rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart sitting below veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston on the team's depth chart.

"So again, Jaxson's going to come in, he's got to learn the offense, there's a lot to learn, these NFL offenses are hard to grasp and pick up and then be able to go out and execute, so the ability for him to learn and sit behind two consummate pros already will be beneficial for him," Schoen said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra).

"And again, still, injuries occur, you know we've played seven quarterbacks over the last two years, so he's going to have to prepare like he's going to have to play," he added. "So again you want him to come in, develop a routine, learn how to be a pro, learn how to study the game, and then if his number's called and he has to go out and execute, he's going to need to be ready."

The Giants clearly hold Dart in high regard, as they traded up to select him with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

The 21-year-old was impressive throughout his senior season at Ole Miss, completing 69.3 percent of his throws and leading the SEC with 4,279 yards through the air. He also tossed 29 touchdowns compared to a mere six interceptions.

Still, New York is attempting to build upon a disappointing 3-14 finish in 2024 and putting a rookie under center in Week 1 doesn't appear to be the team's plan.

Wilson signed a one-year deal worth $10.5 million with the Giants in free agency. While the 36-year-old isn't a long-term option for New York, he's coming off a 2024 campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he earned the 10th Pro Bowl nod of his career.

As for Winston, he agreed to a two-year contract with the Giants on March 21. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft may not be a threat to Wilson's starting job, but he does have 87 career starts under his belt.

While Schoen and the Giants are looking forward to Dart eventually seeing the field, they're also searching for instant contributions at quarterback as they look to improve upon the NFL's second-worst scoring offense last season.

Just like every wide receiver in the NFL, Malik Nabers wants the ball coming his way if he's open.

The New York Giants star didn't shy away from saying that he gets frustrated when he's promised a certain number of targets and doesn't end up getting those targets.

“You told me I was going to get the ball,” Nabers said on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast (h/t Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper). “I’m getting open and I’m not getting that pill. We’ve got a problem. We’ve got a problem... I ain’t playing about that ball.”

Nabers also admitted that NFL wide receivers are "definitely" divas and said, "we don’t like not getting the ball.”

Luckily, a lack of targets wasn't an issue for Nabers during his rookie campaign. He had the fifth-most receptions (109) and the seventh-most receiving yards (1,204) along with seven touchdowns, despite missing two games.

With a fantastic rookie campaign behind him, Nabers should be on his way to an even bigger year with a new quarterback room featuring Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart.