History shows that most teams don’t draft a quarterback after round 1 unless they’re hoping that quarterback develops into a long-term backup. Sure, there are notable exceptions to the rule. Former fifth-round pick Tom Brady and former fourth-round pick Dak Prescott come to mind. Now retired Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees was a second-rounder. That’s because, the earlier the round, the higher the expectations. You expect your first-rounder to start as a rookie and, hopefully, flourish by his second year. You hope your second-rounder can start if called upon but otherwise becomes an immediate contr ..read more

How’s this for irony: The reason the defensive-starved Las Vegas Raiders likely won’t have a shot at selecting one of the top three pass rushers in the 2023 NFL draft is because of a play made by three offensive players who might not be on the team next season. When right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and tight end Foster Moreau sealed off the right side of the line to spring running back Josh Jacobs for an 86-yard, walkoff touchdown run in overtime against Seattle, it likely meant the team won’t have a top-5 – or maybe even a top-10 – draft pick. With 33 carries for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns, Ja ..read more

Quarterback Lamar Jackson is just the tip of the undrafted free agent iceberg for Baltimore. The Ravens have several other major free agent decisions looming, including cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Kyle Fuller, edge rushers Justin Houston and Jason Pierre-Paul and newly acquired linebacker Roquan Smith, all of whom will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. However, Odafe Oweh, the Raven’s first-rounder in 2021, will likely replace JPP, and 2022 second-round pick David Ojabo was rated as a first-rounder before suffering a torn Achilles. He’s still aiming to play this season. T ..read more

As many as seven teams could be interested in drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Problem is, only three are widely considered locks for the first round. Still, the 2023 QB Class is much stronger than last year’s group, so teams that reach for one in the first round – and there will be at least one team that does so – should still get a relatively solid player capable of starting as a rookie. Overall, a whopping 11 QBs are ranked among the top-100 prospects in the latest Fanspeak-Jake Rigdon big board. Of course, those rankings will change in the coming months, plu ..read more

This time last year, Chattanooga guard Cole Strange was barely on my draft radar. I had seen a few blurbs about him, but most of the information back then came from sites that only track and pay close attention to small school prospects. Finally — finally — I felt like I couldn’t keep Strange off my Fanspeak-Jake Rigdon big board any longer, so he made his debut on Oct. 20 as the No. 242 overall prospect. And, slowly but surely, more draft analysts started to talk about the interior lineman, and he began to climb up the various big board rankings. So, after awhile, I did what everyone does the ..read more

This was a difficult mock draft to put together. It’s possible that no quarterback is drafted in the top 10. In fact, there’s not even a consensus QB-1A. Start with everything we believe to be true: You can find quality offensive tackles, cornerbacks and receivers, but you won’t find a running back or tight end until Day 2. Need an interior offensive lineman? There are three to choose from who are ranked in the first-round. This year compares to last year in terms of the number of quality pass rushers. Now consider the factors that muddy the draft waters: Six of the top 10 prospects come wi ..read more

The very first Fanspeak-Jake Rigdon big board for the 2022 NFL draft should have provided some clues. At the very top of the list was Oregon edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, followed closely by LSU cornerback Derek Stingley. Quarterbacks Sam Howell of North Carolina and Spencer Rattler of Oklahoma were next, with Texas A&M offensive “tackle” Kenyon Green filling out the top-5. It all made so much sense back then. Thibodeaux and Stingley were supposed to be generational talents. The scrappy Howell helped make North Carolina relevant again. As for Rattler? The Rigdon big board went out on a limb by n ..read more

Arizona has had an interesting offseason. First and foremost is the status of quarterback Kyler Murray. He allegedly wants out, but Cards’ GM Steve Keim recently told reporters there’s “zero chance” of that happening. The team also lost its best receiver from last season and the franchise’s all-time sacks leader. Sure, there was some good news, too. New free agent acquisitions Will Hernandez should start at guard, while linebacker Nick Vigil should at the very least provide depth at inside linebacker. And there were a few “boom or bust” moves. Does re-signed receiver A.J. Green have anything l ..read more

You have to give Miami credit – the Dolphins aren’t shy about drafting offensive linemen. The team has drafted at least one offensive lineman in 21 out of the past 22 drafts. That includes taking at least one tackle in 16 of those years, with six tackles drafted in the first round and two in the second. Miami has also drafted 10 guards and three centers since 2020. And yet, two of the team’s projected starters are free agent signings – and the offensive line could still be the team’s weak link. Miami finished last season with the worst offensive line in the league, according to Pro Football Fo ..read more

What do you give the team that finished with the No. 1-ranked defense last season? More defensive players, of course. Although Buffalo has needs at receiver, guard and running back, the Bills may take a proactive approach to the upcoming draft and add more defensive players with an eye on potential free agent losses next year and beyond. Buffalo has eight picks in the April 28-30 draft, including three of the top-90 picks. The team drafted four defensive players last year, including pass rusher Gregory Rousseau, defensive lineman Boogie Basham and defensive backs Damar Hamlin at safety and Rac ..read more