NFL draft

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Rookie's Contract Causes NFL Chaos
Rookie's
Contract
Causes
NFL Chaos
Jul 15, 2025 3:30 PM CDT

Rookie's Contract Causes NFL Chaos

Second-rounder Jayden Higgins got a fully guaranteed deal; now everyone wants one

(Newser) - A rookie contract in Houston has upended the NFL's off-season, but the twist is that the controversy involves players drafted in the second round, not the first. The details:
  • The Houston Texans signed second-round pick Jayden Higgins to a four-year contract for $11.7 million. The unusual part
...

Falcons, Coach Fined $350K Over Shedeur Sanders Prank

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's son leaked NFL prospect's number

(Newser) - Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, probably won't be involved in any more prank calls for a while. The NFL says the Falcons have been fined $250,000 and Jeff Ulbrich has been fined $100,000 over Friday's prank call to quarterback...

Falcons Coach's Son Pranked Shedeur Sanders During Draft

Jax Ulbrich pretended to be GM of the New Orleans Saints telling Sanders he'd been drafted

(Newser) - As Shedeur Sanders waited to get drafted , he instead got pranked: The son of an Atlanta Falcons coach, pretending to be the general manager of the New Orleans Saints, called Sanders and told him the Saints would be drafting him. Sanders, a Colorado University quarterback, was a top prospect for...

Behind the Mystifying Slide of Shedeur Sanders in NFL Draft

Colorado QB and son of Deion is finally drafted by Cleveland in the fifth round

(Newser) - Maybe the biggest story in the NFL draft centered not on the first pick but on the 144th. On Saturday, the Cleveland Browns selected Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round, reports the AP . It was a stunner because at one point, Sanders—son of former NFL phenom and...

New NFL Pick's Mom Dies Hours After Draft

Derrick Harmon, picked 21st in first round of NFL draft by Steelers, is mourning Tiffany Saine

(Newser) - "After I get off the phone with you guys, I'm going to head straight to the hospital and tell her that her son got drafted." Those were the words of Oregon Ducks defensive tackle Derrick Harmon about his sick mother right after he got scooped up by...

Here Are the Top 5 Picks in the NFL Draft

Cam Ward goes first while Shedeur Sanders is passed over multiple times

(Newser) - One of the big stories from Thursday night's NFL draft is a player who didn't get picked early: Shedeur Sanders, former quarterback for the University of Colorado Boulder, was passed over multiple times, despite some draft analysts rating him higher than the No. 1 pick. He was still...

NFL Draft Could Deliver a QB Surprise

WaPo suggests 4 quarterbacks could go in the 1st round despite 'limited star potential'

(Newser) - Quarterbacks are among the weakest position groups in the 2025 NFL draft, with "very limited star potential," according to NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein. Yet with only hours to go until the first picks, Jason La Canfora at the Washington Post has suggested four could go in the...

Why This Seemingly Meh NFL Prospect Is on the Radar

Teams see a lot of potential in Shemar Stewart, a big man with a lot of speed

(Newser) - For NFL teams, the draft is always a gamble. Even players with the best stats can fail to perform, hence the "balancing act of marrying future NFL potential with on-field production," per ESPN . This year, one defensive lineman in particular is front and center in this potential vs....

This Year's NFL Draft Poses a Rare Question

Will any NFL team let two-way phenom Travis Hunter play offense AND defense?

(Newser) - The usual question about the NFL draft is who might go first. This year, there's a second question that might be more interesting: Will any NFL team let Travis Hunter play offense and defense? The 21-year-old out of the University of Colorado is a rarity, explains NBC News : He...

He's the Big Stunner of the NFL Draft

Falcons use No. 8 pick for QB Michael Penix Jr., soon after signing veteran Kirk Cousins to a huge deal

(Newser) - When the Chicago Bears picked QB Caleb Williams first in the NFL draft, they surprised no one. When the Atlanta Falcons picked QB Michael Penix Jr. eighth in the draft, they seemed to have surprised everyone. It's going down as the stunner of the night, as sportswriters scratch their...

This Year's Top NFL Draft Picks
This Year's Top 5
NFL Draft Picks
Apr 26, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

This Year's Top 5 NFL Draft Picks

Almost the entire first half was offensive players

(Newser) - Caleb Williams swiftly walked on stage, looked out and screamed "Woooo! Yeah!" Long-suffering Bears fans felt his joy. Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades. "My goal is to get into as far as February as...

'Role Model' College Star Dies Week Before NFL Draft

UAlbany lineman AJ Simon had hopes of making it to the big leagues

(Newser) - In December, Amitral "AJ" Simon Jr. excitedly announced his "momentous decision" to enter the 2024 NFL draft. Now, just a week away from that event in Detroit, the former University at Albany defensive lineman has died at the age of 25, reports People . UAlbany's football team tweeted...

An Awkward Surprise of the NFL Draft

Kentucky QB Will Levis not selected in first round as expected, and the cameras were on it

(Newser) - The top pick overall in Thursday's NFL draft went pretty much the way everybody expected. One part of the televised night was a surprise, however: Kentucky quarterback Will Levis did not get picked by any team in the first round. ESPN had given him a 92% chance of being...

Here's the No. 1 Pick in This Year's NFL Draft

Carolina Panthers take Bryce Young at No. 1 overall in NFL draft

(Newser) - The Carolina Panthers believe they’ve finally found their franchise quarterback. The Panthers selected Alabama’s Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, the first time the team has selected a QB with the top overall pick since Cam Newton in 2011,...

'Athletic Freak' Is First Pick in the NFL Draft

Jacksonville Jaguars go with Travon Walker

(Newser) - Placing more emphasis on pro potential than college production, the Jacksonville Jaguars chose Georgia pass rusher Travon Walker with the top pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, the AP reports. The Jaguars took the 6-foot-5, 272-pound “athletic freak” over Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson, who set a school...

'One of Most Recognizable Figures' Won't Be at NFL Draft

Mel Kiper Jr. is not vaccinated against COVID-19

(Newser) - USA Today calls Mel Kiper Jr. "one of the most recognizable figures in NFL draft media"—but the ESPN NFL draft analyst won't be attending this year, because he's not vaccinated against COVID-19. "I completely support everyone determining what's best for their individual...

First-Round Pick Celebrates at Homeless Shelter

Football star Najee Harris visits a place that helped him and his family when they needed it

(Newser) - Now that he's on top, Najee Harris went back to a place that helped him when he was down. The first-round pick in the NFL draft took food on Thursday to a Bay Area homeless shelter where he and his family lived for several years when he was growing...

Jacksonville's Draft Pick 'Most Significant in Franchise History'

Trevor Lawrence was first pick in NFL draft

(Newser) - The Jacksonville Jaguars waited more than four months to make the easiest and maybe most significant pick in franchise history, the AP reports. As obvious as it was, fireworks and frivolity followed. A sold-out draft party that included 8,000 fans celebrated wildly as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped to...

People Were Really Starved for a Sporting Event

NFL Draft, held virtually, shattered viewing records

(Newser) - Seth Markman was just as nervous as NFL coaches and general managers about the unknown factors involved with a virtual draft. But the ESPN executive producer said he was overwhelmed with how everything came together as the first significant live sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic ground everything to a...

Joe Burrow Was First Pick in Unusual NFL Draft

Virtual event had relatively few glitches

(Newser) - The Cincinnati Bengals selected Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow of LSU with the first pick in an unprecedented virtual NFL draft . The biggest drama on this night wasn’t who was going to be the No. 1 pick—Burrow sewed that up a long time ago—or how the top...

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