NFL NEWS

NFL DRAFT ROUND 2: OHIO STATE DT KAYDEN MCDONALD LANDS WITH TEXANS

Defensive tackle Kayden McDonald was in Pittsburgh for the NFL draft on Thursday night, and the defensive tackle watched 15 of his peers make the walk from the backstage green room to the stage to be announced as first-round selections.

The only player left in that room when the 32-player round ended was McDonald.

McDonald returned to the scene Friday night, and he didn’t have to wait long. He heard his name called early in the second round when the Houston Texans chose him with the 36th overall pick, the fourth made on Friday.

The Ohio State product who was a consensus All-American last season had tears flowing during the entire walk toward the stage. He stopped for a second to tap the Texans display on the wall.

When he got to the stage, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and McDonald conducted a long embrace, and Goodell was doing a lot of talking.

In essence, the long wait was over for McDonald, who was one of seven Buckeyes drafted in the first two rounds.

“This is emotional,” McDowell said on the ESPN broadcast. “I know I’m supposed to be here. I’m just so blessed and thankful.”

The Texans traded with the Las Vegas Raiders to move up two spots on a night in which the second and third rounds were held. When the Raiders chose at No. 38, they tabbed safety Treydan Stukes of Arizona.

The second round had a heavy defensive flavor with 22 players on that side of the ball being selected.

There was also was an impact trade announced as the Minnesota Vikings sent veteran linebacker Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a third-rounder in 2027. The Eagles also received a seventh-rounder this year in the deal.

The San Francisco 49ers started off the festivities by selecting receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who played for Ole Miss last season after spending two seasons apiece at Washington State (2021-22) and Oklahoma State (2023-24).

Two other wideouts went in the second round — Denzel Boston of Washington to the Cleveland Browns at No. 39 and Germie Bernard of Alabama to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 47.

Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood went 37th overall to the New York Giants. He was another player thought to be a possible first-rounder.

“Of course it was disappointing,” Hood said. “I know God does everything for a reason. He was probably preventing me from something or he had something better in store for me, and that being the Giants.

“I’m super excited to go into this next chapter of my life and will just go in there and give my best and give my all and be the best version of myself.”

Hood also played for Auburn (2023) and Colorado (2024) during his college career.

The Miami Dolphins appear to have made one of the best picks in the round by grabbing Texas Tech consensus All-America linebacker Jacob Rodriguez with the No. 43 pick.

Rodriguez was the face of the Red Raiders’ stunning season last year and loaded up on postseason awards, including the Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defender. He led the nation with seven forced fumbles and also intercepted four passes.

At No. 48, the Falcons tabbed Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Atlanta’s A.J. Terrell, who is entering his seventh season as a starting corner for the Falcons.

The New York Jets chose cornerback D’Angelo Ponds of national champion Indiana with the 50th overall pick. The 5-foot-8 Ponds played his first season (2023) at James Madison before following coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana and becoming one of the Hoosiers’ top defensive players.

In the first round, four Buckeyes were selected: receiver Carnell Tate, (No. 4, Tennessee Titans); linebacker Arvell Reese (No. 5, Giants); linebacker Sonny Styles (No. 7, Washington Commanders) and safety Caleb Downs (No. 11, Dallas Cowboys).

After McDonald went in the second, tight end Max Klare (No. 61, Los Angeles Rams) and cornerback Davison Igbinosun (No. 62, Buffalo Bills) went back-to-back near the end of the round.

The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks took TCU safety Bud Clark with the 64th and final pick of the second round.

2026 NFL DRAFT: BEST AVAILABLE ON DAY 3

On Saturday, we enter into the longest day of the draft, the marathon third day of the proceedings, comprising of rounds 4-7. Many gems have been discovered from this period, including franchise quarterbacks like Tom Brady, game-changing wideouts like Amon-Ra St. Brown, and crazy physical specimens like Tariq Woolen. Here are some of the players who could fit that bill in this draft class.

Zxavian Harris, DT, Ole Miss — Likely to still be on the board because of his character concerns, Harris certainly plays like someone who could have gone Day 2. With his hulking size (the rare defensive tackle who measures in over 6-foot-7 on a good day) and his impressive pass-rush numbers, a team that’s willing to take the chance on the persona could find themselves with a cornerstone defensive player.

Kyle Louis, S/LB, Pittsburgh — Perhaps Louis’ positional versatility is causing him to drop further than one would expect. Ever since the Isaiah Simmons days, teams seem more and more thrown off by guys who don’t have an immediate fit on their defense. They’re limiting themselves when it comes to Louis, though. His instincts and quick ability to turn toward the ball and pick up cleanup tackles is unmatched. It’s hard to get guys with true starter upside in Day 3.

Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas — Washington’s athleticism is some of the craziest in the class. When you’re 6-foot-1 and carrying over 230 pounds of weight behind you, it’s just not natural to run as fast as Washington does. Though he lacks third-down upside, with development and training, Washington has all the tools to develop into a top-tier starting running back if he’s given patience. Just don’t ask Washington to do too much receiving work too early… or blocking. Just hand the ball off to him; don’t overthink it.

Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee — Something must be very wrong with McCoy’s knee if he’s still on the board this late in the game. There have been rumors of bone spurs and multiple surgeries floating around and it’s all very much in flux. At his best, McCoy could have been the top cornerback in the class, but his bill of health just isn’t clean. At some point, he has to come off the board, but there must be something we don’t know about that has teams playing scared.

Jalon Kilgore, S, South Carolina — Kilgore was a former top 50 projected player who could slot in perfectly as a nickel back for a team that needs it. The problem is, the nickel cornerback situations around the league are pretty much sorted right now. This means that teams drafting for best player available might have to keep their eye on guys like Kilgore, who are alignment specific, to pick up value. His coverage skills are hard to find this late.

JONATHAN GREENARD, DEALT FROM VIKINGS TO EAGLES, GETS $100M EXTENSION

Pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, dealt by the Minnesota Vikings to Philadelphia on Friday, agreed to a big-money extension with the Eagles, multiple media outlets reported.

The Eagles received Greenard and a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft in exchange for a third-round pick on Friday (No. 98 overall) and a third-rounder in 2027.

Greenard then reportedly landed a four-year, $100 million extension from the Eagles, including $50 million in guaranteed money.

The 28-year-old University of Florida product is coming off a down season in which he managed just three sacks while playing 12 games (10 starts) for the Vikings.

In 2024, Greenard logged 12 sacks and four forced fumbles in 17 starts for Minnesota en route to earning Pro Bowl recognition. The year before that, with the Houston Texans, he registered a career-high 12.5 sacks in 15 games, all starts.

Houston selected Greenard in the third round of the 2020 draft. In 77 NFL games (59 starts), he has 38 sacks, one interception, 14 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Last season, the Eagles finished in the middle of the NFL with 42 sacks, led by Jalyx Hunt with 6.5 and Moro Ojomo with six.

COWBOYS ACQUIRE 49ERS STARTING LB DEE WINTERS FOR 5TH-ROUND PICK

The Dallas Cowboys continued to bolster their defense on Friday, trading a fifth-round draft pick for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters.

Winters, 25, started all 17 regular-season games last season and had team-high 101 tackles as well as eight tackles for loss, five passes defended and one interception which he returned 74 yards for a touchdown.

A native of Brenham, Texas, Winters has 155 career tackles, eight tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, 10 passes defended and the one interception in 47 regular-season games (27 starts). Winters also has played in four playoff games (one start) and has 10 tackles.

San Francisco selected Winters in the sixth round of the 2023 draft out of TCU.

The 49ers now have the 152nd overall pick that belonged to the Cowboys, who went defense in the first round on Thursday by selecting Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (11th overall) and UCF pass rusher Malachi Lawrence (23rd). Dallas did not have a second-round pick.

The Cowboys traded defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers for a third-round pick (92nd overall) on March 11.

COWBOYS, RAVENS SQUARE OFF FOR NFL’S FIRST GAME IN RIO IN SEPTEMBER

The Dallas Cowboys will play the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL’s first game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the league announced on Friday.

The Cowboys had been announced in early February for the game but not the opponent nor the date, which is Sunday, Sept. 27, at 4:25 p.m. ET at Maracana Stadium. The game will be carried on CBS and Paramount+ as well as the NFL+ app.

The 78,000-seat Maracana Stadium has hosted World Cup matches and the 2016 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. The league previously announced Rio as one of its new international markets; at least three regular-season games will be played there in the next five years.

Games

“The international expansion of our great game has been remarkable,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a press release. “South America is home to some of the world’s most passionate  sports fans, including our Ravens Flock in Brazil. We look forward to playing in the iconic Maracana Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys, as our league continues to engage with fans across the globe.”

The NFL came to Brazil for the first time in 2024, and its Sao Paulo games in 2025 and 2026 were played on Friday of Week 1. The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo in 2024 and the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs there this past year at Corinthians Arena.

The league said in Friday’s release that there are more than 36 million NFL fans in Brazil.

“Playing in the legendary Maracana Stadium against the Ravens in front of such a passionate and growing fan base on a global stage will be very special for our team, our entire Cowboys organization and the millions watching back home and around the world,” Cowboys owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones said in the press release.

The NFL has scheduled a record nine international games for 2026 across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums. The cities are London, Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

The San Francisco 49ers will play the Los Angeles Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground for the NFL’s first game in Australia, but other matchups have not been announced. The 49ers also will play a regular-season game at Mexico City’s Estadio Banorte.

The NFL will play its first regular-season game in Paris this fall with the New Orleans Saints as one of the participants at Stade de France Stadium. The Atlanta Falcons are ticketed for a regular-season game in Madrid, Spain, at Bernabeu Stadium, while the Detroit Lions will play at FC Bayern Munich Stadium in Germany.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be designated as the home team for two games in London this year. The games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium will be played in consecutive weeks in October. A second game overseas was added to the Jaguars’ schedule due to the ongoing renovations at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.

The league also previously announced that the Washington Commanders will serve as the host team for a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

PACKERS EXTEND WR JAYDEN REED’S CONTRACT FOR REPORTED 3 YEARS, $50.25M

The Green Bay Packers announced the signing of wide receiver Jayden Reed to a contract extension on Friday, with ESPN reporting the deal is for three years and worth $50.25 million.

Reed, who was entering the final year of his rookie contract, will be signed through 2029. The deal includes $20 million guaranteed, Reed’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Ian Grutman told ESPN.

Reed, who turns 26 on Tuesday, is coming off of an abbreviated season marred by shoulder and foot injuries that both required surgery in Week 3.

He finished with 19 receptions on 22 targets for 207 yards and one touchdown in seven regular-season games (three starts). He also started the NFC wild-card playoff loss to the Chicago Bears and made four catches for 43 yards and a TD.

Reed has 138 receptions on 191 targets for 1,857 yards, 15 touchdowns and 13.5 yards per catch in 40 regular-season games (26 starts). He has another 12 catches for 124 yards and one TD in four playoff games (three starts).

Green Bay selected Reed in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He led the team in receiving in each of his first two seasons.

The Packers have overhauled their receiving corps, allowing Romeo Doubs to leave as a free agent for the New England Patriots and a four-year, $68 million contract in March. In early April, they traded wideout Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick and 2027 sixth-rounder.

Green Bay still has receivers Christian Watson, 26, and Matthew Golden, 22, the latter a first-round pick in 2025.

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