NFL Player News

The Panthers selected Legette in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 32nd overall.

Legette (6-foot-1, 223 pounds) is a uniquely explosive athlete (4.39-second 40, 40-inch vertical) for such a heavy receiver, and in 2023 his production at South Carolina went crazy as he made big play after big play downfield. He's more comfortable running in a straight line than sideways, which limits the number of ways you can get him the ball and makes it easier for defenses to stop him once opponents determine which parts of the field he'll avoid. While he showed great hands and even yards-after-the-catch ability in 2023, Legette might face more jamming troubles from NFL corners, which would threaten to delay his otherwise compelling downfield speed. Indeed, it's a red flag that he was so athletically explosive all along but couldn't produce until his fifth collegiate season. Given Bryce Young's 2023 struggles, it is in any case difficult to see much fantasy opportunity for Legette in 2024 specifically.

The 49ers selected Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 31st overall.

This pick was very much unexpected and certainly won't do anything to quiet the trade rumors surrounding both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. The 49ers presumably wouldn't pick Pearsall in the first round to play the function of the WR3 role in San Francisco; they use the fullback position too much to make it worth it. Regardless of what the 49ers' front office might be up to, Pearsall is a very likable prospect out of Florida (and Arizona State before that). Pearsall (6-foot-1, 189 pounds) was an above-baseline producer for Florida and Arizona State on target shares in the low-20 percents, which are generally figures that imply WR2 or WR3 utility at the next level. Even if he's not a WR1, there's reason to think Pearsall can be uniquely explosive with WR2-type usage, especially after he dominated the combine with a 4.41-second 40, 42-inch vertical, 129-inch broad jump and 6.64-second three-cone drill.

The Chiefs selected Worthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 28th overall.

The Chiefs traded up from the 32nd pick to secure Worthy, the owner of the fastest combine 40 time on record (4.21 seconds). Worthy (5-foot-11, 165 pounds) and free-agent pickup Marquise Brown are both tiny speedsters who are loath to face much physicality from a defense, so it remains to be seen how well the two coexist in 2024, but in the meantime it's clear that the Chiefs are hammering a speed emphasis this offseason. Despite Worthy's struggles with contact and his history of dropped passes at Texas, he could prove uniquely dangerous with a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes.

The Bears selected Odunze in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, ninth overall.

Chicago has changed the outlook of its entire offense in the first 10 picks of the draft by scooping quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick and pairing him with a top-flight receiver in Odunze. The Washington product, and top target of Michael Penix, sports a great combination of on-field production and athletic measurables. Odunze racked up 24 touchdowns in the last three seasons along with two 1,000-yard seasons. At the combine, he checked in at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds with 4.45 speed. He has the long speed to win downfield, the size to make contested catches, and the route-running ability to be deployed at any level of the field. For fantasy, he joins a crowded receiver group that already features DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. However, there's still room for Odunze to produce as a rookie thanks to his talent and versatility.

The Giants selected Nabers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, sixth overall.

Nabers (6-feet, 200 pounds) is the latest top wideout prospect out of LSU, hopefully following a successful path like Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase before him. Nabers was wildly productive for the Tigers, drawing a mammoth 31.6 percent target share in 2023 even while sharing the offense with fellow soon-to-be NFL wideout Brian Thomas. To draw that many targets at a 68.5 percent catch rate and 12.1 yards per target is a dizzying level of dominance, and it's made more impressive yet by the fact that Nabers won't turn 21 until July 28. Since Nabers is so young it might make a fast start difficult, especially in an offense as challenged as the Giants, but the other side of the coin is that it also means he might not be done improving anytime soon. Although he's not a big wideout Nabers plays fearlessly and should apply well at all levels of the field, though there's no doubt that it's Nabers' rare big-play ability -- both downfield and after the catch -- that makes his upside scenario so particularly intriguing. Hopefully the Giants' passing game woes can resolve themselves, perhaps largely thanks to Nabers' arrival.

The Cardinals selected Harrison in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, fourth overall.

Sharing the same name as his star NFL wideout father, the younger Harrison somehow heads into the NFL with even higher expectations out of Ohio State than the senior Harrison did out of Syracuse in 1996. Although not quite as fast as his father, the younger Harrison is much bigger (6-foot-3, 209 pounds) and seemingly possesses much of the same technical prowess that made the senior Harrison a Hall of Fame receiver and Peyton Manning's all-time leading target. Harrison is so technically sharp that the game looks almost effortless to him, and he brings enough speed to threaten all levels of the field on almost any play design. For the Cardinals it's a near lock that Harrison immediately establishes himself as the team's WR1, and potentially by a significant margin. Indeed, it seems like Harrison's competition for targets is tight end Trey McBride rather than the likes of wideouts Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch. There's a good chance that Harrison proves the best NFL wideout between himself and former Ohio State teammates Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba after logging back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons at over 10.0 yards per target the last two years.

Brown (knee) signed a three-year, $96 million extension with the Eagles on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Rumors emerged early in the offseason that Brown was on his way out of Philadelphia after a disappointing close to the 2023 campaign. He did his best to shut the speculation down, and this extension -- which reportedly includes $84 million in guaranteed money -- should squash any lingering doubt as to his future with the Eagles as he's now under contract through 2029. Brown -- who is bouncing back from a knee issue that he sustained in the Eagles' regular-season finale -- has had two standout seasons with the team, topping 1,450 in each year with 18 total touchdowns.

Bateman signed a two-year contract extension Wednesday.

Bateman was already under contract through the upcoming season in the final year of his rookie deal, but the Ravens had until May 2 to decide whether to exercise the receiver's $14.44 million team option for 2025. By reaching an extension with Bateman, the Ravens will no longer have to decide on whether to exercise or decline the option, as he's now on the team's books through 2026. The 24-year-old appeared in 16 of the Ravens' 17 regular-season games this past season, catching 32 of 56 targets for 367 yards and one touchdown. Despite Bateman's underwhelming production during his third NFL season, head coach John Harbaugh noted earlier in the offseason that he views the wideout as a candidate to "take a big step" forward in 2024, per Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site. The Ravens' pass-catching corps should look mostly similar in 2024 as it did in 2023, as No. 1 wideout Zay Flowers is entering his second season and standout tight end Mark Andrews is back in the fold, though Odell Beckham is currently a free agent and may not be brought back.

The Bengals exercised Chase's $21.82 million team option for 2025 on Wednesday.

Cincinnati's decision to exercise the fifth-year option on Chase's rookie contract comes as little surprise with the 24-year-old having emerged as one of the NFL's top receivers since getting drafted with the No. 5 overall pick in 2021. During this past season, Chase recorded a career-high 100 catches (on 145 targets) for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns over 16 games.

St. Brown and the Lions reached agreement Tuesday on a four-year extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Rapoport relays that St. Brown's deal is worth more than $120 million, including $77 million guaranteed. If those numbers hold up when more details come out, St. Brown will tie Tyreek Hill's for average annual value ($30 million) for a receiver and have the stand-alone record for money guaranteed. Of course, he probably won't hold those records for long, as the list of star wideouts nearing the end of their rookie contracts includes Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Ja'Marr Chase. In any case, St. Brown has improved his receiving volume and fantasy production with each passing season in the NFL, and he should have another big year in 2024 while catching passes from quarterback Jared Goff in an offense that will be coordinated by Ben Johnson for at least one more season.