NFL Player News

The Packers selected Reed in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 50th overall.

Reed was not generally expected to go this early, but the former Michigan State/Western Michigan standout is a likable prospect. Reed initially torched as a true freshman at Western Michigan in 2018 before transferring to Michigan State, where he tended to blend in to the mediocre Spartans offense. Reed is more of a WR2/WR3 sort of prospect due to his slight frame (5-foot-11, 187 pounds) and merely adequate athleticism (4.45-second 40), but Reed's production at both schools clearly indicate a starter-level skill set. Reed was also an excellent punt returner in college, scoring thrice and averaging a stellar 15.3 yards per return. Reed should have a solid chance of cracking the top third of Green Bay's receiver depth chart as a rookie.

The Panthers selected Mingo in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 39th overall.

Carolina gets a passing game weapon to pair with first overall pick, Bryce Young. A fellow SEC product, Mingo never truly dominated at Mississippi but he did break out as a senior with 51 catches for 861 yards and five touchdowns on 92 targets. His selling point has less to do with his production and more to do with his athleticism. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds with 10.38-inch hands, Mingo ran an impressive 4.46 in the 40 and his jumps ranked in the 89th percentile among receivers. As it stands, Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and Terrace Marshall project as the top three wideouts, but each of them are far from sure things to earn starter-level snaps all season. With that, there's a chance Mingo works his way into the target rotation as the 2023 season unfolds.

The 49ers picked up the fifth-year option on Aiyuk's rookie contract Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

San Francisco thus will lock in one of their top skill-position threats through the 2024 season. The 25th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, Aiyuk is coming off his first 1,000-yard season, settling with a 78-1,015-8 line on a career-high 114 targets. In the fall, he'll continue to work in tandem with fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the 49ers' starting lineup.

Osborn faces more competition for snaps and targets after the Vikings drafted WR Jordan Addison at No. 23 overall Thursday night, Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune reports.

Osborn took 60 percent of his snaps in the slot last year, while Addison mostly figures to play outside and take snaps/targets that previously went to Adam Thielen, who is now with the Panthers after going for 70/716/6 on 107 targets his final season in Minnesota. Addison won't automatically get more targets than Thielen did last season, but the rookie nonetheless could impact Osborn's playing time and thus receiving volume, especially given the Vikings spent big on No. 2 TE Josh Oliver earlier this offseason. The Oliver signing figures to inspire more two-TE sets than the Vikings used last year, and there's a good chance Osborn, rather than Addison, is the odd man out for those formations.

Palmer is part of a WR room that now includes 21st overall pick Quentin Johnston in addition to veterans Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.

In other words, Palmer may slide down to fourth or fifth on the depth chart, after starting 11 games last season and drawing 107 targets. His volume was aided by both Allen and Williams missing significant chunks of time, and Palmer averaged only 10.7 yards per catch and 7.2 per target -- identical to his marks on 49 targets as a rookie the year before. The 2021 third-round pick could still be given a chance to compete with Johnston for the No. 3 job, and even if Palmer loses that battle he'd likely be one injury away from rejoining the top three.

The Ravens have added Odell Beckham and first-round pick Zay Flowers to their WR room since signing Agholor in March, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

At the time he signed, Agholor didn't appear to have much competition for a top-three role, with Rashod Bateman (foot) and Devin Duvernay (foot) being the only other Baltimore receivers with significant experience as starters in the NFL. The team always figured to add more talent, but the double-dip on large investments probably pushes Agholor down to fourth or fifth on the depth chart, which is where he spent a chunk of last season in New England, bouncing in and out of the starting lineup. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is at least secure in terms of his roster spot, as his one-year, $3.25 million contract reportedly is fully guaranteed.

GM Monti Ossenfort indicated that he doesn't expect the Cardinals to trade Hopkins during the NFL Draft, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports.

When asked if the veteran wideout might be on the move as the draft progresses, Ossenfort noted Thursday, "I don't foresee that happening," adding "DeAndre's a Cardinal...and we're moving forward." That said, considering Hopkins' looming $30.75 million salary cap hit in 2023, it's possible that offseason trade speculation regarding the 30-year-old could linger after the draft is over. For now, however, Hopkins sits atop an Arizona WR depth chart that also includes Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore. In nine games with the Cards last season, Hopkins recorded a 64/717/3 receiving line.

The Vikings selected Addison in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 23rd overall.

Addison is slightly built at 5-foot-11, 173 pounds, but the former USC and Pittsburgh star produced at a level in college that makes his skill set beyond question. Addison's skill level is basically off the charts, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to catch 160 passes at Pittsburgh before turning 20 years old. It's highly unusual for a wide receiver to produce the volume Addison did at Pittsburgh (2,259 yards and 21 touchdowns) while maintaining the efficiency he did (68.4 percent catch rate, 9.7 yards per target). Because he's so light it's unlikely that Addison will bully anyone at the catch point, but his ability to separate from defenders and snatch the ball from the air is stuff you don't see often. Justin Jefferson is the unquestioned WR1 in Minnesota, but Addison could prove himself overqualified as a WR2 in time.

The Ravens selected Flowers in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 22nd overall.

Baltimore's spotty track record with drafting receivers in the first round aside, Flowers fills an immediate need for the Ravens with Rashod Bateman's injury track record and Odell Beckham being on just a one-year deal. The Boston College product was the third receiver taken in this class and he has impressive production in his prospect profile. Flowers (5-foot-9, 182 pounds, 4.42 40) caught 29 touchdowns over four seasons while carrying what was an otherwise anemic passing attack. It will be a challenge for Flowers to ascend in the target pecking order with Bateman, Beckham and Mark Andrews in the fold, but he could have the inside track at a slot role in a new-look offense designed by Todd Monken.

The Chargers selected Johnston in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 21st overall.

Wide receiver was a need for the Chargers and that market was slow to develop in the first round, which worked out in their favor. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the first receiver off the board the pick right before and now Johnston is headed to Los Angeles. Johnston isn't a perfect prospect -- there are questions about his route-running and whether the athletic dominance he showed against Big 12 competition at TCU will translate after running a 4.51 40 at his pro day -- but he's the most projectable outside receiver in this class at 6-foot-3. He projects to line up opposite Mike Williams with Keenan Allen in the slot. Johnston may be fourth in the target pecking order when the season starts, but there are durability concerns with the other Charger receivers. In all, this is a solid landing spot for Johnston, who now has a chance to be fantasy-relevant as a rookie in an explosive passing attack.