NFL Player News

The Giants took Kadarius Toney with the 20th overall pick Thursday night, making for a more crowded receiving corps.

Slayton was already getting squeezed by the Kenny Golladay signing, and now he has another ostensibly prominent receiver with whom to compete. Sterling Shepard and tight end Evan Engram are around, too, and tailback Saquon Barkley will see looks out of the backfield, making it hard to see Slayton increasing his target share this year.

The Ravens selected Bateman in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, 27th overall.

Bateman (6-foot, 190 pounds) is a bit light and doesn't offer burning athleticism, but he's an above average athlete overall (4.43 40, 36-inch vertical) and otherwise offers a strong skill set out of Minnesota. The Ravens badly lacked wide receiver talent in 2020, as Marquise Brown was overmatched in a WR1 capacity and the likes of Miles Boykin and Willie Snead mostly went nowhere. Now Lamar Jackson has an advanced technician in Bateman to throw to underneath and in the intermediate, while Brown and free agent pickup Sammy Watkins should give the safeties something to think about over the top. It's not the ideal landing spot for Bateman's fantasy prospects since the target volume might be lacking in Baltimore's run-heavy offense, but he should be a distinctly positive presence in real football terms.

The Giants selected Toney in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, 20th overall.

The Giants traded back from their original 11th overall pick, and at their new spot they reeled in Toney to add some speed and yards-after-the-catch ability at receiver. Toney broke out late at Florida and probably can't offer much in the way of polished route running, but he's supremely explosive and in the meantime his ability to turn short catches into big yardage could earn his way into playing time early on in the 2021 season. The problem as of the draft's first round is that Toney projects to run routes primarily where Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram do already, so ideally the Giants would move one or both so that Toney can draw targets inside while Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton run routes on the outside.

The Eagles selected Smith in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, 10th overall.

The Eagles traded a third-round pick to move up from the 12th spot, with a division rival no less (Dallas). Smith won the Heisman Trophy after a ruthless 2020 showing where he totaled 117 receptions for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns on 148 targets, and the Eagles were understandably impressed. Smith is very skinny at 6-foot, 166 pounds, but his functional athleticism is at a standout level and his skill set is unmatched. Smith offers a polished skill set to complement Jalen Reagor, who's lighter on skill and more so offers field-stretching athleticism. It's perhaps not the greatest landing spot since new quarterback Jalen Hurts figures to run a fair amount more than most other quarterbacks, but Smith should do his part.

The Dolphins selected Waddle in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, sixth overall.

Waddle (5-foot-10, 180) is a uniquely explosive player and in Miami he'll reunite with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who helped make Waddle an incomparable big-play threat at Alabama. On just 133 collegiate targets Waddle produced 1,999 yards (15.0 YPT) and 17 touchdowns, and if he had run a 40-yard dash before the draft it likely would have been well below the 4.40-second mark. Will Fuller is an excellent big-play threat for Miami but he's suspended for one game and only on a one-year deal, so Waddle could make a short-term impact in addition to his very likely long-term contributions.

The Bengals selected Chase in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, fifth overall.

The 2019 Biletnikoff Award winner, given to the most outstanding receiver in college football, is reunited with his former quarterback in Cincinnati. Burrow and Chase helped create one of the most electric passing games in college football history with Chase catching 84 of 126 targets for 1,780 yards (14.1 YPT) and 20 touchdowns in 14 games. Chase (6-foot, 201 pounds) opted out of the 2020 season but reminded everyone why he was the best receiver prospect in this class at LSU's Pro Day by running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and posting a 41-inch vertical. He projects to be an instant impact player opposite Tee Higgins in the Cincinnati offense.

Pringle signed his original-round tender with the Chiefs on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Pringle will play out the 2021 campaign on a one-year deal worth $2.18 million with the Chiefs. The departure of Sammy Watkins could foreshadow Pringle handling increased opportunities this season, though No. 3 receiver Demarcus Robinson did also re-up with Kansas City on a one-year contract.

The Panthers are exercising their fifth-year option on Moore's rookie contract, keeping him under team control through 2022, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

This was a foregone conclusion, with Moore producing 3,156 receiving yards and 234 rushing yards before his 24th birthday. He's scored only 10 touchdowns in 46 games, but the yardage should eventually translate to more trips to the end zone, especially if the Panthers can find a franchise QB. The team has Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker and Will Grier under contract ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.

While Kupp's position on the depth chart is secure, Los Angeles could select a wide receiver in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

With the expected quarterback upgrade following the offseason acquisition of Matthew Stafford, Kupp projects to have another rock-solid fantasy showing. He's recorded 186 receptions, 2,135 yards and 13 touchdowns through 31 games over the past two years and should again be one of the most reliable fantasy receivers in 2021.

Wilson signed his original-round tender with the Cowboys on Thursday.

Wilson will stick around with Dallas for a fourth straight season. He stands to provide the Cowboys both with depth in the return game, and on offense behind starters Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.