NFL Player News

The Saints selected Lance in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 136th overall.

Lance (6-foot-3, 204 pounds) boasts adequate size to complement his explosive athletic trades (4.34 40-yard dash), and he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his two seasons as a starter at North Dakota State (five years total). He showed especially well on deep routes in 2025, when he logged a career-best 21.5 yards per catch across 13 games as a fifth-year senior. To compete for more than a rotational role at the NFL level, Lance will need to significantly expand his route tree, but in New Orleans' crowded wide receiver room there may not be much pressure to develop into more than a situational playmaker. All of Devaughn Vele (shoulder), Mason Tipton (groin), Bub Means (lower leg), Kevin Austin, Trey Palmer (ankle), Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder), Ronnie Bell and Samori Toure represent competition for Lance to earn wide receiver reps behind Chris Olave (illness) and No. 8 overall pick Jordyn Tyson.

The Bills drafted Bell in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 125th overall.

Bell jumped up draft boards as a senior, compiling 101 catches for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns for UConn while leading FBS with seven 100-yard receiving efforts. He sports adequate size at 6-foot, 192 pounds, and he has an above-average ability to get open, but he's struggled with drops throughout his college career, amassing 24 over his four years as a regular contributor. He joins a Buffalo wideout room that has already added talent this offseason by trading for wideout DJ Moore from the Bears, but the club stood pat at wideout in the draft until Bell. Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer (ankle) and Keon Coleman all remain on the roster for Buffalo heading into 2026, so Bell may be hard-pressed to earn regular snaps and will likely be primarily relegated to a special-teams role as a rookie. That said, the Bills' receiving unit hasn't been among the better rooms in recent seasons, so there could be room for him to etch out a role in the future if Bell impresses the coaching staff.

The Steelers selected Wetjen in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 121st overall.

Wetjen (5-foot-9, 193 pounds) will have his arrival in Pittsburgh's wide receiver corps overshadowed by rookie second-round pick Germie Bernard, which is reasonable given the former's undersized frame and lack of top-end speed (4.47 40-yard dash). While Wetjen could provide competition for depth wideouts Ben Skowronek and A.T. Perry this offseason, his best odds of contributing as a rookie will be in the return game, as he led the FBS with an average of 26.8 yards per punt return in his 2025 season at Iowa, returning three punts (as well as one kickoff) for a touchdown. It will be a surprise if Wetjen doesn't challenge Donte Kent (ankle) for the top punt returner gig immediately.

The Ravens selected Sarratt in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 115th overall.

Sarratt navigates his way to the NFL ranks after an impressive collegiate campaign, going out on top with a national championship at Indiana while compiling 62 catches for 802 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. Sarratt doesn't boast world-class speed but moves decently for a player with a 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame, running a 4.53 40-time at his Pro Day. He owns a decent arsenal of release packages and is comfortable working in traffic, which will likely be necessary for him at the next level. Sarratt joins a wideout room filled with recent draft picks behind starters Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, including 2026 third-round pick Ja'Kobi Lane and 2024 fourth-round pick Devontez Walker, and Sarratt will be tasked with challenging that duo for positioning on the depth chart. Sarratt will also likely be a special-teams candidate for the Ravens as a rookie.

The Chargers selected Thompson in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 105th overall.

Thompson is a speedster who put up eye-popping numbers in Jeff Lebby's offense at Mississippi State in 2025, racking up 57 grabs for 1,054 yards and six touchdowns. He's undersized at 5-foot-9, 166 pounds, however, he possesses blazing speed, posting a 4.26 40-time at the NFL Combine, which isn't surprising given his track background. The Chargers already have a trio of impressive receivers in Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre' Harris, but Thompson could slot in behind that group and see the field in the slot if McConkey needs a breather or misses any time.

The Dolphins selected Bell (ACL) in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 94th overall.

Bell (6-foot-2, 222 pounds) may have been a first-round prospect if not for the fact that he's recovering from ACL surgery undergone in mid-December, so it's unsurprising to see the WR-needy Dolphins trade up with Denver to end his slide. Miami already selected WR Caleb Douglas and TE Will Kacmarek in the third round, but Bell is the most intriguing playmaker of that group, to the point that it wouldn't be a surprising outcome for him to surpass Malik Washingtonand Jalen Tolbert as the top WR for new quarterback Malik Willis, health permitting. Bell was a three-year starter at Louisville but didn't break out as the team's No. 1 option until 2025, when he compiled 72 catches, a team-high 917 receiving yards and six touchdowns across 11 games. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Bell has already progressed enough in his rehab to have resumed running at 18-plus miles per hour, and the wideout said in late February that he expects to be ready for training camp.

The Bears selected Thomas in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 89th overall.

Though he primarily operated on the boundary as a starter at LSU, Thomas showed his versatility in motions and backfield action, and he also has the experience on special teams as a returner on kickoffs and punts that should help him contribute immediately to the Bears. Thomas' speed and acceleration means he is a threat to make a game-altering play any time he touches the ball, which makes him an intriguing playmaker in the offensive scheme of head coach Ben Johnson. There's a real chance that Thomas beats out Jahdae Walker and Kalif Raymond to earn the Bears' WR3 job behind Rome Odunze and Luther Burden.

The Buccaneers selected Hurst in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 84th overall.

Hurst probably fell this far out of plain-old bias against small-school players, and if so the Buccaneers should consider themselves lucky that the Georgia State star fell to them in the third round. He's big at 6-foot-4, 206 pounds and has the long-range speed (4.42-second 40) to thrive as a downfield-oriented 'X' receiver. The Buccaneers lost Mike Evans this offseason, but Hurst really does pose a similar dynamic, comparing more closely yet to Nico Collins.

The Panthers selected Brazzell in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 83rd overall.

Brazzell posted an impressive 4.37-second 40-yard dash time at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, and that speed -- coupled with a 6-foot-4 frame -- served him well during his four-year college career. He spent his final two years in Tennessee and was named to both the All-American Third-Team and All-SEC First-Team in 2025 after catching 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns across 12 games. Brazzell has no trouble getting to top speed, making him a dangerous deep threat that can win any jump ball, though his route-running tree and run blocking will both need to improve at the NFL level. With 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan leading the Panthers' pass-catching group, Brazzell's main competition for targets from QB Bryce Young will come from Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette.

The Ravens selected Lane in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 80th overall.

Lane spent his entire three-year college career in USC, with 2024 being arguably his most productive season with 43 catches for 525 yards and a team-leading 12 touchdowns across 13 games. He saw his receiving numbers increase in 2025 (49 catches for 745 yards), though he hauled in only four touchdowns across 11 games. Lane stands tall at 6-foot-4 with a long catch radius and large hands, and he also excelled as a blocker in the run game. He had issues separating from defenders in college and lacks experience on special teams, but that might not matter, as a strong offseason and training camp could establish Lane as the Ravens' WR3 behind Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman (illness).