NFL Player News

The Rams selected Keenan in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 232nd overall.

Keenan spent all five years of his college career in Alabama, serving as a full-time starter at nose tackle from 2023 to 2025. His most productive season came in 2024, when he posted 40 total tackles, including 2.5 sacks, and one pass defense across 13 games, which was in stark contrast to the numbers he put up in 2025 (16 total tackles over 12 games). Keenan is on the shorter side at 6-foot-1 but is hard to move at 327 pounds. That size, coupled with instinctual play and refined hands, means he can be effective in clogging up the run lanes at the NFL level. Poona Ford should be the Rams' starting nose tackle in 2026, so Keenan's main competition for rotational snaps will come from 2025 fifth-rounder Ty Hamilton.

The Falcons selected Onianwa in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 231st overall.

Onianwa (6-foot-6, 333 pounds) began his collegiate career in a depth role at Rice in 2021 before stepping into a starting role at right tackle from 2022-23 and at left tackle in 2024, though he bumped down to a reserve role at guard upon transferring to Ohio State in 2025 and played just 96 offensive snaps. The 22-year-old projects as a developmental project for Atlanta due to the upside his size and athleticism provide, and as a rookie he could provide Kyle Hinton and Andrew Stueber competition for a reserve gig behind starting guards Matthew Bergeron and Chris Lindstrom.

The Steelers selected Heidenrich in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 230th overall.

Heidenrich is arguably the most versatile back in the draft, racking up not only 77 carries for 499 yards and three touchdowns, but also adding 51 catches for a whopping 941 yards and six touchdowns in a triple-option Navy offense that doesn't typically throw the ball that often. He figures to be more of a receiving back similar to a Danny Woodhead or Darren Sproles but could be a unique player with a creative offensive coordinator. Heidenrich's top-end speed isn't off the charts, and he's not the most elusive back in the draft. He'll have to earn his way up the depth chart in the Steel City and may be asked to contribute on special teams to keep his spot on the 53-man roster.

The Jets selected Payne in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 228th overall.

Payne started 42 games as a four-year defensive back at Kansas State. In his final season, Payne posted 59 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and an interception. The 22-year-old is a dependable tackler who played all around the formation in college. There's still work to do in coverage, but he's big (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) with some of the longest arms for a safety in the draft (33 and 6/8 inches), and his athleticism (4.40 40-yard dash) should make him a strong special-teams option if he can't crack the defensive rotation right away.

The Raiders selected Cleveland in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 229th overall.

Cleveland was a distinguished two-gap tackle for North Carolina State, and one way or another he should prove a useful enough pick for the Raiders this late. The concern with Cleveland's NFL projection is that at 6-foot-3, 307 pounds, he doesn't have as much natural anchor as you'd like in a nose tackle, especially given Cleveland's lack of explosiveness otherwise. Cleveland has only one calling card -- eating interior blocks to crowd the ground game -- but it's not clear if his anchor will set well enough to play as well in the NFL as it did in college.

The Bengals selected Robinson in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 226th overall.

Robinson (6-foot, 287 pounds), out of Navy, will add depth to Cincinnati's interior defensive line, which got a tremendous boost after the team traded the No. 10 overall pick to trade for Dexter Lawrence from the Giants and also inked Jonathan Allen to a two-year deal in free agency. Though undersized, Robinson boasts impressive strength and is capable of manufacturing pressure, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him carve out a rotational gig early in his NFL career.

Carolina selected Kuwatch in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 227th overall.

Kuwatch transferred from Ohio State to Miami (Ohio) in 2023, but he didn't become a full-time starter on defense until his senior year in 2025, when he was named to the All-MAC Third-Team after logging 109 total tackles, including 5.0 sacks, and one pass defense across 14 games. Kuwatch served as the RedHawks' middle linebacker, and his experience on special teams during his five-year college career could help him earn a spot on the Panthers' 53-man roster for the 2026 season. He'll enter the offseason program and training camp competing for a depth spot at inside linebacker against the likes of Claudin Cherelus, Bam Martin-Scott and Isaiah Simmons.

The Titans selected Kanak in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 225th overall.

Kanak spent his entire four-year collegiate career in Norman with Oklahoma, but it wasn't until his senior season that he saw the field. He didn't disappoint in 2025, compiling 44 catches for 533 yards while dropping just one pass. Kanak is severely undersized for the tight end position at just 6-foot-2, 234 pounds, but he at least makes up for that with a 4.52 40-yard dash time. It remains to be seen if he can stick at tight end in the long run, but he has plenty of special-teams work on his resume and will likely be asked to contribute on that front in Nashville this fall.

The Steelers selected Spears-Jennings in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 224th overall.

It's not often that you see multi-year starting safeties with 4.32 speed fall to the seventh round, but for Spears-Jennings (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) that's exactly what happened after starting at Oklahoma the last two years. Spears-Jennings is a fearless and explosive safety but one whose otherwise uncommon athleticism has proven difficult to harness effectively. Despite his speed, it was challenging for Spears-Jennings to maintain his coverage assignments, and in pursuit he's liable to misfire. The positive news is that even if he never improves at all, Spears-Jennings should be a capable special-teams contributor.

The Commanders selected Kaliakmanis in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 223rd overall.

Kaliakmanis was a full-time starter at Minnesota in 2023 before transferring to Rutgers for his final two seasons. As a fifth-year senior, Kaliakmanis completed 52 percent of his passes for 3,124 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions while connecting on 28 passes for 20-plus yards. He didn't add much with his legs and likely won't in the NFL after running a 4.92 40-yard dash at his pro day. Still, Kaliakmanis has a good enough arm to give him a strong chance to earn the No. 3 quarterback job behind Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Marcus Mariota.