The Browns bring in Journey for a concert before the start of the NFL draft By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer The Associated Press CLEVELAND
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns took a Journey to the first night of the NFL draft .
As if having a top-five pick didn’t create enough interest, the Browns decided to reward their season ticket holders by bringing in Journey for a concert at Huntington Bank Field before the picks began.
Brent Rossi, the Browns' chief marketing officer, said the talks about doing something beyond the usual draft party began at the end of last season, when the Browns finished 3-14 and secured their 14th top-10 draft pick since returning in 1999.
In a third-party survey, the Browns found the top three rock bands by season ticket holders to be Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Journey.
Since there’s no hope for another Zeppelin reunion and the Stones played in Cleveland last year, the option ended up being Journey.
“When you have a chance to marry one of the NFL’s tentpole events with a band like Journey, it was a no-brainer for us in something that we wanted to do for season ticket members, especially showing so much loyalty over the last decades and last year when the product on the field didn’t live up to expectations,” Rossi said.
It's not the first time an NFL team has tried to bring in a big act for the draft. The Los Angeles Chargers had Snoop Dogg at SoFi Stadium in 2022 during the first round.
Season ticket holders received free tickets equaling the number of seats in their account. The Browns said final attendance was 25,081.
Fans were tailgating in the parking lots before the concert started.
Cleveland also had a first-round pick for the first time since 2021. They sent three first-round selections to Houston in the Deshaun Watson trade and signed him to a massive contract in what is on pace to become one of the worst trades in NFL history.
Journey came on at 6:45 p.m. and was expected to play for 90 minutes, finishing their set right before the Browns were supposed to go on the clock with the second-overall pick. Cleveland, however, made a trade with Jacksonville and moved down three spots to fifth along with adding picks in the second and fourth rounds and the Jaguars' first-round selection in 2026.
It took only three songs for the 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees to play what could be the theme tune for all the teams this weekend and a franchise that has had only four winning seasons since 1999 — “Don't Stop Believing.”
The Browns have tied into the city’s rock heritage in recent seasons, including a guitarist in the Dawg Pound bleacher section during games.
Last year, the team honored the Rock Hall’s Class of 2024 during a game. Foreigner, who was inducted that weekend, performed at halftime.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Green Bay and Lambeau Field provide a festive setting for the first night of the NFL draft By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer The Associated Press GREEN BAY, Wis.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Andy Neumann moved out of Wisconsin a dozen years ago and now lives in Georgia, where he generally doesn’t have to worry about temperatures in the 50s after Easter.
But he also is a Green Bay Packers shareholder, and nothing was going to stop him from attending the NFL draft at the home of the league's only publicly owned team. So he flew from his home in Savannah to visit relatives in Minnesota, then drove more than four hours to catch Thursday’s first round outside Lambeau Field.
“I was prepared for cooler weather,” Neumann said, wearing a Packers jersey with Ray Nitschke's name on the back. “I have all my sweaters in my suitcase.”
Neumann had plenty of company.
Having the draft in the NFL’s smallest market assured that it wouldn’t approach the record total of 775,000 fans over three days that the league said attended last year’s version in Detroit.
Yet there still was quite a crowd, as evidenced by the homeowners charging $100 or more for parking in the neighborhoods surrounding the stadium.
As he opened the draft, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said there were “125,000 people here and still counting.” By the end of the night, the NFL estimated the crowd had reached 205,000.
The Packers posted on social media shortly after the start of the draft that general admission entry had been paused because “the event venue has reached maximum capacity” — without providing any specifics about how many people were allowed in. Admission is free, making crowd estimates an inexact science.
“Green Bay may be small, but it’s mighty,” Goodell said.
The city has a population of less than 110,000, although more than 300,000 live in the metropolitan area.
Goodell started the draft by riding a bicycle onto the stage, a nod to a Packers’ training camp tradition in which players borrow children’s bikes to ride from their locker room at Lambeau Field to the practice fields. He was joined by rapper and Packers fan Lil Wayne and several former Packers, including Clay Matthews, who thrilled the Green Bay fans by taking the microphone and joking that he had a message from President Donald Trump that said, “My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!”
The crowd gave a thunderous response and chanted “Go! Pack! Go!” when Green Bay used the 23rd overall pick on Texas' Matthew Golden, marking the first time the Packers have used a first-round pick on a wide receiver since taking Florida State's Javon Walker 20th overall in 2002.
Yet this wasn’t a Packers-only event. The crowd featured a rainbow of jerseys from across the league.
Justin Ramos and Kyle Polinski both attended the draft when it took place in Chicago, where they live, in 2015 and 2016. But they always wanted to visit Lambeau and considered this a prime opportunity.
They said they didn’t even get much grief for wearing Caleb Williams Bears jerseys.
“The Wisconsinites are very nice. ... Some ‘Bears suck’ here and there, but it’s been pretty good,” Polinski said.
Larry Laurello of Ashtabula, Ohio, had an entirely different reason for bringing his Browns-themed party bus all the way to Green Bay for this draft.
“First time we’ve had a (first-round) pick in four years,” Laurello said as he sported a Bernie Kosar jersey. “Got to show up.”
Laurello wasn’t fazed by driving 10 hours to get to the draft.
“We’ve taken our bus to Seattle from Cleveland before, for games,” he said.
Green Bay’s status as a unique draft site goes beyond its smaller size. The Packers leaned into the Packers’ rich history by making Lambeau a featured part of the event.
Projected first-round picks made a red-carpet entrance Thursday that led them into the stadium. Thousands of fans already had gathered in the stands by that point to watch the draft on the end-zone scoreboards.
Atlanta Falcons fan Tyrone Pritchett lives in Detroit and attended last year’s draft in the heart of the Motor City's downtown. Pritchell said this draft had a different feel because the stadium was such a big part of the setting.
The Lambeau atmosphere was different from usual.
Ryan Babcock of Milwaukee had been anticipating this night for months. He arrived in an RV and wearing a green-and-gold jersey that said “Draft Day-Green Bay” with the number 25. He regularly attends Packers games but said this scene was crazier than a typical NFL Sunday because of the larger crowd.
“Everything is so good, so far,” he said.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Lions and All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph agree on a contract extension, AP source says By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer The Associated Press DETROIT
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions and All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph have agreed on a contract extension, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.
According to multiple reports, the deal is for $86 million over four years, making Joseph the NFL's highest-paid safety.
He led the league with nine interceptions last season, helping Detroit win a franchise-record 15 games and a second straight NFC North title. He had four interceptions in 2023, tied for seventh in the NFL, and four as a rookie.
Detroit drafted the former Illinois star in the third round, No. 97 overall, in 2022.
A day before last year's NFL draft, the Lions gave a pair of All-Pro players new contracts.
The Lions and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown agreed to a four-year extension worth more than $120 million and offensive tackle Penei Sewell agreed to a four-year, $112 million deal.
Detroit general manager Brad Holmes also hopes to sign edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to an extension this offseason.
The Lions are going into the draft on Thursday night with the No. 28 pick and while Holmes insists he will always take the best player available, the team has needs at edge rusher and guard.
Homes filled some voids in free agency this offseason. Shortly after losing veteran cornerback Carlton Davis in free agency, the Lions signed D.J. Reed to a $48 million, three-year contract. Two days later, they added run-stuffing Roy Lopez to join McNeill and DJ Reader at defensive tackle.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Former Seahawks WR Lockett says he's joining the Tennessee Titans By The Associated Press The Associated Press
Longtime Seattle Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett announced on social media Wednesday night that he is joining the Tennessee Titans.
In 10 NFL seasons, all with the Seahawks, Lockett had 661 catches for 8,594 yards and 61 touchdowns.
ESPN reports that Lockett has agreed to a one-year deal with a base value of $4 million. Incentives could push that to $6 million.
Seattle released Lockett last month. He was a first-team All-Pro pick in 2015 and a second-team choice in 2016 and 2017. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2016.
Lockett will give the Titans an experienced target to fill the role vacated by Tyler Boyd. He'll likely team up with quarterback Cam Ward, who is expected to go to Tennessee with the first pick in Thursday's NFL draft.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
49ers running back Christian McCaffrey says he has 'zero restrictions' to start offseason program By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press SANTA CLARA, Calif.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Christian McCaffrey starts the offseason with “zero restrictions” following an injury-filled 2024 season for the San Francisco 49ers that limited him to just four games.
McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the season with Achilles tendinitis and then went down with a right knee injury that sidelined him for the final five games.
“I’m feeling great," McCaffrey said Tuesday on the first day of the offseason program for the 49ers. "It’s been such a smooth process, a lot of hard work. As soon as that injury happened in Buffalo, this was my goal to not miss a day of OTAs, be back ready to go with nothing hindering me. That’s where I’m at.”
McCaffrey said he was fully healed from the Achilles injury and the posterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in Buffalo on Dec. 1 by early in the offseason and was able to train at “full speed.”
It's been an eventful offseason for McCaffrey, with his wife, Olivia Culpo, expecting the couple's first child.
That follows the frustrating 2024 season. McCaffrey injured his Achilles tendon early in training camp and missed the first eight games of the season. He rushed for just 202 yards on 50 carries in four games before getting hurt again as he was unable to match his sensational 2023 season.
McCaffrey won the AP Offensive Player of the Year that season after leading the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and tying for the league lead with 21 touchdowns.
McCaffrey had missed just one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game in the 2023 season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf — after missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina.
Niners star linebacker Fred Warner said he has fully recovered from a broken bone in his ankle that hampered him for most of last season. Warner played through the injury without missing any games and earned his third straight All-Pro honors.
I feel great. Ankle’s a thing of the past now, thank God, because that was tough, trying to deal with that all season. But I feel great now.
“I feel great," he said. "The ankle injury is a thing of the past.”
NOTES: DL Evan Anderson, DL Alex Barrett, LB Jalen Graham and TE Brayden Willis signed their one-year exclusive rights contracts. ... Dustin Perry has been prompted to vice president of player health and performance. Perry is entering his ninth season with the 49ers and was the team’s head strength and conditioning coach the past six seasons.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Cornerback Tre'Davious White enjoys full-circle moment of rejoining Bills a year after being cut By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer The Associated Press ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The last thing cornerback Tre’Davious White wanted was to leave Buffalo in the first place.
And the first thing White did after his 2024 season ended with Baltimore losing in the divisional playoff round — and against the Bills, of all teams — was begin charting a path for his return.
“I told my agent, if you can’t get Buffalo on the line, don’t call me,” White said Tuesday, a day after reporting for the start of the Bills' offseason workouts and to sign his one-year, $6.8 million contract .
“Walking through the door yesterday, it just seemed like I never left. So many familiar faces. Some new faces, too. But I just feel in place,” the 30-year-old added. “I feel like home.”
Buffalo is where White got his start as a 2017 first-round draft pick out of LSU. It’s where he spent seven NFL seasons building tight bonds and becoming such a hockey fan that he filmed several spoofs for the NHL's Buffalo Sabres to promote his fictional goalie academy .
And it was with the Bills where White enjoyed his biggest successes as a 2019 All-Pro selection and helping transform the team into a winner.
Buffalo is also where he endured various lows. White sustained two debilitating injuries, including a 2023 season-ending torn right Achilles tendon that, coupled with his high-priced contract, led to him being cut in a salary cap-saving move in March 2024.
Though he didn’t hold a grudge against the Bills, White took being cut hard because the injuries and the Bills' payroll were things outside of his control.
“That was the thing that hurt me the most because I felt like I’d still be a Buffalo Bill going into Year 9 with one hat under my name. And that’s something I always wanted,” White said. “But moving forward, I got a bigger appreciation, man. Like this place is so, so special.”
White rejoins the Bills after splitting last season with two teams. He initially signed with the Los Angeles Rams before being traded to Baltimore in November.
The time away from Buffalo was eye-opening, because he was more accustomed to the culture he helped establish after being the first player drafted under Bills coach Sean McDermott . Upon his return, White is driven to help finish what he started — the goal remains winning a Super Bowl — while seeking to reclaim his former job, with Buffalo having a vacancy to fill after failing to re-sign Rasul Douglas.
“Mentally and physically, I’m great,” said White, who acknowledged battling bouts of depression while spending time alone rehabbing his first injury, a torn left knee ligament in 2021.
“My therapist told me to leave the past in the past, and that’s what I’m going to do,” he added. "The only thing that I can come and just do the best that I can and showcase my talents to the best of my ability.”
General manager Brandon Beane saw growth in White’s play over the course of last season, and noted the player also has a leg up on the competition by being familiar with Buffalo’s defensive system.
“I think he definitely can compete for a starting job,” Beane said. “And how can you not root for him?”
Before the setbacks, White had established himself as one of the NFL’s top shutdown cornerbacks .
As a rookie, he was one of only two NFL players to force five takeaways in the fourth quarter, including two game-sealing interceptions. In 2019, he finished tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions. Since 2017, White ranks third among NFL players with 20 second-half takeaways.
Last season, White was relegated to mostly a reduced role, appearing in 11 games, including four starts in LA, with no interceptions.
It felt foreign to White, who found himself following and rooting for the Bills from afar, while staying in touch with former teammates, including defensive back Taron Johnson.
“I was telling Taron, 'Y’all win a Super Bowl without me, like, I’m getting an honorary ring ... because I feel like I played a part in it,’” White said with a laugh.
The Bills fell short. After beating Baltimore, Buffalo was eliminated by Kansas City for the fourth time in five years, and the second time in the AFC championship game.
Now, White gets an opportunity to play a hands-on role again, while fully appreciating the familiar surroundings.
“Just sit back and just take it in and not try to think about the future or the past, just be in the moment because you never know,” White said. "Being back here where it all started is full circle. And this is how it’s supposed to be for me.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Barring a last-minute trade, every team will enter the NFL draft with its 1st-round pick By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press
This year's NFL draft is on target to achieve a first.
Barring a last-minute trade, every team will go into the draft with its original first-round pick for the first time in the common draft era that began in 1967.
That's in stark contrast to recent years when teams were much more willing to trade away or swap first-round picks, with an average of more than seven teams entering the last five drafts without their original first-round picks. That peaked in 2022 when 11 teams entered draft day without their own first-round pick thanks in part to previous deals for players like Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, Trey Lance, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams.
The closest the league has come in the common draft era with every team holding its own first-round pick, according to research by ESPN, came in 1993 when Kansas City dealt its first-rounder to San Francisco for Joe Montana five days before the draft.
The static picks are unlikely to hold through the first round on Thursday night as teams are likely to make moves up or down the board depending on which players are available. Just last year there were five draft-day trades involving first-round picks that saw picks change hands eight times.
No passing fancy
It looks like a quarterback once again will be taken first in the draft, with the odds that Cam Ward goes No. 1 to Tennessee exceeding 99%, according to the latest odds from BetMGM Sportsbook.
That would mark the seventh time in eight years that a QB went first, with Jacksonville's pick of Travon Walker in 2022 as the only exception. That's been part of a long trend as the NFL has prioritized passing. Quarterbacks have been taken first overall in 20 of the previous 27 drafts.
But that wasn't always the case.
Drew Bledsoe (1993 to New England) was the only quarterback from 1991-97 to be taken first, and there was an 11-year stretch from 1972-82 that had only one QB taken with the No. 1 pick: Steve Bartkowski to Atlanta in 1975.
Almost every team has taken a shot on a first-round quarterback in recent years, but the team with the longest drought could snap it on Thursday.
New Orleans hasn't drafted a quarterback with its first-round pick in the common draft since taking Archie Manning in 1971, but it could snap that streak this year given the uncertainty surrounding the status of Derek Carr .
The only other teams that haven't drafted a QB in the first round in the past 15 drafts are the the Cowboys (1989), Seahawks (1993), Raiders (2007) and Lions (2009).
Division doings
The Tennessee Titans are set to pick first in the draft for the first time since the franchise took Earl Campbell in 1978 when the team was known as the Houston Oilers.
The Titans traded away the top pick in 2016 to the Rams but now have a chance, marking the seventh time that the top pick has gone to an AFC South team since the start of the eight-division era in 2002.
The AFC South will be the first division in that span with every team making the No. 1 pick, with Houston having done it three times since 2002, Jacksonville twice and Indianapolis once.
Next up on the list is the AFC North, where Cleveland and Cincinnati have both had the top pick twice, and the NFC West, with the Rams having the top pick twice and Arizona and San Francisco once each since 2002.
The AFC West and NFC South have each made the top pick three times in that span, with the NFC North doing it twice and AFC East doing it once.
The only division that hasn't made the top pick since 2002 is the NFC East, although that comes with a bit of a caveat. In 2004, the Chargers drafted Eli Manning first overall but traded him during the draft to the New York Giants. The last time a team in the NFC East made the No. 1 pick was in 1991, when Dallas drafted Russell Maryland.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Falcons GM Fontenot says he was not surprised QB Kirk Cousins reported for offseason program By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer The Associated Press ATLANTA
ATLANTA (AP) — The status of quarterback Kirk Cousins remains a backdrop to the Atlanta Falcons' plans for the NFL draft after he surprised some observers by reporting for the first day of the team's voluntary offseason program.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said Wednesday he was not surprised Cousins was present for Tuesday's first day of the offseason program.
“I wouldn’t say a surprise,” Fontenot said. “This is a voluntary thing. Whether a player comes or doesn’t come we have a lot of good professionals who we know are going to take care of their bodies, including Kirk.”
Fontenot has said the team is comfortable in having Cousins, 36, remain with the team as the backup to starter Michael Penix Jr., the team's 2024 first-round pick. Coach Raheem Morris said the team is open to listening to trade offers.
At the NFL meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, this month, Morris said the Falcons “still feel very strongly about Kirk being our backup quarterback.”
Morris also acknowledged Cousins would like an opportunity to start, even if for another team.
“We won’t hold him back if opportunity presents itself,” Morris said. "He’s made it clear he’d like to be a starter.”
There has been speculation the Falcons could cut Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract last March that included $100 million guaranteed. Cousins led the Falcons to a 6-3 start last season but lost his job after struggling with interceptions.
Any team expecting Cousins to be released would be less likely to make a trade offer for the veteran. Cousins' presence at the first day of the offseason program supports the team's stance that he remains in the plans for the 2025 season and will not be released.
Fontenot refuted a report the Falcons were asking any team trading for Cousins to pick up $20 million of his remaining guaranteed salary.
“We haven’t put a number on it,” Fontenot said. “We wouldn’t share specific conversations, but to answer your question we wouldn’t put a specific number on it.”
The Falcons could have saved a $10 million roster bonus by releasing Cousins. Instead, he is guaranteed $27.5 million, plus the $10 million bonus, in 2025.
The Falcons were 1-2 with Penix as the starter for an 8-9 final record. They have only five picks in the NFL draft, including the No. 15 overall selection in Thursday night's first round.
Atlanta added depth at quarterback this week by signing Easton Stick, a fifth-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019. Stick played in only six games in six seasons.
Stick joins Emory Jones on the depth chart behind Penix and Cousins.
The Falcons could be interested in including Cousins in a draft-day trade as they look for pass rush help. They have the No. 46 overall pick in the second round and then one pick in the fourth round and two in the seventh.
“We’re going to do what’s best for this football team, whether that’s a trade or whatever it is,” Fontenot said when asked about his interest in trading Cousins.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Panthers won't host fans at training camp for 2 years because of construction at practice fields The Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers fans will have to wait until at least 2027 before watching the team go through drills at training camp.
The team announced on Wednesday that it will be unable to host fans at its new Charlotte-based training camp site because of ongoing construction of the team’s new indoor practice facility, which is being completed in phases to maximize the amount of field space.
Only one practice will be open for fans, which is the team’s annual FanFest held inside Bank of American Stadium on Aug. 2.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said on a conference call Wednesday the news is “super unfortunate.”
“We love that fan interaction, the support, the community, the environment that is really one of the highlights of the year for us,” Young said. “That is something we are definitely going to miss.”
The Panthers held training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for decades, but owner David Tepper moved it to Charlotte last year.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
GM Loomis: Saints lacking 'clarity' on QB Derek Carr's 'shoulder issue' By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer The Associated Press METAIRIE, La.
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints general manager Mickey Loomis confirmed for the first time on Wednesday that starting quarterback Derek Carr does have a shoulder “issue," but he declined to discuss specifics or forecast Carr's playing status for the upcoming season.
“We’re hoping to get some resolution and some clarity on that in the near future," Loomis said. "And when we do, I’ll report back to you. Otherwise, I don’t have anything more on Derek.”
Loomis also sidestepped a question about whether he believes the Saints' starting QB for 2025 is currently on the roster.
“I’m not going to answer that," Loomis began, "because that will just lead to a bunch of speculation, whichever way I answer it.”
The issue first arose when NFL.com, citing an anonymous source, reported on April 11 that Carr might need shoulder surgery which could cause him to miss part or all of the upcoming season.
The report did not state which shoulder Carr injured or how he injured it. Carr's agent, Timothy Younger, did not return multiple messages from the Associated Press about the matter. And until Wednesday, the Saints had not addressed it, either.
Loomis declined to say when he first learned of the injury or explain his understanding of how it happened.
Car, who is 14-13 in two seasons as a Saints starter, injured the AC joint in his throwing shoulder in 2023 , but never missed a game because of it. Carr missed seven games in 2024, but because of oblique and hand injuries.
The Saints' injury reports last season did not mention any issues with Carr's shoulder, and when he played, he had multiple downfield completions that went for 50 or more yards.
But as Carr entered the third year of his four-year Saints contract, doubt surrounded his long-term future with the club because of a coaching change, his inconsistent play and apparent fan discontent.
When the Super Bowl was in New Orleans in February, Carr was nowhere to be found, even as numerous Saints representatives participated in events around town as representatives of the host team and the city.
When Kellen Moore was introduced as the Saints' new coach after helping the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl, he initially was noncommittal about Carr's status as a starter before suggesting at the NFL combine a few weeks later that he planned to stick with New Orleans' incumbent QB .
Moore was the Eagles' offensive coordinator and plans to design and call offensive plays for the Saints.
The NFL mandates that its teams host at least one pre-draft media conference involving a top front office executive — a requirement the Saints fulfilled when Loomis was available Wednesday.
While Loomis declined to answer questions about Carr, he indicated that team's uncertain quarterback situation wouldn't unduly influence the club's strategy for selecting players in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday night.
The Saints have never picked a QB in the first round since Loomis became GM in 2002. Meanwhile, Loomis said he believes NFL teams can jeopardize their future by over-emphasizing positions of need in the draft because that can cause them to overvalue prospects.
Loomis said the Saints need their higher draft choices to yield players who can contribute right away, and hopefully for years to come, regardless of position.
Barring a trade, New Orleans is scheduled to pick ninth overall in Thursday night's first round . The Saints have three other picks in the top 100: the eighth pick in the second round (40th overall), seventh in the third round (71st), 29th in the third round (93rd).
New Orleans also has two picks in the fourth round, one in the sixth and two in the seventh.
NOTES: Loomis also offered an update on the status of fifth-year options for the Saints’ two 2022 first-round draft choices. He said the Saints have decided to pick up receiver Chris Olave’s option and have decided not to pick up an option for right tackle Trevor Penning, who now enters a contract year.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL