Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks<\/p>\n
Pick: 20 | 2027 option: $23.9 million<\/p>\n
Extending<\/a> Smith-Njigba was a no-brainer for the Seahawks, whose 2027 option salary would\u2019ve been $23.9 million. The 24-year-old star receiver, who is now the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, was the league\u2019s leading receiver with 1,793 yards. Smith-Njigba had 119 receptions and 10 touchdowns last season, earning first-team All-Pro honors and NFL Offensive Player of the Year as Seattle won the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n Fifth-year option exercisedBryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers<\/p>\n Pick: 1 | 2027 option: $25.9 million<\/p>\n Young got off to a rough start as a rookie and got benched early in his sophomore season. However, he finished the 2024 season strong, giving the Panthers hope for the future. Even though the Panthers crawled into the playoffs last season, Young\u2019s performance throughout the season was uneven. The fifth-year option<\/a> gives the Panthers more opportunity to see what Young can do before handing out a long-term extension.<\/p>\n C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans<\/p>\n Pick: 2 | 2027 option: $25.9 million<\/p>\n Stroud got off to a fast start, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 and leading the Texans to the second round of the playoffs. However, his play has been inconsistent<\/a> the previous two years, and he\u2019s coming off a season in which he wasn\u2019t able to provide a spark to complement Houston\u2019s elite defense in the playoffs.<\/p>\n Devon Witherspoon, CB, Seattle Seahawks<\/p>\n Pick: 5 | 2027 option: $21.2 million<\/p>\n Witherspoon has been everything the Seahawks could have hoped for<\/a> when they invested a top-five pick in him. He\u2019s been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he received second-team All-Pro honors while being a key piece to the Seahawks\u2019 championship.<\/p>\n Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Arizona Cardinals<\/p>\n Pick: 6 | 2027 option: $19.1 million<\/p>\n Johnson started every game for the Cardinals at right tackle as a rookie. In 2024, Arizona switched him to the left side, and he\u2019s been an anchor on the offensive line. He has missed a handful of games in each of the last two seasons, but when he\u2019s on the field, he\u2019s been solid for an otherwise lackluster offense.<\/p>\n Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons<\/p>\n Pick: 8 | 2027 option: $11.3 million<\/p>\n Robinson has been as advertised<\/a>, if not better, as a playmaker. He led the league in yards from scrimmage in 2025 and is a threat any time he has the ball in his hands, whether it comes in the run game or through the air.<\/p>\n Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles<\/p>\n Pick: 9 | 2027 option: $27.1 million<\/p>\n Carter is one of the most dominant players in the league and has the ability to change scripts for the opposing offense, both in the run game and the pass game. He was one of Philadelphia\u2019s best players when it won the Super Bowl in the 2024 season and continued his elite play in 2025.<\/p>\n Darnell Wright, OT, Chicago Bears<\/p>\n Pick: 10 | 2027 option: $19.1 million<\/p>\n Chicago\u2019s offensive line hasn\u2019t always made headlines in recent years \u2014 for good reasons \u2014 but Wright\u2019s presence has solidified the right side. Not only is he a good player, but he\u2019s also proven to be durable<\/a>, starting 16 games in each of the last two seasons after starting all 17 games as a rookie in 2023.<\/p>\n Peter Skoronski, OL, Tennessee Titans<\/p>\n Pick: 11 | 2027 option: $19.1 million<\/p>\n Wins have been hard to come by over the last few years for the Titans. But they drafted Cam Ward No. 1 in 2025, and having Skoronski in the interior of the offensive line is a positive for Ward\u2019s development as Tennessee builds out the offense.<\/p>\n Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions<\/p>\n Pick: 12 | 2027 option: $14.3 million<\/p>\n Gibbs has been the engine for the Lions\u2019 offense. They\u2019ll be relying on him even more after David Montgomery was traded to the Texans this offseason. Gibbs has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and finished in the top-10 in voting for Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024. He\u2019s amassed 3,580 yards on 675 carries, as well as 181 catches for 1,449 yards through the air for a total of 49 touchdowns.<\/p>\n \n Jahmyr Gibbs has been one of the league\u2019s most productive backs since entering the NFL in 2023. (Michael Reaves \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Lukas Van Ness, LB, Green Bay Packers<\/p>\n Pick: 13 | 2027 option: $13.8 million<\/p>\n After playing 17 games in each of his first two seasons, Van Ness was limited to nine games last year and had career-low numbers across the board, including tackles, sacks and tackles for loss. The Packers have had a lot of changes to their defensive front over the past year, including the exits of Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary and the addition of Micah Parsons. How Van Ness fits into the new-look defense in 2026 could impact how long he ends up staying in Green Bay.<\/p>\n Will McDonald IV, DE, New York Jets<\/p>\n Pick: 15 | 2027 option: $13.8 million<\/p>\n McDonald came out of the gate slowly, tallying just three sacks and five quarterback hits as a rookie in 15 games. However, he\u2019s been much more productive the past two seasons, averaging more than 20 QB hits per season and notching 10.5 sacks in 2024, followed by eight sacks in 2025.<\/p>\n Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots<\/p>\n Pick: 17 | 2027 option: $18.1 million<\/p>\n Gonzalez was limited to just four games as a rookie because of injuries, but he\u2019s been one of the league\u2019s best cornerbacks the past two seasons. The Patriots had trouble getting anything positive going in the Super Bowl this past season but Gonzalez was one of the few bright spots for the team.<\/p>\n Calijah Kancey, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/p>\n Pick: 19 | 2027 option: $14.5 million<\/p>\n Kancey made a noticeable jump from his rookie year in 2023 to his sophomore season, when he tallied 7.5 sacks. He\u2019s an impact player when he\u2019s on the field, but his 2025 season was mostly wiped out due to injury.<\/p>\n Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers<\/p>\n Pick: 21 | 2027 option: $18.0 million<\/p>\n Johnston provides a deep threat for Justin Herbert and has shown that potential through his first three years. He has a 50-plus-yard reception in each season but still deals with some inconsistencies game-to-game. The Chargers\u2019 struggles on the offensive line in 2025 didn\u2019t help the passing game, especially for a player of Johnston\u2019s skill set, but he\u2019s shown that he can be a long-term answer at receiver.<\/p>\n Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens<\/p>\n Pick: 22 | 2027 option: $27.3 million<\/p>\n Flowers has proven to be a great fit in Baltimore\u2019s offense<\/a> with Lamar Jackson. Even though Jackson dealt with injuries last year and the quarterback situation in Baltimore was tough, and Flowers surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for a second consecutive season. His speed and elusiveness allow the Ravens to use him in multiple ways.<\/p>\n Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings<\/p>\n Pick: 23 | 2027 option: $18.0 million<\/p>\n Even Justin Jefferson struggled in 2025 with how bad the quarterback play was in Minnesota, but Addison has flashed potential<\/a> and shown what he\u2019s capable of doing. The addition of Kyler Murray could be a boost to the entire passing game.<\/p>\n Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills<\/p>\n Pick: 25 | 2027 option: $8.2 million<\/p>\n Buffalo\u2019s passing game has struggled due to a lack of formidable receiving targets at wide receiver, but adding DJ Moore this offseason should help. That should open things up more for Kincaid<\/a>, who has seen his targets drop from 91 in 16 games as a rookie to 49 in 12 games last season.<\/p>\n Anton Harrison, OT, Jacksonville Jaguars<\/p>\n Pick: 27 | 2027 option: $19.1 million<\/p>\n Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne got a lot of shine for how well Jacksonville\u2019s offense functioned last year, but Harrison has been a reliable piece up front who has helped make it all happen.<\/p>\n Bryan Bresee, DT, New Orleans Saints<\/p>\n Pick: 29 | 2027 option: $13.9 million<\/p>\n As the Saints begin to come out of the teardown phase of their rebuild, Bresee has shown enough promise along the interior of the defensive line to be a factor moving forward. Picking up the option gives the Saints some more time to judge his game and decide on a long-term extension.<\/p>\n Nolan Smith, LB, Philadelphia Eagles<\/p>\n Pick: 30 | 2027 option: $13.8 million<\/p>\n Smith really seemed to come into his own with a strong showing in a 2024 postseason in which he led the Eagles with four sacks and four tackles for loss in four playoff games, culminating in a Super Bowl title. Injuries took a toll on his 2025 season, but the Eagles are hoping he gets back on the promising trajectory<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fifth-year option declinedTyree Wilson, DE, New Orleans Saints (traded from Las Vegas Raiders)<\/p>\n Pick: 7 | 2027 option: $14.5 million<\/p>\n Despite playing on a defensive line with Maxx Crosby, Wilson had trouble finding a groove in Las Vegas. The Raiders traded him<\/a> to the New Orleans Saints during the draft. He has 12 sacks in 50 games over the past three seasons.<\/p>\n \n Tyree Wilson was shipped out by the Raiders for a fifth-round pick during last week\u2019s draft. (Ian Maule\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Jack Campbell, LB, Detroit Lions<\/p>\n Pick: 18 | 2027 option: $21.9 million<\/p>\n Campbell picked a great time to have his breakout in 2025. He has been a solid player from the outset, playing in every game throughout all three seasons, including starting all 17 the past two years. In 2025, he earned his first Pro Bowl nod and was named first-team All-Pro. However, the option cost for a linebacker \u2014 driven up because it also includes edge rushers who are outside linebackers \u2014 is too high to make it viable.<\/p>\n Myles Murphy, DE, Cincinnati Bengals<\/p>\n Pick: 28 | 2027 option: $14.5 million<\/p>\n Murphy had his most productive year as a pro in 2025, starting 10 of the 17 games he played in and notching 5.5 sacks a year after he was blanked in that category. However, the Bengals defense was an atrocious mess, so it\u2019s tough to draw conclusions based on that season.<\/p>\n To be decidedAnthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts<\/p>\n Pick: 4 | 2027 option: $22.5 million<\/p>\n The Colts hoped that Richardson would be the solution<\/a> to the quarterback problem that has plagued the team since Andrew Luck\u2019s abrupt retirement in 2019. Instead, Richardson\u2019s tenure has included subpar play, various injuries and negative headlines, including for taking himself out of a game in 2024 because he needed a \u201cbreather,\u201d after which he was benched for Joe Flacco. Richardson is not with the team for OTAs<\/a> after requesting a trade, and with the Colts having signed Daniel Jones to a two-year, $88 million extension, they are not expected to pick up Richardson\u2019s option.<\/p>\n Broderick Jones, OT, Pittsburgh Steelers<\/p>\n Pick: 14 | 2027 option: $19.1 million<\/p>\n Jones isn\u2019t very flashy and doesn\u2019t make headlines, but good tackles are hard to come by, and he provides stability up front for the Steelers. He has become a mainstay starter for Pittsburgh since his rookie year.<\/p>\n Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Los Angeles Rams (picked up after being waived by Washington Commanders)<\/p>\n Pick: 16 | 2027 option: $12.6 million<\/p>\n Forbes had a rough start to his career, making headlines for underperformance, an ejection and injuries. The Commanders waived him in the middle of his second season. The Rams picked him up off waivers, and he had a good 2025 season, starting 14 games for Los Angeles and picking off three passes, which was more than the two he had in the previous two seasons.<\/p>\n Deonte Banks, CB, New York Giants<\/p>\n Pick: 24 | 2027 option: $12.6 million<\/p>\n Banks has failed to live up to expectations despite getting plenty of opportunities early on. He started 15 games as a rookie in 2023 and then 14 in 2024. He played in 16 games last season but started just six. He went from not playing a single special teams snap in 2024 to playing 39 percent of the special teams snaps last year, which is not what you\u2019re looking for from a first-round pick in his third season.<\/p>\n Mazi Smith, DT, New York Jets (traded from Dallas Cowboys)<\/p>\n Pick: 26 | 2027 option: $13.9 million<\/p>\n The Cowboys had a glaring need at defensive tackle when they drafted Smith, so he got plenty of chances to prove his worth on the field. Instead, he became one of the worst draft picks for the team in recent history and was a throw-in in the Quinnen Williams trade last year.<\/p>\n Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas City Chiefs<\/p>\n Pick: 31 | 2027 option: $14.5 million<\/p>\n As the saying goes, availability is the best ability, and Anudike-Uzomah had his entire 2025 season wiped out due to injury. Even before that, he started just three games over his first two seasons and has only three sacks in 34 games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Friday marks the deadline for teams to make decisions on the fifth-year options for the 2023 draft class.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":615733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[1829,1327,8849,1807,3687,8850,1822,1816,1810,1804,4058,3686,1811,1236,1812,6337,1820,8851,1815,1814,977,5702,349,1239,1321,8852,99,1824,8853,3851],"class_list":["post-615732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-atlanta-falcons","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-chicago-bears","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-detroit-lions","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-houston-texans","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-jacksonville-jaguars","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-las-vegas-raiders","tag-los-angeles-chargers","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-new-york-giants","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-philadelphia-eagles","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-seattle-seahawks","tag-sports","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-tennessee-titans","tag-washington-commanders"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=615732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/615733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=615732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=615732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=615732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Jahmyr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2255941926-scaled.jpg\")
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