Steelers Draft T Max Iheanachor At No. 21
With Broderick Jones not living up to his draft slot and battling a major injury, the Steelers are choosing a first-round tackle for the third time in four years.
Pittsburgh brought in Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor at No. 21 overall. This gives Pittsburgh some potential Jones insurance and a possible long-term option opposite RT Troy Fautanu. Iheanachor was one of nine offensive linemen (including seven tackles) chosen in Round 1 tonight.
This pick carried a major “what if?” component, with USC wide receiver Makai Lemon revealing the Steelers communicated to him an intent to draft him at No. 21. The intra-Pennsylvania development emerged after the Eagles traded up three spots (via the Cowboys) to vault in front of the Steelers at No. 20. Lemon went off the board soon after.
“Pittsburgh called me and I thought they were going to draft me and then the Eagles called at the same time,” Lemon said. “I guess it was meant to be. I’m super excited to be in Philly.”
Iheanachor will spend at least the early years of his career tied to a wide receiver, which is obviously not commonplace for a tackle, but big responsibilities may be coming early. Jones is recovering from neck fusion surgery, and a setback may or may not have occurred. And the 2023 first-round pick has not played especially well in stints at left and right tackle. A move to his natural LT spot did not yield desired results before the injury, and Pittsburgh will decline the Georgia alum’s fifth-year option. Iheanachor profiles as a successor option, though it will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh uses him more at right tackle — his primary college role — early behind Fautanu as he develops.
The Steelers were not among a host of teams who conducted “30” visits with the Nigeria native — who began his career at junior college — but they were linked to a possible first-round tackle. This was due in large part to Jones’ issues since being drafted. Pittsburgh had gone since the 1990s between first-round tackle picks prior to the Jones investment, but the team is now flooded with Round 1 options at this position as OTAs near.
Iheanachor earned second-team All-Big 12 acclaim last season. He primarily played right tackle with the Sun Devils but saw time on the blind side as well. With the Steelers stationing Fautanu at RT after his 2024 injury absence, an Iheanachor-at-LT experiment figures to gain traction soon.
“Position flex is huge,” Mike McCarthy said of his team’s first-round pick. “It’s bigger than ever in the NFL. Seventeen games is real. And to add Max to this group is – I can’t tell you how excited we are with the pick.”
Panthers Draft T Monroe Freeling At 19
The Panthers have been busy at tackle this offseason. Not only did they add Rasheed Walker, but the reigning NFC South champs are bringing in Georgia’s Monroe Freeling in the first round.
[RELATED: Freeling’s Prospect Profile]
Freeling, chosen 19th overall, joins a Carolina team that lost LT starter Ikem Ekwonu to a patellar tendon tear in the wild-card round. Carolina now rosters Walker, Freeling, Ekwonu and longtime RT Taylor Moton. Ekwonu is expected to miss a large chunk of 2026 (if not all of it). Cognizant of that, the Panthers brought in Walker on a cheaper-than-expected deal in free agency to provide a capable stopgap. Walker was a starter in 48 of 51 games with the Packers from 2023-25. Moton, meanwhile, has started in all but one of his 129 appearances since 2018.
With Walker and Moton in the fold, it is unclear if the soon-to-be 22-year-old Freeling will step into the starting lineup immediately. He should not have to wait long, though, with Ekwonu and Walker on track to reach free agency a year from now. Moton is on a pricey contract for two more years, but he will turn 32 in August.
A native of Charleston, S.C., Freeling took over as the Bulldogs’ starting left tackle late in 2024. The 6-foot-7, 315-pounder continued in that role last season and earned second-team All-SEC honors for his efforts. Freeling elected to leave Georgia instead of returning for his senior season, and his stock skyrocketed during the pre-draft process. While receiver, safety, cornerback and linebacker were other potential first-round routes for the Panthers, they were bullish enough on Freeland to pass on talented prospects at those spots. They are scheduled to make their next selection at No. 51 overall.
Vikings Choose DT Caleb Banks At No. 18
Injury concerns clouded Caleb Banks‘ draft stock, but the Florida defensive tackle will still find a first-round home. He will come off the board 18th overall, going to the Vikings.
Banks arrived in Gainesville via transfer portal after two years at Louisville. Stepping in as an immediate starter for the Gators, Banks played well in his first year in The Swamp. Banks really grabbed the attention of NFL evaluators in Year 2 at Florida, when he showed a new level of disruption as he recorded 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss.
Banks’ senior year was marred by a left foot injury that came about in spring practices. An aggravation of that injury just before the start of the 2025 season caused him to miss the first two games of the Gators’ season, then he reaggravated it upon his return, requiring surgery that would hold him out until the final two weeks of the season. To make matters worse, Banks injured the same left foot the night before the combine, forcing him into another surgery, this one holding him out for the summer. A recent follow up determined that a June clearance is likely for the pending rookie, though, and the positive news created new buzz for Banks in the first round, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Banks shows impressive athleticism for his size, and his elite, wide frame is the prototype for his position. Minnesota sees enough potential in that size to make up for a lack of production at the collegiate level. They’ll need him to take the summer to get healthy, but once healthy, they’ll need him to immediately start working to improve his conditioning. That area of his game has suffered late in games or deep into long drives.
The Vikings no longer roster Jonathan Allen or Javon Hargrave, so the door is wide open to a starting role on the defensive interior. If he can get healthy enough for his rookie season, he should slot in alongside former undrafted defensive lineman Jalen Redmond on the first-team defense.
Lions Draft T Blake Miller At No. 17
Closely linked to tackles throughout the pre-draft process, the Lions have lined up a Taylor Decker successor. Ten years after their first-round Decker pick, the Lions chose Clemson’s Blake Miller at No. 17. Miller is already the fifth offensive lineman to come off the board.
The 6-foot-7, 317-pound Miller is not certain to play left or right tackle this coming season, as Penei Sewell may be in line for a position change. But a starting job likely awaits in Detroit, which added Larry Borom on a one-year, $5MM deal in free agency. Borom started a career-high 11 games in Miami last season, but the former Bear has come off the bench in 25 of 63 appearances. With that in mind, Parker should have a good chance of winning a No. 1 job as a rookie.
The bench is a foreign concept to Miller, who started in all 54 of his appearances at Clemson from 2022-25. He earned a third-team All-ACC nod in 2023 before collecting second-team all-conference honors in each of the past two seasons. The durable stalwart broke the Clemson record in offensive snaps (3,778), per Colton Pouncy and Grace Raynor of The Athletic.
Fifty-two of Miller’s college starts came at right tackle. Sewell has been elite in that position, though the Lions may bank on the future Hall of Famer shifting to the position Decker held from 2016 until they released him in March. Decker and Sewell formed an enviable tandem in Detroit for a half-decade. The Lions will now begin a new era with Miller and Sewell comprising their top bookends.
Jets Select TE Kenyon Sadiq At No. 16
The top tight end prospect in this year’s draft is heading to New York. Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq will join the Jets via the No. 16 overall pick.
Linked by some to go to an NFC South club, Sadiq will team with 2025 second-round tight end Mason Taylor with the Jets. A New York team that managed to go 17 games without seeing anyone clear 400 receiving yards will pick up some vital pass-catching muscle alongside Garrett Wilson.
The 6-foot-3, 241-pound Sadiq spent three years at Oregon, where he enjoyed a breakout junior season in 2025. He led Ducks pass catchers in receptions (51) and touchdowns (eight), and he finished second in yards (560). After leading college football tight ends in TDs, Sadiq earned First-Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Tight End of the Year honors. Sadiq cemented his status as an athletic freak at the Combine, where he ran the fastest 40-yard dash (4.39 seconds) of any tight end since at least 2023.
Adding at least one receiving threat in this draft was a must for the Jets, though the popular belief was they would select a wideout before a tight end. The team reportedly gave first-round grades to Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Denzel Boston. Tate (Titans) and Tyson (Saints) came off the board in the top 10. Boston is still available, but the Jets like Sadiq better. As owners of the 33rd and 44th choices, the Jets should be in position to land a promising receiver in the second round if they want to give quarterback Geno Smith another target to join Sadiq, Taylor, Wilson and Adonai Mitchell.
Bucs Choose DE Rueben Bain Jr. At 15
Rueben Bain Jr. will fill a key need without needing to relocate especially far. The Buccaneers are adding the Miami defensive end whose minor slide stops at No. 15.
Tampa Bay will pair the former Hurricane standout with YaYa Diaby, who is heading into a contract year. Diaby has had moderate pass rush success, totaling 19.0 sacks over his first three years of NFL play. He’s been part of a team-wide effort to get after the quarterback after the past few years, splitting the responsibility with Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea along the defensive line.
To that point, the Buccaneers couldn’t have asked for a better player to fall to them at this point in the draft to contribute to this team-wide pass rush effort. Bain is the epitome of such play, as evidenced during his three years in Coral Gables. As a true freshman, when teammate and fellow first-round pick Akheem Mesidor went down with injury, Bain stepped in as a starter and filled a giant role on the Hurricanes defense. Without lining up directly over center, Bain played all over the defensive line for Miami, leading the team with 7.5 sacks and finishing second with 12.5 tackles for loss.
Miami dedicated Bain more consistently to the outside after that. After an injury-limited sophomore campaign, Bain got to pair with Mesidor when both were healthy for the first time last year, and the two terrorized teams all through the Hurricanes’ College Football Playoff run to the national title game. Bain’s addition to the Tampa Bay pass rush should excite Buccaneers fans, as Bain tends to bring success to the pass rushers around him as they benefit from the attention opposing offensive lines will pay to Bain.
A pair of controversies threatened Bain’s draft status and future NFL career as a short arm-length measurement as the NFL Scouting Combine and an unfortunate driving accident from two years ago made frequent headlines over the last month of the pre-draft process. By most accounts, NFL teams took much less stock into Bain’s arm measurements than draft pundits, and they had reportedly been made aware of the driving accident story months before it broke.
Whether these issues contributed to Bain falling out of the top 10 to No. 15 or if it was simply a run of tackles and series of trades that delayed his name getting called no longer matters Bain will head up Alligator Alley to continue his pro ball in-state. The Buccaneers will now have to figure out how to use Bain in their base 3-4 front, as an outside linebacker opposite Diaby or a versatile in-line defensive end next to Vea, Kancey, A’Shawn Robinson, and former Hurricane Elijah Roberts.
Ravens Add G Vega Ioane At No. 14
Ely Allen’s PFR mock draft is on fire along the offensive line. After Spencer Fano went to Cleveland and Francis Mauigoa to New York, Vega Ioane is going to Baltimore.
The Ravens took the Penn State guard at No. 14, bringing in a player who should be an instant starter on the interior. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Ioane was a full-time starter at left guard for the past two years. After earning a second-team All-Big Ten nod in 2024, Ioane took home first-team all-conference and first-team All-America honors last season. He went back-to-back years without allowing a sack or taking a holding penalty, per Pro Football Focus.
Known as a mauler who excels in the running game, Ioane looks like an ideal fit for the Ravens. Although dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson was rarely healthy during a 13-start 2025, he was still a key contributor to a rushing attack that finished first in yards per attempt and second in yards. Jackson and running back Derrick Henry stand to benefit from Ioane’s presence going forward.
Ioane should serve as a much-needed upgrade on a Ravens line that has undergone a few notable changes this offseason. They lost elite center Tyler Linderbaum to the Raiders, which was a major blow. The team also allowed Daniel Faalele to leave for the Giants after back-to-back 17-start seasons. Faalele was on the field for 99.7% of offensive snaps last year. Free agent pickup John Simpson will replace Faalele, while Ioane should step in at left guard from the get-go and send 2025 starter Andrew Vorhees to the bench.
Dolphins Draft T Kadyn Proctor At No. 12
This draft promised to be filled with first-round offensive linemen. That prophecy is proving accurate. Spencer Fano, Francis Mauigoa and now Kadyn Proctor have gone off the board.
The Dolphins selected Proctor at No. 12 overall, doing so after picking up two extra draft choices (Nos. 177 and 180) from the Cowboys. This is the first pick of the Dolphins’ new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, who are looking to protect free agent quarterback addition Malik Willis.
As a 40-game starter at left tackle in college, Proctor earned no shortage of accolades during his three-year run at Alabama. He was a freshman All-American in 2023, a second-team All-SEC performer in 2024, and a consensus All-American and first-team all-conference player last season. Standing 6-foot-6, the mammoth Proctor has hung around the 400-pound mark in the past. While that is a concern, he weighed in at 352 pounds at the Combine. Proctor went on to steal the show at Alabama’s pro day in late March, further boosting his chances to go early in the first round.
Still just 20 years old, it is unclear where Proctor will line up at the outset of his career. The Dolphins have another massive left tackle in the 6-7, 326-pound Patrick Paul, a 2024 second-rounder who posted his first 17-start season last year. They lost right tackle Larry Borom to the Lions in free agency, but injury-prone veteran Austin Jackson is still under contract for another season. Proctor could eventually take over for Jackson or begin as a guard if he beats out either Jamaree Salyer or Jonah Savaiinaea, per C. Isaiah Smalls II of the Miami Herald.
The Proctor pick will not be the last of the night for the Dolphins, who are scheduled to select 30th. Wide receiver, cornerback and edge defender are among the areas they could address with that selection.
Cowboys Acquire No. 11 From Dolphins, Select S Caleb Downs
The Cowboys have moved up one spot, acquiring No. 11 from the Dolphins. Miami will slide back a pick, and this will allow the Cowboys to block other teams from trading up to outflank them.
The Dolphins will add Nos. 12, 177 and 180 in this swap, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. This will boost Miami’s pick count to 13. Considering where the Dolphins are on their latest rebuild timeline, it makes sense for new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan to add two Day 3 picks to drop one spot. The Cowboys drafted Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the pick.
It is no surprise the Cowboys spent their top choice on a defensive player after the unit struggled to stop anyone last season. Despite boasting one of the NFL’s premier offenses, the Cowboys finished 7-9-1 in 2025. A defense that ranked dead last in scoring and 30th in passing ‘D’, yards and turnovers was the main culprit.
Dallas has since added a pair of veteran safeties, Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke, to join the returning Malik Hooker, but Downs is now the most talented member of the group. The Cowboys are hoping he quickly emerges as a standout under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. As the Eagles’ defensive backs coach from 2024-25, Parker helped develop Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean into stars.
The 5-foot-11, 206-pound Downs began a decorated college career in 2023 at Alabama, where he notched 107 tackles, four passes defensed, 3.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. After earning second-team All-America honors, Downs transferred to Ohio State. He was a unanimous All-American during a 2024 showing in which he totaled 81 tackles, six passes defensed and two picks. Downs helped the Buckeyes to a national title in his first year with the team. They were unable to repeat in 2025, but Downs closed his Buckeyes tenure with another tremendous season. He put up 68 tackles, including five TFL, and a pair of INTs. Downs was a unanimous All-American again. He also earned the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the top defensive back in the nation.
Downs may not end up as the only high-profile defensive prospect to join the Cowboys on Thursday. They are also scheduled to pick 20th, where they could address another need on that side of the ball.
Giants Draft T Francis Mauigoa At No. 10
The Giants added on defense with their top selection. They have brought in offensive line help at No. 10 by selecting Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa. New head coach John Harbaugh had referred to the team’s offensive line a work in progress, so Mauigoa’s addition should, in theory, bring them closer to a finished product.
In 2025, the Giants only had one offensive lineman start every game of the season, and that lineman, right guard Greg Van Roten, is the only starter not expected to return after the expiration of his contract with the team. Elsewhere on the line, Andrew Thomas returned to form after a pair of injury-riddled seasons, showing elite play in 13 games this year, while Jermaine Eluemunor continued his steady play opposite Thomas. Eluemunor also missed a few games in 2025 and rookie fifth-round pick Marcus Mbow filled in adequately as the team’s swing tackle.
The left guard role was manned almost entirely by Jon Runyan whlie a carousel at center saw starts from Austin Schlottmann and John Michael Schmitz Jr. Outside of Van Roten, though, the play on the interior line was uninspired. The Giants signed a pair of former starters in Lucas Patrick and Daniel Faalele in an attempt to bring in competition for the guards spots, but the quality of play for both in recent years fails to inspire much confidence.
With both tackle spots manned, it’s believed Mauigoa will be coming in to take the starting right guard position opposite Runyan. The pending rookie only played right tackle in Coral Gables starting every game there from his freshman year to Miami’s national championship game loss in the College Football Playoff, but many projected guard as his best future position in the pre-draft process. Although he didn’t show much versatility for the Hurricanes, when reporters asked if he’d be willing to switch to guard at the next level, he told reporters that the line has five positions, and all he wanted was to land a starting job at one of them.
The pre-draft process for Mauigoa also contained a bit of concern over a potential back issue that some expect will require surgery in the future. The 20-year-old underwent additional imaging for his back to satisfy any concerns, and the results must’ve done enough to alleviate any hesitation New York had before drafting Mauigoa. In the end, he comes off the board just five picks later than we projected in our PFR Mock Draft, but ultimately, Mauigoa lands right where we thought he belonged.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.