A few months after Nike paid homage to Kobe Bryant’s Lower Merion roots with a full collection for the 30th anniversary of his state championship run, it appears more locally inspired shoes are on the way next year.
Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, gave fans a sneak preview of new Kobe releases on the horizon, and among them are Eagles-inspired Kobe 5s in Protro form.
Nike is dropping a Kobe 5 Protro "Philadelphia Eagles” color-way. They will release in January 2027 and retail at $200. pic.twitter.com/o7mZKtWh9C
The shoes — which appear to have a green suede base color — have a black Nike check, a white color lining the midsole and tongue, which features the signature green Mamba logo. According to multiple sneaker outlets, the shoe will drop next January and will retail for $200.
The “Eagles” Nike Kobe 5 is one of seven styles of shoes that Vanessa Bryant posted on her Instagram stories on Tuesday evening. The six other shoes coming in the next year are: the Nike Kobe 6 “Polka Dot White,” Nike Kobe 6 “Polka Dot Red,” Nike Kobe 6 “Bellisima,” Nike Kobe 9 Elite High “Ironman,” Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low “Dusty Pink,” and Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low “CA Mountain Snake.”
Bryce Harper is not shy about showing love to the Philadelphia area, and his latest cleats are no exception.
On Tuesday, Under Amour released the UA Harper 11, the Phillies star’s 11th signature cleat with the company. And the first colorway, named “All Lines Lead Home,” is inspired by SEPTA and its colorful map, symbolizing the “many paths players, fans, and visitors take to reach the city,” the brand wrote in a release.
The low-top cleats feature a knit sock collar and a metallic silver base with streaks of color across it to symbolize SEPTA’s different routes. The colors include orange (for the Broad Street Line), blue (Market/Frankford Line), red (PATCO), light green (trolleys), and purple (Norristown High Speed Line). There also is a replica of the SEPTA map on the cleat’s tongue. The bottom of the cleat spikes are half red and half blue, similar to the SEPTA logo, and the tongue pull loop has Philly’s “215″ area code on it.
“Inspired by the Philly lines that bring fans together on game day and the player at the center of it all — the UA Harper 11 brings crazy new traction and signature Bryce attitude,” Under Armour wrote under the listing of Harper’s cleat on its website.
Harper’s “All Lines Lead Home” cleats also will be part of a Yard Icon collection at Under Armour and release in the five colorways representing Philly’s transit lines.
In addition to new cleats for Harper (right), Under Armour also released new “All Lines” colorways for its UA Yard Icon cleats, featuring fellow big-league stars (from left) Konnor Griffin, Juan Soto, Gunnar Henderson, Freddie Freeman, and Bobby Witt Jr.
The “All Lines Lead Home” cleats — which can be preordered for $140 (shipping is expected later this month, according to the website) — are the latest cleat collaboration from Harper that pays tribute to the region. Earlier this year, Harper released the “Mad House” colorway of his Under Armour Harper 10s, which referenced the Jersey Shore. In the past, he’s also paid homage to Wawa with his “Gottahava Harper” PE cleats, which were released during HoagieFest two years ago. And, of course, he’s continued his love affair with the Phillie Phanatic, rocking fuzzy Harper 3s inspired by the mascot’s colors last year.
Harper and Under Armour reached a contract extension in January, and the arrival of a new signature cleat shows the company’s commitment to keeping him as the face of its baseball endeavors. The Phillies’ first baseman has been with Under Amour since 2011.
The release of Harper’s new footwear also coincides with next week’s MLB All-Star Game, in which the former MVP will participate for the ninth time in his career, and third time as a Phillie. The brand also announced it “will bring Harper’s cleats to life” through a fan experience at 1190 Market St. during All-Star week, which starts Saturday.
So as the baseball world prepares to descend on Philly for the midsummer classic, it appears Harper’s new cleats are correct: all routes do indeed lead to the Bank.
Jett Harrison is following in his older brother Marvin Jr.’s footsteps.
On Wednesday, Jett announced his pledge to Ohio State on social media. Harrison, a rising junior at St. Joseph’s Prep, is ranked No. 4 by 247Sports’ composite rankings and is the top overall player nationally on the 2028 Rivals300 recruiting list.
Harrison finished with 15 receiving touchdowns as a sophomore for the Prep, which finished 5-5 last season and lost to La Salle College High in the Catholic League final.
He is the latest player to join the St. Joe’s Prep-to-Ohio State pipeline. Recently, his brother, Marvin, Kyle McCord, Maxwell Roy, and Isaiah West also chose to start their college careers with the Buckeyes after playing at the Prep.
Jett is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., who played at Syracuse. Marvin Jr. was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
Jett Harrison joins defensive lineman Jameer Whyce (Dayton, Ohio) and running back Elijah Newman-Hall (Bradenton, Fla.) as Ohio State’s commitments so far in the class of 2028.
Much of the offseason focus for the Eagles was the impending trade of A.J. Brown and new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion taking the reins of the offense. During spring workouts, though, no player seemed to have more buzz than new defensive back Riq Woolen, who joined the Birds’ secondary after four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.
The length, speed, and size combination of Woolen was enticing enough for Howie Roseman to spend $12 million on his services for one season in Philly. With Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean’s emergence in Vic Fangio’s secondary at corner and nickel, respectively, Woolen has an opportunity to flourish at a spot where the Eagles’ defense struggled last season.
Combining his film in Seattle with some eye-popping statistics, here’s why the Eagles are excited about Woolen — and how his acquisition helped set up DeJean for safety snaps in Fangio’s base defense.
Sticky coverage
It’s easy to forget that before the Seahawks picked him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, Woolen was a wide receiver by trade. The University of Texas-San Antonio product spent only his final two collegiate seasons at cornerback before entering the NFL.
The transition hasn’t always been seamless, though he splashed onto the scene as a rookie with six interceptions. Grabby tendencies at the top of routes and biting on double moves were setbacks in his second and third seasons in the NFL, but what he did for the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks in 2025 was particularly special.
Woolen allowed just 2.7 yards per target in man coverage last year, the best mark among defensive backs with 20 or more targets, according to Next Gen Stats.
Even on plays new #Eagles DB Riq Woolen doesn't get a great jam in man coverage or allows a free release, he has the speed to turn and run with most players in the NFL. His length also allows him to play through the catch point. Rep is never truly over for him even in a trail… pic.twitter.com/RyyU0ouEvs
Even when his attempt to disrupt a receiver’s route timing misses, or he ends up in a trail position, Woolen has the closing speed and length to make up for it. His 33⅝-inch arms are in the 97th percentile among NFL defensive backs, and his 78⅝-inch wingspan is 89th percentile.
Woolen allowed 3.2 yards after the catch and his average target separation, which measures the average distance between the receiver and the nearest defender at pass arrival, was 2.2 yards, per Next Gen Stats. Both ranked among the best of qualified defensive backs.
For a cornerback his size, Woolen can transition quickly out of his backpedal or shuffle, which allows him to break on passes thrown in front of him. He is not always able to flip his hips fluidly against shiftier receivers, but his closing speed allows him to stifle pass catchers after the catch or recover fully before the ball is thrown.
Woolen’s length allows him to physically dislodge the ball out of the hands of receivers, especially on routes breaking across the middle of the field. He finished with 12 pass breakups in 2025.
First thing I noticed buzzing through coverage snaps from new #Eagles DB Riq Woolen is how disruptive he can be driving down on throws, whether it be stops, curls, out routes, and dig routes. Utilizing his length is a big part of his game, and he is really physical at the catch… pic.twitter.com/RxOPl0zlwa
Erasing downfield passes was a big factor in Woolen’s strong final season in Seattle. The defense as a whole prevented offenses from generating explosive plays, and Woolen’s presence was a factor.
Across his career on deep passes, Woolen had an expected points added of plus-10.5 on deep passes, but that number fell to plus-0.5 in 2025, according to TruMedia. He showed the ability to squeeze vertical routes toward the sideline, run stride-for-stride with receivers, and get his head around in coverage before the ball arrived.
On nine targets of passes that traveled 20 or more air yards, Woolen allowed just two catches and had one interception as the nearest defender, per Next Gen Stats.
On passes that traveled 20+ air yards last season, Riq Woolen allowed just 2 catches on 9 attempts and had one interception. He does a nice job squeezing deep routes toward the sideline and staying in the hip pocket of receivers downfield. pic.twitter.com/3dbBROXhih
Avoiding penalties should still be a priority for Woolen in coverage. He was charged with nine accepted penalties last year, which tied for sixth among NFL defensive backs. As teams will likely throw away from Mitchell’s side of the field in 2026, Woolen should expect to be tested early and often next season.
DeJean’s strong run support
If there’s an area of Woolen’s game that has been a glaring weakness, it’s his run support. He is an arm tackler and finished with 11 missed tackles across 16 regular-season games in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, as DeJean moves from corner to safety in Fangio’s base defense this season, one thing that won’t change is the All-Pro’s willingness to tackle in the run game. Even as offenses deployed heavier personnel (two or three tight ends) to take advantage of the Eagles’ light boxes on defense (six or fewer players between the tackles) DeJean’s presence at nickel still made the Eagles difficult to run on over the last two seasons.
On plays with at least five defensive backs on the field, which included DeJean at nickel since 2024, the Eagles had a defensive EPA on designed rushing attempts of plus-0.15 and a 62.4% defensive rushing success rate, according to TruMedia.
One area I think Cooper DeJean will benefit the #Eagles being at safety in their base defense is his run support. Even when he bounced between outside corner (in base) and nickel last season, he consistently made plays in the run game.
He will likely fill the role vacated by Reed Blankenship, who signed with the Houston Texans this offseason. Blankenship excelled at filling the alley from his safety spot in the Eagles’ secondary, and while the team is bullish on Drew Mukuba’s development heading into his second year, he’s not as consistent a tackler in space as DeJean, nor is he as physical.
DeJean’s move to safety in the base defense also allows the Eagles to have their best four defensive backs on the field at once and could signal less reliance from Fangio operating in his nickel defense on early downs. It also could open the door for more flexibility in personnel matching against teams that are looking for formational advantages.
DeJean and Woolen have shown the ability to defend different body types of pass catchers. In Seattle, Woolen would sometimes defend tight ends and slot receivers in addition to traditional outside receivers at outside corner. DeJean, playing outside corner and nickel last season, faced similar matchups.
Most of Riq Woolen's snaps came at outside corner and I'd expect that to remain true with the #Eagles, but the #Seahawks lined him up at nickel 22 times last season, and seemed matchup dependent. Spent some time defending TEs (Kittle and McBride) and some hybrid/big slots like… pic.twitter.com/c8z6SVboCY
Woolen, DeJean and Mitchell could prove to be one of the best trios in the NFL, and they’ll have challenging games to make their case, from facing the Cowboys twice to going up against the Rams’ core. There’s reason to be optimistic about an Eagles secondary that added a talented player in Woolen who could cash in big-time next offseason, whether it’s in Philly or elsewhere.
LONG POND, Pa. — Lavar Scott is accustomed to reaching top speeds around a racetrack. But earlier this month, less than 24 hours before his race at Pocono Raceway, he took a beat.
Standing in front of a room of about 40 people at Holy Ghost Distillery, roughly 10 miles west of the track, Scott, a Carneys Point, Salem County, native, told stories about his racing family.
“One time, my grandmother raced my grandfather, and she flipped her Mustang,” Scott told the room, which was greeted with a chorus of laughs.
It was insight into the racing family that molded him. Lavar’s path started at 4 years old, when his grandfather built him a go-kart. He couldn’t race with an engine for another year, but his grandparents pushed him around the track anyway. Now, he’s racing through NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program and into the sport’s second tier, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where he drives the No. 45 car.
Scott, just 22, exudes confidence in every room that he’s in. When he tells novice racing fans his age, they can’t believe it. Those two hours at Holy Ghost Distillery — he was meeting with people connected to David Weinstein, a partner at Archer & Greiner, a law firm that serves as one of Scott’s racing sponsors — also displayed the business side of being a professional driver.
“As a driver, you can’t just be fast, right? You have to be fast and be a good business guy, and me being 22 and having to learn that so fast is really challenging,” Scott told The Inquirer inside his Alpha Prime Racing car hauler at Pocono Raceway’s infield. “[I’m] trying to put sponsors together and get more resources, to have better resources to make our cars faster, right?
“The people that can kind of stay grounded and the people that do the work every day are usually the ones that get past those challenges, and I’m in the middle of that right now. I’m just working to get to the other side.”
His family and the village that raised him, from South Jersey to North Carolina, keep him grounded. And it was apparent just how much he leans on those closest to him.
Lavar Scott (right) has leaned on his family, including his mother Sonia (center), as his climbed the racing ranks.
“It’s almost no surprise, because he damn near guaranteed himself, ‘That’s what I’m going to do,’” Wayne Scott Jr., Lavar’s uncle, said at Pocono Raceway. “And there was no alternative. There was no Plan B; there’s no second job. … That was his game plan, and he stuck to it. Here he is living his dream, not done yet, but he’s living it.”
Added Lavar, one of three active Black drivers in NASCAR: “The support [from] my family is a need. I need to have the support to feel good, right? If they didn’t support me, I don’t know how I would go about my day. I really care about what they think. They’re my family, [they’re the] reason why I’m here now.”
In the southwest corner of Pocono Raceway sits the Pocono Quarter Midget Raceway, which hosts races for kids ages 5 to 16. Scott’s eyes were fixed on the youngest age group driving go-karts with cages on top to protect them from injury. He beamed while watching the kids circle the dirt track because it reminded him of his start in racing and his first-ever win, on a dirt track when he was 5. He was hooked.
As he watched from the chain-linked fence that separated the stands from the track, a few teenagers recognized Scott from his racing TikToks and asked for pictures and autographs.
Lavar Scott (back right) poses with kids who compete at Pocono Quarter Midget Raceway, located near Pocono Raceway, on June 12. Scott got his start racing on similar dirt tracks.
But he wasn’t just at the track to watch and take a trip down memory lane. He offered words of encouragement to the kids and took a group picture. It marked the first time in two years a NASCAR driver came to speak at the track during Pocono weekend.
“I started where you guys are,” Scott told the group of about 40 kids. “Some of your parents, I raced against. I’m proud of you guys. It’s really cool what you’re doing. Being back at this type of track brings back memories. … It means a lot [to me] to be here with you.”
It was a reminder, too, of his own racing journey and family ties. It began with grandfather Wayne Sr., who became interested in cars when he was in high school.
Lavar Scott (center) shown with his grandfather and mother after winning a race during his childhood.
Wayne Sr. got into drag racing, often with his friends. His love for drag racing was passed down to Lavar’s mother, Sonia, who was National Hot Rod Association certified and “very competitive” as she raced all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
“She didn’t want to leave the track until she beat her time, and at that time, she was one of only a few women out there racing,” said Waynetta Scott, Lavar’s aunt and Sonia’s little sister. “There’s a [nine-year age] gap between us … but just watching her really inspired me to just know that you can be the only female out here and dominate, and she had that mindset to go against the men at that time.”
What helped feed Lavar’s racing career, Wayne Jr. says, is Scott’s Auto, which Wayne Sr. opened in 1978. It has become a family business, and Sonia, Wayne Jr., and Waynetta work at the Carneys Point shop.
“We grew up at our auto mechanic shop, and it’s like a second home, so we’ve just always been around cars and in that competitive nature,” Waynetta said. “Like how everyone goes and watches the Phillies, we went to a racetrack. That’s how we congregated and enjoyed our family time together.”
Sonia Scott (left) stops for a picture with her son before Sunday’s race at Pocono.Racing is a family affair for the Scott family. Wayne Scott Jr. (left), Wayne Scott III, Shanel Scott, and Elizabeth Scott pause for a photo with Lavar Scott (center) in the garage area.
Lavar’s older brother, Jerome, who also goes by Wayne, and Lavar “have been competing and everything their whole life,” said their uncle, Wayne Jr. Lavar and his brother would race their uncle and cousin, Wayne III. But Lavar, Wayne Jr. says, didn’t appreciate his uncle’s driving.
“He [said] he’s scared to get close to me on the track because I’m a wild driver, I guess you’ll say,” Wayne Jr. said with a chuckle. “I’m having fun out there. … I was like, ‘I’m just giving you some experience. You never know what you might get into out there [on the racetrack]. So take it as a lesson because everything’s unpredictable.’ I told him, ‘I’m glad I can help.’”
Lavar Scott’s pit crew works on the #45 Sunoco Chevy during NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts series at Pocono Raceway.
Lavar Scott has been chasing the winning feeling since his first race roughly 17 years ago. It’s been almost five years since Scott was last in the winner’s circle, even as he moved through NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program.
“It’s a feeling that when I go to bed, I think about, [when I] wake up, [I] think about, [when I] sleep, [I am] thinking about. It’s just the feeling of standing on top of your car after a win and [celebrating] with your friends and family and knowing you did your job really well that day,” said Scott, who has four top 20 finishes in the Auto Parts Series. “Knowing the work you’re putting in is paying off … I get kind of super emotional talking about it, because [racing] really, really matters to me.”
Scott signed with Alpha Prime Racing team last December, about two months before Jusan Hamilton was appointed as team president. Hamilton became NASCAR’s first Black team president a few years after he became the sport’s first Black racing director in 2017.
Hamilton, who was a racer himself while growing up in Ithaca, N.Y., had known Scott for seven years and sees a lot of himself in Scott.
“I see someone who works hard, continues to be a student of the sport,” Hamilton said. “He’s just on a platform now where he knows all the work that he puts in is going to maximize tomorrow, and I just see him continue to put that work in and try and be a better driver and on the track and a better person off the track to support the rest of it.”
Rajah Caruth (right) is one of Scott’s competitors, and another of NASCAR’s young Black drivers.
Beyond what Scott is doing on the racetrack, what he is doing off it is catching young fans’ attention in the Philly area and beyond. Last fall, Scott entered a partnership with Philadelphia-based Urban Affairs Coalition, a nonprofit that works “to improve the quality of life in the region, build wealth in urban communities, and solve emerging issues.”
Through this partnership, UAC launched Team Racing-2-Education, which aims to introduce young people to careers in engineering, data analytics, automotive tech, and media production within motorsports. Recently, Alpha Prime Racing launched a national workforce development initiative in partnership with UAC and Team Racing-2-Education to “immerse students and young adults in hands-on experiences across race team operations, engineering, mechanics, logistics, marketing, content production, business operations, and event management.”
Driving coach Phil Horton (left) and Alpha Prime Racing president Jusan Hamilton are in Lavar Scott’s corner.
“It’s something I really take very seriously, and want to help grow and change, and bring a lot more people into the sport,” Scott said. “I think our partnership [with UAC] and our goals align really well. … It’s been really cool, and the work that’s being done is definitely making a change, but there’s still a lot more to be done, and we’re working hard every day to kind of continue that.
“On my side of things, I want to see more simulators be available to the youth and to kids, and let them gain interest. When you go to your local middle school or high school, you walk into a gym, you see your basketball courts there, you go outside for football with your friends, right? But I think there’s a way to just get some [racing simulators] into different places to have it accessible to them to play.”
Added Hamilton: “It’s really been our culture of Alpha Prime to bring new people into the sport to give them a foundation to learn and grow in a team that supports that because a lot of the big [NASCAR] teams, they just want people that are turnkey and can go straight to work without training. They don’t want to take the time to train because that’s loss of performance for them in their eyes, so we kind of serve that position of the sport.”
Lavar Scott is becoming more well-known among racing fans.Scott waves to a young fan at Pocono.
Scott also had an autograph signing early Saturday morning. Children and adults, excited to meet him, walked up to his hauler and grabbed a poster for him to sign.
That has become a regular occurrence as Scott’s profile has grown. He says he can “hear little kids say, ‘Hey, that’s Lavar Scott,’” and added that it’s ”super cool” to have those interactions.
A visit with a children’s hospital earlier in the week, though, helped put things in perspective.
“[I was] speaking with this girl, and she had to be about 9 years old, and she said … ‘I think this is the coolest thing ever, that I get to meet you,’” Scott said. “[I said], ‘So you think today, meeting me is the coolest thing ever?’ She said, ‘This is the coolest thing I’ve done in my life, is to meet you,’ and that hit hard for me. That was — I don’t want to say motivating, but it touched on a different level.”
Lavar Scott takes a moment alone before his race in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts series at Pocono Raceway.
Scott walked away from his No. 45 car with Sunoco, a Chevrolet with a blue, yellow, and red color scheme. He walked toward the wall separating pit road from the straightaway just past the start/finish line before the national anthem and flyover.
He needed a moment to collect himself and refocus. He had spent the hours leading up to the 4 p.m. race on Saturday striking a balance of focus on the race and his laid-back, playful energy around family and friends.
While it was all business in the morning for practice and qualifying, he enjoyed the company of his uncle, Wayne Jr.; aunts Shanel and Waynetta; cousins Wayne III (who works on the No. 44 car for Alpha Prime Racing as a pit crew member) and Elizabeth; and mother, Sonia, after securing his 25th starting spot.
Jalen Hurts is entering his seventh season with the Eagles. Lavar Scott compared his mentality around racing to how Hurts approaches football.
His racing approach, Lavar says, is reminiscent of an NFL player who is revered in the Philly area.
“I do respect Jalen [Hurts], how he goes about things, being very quiet, processes things differently … and I think that’s how my guys view me,” said Scott, who connected with the Eagles quarterback recently. “No matter what’s going on, that Lavar’s going to show up prepared and ready to go.”
Once it was time to climb into his car, the rest of the Scott family watched anxiously from his pit box, listening to the in-car radio communication to glean information they couldn’t see on the track.
Lavar Scott operates on the straightaway under one of the many cautions in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts series at Pocono Raceway.
Every time Lavar’s No. 45 car zoomed by at around 190 miles per hour, a friend or family member would point out his car, trying to get a glimpse of their star fighting for track position.
“I get starstruck when I see him in his suit and in his race car,” Waynetta said. “I know he loves his family. We’re so family-oriented that it just gives him that comfort and the support and the confidence to know that he can go out there and be all that he can be. He does [racing in NASCAR] well, and he’s not alone in this battlefield.”
Though Scott’s first race at Pocono Raceway didn’t end the way he was hoping — he was knocked out of the race with five laps to go to finish 29th — it was clear from listening to his spotters through his car communication that he was maximizing his opportunities to move up through the field after starting toward the back. He was inside the top 15 at one point.
Lavar Scott was just five laps from the end of the race when he crashed on Turn 3 on June 13 at Pocono Raceway. Scott was uninjured in the crash.Lavar Scott getting a hug from his aunt Shanel in the garage area after he crashed on the 95th lap.
Those closest to him believe this is just the beginning for Scott as he navigates the delicate balance of racing and relationship building.
“I think what Lavar is doing is certainly going out there and competing at the highest level, which is fantastic. I think he’s learning as he goes as well, but making some really good progress,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said recently. “A guy who we’d love to see continue to climb the ladder in NASCAR, and he’s done it the right way. He’s put in the time, and he’s working with a great race team. I’m excited to see how it plays out throughout the year.”
Added Hamilton: “As long as [his] partnerships continue to grow, the sky’s the limit, really, for Lavar. The goal for all the drivers that we brought in on the NASCAR side, when I was working in that capacity, was for them to get to the Cup Series, and I think that’s still an attainable goal for him as long as everything else continues to work in his favor off racetrack.”
Lavar Scott recently partnered with a Philly nonprofit, the Urban Affairs Coalition on its Racing-2-Education initiative.
With the NFL draft about a month away, the Eagles will escalate the process of scouting prospects either at pro days or by bringing them to visit their Philadelphia facilities in the lead-up to the April 23-25 event.
The Birds, along with the other 31 teams in the NFL, are allotted 30 private meetings with draft prospects, but players who are local to the NFL teams don’t count toward those meetings.
Free agent acquisition Arnold Ebiketie, who started his collegiate career at Temple before transferring to Penn State, visited the Eagles during the 2022 draft process before getting selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round.
Here’s a look at the first of the reported top-30 visits for the Eagles.
Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
Top Indiana wideout Omar Cooper Jr. is visiting the Eagles facilities on Wednesday, according to Houston TV station KPRC 2. Cooper was the top wideout for the national champion Hoosiers, connecting with Heisman winner and likely No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Cooper finished the season with 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The Eagles seem to be doing their homework on the wide receiver class. Star wideout A.J. Brown’s status has been one of the biggest questions of the NFL offseason. Cooper’s visit comes just a day after the team added slot receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on a one-year deal.
Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. is a guy I'm likely going to be higher on than most. Hard to find too many holes in his game. Speed, suddenness, hands, toughness, and RAC. Total package.
Cooper, who has the speed to run by a secondary and is hard to bring down in the open field, primarily operated as a slot receiver in Indiana’s offense. The receiver also has strong hands at the catch point, terrific body control in contested catch situations, and can create after the catch — according to Pro Football Focus, he forced 27 missed tackles last season.
He didn’t have a diverse route tree in college and doesn’t command many, if any outside receiver targets, but he’s a receiver that will thrive on vertical throws and winning one-on-one matchups in the slot against nickels and safeties.
Andre Drummond was in the 76ers’ locker room after shootaround on Tuesday when a couple of his younger teammates approached the center about his recent shoe deal news.
“All the young guys are already asking me for shoes like, ‘Yo, you signing guys?’” Drummond said with a laugh during a video call with The Inquirer. “I said, ‘Listen, man, I just announced it yesterday. Let me get my things in the works.’”
Drummond’s teammates were referring the Sixers center’s big news, which was announced a day earlier. The 14-year NBA veteran joined Stria Sport, a Chicago-based apparel and shoe company, as the company’s creative director and investor. Stria Sport, founded by Eric Porter in 2021, is described as an “athlete led performance, footwear, and apparel brand,” and has its roots in basketball, but has also released walking and pickleball shoes.
When his deal with the Jordan Brand was set to end two and a half years ago, Drummond, a two-time All-Star, began searching for his next move and had one goal in mind for his next sports apparel deal.
“I always had this dream in my mind of getting my signature shoe and I’m like, ‘Damn, how do I get to this goal?’ And it’s not going to get it through Nike, obviously, they have a ton of guys already. Jordan already has a ton of signature athletes already. I was with Adidas already,” Drummond explained. “I don’t think people in general understand how difficult it is to have your own signature shoe. And not only just one, having your own signature, but two, getting it to sell.”
As Drummond scrolled social media, he noticed that his stepbrother, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who plays professional basketball overseas, was a Stria Sport athlete and thought his shoes “were kind of cool.” He quickly sent out a message to Porter, but Drummond says the timing wasn’t yet right for a partnership.
A few months ago, Porter reconnected with Drummond to offer the Sixers’ center an opportunity to have a signature shoe and an equity stake in Stria Sport, which is also the official performance shoe for the Harlem Globetrotters’ 100th season. Drummond called the proposal “a home run.”
Eric Porter (left) and Andre Drummond will work together closely on Porter’s brand Stria Sport.
“We’ve been very patient on who we want to partner with,” Porter said. “We spent the last couple years really laying out our foundation of where we really want to take this thing and what is our niche. To me, we’re partnering with Andre Drummond the creative, more than just the basketball player. … Very few people make [it to] the NBA, and he’s worn all these brands. And who else would you rather get information from than someone who’s been doing this their entire life? And so it’s exciting that he gets to bring his experience with my experience, and we’re teaming up.
“This isn’t just a shoe endorsement deal or he has equity. It’s, he’s going to be overseeing everything, and that’s what he had asked. He was like, ‘I don’t want to just do my own shoe, and that’s it. He wants to be a part of it all.’”
For Drummond, who is averaging 6.8 points and 8.6 rebounds across 46 games for the Sixers, the opportunity to be hands-on in the process of creating a signature shoes and building up the brand was a key part of joining Stria Sport. He’ll be a key decision maker for not only the brand’s basketball division, but will work directly with its pickleball players, including Gabe Tardio, the No. 1 ranked men’s doubles pickleball player in the world.
Beyond having a signature shoe, Drummond says he wants “to fully immerse myself and truly show the brand that I believe in it.”
“This is something I want to pass down to [my kids]. It’d be cool for them they play basketball to have their own shoe. Who can say that?” Drummond said. “That’s when people can go to school and say, ‘Damn, I got my own shoe. Like, my dad owns a shoe company.’ Like, that’s not normal. So for me, that’s how I envision it. I’m thinking about the later in life.
“It’s about building a community, building something that’s way bigger than the Andre Drummond brand … I’m not doing it to get fans. I’m not doing it for people to just buy my shoe. I want to build a real, organic community of people who genuinely care about what this brand is about.”
Andre Drummond signed on with Stria Sport on Monday as the company’s creative director.
The next step for Drummond and Porter is creating a signature shoe for the 6-foot-11 center, which they say is already in “the design and development stage now.” Drummond, who will be an unrestricted free agent this year, hopes to unveil the shoe by the beginning of the next NBA season, with plans to tease the shoe throughout the summer and training camp.
There are also plans for Drummond and Porter to expand and bring on more athletes down the line, too.
“People want to be different, and not everyone wants to wear what everyone else is wearing. And that’s where we’ve had our success,” Porter said. “The notion of being different, and having the confidence to wear something that no one else is wearing, or because we’re a smaller brand giving us a chance. We’re confident in what we’re making, I think what we have in the works right now over the next 12 months, is really exciting.
“We are going to look to grow, whether it’s bringing on more athletes, signing teams, groups. All of that is in the works.”
The NFL Scouting Combine doesn’t have quite the same participation that it had before the COVID pandemic, which was further illustrated last week. Several position groups were impacted by the number of players opting to test athletically at their pro days, which made for historically low testing numbers for all but one position group in Indianapolis.
But for those who did test, it was an opportunity to showcase their skill set in front of NFL personnel for the latest piece of the scouting puzzle. From an Eagles perspective, there were a few potential targets whose stock was impacted.
With free agency looming, here are some of the risers and fallers leaving the combine:
The predraft process for Johnson has helped elevate his draft stock. Johnson, a sticky coverage player in man and zone coverages who also is competitive at the catch point, showed he was an elite athlete, too, with his athletic testing.
At the combine, Johnson ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, jumped a 38-inch vertical, leaped 10 feet, 6 inches in the broad jump, and tied for the most bench press reps among cornerbacks with 17. He interviewed well for NFL teams meeting with him in Indianapolis.
His predraft rise is similar to that of Quinyon Mitchell, a Group of Four player who continued checking boxes at every stop. Johnson won’t go as high as Mitchell did in 2024, but he has some late first-round buzz coming out of the combine.
Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Freeling, though he has just 16 career starts, feels like he is slipping from the Eagles’ range in the first round. His final game at Georgia, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Ole Miss, was the most complete performance of his career and he now seems unlikely to get out of the top half of the first round.
#Georgia OT Monroe Freeling says he’s met with the #Eagles this week along with 18 other teams. Told us about how he picked up yoga because his mom convinced him to do it during the pandemic.
Also a former basketball player in high school and he compared playing defense in… pic.twitter.com/WnSIdketEv
Freeling tied for the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash among offensive linemen at the combine (4.93 seconds), third-longest broad jump (9-7) and fifth-highest vertical (33.5 inches). He slipped a few times during the on-field drills but still looked like a natural athlete with light feet.
He is going as high as No. 6 overall to the Cleveland Browns in post-combine mock drafts, which indicates just how highly he is thought of in draft circles.
Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana
Cooper was a popular Day 2 draft pick for several teams before the combine, including the Eagles, but after hearing the buzz in Indianapolis about the Indiana wide receiver, it is becoming increasingly unlikely he makes it beyond Round 1.
Cooper only ran the 40-yard dash (4.46 seconds) and participated in the vertical jump (37 inches), but he has checked several boxes for NFL teams and has the skill set and production to match his speed.
Cooper played primarily in the slot in college, but his vertical catching ability and strong hands with defenders draped over him will translate. Even if the Eagles end up addressing wide receiver early, there’s a good possibility Cooper is off the board by the time they pick in the first round.
Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy (3) has struggled to sufficiently answer questions about his recovery from injury.
Fallers
Jermod McCoy, DB, Tennessee
When healthy, McCoy is one of the best defensive backs in this draft class, but he missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL and elected to skip the combine. Nailing down his draft stock has been difficult because teams are not sure if he is the same player, athletically, postinjury.
He falls on this list because of the questions surrounding his long-term health, as opposed to other first-round corners including LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Clemson’s Avieon Terrell.
Stash McCoy’s name in case he doesn’t test as well as expected during his pro day on March 31. The Eagles showed last year with Jihaad Campbell that they are willing to take a swing on a player who had injury concerns before the draft.
After a strong Senior Bowl performance, Hunter, a disruptive, run-stopping defensive tackle, was getting late first-round buzz and even appeared in our first mock draft of the cycle. But his subpar testing numbers may hinder him from going that early in the draft.
Hunter’s 40-yard dash time (5.18 seconds) was as expected for a player who is 6-3, 318 pounds, but jumping a 21.5-inch vertical and 8-4 broad isn’t a first-round athleticism profile. Coupled with his limited pass rushing ability, Hunter feels closer to a late second-round player rather than back end of the first.
Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
Like Hunter, Fields was starting to get some late first round, early second round buzz after a standout week in Mobile, Ala., to begin the draft cycle. But even for a taller receiver (6-4, 218), he didn’t run as well as many expected in the 40-yard dash (4.61 seconds), though it’s not the end-all, be-all.
He did have some nice explosive jumps (38 inch vertical, 10-4 broad) along with an excellent three-cone time (6.98 seconds). But during on-field drills, he had some tightness in his hips when he tried to sink them while changing direction.
Fields still likely will get drafted on Day 2, could start early in his NFL career, and might be a nice option to replace A.J. Brown if the Eagles trade the star receiver. But it would be surprising to hear Fields’ name called in Round 1 in April.
Other notes
Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, a consistent riser during this process, met with the Eagles during the combine and had a strong testing performance on Sunday. He could be one of seven tackles drafted in the first round, along with Clemson tackle Blake Miller, with whom the Eagles also met in Indianapolis. Miller also had a strong testing day.
#Clemson RT Blake Miller says he has met with the #Eagles and tries to model his game after Lane Johnson’s explosiveness and consistency.
“Being able to kind of go pick his brain, get his opinion on technique, and then also to how he approaches taking on some of the league's… pic.twitter.com/8kDK4t1S62
Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman solidified himself as a first-rounder with elite testing at the combine and seems likely to be the second safety selected after Caleb Downs. His range starts in the late teens, with the Minnesota Vikings picking 18th. College teammate Kenyon Sadiq, the draft’s top tight end prospect, also seems to be trending up as a potential top-20 selection, which could be out of the Eagles’ range.
Utah tackle Spencer Fano, who could be an Eagles draft target, showcased his snapping ability after position drills on Sunday, which could give him the versatility to play center, guard, or tackle. Teams like the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, who lost their centers this offseason, could be in play for Fano if he doesn’t get drafted inside the top 15.
Racing has always been in Lavar Scott’s DNA, stemming from the auto repair shop in Carneys Point, N.J., that his grandfather, Wayne Scott Sr., founded in 1978.
His older brother, mother Sonia, aunts and uncles, and even Wayne all raced growing up, mostly in drag racing. Scott began his racing journey when he was 5 years old on dirt tracks across Pennsylvania and Delaware. In trying to follow his older brother’s footsteps, Scott quickly developed an affinity for the sport, one that would lead to him becoming one of just a handful of Black NASCAR drivers.
“I just raced all my life and fell in love with the sport, just from the fact that when we show up to the racetrack when I was younger, show up with the cars that my grandfather worked on, helped build, and it was a family effort, family team,” Scott told The Inquirer recently. “We [would] drive to the racetrack together, and then doing that and winning races like that, you don’t find that other type of love and I guess gratitude for something like in any other sport that I played.”
Lavar Scott (center) shown with his grandfather and mother after winning a race during his childhood.
Scott raced on dirt tracks until he was 14. When he turned 15, he transitioned to racing on asphalt tracks to try and seriously pursue a career in racing, which meant moving to Charlotte, N.C., to make that happen.
From those humble beginnings, Scott, now 22, has risen quickly. Six years ago, he was accepted into the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program and is working his way toward racing at the highest level. Last month, Scott began his first year racing full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, the second-tier of the sport.
“[I] became really good, worked hard at it, had a chance to move down south at 16 to become part of the NASCAR diversity program and be a part of Rev Racing,” Scott said. “I raced for Rev for five years throughout the ranks of late models, ARCA legends, [and] just had a really good few years with them. I was rookie of the year in 2024 in the ARCA [Menards Series].
“It all comes from racing back at home in the Pennsylvania area. We used to race there three times a week. It was a full-time job really as a kid racing. And that’s what got me to this point, was doing it consistently.”
Scott, whose racing journey will bring him back to the area later this year, is just the third active Black driver in the sport. He joins NASCAR star Bubba Wallace and fellow O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Rajah Caruth, who went through NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program with Scott. The two have continued their friendship on and off the track, and leaned on one another as they try to grow the sport.
“I think me and Rajah go through so many things and we kind of battle it together,” Scott said. “We’re really in a team a little bit, trying to change the whole dynamic of motorsports and bring more of us alike in the sport.
“And it’s so good to have someone like him to do it with, because Rajah is a not only a great driver, but he’s a great person. … I really connect with [him], aside from just being a professional athlete together. He’s not just a teammate or just a friend, like he’s someone that we really going through this stuff together and figuring out, and it’s really cool.”
And as he’s continued to level up, he’s also started to give back.
Scott, who races with Alpha Prime Racing, entered a partnership with Philadelphia-based Urban Affairs Coalition last fall, a nonprofit which aims to “unite government, business, neighborhoods, and community leaders to improve the quality of life, build wealth, and solve emerging issues in urban communities.”
Through this partnership, UAC is launching Team Racing-2-Education, with the goal of introducing young people to careers in engineering, data analytics, automotive tech, and media production within motorsports.
Lavar Scott’s No. 45 car is decorated with the logo of the Philly-based nonprofit Urban Affairs Coalition.
“Lavar represents the dreams of every kid. He represents the opportunity that every kid should have. And ultimately, we are in the business of changing and saving lives and making dreams come true through the nonprofit sector,” said Arun Prabhakaran, the president of the UAC. “The partnership really arose around this idea of, ‘How do we create enough visibility for a story like this to be able to change the way that America thinks about motorsports?’ They should think about motorsports, and see, ‘I could become a petrochemical engineer.’ They should see, ‘I could become a designer and design cool looking race cars.’”
And while Scott is behind the wheel of his own car, he is also a perfect example, having gone from “a 5-year-old who was racing on a dirt track to arguably one of the most decorated motor sports athletes and NASCAR athletes in the region’s history,” Prabhakaran added.
For Scott, he sees the local interest, but hopes the partnership can open more eyes to the many motorsport jobs that don’t involve making a series of left-hand turns.
Lavar Scott shown with young fans after winning at the Limerock Dirt Speedway in New York last August.
“I know in the Philadelphia market, there is so much interest in motorsports, but I want to expose more and make it more known to people,” Scott said. “I think anything you want to do … happens in motorsports, whether it’s like a designer, somebody working with tires, shock guys, social media.
“Every avenue that you can take in this world applies to motorsports in some way or form.”
When will Lavar Scott compete near Philadelphia?
Scott’s debut season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series began at the Daytona 500 in Florida on Feb. 14, where he finished 16th. But that was his third overall race in NASCAR’s second-tier series.
Scott made his debut at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, last July, finishing 28th in the formerly named Xfinity Series, and raced again in September at the Xfinity Series at World Wide Technology in Madison, Ill., where he finished 19th.
The South Jersey native finished 28th at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago and finished 22nd at the Circuit of the Americas this past weekend, which is just outside of Austin, Texas.
South Jersey’s Lavar Scott shown before the Daytona 500 in February.
He will compete at Dover Motor Speedway this season on May 16 and will race at Pocono Raceway on June 13. Scott is looking forward to being close to home for both tracks, with Pocono being less than two hours from his hometown and Dover just under an hour from where he grew up.
“Dover and Pocono, they’re fun tracks. Dover more so fits my driving style. It’s kind of really aggressive,” Scott said. “I like tracks like that where really a lot of it depends on the driver. And then Pocono, racing out in Pa. again, it’s always cool. It’s a big track. It’s definitely error dependent, so you got to be smart there. …
“It’s a lot around those weekends that matter to me and make it more than — I won’t say other weekends — but it’s an emphasis, and I definitely have those weekends circled on the calendar.”
With the NFL scouting combine in the rearview mirror, the collective focus will now turn to the fast-approaching free agency period, which will help paint a clearer view of what needs remain ahead of April’s draft.
But the past week also gave teams an opportunity to meet and learn more about the next group of NFL players. Some team fits have began to materialize, including what the Eagles may end up doing with the 23rd pick.
Here’s how we’re projecting our second first-round mock draft of this draft cycle:
1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
The buzz coming out of the combine is that Las Vegas is locked in on Mendoza atop the draft. That was the consensus coming into the combine, and the same remains true leaving it.
2. New York Jets: Arvell Reese, LB/edge, Ohio State
After an elite testing performance, Reese all but sealed his likelihood of getting selected inside the top 4, and the scuttlebutt from the combine all pointed to the Jets coaching staff favoring the versatile Ohio State player.
Bain didn’t test at the combine, but most teams aren’t deterred from drafting the standout Miami edge early in the draft. He can rush from the interior and as an outside pass rusher, and is a stout run defender that can help the rebuilding Cardinals.
Defensive lineman David Bailey (31) runs a drill at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday.
4. Tennessee Titans: David Bailey, edge, Texas Tech
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love’s range begins here, but in this scenario, Tennessee opts to take Bailey, who showed off his linear explosiveness and speed at the combine. Robert Saleh gets his pass rusher to build around for the future.
5. New York Giants: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Styles was already getting top-10 buzz coming into the combine, but his unreal testing performance (4.46 second 40-yard dash, 43.5-inch vertical jump, 11-foot, 2-inch broad jump, and 7.09 second three-cone) and New York’s need at linebacker may be too enticing for them to pass up.
Freeling’s stock continues to rise, despite making just 16 career starts. Cleveland gets a much-needed upgrade at a premium position with an elite athlete who shows promise as a pass protector and blocking out in space.
7. Washington Commanders: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
The idea of pairing Love with Jayden Daniels in the backfield would give nightmares to the NFC East and the rest of the conference. Love is a three-down back with elite speed (4.36 second 40-yard dash) and pass catching ability.
8. New Orleans Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
Despite running a 4.53 second 40-yard dash, Tate excels as a route runner when matched up one-on-one against defensive backs and gives Tyler Shough another outside receiver weapon to pair with former Ohio State teammate Chris Olave.
Kansas City’s offensive line has struggled, and Mauigoa can fill a need at either tackle or guard. He also said at his podium this weekend that he will play any of the five spots on an offensive line, which gives Kansas City the flexibility to play him at tackle or guard.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
Despite not testing at the combine, Downs is the most instinctual player in the draft and received rave reviews in his interviews with teams from across the league. Cincinnati seems to be the floor of where he will be selected in the first round.
11. Miami Dolphins: Olaivavega Ioane, OL, Penn State
This one is a bit of a surprise, considering Miami’s needs in the secondary, but Ioane has an argument as the best offensive lineman in the class and could help solidify a group that struggled at both guard spots last season.
Penn State OL Olaivavega Ioane getting some work in the kick slide drill
One of the worst-kept secrets is Dallas’ intention of drafting a cornerback early, and here that would get them Delane, a smooth cornerback with excellent anticipatory and ball skills that should fit under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
Kenyon Sadiq runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday.
13. Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons): Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
The Oregon tight end tested historically well at the combine for the tight end position, and seems unlikely to make it out of the top 20. In joining Los Angeles, Sadiq gives Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford a receiving weapon that can replace free agent Tyler Higbee’s production.
Kenyon Sadiq had one of the best days ever by a TE at the Combine:
Woods’ stock is difficult to figure out because of his uneven play in 2025, but the Clemson defensive tackle’s pass rushing and gap shooting ability would be a nice addition to a defensive line that features Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cashius Howell, edge, Texas A&M
Getting more consistent edge rusher production will be among the priorities for Tampa this offseason, and Howell brings that ability, despite having short arms (30¼-inch arms). He has shown the ability to win on a two-way go off the edge.
Cashius Howell (@AggieFootball) reached 14.52 mph while rounding the corner in the pass rush drill, the only defensive lineman to exceed 14 mph during the 2026 Combine.
Howell posted the fastest pass rush speed by any DL prospect since Will Anderson Jr. (14.90 mph) in 2023. pic.twitter.com/Bo0AxRfHBW
16. New York Jets (via Colts): Makai Lemon, WR, USC
Lemon looked smooth during the on-field combine drills, but there are concerns with his athletic profile. However, New York needs more playmakers in itsreceiver room and Lemon thrives at the catch point and after the catch.
17. Detroit Lions: Avieon Terrell, DB, Clemson
Detroit has needs along the offensive line, but Terrell has the fearless mentality, ball skills, and coverage instincts to fit at multiple spots in the secondary. Amik Robertson is set to be a free agent and Terrell played outside corner and nickel in college.
McCoy opted to not participate in the combine, and there is no guarantee he will at his pro day either, which could scare some teams from drafting him. He has shutdown corner ability, got his hands on the football in both man and zone coverages and would fit nicely in Brian Flores’ aggressive defense.
19. Carolina Panthers: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Tyson’s medical checks could have him go a lot lower than expected, but his fall ends here with Carolina, especially with Xavier Legette’s unclear future with the team. The Arizona State wideout is dynamic at the catch point and can win as a route runner in the slot and as an outside receiver.
Faulk, who showed some lower-body explosiveness at the combine (35-inch vertical, 9-9 broad jump), is an excellent run defender who played in a contain style of defense, which limited his pass rushing ability.
Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano runs a drill at the NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday.
Isaac Seumalo could be on the way out for Pittsburgh, leaving an opening at guard for the Steelers. Fano has great feet and hands as a tackle, but his movement skills and run blocking disposition could be accentuated even more at guard.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: R Mason Thomas, edge, Oklahoma
Thomas did not run very well at the combine (4.67-second 40-yard dash) but he’s got an elite first step and can beat tackles on their outside or inside shoulders. Los Angeles desperately needs more juice from its pass rushers.
The Eagles showed significant interest in the tight ends and offensive linemen at the combine, and Proctor was among their formal meetings. The Alabama tackle said the Birds “have expressed a lot of interest in me,” during the process, and rightfully so, considering size, athleticism, and run blocking displacement skills.
He also admitted he was open to playing in the interior, a spot the Eagles could upgrade this offseason. He certainly checks the box for the “critical factors” the Eagles look for in offensive linemen.
#Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor says he’s met with with the #Eagles and that they “have expressed a lot of interest in me.”
Says he’s told teams his ideal playing weight has been 355 or less and wants to play tackle but is open to moving inside if teams need him to. pic.twitter.com/nwGlL6K5qu
24. Browns (via Jaguars): Kevin Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
Concepcion is a dynamic athlete with the ball in his hands and would give Cleveland’s offense a much-needed vertical threat for whoever is under center next season, whether it’s Shedeur Sanders or a free agent signing like Malik Willis.
25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
Thieneman was the pleasant surprise of the combine, testing like an elite athlete (4.35 40-yard dash, 41-inch vertical, 10-5 broad jump) and showcasing the range to play as a single-high safety and the instincts to play a box safety role. With Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson hitting free agency, Chicago gets a potential Day 1 impact player.
.@oregonfootball S Dillon Thieneman just casually out-running three of the best WRs in the game 🤷♂️
Allen, the standout Georgia linebacker, has good instincts and playmaking skills at the second level of a defense and fills a need with Matt Milano set to hit free agency for Buffalo.
Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston runs a drill at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday.
27. San Francisco 49ers: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
Jauan Jennings is set to hit free agency this offseason, and the 49ers may be looking for his replacement in the draft. Boston is a big receiver who can win vertically and thrives at the catch point with his strong hands and impressive body control on jump balls.
28. Houston Texans: Caleb Banks, DL, Florida
Banks tested like a solid athlete at the combine, but he only played in three games in 2025 and needs to improve his pad level and down-to-down consistency. But his skill set will fit nicely in DeMeco Ryans’ defense.
29. Rams: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
The Rams have a big need at corner, but instead they upgrade the right tackle spot with Miller, who has light feet in pass protection and the grip strength to stop pass rushers in his tracks. He also has the athleticism to block in space, a big component of Sean McVay’s offense.
30. Denver Broncos: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
One name that kept popping up as a first-round player last week was Cooper, who has the speed to run by defensive backs (4.46-second 40-yard dash) and is tough to bring down in the open field after the catch. He would be a nice, complementary piece in Denver’s offense.
31. New England Patriots: T.J. Parker, edge, Clemson
The Patriots need more impactful pass rushers, and Parker relies on his power and is a physical run defender that can stack and shed offensive linemen in the run game. He also has experience dropping into coverage.
32. Seattle Seahawks: Chris Johnson, DB, San Diego State
Johnson’s rise is similar to Quinyon Mitchell’s a few years ago — Johnson crushed the predraft process first at the Senior Bowl, then at the combine (4.4 second 40-yard dash, 38-inch vertical, 10-6 broad jump). He is a sticky coverage player in man and zone coverages, and is competitive at the catch point, and fills a need for Seattle in the secondary.
