Nick Baumgardner

5 days ago | nytimes.com | Jeff Howe |Nick Baumgardner |Lauren Merola |Dianna Russini

By Jeff Howe, Dianna Russini, Lauren Merola and Nick BaumgardnerTravis Hunter officially signed his rookie contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team announced Sunday. The four-year deal is worth a fully-guaranteed $46.65 million with a $30.57 million signing bonus to be paid up front, according to league sources. Hunter, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, was a two-way star at Colorado, playing both wide receiver and cornerback.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Nick Baumgardner

When we first started monitoring the transfer portal back in 2018, the first few classes were relatively thin on NFL Draft talent. That is definitely no longer the case. The days of transfers mainly being backups who didn’t play enough are long over, and college football’s portal is now firmly in its full-blown free-agency era, with quality starters at every position — including some with potential first-round draft grades — looking to better their situation (financially or otherwise).

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Nick Baumgardner

Six 2024 NFL Draft first-round picks were named to the 2025 Pro Bowl (Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, Patriots QB Drake Maye, Giants WR Malik Nabers, Raiders TE Brock Bowers, Rams edge Jared Verse and Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr.). A slew of others, including Chargers OT Joe Alt and Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell, were key contributors on playoff teams. Overall, early returns on the '24 class were strong. Not necessarily everywhere, though.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Nick Baumgardner

At the time, the 2021 NFL Draft was supposed to be a year of the quarterback. Today, it's an example of why it can be so hard to actually find a quarterback. Five quarterbacks were selected in the top 15 of the '21 draft, but only one (Trevor Lawrence) has since been extended by the team that picked him. Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Mac Jones all ultimately lost starting jobs with their original teams and have moved on - Fields is the only player of that group expected to open 2025 as a starter.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Joseph Person |Nick Baumgardner

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tetairoa McMillan didn't need much of a break-in period after arriving at Arizona in 2022, and there are strong signs to suggest his transition from college to the NFL will be just as seamless. After pulling in eight touchdowns and leading all FBS freshmen in receiving, McMillan thought he had the skill set to play in the NFL.