NFL

7:00 AM ET NFL NationESPN You don’t have to play at a traditional college football power to achieve NFL stardom. Former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton showed us that. San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerry Rice showed us, too. So did the other 30 names on our small-school studs list picked by NFL Nation reporters.

7:30 AM ET You’ve all heard about the ridiculous talent in the 2020 NFL draft‘s wide receiver class, and the running back class has plenty of playmakers, too. But when we are talking about ability in the open space on the field, a few prospects stand out as extremely dangerous weapons for any offense. That

11:49 PM ET Since retiring from the NFL last year, former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has kept himself busy — CBD entrepreneur, NFL analyst for Fox, television-special co-host, music video star, contestant on “The Masked Singer” and game show star. Now he can add one more line to his résumé: WWE champion.

8:58 AM ET Former New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who famously made a 63-yard field goal in 1970 despite being born without toes on his right kicking foot, has died due to complications of the coronavirus, his family told NOLA.com. He was 73. Dempsey had been battling Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. He was a

12:52 PM ET High-level officials from multiple NFL teams are now preparing to do the April 23-25 draft virtually, from home, away from their team facilities, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a leaguewide memo on March 26 that it was “unanimous and unequivocal that the Draft

6:00 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — New Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay doesn’t exactly come off as the bashful type — confidence and swagger drip off him, whether he’s in a conversation or shadowing an opponent’s top receiver — but when he finally had the chance to meet his idol Kobe Bryant, he was at a

7:39 PM ET The state of Florida has levied three formal charges against Antonio Brown for an alleged January assault resulting in the former All-Pro’s arrest. Brown faces felony burglary conveyance, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal mischief charges, according to a Broward County court document obtained by ESPN. Brown turned himself in on Jan. 23

6:29 PM ET HOUSTON — In his first public comments since trading DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien cited the wide receiver’s desire for “a raise” as one of the reasons for his trade to the Arizona Cardinals. Last month, Houston traded Hopkins, a reigning three-time All-Pro selection, and a

6:55 AM ET Operation Shoeless Joe Jackson — that’s what the “Field of Dreams” fans inside the Tampa Bay front office called their pursuit of Tom Brady. John Spytek, director of player personnel and a former Brady teammate at Michigan, came up with the name for good reason. More than any other franchise in American

7:30 AM ET NFL NationESPN As the 2020 NFL draft approaches and free agency slows to a trickle, the league’s offseason programs are right around the corner. If team activities are reduced or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, it will have a far-reaching impact on rosters. With five new head coaches on the sidelines

7:00 AM ET After helping Matt Ryan become the NFL’s first $30 million per year player, agent Todd France was thrilled for Ryan but didn’t pop any corks around the Creative Artists Agency office in Atlanta. France, who co-brokered the deal with Tom Condon that earned Ryan $150 million over five years with $100 million

6:45 AM ET NFL free agency isn’t over, but with the vast majority of notable players under contract, we can get a sense of the bigger picture and what it tells us about the state of the league. As the NFL dealt with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and started free agency just days

10:00 AM ET The New York Jets desperately need an edge rusher. Now there’s a copy/paste sentence that has been used every year since 2006, the year John Abraham was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. A couple of high-profile pass-rushers in this year’s free-agent class, Jadeveon Clowney and Yannick Ngakoue, are still without a team,

6:34 AM ET Turron DavenportESPN Close Covered Eagles for USA Today Covered the Ravens for Baltimore Times Played college football at Cheyney University Brothers Trevon and Stefon Diggs would compete in everything growing up. One of Trevon’s favorite games was knee football. They’d go in the basement, get on their knees and try to blast

9:46 PM ET The NFL Players Association sent a letter to all NFL players Wednesday in response to a claim by attorneys for Eric Reid that last month’s vote on the league’s new CBA should be invalidated because of a change in language, saying the claim was “completely false.” Attorneys for Reid, a free-agent safety,

4:46 PM ET It’s not surprising that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is working out with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown this offseason. What’s created a buzz is Jackson tossing passes to his top wide receiver’s famous cousin. Antonio Brown, a free-agent wide receiver, caught a 50-yard pass from the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player on a

7:00 AM ET NFL NationESPN The 2020 NFL draft is a few weeks away. Last week, we looked back at how each 2019 first-round pick performed in his rookie season. Today, we move on to the second-round picks from last year. The second round was bountiful, with 20 starters coming from the 32 picks and

7:00 AM ET NFL NationESPN With 2020 NFL free agency winding down, we are looking back on what went down and looking forward to what’s ahead. Maybe you heard some big-name quarterbacks like Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Teddy Bridgewater (Carolina Panthers) changed teams. Those weren’t the only huge moves. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak