Bengals

The Bengals made headlines by acquiring DT Dexter Lawrence from the Giants in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick. Mike Sando of The Athletic cites one anonymous executive who thinks it was a sign that Cincinnati is trying to keep Joe Burrow happy. 

“This is like the NBA when you are trying to acquire guys to keep your star who is going to leave happy,” one executive said. “Is it expensive? Sure, but there is no price on keeping Burrow happy. Drafting Rueben Bain does not make Burrow happy.”

Another executive thinks the Bengals got great value in fourth-round WR Colbie Young.

“Young is legit — he’s big, and he’s got good hips and really good instincts for route running,” another exec said. “He is an outside receiver, though, so there is no one who can play the slot for them unless they put Ja’Marr Chase in there. It’s a helluva value pick. I just don’t know how you play all three at once.”

One executive thinks Lawrence would’ve been a top-five pick in this year’s draft despite being 28 years old. 

“Dexter Lawrence would be a top-five pick in this draft even at his age,” the executive said. “There is no one like him in this draft. He can change their defense, coupled with what they did in free agency.”

Browns 

Zac Jackson of The Athletic takes a look at the Browns’ depth chart following the 2026 NFL Draft: 

• Regarding the offensive line, Jackson writes that first-round OT Spencer Fano will start at left tackle, while LG Zion Johnson and RT Tytus Howard will only move if Cleveland suffers injury concerns along the line. Jackson has Elgton Jenkins “penciled in” at center once he recovers from his leg injury, along with Teven Jenkins at right guard “for now.”
• Jackson also writes that third-round OL Austin Barber can line up as a backup tackle or compete for the right guard role.
• At receiver, Jackson thinks the arrival of KC Concepcion could take reps away from Isaiah Bond and subsequently knock him down the rotation. 
• Given second-round WR Denzel Boston is an outside receiver, Jackson wonders if the Browns will look to trade Cedric Tillman this summer. 
• As for the quarterback competition, Jackson notes that Deshaun Watson took more first-team reps than Shedeur Sanders during the team’s open minicamp practice, and that it looks like the competition will continue as long as HC Todd Monken wants. 
• Jackson points out that a position to watch is the situational pass rusher role after they made no additions to the spot in the draft.

Ravens

Regarding the Ravens taking G Olaivavega Ioane at No. 14 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, Mike Sando of The Athletic cites one anonymous executive who points out that positional value at premium positions was largely thrown out this year and taking a guard could be a smart move. 

“The positional-value talk before the draft was interesting — teams said you can throw that out this year with the premium players playing non-premium positions,” the executive said. “(Sonny) Styles, (Caleb) Downs, (Jeremiyah) Love all fit that. Guards are expensive now, so it’s not as bad to pick up their options. Indy made it work with Quenton Nelson, and he was picked a lot higher (No. 6) than Ioane.”

As for replacing C Tyler Linderbaum, another executive wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade for Bears C Garrett Bradbury if Chicago is pleased with second-round C Logan Jones. 

“Baltimore is going to let everybody who can snap the ball try,” the executive said. “That would not be a bad trade. If I’m Chicago, I would not trade him until I know what I have with Logan Jones and know he is the guy.”

One executive thinks third-round WR Ja’Kobi Lane can succeed in the NFL, but must be more consistent. As for fourth-round TE Matthew Hibner, the executive praised his route running, speed, and catching ability. 

“Ja’Kobi Lane is really talented — he has ability, but he’s really inconsistent,” the executive said. “Hibner is a good route-running tight end, has a little speed, catches it well, is perfect for them to develop. But he doesn’t have the body control that (Isaiah) Likely had.”