Is Makai Lemon’s teammate Ja’Kobi Lane really a “sneaky sleeper pick who can add value in Washington”?

Los Angeles, CA - September 06: USC Trojans wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane (8) scores a touchdown in the first quarter the game between Georgia Southern and USC at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Commanders linksArticles

Bullock's Film Room (subscription)

NFL Draft Profile: WR Makai Lemon

The debate around the top wide receiver prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft centers aroundCarnell TateandJordyn Tyson. Both are talented players, but some analysts and fans believe USC receiver Makai Lemon should be in the conversation as well. If you go purely off production, Lemon had both Tate and Tyson beat in terms of number of catches (79), receiving yards (1156) and receiving touchdowns (11) last year. But of course, production in college is not always equal with differing levels of competition and different styles of offenses.

Lemon is a very different type of receiver to Tate and Tyson, and is quite a unique profile. At 5-foot-11, 192 pounds, he projects as a slot receiver, which is where he spent the vast majority of his time at USC. However, when you think about typical slot receivers, you think shifty guys that win quickly underneath on things like choice routes and pivot routes where their footwork and change of direction ability enables them to beat slot corners, safeties and linebackers quickly over the middle. But watch any highlight reel of Lemon and you'll see a guy that gets down the field and wins a bunch of 50/50 jump balls as if he's a 6-foot-4

Lemon's ball skills are clearly outstanding, especially for a receiver of his size. To be able to adjust his body in the air and go up and make some of these catches at 5-foot-11 speaks to a physical, determined receiver that has that gritty personality and play style that you love to see. But it's more than just that. Lemon tracks the ball incredibly well down the field and is able to make all the necessary adjustments to wayward throws.

Here's my draft profile on USC WR Makai Lemon

-Unique slot profile
-Strong route runner
-Excellent ball skills

Full breakdown: https://t.co/SENt0eMNMgpic.twitter.com/S4m3Mcm0Iy

- Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) April 2, 2026

"Makai Lemon is one of my favorite players in the entire Draft"

-@MoveTheSticks on @uscfb WR Makai Lemon

2026 NFL Draft - April 23-25 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
Stream on #NFLPluspic.twitter.com/XY12Op7nHv

- NFL+ (@NFLPlus) April 1, 2026

Commanders Roundtable

Is Ja'Kobi Lane the Redzone WR the Washington Commanders Need?

While his teammate Makai Lemon has gotten all the spotlight, Lane himself is a talented player who is a potential steal for anyone looking for a big red zone threat. He measured at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds at the scouting combine, while running a 4.47 40 and placed top ten in both the broad and vertical jumps. Washington doesn't have a true red zone threat at receiver at the moment, but Lane fits the profile of one.

Lane broke out in 2024, having 12 touchdowns on just 43 catches. While his touchdowns dropped to four in 2025, he did have a career-high 49 catches and 745 receiving yards. Lane went over 100 yards three times last year, including an insane 115-yard performance against Illinois on just three catches.

While not the number one at USC, Lane still provides great value, being a bigger receiver who can go up for a pass and is faster than people might think. Teams will value his threat in the red zone and look for mismatches to give him an advantage. His adjustment to the ball is top-notch, and he has the hands to make the tough catches. Lane has also frustrated would-be tacklers after the catch, slipping out of their grasp before they can get a hand on him.

Lane has drawn buzz as a potential day two pick, giving the Commanders a viable option at 71 should the first round materialize into a non-wide receiver selection. Capable of lining opposite of veteran Terry McLaurin, Lane could be the sneaky sleeper pick who can add value in Washington.

Commanders.com

Logan Paulsen's guaranteed ballers' of 2026 draft class

The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.

Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama

If you asked what does a modern receiver look like?' it would be Bernard. At 6-1, 200 pounds, he doesn't do anything great, but he does everything very well. He is good after the catch, he runs excellent routes, he blocks, he tracks the football. He feels like a right down the fairway type of player."

Tanner Kozol, TE, Houston

He's 6-6 and 250 pounds With 33.5-inch arms. He plays above the rim in the red zone. If he gets in the right system, he can do some damage in terms of getting some touches. He will be a late round guy, but the upside to him with that build and body control is enticing."

WUSA9

How fan feedback directly influenced the new Commanders uniforms

Fan uniform designs on social media acted as a communal focus group

But this path isn't one the team has walked down without fans, not just in mind, but as an external partner of sorts, by way of public and cultivated feedback the team has leveraged to ensure as much as possible that the vision marches to the beat of the fan pulse.

I'm blown away, actually, by how sophisticated fans are at creating uniform closets and almost dangerously (in a good way) social media posts." In fact, the source shared, those posts-your posts-sometimes make their way into the meeting rooms, and while the team may not be taking them as blueprints, they are seen and considered as feedback and as a sort of communal focus group.

Very cool. The community has some very sharp graphic designers who have created great work over the years.

I'm sure this made it to their meeting table. At some point. #RaiseHailhttps://t.co/5uydmJJLzTpic.twitter.com/f8Atq3IlL2

- George Carmi (@Gcarmi21) April 2, 2026

Podcasts & videos

Part 2 of my pre-draft conversation with @LoganPaulsenNFL. Defensive options at 7. Styles's fit. "What if" pick scenarios. Where we at with the 2024 class? I also discussed mock draft 7.0.https://t.co/eltpq137ta

- Ben Standig (@BenStandig) April 2, 2026

New @TraporDive film session out now

I break down the Commanders new DE Odafe Oweh.

The ascending pass rusher is entering his peak - Mual breaks down what Washington is getting in Oweh, and where he can keep developing. #RaiseHail

Watch/Subscribe https://t.co/YVtsc0BtqVpic.twitter.com/quzZBD7HCc

- Jamual (@LetMualTellit) April 2, 2026

NFC East links

Blogging the Boys

The Cowboys have actually spent a fair amount of money in free agency

If we apply the same logic to all NFL teams by including all guaranteed money from

• Franchise tags
• RFA tenders
• All players on re-worked contracts
• All traded players

then we end up with the following 2026 Top 10 in guaranteed money spent on players signed or re-signed to the 2026 roster:

The Cowboys didn't go overboard with total contract values, as the Spotrac and OTC numbers show. But neither did they sit still and do nothing. Does $106.7 million count as busting the budget?" I don't know. For a team that is very much focused on their cash spend year-in and year-out, it probably is. But because of the high rollers at the top of the table above, it's only slightly above the league average of $97.2 million.

The $106.7 million in guaranteed money handed out may come as a surprise given the relative paucity of headline-grabbing signings, but the disparity in spending on external versus internal free agents is nothing new for the Cowboys.

Next year, 2027 free agents like DE Will Anderson or WR Puca Nacua will be free agents and demand potentially cap-crippling free agency contracts and will again top the free agency wish list of many Cowboys fans, but the Cowboys will instead spend their money on re-signing players like George Pickens, DeMarvion Overshown, or Ryan Flournoy, and fill roster holes with mid-tier free agents.

But for that business model to work, you've got to draft successfully.

"Can they coexist? Maybe, but it's probably not best. Most people I talk to around the league do expect A.J. Brown to still be traded."

-@JFowlerESPN joins the @RichEisenShow and speaks on the Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown situation pic.twitter.com/MBWSUc1TGe

- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 1, 2026

NFL league linksArticles

The Athletic (paywall)

Explaining the NFL roster rules changes approved at the 2026 league meeting

Bylaw change No. 1

This change added language to the stipulations governing final roster cuts in August at the end of training camp. Teams are required to reduce their rosters to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on the Tuesday following the final week of preseason games. This is commonly referred to as cutdown day.

The new language gives the league some broader power in providing flexibility to teams that are opening their season with an international game.

For any season in which the League office schedules an international game during the first week of the regular season," the new language reads, the League office may adjust the procedures and related dates for the roster reduction to 53 players to accommodate travel arrangements for the participating clubs."

With the new language, the league can potentially give these traveling teams more time for logistics. The specific changes to the rules and procedures are to be determined.

The League office will advise all clubs of any such changes in advance via Player Personnel memoranda," the amended bylaw reads.

Bylaw change No. 2

This change turned the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day Weekend into business days, so personnel notices will be sent out league-wide on those days.

Cutdown day is the Tuesday before Labor Day weekend. Last season, a personnel notice - also known as the transaction wire - was sent out on Friday, Aug. 29. The next personnel notice was not sent out until Monday, Sept. 1, Labor Day. Under the new rules, transactions will be processed and there will be wires posted on Saturday and Sunday.

Bylaw change No. 3

This change pertained to the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Players who suffer an injury before the start of training camp are eligible to be placed on the active/PUP list at the start of camp. They count against the team's 90-man roster limit through camp. If that player remains on PUP through cutdown day, they are moved to reserve/PUP. Players on reserve/PUP must miss at least the first four games of the regular season. It used to be six games, but clubs changed that minimum to four games ahead of the 2022 season.

With the most recent change, players on reserve/PUP still must miss the first four games of the season. But teams now have the option of opening a 21-day practice window for those players after the second regular-season game. Under the previous iteration of this bylaw, teams could not open this practice window until after the fourth regular-season game.

Players on reserve/PUP can now return to practice two weeks earlier, giving them a ramp-up period while they sit out the minimum four games.

The 21-day practice window is also used for players coming off injured reserve. The same rules apply. Players can practice for 21 days without being activated off the reserve list. If the player is not activated at some point before the end of that 21-day window, they must remain on the reserve list for the rest of the season.

on video with some key Commanders takeaways from the NFL Annual League Meeting https://t.co/L4E8QoDwBq

- John Keim (@john_keim) April 2, 2026

ESPN

Kirk Cousins agrees to sign contract with Raiders, agent says

The Las Vegas Raiders agreed to terms with Kirk Cousins on Thursday, two days after new coach Klint Kubiak said he wanted to add another veteran quarterback to the roster.

Terms of the deal, which was announced by Cousins' agent on social media, were not immediately available Thursday morning.

From Atlanta to Las Vegas: pic.twitter.com/4VbDzR1LB1

- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2026

Cousins, 37, will join a Raiders team that is widely expected to select former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in the NFL draft later this month.

But Kubiak and general manager John Spytek, who were among those in attendance Wednesday to scout Mendoza at Indiana's pro day, have said on multiple occasions that they prefer not to start a young quarterback right away this season.

Ideally, you don't want him to start day one. You'd love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That's in a perfect world," Kubiak said Tuesday at the annual league meetings. It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from day one, and it's our job as a coach to get them ready to go.

Kirk Cousins to the Raiders fallout:

* Have to believe the Raiders told Cousins they plan on sitting Mendoza for some if not most of his rookie season, right?

* Camp Cousins must have heard that Rodgers is 100% back with the Steelers.

* Cousins living in Sin City is a hoot

- Ben Standig (@BenStandig) April 2, 2026

NFL.com

Mark Davis on Raiders owning No. 1 pick: Had that position before, and it didn't work out'

Despite bottoming out in 2025, the outlook is sunny in Las Vegas.

It helps that the Raiders own the 2026 NFL Draft's No. 1 overall pick. Then again, maybe it isn't quite the slam dunk some might believe it is.

Raiders owner Mark Davis knows better than to expect his team's top selection to be a sure thing. He was working underneath his father, the late Al Davis, in 2007 when the Raiders spent the No. 1 choice on LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, and had a front-row seat for the disaster that became Russell's career.

This time around, Davis is taking a cautiously optimistic approach.

Having the first pick in the draft is exciting because we kind of control the draft - we get to make the decision on who we're gonna pick," Davis said during the NFL's Annual League Meeting, via the team's official site. But we've had that position before, and it didn't work out. So there's no magic bullet there, but it's a great opportunity to get a great player, whoever they decide to pick."

Player safety

Front Office Sports

As Concussions Rise, NFL Shifts Focus to Face Masks

Improvements in face-mask design, however, have not kept pace with what's happening in helmets. In particular, the NFL found 44% of in-game concussions were related to face-mask impacts, up from 29% in 2015.

We've seen substantial improvements in the helmet shells over the last few years, but we have not seen a similar improvement in face masks in their ability to deter some of these concussions," NFL EVP Jeff Miller said at the league's annual meeting this week in Arizona. So when we have concussions on the field from helmet contact, a greater percentage of them are happening on hits right to the face masks, and that piece of equipment does not have the same sort of force mitigation properties as the rest of the helmet."

Overall, the NFL had 168 concussions during games in the 2025 season, up 30% from the 129 in the 2024 campaign. The implementation of the dynamic kickoff, which has more than doubled the number of kick returns compared to 2022, was also a key factor. With that increased contact on the field, the NFL is taking a fresh look at its player equipment.

aBit o'Twitter

just keep building pic.twitter.com/XmvyNBZt0u

- Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 1, 2026

From the league meeting in Phoenix:

Commanders managing partner Josh Harris confirmed the new uniforms will heavily honor the franchise's heritage and the RFK Stadium era.

A source indicate that sophisticated fan designs on social media actively functioned as a communal focus...

- David Harrison (@DHarrison82) April 2, 2026

Washington Commanders DB Amik Robertson is wearing number 2. pic.twitter.com/xJCGs16KKy

- NFL Jersey Numbers (@nfl_jersey_num) April 1, 2026

#Commanders DE Odafe Oweh putting in offseason work

(: lance717 via IG) pic.twitter.com/wagSM3FOkX

- brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) April 2, 2026

Titans are signing are signing former Commanders free-agent wide receiver KJ Osborn to a one-year deal, per source. pic.twitter.com/bKLaXPM6I6

- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 1, 2026

Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy's ELITE 2024 season:

19.4% forced incompletion rate
53.6 passer rating allowed
9 pass breakups
4 interceptions

McCoy missed the entire 2025 season but put on a show at his Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/fbd8WPi6F1

- PFSN (@PFSN365) March 31, 2026

A statement from attorney Levi McCathern, who represents #Rams star WR Puka Nacua - who is currently at a recovery center. pic.twitter.com/KomTpkIAWh

- Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 1, 2026

Here is my report on Rams WR Puka Nacua voluntarily checking himself into a recovery facility. pic.twitter.com/sG158MYUAF

- Steve Wyche (@wyche89) April 1, 2026

Christmas falls on a Friday this year, so the NFL will play multiple games that day in addition to its Black Friday game.

By passing this proposal, an NFL team is now allowed to play two Thursday games, which are considered short weeks," and a Friday game as well-and that's now... https://t.co/xUt2pT5IjR

- Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 31, 2026

Former Commanders back Chris Rodriguez Jr. is in a really good spot with a Jags offense that plans to accentuate what he does best.

Meanwhile, in Washington, Jacory Croskey-Merritt led all rookie backs in TDs last year and produced an impressive 3.1 yards after contact.

While... https://t.co/zno6wYMcQw

- David Harrison (@DHarrison82) April 2, 2026

NFL Teams With the Most Cap Space Pushed Into Future Void Years

1. PHI - $474M (incl. $249M in 2029)
2. CLE - $271M
3. DET - $196M
4. DAL - $180M
5. DEN - $168M
6. SF - $164M

Data: OTC, 03/31/2026 https://t.co/bvADUYlbcLpic.twitter.com/KxGrcv2yaB

- SFdata9ers (@sfdata9ers) March 31, 2026

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Tune in this Friday at 8pm ET on FOX as we take on the Columbus Aviators. pic.twitter.com/fefib1OgbS

- DC Defenders (@UFLDefenders) April 1, 2026

Alex Ovechkin does it again

His 20th 30-goal season extends his NHL record for most 30-goal campaigns ... 3 more than any other player all-time pic.twitter.com/A4a2CNQ2ZV

- ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) April 1, 2026

.@RGIII is headed back to training camp with @USAfootball pic.twitter.com/KB2NznKe0R

- Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 2, 2026