The NFL draft is a chaotic three-day exercise in collective delusion — a time when we all pretend to know exactly how 21-year-olds will adapt to playing against grown men, and how grown men will adapt to not playing against 21-year-olds.

(College football is weird these days.)

So we spend months agonizing over mock drafts, building elaborate...Read more

Editor’s note: The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Eddie Brown is breaking down prospects, position by position, leading up to the NFL draft (April 23-25). Here are his top 10 defensive tackles, plus players he believes will be drafted or signed as a priority free agent:

1. Peter Woods (Jr., Clemson, 6-foot-2, 298 pounds)

Woods remains the most ...Read more

RENTON, Wash. — At this moment, trying to criticize Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider is like trying to pick up a 7-10 split. I guess it's possible, but given his resume you'd have a hell of a time pulling it off.

He has won two Super Bowls in his position and three NFC championships. His recent work — particularly since the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Star receiver Puka Nacua will fully participate in voluntary offseason workouts, the Rams are getting closer to another contract adjustment with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead hope backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo decides to put off retirement and return for a third season and ...Read more

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who’s been in headlines this month after being photographed with former The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a resort in Arizona, made a statement Tuesday afternoon.

Vrabel had not addressed the matter since releasing a statement to Page 6 when the story broke. The ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — He’s not going off the grid after all.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is set to join NBC as an in-studio analyst this NFL season on the pregame show for “Sunday Night Football,” according to a report Tuesday from The Athletic.

Tomlin’s future was the subject of much speculation when he stepped down from his...Read more

Editor’s note: The Union-Tribune’s Eddie Brown is breaking down prospects, position by position, leading up to the NFL draft (April 23-25). Here are his top 10 edge rushers, plus players he believes will be drafted or signed as a priority free agent:

1. Rueben Bain Jr. (Jr., Miami, 6-foot-2, 263 pounds)

Much of the draft discourse this ...Read more

Here’s what Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley need to acquire in the NFL draft — players with the right attitude, guys who have a winning mindset. Yes, they desperately need talent. But they also need the right type of player. Sullivan and Hafley should be looking for competitive traits such as grit, hard...Read more

It is officially NFL draft week, with 16 invited prospects descending on Pittsburgh for the three-day event that begins Thursday night. While the top pick appears solidified, the draft is difficult to predict given the lack of top quarterbacks in this class, along with the number of premium players at non-premium positions.

Will the Eagles be ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — It’s not going to be the same. At least that’s what everyone with the Raiders hopes and — you can imagine — believes.

The team has for the first time since 2007 a first overall selection in the NFL draft and is expected to make Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza the pick.

They also chose a quarterback the last time at ...Read more

CHICAGO — Ben Johnson wanted Caleb Williams to get away from football.

That was the Chicago Bears coach’s message to the second-year quarterback in the frigid January days after the loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs.

“He’s done a phenomenal job in terms of staying focused all year long,” Johnson ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — It has been a whirlwind year for presumed No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, who is expected to become a member of the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday.

All of the iconic moments he has created have meant a lot of travel for his family, particularly his mother who is stricken with multiple sclerosis.

That’s a big part of why he has ...Read more

The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a four-year contract with kicker Brandon Aubrey worth $28 million, making him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history and locking him in through 2030, a team source confirmed to the Star-Telegram on Monday.

The deal eclipses Houston Texas’ kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn’s deal worth $6.5 million per season. ESPN ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Left tackle Trent Williams is staying put on a 49ers offense loaded with old-timers and short-timers for its urgent Super Bowl push.

A two-year, $50 million deal was announced Monday by Williams’ representatives at Elite Loyalty Sports and later confirmed by 49ers general manager John Lynch.

“I know he’s going to ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Former USC and Georgia receiver Zachariah Branch was arrested early Sunday in Athens, Ga., for not moving far enough on a public sidewalk when a police officer asked him to do so.

Branch, widely projected to go in the second round of the NFL draft later this week, faces misdemeanor charges of obstructing public sidewalks, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Rams All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua was present on Monday when the Rams began voluntary offseason workouts at their Woodland Hills training facility.

Nacua, who entered a rehabilitation facility in March, was not among players scheduled to speak with reporters at the outset of the Rams' program, which includes three phases and ends...Read more

The Patriots are “tracking” to acquire Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown in a post-June 1 trade, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday morning.

This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, since Brown has been linked to the Patriots as far back as last year when Mike Vrabel was hired as head coach. Vrabel was the Titans’ head coach when Brown ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Hey, have you heard the NFL draft is in Pittsburgh?

I mean more than a few million times. This week.

The official NFL draft countdown clock, which feels like it’s been standing dutifully near the confluence about as long as Fort Pitt, has begun to flash single digits. So yeah, it appears this is happening.

Don’t be ...Read more

Editor’s note: The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Eddie Brown is breaking down prospects, position by position, leading up to the NFL draft (April 23-25). Here are his top 10 linebackers, plus players he believes will be drafted or signed as a priority free agent:

1. Sonny Styles (Sr., Ohio State, 6-foot-5, 244 pounds)

Styles delivered one of ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time in more than a decade, the Kansas City Chiefs will enter the NFL draft not merely after failing to make the playoffs, but coming off their first losing season of the Andy Reid era.

Perhaps the 6-11 clunker was inevitable in some ways after five Super Bowl appearances in six seasons — and three straight ...Read more