Raiders 3-round 2026 NFL mock draft: Post NFL Combine edition — and more

The Las Vegas Raiders enjoyed a productive week at the NFL Combine. John Spytek and Klint Kubiak return from Indianapolis with better clarity regarding their approach in the 2026 NFL draft. With the combine now officially in our rearview mirror, we've conducted a brand-new three-round Raiders mock draft that addresses their needs.

Round 1 (No. 1 overall): Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

The Raiders had a formal interview with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at the NFL Combine. It was essentially a checklist item as they prepare to select him with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Mendoza claimed the meeting went "great," and we have no reason to doubt the Raiders' infatuation with him.

Round 2 (No. 36 overall): Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri

Exiting the 2026 NFL draft with a starting-caliber EDGE is a must. Trade rumors continue to surround Maxx Crosby's name. Missouri's Zion Young is a well-developed pass rusher who threatens quarterbacks with a red-hot motor. Young is also a quality early-down run defender, allowing him to get on the field quickly.

Round 3 (No. 67 overall): Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech

The Raiders desperately need a tackling machine in the middle of their defense at linebacker. Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez enjoyed back-to-back seasons with 120-plus tackles. Rodriguez was also excellent at the NFL Combine, leaping a 38.5 inch vertical and 10-foot-1 broad jump before running a 6.90 three-cone and 4.57 40. Those are outstanding testing results.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders 3-round 2026 NFL mock draft: Post NFL Combine edition

The Detroit Lions have officially made a move at running back.

According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Lions are trading veteran RB David Montgomery to the Houston Texans for a 5th Round Pick, sources told The Insiders.

The move comes just days after reports surfaced suggesting Montgomery “wanted out” of Detroit, a claim Montgomery publicly questioned on social media. Now, the situation has been resolved with a deal that sends the physical, downhill runner to Houston.

Why the Lions Made the Move

From Detroit’s perspective, the timing makes sense:

• Jahmyr Gibbs has clearly become the focal point of the offense
• His contract carried a notable cap hit for a reduced role
• The Lions are continuing to reshape the roster around their core

Trading Montgomery clears both cap space and snaps, allowing Detroit to fully lean into Gibbs while exploring cheaper depth options behind him.

What Houston Is Getting

For the Texans, Montgomery brings:

• Proven early-down and goal-line production
• Pass protection reliability
• Veteran leadership for a young offense

Houston adds a back who can immediately stabilize its run game and complement its existing skill talent.

The Bottom Line

David Montgomery was a key part of Detroit’s rise over the past few seasons, providing toughness and reliability during the Lions’ turnaround. But the NFL moves fast, and this trade signals Detroit’s full commitment to its new offensive identity.

More details to come as this story develops.

The post Detroit Lions Trade David Montgomery appeared first on Detroit Sports Nation.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators‘ playoff chances are improving, but getting to the post-season is still going to be a mammoth undertaking. So, does Ottawa stand steadily pat or does it get aggressive? That conundrum is general manager Steve Staios’ riddle to solve.

The Senators sit five points out of a playoff spot. Teams that know they have a shot at making a run in the playoffs usually add strength at the deadline, while those who have fallen out of the race sell assets to build for the future. If you’re in the mushy middle, where a team might or might not make it, it makes for a perplexing deadline. 

If the Senators were to be bold, they would likely not add rentals but wouldn’t trade their rentals, either. In another world, maybe the Senators could try selling off pending unrestricted free agents such as Claude Giroux or David Perron, who would have value for other teams. But the Senators have been bull-headed in pursuing their playoff aspirations and probably won’t want to hurt their playoff odds at the deadline. 

An additional complication for the Senators is that they are staring down another wasted season of Brady Tkachuk’s prime, which would be a stain on their chances to keep No. 7 in the nation’s capital past 2028, when his contract expires.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Senators “think they are better than their record indicates.” 

The team stills believe a playoff berth is doable, and Moneypuck.com agrees: their mathematical formula states that Ottawa’s playoff odds sit at 45 per cent. But with the Senators sitting five points out, call us slightly skeptical. 

The Senators’ hands are also tied for dealing assets, as they have no first-round pick after being punished for botching the 2021 Evgeni Dadonov trade, and few prospects of note outside of Carter Yakemchuk and Logan Hensler. Staios will have limited flexibility, though that was also true last deadline, when he struck a blockbuster Dylan Cozens-for-Josh Norris trade. Don’t be so surprised if a big trade happens but don’t be shocked if it’s a steady, quiet deadline in Ottawa.

Projected deadline-day cap space: $11.6 million
Contracts: 45/50
Retention slots open: 2/3
Draft picks (via PuckPedia):

Needs

The Senators have four glaring needs, but foremost they need a better version of Linus Ullmark or they need goaltending from elsewhere. If you squint, there are reasons to believe.

The Senators’ contention plan needs to be saved by Ullmark. As Friedman said, they are committed to Ullmark.

Despite everything, goaltending likely won’t be addressed at the deadline. 

Meanwhile, it’s evident that the Senators have a hole in their defensive top four. The hope is that one day Yakemchuk and Hensler will be the solutions. The Senators aren’t about to give the keys to Yakemchuk this season; maybe next. But with Tkachuk’s contract up in two seasons, the team might not want to wait. Regardless, with Artem Zub a free agent after next season, if Ottawa wants to be a playoff contender to finish off the season into next, it will keep searching for a top-four right-shot defenceman. 

The Senators also need another scoring forward. The Senators are 11th in goals per game, despite the third-best shots-for-vs.-against ratio in the league. Every night, the team outshoots its opponents but can’t capitalize at a high enough rate because there is no elite sniper to finish off the chances they earn.

No current Senator has scored 40 goals, though Tim Stutzle has the capability to be a 40-goal guy and he’s on pace for that this season. Ultimately, if Staios wants Ottawa to reach another peak, he will need to find another bona fide goal scorer. 

Assets to trade

Carter Yakemchuk: Yakemchuk is the Senators’ best asset not on their roster, although he likely will be by next season. The team views him as an Evan Bouchard-type player. Yakemchuk was leading the AHL in rookie scoring before an injury in December set him back. At six-foot-three and 219 pounds, Yakemchuk is a big-body right-shot defenceman with offensive skill, a rare combination in today’s NHL. The Senators are very reluctant to trade Yakemchuk, as they should be.

But if they were to go big-game hunting to acquire a star defenceman or forward, it likely would require sending out the 2024 seventh-overall pick.

Ridly Greig: The Senators are flush with NHL centres: Stutzle, Shane Pinto, Cozens and Greig. The Senators are unlikely to trade Cozens or Pinto, unless it’s in a deal for a superstar. Meaning, Greig is the most expendable centre, despite his very useful always-annoying-in-a-good-way style. Greig could help Ottawa land an upgrade in an area of need, maybe for a top-four defenceman. Greig is an impactful two-way player with trade value, but his offensive upside seems limited compared to Cozens and Pinto. 

Fabian Zetterlund: Zetterlund was supposed to be impactful; instead, he’s become a fourth-liner making over $4 million a season, while scoring 14 goals and 14 assists in 78 games as a Senator. It’s been a failed experiment. It might be smart for Ottawa to trade him at a low point to recoup a middling asset while gaining much-needed cap space. 

Stephen Halliday: Speaking of centres, Halliday has proven himself to be a very productive NHL player, despite limited minutes. At only 23, Halliday is eighth in the NHL with 2.88 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five in a minimum 100 minutes played. Because of Ottawa’s lack of other assets, Halliday could be a viable piece in a trade.

Logan Hensler: Hensler was chosen 23rd overall in 2025 by the Senators, and with Yakemchuk provides first-round talent in a system that doesn’t have another first-rounder in 2026. If Ottawa wants to make a win-now move, Hensler is an option to be expended. 

Potential targets

MacKenzie Weegar: Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reported that Ottawa native Weegar would potentially waive his no-trade clause to come to the Canadian Tire Centre. Weegar is 32, in the midst of a down season with 21 points in 58 games on the lowly Calgary Flames. He is signed until 2030 at a cap hit of $6.25 million a season. He has offensive touch, physicality and leadership. Acquiring him at a lower-value point could reduce the cost, and last season we witnessed Seth Jones go from lost in a bad environment in Chicago to thriving in Florida on a great team. Ottawa might not have to give up a lot to get a player who was in contention for Team Canada only a year ago as a hugely impactful player. The only downside is that Weegar is paid handsomely into his mid- to late-30s. Bringing in a good player who loves Ottawa worked out for Giroux and could for Weegar as well.

Robert Thomas: For the Senators to take the next step, they need high-level skill. Thomas is that, with three seasons over a point per game under his belt. He’s also very good friends with Tkachuk, which wouldn’t hurt the re-signing pitch to Ottawa’s captain. Thomas is signed until 2031 at $8.125 million a season. With Ottawa not being very active in free agency, acquiring a player with term would be smart. It will cost you a lot, but sometimes it’s better to overpay for star talent than sit idle. 

Jesper Wallstedt: Ullmark may be turning it around slightly. Nevertheless, the eye test still gives grounds for worry. That’s why the Senators will need to address the goaltending position eventually. Ottawa needs a 1A/1B solution in goal to help Ullmark. Wallstedt is a young, upcoming goaltender with a first-round pedigree. Wallstedt has been solid with 0.8 goals saved above expected, and is only 23. Ottawa has given up on too many young netminders in the past; maybe it’s time to take a flyer on one instead of booting them out the door like they did with Ben Bishop, Joey Daccord and Filip Gustavsson. 

Zach Whitecloud: Calgary is selling, and if Ottawa can’t get Weegar as a top-four right-shot defenceman, Whitecloud would be a good consolation prize. Whitecloud has two more years at a team-friendly $2.75-million cap hit. It would be a significant price for Ottawa but likely wouldn’t cost Ottawa an arm or a Yakemchuk. Whitecloud doesn’t have much offensive pop but is big, rangy and can defend.

Notable mentions: Rasmus Ristolainen, Justin Faulk

Other considerations

Ottawa is a small-market team, so be mindful of the real dollars if it takes on money in any deals. It’s likely the Senators will not spend to the cap in years to come as the salary cap rises. 

With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.

Today we are looking at infielder Justin Foscue.

Not a great 2025 season for Justin Foscue.

In a year in which the Texas Rangers saw numerous position players go down — particularly in the final two months of the season — it seemed like there should have been opportunities for Justin Foscue to get a decent amount of major league playing time.

Instead, Foscue appeared in four major league games — two in June, two in July — going 1 for 9.

His one hit was a double, though. So that’s something.

And yet it was still an improvement over his time in the majors in 2024, when he had that ridiculous hitless streak and ended the year 2 for 42 with two walks. His 2025 OPS of 333 more than doubled his 2024 OPS of 162.

In case you are curious, Justin Foscue is currently sporting a career .059/.094/.098 major league slash line in 53 plate appearances.

What had to be particularly disappointing was that Foscue went backwards in AAA. Foscue has now spent three seasons with Round Rock, and after putting up an 862 OPS in 2023 and an 897 OPS in 2024, he dropped to 814 for the Express in 2025.

That’s a problem, particularly for a guy who is supposed to be a bat-first guy without a firm defensive position.

And so the clock is ticking for Justin Foscue. He is entering 2026 with one option year remaining. He needs to show that he can stay healthy — something he’s consistently failed to do as a pro — and that he can hit well enough to deserve a major league roster spot despite his defensive limitations.

It is worth noting that Foscue performed well against lefthanders in 2025, slashing .288/.367/.629 against them in 150 plate appearances. He slashing .265/.390/.500 against them in 2024, and .282/.415/.504 in 2023.

For a Texas Rangers team that needs a righthanded bench bat, someone who can platoon with Joc Pederson at DH, there’s an opportunity for Foscue this year to try to carve out a role as a righty bench bat. Of course, taking advantage of that opportunity requires him to stay healthy, and Foscue has already been sidelined this spring due to a hamstring strain.

The 2020 first round has been not terribly productive thusfar. Spencer Torklelson went first overall, and despite being a college bat who got an $8M plus bonus and was supposed to be close to major league ready, 2025 was his first decent season. The eight players selected immediately after him — Heston Kjerstad, Max Meyer, Asa Lacy, Austin Martin, Emerson Hancock, Nick Gonzales, Robert Hassell III, and Zac Veen — have all disappointed. Garrett Crochet and Pete Crow-Armstrong are easily the standouts of the 2020 first round, with Jordan Westburg, Reid Detmers, Patrick Bailey, Garrett Mitchell and Tyler Soderstrom also providing some value.

Interestingly, three of the top nine players taken in the first round that year are catchers — Bailey, Soderstrom, and Austin Wells.

There was a pandemic going on in the world that year, and so it shouldn’t exactly be surprising that that draft shook out kind of weird.

Previously:

Gerson Garabito

Tyler Mahle

Kyle Higashioka

Adolis Garcia

Luis Curvelo

Alejandro Osuna

Blaine Crim

Jake Burger

Jacob Webb

Nick Ahmed

Jon Gray

Carl Edwards Jr.

Josh Jung

Leody Taveras

Dustin Harris

Marc Church

Luke Jackson

Danny Coulombe

Wyatt Langford

Dylan Moore

Michael Helman

Evan Carter

Cole Winn

Rowdy Tellez

Dane Dunning

Marcus Semien

Billy McKinney

Jose Corniell

Jonah Heim

Cody Freeman

Sam Haggerty

Jacob deGrom

Merrill Kelly

Caleb Boushley