Sunday Newsletter: Unsigned second round contracts, rookie in line for big role arrested, and more
We've got a little Sunday Newsletter to aggregate a week's worth of notable NFL Draft headlines
As football season gets closer, I am going to start up these weekly Sunday Newsletters once again.
Aggregating daily content to generate headlines sucks. But gathering all quick-hitting news into one weekly newsletter for both free and paid subscribers? It’s a great way to stay up to date with all Daft on Draft happenings and what is going on around the NFL.
These do not need much of an introduction, so let’s just get into it. This week, we’ll touch on what’s going on with the second round contracts around the NFL, another Cleveland Browns rookie in trouble with the law, and more.
What is going on with the NFL’s second round contracts?
The Los Angeles Chargers’ rookies have reported to training camp, and they are doing so without second round wide receiver Tre Harris. This is far from a problem created by Harris, but instead a league-wide trend.
All but two second round picks remain unsigned with football right around the corner as disputes over fully guaranteed contracts continue. The two signed? The 33rd and 34th overall picks are Carson Schwesinger (Cleveland Browns) and Jayden Higgins (Houston Texans).
They both received fully guaranteed rookie contracts.
This leaves the bottleneck in the hands of the Seattle Seahawks and safety Nick Emmanwori. It’s likely the case that Emmanwori and his representation are fighting for a fully guaranteed deal while the Seahawks are using contracts for the No. 35 overall pick in years past to work off of.
This has left every second round pick behind Emmanwori unsigned. If Emmanwori receives a fully guaranteed deal, then the No. 36 pick, Quinshon Judkins, will likely fight for the same until one of the second round picks balks at a fully guaranteed deal.
Judkins, however, has a more pressing matter at hand.
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins arrested
Former Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins was arrested and charged with domestic violence and battery in Broward County, Florida, on Saturday evening. He remains in jail and has yet to be assigned a court date, as he was expected to report to the team in less than a week.
Judkins has also yet to even sign his rookie contract with the Browns, and now has complicated the matter even further.
This has implications for not only Judkins, who was in line to take over a bellcow role in Cleveland from Day 1, but also another rookie running back in the room. Fourth rounder Dylan Sampson now has a clear path toward early production if Judkins misses substantial time due to this arrest.
A year ago, Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. was arrested in a similar situation and was suspended for the first six games of the season. If that is the case with Judkins, he only has veteran Jerome Ford to worry about on the depth chart.
What’s new on Daft on Draft this week
Three new pieces of premium content were dropped this week on Daft on Draft:
Ball placement and accuracy profile on Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt
Texas Tech QB Behren Morton’s charting profile was added to the database
This upcoming week, I am rounding out my summer scouting quarterback rankings of 17 different quarterbacks. That hopefully hits your inbox on Friday. This will be in addition to the weekly Weighted On-Target Percentage Profile and Inside the Film Room.
Also! I have been going live on Twitch, streaming College Football 26. Right now, my mission is to transform Memphis into a CFB powerhouse, but I’ll figure out a streaming schedule further once we get into the season. I’ve been thinking about some Mock Draft Mondays, Rankings releases, and other NFL Draft content like that (even if Twitch isn’t your thing, please follow so I can hit a paid subscriber tier on there).
In addition, you can continue to find three episodes of the Daft on Draft podcast per week wherever you get your podcasts, like Apple or Spotify. As always, please leave your love for the show in the form of reviews on your podcast provider and subscriptions on YouTube.
Don’t forget to join the Discord server!
We are up to about 60 members in the Daft on Draft Discord server. We simply talk NFL Draft, football in general, and even random things like the release of College Football 26, Superman, and more.
As we get closer to football season, I am sure fantasy football talk will kick in, then we will be full into football season, where the topics will explode. If you lost the invite link, it can be found here.
Come join the community!
Other NFL Draft-worthy quick-hitters
Notre Dame OL Charles Jagusah injured in 4th of July UTV accident (via Pete Sampson)
Bears extend GM Ryan Poles through 2029 (NFL)
NFL rookies who could surprise the most (Draft Wire)
Cam Ward adjusting to the hash mark difference at NFL level (ESPN)
Omarion Hampton could be in line for big role after Najee Harris accident (Chargers Wire)