Deadspin | NFL Draft Rounds 2 & 3: Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald lands with Texans 
Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle Kayden McDonald poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kayden McDonald was in Pittsburgh for the NFL draft on Thursday night, and the defensive tackle watched 15 of his peers make the walk from the backstage green room to the stage to be announced as first-round selections.
The only player left in that room when the 32-player round ended was McDonald.
McDonald returned to the scene Friday night, and he didn’t have to wait long. He heard his name called early in the second round when the Houston Texans chose him with the 36th overall pick, the fourth made on Friday.
The Ohio State product who was a consensus All-American last season had tears flowing during the entire walk toward the stage. He stopped for a second to tap the Texans display on the wall.
When he got to the stage, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and McDonald conducted a long embrace, and Goodell was doing a lot of talking.
In essence, the long wait was over for McDonald, who was one of seven Buckeyes drafted in the first two rounds.
“This is emotional,” McDowell said on the ESPN broadcast. “I know I’m supposed to be here. I’m just so blessed and thankful.”
The Texans traded with the Las Vegas Raiders to move up two spots on a night in which the second and third rounds were held. When the Raiders chose at No. 38, they tabbed safety Treydan Stukes of Arizona.
The second round had a heavy defensive flavor with 22 players on that side of the ball being selected.
There was also was an impact trade announced as the Minnesota Vikings sent veteran linebacker Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a third-rounder in 2027. The Eagles also received a seventh-rounder this year in the deal.
The San Francisco 49ers started off the festivities by selecting receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who played for Ole Miss last season after spending two seasons apiece at Washington State (2021-22) and Oklahoma State (2023-24).
Two other wideouts went in the second round — Denzel Boston of Washington to the Cleveland Browns at No. 39 and Germie Bernard of Alabama to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 47.
Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood went 37th overall to the New York Giants. He was another player thought to be a possible first-rounder.
“Of course it was disappointing,” Hood said. “I know God does everything for a reason. He was probably preventing me from something or he had something better in store for me, and that being the Giants.
“I’m super excited to go into this next chapter of my life and will just go in there and give my best and give my all and be the best version of myself.”
Hood also played for Auburn (2023) and Colorado (2024) during his college career.
The Miami Dolphins appear to have made one of the best picks in the round by grabbing Texas Tech consensus All-America linebacker Jacob Rodriguez with the No. 43 pick.
Rodriguez was the face of the Red Raiders’ stunning season last year and loaded up on postseason awards, including the Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defender. He led the nation with seven forced fumbles and also intercepted four passes.
At No. 48, the Falcons tabbed Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Atlanta’s A.J. Terrell, who is entering his seventh season as a starting corner for the Falcons.
The New York Jets chose cornerback D’Angelo Ponds of national champion Indiana with the 50th overall pick. The 5-foot-8 Ponds played his first season (2023) at James Madison before following coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana and becoming one of the Hoosiers’ top defensive players.
In the first round, four Buckeyes were selected: receiver Carnell Tate, (No. 4, Tennessee Titans); linebacker Arvell Reese (No. 5, Giants); linebacker Sonny Styles (No. 7, Washington Commanders) and safety Caleb Downs (No. 11, Dallas Cowboys).
After McDonald went in the second, tight end Max Klare (No. 61, Los Angeles Rams) and cornerback Davison Igbinosun (No. 62, Buffalo Bills) went back-to-back near the end of the round.
The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks took TCU safety Bud Clark with the 64th and final pick of the second round.
After no quarterbacks were selected in the second round, Carson Beck and Drew Allar were picked in the third.
Arizona opened the round by selecting Beck with the 65th pick. He led Miami to the College Football Playoff title game last season after previously playing four-plus seasons at Georgia. Beck passed for 11,725 yards and 88 touchdowns and started 43 games in his college career.
Eleven picks later, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Allar, who ranks fourth in Penn State history in passing yardage (7,402) and third in touchdown passes (61).
Beck could find a path to the field in Arizona after the franchise parted ways with Kyler Murray. In addition, Jacoby Brissett, who started 12 games last season, is unhappy with his contract. The other veteran option is recent pick-up Gardner Minshew II.
“Experience matters and obviously having a ton of experience in college and having played a ton of games, you see how experience continues to teach you and continues to better you,” Beck told reporters. “Obviously just coming in with an open heart, open mind, and just trying to be a sponge and learn everything I can.”
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is still waiting for word from Aaron Rodgers on whether he will play in 2026. The Steelers also have journeyman Mason Rudolph and second-year-pro Will Howard on the roster.
The selections of Beck and Allar made it four quarterbacks to be picked in 100 selections over three rounds. The others were No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) by the Las Vegas Raiders and No. 13 Ty Simpson (Alabama) to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.
Only three running backs were selected in the first three rounds and two of them were first-rounders from Notre Dame — Jeremiyah Love (No. 3 overall) to the Cardinals and Jadarian Price (No. 32, Seahawks). Indiana’s Kaelon Black went in the third round (No. 90) to the 49ers.
The draft will conclude with the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #NFL #Draft #Rounds #Ohio #State #Kayden #McDonald #lands #Texans
Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle Kayden McDonald poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kayden McDonald was in Pittsburgh for the NFL draft on Thursday night, and the defensive tackle watched 15 of his peers make the walk from the backstage green room to the stage to be announced as first-round selections.
The only player left in that room when the 32-player round ended was McDonald.
McDonald returned to the scene Friday night, and he didn’t have to wait long. He heard his name called early in the second round when the Houston Texans chose him with the 36th overall pick, the fourth made on Friday.
The Ohio State product who was a consensus All-American last season had tears flowing during the entire walk toward the stage. He stopped for a second to tap the Texans display on the wall.
When he got to the stage, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and McDonald conducted a long embrace, and Goodell was doing a lot of talking.
In essence, the long wait was over for McDonald, who was one of seven Buckeyes drafted in the first two rounds.
“This is emotional,” McDowell said on the ESPN broadcast. “I know I’m supposed to be here. I’m just so blessed and thankful.”
The Texans traded with the Las Vegas Raiders to move up two spots on a night in which the second and third rounds were held. When the Raiders chose at No. 38, they tabbed safety Treydan Stukes of Arizona.
The second round had a heavy defensive flavor with 22 players on that side of the ball being selected.
There was also was an impact trade announced as the Minnesota Vikings sent veteran linebacker Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a third-rounder in 2027. The Eagles also received a seventh-rounder this year in the deal.
The San Francisco 49ers started off the festivities by selecting receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who played for Ole Miss last season after spending two seasons apiece at Washington State (2021-22) and Oklahoma State (2023-24).
Two other wideouts went in the second round — Denzel Boston of Washington to the Cleveland Browns at No. 39 and Germie Bernard of Alabama to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 47.
Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood went 37th overall to the New York Giants. He was another player thought to be a possible first-rounder.
“Of course it was disappointing,” Hood said. “I know God does everything for a reason. He was probably preventing me from something or he had something better in store for me, and that being the Giants.
“I’m super excited to go into this next chapter of my life and will just go in there and give my best and give my all and be the best version of myself.”
Hood also played for Auburn (2023) and Colorado (2024) during his college career.
The Miami Dolphins appear to have made one of the best picks in the round by grabbing Texas Tech consensus All-America linebacker Jacob Rodriguez with the No. 43 pick.
Rodriguez was the face of the Red Raiders’ stunning season last year and loaded up on postseason awards, including the Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defender. He led the nation with seven forced fumbles and also intercepted four passes.
At No. 48, the Falcons tabbed Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Atlanta’s A.J. Terrell, who is entering his seventh season as a starting corner for the Falcons.
The New York Jets chose cornerback D’Angelo Ponds of national champion Indiana with the 50th overall pick. The 5-foot-8 Ponds played his first season (2023) at James Madison before following coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana and becoming one of the Hoosiers’ top defensive players.
In the first round, four Buckeyes were selected: receiver Carnell Tate, (No. 4, Tennessee Titans); linebacker Arvell Reese (No. 5, Giants); linebacker Sonny Styles (No. 7, Washington Commanders) and safety Caleb Downs (No. 11, Dallas Cowboys).
After McDonald went in the second, tight end Max Klare (No. 61, Los Angeles Rams) and cornerback Davison Igbinosun (No. 62, Buffalo Bills) went back-to-back near the end of the round.
The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks took TCU safety Bud Clark with the 64th and final pick of the second round.
After no quarterbacks were selected in the second round, Carson Beck and Drew Allar were picked in the third.
Arizona opened the round by selecting Beck with the 65th pick. He led Miami to the College Football Playoff title game last season after previously playing four-plus seasons at Georgia. Beck passed for 11,725 yards and 88 touchdowns and started 43 games in his college career.
Eleven picks later, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Allar, who ranks fourth in Penn State history in passing yardage (7,402) and third in touchdown passes (61).
Beck could find a path to the field in Arizona after the franchise parted ways with Kyler Murray. In addition, Jacoby Brissett, who started 12 games last season, is unhappy with his contract. The other veteran option is recent pick-up Gardner Minshew II.
“Experience matters and obviously having a ton of experience in college and having played a ton of games, you see how experience continues to teach you and continues to better you,” Beck told reporters. “Obviously just coming in with an open heart, open mind, and just trying to be a sponge and learn everything I can.”
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is still waiting for word from Aaron Rodgers on whether he will play in 2026. The Steelers also have journeyman Mason Rudolph and second-year-pro Will Howard on the roster.
The selections of Beck and Allar made it four quarterbacks to be picked in 100 selections over three rounds. The others were No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) by the Las Vegas Raiders and No. 13 Ty Simpson (Alabama) to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.
Only three running backs were selected in the first three rounds and two of them were first-rounders from Notre Dame — Jeremiyah Love (No. 3 overall) to the Cardinals and Jadarian Price (No. 32, Seahawks). Indiana’s Kaelon Black went in the third round (No. 90) to the 49ers.
The draft will conclude with the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
![Drew Brees became an NFL Hall of Famer with his brain as much as his arm Late in the first half of a Monday Night Football game against Washington during the 2018 season, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees walked to the line of scrimmage and surveyed the defense. The Saints faced a 1st-and-10 near midfield, with under three minutes to go in the first half.Seconds later, wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith was in the end zone and Brees was atop the NFL record books in career passing yardage, and the reason why is one of the many reasons he will be enshrined in Canton later this week.His ability to break down a defense in the blink of an eye.Brees’ career arc is like many of those that end in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. An undersized prospect coming out of Purdue, where he shattered the school record books, he slid to the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, coming off the board at pick No. 32 to the San Diego Chargers. He was the second quarterback taken overall, behind only No. 1 pick Michael Vick.But it was his time in West Lafayette that put him on the path to Canton.“Look, I was 6-foot, 170 pounds,” Brees said to the Associated Press about his early days. “I wasn’t really the prototype of anything in football.”Because of that, Brees was not a highly recruited quarterback coming out of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Despite leading his team to a state title, and winning 5A Offensive Player of the Year, none of the major programs in state offered him a football scholarship, and Brees thought his professional path would be on the diamond, but not the gridiron.But then a call came from Joe Tiller, who was taking over the Purdue program and looking to install a pass-heavy offense.And looking for a quarterback.“Had I gone to Texas, I would’ve handed the ball off to Ricky Williams; if I’d gone to A&M, I would’ve handed off to Dante Hall,” Brees said years later. “I go to Purdue and I’m throwing the ball 50 times a game.”The numbers he put up in the Big Ten — where he is still fourth in career passing yards and fifth in career touchdown passes — opened the door to the NFL, despite the lack of prototypical size for a quarterback. Yet what allowed Brees to stay in the league for so many years, and rewrite both league and franchise history, was his mind. His ability to break down a defense in the blink of an eye, and punish the opposition for the slightest mistake.Which brings us to that Monday night in question, and that career yardage record.As noted above, the Saints faced a 1st-and-10 situation near midfield, and head coach Sean Payton called a variation of Four Verticals: “All Go Special X Shallow Cross.” Run out of a 3×1 formation, the concept pairs three vertical routes on one side of the field with a shallow crosser coming from the other side of the offense.Payton at one time called it one of his favorite route concepts to call on social media.This variant also tasked the running back, the dangerous Alvin Kamara, with running a swing route to the three-receiver side, in essence flooding the right side of the formation and stressing the defense in that direction. As the play begins, Brees flashes his eyes to the right, then sets his feet to throw to Kamara on the swing route.But in that blink of his eye, he sees defenders start to squat underneath, leaving Smith breaking wide open on his vertical route. Brees resets, throws to his wide receiver along the sideline, and makes history:To be sure, it is just one play, a snapshot in a lengthy career that spanned two different NFL organizations. One touchdown out of hundreds, and one completion out of thousands.Yet, it speaks to what Brees did over his career, and how he finds himself headed to Canton this weekend.“He was like [artificial intelligence],” said Payton, whom Brees selected as his presenter in Canton. “That ability to process fast — like, elite fast — is a really rare gift. He could just multitask comfortably.”The pinnacle of Brees’ career came in New Orleans under Payton, where he not only delivered the only Super Bowl title in franchise history but helped the city and community rebound after Hurricane Katrina. It was a leap of faith for both player and team, as Brees was coming off a shoulder injury that ended his time with the Chargers. While the Miami Dolphins initially were his next destination, the team balked at his shoulder injury, and the Saints stepped in.After going 3-13 the year before under Payton, New Orleans had nothing to lose, and took a chance on Brees.The marriage worked. Payton gave Brees the offensive design he always wanted to run in the league, and the freedom to push the envelope as a passer and a quarterback. Brees was setting protections at the line of scrimmage, and calling plays himself when the team went up-tempo.“He empowered me so much,” Brees said. “It made me that much more confident. And certainly I had that driving motivation to prove him right and to represent him.”Brees and the Saints represented the NFC in Super Bowl XLIV, where they took on Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. New Orleans won that game 31-17, a contest most remembered for Payton’s bold decision to try a surprise onside kick to open the second half. The Colts led 10-6 at the half, with the Saints getting a 44-yard field goal just before the break to pull within four, and Payton wanted to try and steal an extra possession.New Orleans recovered that surprise onside kick, and Brees connected with Pierre Thomas on a 16-yard touchdown pass minutes later to give the Saints a 12-10 lead. While Indianapolis regained the lead in the third quarter, the Saints scored the final 18 points of the game to win the franchise’s first — and only —Super Bowl title.Brees was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, completing 32-of-39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.The quarterback was motivated to prove Payton right when the Saints acquired him. That motivation pushed Brees to a Super Bowl title, and comes full circle this weekend in Canton, Ohio. #Drew #Brees #NFL #Hall #Famer #brain #arm](https://i0.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/gettyimages-1417721781.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.75768718795%2C100%2C78.484625624101&w=1200&ssl=1 "Drew Brees became an NFL Hall of Famer with his brain as much as his arm Late in the first half of a Monday Night Football game against Washington during the 2018 season, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees walked to the line of scrimmage and surveyed the defense. The Saints faced a 1st-and-10 near midfield, with under three minutes to go in the first half.Seconds later, wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith was in the end zone and Brees was atop the NFL record books in career passing yardage, and the reason why is one of the many reasons he will be enshrined in Canton later this week.His ability to break down a defense in the blink of an eye.Brees’ career arc is like many of those that end in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. An undersized prospect coming out of Purdue, where he shattered the school record books, he slid to the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, coming off the board at pick No. 32 to the San Diego Chargers. He was the second quarterback taken overall, behind only No. 1 pick Michael Vick.But it was his time in West Lafayette that put him on the path to Canton.“Look, I was 6-foot, 170 pounds,” Brees said to the Associated Press about his early days. “I wasn’t really the prototype of anything in football.”Because of that, Brees was not a highly recruited quarterback coming out of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Despite leading his team to a state title, and winning 5A Offensive Player of the Year, none of the major programs in state offered him a football scholarship, and Brees thought his professional path would be on the diamond, but not the gridiron.But then a call came from Joe Tiller, who was taking over the Purdue program and looking to install a pass-heavy offense.And looking for a quarterback.“Had I gone to Texas, I would’ve handed the ball off to Ricky Williams; if I’d gone to A&M, I would’ve handed off to Dante Hall,” Brees said years later. “I go to Purdue and I’m throwing the ball 50 times a game.”The numbers he put up in the Big Ten — where he is still fourth in career passing yards and fifth in career touchdown passes — opened the door to the NFL, despite the lack of prototypical size for a quarterback. Yet what allowed Brees to stay in the league for so many years, and rewrite both league and franchise history, was his mind. His ability to break down a defense in the blink of an eye, and punish the opposition for the slightest mistake.Which brings us to that Monday night in question, and that career yardage record.As noted above, the Saints faced a 1st-and-10 situation near midfield, and head coach Sean Payton called a variation of Four Verticals: “All Go Special X Shallow Cross.” Run out of a 3×1 formation, the concept pairs three vertical routes on one side of the field with a shallow crosser coming from the other side of the offense.Payton at one time called it one of his favorite route concepts to call on social media.This variant also tasked the running back, the dangerous Alvin Kamara, with running a swing route to the three-receiver side, in essence flooding the right side of the formation and stressing the defense in that direction. As the play begins, Brees flashes his eyes to the right, then sets his feet to throw to Kamara on the swing route.But in that blink of his eye, he sees defenders start to squat underneath, leaving Smith breaking wide open on his vertical route. Brees resets, throws to his wide receiver along the sideline, and makes history:To be sure, it is just one play, a snapshot in a lengthy career that spanned two different NFL organizations. One touchdown out of hundreds, and one completion out of thousands.Yet, it speaks to what Brees did over his career, and how he finds himself headed to Canton this weekend.“He was like [artificial intelligence],” said Payton, whom Brees selected as his presenter in Canton. “That ability to process fast — like, elite fast — is a really rare gift. He could just multitask comfortably.”The pinnacle of Brees’ career came in New Orleans under Payton, where he not only delivered the only Super Bowl title in franchise history but helped the city and community rebound after Hurricane Katrina. It was a leap of faith for both player and team, as Brees was coming off a shoulder injury that ended his time with the Chargers. While the Miami Dolphins initially were his next destination, the team balked at his shoulder injury, and the Saints stepped in.After going 3-13 the year before under Payton, New Orleans had nothing to lose, and took a chance on Brees.The marriage worked. Payton gave Brees the offensive design he always wanted to run in the league, and the freedom to push the envelope as a passer and a quarterback. Brees was setting protections at the line of scrimmage, and calling plays himself when the team went up-tempo.“He empowered me so much,” Brees said. “It made me that much more confident. And certainly I had that driving motivation to prove him right and to represent him.”Brees and the Saints represented the NFC in Super Bowl XLIV, where they took on Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. New Orleans won that game 31-17, a contest most remembered for Payton’s bold decision to try a surprise onside kick to open the second half. The Colts led 10-6 at the half, with the Saints getting a 44-yard field goal just before the break to pull within four, and Payton wanted to try and steal an extra possession.New Orleans recovered that surprise onside kick, and Brees connected with Pierre Thomas on a 16-yard touchdown pass minutes later to give the Saints a 12-10 lead. While Indianapolis regained the lead in the third quarter, the Saints scored the final 18 points of the game to win the franchise’s first — and only —Super Bowl title.Brees was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, completing 32-of-39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.The quarterback was motivated to prove Payton right when the Saints acquired him. That motivation pushed Brees to a Super Bowl title, and comes full circle this weekend in Canton, Ohio. #Drew #Brees #NFL #Hall #Famer #brain #arm")
Post Comment