I usually jump at the chance to read whatever my colleague Michael Silver writes. His prose, storytelling and access are as impressive as they come.<\/p>\n
But I hesitated to read what he\u00a0published today.<\/strong>\u00a0It was the topic that scared me. It might scare you, too. Heck, it probably should.<\/p>\n Replacement refs.<\/p>\n You see, Michael \u2026 (or is it Mike, as he\u2019s saved on my phone? I think he\u2019s cool with Mike, but I can\u2019t remember. I just texted him to check. Here\u2019s that exchange, while I\u2019m stalling to avoid talking about replacement refs:<\/p>\n So there you have it. Straight from the award-winning writer who:<\/p>\n All true, by the way.\u00a0You can\u00a0read about his career here. All I ask is that the next time you comment on how great his latest story is, you don\u2019t refer to him as Michael or Mike. It\u2019s now Chief.<\/p>\n Yes, I wrote all of that to avoid talking about replacement refs.<\/strong>\u00a0Chief (Mike) was in the building for 2012\u2019s replacements-era masterpiece, the infamous Fail Mary pictured above. He walks you through exactly what happened and what we should learn from it.\u00a0It\u2019s a\u00a0terrific story that you\u2019ll enjoy.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n (On that topic, our colleague Mike Jones shared an update on CBA negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association.\u00a0They\u2019re actually going well!)<\/p>\n Below: <\/b>Mike Sando hears from\u00a0NFL execs about the draft, plus an analytical look at the event\u2019s winners and losers. Also, Robert Mays joins to talk Raiders.<\/p>\n This article is from The Athletic\u2019s NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The NFL is as secretive as sports leagues come. Thankfully for us, executives love talking to Sando. Especially about their competition.<\/p>\n Today, he shared\u00a0what he\u2019s heard from league execs\u00a0about the NFC side of the draft. (AFC coming to the site tomorrow.) It\u2019s a telling look into how insiders judged their peers. Two comments stood out as particularly informative about organizational change:<\/p>\n 1. The Panthers (the Panthers!!) are doing things right.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI feel like they are drafting for what they want their team to look like,\u201d said one exec. \u201cThey are trying to win on both lines of scrimmage. They want to run the ball. They want to give (Bryce Young) some big receivers.\u201d<\/p>\n The model: Detroit, which has gone from laughingstock to contender, thanks to regime change.\u00a0Carolina deserves the praise, especially if you look at the\u00a0value they accrued\u00a0in this draft.<\/p>\n Remember, this team improved by three wins in each of Dave Canales\u2019 first two seasons, going 8-9 last year and nearly beating the Rams in the playoffs.<\/p>\n Relatedly, the Panthers rank near the top of\u00a0Austin Mock\u2019s analytics-based grades<\/strong>\u00a0for the second straight year:<\/p>\n Another takeaway from Sando:<\/p>\n 2. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has significant sway in Minnesota, which lacks a GM.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Defensive tackle\u00a0Caleb Banks\u00a0was No. 43 in pre-draft\u00a0composite rankings, with many teams scared by his left foot (broken before the 2025 season and again at the combine). The Vikings took him at No. 18, making him the\u00a0second-biggest reach\u00a0of Round 1.<\/p>\n Why take a chance on the 6-6, 327-pounder? Flores wanted him, and that might be explanation enough.<\/p>\n One executive explained to Sando that \u201cFlores has a lot of say in the building.\u201d I think that\u2019s a good thing.\u00a0He\u00a0should\u00a0<\/em>have a lot of say. His defense was the only reason the Vikings had a winning record last season.<\/p>\n For more unfiltered execs, including their thoughts on the Rams shocker,<\/strong>\u00a0Sando\u2019s\u00a0full story is unlocked for you here.<\/p>\n Now over to Robert Mays, who dug into the biggest remaining post-draft questions on today\u2019s episode of \u201cThe Athletic Football Show.\u201d A quote that stood out to me:<\/p>\n \u201cAre the Raiders just going to roll with some combination of (receivers) Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker and Jack Bech for a guy that you drafted No. 1 overall?<\/p>\n \u201cAnd even if (Fernando Mendoza\u2019s) not going to start the season, I assume he\u2019s going to play at some point this year. And\u00a0whether they\u2019re a team that would be interested in getting a Stefon Diggs<\/strong>, that\u2019s something I\u2019d be at least asking.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of people liked many of the moves that the Raiders made on draft weekend. What they do with those pass-catching spots and if they do anything else to shore up their offense, that\u2019s one of the bigger questions.\u201d<\/p>\n You can add the full post-draft episode to your queue on any podcast app or\u00a0on YouTube.<\/strong>\u00a0Back to Jacob.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcc8\u00a0Good news.\u00a0<\/strong>George Pickens has\u00a0signed his Cowboys franchise tag, which means we can \u2026 get back to talking about his long-term extension. Finally!<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd2c\u00a0Inside the deal.\u00a0<\/strong>The Bengals rarely acquire star players via trade, which is why the move for Dexter Lawrence turned heads. Paul Dehner Jr.\u00a0explains what changed.<\/p>\n \u2753Questions in New England.<\/strong>\u00a0Chad Graff focuses on the biggest\u00a0roster<\/em>\u00a0questions. Specifically:\u00a0What might they give up for A.J. Brown?<\/p>\n \u25b6\ufe0f Yesterday\u2019s most-clicked:\u00a0<\/strong>Our college football expert Bruce Feldman\u2019s\u00a017 NFL Draft takeaways. They\u2019re great.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/library.iterable.com\/1557\/5037\/e1c9a8e0897f4a9791355f716ae53cf9-img_6465-2.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n\n
Two NFC teams with good direction<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/library.iterable.com\/1557\/5037\/a6fa3d77a8a3464a9feb93a99566a640-2026-draft-classes-4.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/library.iterable.com\/1557\/5037\/04953b36da124cabb8435dbf99dcc79f-vikings-offense-vs-defense.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n\ud83c\udf99 TAFS: Vegas still lacks receivers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Extra Points<\/h2>\n