Hogs Haven
Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!
Commanders.com
Here are some of his top players who got him excited for training camp in July.
Nick Cross
He is built like an action figure, but it’s not the look that gets me excited. It’s the physical, downhill play that he brings to this thing. He can play in the box. He can play in the post. He can blitz. He can affect the quarterback. He runs a 4.3. You see him work as a pass rusher there. I think the flexibility he brings to this defense is gonna unlock everybody. So, I wanna see that, live and in living color. Can he be the leader of this defense in the back end? That’s why he’s No. 3 for me.
The Athletic (paywall)
Although plenty could change over the next 10 months, the 2027 draft has a chance to be the most anticipated in recent memory because of the star power of the class.
Like most drafts, the 2027 group will be largely judged by the quarterbacks. Texas’ Arch Manning is at the top of the list, and if he picks up where he left off last season, he has a great chance to follow in the footsteps of his uncles, Peyton and Eli, and be drafted No. 1. Dante Moore would punch his ticket for the first round with another productive year at Oregon, and scouts are optimistic for the developmental paths of South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, LSU’s Sam Leavitt, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, Miami’s Darian Mensah and several others.
The class will also likely include former Cincinnati and Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, barring any successful legal action after the NFL declined his application and chose not to hold a supplemental draft in 2026.
Commanders Roundtable
His 2025 numbers with Tennessee were modest — 29 receptions for 350 yards and one touchdown on a 57% catch rate, with a 59.1 overall PFF grade that ranked 71st among 81 qualified receivers. The 12.1 yards per reception and zero drops across 16 games tell you the efficiency was there when the ball came his way. His 12.6-yard average depth of target reflects a receiver who was being asked to work downfield, not just catch check-downs. His peak — 802 receiving yards in 2021 with the Rams — shows the ceiling when he’s in the right system with the right quarterback.
Can He Make the Roster?
Honestly, it’s going to be a fight. Washington’s receiver room is the deepest it’s been in years, and...
