For Jaylin Noel, the idea of going against one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL excites him. But he had no thought it would actually be happening in practice.
Noel, a former Iowa State standout, was selected in the second round by the Houston Texans in the recent NFL Draft. Back in February, Noel was asked who he wanted to match his skills against that was currently in the NFL secondary.
“I would say Derek Stingley,” Noel told Roundtable Sports Network (thanks to House of Houston for the comments). “I would say he’s probably top two corners in the league right now.”
Coming soon to a practice field near you
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) April 28, 2025
: @RoundtableSN pic.twitter.com/iDgLtF62U8
Stingley just so happens to be Noel’s newest teammate, as the former LSU star leads the Houston defense. The official social media account of the Texans dug up the clip, to which both Noel and Stingley took notice.
— Jaylin Noel (@NoelJaylin13) April 29, 2025
Noel is coming off a season in which he put his name on the map, catching 80 passes for almost 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns. That, along with a strong performance at the Senior Bowl, helped elevate him into the second round as one of the top wide receivers selected.
Stingley has turned himself into an elite cornerback. Drafted No. 3 overall in 2022, the 23-year-old ranked among the top players in the nFL with an overall grade of 80.4 from Pro Football Focus last season.
Noel will have some backup testing Stingley and his other new teammates, as former Iowa State receiver Jayden Higgins was picked by the Texans later in the draft.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the sports news cycle throughout the 2025 offseason. It has been an extremely busy time for general manager Omar Khan and the rest of the front office. Moves have been made on both sides of the ball, which has fueled excitement in a city that has not seen a playoff win since the 2016 campaign. One of the more intriguing pieces to the puzzle as training camp gets underway isn't necessarily any of the new faces, but rather, a group that returns its core from 2024. The offensive line is expected to play a crucial role. Offensive line coach Pat Meyer is on the hot seat for what seems like the third year in a row, and his training camp got off to the wrong start when the most experienced member of his unit, Isaac Seumalo, was placed on the non-football injury list. This will provide a challenge during team development, as offensive linemen need to build rapport with one another and be in unison once the regular season kicks off. Another storyline is the presence of 2023 first-round selection, Broderick Jones. The Steelers traded up to pick him out of the University of Georgia, but he has yet to live up to the hype. In all fairness, he was drafted to be a left tackle, but hasn't gotten the chance to play there permanently. He will have the opportunity to do so in his third professional season, and he has a fifth-year option to consider that could be declined in the 2026 offseason if he underperforms. One of the most team's most respected insiders, Gerry Dulac, appeared on the "Steve Jones Show" on Wednesday, and when the left tackle came up in discussion, it wasn't all positive. The Steelers apparently believe he can be a phenomenal lineman, but they aren't convinced he is completely bought in. "They really really think Broderick Jones is immensely talented," Dulac said of the third-year offensive lineman. "They would just like to see him mature, kind of professionally, personally [and] take his job and his performance just a little more seriously." This is certainly a concerning comment from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter. Jones was looked at as a raw prospect coming out of college, but he always possessed the size and talent to be a great player in the NFL. If he isn't taking his job seriously enough, it would suggest that he is trying to rely on his skills alone, which is never good enough at the highest level. The offensive line has the ability to determine how the Steelers' 2025 season goes. With a 41-year-old quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, the big men up front will need to keep the guy under center upright. The team will also want to run the ball effectively, so it will be imperative to create holes and win the line of scrimmage on a consistent basis. Pittsburgh isn't necessarily starting off training camp on the right foot with Seumalo unable to participate in team activities, and now the comments from Dulac surely will be cause for concern when it comes to Jones, who has yet to convince the fan base that he was worth a first-round pick in 2023. If he wants to remain in the Steel City long-term, Jones should be preparing to be the most serious individual in the locker room. Steelers should have one clear advantage on the offensive line Zach Frazier was selected in the second-round back in 2024, and he was one of the most important rookies in the NFL. Entering his sophomore season, he is expected to not just take a step forward, but play like a Pro Bowler. While there could be some questions and inconsistencies in certain spots, Frazier should be the No. 1 guy that the group can rely on week in and week out.
The talk of the trade rumor mill right now is Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. The Milwaukee Brewers are one of many teams to be connected to the 34 year old slugger, along with the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Suarez continues to raise his profile, battling with Shohei Ohtani for the NL home run lead, already with 36 long balls on the season. He'd be an immediate boost to any team looking for offensive help, which the Brewers certainly are. But there's another contender in the Suarez Sweepstakes that's just entered, and it's one the Brewers' other division rivals. The Cincinnati Reds. While the Milwaukee Brewers have taken a one game lead in the NL Central, the Cincinnati Reds have quietly snuck into 3rd place in the division and currently sit 8.5 games back of the Brewers with a 53-50 record. Fangraphs gives the Reds a 0.4% chance to win the division and a 10.9% chance to make the playoffs. Suarez would no doubt give a boost to the Reds in their hunt for a wild card spot, and it would be a reunion for the two sides. Suarez was a Red from 2015-2021 and he had some of the best years of his career there. He slugged a career high 49 home runs for them in 2019. The inclusion of the Reds would certainly throw a wrench in the Suarez sweepstakes as a team that's out on the periphery of the playoff race. He could certainly cause some more headaches for the Brewers as they try to close out the division. Still, the Reds might be a more preferable alternative destination for Suarez than the Cubs if you're the Brewers. The Reds have a lot of good, young players that they could trade in order to get Suarez. They've been desperate to get to that next level the last couple of years and they may finally push some chips in to get themselves back into the playoffs. The number of teams interested in Suarez continues to grow. That will just raise the price on the Brewers a little bit more if they want to get him.
Rival fans began drooling after Jaxson Dart’s horrible start at New York Giants training camp. They quickly compared Dart to Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen’s previous draft bust. All 32 teams officially kicked off their offseason training camp on Tuesday, July 23, including the Giants. Fans flocked to the East Rutherford facility to catch a glimpse of the rookies, especially Dart. They all wanted to find out the reason why Daboll and Schoen picked the Ole Miss graduate over Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. Dart’s very first pass of 11-on-11 drills was an interception by third-year cornerback Nic Jones. Video footage showed Dart making a rookie mistake. Jones caught Dart staring at the receiver, which made it easier for him to figure out the play. The crowd let out a collective sigh as Jones ran to the end zone for a touchdown. Dart’s very first contribution in his first-ever training camp turned out to be a pick-6, which would surely dent his confidence. NFL fans compare Jaxson Dart to a Giants draft bust after his training camp mishap For the longest time, the Giants were the favorites to draft Shedeur. Deion Sanders gave his blessings, and the New York media were eager to cover the young quarterback who had set college football on fire with his passing and flamboyant personality. The status quo changed after the pre-draft visit. All of a sudden, the Giants were no longer interested in Sanders. Their focus had shifted to the dark horse of the draft, Jaxson Dart. This move by the Giants’ top management was a shocker for many as Sanders seemed to be a perfect fit in the Big Apple according to many. Schoen traded up in the first round to select Dart, while Sanders slipped to day three. Initially, it created a lot of ruckus. Anticipation grew after reports from the first and second phases of off-season camp were satisfactory. Unfortunately, that perspective must have taken a massive hit after Dart’s pick-6 on day one of the main training camp. Fans rarely chalk off such incidents as rookie mistakes. A wave of trolls filled X right after the footage went viral. Most compared Dart to the Giants’ previous starting quarterback, Daniel Jones. The former first-rounder agreed to terminate his $40 million per year contract after winning less than 50% of his games for the Giants. Jones threw 47 interceptions during six seasons in New York (averaging 7.2 INTs per year, with 15 during his rookie campaign being the worst of the lot). Brian Daboll passes verdict on Jaxson Dart It was clear from the start that Dart needed to polish his skills further. Fortunately, GM Schoen made the smart move of filling the quarterback room with a veteran presence. GM Schoen signed free agents Jameis Winston to a two-year deal and Russell Wilson for the 2025 season. Both players had significant game time last year. Wilson started for the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Winston deputized for injured Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. According to the Associated Press, Daboll is going to rely on experience over youth. After day one of the practice, he picked Wilson as his starter for the week one fixture of the 2025-26 NFL season. These guys will be out here competing, but Russ is our starter. Brian Daboll said Picking Wilson over the other two appears to be a sound choice. Even though his tenure in Pittsburgh ended with a string of losses, he is their best bet to win games. It’s a great opportunity for Dart to learn from a Super Bowl winner. If everything goes according to plan, then perhaps the Giants can finally turn their fortune around after several seasons of mediocrity.
A clear frontrunner appears to be separating himself from the pack in the Cleveland Browns’ QB room. Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett handled all of the first-team offense reps in 11-on-11 drills during the first day of training camp on Wednesday, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN reported. Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel received the second-team reps, Shedeur Sanders received the third-team reps, and Joe Flacco did not receive any 11-on-11 reps at all, Oyefusi added. Cleveland has one of the most hotly-contested and uncertain QB races of the NFL offseason. With Deshaun Watson (Achilles) set to miss the entire 2025 season, the Browns acted quickly this offseason by trading for Pickett, re-signing Flacco, and then selecting both Gabriel and Sanders in the NFL Draft. Pickett, 27, indeed looks like the best option for Cleveland right now. He has already made 25 total starts in the NFL and won a Super Bowl last season as Jalen Hurts’ backup on the Philadelphia Eagles. That gives Pickett a leg up over the rookies Gabriel and Sanders, and he is also far younger than the 40-year-old Flacco. Previous reports during OTAs suggested that Flacco, who made a handful of starts for the Browns in 2023, was looking surprisingly good under center. But more recently, some Cleveland players were predicting that Pickett would end up as the ultimate winner of the race. Meanwhile, Gabriel had reportedly looked a little rough over the last couple of months, and Sanders still appears to have plenty of work to do as well (though he has received rave reviews from some notable team figures). With a rookie unlikely to get the starting nod to begin the year, it may be a two-horse race between Pickett and Flacco (with Pickett now seemingly pulling away).
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