John Harbaugh heading to Giants, divisional round picks, best SB matchups

Happy Monday, football fanatics! With this being the offseason, now is the time when us writers start to take some much-needed vacation, and that’s exactly where John Breech finds himself this week. Our pal is off trying to best Christian McCaffrey’s dad skills at Disney, which means you get me, Tyler Sullivan, to guide you through all the latest happenings in the NFL in the latest edition of the Pick Six newsletter. 

This is a notable week on the offseason calendar as the league is descending on Phoenix for the Annual Meeting. On top of various rule proposals, there will almost certainly be other nuggets that’ll sprinkle out of the desert, and I’m on-site in Arizona this week to cover it all, so be sure to follow along. 

Before we dive deeper into this week’s events and the latest headlines throughout the NFL, here’s your reminder to tell all your friends (and even your enemies) to sign up for the newsletter. Let’s get to it! 

1. NFL Annual Meeting kicks off in Phoenix

The movers and shakers of the NFL have taken up residency in Arizona this week for the Annual Meeting. All 32 owners and head coaches, along with various front office heads, are in Phoenix this week, where they will go through an array of topics, which include various rule changes. Specifically, there are five proposed rule changes from the NFL Competition Committee that’ll take central focus. 

1. Permit the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game.  
2. Eliminate the kicking team’s incentive to intentionally kick the ball out of bounds when kicking off from the 50-yard line.
3. Modify the kickoff alignment requirements for the receiving team in the setup zone.
4. Allow league personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called onto the field.
5. For 2026 only, allow the NFL Officiating Department to correct clear and obvious misses by on-field officials that impact the game in the event of a work stoppage involving officials represented by the NFL Referees Association.

It’s worth noting that for any of these changes to take effect, it would require at least 75% of the owners to vote in favor. To read a more detailed breakdown of these proposals, check out our full story here.  

And those aren’t the only changes that could be coming, as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns have also put forward proposals.

• From Pittsburgh: To make permanent the change implemented during the 2025 season that permits clubs to have one video or phone call with no more than five prospective Unrestricted Free Agents during the Two-Day Negotiation Period, and to permit clubs to make travel arrangements with such players upon agreeing to terms. 
• From Cleveland: To allow draft selections to be traded up to five (5) seasons in the future (the current rule only lets teams trade picks three years out). 

Of course, with everyone under the same roof for a few days, there’s also the possibility of more news leaking out, especially with every head coach set to speak with reporters. On Monday morning, the NFC head coaches will field questions, while the AFC coaches will follow up on Tuesday morning. 

2. Ryan Wilson unveils latest three-round NFL mock draft 

We are now inside a month away from the 2026 NFL Draft kicking off in Pittsburgh. As we inch ever closer to teams officially being on the clock, CBS Sports NFL Draft expert and host of the “With the First Pick” podcast, Ryan Wilson, is ramping up his mock drafts. His latest, which was unveiled today, doesn’t just give you what he believes could happen on Day 1, but Wilson also dives into Day 2 with a full three-round mock. 

Here’s a look at how the top 10 shakes out in Wilson’s latest mock: 

1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
2. New York Jets: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
3. Arizona Cardinals: Fracis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
4. Tennessee Titans: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
5. New York Giants: Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State
6. Cleveland Browns: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
7. Washington Commanders: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami
8. New Orleans Saints: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
10. Cincinnati Bengals: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson

On top of going three rounds in this mock, Wilson also projects some fireworks in the back half of the first round with the Pittsburgh Steelers trading up to select their quarterback of the future in Alabama’s Ty Simpson. 

To see Wilson’s entire three-round mock draft, click here. 

3. 49ers reveal findings in electrical substation investigation

One of the more whacky storylines from the 2025 season was folks linking the San Francisco 49ers’ injury woes to the franchise’s practice facility being located directly next to an electrical substation. While it sounds preposterous that the substation had anything to do with the team’s injuries, the Niners actually conducted an independent investigation into whether or not those theories were mere fodder or something more concrete. 

Over the weekend, 49ers GM John Lynch revealed that the results of the investigation showed a “nothing burger,” and the levels that experts looked at did not present a concern. Lynch also relayed that none of the free agents who signed with San Francisco expressed any concern about the substation theory, so it did not impact their roster-building process. 

So, while we may be able to rule out the electrical substation as the culprit, the 49ers need to figure out a way to keep their players healthy and avoid a repeat of the 2025 campaign, where they saw 20 players placed on reserve lists. 

4.  NFL Draft odds: Where will Ty Simpson end up? 

Alabama’s Ty Simpson is one of the more polarizing prospects in this year’s class. While Fernando Mendoza is the consensus QB1 and primed to come off the board when the Las Vegas Raiders are officially on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick later this spring, Simpson’s landing spot is far more clouded, despite being QB2 in CBS Sports’ prospect rankings. 

Some, like former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky, believe Simpson is a better prospect than Mendoza, while others see the Alabama signal-caller possibly falling out of the first round entirely. But how do the sportsbooks view Simpson’s draft stock? Our own Jordan Dajani combed through DraftKings Sportsbook’s latest NFL Draft odds, and they tell a fascinating story. 

At the moment, the Arizona Cardinals are the betting favorite to draft Simpson at +125. They possess the No. 3 overall pick, which would seem a little too rich for Simpson, but they could look to bring him aboard via the No. 34 overall pick atop the second round. Either that or, as Dajani writes, “do what the New York Giants did last year and trade back up into the first round to steal a quarterback.” 

Here’s a look at the top five teams that have the best odds at selecting Simpson less than a month before we reach the 2026 NFL Draft. 

1. Arizona Cardinals +125
2. New York Jets +145
3. Los Angeles Rams +425
4. Cleveland Browns +650
5. Pittsburgh Steelers +800

One of the more surprising aspects of these odds that caught Dajani’s eye was the Rams sitting with the third-best odds to take Simpson.

It’s surprising that sportsbooks have the Rams as the third favorite to draft Simpson. This is a team that does not have a need at quarterback, as reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford is still chucking the ball at an elite level, and it’s clear that Los Angeles is all-in for a Super Bowl this year after trading one of its first-round picks to the Kansas City Chiefs for cornerback Trent McDuffie. It doesn’t exactly scream “all-in for a Lombardi” to use a first-round pick on a developmental quarterback, but you do have to wonder what the plan is for the Rams after Stafford retires. There are a couple of other quarterback-needy teams around the NFL that could use Simpson, so it’s surprising the Rams are listed No. 3 at +425. 

To read Dajani’s full breakdown of Simpson’s draft odds, click here.

5. Bobby Wagner landing spots: Commanders not shutting door on reunion

The initial waves of free agency have long washed to shore already, and veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner is still a man without a team. He is set to be 36 at the start of last season, which is likely the key reason why he’s still lingering on the opening market, but the reigning Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year still has plenty he can bring to a locker room even in the twilight of his career. That’s likely why the Washington Commanders aren’t ruling out the possibility of bringing him back for 2026, despite having confidence in their young core. 

“We would never shut the door on him,” said head coach Dan Quinn. “We do feel like there’s some players that are about to take off at [his] position.”

But what if Wagner goes elsewhere? Where could he end up? That’s what Carter Bahns asked himself and decided to highlight a handful of potential landing spots for the future Hall of Fame linebacker. 

• Dallas Cowboys: “There is probably no more obvious deficiency in the NFL than the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive weaknesses. The league’s worst scoring defense in 2025 needs a talent influx to go with its coordinator change, and Wagner would be an affordable addition. Jerry Jones built some defensive depth over the first couple of weeks of free agency, but still lacks the kind of splashy addition that could incite optimism for a quick and noticeable turnaround. Wagner may not be a break-the-bank kind of player at this stage of his career, but he would raise the defense’s floor more than some of the team’s other offseason pickups.”
• Jacksonville Jaguars: “With Devin Lloyd out the door, the Jacksonville Jaguars suddenly need another starter to pair with Foyesade Oluokun. Nobody would confuse Wagner with Lloyd in terms of sideline-to-sideline coverage ability, but he would be sure to prevent regression in run defense. Jacksonville was the most stout team in the NFL against the run last year at just 1,455 yards allowed on the season and would likely finish at or near the top again in 2026 if Wagner hops aboard.”

To see the three other destinations that Bahns believes would be a good fit for Wagner, click here. 

6. Extra points: Trey Hendrickson was looking forward to playing with Maxx Crosby

The news is always churning in the NFL, so let’s go through some quick-hitters that you may have missed over the last few days.