Sam TigheApr 22, 2026, 06:48 AM ETCloseSam is a writer, broadcaster and podcaster for ESPN. He will write on the Premier League, scouting and transfers.Follow on XMultiple Authors
play1:16Laurens: Spurs showed more heart and intensity in Brighton defeatJulien Laurens says relegation-threatened Spurs’ next fixture league against Wolves is “the must of the must-wins.”
play2:26Could Newcastle United’s Saudi owners sell their share in the club?Gab Marcotti discusses whether the Saudi Public Investment fund could sell their majority stake in Newcastle United.
play1:26Arne Slot: Hugo Ekitike has a bad injuryLiverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed that Hugo Ekitike picked up a bad injury in their 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
play2:11Nicol: Rio Ngumoha must start for Liverpool moving forwardESPN’s Steve Nicol has praised Rio Ngumoha’s performance in Liverpool 2-0 victory over Fulham in the Premier League.
play1:23Is Liam Rosenior losing control of the dressing room?The ESPN FC crew discuss Liam Rosenior’s relationship with his squad after Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Man United.
Laurens: Man City’s win vs. Arsenal was the decisive moment in the title race (1:39)Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens preview the remainder of the title race between Arsenal and Manchester City. (1:39)
Laurens: Spurs showed more heart and intensity in Brighton defeatJulien Laurens says relegation-threatened Spurs’ next fixture league against Wolves is “the must of the must-wins.”
Julien Laurens says relegation-threatened Spurs’ next fixture league against Wolves is “the must of the must-wins.”
Could Newcastle United’s Saudi owners sell their share in the club?Gab Marcotti discusses whether the Saudi Public Investment fund could sell their majority stake in Newcastle United.
Gab Marcotti discusses whether the Saudi Public Investment fund could sell their majority stake in Newcastle United.
Arne Slot: Hugo Ekitike has a bad injuryLiverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed that Hugo Ekitike picked up a bad injury in their 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed that Hugo Ekitike picked up a bad injury in their 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
Nicol: Rio Ngumoha must start for Liverpool moving forwardESPN’s Steve Nicol has praised Rio Ngumoha’s performance in Liverpool 2-0 victory over Fulham in the Premier League.
ESPN’s Steve Nicol has praised Rio Ngumoha’s performance in Liverpool 2-0 victory over Fulham in the Premier League.
Is Liam Rosenior losing control of the dressing room?The ESPN FC crew discuss Liam Rosenior’s relationship with his squad after Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Man United.
The ESPN FC crew discuss Liam Rosenior’s relationship with his squad after Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Man United.
This week, the 2026 NFL draft takes place in Pittsburgh. Across three days, all 32 teams in the league will load up on young talent, picking the best college prospects in the hope of securing elite difference-makers and fixing the holes on their rosters.
We produced several mock runs of this draft, tweaking the rules as we went, to try to produce something realistic. The end result is something that really does deliver the roller coaster of the NFL draft, with surprise risers and fallers that capture the drama. Speaking of realistic, there were some last-minute injuries that threatened to shake up the order.
Chelsea winger Estêvão will have been relieved to avoid serious injury on the eve of the draft — the hamstring injury he suffered against Manchester United was a minor one. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike, who had an Achilles tear against Paris Saint-Germain last week and is set for nine months out. That injury is taken into consideration for the draft. He would have been in play for No. 1 overall. How far will he fall now?
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters walks to the podium … “Wolves, you are on the clock.”
Wolves are bottom of the Premier League for myriad reasons, but chief among them is a lack of goals. They’ve managed a paltry 24 goals in 33 games, having failed to replace forward Matheus Cunha, who joined Manchester United last summer in a £62.5 million deal.
This is their chance to draft a new X factor attacker — one to build around now and in the future — so teenage Chelsea star Estêvão is first off the board. He is an electric talent with world-class potential. He did get injured last weekend, but it wouldn’t impact his first-overall status as it’s not feared to be too serious.
Burnley’s story of struggle is the opposite of Wolves’. They’ve fared OK in front of goal; it’s keeping them out at the other end that has been a problem. They have conceded the most goals (67) in the division and need to shore things up, but it makes sense to wait until Round 2 to address that.
That’s because with pick No. 2, they can choose between Palmer, Rayan Cherki and Florian Wirtz — three superstars who would transform the face of their team. Manager Scott Parker would probably enjoy working with Palmer the most.
Somehow, Spurs have found themselves in a situation where barely any of the team — let alone the midfield — can pass the ball well. It’s a huge part of why their season has been such a failure and needs to be remedied immediately.
Laurens: Spurs showed more heart and intensity in Brighton defeat
West Ham have conceded 57 goals this season, third most in the league, but just 19 of those have come in the second half of the season, indicating a huge improvement.
They need defensive help, especially as January addition Axel Disasi is only on loan from Chelsea, but like Burnley, West Ham can afford to wait until the second round to plug that hole.
And why in the world would the Hammers pass on a prodigious, ceiling-raising attacker like Cherki? He has the ingenuity and personality to carry the team in the final third. West Ham have a long history of maverick attacking talent, and Cherki would follow in the footsteps of Paolo Di Canio and Dimitri Payet, among others. With their latest No. 10, Lucas Paquetá, leaving in January, Cherki would slot right in.
At pick No. 5, that looks like Wirtz. Attacking midfielder is hardly an obvious area of need given Morgan Gibbs-White has scored 12 league goals from there this season, but you would simply make adjustments. Either play him wide or move to a system with dual No. 10s.
Leeds need a goalkeeper. They signed Lucas Perri last summer in a €15 million deal from Lyon, but he has struggled for form and been replaced by backup Karl Darlow. There’s no need to act on that now, as one of three excellent young shot stoppers should be there for them in Round 2.
So the Whites follow suit on drafting the best player available and take O’Reilly. Not only is he quickly emerging as one of the Premier League’s better players, he also suits the tall, physical squad Leeds have built.
Newcastle’s dreadful season has exposed issues all over their squad. The most pressing of those concerns is probably at striker, where the attempt to replace Alexander Isak with Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade has not worked.
With the seventh pick, they take Sesko — a player they originally chased to replace Isak last summer but effectively chose Manchester United over them. Finally, they get their man.
Could Newcastle United’s Saudi owners sell their share in the club?
For whoever replaces Oliver Glasner as Crystal Palace manager next season, what a wonderful welcome gift Anderson would be: a center midfielder who can pretty much do it all.
Given Daichi Kamada is set to leave this summer once his contract expires and Cheick Doucouré has been plagued by injuries, this solves a positional need and adds immense quality to the starting XI.
Fulham need a forward. Their on-again, off-again negotiations for PSV and USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi suggest this is clearly their area of focus, so they’re not going to pass on the chance to draft one inside the top 10. With only one off the board so far, they find themselves in a good spot, too.
This choice essentially boils down to Junior Kroupi vs. Rogers, two exceptional young talents who would add individual brilliance to the team, and it’s the latter who lands at the Cottage. Manager Marco Silva would love his ingenuity almost as much as he loves his work rate — he has covered the third-most distance (358.89 kilometers) in the Premier League this season, per Gradient Sports.
The Black Cats have done brilliantly to comfortably stave off relegation this season but know there’s more hard work ahead to do so again next term. Top of the agenda is finding more goals — only three teams have scored fewer than their 36 this term — and Kroupi’s 10 strikes this season hint at a prolific career.
If Everton miss out on European football this season, they will wonder what could have been. Could they have sustained the push had City loanee Jack Grealish not suffered a stress fracture in March?
His absence has been felt, so why not use this opportunity to replace one phenomenal dribbler with another. David Moyes would love Doku’s incisiveness and ability to drive up the pitch.
There’s arguably one hole in Brighton’s roster, right back, but they should be confident of landing one of those in Round 2. With this pick, they address a more premium position with Gravenberch.
With long-term questions hanging over central midfielders Pascal Groß (34) and James Milner (40), and established interest from Manchester United in Carlos Baleba, the Seagulls can future-proof the middle of the park somewhat by selecting the Dutchman.
The second defender after Nico O’Reilly is off the board at pick No. 13. Khusanov is enjoying a glow-up 2026, and it won’t be long until he is recognized as one of the best young center backs in the world.
The Cherries will once again face questions in defense this summer as Marcos Senesi’s contract expires, and he looks set to leave. Picking Khusanov gets them ahead of this potential issue.