Hello friends, it's your buddy Lou Pickney with you here with the DKDB update March 30th, 2026.
Had some bad news come across today.
Several layoffs happening at PFF.
That includes all four of the people I have currently in this DKDB 2026 expert curated NFL mock draft database where I put the best of the best.
So you're getting four people from that group of the best of the best.
They're all hitting the market at the same time.
The latest in here no AI, no filler, no tandem efforts, no staff reporting.
Actual real experts who know what they're talking about with a track record of proven success, major publications and top independents.
So I encourage anybody out there if you run a sports media business, if you're looking to get in the NFL draft biz, and you want some credibility at a time when AI is about to start drowning everybody.
Absolute flood of junk content that unfortunately is projected to be hitting the market.
Opportunity out there for a number of sports outlets.
I mean, perfect time of the year to bring people in.
I don't understand the thinking other than it was a business decision.
It's like what Front Office Sports has here on it.
Report from Ryan Glasspiegel.
I'll link to it in the description section of this YouTube video.
Go through this kind of brief part of it here.
An all hands meeting today Monday, the 30th.
As what happens unfortunately sometimes with business acquisitions number of layoffs.
Deal reportedly worth nine figures.
A lot of people unfortunately lost their gig.
PFF has a quality product where they've had a quality product.
I don't know what they're going to have going forward.
I go through with these LLMs.
They can tell the people that are and aren't trying to use AI to generate scouting reports and the like.
Those LLMs are not afraid to stooge people out.
But PFF has always had legit content.
I'm really bummed for these people.
They've done a great job from all indications.
But sometimes in business that happens.
There's Gordon McGuinness PFF in there, Max Chadwick from PFF.
Trevor Sikkema from PFF.
Dalton Wasserman PFF.
These are do follow links here.
Use some draftkings.com the DKDB.
Just because PFF unfortunately had to let go of some really talented people as part of this business deal.
And hindsight, I think they're going to regret not finding a way to try and find some sort of buyer for a spin-off to have kept those people intact.
And this time of the year where you get huge traffic coming in for the NFL draft.
But when you've got a deal that's nine figures sometimes they're going to have decisions that may or may not be optimized in the name of just getting the thing done.
So wherever these guys end up keep an eye out updated in here with the DKDB.
But earlier in my mock draft let's talk about a few of the prospects.
I don't want to go too long with this video.
Talk about a few of the prospects into the stretch run the last few weeks.
First things first, let's talk about Jeremiah Love.
Running back from Notre Dame expected by practically everybody to be the first running back drafted 2026 NFL draft.
Exceptional career at Notre Dame.
And even in a world the NFL that is tilted so much in favor of the passing game Love still presents tremendous value.
I've seen some write-ups and comparisons that have compared what Love could bring to a team's passing attack to what Jahmyr Gibbs brought to Detroit.
Only Love is larger than Gibbs, considerably so, and should be able to pass block more effectively.
Detroit has to get clever with how they utilize Gibbs, but he's really good.
So in that vein, that's why you would think of Jeremiah Love going top four, top five.
Doesn't happen very much.
But when it does, it's with a top running back that's also a great receiver.
Not to be overlooked in this whole process.
And to that end take a look at this from Gordon McGuinness.
That's what he has last for PFF.
I'm not sure.
I'll be trying to keep track where these guys go and keep that updated in the DKDB.
You notice he actually projected the Titans to trade up to number two overall with the Jets to get Love at number two.
And ultimately it comes down to really two schools of thought.
Adam Schefter last week looking or maybe the week before.
Our contacts run together after a while.
Recently he had that segment where he looked very uncomfortable saying very abruptly out of the saying the market to start of the whatever how you termed it.
Things to start at number five overall with the Giants for Jeremiah Love.
And then he even built on that I guess this past week.
I said he thought it wasn't going to happen with the Giants either.
Neither the Giants nor the Titans.
On the other side, there's plenty of people that are that are well connected, who know things.
They're saying, "Look, there are people in the NFL that believe Love was going to be a top five pick." Heard a lot of that from Curly Campbell on Walter Football's website, Walter as well.
And saying that.
So it's interesting to see it.
So something when there's more time to concentrate on these newer mock drafts.
This this stuff with PFF that broke tonight kind of threw me for a loop.
Just like my TV news career, you got to adjust on the fly.
Anyway, so this had Love going at two to the Titans.
And there's some that say, "Look, if you're believing the way Adam Schefter is saying, they can nah, it's going to be outside the top five." Schefter's been right about things in the past.
Even when he's not been on target on the actual eventual selection.
Everybody else was talking Shedeur Sanders at number two overall last year for Cleveland.
Schefter was talking about Abdul Carter.
Now, it didn't happen with Carter obviously with Cleveland, but it didn't happen with Shedeur Sanders at number two overall either.
Of course, the irony being that Cleveland ended up getting Sanders on day three.
Next person to talk about, Mansour Delaine, cornerback, LSU.
Had a great 2025 season in his one year in Baton Rouge, transferred from Virginia Tech.
Think if this had been 10 years ago, Delaine probably would have gone to the NFL and ended up slotted a lot lower than he's going to be slotted here.
Whatever he earned in NIL money, he clearly got something from LSU.
They know how to do things down there in Baton Rouge.
But Delaine possibly could end up being a top five pick.
The New York Giants who have a need at corner.
And I think it depends on how teams view Delaine and that whole best player available line of thing.
And one more to go through up here as far as just Max Chadwick.
Make sure I got the right one pulled up here.
This is from Max.
I guess this is his last one for PFF.
He was saying Mansour Delaine at number 11 to the Dolphins.
They I love with PFF they have this grading system.
I can only imagine the complaining and the politicking that happens behind the scenes.
I'm like, man, I want no part of that.
But as far as giving some tangible thought behind it just a hunch or a feeling.
It's interesting to note how even from a stats standpoint, Delaine obviously for the Dolphins, they've got needs at several different positions.
I think offensive line's a possibility here as well.
There's a lot of talk that Delaine could go higher than this.
I've seen potential him going at number seven potentially to the Commanders.
I wouldn't consider it a lock that Delaine's getting out of the top 10.
Also a possibility of Kansas City at nine.
Although I think some believe Kansas City would wait until their second pick in the first round to go with a corner.
Also probably depends who's on the board as well.
Speaking of people on the board, Spencer Fano, offensive tackle, Utah.
During his pro day at Utah, they re-measured his arms.
And somehow, you think they'd have some sort of a scientific way for all this that's happened with sports medicine and analytics and a thousand and one ways to track every movement of every instance of a player, they somehow have trouble getting the same measurement from Indianapolis to Utah.
I can't explain such things.
And that's not an isolated case, either.
>> [laughter] >> But, whatever the case, I mean, look, I I don't understand how teams couldn't know this going in.
I have a pretty good idea already for most of these guys.
Anyway, Fano, whether you want to have him play guard, play tackle, he's got versatility.
You can start him out in his career at the guard position if you need him there.
And then potentially work his way into playing a tackle position.
I felt like there's a bit of a fade on Fano to get him more like the 15, 16, 17 range.
Certainly, he's there for Detroit.
But then I felt like, well, there's been a bit of pushback.
Really, Fano still looked at as a top 10 talent, even if it goes with Francis Mauigoa going to Arizona at three.
And even if it's like Menelik Foano to the Browns at six, whatever.
Fano could go to the Browns at six.
I think that's a possibility.
Other possibilities, even as high as number five.
Let's see what Charlie Campbell has in his latest mock draft over on WalterFootball's website.
And as Charlie notes here, a case where Fano can start at the right guard position to begin his career, and then in time work his way to play tackle.
I do think that his pro day helped as far as answering questions about arm length.
Although again, how they don't have that standardized more is something for people that understand that better than me to explain, cuz I simply don't understand.
Whatever the case, they got a a more favorable measurement.
>> [laughter] >> With the And that's a boost there for Fano.
But, whether or not that arm length measurement, his versatility at a position where it's tough to find top tier talent, a lot of talk of him going top 10, even top five.
What Charlie Campbell has in his latest mock draft that just came out early this morning on WalterFootball.
So again, best wishes to everybody impacted by the layoffs at PFF.
I imagine the sports world realizes this is not a reflection on you or your product.
It's the way it goes in business sometimes.
But, there are some solid talent out there, and I know there are some sports outlets looking to have an impact.
They how do you somehow like, "Lou, how do you do things with this branding of yours?
How do you make it work?" So, look, you got to have stuff that people want.
You got to have proven talent.
And there's a lot of proven talent that's hit the open market.
So, I hope that the best for all involved, not just the people here in the DKDB, but there are others as well, that now can't have a gig anymore, and that is a depressing thing.
Best wishes to everybody involved.
I've been involved with media nonsense for decades now.
