These NFL teams now eligible for ‘Hard Knocks’ after rule change, plus Cowboys seven-round mock draft

Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

This is a huge weekend for me and that’s because my four-year-old is having a birthday party on Sunday, so if someone else is writing the newsletter on Monday, it’s because I didn’t survive. 

Not only is it a big weekend for me, but it’s also a big weekend for two of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. Colorado will be holding its Pro Day at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday. This will be the last time that Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter get to show off their talents in front of NFL scouts. It’s an especially big day for Sanders, who’s being projected to go anywhere from second overall to 26th overall in our latest round of mock drafts here at CBS Sports. 

Colorado’s Pro Day will actually be televised, and we’ve got all the details here. 

As for this newsletter, we’ll be taking a look at the 20 teams who are eligible for “Hard Knocks,” plus we’ll be breaking down Geno Smith’s new contract and unveiling our seven-round mock draft for the Cowboys. 

As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. 

1. NFL owners change eligibility rules for ‘Hard Knocks’

Going into the 2025 offseason, there were only going to be four teams eligible for “Hard Knocks” this year, but that number got expanded dramatically this week when the NFL’s 32 owners decided to change the eligibility rules for the HBO show. 

Here’s a look at the new rules: 

• Teams don’t have to do it if they were featured on the training camp edition of “Hard Knocks” in any of the previous eight seasons (2017-2024).
• Teams don’t have to be on the show if they have a first-year head coach.
• Is not exempt from selection based on club participation in “Hard Knocks” or a similar access show prior to 2024 pursuant to parameters that existed at the time of such club’s prior participation.

Thanks to the new rules, there are now a total of 20 teams who are currently eligible. 

• AFC East: Bills, Dolphins
• AFC North: Ravens, Steelers, Bengals
• AFC South: Texans, Colts, Titans
• AFC West: Chiefs, Broncos
• NFC East: Eagles, Commanders, Giants
• NFC North: Vikings, Packers
• NFC South: Falcons, Panthers
• NFC West: Seahawks, Cardinals, 49ers

Although we have 20 teams listed, not all of these teams will end up being eligible. The NFL is having an in-season version of Hard Knocks in 2025 that will feature an entire division, and any team that participates in that version of the show won’t be doing the training camp version. For instance, if the NFC East gets chosen, then there will only be 17 eligible teams for the training camp version of “Hard Knocks.”

You can read our full story on the new eligibility rules here. 

2. Breaking down Geno Smith’s new contract 

One reason Geno Smith got traded out of Seattle is because the Seahawks wouldn’t give him the extension he wanted, but the Raiders were willing to give it to him, and that extension finally came Thursday. 

Here are the details: 

• Smith gets paid. The 34-year-old quarterback is getting a two-year, $75 million extension that includes $66.5 million in guaranteed money. The deal can be worth up to $85.5 million if Smith meets every incentive. With an average annual value of $37.5 million per year, Smith will now be tied with Derek Carr as the 16th-highest paid starting quarterback, according to Over The Cap.  
• Pete Carroll’s career in Vegas is now tied to Smith. When Pete Carroll was hired as the Raiders head coach in January, the team gave him a three-year deal. With Smith’s extension, that means the QB is now under contract with the Raiders for three more years. Smith and Carroll are now both under contract through the 2027 season, so for better or worse, they’re now tied at the hip and the Raiders’ success is going to largely depend on how they do together. If Smith struggles, the Raiders could theoretically get out of the deal after just two years — without taking a huge dead cap hit — and move on. 
• Smith is coming off a huge year. The Raiders were willing to pay Smith after watching him come off a career season where he set the Seahawks’ franchise record for passing yards (4,320) and completion percentage (70.4%). Smith was one of only five quarterbacks in the NFL to start at least 10 games and complete at least 70% of his passes in 2024. As a team, the Raiders had a completion percentage of 64.6% last season, so Vegas would likely be thrilled if Smith can get near 70% again. 

We’ve got the full story on Geno’s signing here. 

With Smith now under contract for the next three seasons, that means the Raiders likely won’t be looking to take a quarterback early in the draft. If you’re wondering what they might do, we did a full seven-round mock draft for the Raiders and you can see it here. (This mock draft was also in Tuesday’s newsletter, so you’re not crazy if you were starting to have a feeling that you already read it.)

3. Cowboys seven-round mock draft: Two Longhorns taken by Dallas with first four picks

It’s not easy to get into Jerry Jones’ head, but that’s exactly what Garrett Podell did. He was tasked with coming up with a full seven-round mock draft for the Cowboys and he didn’t disappoint. The Cowboys need some serious help at receiver and not surprisingly, Podell has them using their first-round pick on a receiver. 

He also has the Cowboys using three of their first five picks on players who went to college in Texas, which definitely seems like something Jones would do.  

The Cowboys have a total of 10 picks in the draft, and we’re going to check out what Podell came up with for their top five: 

• Round 1 (12th overall): WR Matthew Golden (Texas)
• Round 2 (44th overall): CB Trey Amos (Ole Miss) 
• Round 3 (76th overall): DL Jordan Burch (Oregon)
• Round 5 (149th overall): QB Quinn Ewers (Texas)
• Round 5 (171st overall): RB Tahj Brooks (Texas Tech)

If you want a full explanation for the picks, or if you’re wondering how the other five picks turned out, be sure to check out Podell’s full mock draft here.

4. What should the Eagles do with the 32nd overall pick? Ranking their best options

By winning the Super Bowl, that means the Eagles will be stuck with the final pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. So what should they do with the pick? Jeff Kerr ranked their five best options. 

It’s almost impossible to know who’s going to be available when the Eagles go on the clock at 32, so Kerr thinks they should give some serious thought to trading the pick. 

Let’s check out his three best options for the Eagles: 

• 1. Trade down and acquire more picks: “When the Eagles had the No. 32 pick in 2018, they traded out of the pick in order to gain more selections. Philadelphia traded the No. 32 pick and a fourth-round pick (No. 132) to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2018 second-round pick (No. 52), a fourth-round pick (No. 125) and a second-round pick in the 2019 draft. … If the Eagles want more assets to make a major move in this year’s or next year’s draft, trading down may be the best option.”
• 2. Combine the 32nd pick with a Day 2 pick to trade UP: “If the Eagles want to move up a few spots, they can package their first-round pick, their third-round pick (No. 96) and one of their fifth-round picks to move up a few spots in the draft. They also could use one of three third-round picks from 2026 to move up a few spots. If there’s an edge rusher or safety the Eagles like, perhaps trading a few picks is worth the risk to move up a few spots.”
• 3. Trade the pick away for a premium pass-rusher. “Philadelphia has the draft capital to trade for a premium pass rusher, starting with the No. 32 pick. While it’s unlikely the Eagles have to trade their first-round pick for a good pass rusher, teams are going to ask for that draft choice in negotiations.”

You can check out Kerr’s full list of draft ideas for the Eagles here. 

5. Top-10 free agents left on the market: Five offensive players and five defensive players on the list

Every Friday, we close out the week by taking a look at the biggest names still available in free agency. 

Before free agency started, Pete Prisco made a list of his top-100 free agents for 2025, and as we get ready to enter the FIFTH week of free agency, only four of his top 50 players are still available. 

With that in mind, let’s check out the top 10 players who are still on the market. 

1. QB Aaron Rodgers
2. CB Rasul Douglas
3. WR Amari Cooper
4. CB Asante Samuel Jr. 
5. S Justin Simmons
6. RB J.K. Dobbins
7. LB Kyzir White
8. WR Keenan Allen
9. OT Jedrick Wills
10. CB Mike Hilton

Last Friday, this list included Calais Campbell and E.J. Speed, but they both got signed this week, so we now have two newcomers in our top 10. If someone from this list signs over the weekend, you can get all the details here in our top 100 tracker.

6. Extra points: Trey McBride lands record-setting extension

It’s been a busy 24 hours the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Trey McBride is now the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. The Cardinals tight end landed a monstrous extension on Thursday. The four-year, $76 million deal will pay him an average of $19 million per year, which easily makes him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. The old mark belonged to Travis Kelce, who’s making $17.125 million per year. If you want a closer look at McBride’s deal, we’ve got that here. 
• Bears sign veteran backup QB. The Bears appear to have found a new back up QB. The team signed Case Keenum to a one-year deal this week that’s worth up to $3 million, according to ESPN. Keenum spent the 2024 season with the Texans where he did his best to mentor C.J. Stroud. Now, he’ll try to do the same with Caleb Williams. 
• Lamar Jackson in a spat with Dale Earnhardt Jr. The NASCAR legend is trying to file a trademark that would give him the rights to a certain style usage of the No. 8, but Jackson is trying to keep that from happening. Jackson, who wears No. 8 with the Ravens, has filed a notice of opposition against Earnhardt. It’s an interesting battle, and we’ve got all the details on it here. 
• Chiefs set to be featured in six-part documentary. The Chiefs spent the 2024 season trying to become the first team in NFL history to pull off a three-peat, and their entire season is going to be featured in a documentary being put out by ESPN, Disney+ and Skydance Sports. The documentary “was filmed over the course of the 2024 season and includes unprecedented access into the players’ lives on and off the field.” Even if you aren’t a Chiefs fan, this sounds interesting and I’ll definitely be watching. There’s no release date yet, but the documentary is expected to premiere “later this year,” according to a press release.