With the NFL Draft behind us, we’re hitting a pretty dead period in the NFL calendar. The rookies have already started reporting for rookie minicamp and the NFL schedule release is coming up, but so are Organized Team Activities, also known as OTAs.
OTAs are a voluntary training session held by each team, and while attendance is not required, most players show up anyways to gel with their new teammates from the offseason and learn the new system if there’s a new play caller coming in.
During OTAs, we start to get our first glimpse at some position battles, particularly with the newly drafted rookies. Every year, we see young bucks duke it out with vets for a starting spot, and there will be no shortages of such battles this offseason.
With OTAs on the horizon, here are a few rookie position battles I’m keeping my eyes on.
Monroe Freeling, OT, Carolina Panthers
The highest-drafted player that I believe will be in an immediate position battle is Monroe Freeling. The Georgia product was the most athletic tackle in the draft class, but he was not a perfect prospect. His ceiling is through the roof, but there are some things to clean up, and he landed in a very interesting spot in Carolina.
The Panthers already have Ikem Ekwonu at left tackle, but he’s at risk of missing the entire 2026 season with a ruptured patellar tendon. With their starting left tackle out, the Panthers went out and signed Rasheed Walker, the former Green Bay Packers left tackle, to a one-year deal for him to presumably be the starter this season.
Freeling will be able to compete with Walker for the starting spot, but it seems unlikely that he’ll win it as a rookie, given Walker is a proven commodity and Freeling has some growing to do. So what does Carolina do next year when Ekwonu is healthy? Do they kick him to the right side and put Freeling at left tackle? Do they make Freeling learn right tackle and let him take over for Taylor Morton next year?
It’s a very interesting situation, so I’m excited to see how it plays out.
Peter Woods, DT, Kansas City Chiefs
Peter Woods is another guy that was drafted highly for his athletic traits, but still has a ton to work on before he’s ready to be a starter in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs took a gamble on his traits, but I’m not sure he’s going to win the starting job right away.
The Chiefs have Chris Jones, one of the best defensive tackles in the league already on their roster. There’s no chance Woods dethrones him, and they just signed Khyiris Tonga from New England to fill that second DT spot. On top of that, they also drafted Omarr Norman-Lott last year.
That’s a lot of bodies Woods is going to have to get through to earn a starting role. I’m sure he’ll end up beating out Norman-Lott for the third DT spot, but I don’t see him surpassing Tonga for the second starting position. Maybe towards the end of the year if they develop him right, but I don’t see him being ready by the start of the year.
The Chiefs have a lot of eyeballs on them, and as a first round pick, Woods will be put under a microscope as a rookie. We’ll see if he can live up to his first round price tag.
Treydan Stukes, S, Las Vegas Raiders
Stukes is a safety capable of playing deep, but he mainly played in the slot in college. He was fantastic in that role last year, allowing a 59 percent completion rate for 213 yards and no touchdowns with four picks and six pass breakups. But the Raiders already traded for Taron Johnson, a veteran slot corner with nearly 6,000 snaps of NFL experience. Does Stukes win that battle? Or do the Raiders have him drop back and play deep safety?
If he does drop back, he has to beat out Isaiah Pola-Mao, who played over 1,000 snaps for Vegas last year. This is a new coaching staff and Pola-Mao didn’t play that well, so I’m confident Stukes could beat him out, but the job won’t be handed to him.
Stukes will start, it’s just a matter of where. Can he beat out Johnson for the starting slot spot? It’s going to be incredibly difficult, but I wouldn’t rule it out.
Eli Stowers, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Eli Stowers was one of the most intriguing prospects in the entire draft. The former quarterback turned tight end was arguably the best athlete in the entire draft regardless of position. At the combine, he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash with a 45.5-inch vertical and an 11-foot, 3-inch broad jump, all while weighing in at 239 pounds. On top of that, he had back-to-back 600+ yard seasons coming out of college.
There’s no questioning that Stowers isn’t an elite pass catching threat, his big knock was his blocking. Now, he lands at a team in the Philadelphia Eagles that love to use their tight ends, but they also need their tight ends to be great blockers to run their offense.
Dallas Goedert is all that stands between Stowers and a starting role. Goedert is nowhere near the pass catching threat Stowers is, but he’s a veteran that’s been with the team forever and has developed into a really solid run blocker. For that reason alone, Stowers s going to have a hard time seeing the field over Goedert.
Stowers will undoubtedly be a big receiving threat for the Eagles this season, but I’m interested to see how he develops as a blocker, and if he can eventually leapfrog Goedert for the TE1 spot.
Oscar Delp, TE, New Orleans Saints
Oscar Delp became everyone’s favorite tight end prospect after a really strong pro day showing, where he ran. 4.48-second 40-yard dash with a 38.5-inch vertical. He only had 261 yards in his senior season, which caused many to overlook him, but his pro day made everyone turn on the tape, and what they saw was a wildly underutilize threat.
Delp has the potential to be a really good receiving tight end, but he’s also already a really solid blocker. As I mentioned earlier, that’s a big deal for NFL teams, so he’s got the capability to start right away, but he landed in a pretty crowded tight end room in New Orleans.
Juwan Johnson had a career-year with Kellen Moore calling plays in 2025, catching 77 passes for 889 yards and three touchdowns. He built a very strong rapport with Tyler Shough, so it’s hard to see him surpassing Johnson, but Moore wants to run a lot of two tight end sets, so there will be opportunities for Delp to get on the field.
But to do so, Delp is still going to have to beat out Noah Fant this offseason. The former Bronco Seahawk and Bengal has been a really solid receiver in the league for the past seven years, and the Saints brought him in to be their TE2, but that was before the selected Delp.
I feel good about Johnson being their No. 1 option this year, but I’m very interested to see how big of a role Delp can carve in this crowded tight end room.
Chris Brazzell II, WR, Carolina Panthers
The last guy I want to talk about is Chris Brazzell II. The Tennessee prospect was a bit slept on in this draft cycle because he wore an orange and white uniform, but I think his potential is through the roof. Now, he just has to put that potential to use this offseason.
The Carolina Panthers have one outside receiver spot locked down with Tet McMillan, and they also have their slot guy in Jalen Coker. What they don’t have is a second outside guy to compliment those two, and Brazzell can certainly be that guy, but he needs to beat out some other young receivers.
Xavier Legette has been pretty disappointing through the first two years of his career, but he knows the system, which will give him an immediate leg up. Jimmy Horn Jr. also showed some flashes last year, and if he can take a step forward, he could also be a threat. Then there’s John Metchie, who has gone through a lot of crap in his career health-wise, but is still viewed as a high-upside playmaker.
I’m confident Brazzell can beat out these three guys for the third starting receiver spot, but it won’t be handed to him, he’s going to have to earn it.
