Draft risers emerge
Florida edge rusher George Gumbs — a former wide receiver — is generating real draft buzz because his position switch has unlocked upside, according to NBC Sports’ recent profile (nbcsports.com). ESPN’s latest risers list also named players such as Dillon Thieneman and Monroe Freeling among seven prospects who have climbed boards, and the 2026 NFL Draft is set for April 23–25 in Pittsburgh ( ).
George Gumbs is one of the late movers in the 2026 National Football League draft after a position switch turned a former receiver into a Florida edge rusher. (nbcsports.com) National Football League teams are finishing pre-draft visits with the draft set for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, and NBC Sports reported April 12 that New England is among the clubs showing interest in Gumbs. The same report said his 41-inch vertical jump at the combine was the second-best ever recorded there for a defensive lineman. (nbcsports.com; nfl.com) Gumbs’ path is unusual even by draft standards: he began at Northern Illinois as a walk-on wide receiver, became a scholarship tight end, moved to defensive end, then transferred to Florida. ESPN’s career stats page lists 4 catches for 44 yards in 2022 and 11 career sacks across stops at Northern Illinois and Florida. (nbcsports.com; espn.com) The draft process often rewards players whose best tape and testing arrive late, and ESPN said seven prospects have climbed the most since the start of the 2025 season. Its April 12 risers list put Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling and Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman near the front of that group. (espn.com) Freeling opened 2025 as a potential Day 2 pick, according to ESPN, and is now described there as a solid first-rounder. Georgia’s official roster page says he appeared in all 14 games and made 13 starts in 2025, earning second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors from the league’s coaches. (espn.com; georgiadogs.com) Thieneman’s rise comes from production that evaluators could already measure on Saturdays. ESPN’s 2025 game log lists 92 total tackles, 2 interceptions and 1 sack for Oregon, and Oregon’s athletics site says he earned second-team All-America honors from both The Associated Press and The Sporting News. (espn.com; goducks.com) Gumbs sits in a different bucket from players like Freeling and Thieneman because teams are weighing projection as much as polish. NBC Sports said injuries shortened his final Florida season, but his testing and his background as a former pass catcher give clubs a reason to bet on traits. (nbcsports.com) That leaves the next 10 days as a final sorting period for prospects who changed their draft range over the last year. In Pittsburgh, Gumbs will find out whether that receiver-to-rusher conversion moved him from curiosity to pick. (nfl.com; nbcsports.com)
