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The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a week away and prospects everywhere are hoping to hear their names called, especially Thursday night in the first round.
Having the “first-round pick” label next to your name in the NFL is a rite of passage: teams thought you were worthy enough for their first-round pick, hoping you could be an immediate impact player for the franchise.
But that pick also comes with high expectations: The player is expected to perform immediately and do so with Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods along the way. This can be difficult for these recruits as they try to acclimate to the speed and physicality of the NFL compared to college football.
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Broadcaster Greg Olsen looks on before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington on September 7, 2025. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Greg Olsen, three-time Pro Bowl tight end and FOX Sports NFL analyst, formerly held this position, being the 31st overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. And while he knows every situation is different depending on which franchise the prospect lands in, the expectations are the same: Fans want to see you play.
So how to deal with this?
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“Run your business, be a great teammate,” Olsen told PK Press Club Digital, while discussing how he’s taking his analyst duties to the next level with NFL IQ. “Earn the trust of your teammates, earn the trust of your coaches first and foremost. Because at the end of the day, if you play well and the guys in that locker room believe in you and you continue to get opportunities, the fan support will come. As the team wins and you play well, it all takes care of itself.”
For Olsen, he remembers thinking that maybe the New York Jets or Carolina Panthers would take him in the first round after a successful career in Miami. But when the Jets traded for Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis in the first round and the Panthers subsequently selected his Hurricanes teammate, linebacker Jon Beason, he didn’t know what was happening.
That’s the beauty of the NFL Draft, though, because the Bears took him despite Olsen not really interacting with their staff during the pre-draft process.
Greg Olsen speaks on the radio before Super Bowl LIX at the Ernest Morial Convention Center on February 6, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
In today’s world of the NFL Draft, Olsen understands that the information available to these prospects is much broader. In turn, fans have the same knowledge given the world of social media and how reports, mock drafts and expert analysis shape their understanding of how front offices think during this exciting time of the football season.
With that comes a challenge Olsen knows he didn’t face as a rookie, but these first-round picks next week will have to weather that storm.
“In today’s day and age where everyone is so worried about outside opinion and written articles and social media and what gets published, you might lose sight of, ‘Well, while you’re worrying about that, you’re not taking care of your home base.’ I think it’s harder today than it was 20 years ago when I first came into the league, but I think it’s something guys have to hunker down and understand that it’s not easy, but you control yourself and usually things fall into place,” Olsen said.
Olsen added that it will be a “very complex and stressful day” for everyone involved next week, but first-round pick or not, it’s the realization of a lifelong dream. That’s all that matters.
“You hear your name called and the dream of a lifetime, something you can’t wait to get started on, comes true. I was drafted by one of the biggest franchises in all of football, after a Super Bowl appearance a few months earlier. It was definitely a great place to start my NFL career,” he said.
Chicago Bears first-round draft pick Greg Olsen speaks to reporters after a summer training camp practice July 30, 2007 at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE FRONT OFFICE
While Olsen spent 14 years in the NFL, his next chapter of the game provides in-depth analysis of FOX Sports broadcasts throughout the year.
To help him do this during the offseason while reviewing each franchise’s NFL Draft and free agency picks, Olsen used NFL IQ, the new interactive hub created by the league and AWS (Amazon Web Services), powered by Amazon Quick.
Ahead of the draft, NFL IQ transformed raw data from the NFL Combine, along with team needs, free agency moves and more, into this hub that gives fans access to key information and puts them in the shoes of front office decision-makers. Whether a casual fan or a top analyst like Olsen, NFL IQ is an easy-to-use way to expand their football knowledge, especially during a crucial team-building time like the draft.
Overview of NFL IQ, the league’s new interactive hub and Amazon Web Services, powered by Amazon Quick. (NFL IQ)
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“It’s the most educated fan base in NFL history, and I think that’s a good thing,” Olsen said.
“Fans actually have a way to access the exact same data, the exact same information that teams and everyone uses for their own benefit, whether it’s something casual or for people who really want to dive in. I think it’s a really fun set of tools for the wide range of people that touch the NFL space. I know firsthand as a fan, and now an industry professional, that it’s a big part of my interaction with the game.”
