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The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a week away, and prospects everywhere are waiting to hear their names called, especially Thursday night in the first round.
Having the “first-round pick” tag next to your name in the NFL is a rite of passage: Teams believed you were worthy enough for their first spot, hoping that you could be an immediate impact player for the franchise.
But that pick also comes with high expectations: The player is expected to perform right away and do so with Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods along the way. It can be difficult for those rookies as they are trying to acclimate to the speed and physicality that the NFL has compared to college football.
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Announcer Greg Olsen watches 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)
Three-time Pro Bowl tight end and FOX Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen was once in that position as the 31st overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. And while you know that every situation is different depending on which franchise the prospect lands with, the expectations are the same: fans want to see you perform.
So how do you address that?
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“Handle your business, be a great teammate,” Olsen told Pak Gazette Digital, while talking about 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 the locker room believe in you and you continue to get opportunities, the fan support will come. As the team wins and you play well, all of that will take care of itself.”
As for Olsen, he recalled thinking that maybe the New York Jets or Carolina Panthers would pick him in the first round after a successful career in Miami. But when the Jets traded up to nab first-ballot Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis and the Panthers then drafted his Hurricanes teammate, linebacker Jon Beason, he didn’t know what was going on.
That’s the beauty of the NFL Draft, though, as the Bears picked him even though Olsen didn’t really interact with their staff during the pre-draft process.
Greg Olsen speaks on radio row 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 NFL Draft world, Olsen understands that the information these prospects have 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 that Olsen knows he didn’t have to face as a rookie, but these first-round picks next week will have to weather that storm.
“In this day and age where everyone is so worried about outside opinion, they’re so worried about articles being written, social media and what’s being published, you might lose track of, ‘Well, while you’re worried about that, you’re not taking care of your base.’ I think it’s more challenging today than it was 20 years ago when I came into the league, but I think that’s something that guys have to hunker down and understand that it’s not easy, but you control it and usually things happen. fit,” 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 fulfillment of a lifelong dream. That’s all that matters.
“You hear your name called and a lifelong dream, something you’re excited to embark on, becomes a reality. I was drafted by one of the biggest franchises in American football, having appeared in the Super Bowl a couple of months earlier. It was a really great place to start my NFL career,” he said.
Chicago Bears first-round draft pick Greg Olsen talks to reporters after a summer training camp practice on July 30, 2007, at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
INSIDE THE MIND OF THE FRONT OFFICE
While Olsen enjoyed 14 years in the NFL, his next chapter of the game will provide in-depth analysis for FOX Sports broadcasts throughout the year.
To help you do that in the offseason as you watch the NFL Draft and each franchise’s free agency picks, Olsen has been using 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, as well as team needs, free agency moves made and more, for this hub that gives fans access to key information and puts them in the shoes of front-office decision makers. Whether you’re a casual fan or a top analyst like Olsen, NFL IQ is an easy-to-use way to deepen your football knowledge, especially at a crucial roster-building time like the draft.
Wide shot of NFL IQ, the league’s new interactive hub, and Amazon Web Services, powered by Amazon Quick. (NFL IQ)
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“This is 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 the teams and everyone is using for their own interest, whether it’s casual or for people who really want to dive into the nitty-gritty. I think it’s a really fun set of tools for the wide range of people who touch the NFL space. I know firsthand as a fan, and now as a professional in the industry, that’s a big part of my interaction with the game.”
