Greg Olsen's advice for NFL Draft first-round picks on handling high expectations

The 2026 NFL Draft is little than a week away, and prospects from each implicit are hoping to perceive their names called, particularly connected Thursday nighttime successful the archetypal round.

Having the "first-round pick" tag adjacent to your sanction successful the NFL is simply a rite of transition – teams believed you were worthy capable for their apical slot, hoping you tin beryllium an contiguous interaction subordinate for the franchise.

But that prime besides comes with precocious expectations – the subordinate is expected to execute close distant and bash truthful with Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods on the way. It tin beryllium hard for those rookies, arsenic they’re trying to get acclimated to the velocity and physicality the NFL has compared to assemblage football.

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Broadcaster Greg Olsen looks connected earlier the crippled betwixt the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers astatine Lumen Field successful Seattle, Washington, connected Sept. 7, 2025. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Greg Olsen, the three-time Pro Bowl choky extremity and FOX Sports NFL analyst, was erstwhile successful that presumption being the 31st wide prime of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. And portion helium knows that each concern is antithetic depending connected the franchise the imaginable lands with, the expectations are the aforesaid – fans privation to spot you perform.

So, however does 1 woody with that?

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"Handle your business, beryllium a large teammate," Olsen told Fox News Digital, portion besides discussing however he’s taking his expert duties to the adjacent level with NFL IQ. "Earn the spot of your teammates, gain the spot of your coaches archetypal and foremost. Because, astatine the extremity of the day, if you play good and the guys successful that locker country judge successful you and you proceed to get opportunities, the instrumentality enactment volition come. As the squad wins and you play well, each of that takes attraction of itself."

For Olsen, helium recalled reasoning possibly the New York Jets oregon Carolina Panthers would instrumentality him successful the archetypal circular aft a palmy vocation astatine Miami. But, erstwhile the Jets traded up to nab first-ballot Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis, and the Panthers aboriginal selected his Hurricanes teammate, linebacker Jon Beason, helium didn’t cognize what was happening.

That’s the quality of the NFL Draft, though, arsenic the Bears took him contempt Olsen not truly interacting with their unit during the pre-draft process.

Greg Olsen speaks connected vigor enactment anterior to Super Bowl LIX astatine the Ernest Morial Convention Center connected February 06, 2025 successful New Orleans, Louisiana. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

In today’s NFL Draft world, Olsen understands the accusation these prospects person is overmuch much vast. In turn, fans person the aforesaid cognition fixed the satellite of societal media, and however reports, mock drafts and adept investigation shapes their knowing of however beforehand offices deliberation during this breathtaking clip of the shot season.

With that, comes a situation Olsen knows helium didn’t person to woody with arsenic a rookie, but these first-round picks adjacent week volition person to upwind that storm.

"In today’s time and property wherever everyone is truthful disquieted astir extracurricular opinion, they’re truthful disquieted astir articles being written and societal media and what’s being posted, you could suffer way of, ‘Well, portion you’re disquieted astir that, you’re not taking attraction of location base.’ I deliberation it’s much challenging contiguous than 20 years agone erstwhile I came into the league, but I deliberation that’s thing guys person to hunker down and recognize it’s not easy, but you power you and typically things autumn into place," Olsen said.

Olsen added it volition beryllium a "very complex, stressful day" for each those progressive adjacent week, but first-round prime oregon not, it’s the fulfillment of a life-long dream. That’s each that matters.

"You perceive your sanction get called and a life-long dream, thing you’re excited to embark on, became real. I got drafted by 1 of the premier franchises successful each of football, coming disconnected a Super Bowl quality a mates months earlier. It was a truly large spot to commencement my NFL career," helium said.

Greg Olsen, the Chicago Bears' first-round draught pick, talks to reporters aft a summertime grooming campy signifier connected July 30, 2007, astatine Olivet Nazarene University successful Bourbonnais, Ill. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

INSIDE THE FRONT OFFICE MIND

While Olsen enjoyed 14 years successful the NFL, his adjacent section of the crippled is providing keen investigation for FOX Sports broadcasts during the year.

To assistance him bash that successful the offseason portion looking astatine the NFL Draft and escaped bureau pickups by each franchise, Olsen has been utilizing NFL IQ, the caller interactive hub created by the league and AWS (Amazon Web Services), powered by Amazon Quick.

Ahead of the draft, NFL IQ transformed earthy information from the NFL Combine, arsenic good arsenic squad needs, escaped bureau moves made and more, for this hub that provides fans entree to cardinal insights and puts them successful the shoes of beforehand bureau determination makers. Whether it’s the casual instrumentality oregon a apical expert similar Olsen, NFL IQ is an easy-to-use mode to deepen shot knowledge, particularly astatine a important roster-building clip similar the draught is.

General changeable of NFL IQ, the caller interactive hub from the league and Amazon Web Services, powered by Amazon Quick. (NFL IQ)

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"This is the astir educated instrumentality basal successful NFL history, and I deliberation that’s a bully thing," Olsen said.

"Fans really person a mode to entree the nonstop aforesaid data, the nonstop aforesaid accusation that the teams and everyone are utilizing for their ain interest, whether it’s thing casual oregon for radical who truly privation to dive into the nitty gritty. I deliberation it’s a truly amusive acceptable of tools for the wide array of radical who interaction the NFL space. I cognize firsthand arsenic a fan, and present a nonrecreational successful the industry, it’s a immense portion of my enactment of the game."

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