All eyes in the Dawg Pound are on Quinshon Judkins—but not for reasons the Browns wanted. The explosive rookie running back out of Ohio State, taken 36th overall in April, sits in a legal storm following a July 12 arrest on battery and domestic violence charges. And Judkins also hasn’t inked his rookie contract. But while Quinshon Judkins has legal issues,  30 of the 32 second-round picks selected in April’s draft have yet to sign with their teams. And there is no update in nearly three weeks.

Meanwhile, in the Queen City, Bengals fans in Who Dey Nation are already frustrated with the Shemar Stewart standoff. But zoom out a bit, and the problem looks much bigger. The first two first-rounders (Stewart and Denver’s Jahdae Barron) are unsigned. The third, fourth, and even sixth rounds have some stragglers. That’s not just a coincidence—that’s a full-blown trend. And somehow, it’s flying under the radar compared to the Stewart drama brewing at Paycor Stadium.

Now, here’s where it gets messy. As veteran analyst Mike Florio called out, “This is partially the NFL Players Association’s fault.” He went on to say that the NFLPA didn’t even try to unify second-round agents or encourage a coordinated plan. In his words, “Collusion is permitted.” And he’s right. Players can join forces. Teams can’t. But the agents? They’re all playing solo in a game that rewards teamwork.

What makes it more frustrating is the missed opportunity. Florio suggested a bold fix—“Get all the agents together… send the teams a full 30-man proposal… none of them is going to show up until they all get it.” But cooperation takes trust. And in a cutthroat business, most agents still see each other as rivals, not allies.

In the end, Quinshon Judkins’ stalled deal—and the league-wide second-round delay—expose more than just contract gaps. They show a player representation system that’s out of sync. And right now, the NFLPA is catching heat for not being the glue that holds it together.

The guarantee gap is holding up the NFL’s second-rounders

Rookie contracts in the NFL aren’t exactly wild negotiations anymore. Thanks to the 2011 CBA, there’s a rookie wage scale in place that locks in how much money each draft pick gets. So when it comes to actual dollar amounts, there’s not a ton to argue over.

However, what’s very much still negotiable is how much of that money is guaranteed, and that’s where the real fight begins. Just look at the Bengals and Shemar Stewart. The issue there? Contract clauses. The team reportedly wants wording that could allow them to back out of guarantees. That’s sparked a bigger concern across the league. Especially after the Texans handed Jayden Higgins a fully guaranteed $11.7 million. For context, last year, Packers’ safety Javon Bullard only got $3.8 million in guarantees.

Now here’s the wild part—only two second-rounders have signed: Higgins and the Browns’ Carson Schwesinger. And they both got full guarantees. Everyone else? Still unsigned. Meanwhile, Chiefs Kingdom saw their 66th overall pick, Ashton Gillotte, sign early for just $1.5 million in guarantees. Which now leaves the 31 guys between Higgins and Gillotte—including names like Packers’ Anthony Belton—playing the waiting game.

At the top of that list is Seahawks’ safety Nick Emmanwori. Whenever he signs his deal, that should be a pretty big domino to fall, and right now, the entire second round is holding its breath to see if the next deal leans more toward Higgins or Gillotte.