Dan Lanning’s NFL Draft Gesture Speaks Volumes About Oregon

The first night of the 2026 NFL Draft brought plenty for the Oregon Ducks community to celebrate, including star tight end Kenyon Sadiq heading to the next level.

Even though Sadiq was a consensus first-round projection across mock drafts, he elected to spend the draft in Idaho with Oregon coach Dan Lanning and offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer.

Oregon Staff Celebrates NFL Draft With Kenyon Sadiq

oregon ducks dan lanning nfl draft kenyon sadiq drew mehringer tight end chris hampton recruiting kyle bolton will mencl — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning runs during practice with the Ducks Thursday, April 11, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ahead of the draft, Sadiq told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus that he planned to spend the draft in Idaho with his friends and family at an Airbnb.

“It'll be so special. Something that you literally work your whole life for. I've been playing football since before I can even remember. So, getting to this point is just pretty surreal,” Sadiq said. "Maybe we will play some games, make it fun. I didn't really want to be in a stressful environment by any means.”

Before Mehringer became the offensive coordinator this offseason, he was Sadiq’s tight ends coach for the past three years. Mehringer played a formidable role in the development of players like Sadiq, Los Angeles Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson and former Ducks tight end Patrick Herbert into NFL-caliber tight ends.

Ready to go in Idaho 👀@KenyonSadiq x #NFLDraft #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/YSJdiM1qYs
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) April 24, 2026

Mehringer spoke to the Eugene media at the beginning of the week about Sadiq, with the program’s spring game coming up on Saturday.

“For Kenyon to be where he's at, for Terrance to be where he's at, for Patrick Herbert, who went through all these things, to be where they're at and feel like I delivered on my promise, that is huge for me,” Mehringer said. “That means the absolute world. So, what's it going to be like? I'm really excited, extremely humbled, and super proud of all those guys, and very excited for Kenyon and his next step."

Oregon Ducks Staff Booked and Busy for the NFL Draft

A busy week for the Oregon coaching staff hasn’t stopped them from supporting their stars who are off to the next level.

In addition to Lanning and Mehringer going to Idaho, Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton and Oregon director of speed and performance Kyle Bolton went to the draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to support safety Dillon Thieneman.

DT bringing the heat in Pittsburgh 🔥@DillonThieneman x #NFLDraft #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/PPsljL01MF
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) April 24, 2026

Similar to Mehringer, Lanning promoted Hampton to the defensive coordinator role this offseason after he previously served as a position coach. He spent a lot of time with Thieneman in 2025 as the defensive backs coach.

The Ducks’ busy week continues. In the recruiting realm, Lanning and the program received a five-star commitment from 2027 quarterback Will Mencl on Wednesday and a commitment from four-star safety Semanj Stanford on Thursday. The number of Ducks set to be drafted and the talent on the current team that will be showcased this weekend provide for massive recruiting opportunities.

The NFL Draft continues on Friday and Saturday, with potentially seven more Ducks having the opportunity to be selected. Saturday also marks the program’s 2026 Spring Game, so the coaching staff should have a busy travel schedule ahead of them.

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