2026 NFL DRAFT NEWS

NFL.COM: THE TOP POSITION PLAYERS

https://www.nfl.com/news/bucky-brooks-top-five-2026-nfl-draft-prospects-by-position-3-0-carson-beck-climbs-qb-rankings

MOCK DRAFT: https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2026/story/_/id/48480079/2026-nfl-mock-draft-seven-rounds-257-picks-predictions-jordan-reid-fits

MOCK DRAFT: https://www.nfl.com/news/bucky-brooks-2026-nfl-mock-draft-4-0-giants-gift-jaxson-dart-top-10-picks-at-running-back-receiver

TOP 100 PICKS: https://dynastyleaguefootball.com/2026/04/21/2026-nfl-mock-draft-dynasty-rookies-in-the-top-100-picks/

NFL DRAFT GUIDE: https://www.theringer.com/nfl-draft/2026/mock-draft?expert=diante-lee

NFL DRAFT DATABASE: https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/

EAGLES, BUCCANEERS, COWBOYS, JETS AND DOLPHINS COULD BE AMONG THE ACTIVE TEAMS IN THE FIRST ROUND

Six teams enter the first round of the NFL draft without a pick. Six others have two picks apiece.

Let’s make a deal.

There have been 60 trades involving first-round picks over the past five years. Eighteen were traded in 2022. Last year, six first-round picks were dealt. That was tied for the fewest since 1985.

The Bengals, Packers, Jaguars, Falcons, Colts and Broncos don’t have a first-round pick while the Giants, Jets, Dolphins, Cowboys, Browns and Chiefs each have two.

Cincinnati traded the 10th overall pick to the Giants on Saturday for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. New York owns the fifth and 10th picks. Green Bay doesn’t have one because of its blockbuster trade for Micah Parsons last August. Jacksonville traded its 2026 first-rounder to Cleveland on draft night last year to move up to get Travis Hunter with the second overall pick.

Atlanta sent this year’s first-round pick to the Rams on draft night a year ago to select edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 26. Indianapolis traded its first-rounder to the Jets for Sauce Gardner. Denver sent the 30th overall pick to Miami in the deal for Jaylen Waddle.

Here are five teams that could be active on Thursday night:

Philadelphia Eagles

General manager Howie Roseman is one of the most active and aggressive executives in the NFL. The Eagles own the 23rd pick. They moved up from No. 10 to No. 9 in 2023 to get defensive tackle Jalen Carter. A year earlier, they went from 15 to 13 to get defensive tackle Jordan Davis. In 2021, Philadelphia moved up from 12 to 10 to select wideout DeVonta Smith. Roseman also moved up in 2019 and 2016. He traded out of the first round in 2018.

“I think we go into this draft being very comfortable with having 23 guys we’re ready to take. We’re there ready and prepared for that,” Roseman said. “If something happens where somebody who’s higher on our board than 23rd is available, we’ll be ready for that. If there’s an opportunity that we think makes sense to move up based on the value of that player, we’ll move up. If we have multiple guys at our spot and there’s a trade that makes sense to move back, we’ll move back.”

The trade involving the Eagles that’s been a hot topic throughout the offseason isn’t expected to happen this week. A.J. Brown is likely on the move, with the Patriots expected to be the leading contender to land the star wide receiver, reuniting him with coach Mike Vrabel. The Rams already pursued Brown earlier in the offseason. The Eagles would be able to spread a $40 million salary cap hit over two seasons by waiting until June 1 to deal Brown.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With the 15th pick in the first round, the Buccaneers might miss out on one of the top players on their board. They need an elite rusher and could use more draft capital because they have only one pick in each round. There are several potential pass rushers who could be a fit in the 16-25 range that would allow Tampa Bay to move back and add more premium draft picks.

“In a lot of scenarios that we’re working through, yeah,” GM Jason Licht said about moving back. “You have a group of players that you say, ‘No matter what, if this player’s there, we’re taking (them).’ If there’s a group of three, then maybe you go back one or two to make sure that you ensure you get one of your three, but the part of that that makes it difficult is you’ve got to find a trade partner. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes teams just don’t want to move up. They don’t want to give up picks, and I understand why.”

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks, and Jerry Jones has hinted at being aggressive. But it would make more sense for Dallas to trade down in one of those spots to add extra picks because the defense has several needs.

The Cowboys don’t have a second-round pick after sending it to the Jets in a deal for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams before the trade deadline. Moving down from 20 and adding a second-rounder plus other picks is one scenario.

New York Jets

The Jets have four of the top 44 picks in the draft, including Nos. 2 and 16 in the first round. They have three 2027 first-round picks.

If there’s a player they covet — perhaps an elite wideout — they have the draft assets to jump up from 16. They have their choice of edge rushers at No. 2 after quarterback Fernando Mendoza goes first to the Raiders.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have the 11th and 30th picks in the first round and plenty of needs. They’re in full rebuild mode. Trading one of those to add more picks could help Miami replenish its roster.

RAIDERS PICK NO. 1, THEN OHIO STATE DRAFT TAKEOVER BEGINS

Ohio State is not the reigning national champion in college football, and the Buckeyes are not expected to produce a fourth No. 1 overall selection when the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off with the Las Vegas Raiders on the clock Thursday night.

But you can bet your most sacred scarlet that the Buckeyes are money in the bank to pad their all-time total — 97 and counting — first-round selections soon after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is selected by the Raiders.

Anywhere between nine and 13 Ohio State players are projected to be drafted into the NFL this week, and five carry first-round grades one year removed from the 2025 national championship roster that produced four first-rounders: wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (No. 21, Buccaneers), offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (24, Vikings), defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (28, Lions) and offensive tackle Josh Simmons (32, Chiefs).

The 2021 Alabama team and the 2004 Miami squad share the record with six first-round selections in a single draft.

The wait for the Ohio State takeover of the 2026 draft might not be long. In fact, that first selection could come right after Mendoza hears his name called.

Buckeyes linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese are candidates to be selected No. 2 overall by the Jets. Styles put on an epic athletic display at the NFL Scouting Combine in February and Reese, who played a variety of positions in Matt Patricia’s defense, was right there with him. At 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, Reese is being compared to Penn State-era Micah Parsons, the No. 12 pick in the 2021 draft and a three-time NFL All-Pro.

Reese is dripping with upside. He had 6.5 sacks at Ohio State in 2025 but was only a part-time pass rusher.

Only 20, Reese could add significant weight and convert to defensive end or focus on an edge/outside linebacker role. Because of his speed and power, there are also teams that discussed using him inside. The Cleveland native met with the Browns but he might not stick around long enough to stay in Ohio; the Browns have picks No. 6 and 24. He also had multiple meetings with the Arizona Cardinals, who pick third overall.

“I played everywhere from inside linebacker to (strong-side) to edge. I was comfortable everywhere,” Reese said, noting NFL teams are complimentary of his versatility. “It changes (with) each team, so it depends on the system and how the defensive coordinator thinks he’ll use me.”

Styles is a second-generation NFL prospect. His dad, Lorenzo Styles, was an NFL linebacker for the St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons for six seasons. Lorenzo Styles Jr. is also part of the 2026 draft class. A Notre Dame transfer, Lorenzo Styles Jr. played safety — and started 11 games — for the Buckeyes last season.

At 6-5, 244, Sonny Styles stole the show at the combine. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash, had a 43 1/2-inch vertical, broad jumped 11 feet, 2 inches and clocked a 4.26-second 20-yard shuttle. It points to his high school background as a five-star safety recruit.

The top tackler on Ohio State’s dynamic defense, Sonny Styles had only one missed tackle all season — and it came in the College Football Playoff — by the count of Buckeyes’ staff.

“I think the way I can improve the run defense is just being in the middle,” said Styles, a self-described film junkie. “I feel like I had a great feel of what was coming.”

Safety Caleb Downs is listed as a top-10 prospect by many evaluators, and he will be in the draft green room Thursday with his linebacker teammates, wide receiver Carnell Tate and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.

All six could be selected in the opening round. Downs and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are vying to be the top player picked at the position and Tate is another likely first-round receiver produced by the Buckeyes. He averaged 17.2 yards per reception last season and caught 14 TD passes in three seasons at Ohio State.

McDonald turned 21 last month and was the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2025. He had 65 tackles and nine tackles for loss last season as the thick and powerful roadblock to interior linemen trying to get their hands on Reese and Styles.

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