The NFL Draft is one of the best events in sports. Among everything you can think of that isn’t an actual game or match being played, I’d call the NFL Draft the top overall event. Football is America’s game. The Super Bowl is its biggest annual attention-grabber. And Super Bowl teams are typically built starting with the draft.
No one knows for sure how things will turn out with an entire draft class, but the 2026 class does appear to be a tad weak. (Thankfully, I haven’t yet seen anonymous executives complaining about that, which has happened in the past.) However, the unpredictability of the 2026 NFL Draft makes up for the perceived lack of star power in the first round.
We know the Raiders are taking Indiana’s national champion and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall.
After that, all bets are off. That’s what makes this fun.
Everyone expects the Jets to take either Ohio State defender Arvell Reese or Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey at No. 2 overall. The fact that, despite all the prognostication, the Jets have kept a tight lid on their decision—and who knows, maybe it’s not even Reese or Bailey—is fun.
That the Cardinals and Titans at No. 3 and No. 4 are said to be considering Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with their picks is fun. Love would be the highest drafted player at his position since the Giants took Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall in 2018.
Six teams have two first-round picks entering Thursday night. One of them being the Chiefs. And one of them being Jerry Jones’ Cowboys. Jones would love to create some fireworks in Round 1.
The 2026 draft class not being seen as having a super clear hierarchy in terms of stacking prospects can lead to some wild moments, too. A player get drafted much higher than expected is always something that creates a ton of buzz on draft night, which we could very well see more often than usual.
In some ways, this is a continuation from last year. The Jaguars pulled off a stunner by moving from No. 5 overall to No. 2 overall to draft two-way star Travis Hunter after the Browns were on the clock. Many felt good about the Patriots taking offensive tackle Will Campbell at No. 4 and the Raiders considering running back Ashton Jeanty at No. 6—but it wasn’t anything you felt extremely confident in.
Also in 2025, Tetairoa McMillan to the Panthers at No. 8 overall was one of the big surprises. The Bears going with tight end Colston Loveland followed suit in the top 10. I don’t think Tyler Warren and Jalon Walker lasting until No. 14 and No. 15 was something anyone had happening.
There’s a lot of reading tea leaves at this time of year. Things might be leaning a certain way. Maybe it ends up feeling somewhat chalky, with Jeremiyah Love, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs continuing the top five after whatever the Jets do at No. 2.
However, all it takes is one decision by a franchise to turn things upside down—like the Jaguars last spring. This year more than just about ever, there are a bunch of domino paths lined up, and we don’t know how they’ll fall.