With the 2026 NFL trade deadline in the rearview, a line has been drawn between hopeful-contenders and organizations recognizing it’s time to acquire as much capital as possible for the future. Let’s get into the latest draft order and how the biggest moves could impact the first round.
1. Los Angeles Chargers: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
Justin Herbert needs to regain his confidence and landing Jeremiah Smith is one of the quickest pathways to accomplishing that. He’s arguably the best wide receiver prospect of the last 15 years, in a special category of blue chip talent.
2. Tennessee Titans: Colin Simmons, EDGE, Texas
Before suffering an ankle injury, Simmons was a force through the first six games of the season. He posted 10.5 sacks and 25 total pressures, showing off tremendous athleticism off the edge.
Robert Saleh’s defense needs a top flight edge rusher as the engine of the entire unit, making this a no-brainer fit from a scheme and need perspective.
3. Miami Dolphins: Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
Malik Willis hasn’t had a lot to work with in the Dolphins offense before being put on IR, but that most likely won’t stop Miami from taking a big swing at this position near the top of the draft. Mestemaker will be highly valued by the league with pro size, mobility and a big arm. His Oklahoma State tape reminds me of Sam Darnold’s in his final year at USC.
4. New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts): CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
The Sauce Gardner trade has aged like wine for the Jets and in this scenario it brings them their hopeful answer under center. Carr sees things well pre and post snap, showing accuracy and poise. I think his game will translate well to the next level.
The Jets have the necessary weapons for a young quarterback to develop, especially with big flashes from 2026 first round rookies Omar Cooper and Kenyon Sadiq.
5. Philadelphia Eagles: Dylan Stewart, EDGE, South Carolina
When he’s been on the field, Stewart has been highly impactful this year. It looks like a lot of his unique athletic gifts for an edge rusher are starting to translate to production. If you want to see a player moving in a different tier of speed and agility compared to his competition, watch his performance against Florida from this year.
Stewart would be a star playing on a defensive front with Jalen Carter as the Eagles begin re-tooling their roster.
6. New York Jets: Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
Outside of David Bailey, the Jets have very few long-term pieces on a defense that’s struggled. They need more difference makers at all three levels, making Georgia linebacker Chris Cole or Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore the two key names here.
Going with Moore gives them a shutdown man cover corner that can help fix their severe lack of takeaways issue (Moore had five interceptions in 2025).
7. Washington Commanders: Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana
Injuries have piled up the last two seasons for 31 year old Terry McLaurin and the Commanders will need to find a younger number one receiver for Jayden Daniels. Becker’s vertical speed and perimeter size would be perfect to pair in the long-term with rookie Antonio Williams.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chris Cole, LB, Georgia
It’s hard to believe there’s an encore from the special 2026 linebacker class (Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles to name a few) but Cole is on that level. He’s a missile in the middle of Georgia’s defense and would provide speed next to another young linebacker in Josiah Trotter.
9. Arizona Cardinals: Zeroue Williams, OT, Utah
Williams was buried behind the talented tackle duo of Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, but he’s capitalized on his chance this season in a huge way. At 6’7 with incredibly long arms, he’s been a standout in pass protection with light feet for his size. With a healthy Paris Johnson returning next year and Williams across from him, the Cardinals would have their offensive tackle duo of the future.
A giant caveat in this slot is ultimately what they think of Carson Beck and what he shows them down the stretch of this season. Depending on those results, another quarterback could be in play here.
10. Atlanta Falcons: Austin Simmons, QB, Missouri
The Falcons are in an interesting spot with Michael Penix. He’s shown he can hit big throws and attack down the field, but on top of injury issues he’s still significantly struggling under pressure (yards per attempt drops to 5.1 when pressured). Even more notable is that this regime did not draft him, leaving quarterback very much on the table if they pick this high.
Ironically, Simmons is another lefty with a big time arm, but he’ll be a 21 year old NFL rookie if he declares. There’s a good chance he returns to Missouri for more starting experience, but he has pro tools and has played a decisive, confident brand of football all season.
11. Houston Texans: Xavier Gilliam, DT, Tennessee
Gilliam has been one of the most dominant defenders in the country this season. He explodes off the ball to wreak havoc as a pass rusher and his pursuit speed against the run is jaw dropping. He’s the perfect player for Demeco Ryans’ defense if they look for a youth movement at defensive tackle.
12. New Orleans Saints: Will Echoles, DT, Mississippi
The Saints should have two key objectives this offseason: stopping the run and getting their own run game going. Putting Will Echoles in the middle of their defense would be a big boost to one of those. He’s dense and powerful, built to take on double teams and make life easier for his teammates around him.
13. New York Jets (via Dallas Cowboys): Greg Johnson, OL, Minnesota
Johnson is a massive, multi-year starter that has played all across the Minnesota offensive line. After starting 13 games in 2024 at center, he’s back there this year (after starting the season at left guard). The Jets have a lot of impressive young pieces on their offensive line, but center has been a hole for too long. Adding another people mover in Johnson would complete this group.
14. Baltimore Ravens: Ellis Robinson IV, CB, Georgia
A physical, feisty corner with ball skills is just what Baltimore ordered in this pick slot. Robinson does a great job challenging receivers and staying in their hip pocket to make a play on the ball. Landing him to pair with Nate Wiggins gives the Ravens an impressive outside corner tandem for the long-term future.
15. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Hampton, CB, Clemson
Hampton is a gigantic outside corner with above average awareness and physicality in everything he does. I love how he attacks screens and underneath throws like a strong safety.
16. Cleveland Browns: LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
The Browns hit a homerun in the 2026 draft to infuse their offense with youth at pass catcher and on the offensive line. They’ve now built an infrastructure (Todd Monken included) that can support a high end quarterback prospect.
The spotlight has been on Sellers as a prospect for years and while it’s been a rocky road at times, his tools will be tantalizing to the NFL. Can a better environment help him tap further into his ridiculous ceiling? I like this landing spot and don’t think they would rush him into starting.
17. Seattle Seahawks: Nick Marsh, WR, Indiana
Jaxson Smith-Njigba is a superstar, making it understandable that the Seahawks funnel so much of their offense through him. With that being said, they are going to need a legitimate number two threat at some point.
Marsh’s size and physicality (both after the catch and as a run blocker) make him an ideal complement.
18. Cleveland Browns (via Los Angeles Rams): Devan Thompkins, EDGE/DL, Alabama
Thompkins is a near 300 pounder that plays nearly every alignment up front. Despite possessing the weight of a defensive tackle, his most impressive pass rush plays are as an edge defender. He uses both twitch and power to work his way into the pocket, already racking up 27 total pressures this season.
19. Carolina Panthers: Trevor Lauck, OL, Iowa
Lauck is Iowa’s starting left tackle, but his road grading skillset is an easy transition to guard for the Panthers here. His run blocking tape in their most recent matchup against Northwestern is what offensive coordinators dream of.
20. New England Patriots: KJ Bolden, SAF, Georgia
Kevin Byard has been an adequate stop gap veteran safety for New England this year, but they’ll eventually need a young replacement for the pending free agent. Bolden can handle any role, is comfortable in coverage as a roaming free safety and active working downhill against the run. He’d bring a playmaking presence to this secondary.
21. Dallas Cowboys (via Green Bay Packers): Kelley Jones, CB, Mississippi State
Jones’ ridiculous combination of size and length makes him very difficult to challenge on the perimeter. Even if the Cowboys extend Joey Porter Jr., they’ll need to upgrade from Daron Bland in this secondary.
22. New York Giants: Justin Scott, DL, Miami
It’s safe to say the Giants will look to improve defensive tackle in the offseason. If they fail to do that in the pro market, they’ll face an interesting scenario on the outside looking in for the tier one players (Gilliam and Echoles). Scott has as much upside as anyone, he’s just run hot and cold for Miami. The Giants staff has gotten the most out of players on defense, making this a good pairing for both sides.
23. Cincinnati Bengals: Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB, Notre Dame
Viliamu-Asa’s size, range and overall nose for the ball pops on tape. He’s an incredibly effective blitzer for passing downs and his ability against the run helps his defense get to those situations. The Bengals could use more from their linebackers and he’d give a big boost to their front seven.
24. Kansas City Chiefs: Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU
Kansas City is surviving with their makeshift offensive tackle situation for now, but this could be another offseason priority depending on the status of Josh Simmons. Seaton is extremely raw in the run game, but lower half athleticism in pass protection could still land him in the first round.
25. Philadelphia Eagles (via Jacksonville Jaguars): Kade Pieper, IOL, Iowa
The once great Eagles offensive line needs some serious re-tooling. Whether Pieper plays guard or center at the next level, he’ll be a stud. His athleticism and tenacity in the run game is one of my favorite tape watches in this class.
26. Pittsburgh Steelers: KJ Duff, WR, Rutgers
Duff’s elite size allows him to win the ball even without creating a ton of space. He does that both over the top of the defense and underneath on slants. As the Steelers prepare to give Drew Allar a shot in the future, having a perimeter threat with high end ball skills in Duff will be key. Him and Germie Bernard can be the future of this receiving corps, especially with the volatility of DK Metcalf.
27. Detroit Lions: Kingston Lopa, SAF, California
With the top corners off the board, the Lions pivot here to landing a unique, versatile defensive back in Lopa. He’s got great size and length at 6’5 with ball skills. He’s played a ton of roles in Cal’s defense, lining up at free safety, in the box and handling slot coverage duties.
28. Minnesota Vikings: Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida
It feels more likely that Arch Manning and Dante Moore return to school with how their 2026 seasons have gone. If that’s the case, I’m not sure Minnesota will simply force a quarterback pick here. I like Trinidad Chambliss plenty, but his lack of size and older prospect age could very well push him out of round one.
Enter Baugh, a big workhorse running back for the Vikings’ offense. As impressive as the longevity of Aaron Jones’ career has been, Minnesota needs an identity back that can really get their ground game going. Baugh has the size and strength of a big runner, but the movement skills of a much smaller one.
29. Denver Broncos: Trey’Dez Green, TE, LSU
Green has tremendous size and length to make circus catches, but he can really open up and run like a wide receiver. While his blocking as a true tight end is a work in progress, I’m impressed by his effort. The Broncos offense needs more players that scare the opposition (the Jaylen Waddle trade hasn’t brought enough of that). Green has that ability with a massive ceiling.
30. Tennessee Titans (via Chicago Bears): Lance Heard, OL, Kentucky
A positive storyline for the Titans this season is the positive growth they’ve seen from their right tackle JC Latham. Dan Moore has struggled on the left side, leading to the selection of Lance Heard in this spot. This would give Tennessee two brawling offensive tackles to not only support Cam Ward in the pass game, but to get their ground game fully rolling.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Jamari Johnson, TE, Oregon
At 33 years old George Kittle is an ageless (and return from injury) wonder, but that shouldn’t stop the 49ers from thinking big at tight end. Even if Kittle continues to hold off decline, this is a team that lives in heavy personnel groupings. Johnson is a weapon up the seam and a very consistent separator.
32. Buffalo Bills: Cam Coleman, WR, Texas
Coleman will be one of the most polarizing prospects if he enters this draft. He has the talent (size, speed, acrobatic skills) of a top ten pick but lacks consistency of an NFL starter. With his boom or bust nature, Buffalo takes the big swing at the end of round one to give Josh Allen a receiver with rare raw ability.
