Name a week of the NFL news cycle more rife with smokescreens, speculation and (educated) guesswork than the one leading up to the draft. I'll wait.
This final window ahead of Thursday night has seen several spicy storylines join a number of "locked-and-loaded" expectations in the draft news economy … and the next few days are our last to evaluate whether they're more substance or smokescreen. What's past is prologue -- at least that's what Shakespeare said -- so to make sense of some of the most compelling stories, we'll take a look at trends from previous drafts and research on current NFL decision-makers, largely powered by NFL IQ.
NOTE: NFL Network and NFL+ will have *live coverage* of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23-25.
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Storyline: Titans select RB Jeremiyah Love at No. 4 overall
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is Daniel Jeremiah's No. 2 overall player and is widely considered to be a lock for the top 10 (if not top five) on Thursday. Lately, the landing spot predictions have narrowed even further: the last four mock drafts published on NFL.com, as well as Daniel Jeremiah's latest, has the RB going to the Titans at No. 4 overall. Additionally, NFL IQ has Tennessee as the most likely landing spot, well above the Commanders and Saints. But after totaling just six wins over the past two seasons combined, is this franchise really in a place to go running back this high?
For starters, we don't have much data on GM Mike Borgonzi, as this will be just his second draft in the role. One note we do have: He drafted a skill-position player with four of his first six picks last year (Cam Ward, Chimere Dike, Gunnar Helm and Elic Ayomanor). Also, during his 16-year tenure with the Chiefs, the highest they selected a running back was 32nd overall (Clyde Edwards-Helaire), and they found quite a bit of success with Isiah Pacheco in the seventh round and Kareem Hunt in the third round. (They also had a third-rounder named Jamaal Charles when Borgonzi arrived in 2009.) Overall, the recent history of running backs selected this high in the first-round has been mixed: Saquon Barkley (No. 2), Christian McCaffrey (No. 4) and Bijan Robinson (No. 8) have all been first-team All-Pros and multi-time Pro Bowl selections, but none of them were frequent postseason participants on their rookie contracts. Whether that data bears consideration for the Tennessee front office is to be determined, but it's compelling data.
One final thought: If pass-rushers Arvell Reese and David Bailey are both gone when Tennessee is on the clock, don't be flabbergasted if Borgonzi and Co. actually pivot to another blue-chip player at a position rarely drafted this high. Exciting Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles has been frequently compared to Fred Warner, who played four seasons in new Titans HC Robert Saleh's defense, and was referenced by Borgonzi in a recent press conference answer about the team's top pick. (This is Bucky Brooks' new pairing in his latest mock draft as well.)
Conclusion: It's possible Borgonzi takes the "best available player" in Love, but I'm leaning more towards a defensive cornerstone.
Storyline: Cowboys trade into the top six for … a linebacker?
Speaking of Sonny Styles. The Cowboys currently own picks No. 12 and 20 and Jerry Jones intimated in early April that the team would "absolutely" entertain moving around the draft if the opportunity presented itself. Then, over the last week, the notion that Dallas could jump up for Styles has absolutely caught fire. A number of notable mock drafts -- including Mel Kiper Jr.’s -- projected a swap with the Browns at No. 6 overall and our own Dan Parr suggested the Boyz could vault up to fourth-overall … all for the exciting Buckeye standout. After trading Micah Parsons last August, it would make some sense for Jones and Co. to make an aggressive move for a star defender behind Quinnen Williams … but could it really happen?
Historically, the Cowboys have not been the most active traders under Jones. According to NFL IQ, they've moved up just eight times and down just six times during the draft over the last 15 years. Things get even quieter in the first round, where they've traded their pick just twice in the last 12 drafts … and moved down in both instances (in 2024 and 2021). The last time Dallas traded up in the first round was 2012, when they jumped from No. 14 to sixth overall for CB Morris Claiborne.
Ultimately, there is very little (if any) precedent for a team trading up this high in a draft for an off-ball linebacker. The only such prospect taken in this range in recent memory was Devin White to Tampa Bay (No. 5) in 2019, and White ended up being more "solid Pro Bowler" than "generational franchise-changer" for the Bucs. From a number of angles, this would be an unusual move. While I could envision the Cowboys taking Styles if they already sat at fifth- or sixth-overall, wagering all of their top capital to move up and take him feels like a stretch.
Conclusion: This might depend on how the top four to six picks pan out, but for now I don't envision Dallas getting this aggressive.
Storyline: Browns take WR Carnell Tate at No. 6 overall
A number of outlets have the Browns taking an offensive lineman with their first of two picks in the first round, but the current prevailing projection is that it'll be Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate. (Assuming they don't, in fact, trade down with the Cowboys or elsewhere.) On that front, GM Andrew Berry recently stated that the team's mindset heading into its early pick is not about just "trade it away" but about "maximizing the value." Berry also emphasized that position of need doesn't change his team's approach, but that it's "best player available." What does this mean for pick No. 6?
First off, if Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, Sonny Styles, David Bailey and Arvell Reese are all off the board by the Browns' pick, which seems relatively likely, the best player available per Daniel Jeremiah’s Top 150 prospects would in fact be Tate. Even if Love or Styles remains on the board, it's possible Cleveland would prefer the wideout after snagging both RB Quinshon Judkinsand LB Carson Schwesinger just last year. Meanwhile, the top offensive lineman in DJ's top prospects, Francis Mauigoa, is ranked 10th. Notably, one offensive lineman has been drafted in the top six in four consecutive drafts, and the No. 6 pick specifically has been an offensive lineman in four of the last 10 drafts. Perhaps the more relevant question for the Browns will be how they could best optimize their duo of picks between sixth- and 24th-overall. According to NFL IQ, the top players realistically available at No. 24 would include WRs Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion or OLs Blake Miller and Caleb Lomu. As Tate is arguably the "best available" at No. 6, and there should still be offensive line options at No. 24, going WR first and OL second makes sense.
Also, while it's true that Berry has not selected a wide receiver higher than 74th overall in his six-year tenure, he addressed that "trend" in his comments last Thursday. "It's not a philosophical thing," the GM clarified. "First couple years, we already had Odell [Beckham Jr.] and Jarvis [Landry]. When we transitioned from both, we traded for Amari [Cooper] and then Jerry [Jeudy]." From a "best prospect" perspective, a draft strategy perspective and even a "reading between the lines" perspective, Tate seems like the right pick.
Conclusion: With the breadth of their needs, Cleveland could trade out of this pick, but if they don't Tate feels like the obvious choice.
Storyline: WR Jordyn Tyson rises all the way into the top 10
Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson has seen one of the wider spreads of mock landing spots across this entire draft cycle. He went as low as 23rd overall in Mike Band's mock draft 2.0, and fell to 16th in Gennaro Filice's mid-April mock and 20th in Chad Reuter's full mock. But recent hype, further fueled by social media clips of the former Sun Devil running ankle-breaking routes at a workout observed by 18 NFL teams on Friday, has shifted consensus to move higher and higher on the potential WR1. He even jumped three spots in Daniel Jeremiah's top prospects list — to 18th overall — the biggest rise for anyone in his top 20.
Notably, Tyson has been a top-10 consideration for some since March: Bucky Brooks and Charles Davis both mocked him eighth overall to the Saints last month. ESPN's Field Yates and Peter Schrager have both mocked Tyson to the Chiefs at No. 9, and Mel Kiper Jr.’s most recent mock has him going seventh to the Commanders. Plus, after the Giants acquired the 10th-overall pick by sending Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals, chatter that they would snag Tyson (if available) to pair with Malik Nabers has been pervasive -- Brooks' most recent mock has that exact match.
Recently, multiple wide receivers in the top 10 has become borderline chalk in the NFL draft (For this exercise, we're assuming Carnell Tate also goes in this range.) Four of the last five drafts have included at least two top-10 WR picks, with both 2021 and 2024 featuring three. And the wealth of options for Tyson certainly doesn't hurt: Every team currently sitting No.7 through No. 10 has been connected to the Arizona State receiver at some point. Considering the interest teams like the Dolphins at No. 11, Rams at No. 13 and Ravens at No. 14 would all have in a WR1 of Tyson's caliber, there's also a chance someone trades up into the top 10 to snipe him.
Conclusion: Unless the hype train derails in the next few days, Tyson will go somewhere in the top 10 (though where specifically remains a mystery).
Storyline: Chiefs take a cornerback in the first round
After trading Trent McDuffie and watching Jaylen Watson depart this offseason — both to the Rams — the Chiefs have a glaring need at cornerback. Their current top two would probably be 2025 third-rounder Nohl Williams and free-agent pickup Kristian Fulton … which is unlikely to be enough in their push to get the dynasty back on course. Fortunately, thanks to the McDuffie trade, they have two first-round picks: No. 9 overall after an uncharacteristic 6-11 season and No. 29 from the Rams. And according to NFL IQ, corner is the team's most frequently mocked position, with three of their four most mocked prospects being CBs — LSU's Mansoor Delane, Tennessee's Colton Hood and Clemson's Avieon Terrell.
General manager Brett Veach has often addressed the cornerback position on Day 2 or 3 with resounding success. He snagged L'Jarius Sneed in the 2020 fourth round, originally as a safety who quickly converted to corner. And he found Watson in the 2022 seventh round. Both won multiple Super Bowls in Steve Spagnuolo's defense. But the KC GM also landed McDuffie with the 21st overall pick in 2022 -- the highest pick he's made since trading up for Patrick Mahomes in his first draft as GM in 2017. So even if Veach doesn't go Delane or another corner at No. 9 -- where his big board includes "the defensive backfield, offensive line, edge rusher, receiver" -- he's extremely well positioned to take a first-round DB. NFL IQ's first-round cheat sheet has Delane as an option at ninth-overall and both Hood and SDSU's Chris Johnson on the Chiefs' watch-list for that 29th pick.
Also, don't forget that Veach is prone to moving up in the draft, and even predicted a rash of trades on Thursday night. If he sees an opportunity to maneuver around for an ideal marriage of need and prospect, he'll take it. That kind of flexibility makes it even more likely that the Chiefs will land a cornerback somewhere in the first, especially if they lock down an edge rusher or wide receiver with their top-10 pick.
Conclusion: Whether it's Delane at No. 9, a move-and-pick in the middle of the first or one of the targets at 29th-overall, Kansas City is very likely to land a corner somewhere on Day 1.
