5 Early Bold Predictions for the First Round of the 2026 NFL Draft
Sportsnaut gives you 5 bold predictions for the first night of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Video Transcript
Five early bold predictions for the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The 2026 NFL Draft is a little over a month away, and it's time to make some bold predictions.
Here are five things Sportsnaut thinks happen on draft night.
Fernando Mendoza goes first overall to the Raiders.
Everybody knows that.
But here's the bold call: He's the only quarterback taken in the entire first round.
Ty Simpson, he's sliding to day two.
No team jumps up to grab him in round one.
The Kansas City Chiefs get aggressive.
With two first-rounders and plenty of draft capital after the Trent McDuffie trade, Brett Veach moves up into the top five to land an edge rusher.
He's not waiting around and risking Arvel Reese, David Bailey, and Ruben Bain Jr. all coming off the board.
A third bold prediction, A.J.
Brown gets traded again on draft night.
The Patriots land the Eagles wide receiver centered around the 31st pick.
Philly gets picks, New England gets a true number one.
It's happened to Brown before, and we think it will happen again.
Prediction number four: The Jets, already holding a pair of top 20 picks, aren't done.
They move up late in round one, targeting a cornerback like Kolton Hood, or maybe rolling the dice on Caleb Banks if that combine foot injury causes him to slide.
Jeremiyah Love, arguably a top three prospect in this class, falls out of the top 10.
The Chiefs and Saints just dropped big money on running backs.
The Titans, Giants, and Commanders all have bigger needs.
Love slides, and Minnesota moves up to grab him.
Five bold predictions, one month out.
Come back and check the receipts after draft night.
Drop your predictions in the comments.
