Table of Contents
Jump to a topic
- Ty Simpson
- Teams planning to trade
- Arvell Reese
- Ranges to watch
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Cleveland Browns
- Arizona Cardinals
- Defensive tackles
- Scheme fits
Albert Breer’s mock draft | Top 250 prospects| 2026 NFL draft tracker | 2026 NFL draft guides| Best-case/worst-case scenarios| Conor Orr mock draft | Daniel Flick mock draft
Here are some quick notes on what I’m hearing as we draw closer to the start of the 2026 NFL draft, at 8 p.m. ET. As a reminder, you can follow SI’s draft trackerfor scouting reports and live grades, and I’ll be streaming live with Conor Orr on SI’s YouTube pageduring Round 1. On to the notes …
Ty Simpson
The Ty Simpson question is one that lots of NFL folks continue to ask.
No one seems to have a firm handle on where the Alabama quarterback will land. We dove into the top guys at the position earlier this week, and through the reporting for that story, and all the other reporting I’ve done, I will say it’s tough to find many scouts or coaches that view him as a first-round pick. But we all know how things go at that position.
The teams that most NFL people have connected to Simpson are the Jets, Cardinals and Rams. It feels, to me at least, like the Jets are comfortable moving forward without spending a high pick on a quarterback this year—with three first-rounders to address that in the 2027 draft. Would the Cardinals take him at 34? Or trade into the first round to get him? Would the Rams take him at 13? Or maneuver with their picks—because they don’t have another pick between 13 and 61—to get into a more appropriate spot to take him?
Much of the speculation surrounding the Cardinals centers on their need at the position. As for the Rams, there are links between Simpson’s dad and their GM Les Snead that have led to some dot-connecting going all the way back to Simpson declaring for the draft.
One way or the other, one of the biggest stories of Thursday night will be whether Simpson is still on the board going into Friday.
Teams planning to trade
While we’re there, I’d say with the teams exploring moving up—the Chiefs, Cowboys, Rams and I’d add the Saints, too—I think we’d be talking about short moves to take advantage of a player slipping a little.
So would the Cowboys go up two or three spots to get LSU corner Mansoor Delane? Would the Chiefs or Saints maybe work with the Browns to get in front of the Commanders if Sonny Styles or Arvell Reese slides? (I think one or the other will go No. 4 to the Titans.) If, for some reason, Jeremiyah Love slips, might the Rams get a little aggressive?
My sense would be that’s where these teams are preparing to take advantage should an unexpected opportunity present itself.
Arvell Reese
An interesting thing I’ve heard is that not every team views Reese, long-term, evolving into a full-time edge rusher like Micah Parsons.
Some believe his best value would be as an off-ball linebacker on early downs, and an on-the-ball rusher in the nickel. That, in fact, is how he was utilized at Ohio State, with Matt Patricia deploying him in the “Buck” linebacker role he had Jamie Collins play in New England. And it’s why I wouldn’t rule out the Giants as a suitor, with the idea that he could fill their off-ball need, then join Brian Burns and Abdul Carter on the line on third downs.
In that scenario, my guess is you’d see New York ramp up efforts to deal Kayvon Thibodeaux on Friday and Saturday, since most of Thibodeaux’s current role is as a nickel rusher.
Ranges to watch
The three pockets for trades tonight, to me, would be the “motivated seller” range, with teams in the top 10 looking to move down; the “tackle hungry” range, with teams in the teens looking for offensive linemen; and the “fifth-year option” range, where the Patriots and Seahawks, I’m told, will actively look to bail from the bottom of the first round, hoping a team wants to come up and get the fifth-year option on a player.
Kansas City Chiefs
This is the first time the Chiefs have picked in the top 10 since dealing up for Patrick Mahomes in 2017, and the first time they’ve gone into a draft day with a top-10 selection since Andy Reid’s first year in Kansas City (’13), when they held the No. 1 pick. That, to me, is why GM Brett Veach has been so active looking at both moving up and potentially moving down. This is a rare opportunity for the Chiefs that might not come along again for some time. I think if Kansas City moves down, then Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq will be on the radar.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have looked at moving up from 23, and it matches their recent history. They’ve moved up in the first round in five of the past seven drafts, going up three spots for Andre Dillard in 2019, two spots for DeVonta Smith in ’21, two spots for Jordan Davis in ’22, one spot for Jalen Carter in ’23 and one spot for Jihaad Campbell last year. Also, in 2024, GM Howie Roseman jumped 10 spots in the second round to get Cooper DeJean. If history repeats itself this year, who would it be for? I’d guess a tackle such as Georgia’s Monroe Freeling or Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor.
Cleveland Browns
Of the teams looking to move down, we’ve mentioned the Cardinals and Titans as aggressors. I’d put the Browns in that category, too, and they may wind up having a suitor if, like we said earlier, one of the premium defenders gets out of the top five.
Arizona Cardinals
If the Cardinals trade down, and don’t wind up with Jeremiyah Love, I’d keep an eye on GM Monti Ossenfort looking to fortify the offensive line.
Defensive tackles
The defensive tackle class isn’t great, and as such, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Florida DT Caleb Banks, who has some medical and makeup questions. He clearly has the highest ceiling in the group, and the best chance to be a game wrecker, and I wonder if the Texans might roll the dice on him—on the premise that getting him around a guy like Will Anderson Jr. could lead to him finally realizing his immense potential.
Scheme fits
And we’ll finish with some scheme fits. I’d say Penn State mauler Vega Ioane is one for gap-scheme running teams and, as such, I’d be surprised if he gets past the Chargers at 22. And I’d have my eye on the Bills looking for scheme fits for Jim Leonhard’s defense, which is pretty different from the old Buffalo system, with guys such as Ohio State nose Kayden McDonald and Texas A&M rusher Cashius Howell looming as options.
More NFL Draft from Sports Illustrated
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished | Modified 
ALBERT BREER
Albert Breer is a senior writer covering the NFL for Sports Illustrated, delivering the biggest stories and breaking news from across the league. He has been on the NFL beat since 2005 and joined SI in 2016. Breer began his career covering the New England Patriots for the MetroWest Daily News and the Boston Herald from 2005 to ’07, then covered the Dallas Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News from 2007 to ’08. He worked for The Sporting News from 2008 to ’09 before returning to Massachusetts as The Boston Globe’s national NFL writer in 2009. From 2010 to 2016, Breer served as a national reporter for NFL Network. In addition to his work at Sports Illustrated, Breer regularly appears on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, FS1 with Colin Cowherd, The Rich Eisen Show and The Dan Patrick Show. A 2002 graduate of Ohio State, Breer lives near Boston with his wife, a cardiac ICU nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, and their three children.
Share on FacebookShare on XHome/NFLOriginal Article
