Riddick's Draft Picks
- ESPN's Louis Riddick listed his favorite prospects and sleepers, placing emphasis on role‑fit and immediate impact. - His package specifically highlighted Sonny Styles and Aidan Cooper among class standouts to monitor. - Riddick's views add a scouting lens teams may use when prioritizing fit over raw upside. (espn.com)
Louis Riddick used ESPN’s final pre-draft weekend to publish a 10-player list of 2026 prospects he would “be standing on the table to draft.” (espn.com) Riddick split the group into five first-rounders and five sleepers he said he would target on Day 2, with the 2026 National Football League draft set for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. (espn.com) (nfl.com) At the top of Riddick’s list was Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, whom he framed as a top-10 talent after a 2025 season with 1,652 yards and 21 touchdowns from scrimmage. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) One of Riddick’s strongest endorsements went to Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, whom he called a “can’t-miss prospect” after a college career that began at safety and ended with first-team All-America honors. Ohio State credited Styles with 82 tackles in 2025 after 100 in 2024, underscoring the position switch Riddick sees as part of his value. (espn.com) (ohiostatebuckeyes.com) That view is not isolated inside ESPN. Jordan Reid’s final board ranked Styles No. 3 overall, and Matt Miller’s final board opened with Love at No. 1, showing that Riddick’s list overlaps with the network’s broader top-of-class consensus even when it is framed as a personal scouting exercise. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) Riddick’s format also puts a spotlight on players outside the usual top-10 conversation. He wrote that his five sleepers could “easily outperform their projected draft slots,” a familiar draft-week argument for teams weighing polish and scheme fit against raw traits. (espn.com) ESPN published the piece on April 18, five days before Round 1, as draft coverage across the network shifted from rankings and mock drafts to team-specific intel and final boards. The timing matters because front offices are in the last stage of stacking players for immediate roles, not just long-term upside. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The draft itself will run 257 picks over seven rounds, with Round 1 on Thursday night, Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday, and Rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday. Riddick will be on ESPN’s set through all three days, turning his personal shortlist into a live scorecard once teams start making calls. (nfl.com) (espn.com)
