Draft Night Trade Buzz
- Consensus preview headlines say the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to pick Fernando Mendoza with the No.1 overall selection. (foxnews.com) - Analysts predict heavy Round 1 trade activity, with Daniel Jeremiah projecting four trades and teams like the Eagles and Saints moving up. (nfl.com) - Other mocks name sleepers like Jeremiyah Love and possible Cowboys moves for Arvell Reese, keeping draft night unpredictability high. (nfl.com) (sports.yahoo.com)
The 2026 National Football League draft opens Thursday night with one thing close to settled: most final mocks have the Raiders taking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1. (nfl.com) (usatoday.com) After that, the first round looks fluid. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s final mock, published April 23, projects four trades, including moves up by the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints. (nfl.com) Lance Zierlein’s final mock, published April 22, also projects four trades and pushes Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love into the top three. He has the Dallas Cowboys trading up into the top 10 for linebacker-defender Arvell Reese. (nfl.com) Round 1 begins at 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh, with coverage on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and NFL+. The Raiders own the first pick, and the rest of the order gives teams room to move if they want a quarterback, tackle or edge rusher before the board thins out. (nfl.com) (usatoday.com) The uncertainty starts right behind Las Vegas because evaluators do not agree on the next cluster of prospects. Yahoo Sports’ final first-round projection says Mendoza is the lone clean consensus at the top and frames the rest of the night as a scramble shaped by team needs and trade calls. (sports.yahoo.com 1) (sports.yahoo.com 2) Mendoza is not in Pittsburgh for the draft, even as he is widely projected to go first overall. USA Today reported Thursday that the Indiana quarterback will not be on site to walk the stage if the Raiders make the expected pick. (usatoday.com) Trade talk has centered on aggressive teams near the playoff tier, not just clubs at the very top. Jeremiah’s mock sends the Eagles and Saints upward, while Zierlein’s version has Dallas making the splash move for Reese and the New York Jets adding a third first-round selection. (nfl.com 1) (nfl.com 2) Love’s rise is one of the clearest signs that this class is not being read the same way by every front office. Zierlein slots the Notre Dame back near the very top, while other mocks spread the premium picks across quarterbacks, pass rushers and defensive playmakers. (nfl.com) (sports.yahoo.com) That leaves Thursday night with a familiar draft setup: one expected opening pick, then a board that could tilt fast once the first trade is called in. If the mocks are right, Pittsburgh’s first round will be shaped as much by phone lines as by the names on the card. (nfl.com 1) (nfl.com 2)
