Draft night trade smoke
- Daniel Jeremiah's final mock predicts four first-round trades, signaling a volatile Round 1 on draft night. - The mock specifically names the Eagles and Saints among teams expected to move up the board. - That trade expectation means the draft could see aggressive early deals, shifting how teams address top prospects tonight ( ).
Trade talk is dominating the final hours before the 2026 National Football League draft, with multiple mock drafts projecting a first round that could move quickly and unpredictably. (nfl.com, espn.com) NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah published his final mock on April 22 and projected four first-round trades. He wrote that he expects “a decent number of trades” on Thursday night and highlighted uncertainty after the No. 1 pick. (nfl.com) Jeremiah’s mock has New Orleans moving from No. 8 to No. 3 in a deal with Arizona for Ohio State defender Arvell Reese. He wrote that the Cardinals could be tempted by a 2027 first-round pick if they move down. (nfl.com, nfl.com) Peter Schrager’s final ESPN mock also flagged Arizona at No. 3 as a trade-down spot. Schrager wrote that teams such as the Chiefs and Saints could have interest in moving up for Reese. (espn.com) That trade chatter starts with the shape of this class. Schrager wrote that the only top-tier quarterback is widely expected to go No. 1, while many of the best prospects at the top are a running back, an off-ball linebacker and a safety rather than the premium positions that usually lock in the board. (espn.com) Jeremiah pointed to the same uncertainty, writing that it feels “nearly impossible” to predict the moves once the first pick is off the board. His mock opens with Las Vegas taking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1. (nfl.com) The teams most often mentioned as possible aggressors are not drafting at the very top. The Saints hold No. 8, the Chiefs hold No. 9, and the Eagles hold No. 23 in the official first-round order released by the league. (nfl.com) Philadelphia’s place at No. 23 matters because a move from the 20s into the top half of the round usually costs future draft capital. New Orleans has a recent history of paying that price: Jeremiah wrote that the Saints have made 25 draft trades since 2008 and traded up in all 25. (nfl.com, nfl.com) Round 1 begins at 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh, and the league shortened the time between first-round picks from 10 minutes to eight minutes for 2026. If the early board breaks the way these mocks suggest, teams will have less time than in past years to decide whether to jump. (nfl.com, operations.nfl.com) So the first question Thursday may not be who goes after Mendoza. It may be which front office decides the board is unstable enough to pay the price to move. (nfl.com, espn.com)
