Bullet point summary by AI
- The 2026 NFL Draft features rising stars like Jeremiyah Love and Ty Simpson. From trade rumors to rising stock, these storylines will define the first round.
- Jeremiyah Love could hit the top five, while Ty Simpson can hope for Pittsburgh at No. 21. Meanwhile, Rueben Bain Jr. faces a potential slide.
- These picks signal a shift in how teams value “generational” talent and strategic leaks. The results will shape roster building and franchise futures for years.
We’re counting down the days until the NFL Draft and to pass the time, it’s a good time to think about those pivotal points in the draft that could determine how it goes. What teams are thinking about trading up? What will happen with Jeremiyah Love and Ty Simpson? Are there some gems that are going to fall and become NFL stars? It’s all the things that make each draft unique.
So we broke down some of the biggest talking points going into next week’s NFL Draft. Day 1 shouldn’t be too much of a shock unless there’s a lot of draft day trades, which is very likely. Here are the hot topics in the 2026 NFL Draft that just might define it.
How high will Jeremiyah Love go in the NFL Draft?
Jeremiyah Love’s draft stock continues to rise as we inch closer to the first round of the draft. There’s a chance Love could sneak into the top five according to some NFL Draft analysts. ESPN’s Mel Kiper mocked the Tennessee Titans to take Love at No. 4. If that happens, Love will be the fourth running back since 2016 taken inside the top five – Ashton Jeanty was drafted No. 6 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Saquon Barkley was the most recent, drafted No. 2 overall to the New York Giants. Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette were both taken No. 4 overall in 2016 and 2017, respectively. I’m not against the Titans taking Love, they just don’t need to take him inside the top five. Love will be a big pickup whoever lands him, but the Titans can trade back to get him.
You could argue that taking running backs that high is a risk. Their average NFL career is below the NFL average, three years. Injuries could deplete their career expectancy and they may not immediately translate their collegiate success in the NFL – Jeanty hasn’t been the big-play running back he was at Boise State. Love could end up playing below his draft expectations as well.
Obviously they can last longer, but teams have no problem moving off running backs. Even when you have a generational one you don’t always retain them. They’re rarely worth the investment of a top five pick.
Will Rueben Bain Jr. have Day 1 draft slide?
News broke — or rather surfaced — about Rueben Bain Jr.’s involvement in a car crash in 2024, which resulted in a death. While it wasn’t reported publicly when it happened, NFL teams were apparently aware of the incident and thoroughly investigated Bain. So why did this surface a week before the NFL Draft? Well it could be a move to force an NFL Draft slide like what happened with Laremy Tunsil back in 2016.
According to a Yahoo! Sports story, it’s not uncommon for agents to leak things about players to boost their draft stock while teams leak stuff ahead of the draft to trigger a draft slide. Was this an example of that? There’s been a lot of talk about Bain’s smaller wingspan so it feels like that would be the reason he slides closer to the top 10 rather than the car crash incident.
The Kansas City Chiefs and possibly even the Dallas Cowboys have been linked to trading up to land Bain. I don’t think we’ll see Bain make it past the top 15. There’s too many teams that need pass-rushing help that won’t pass on him, especially for something they’ve already investigated and didn’t flag as a red flag before now.
Shedeur Sanders’ slide from the top five to the fifth round is different. Sanders had a lot of media hype that overshadowed how the public felt about him. Teams always felt Sanders wasn’t a first-round pick. Bain has long been considered a top pick in this draft and that hasn’t changed. It would be a shock if he made it past Day 1.
Will the Dallas Cowboys have to trade into the top 5 to land a top pass rusher?
The Dallas Cowboys have found a way to sneak into NFL Draft conversations and a lot of them center around Jerry Jones trading up from the No. 12 pick. Would they have to surrender their second first-round pick to do so? Some mock drafts have the Cowboys staying at No. 12, some have them trading with the Cleveland Browns at No. 6 and some even trading with the Arizona Cardinals.
They may have to move up into the top five to land the EDGE rusher of their choice. The Chiefs and the Washington Commanders could be looking at pass rush with their first picks and they currently pick before Dallas. The question is, do they trade the No. 20 pick as part of that deal? This is a deep draft class when it comes to EDGE rushers so they could get one at No. 12 too, just not one of the elite ones in this class.
They also may not even be looking at a pass rusher at all. They could take Sonny Styles or a defensive back like Mansoor Delane (if he’s there) or Jermod McCoy. If Caleb Downs is in play, maybe they move up to the No. 7 or 8 to get him before the Cincinnati Bengals. They have a lot of options, including trading into the top five.
It all depends on how much Jones wants to give up to get into the top five. They could be safe at No. 6 with the Browns, but is that a risk the Cowboys want to take?
Is Ty Simpson a Day 1 draft pick?
Ty Simpson has been a hot NFL Draft topic lately as well. There’s been a lot of hype around whether Simpson is the better quarterback prospect than Fernando Mendoza. Nobody, for the most part, is questioning him as the second-best quarterback in this class. It’s hard to see him drafted high, though. I wouldn’t be shocked if he fell to the second round. I think he’s a better option in the second round anyways.
The only way I see Simpson getting taken in the first round is if a team like the New York Jets or the Arizona Cardinals trades back into the first round to take him late. That would be a great idea, but again, it just doesn’t feel like Simpson will go high with all the receivers, offensive linemen, and pass rushers crowding mock drafts.
So what about the Pittsburgh Steelers? They could very well be interested in Simpson with the No. 21 pick. I’m torn on this one. It makes a lot of sense for the Steelers to draft Simpson for a couple of reasons. Aaron Rodgers is playing games and Simpson with a slightly new regime in Pittsburgh could be mutually beneficial. It also signifies the Steelers are investing in a quarterback rather than continuing this one-year quarterback rental cycle.
I would be shocked if Simpson was taken before Pittsburgh’s first pick, but anywhere after that is respectable. Unless the Cardinals or Jets trade back into the first round, if Simpson isn’t taken with the No. 21 pick, he’ll probably fall to at least the second round.
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