There are about 21 trillion different ways to order 16 distinct items.
When it comes to ranking the players expected to be picked in the top half of the 2026 draft’s first round, it feels like every possibility has been covered. It certainly would not be a surprise if the 32 teams offered 32 different views.
“Players No. 5 to No. 12 all have similar value and grades so it is like a Baskin-Robbins — everyone has their favorite,” one NFL executive told The Post. “Very few players at the top without flaws makes it a grab bag after that. ‘Best player available’ sounds noble, but ‘need’ will really dictate picks.”
Mock drafts inside team facilities this week proved challenging.
“We like to think we know,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said, “but, until it happens, we really don’t.”
Here are six things to watch for based on buzz from noti.group’s sources:
Who drafts Jeremiyah Love?
The range is No. 3 (Cardinals) to No. 7 (Commanders), which is why the Saints (No. 8) and Chiefs (No. 9) addressed running back in free agency.
The Cardinals are thought to want to trade down, but will there be any takers? The Chiefs are considered a team that could trade up or down based on certain circumstances.
The Titans (No. 4) need an offensive spark but have a defensive-minded head coach in Robert Saleh.
Are the Giants — infamous for their disregard for keeping Saquon Barkley before head coach John Harbaugh arrived — willing to eat crow at No. 5?
Or will the Commanders luck into Love?
Does Ty Simpson fall out of the first?
A one-quarterback first round is rare, especially when teams from the early first round can trade into the late first round to get an extra year of cost-effective control.
The Simpson Watch starts with the Rams (No. 13) as a sit-and-watch successor to MVP Matthew Stafford. It continues with the Jets (No. 16) and the Aaron Rodgers-captive Steelers (No. 21).
After the Steelers, attention shifts back to the Jets and the Cardinals and the possibility of either trading up from No. 33 and No. 34, respectively.
Do the Cowboys make a splashy trade? Maybe with a rival?
Word is the Cowboys (No. 12) covet linebacker Sonny Styles.
If he slips past the Titans (No. 4), will the Cowboys call the Giants (No. 5) or Browns (No. 6) to get ahead of the Commanders? The Commanders are high on Styles, too, but don’t have the ammunition to trade up (only two top 145 picks).
If Styles is still on the board at No. 8 (Saints), then the Cowboys should be working the phones. The problem is the Cowboys are reluctant to part with their second first-rounder (No. 20) in a move up from No. 12 because they don’t pick again until No. 92.
Six teams (Cowboys, Jets, Giants, Dolphins, Broncos and Chiefs) hold two first-round picks.
Are the Giants and Jets going to fight over Tyson?
The buzziest top 10 prospect over the last week is Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson with big talent and a long injury history.
Will the Giants secure him at No. 5?
Will they roll the dice on him getting to their next pick at No. 10, opening the door for the Commanders or Saints to steal him away, or for the Jets to trade up from No. 16 to No. 9?
One school of thought says that the Giants want two of Love, Tyson and safety Caleb Downs with their two top 10 picks and are trying to figure out which of Tyson and Downs is more likely to be available at No. 10.
When do the second running back, guard and cornerback get picked?
Expect the first round to be heavy on receivers, offensive tackles and edge rushers.
The drop-offs from the first running back (Love), first guard (Vega Ioane) and first cornerback (Mansoor Delane) — all potential top 10 picks — to the second could be really steep. It is possible that two of these positions produce only one first-rounder.
Cornerback Jermod McCoy (who missed 2025 due to an ACL injury) seems to be more of a media darling than a team favorite. He could go behind his Tennessee teammate Colton Hood.
Who are the candidates to go earlier or later than expected?
The Bengals traded No. 10 for Dexter Lawrence because it is a weak draft class at defensive tackle.
Teams that didn’t get Lawrence — Bears (No. 25) and Texans (No. 28) — might reach earlier than the sweet spot (early second round) for a defensive tackle such as Kayden McDonald, Peter Woods or Christen Miller.
Defensive back Treydan Stukes is getting a bump from the Seahawks’ proven value of a hybrid safety/cornerback. Edge rusher Malachi Lawrence could crash the first round.
Besides Simpson, who could fall more than seen in most mock drafts?
Edge Rueben Bain Jr., who was involved in a fatal car accident while at Miami, is no longer a top 10 lock.
Cornerback Emmanuel McNeil-Warren could slip out of the first round.
Offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa’s back injury is a red flag. How many offensive linemen jump ahead of the consensus No. 1 if he were healthy?
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
