NFL Draft Mock: Surprises, Trades, and Top Picks

0:00On April 22nd, ESPN's Peter Schrager just dropped his final mock draft for the 2026 NFL draft and it's got some big surprises right out. The Gate The Arizona Cardinals snag Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love at number 3 overall amid all the buzz that he sky high on their board. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys trade up with the Kansas City Chiefs to grab number 9 and pick LSU Cornerback, Mansour Delane to bolster there. Secondary Top of the board sees the Raiders taking quarterback for Nando Mendoza first, Jets grabbing Ed Russia David Bailey, second, then Love to the Cards. Linebacker Sunny Styles to the Titans at 4, and Edge Guy R. Vell Reese to the Giants at 5. Adam Sheftar reports, League folks think Love is seriously in play for Arizona at 3, though they might slide back for extra picks. Fans and scouts are hyped about these projections, especially with the Cowboys swapping picks straight up. Dallas gets 9 and 29, Chiefs.

1:01Take 12 and 20. That sets Kansas City up nice to land Ed Russia, Ruben Bain Jr. at 12 and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. from Indiana at 20. Other moves shake things up too. Cardinals trade up to number 32 from Seattle for Alabama's Ty Simpson, late in the first round. Giants might jump early on White Out Jordan Tyson at 5 instead of waiting on their Bengals trade pick. In 5 years after the Stafford Goffswap, Rams and Lions deal, Detroit to 13 for Tackle Cade and Proctor, Rams get 17 plus extras in NAB, Kenyan Sadik lower down. All eyes turn to Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern, when the real draft kicks off in Vegas, answering these mocks and flipping the script on what we all expect.