Daniel Jeremiah’s Final 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Four Trades, Four Receivers in Top 16, Cowboys Go Defense

Daniel Jeremiah has released his final 2026 NFL mock draft with four projected Round 1 trades.

With Round 1 hours away in Pittsburgh, Daniel Jeremiah has published his final mock draft of the 2026 cycle, and the NFL Network analyst is projecting a night defined by four trades, a receiver run through the middle of the first round, and a Cowboys team that resists the temptation to go offense despite the George Pickens situation.

Jeremiah acknowledges upfront that predicting exactly which trades will happen is nearly impossible this year. The class is harder to read beyond pick one than most; teams have kept their intentions close, and the Giants shaking up the board by trading Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals for the No. 10 overall pick just days before the draft added yet another variable. He is confident that four trades will happen. He just is not entirely sure which four.

Here is how he sees Thursday night unfolding.

Pick 1: Raiders Take Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

No drama at the top. Mendoza has occupied the first pick in every Jeremiah mock this year, and nothing has changed. Las Vegas built a bridge for him in free agency, signing Tyler Linderbaum at center and Kirk Cousins as a veteran mentor. The Raiders have their quarterback.

Pick 2: Jets Take David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

Jeremiah has the Jets going with the here-and-now pass rusher over the upside of Arvell Reese. Bailey recorded 14.5 sacks last season en route to unanimous All-American honors. He attacks the pocket with the instincts and first-step quickness of a proven edge rusher ready to start immediately.

Trade: Saints Move Up to No. 3 for Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State

One of Jeremiah’s four projected trades lands early. The Saints move up nine spots from No. 12 into the Cardinals’ No. 3 slot to ensure they land Reese, the hybrid Ohio State defender Jeremiah describes as having the versatility to set the edge on early downs, rush inside against guards, and cause problems in multiple fronts. If Arizona stays put at three, Jeremiah believes they take Jeremiyah Love.

Picks 4-9: Love, Styles, Tate, and the Giants Capitalize

Jeremiah has running back Jeremiyah Love going fourth to the Titans, who he sees as unlikely to pass on a player he grades similarly to Bijan Robinson. Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles goes fifth to the Giants at their original pick, giving John Harbaugh an Urlacher-caliber defensive centerpiece. Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate goes to the Commanders at No. 7, who have been linked to receivers all offseason. A safety, a tight end, and the Bengals round out the top nine before the Giants are back on the clock.

Pick 10: Giants Take Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

The Giants, now armed with two top-10 picks after acquiring No. 10 from Cincinnati in the Lawrence deal, use it on Tyson. Jeremiah has been bullish on Tyson as a dynamic, explosive athlete who pairs beautifully with Tate as weapons for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. If Love had been available at five, Jeremiah suggested Tyson would have been the Giants’ pick there instead.

The Wide Receiver Run

Four receivers land inside the top 16 in Jeremiah’s final mock. Alongside Tate at seven and Tyson at ten, USC’s Makai Lemon goes to the Los Angeles Rams at pick 13. The Biletnikoff Award winner stays in Southern California and gives Matthew Stafford a fresh weapon alongside Davante Adams in what could be Stafford’s final season. Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., Fernando Mendoza’s favorite college target, goes to the Jets at 16 in their third first-round pick of the night. New York uses second-round capital to move up and secure a receiver with a fifth-year option and built-in chemistry with the quarterback the Raiders are building around.

Cowboys Stay on Defense

Despite the Pickens franchise tag standoff and legitimate questions about the long-term receiver situation in Dallas, Jeremiah has the Cowboys resisting the receiver temptation at both of their picks. At No. 12, he projects Oregon safety Caleb Downs, a high-character player with sideline-to-sideline range who would address Dallas’s porous secondary. At No. 20, he projects UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence to further reinforce a defense that surrendered the most points and passing yards per game in the NFL last season. Stephen Jones said receiver is possible. Jeremiah says defense is the more logical answer.

Trade: Eagles Move Up for Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

Philadelphia is one of Jeremiah’s four teams projected to trade up. The Eagles move into the teens to secure Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, continuing their track record of investing early in offensive line talent and protecting whatever they are building around Jalen Hurts.

Cardinals Re-Enter for Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

Arizona makes a second trade to buy back into the first round later in the night and select Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson as their signal-caller of the future. The Cardinals traded their original pick to allow the Saints to move up to three, then used their capital to maneuver back in for the quarterback they actually wanted all along. It is exactly the kind of calculated multi-move that makes the first rounds chaotic viewing.

The Big Picture

Jeremiah’s final mock reflects a class where the real uncertainty begins at pick two. The edge rusher position is loaded at the top. Four receivers in the top 16 reflects genuine team need across the league.

The Cowboys going defense over offense despite the Pickens noise will be the most debated call in his entire projection. And with the Giants now holding two top-10 picks after the Lawrence trade, whatever New York actually does Thursday night will be watched by every fan in football.

Round 1 kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network, ABC, and ESPN.