The 2026 NFL Draft is just over a week away and Mel Kiper Jr. is working overtime. The ESPN analyst released his top-10 mock draft on Wednesday, and there are definitely some elements here worth talking about.
Mel Kiper’s final Top 10 NFL mock draft has two big surprises
The latest mock from Mel Kiper Jr. has some head scratchers.
A lot of this is more or less aligning with what we thought. There’s been a ton of chatter about the Jets preferring David Bailey to Arvell Reese, hence the surprising switch there — and Jeremiyah Love has been getting a lot of play at No. 4 to the Titans. It’s from that point on this gets a little wild.
- Caleb Downs at No. 5 makes a lot of sense. He might be my favorite player in this entire draft class, and the kind of defensive talent who can truly take over a game — assuming a defensive staff has enough creativity. It wouldn’t shock me to see the Giants go in this direction, especially with John Harbaugh leading the charge.
- Seeing Sonny Styles go to the Cowboys isn’t a shocker, but seeing them trade up to No. 6 is a little surprising. There’s been a lot of talk about Dallas trying to make the jump from No. 12, and Cleveland is a natural trade partner there. The surprise is that Dallas would make a big move like this and not walk away with an edge rusher.
- Not really sure about the Commanders taking Carnell Tate at No. 7 with this board. They need defensive help in the worst way, and grabbing a receiver feels like a little too much of a luxury in the top-10.
- Having Jordyn Tyson land in Kansas City at No. 9 is the pick that’s turning heads. Make no mistake: The Chiefs need weapons, but they were absolutely decimated at cornerback following the Trent McDuffie trade, and Mansoor Delaine feels like a natural fit. The Chiefs need to give Patrick Mahomes more help, but this year when he’s going to be missing time due to injury feels a bit bizarre. If this was Tate dropping I’d get it, but No. 9 for Tyson feels like a bit of a reach.
What do you think? Anything about Mel’s draft that really surprises you?
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