Day 1 of the 2026 NFL draft is in the books. I can’t remember a first round with so many surprising twists. Carnell Tate at No. 4. Mansoor Delane at No. 6 — in a trade up! Kenyon Sadiq to the Jets! There wasn’t a lick of buzz on that one. The Eagles stop Makai Lemon’s slide, and the Bears do the same with Dillon Thieneman. What a day.
As the dust settles on the first round, we can scratch off some big team needs — but others remain. Similarly, the best players in this class have all left the board — but plenty more immediate contributors are ripe for the picking in Round 2, and developmental prospects are ready to come off the board in Round 3.
I’ve highlighted 10 of my favorite player-team fits before Day 2 kicks off. These matches make too much sense. Let’s make them happen.
See more on Day 2:
Miller’s mock draft of Rounds 2-3
Denzel Boston, WR, Washington to the Raiders
Where it could happen: No. 36
Why it needs to happen: The Raiders are well-equipped to support Fernando Mendoza. They’ve invested heavily in their offensive line, including the big free agent signing of center Tyler Linderbaum (though I’d love to see another middle-round tackle). They’ve added several pass catchers over the past couple of offseasons, including Brock Bowers, Jack Bech, Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Jalen Nailor. They’re just missing one thing: a big-bodied X receiver to take advantage of Mendoza’s lethal back-shoulder ball.
How lucky for them that Boston slid out of Round 1. He isn’t the smoothest route runner with the sharpest cuts, but he’s plenty functional for his size, and his ability to track and win the ball in the air is exactly what the Raiders need. Boston has a better second gear than he’s given credit for and has vacuum hands downfield. I’d wager he would quickly win Mendoza’s trust and become a three-down player in a Raiders receiver room that needs a star to emerge.
Where it could happen: No. 40
Why it needs to happen: Stukes got some late Round 1 hype thanks in part to a general manager telling ESPN’s Adam Schefter he’d take Stukes over Caleb Downs. While that is a little too rich for my blood, I’ve loved Stukes throughout the predraft process. He was my All-Film team safety. I think that’s his best position in the league, but he played everywhere with the Wildcats, with 817 snaps at outside corner, 1,333 in the slot and 205 at safety. Stukes will turn 25 in September and had a 2024 ACL tear, so much of his “fall” into Day 2 is for non-football reasons. The film is excellent, with great angles, excellent ball skills and do-it-all versatility.
The Chiefs lost an every-down safety in Bryan Cook, who left for Cincinnati in free agency. They replaced him with veteran Alohi Gilman, but Gilman struggles for long speed, so Stukes’ range (4.33-second 40-yard dash) would be a welcome skill. Stukes could also challenge incumbent slot Chamarri Conner for snaps at nickel corner, as Conner is in a contract year and coming off a shaky 2025.
Stukes has the football IQ of a classic Steve Spagnuolo defensive back and the CB/S versatility of players like Cook (a college corner) and L’Jarius Sneed. He’s NFL-ready for a defense that needs immediate contributors as the Chiefs return to Super Bowl contention.
Where it could happen: No. 41
Why it needs to happen: Without their first-round pick following the Dexter Lawrence II trade, the Bengals still have several defensive needs worth addressing. I could see linebacker or safety in Round 2, but Terrell is one of the best players left and a great fit for the Bengals. For one, he’s a Clemson player, and they’re obsessed with drafting those guys. For two, the Bengals have only one outside corner job locked down with the emergent DJ Turner II, who had a wonderful breakout in 2025. That leaves Dax Hill filling the outside CB2 spot? Or the slot? He has played both and finished last season strong on the outside.
The Bengals can hedge their bets on Hill by drafting another inside/outside player in Terrell. He was an outside corner at Clemson but projects into the slot as an NFLer. Terrell reminds me at times of Devon Witherspoon with the Seahawks — that’s how special his intensity, physicality and quick trigger are. He would bring a huge culture boost to a Bengals defense looking for leaders.
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Avieon Terrell’s NFL draft profile
Check out some of the top highlights from Clemson’s Avieon Terrell.
Where it could happen: No. 47 (but probably earlier)
Why it needs to happen: The Colts entered the draft with a lot of needs and no first-round pick. That’s never fun. They could address all three levels of the defense here, but the linebacker situation is dire. Veteran LB3 Akeem Davis-Gaither is currently LB1, with Austin Ajiake and Jaylon Carlies jockeying for the LB2 spot. It’s the most inexperienced and unexplosive linebacking group in the league.
Rodriguez has ridden a breakout 2025 season into a strong predraft process. He dominated at the Senior Bowl and tested great at the combine, which matters to general manager Chris Ballard. Finding a shot-caller at linebacker is just as critical as finding high-level traits, and Rodriguez is a two-time captain at Texas Tech who ran the defense the way you’d expect an ex-quarterback to do so. He’s a film-grinder and turnover machine (seven forced fumbles and four picks last season), bringing playmaking to a position that has struggled in coverage previously for the Colts.
Rodriguez was rumored to be climbing into Round 1 as we approached the draft, so he might go in the first handful of picks Friday. If the Colts really love him, they might need to move up to get him.
Gabe Jacas, Edge, Illinois to the Lions
Where it could happen: No. 50
Why it needs to happen: The Lions’ two most pressing needs entering the draft were potential starters at tackle and edge (opposite Aidan Hutchinson). In Round 1, one domino fell with Blake Miller. Now it’s time for the second.
Jacas is a heavy-handed slugger ready to go pound for pound against NFL tackles. A prolific high school wrestler, Jacas has impressive core and grip strength, which allows him to ragdoll bigger bodies against both the run and the pass. He doesn’t have the quickest first step, but he has a deep bag of quick strikes developed over 43 starts that allows him to soften angles in the pass rush.
Jacas is similar to players who have lined up opposite Hutchinson in the past, like Marcus Davenport, Al-Quadin Muhammad and DJ Wonnum. He has all the makings of a productive Year 1 pro as the Lions try to claw their way back to the top of the NFC North.
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Gabe Jacas’ NFL draft profile
Check out some of the top highlights from Illinois’ Gabe Jacas.
Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M to the Chargers
Where it could happen: No. 55 (if they’re lucky)
Why it needs to happen: Jim Harbaugh wants to run the football, and to do so, the Chargers need better guards — not just one, but two. They went for an edge rusher in Round 1 with Akheem Mesidor, so buttressing the interior is a glaring priority on Day 2.
Fortunately, this guard class is strongest on Day 2, and the best remaining player is Bisontis. A three-year starter at Texas A&M, Bisontis has the foot speed and second-level angles to excel as a puller and zone climber but also the brawling mass of a devastating down blocker. As the Chargers uncover a new run game identity in the first year of Mike McDaniel as the offensive coordinator, Bisontis’ versatility between schemes would be welcomed. He isn’t a perfect pass protector given his limited length, but next to supersized Joe Alt on the left side, he would be a snug fit.
The Chargers don’t have a ton of Day 3 picks to trade up here, but it might be necessary to secure Bisontis.
Chris Bell, WR, Louisville to the 49ers
Where it could happen: No. 58
Why it needs to happen: The 49ers do not have a big short-term need at receiver. Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk are entrenched as the starters. But Kirk is on a one-year deal, and Evans’ contract is functionally a one-year deal with some team options behind. The 49ers should continue investing in receiver for 2027 and beyond to give themselves contractual flexibility in the years to come.
Bell would be such a fun fit. If you squint, you see A.J. Brown: 6-foot-2, 222 pounds and absolutely ripped with a wicked first step and even more impressive long speed when the gates open. Bell had 917 yards on 72 receptions before tearing his ACL in November 2025. Among receivers with at least 100 targets, he was 13th in yards per route run, just between KC Concepcion (Texas A&M) and Malachi Toney (Miami). This is a potential WR1 with the explosiveness and tackle-breaking toughness to turn easy completions into massive gains.
Bell can get some Deebo Samuel-esque usage for the 49ers as a rookie while he returns to form, then expand into a bigger role in 2027.
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Chris Bell’s NFL draft profile
Check out some of the top highlights from Louisville’s Chris Bell.
Where it could happen: No. 66
Why it needs to happen: New Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard comes from Denver. There, he worked with the secondary more than the front, but he saw how Nik Bonitto terrorized opposing offenses with a wicked first step despite playing around 245 pounds. Barham is even lighter than Bonitto (240), but he’s just as fast out of the gate, with a 1.61-second 10-yard split to Bonitto’s 1.59.
Barham oozes developmental upside as a LB-to-Edge convert. He needs to play in a two-point stance and offers some skill as a dropper off the line of scrimmage — that’s the sort of system we expect Leonhard to run. Incumbents at edge rusher in Buffalo include bigger, long-armed rushers like Greg Rousseau and Landon Jackson. But guess what: Barham has long arms (34⅛ inches) for his frame, so he still fits Brandon Beane’s tendencies at the position.
Sam Roush, TE, Stanford to the Buccaneers
Where it could happen: No. 77
Why it needs to happen: The Buccaneers were a rumored team for Kenyon Sadiq in the first round, but that fit never made much sense to me. Cade Otton doesn’t spend a lot of time in-line and isn’t a particularly impactful blocker with his hand in the dirt. The Bucs need to pair him with a true in-line mauler, not another move piece.
Enter Roush. A childhood rugby player who lived outside of the states, Roush is late to American football but has taken to the dirty work of a run-blocking tight end like he was built for it. With weirdly short arms for the position (30⅝ inches), Roush doesn’t have a huge sphere of influence as a receiver or a blocker. But he’s a glass-eater with great flexibility to uproot defensive ends and pave out rushing lanes. He’s uber-reliable as a pass catcher and extremely QB-friendly, with experience in a pro-style system under Frank Reich last year. When he gets a matchup with a safety, he bullies him.
The Buccaneers met with Roush in Indianapolis and have done their homework on plenty of other Day 2 tight ends. For what they need, Roush is my favorite fit.
Where it could happen: No. 92
Why it needs to happen: The Cowboys had a chance to get a linebacker in the first round, with two picks. Alas, the chips didn’t fall that way, as they went with Caleb Downs (safety) and Malachi Lawrence (edge rusher). Their need at linebacker remains enormous. They have only three rostered players there, and the only one who is a plus starter (DeMarvion Overshown) has a big injury history.
But if the Longhorns linebacker picked in the 90s worked for them in 2023 with Overshown, why not go back to the well? Hill’s flashes stand up with the play of Sonny Styles, CJ Allen, Rodriguez and whatever other top linebacker you want in this class. Only 21 and far bulkier than Overshown (238 pounds), Hill triggers fast when he sees it and has the size-speed combo necessary to beat linemen to the spot or blow them up when he gets there. The technique lapses when addressing tackles or shedding blocks lead to inconsistent production, but Dallas should be willing to endure his warts for the upside he offers.
