Night 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, and while 32 players heard their names called, some big-time prospects fell short of the first round. Players who fell due to injury, positional value, or a poor predraft circuit end up on this list, which comes via the usage of the CBS Sports consensus prospect rankings.
So, with that being said, who were the biggest snubs of Round 1 and where could they go on Friday night?
Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy (no. 6 overall prospect)
The McCoy fall feels very similar to the slide of Arizona Cardinals CB Will Johnson from last year. Hailed as a bona fide star prospect, questions about a knee injury suffered in the preseason that knocked him out of the entire 2025 season gave a lot of teams major pause before drafting him. Even with running a 4.38 40-yard dash at his pro day, I think teams were very worried about the long-term health of his knee and where he is in that process.
With him available on night 2, there are a multitude of good fits for McCoy if he is 100% healthy. Starting at pick 37 with the New York Giants, where they could look to replace former first-round pick Deonte Banks. Moving further down, the Saints at 42 and the Jets at 44 make a lot of sense as well. I doubt he falls into the 60s, but the cornerback class on Day 2 is deep. It’ll be fascinating to see what happens to McCoy.
Clemson CB Avieon Terrell (no. 10 overall prospect)
I am a big fan of Terrell on tape. He suffered from multiple hamstring injuries in the predraft cycle. And then he ran a 4.64 40-yard dash at the Clemson pro day. Not exactly the number you want, even though I think teams should just turn on the tape and watch Terrell work on the boundary and on the inside. Given that Terrell also doesn’t have the prototypical size you want in an NFL corner, I wonder if teams think he’s more of a nickel than an outside guy. Terrell will be some team’s gain on Day 2, though, as I don’t think he’ll be on the board for long.
When I said the cornerback class on Day 2 was deep in the above section on McCoy, Terrell is a big reason why. Some of those same teams I mentioned could also be in on Terrell, but I would also add the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins to that list. The Dolphins could be a really fun one, their depth in the cornerback room is incredibly thin, and Terrell offers inside and outside versatility to pair with first-round pick Chris Johnson.
Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (no. 22 overall prospect)
Rumors emerged that McNeil-Warren could fall out of round 1, and it made sense. While I think McNeil-Warren is a very fun and chaotic player (in a good way), there were times he freelanced and took some bad angles while also probably being more of a true post safety than anything else. In the right defense, McNeil-Warren could be a really fun player, but I understand why he fell to the second round.
The rumors around the Browns and McNeil-Warren won’t slow down anytime soon, and I have a feeling that he won’t be on the board past 39 if Cleveland sticks and picks there. However, there is a world where the Giants pick him at 37, two picks before he even makes it to Cleveland. With all the smoke surrounding the Giants and Caleb Downs (who ended up going to the Cowboys), McNeil-Warren could be a very nice plan B for New York in the second round.
Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds (no. 26 overall prospect)
There were some late rumblings that Ponds could be a first-round pick if the board fell a certain way, but with Downs sliding to 11, that dream ended. I love Ponds as a prospect, and if he were 5-foot-11 instead of 5-foot-8, he probably would’ve been the first cornerback off the board. But he would be a historical outlier if drafted in the first round because of his size. I get why he fell out of the first round. Some team is going to get a fantastic prospect on Day 2, an instant starter at nickel who sets the tone for a defense.
If you couldn’t tell already, the secondary group on Day 2 is absolutely loaded.Â
Ponds joins Terrell, McCoy and McNeil-Warren as the top players on the board left to start the second round, but I think McCoy’s range might have the most variance. Miami at pick 43 makes sense, New York at 44 (Ponds and Jets coach Aaron Glenn share a lot of similarities as players) and I would also add the Minnesota Vikings at 49. All teams that need secondary help and Ponds could be a really fun addition.
Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter (no. 28 overall prospect)
Hunter (and the DT four spots behind him, Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald) are very good nose tackles, but the reason they didn’t go in the first round is very simple. In the NFL, pass rush sets your ceiling while the run defense sets your floor. While Hunter and McDonald are high-floor run defenders, as nose tackles, they don’t offer much pass rush upside. Hunter might show the most flashes, but he also tested poorly at the NFL Combine. Even as the NFL begins to invest heavily in the defensive tackle spot, affecting the QB is king, and Hunter/McDonald don’t do it enough to get into round 1.
Where that leaves them on Day 2 is fascinating. The first two teams that stand out for nose tackle help are the Buffalo Bills at 35 and the Houston Texans at 38. The Bills are changing their defensive structure under new DC Jim Leonhard, and with that, they need a nose tackle who can allow DTs Ed Oliver and Deone Walker to get upfield quickly instead of holding double teams. Houston has been linked to McDonald heavily, and with their selection of Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge in Round 1, they could go to the DT spot to keep their defense loaded. I’ll also throw in the Atlanta Falcons in this spot as well, at pick 48.
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