We are one day away from the Las Vegas Raiders officially going on the clock to start the 2026 NFL Draft. Looking ahead to the D-day, the EssentiallySports big board has just 12 players with pure first-round grades. League sources tell me no one is aware of any team that has more than that number of first-round prospects, and some franchises have fewer than a dozen.

The Dallas Cowboys plan to pick a top defensive player

If the Dallas Cowboys can’t trade ahead of the Washington Commanders to ensure drafting one of the Ohio State linebackers or Rueben Bain Jr., they could be locked out of the top defensive players and may look to the offense. Two defensive players they have been talking about recently are safeties Dillon Thieneman of Oregon and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren from Toledo.

If they want Thieneman, they’d likely have to pull the trigger on him with the 12th pick, while McNeil-Warren should be available with their second selection. While the Cowboys signed Jalen Thompson in free agency, the team’s other starting safety, Malik Hooker, has one year left on his deal after restructuring his contract last month.

Jets and their second-overall pick

On Tuesday, I mentioned that the New York Jets may dangle the second pick of the draft but will demand a lot in return to move that selection. League insiders tell me that, while they don’t expect that trade to happen, there’s a real chance the team moves their next pick in the first round, the 16th selection. And should they trade the choice, it will likely be to a team that wants to move ahead of the Detroit Lions for an offensive lineman.

Conventional wisdom says the Lions will take either Kadyn Proctor or Monroe Freeling with the 17th pick. Several teams are selecting after the Lions that need a blocker who can play left tackle or be a swing lineman at tackle and guard. A move such as this makes a lot of sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a franchise that needed offensive linemen even before the recent bad news on left tackle Broderick Jones.

The Saints will wait until Day 2

If the New Orleans Saints pass on selecting a receiver with the eighth pick, it will be due to the pending contract extension for Chris Olave. The team exercised the fifth-year option on its star receiver, who is in the final season of his rookie deal. During free agency, the team told agents they did not intend to spend big or position too many assets at the receiver spot, considering the money they would have to spend to keep their 2022 first-round pick. They will likely wait until Day 2 before drafting a receiver.

The Bengals and the Raiders were close to a trade

Sources tell me that long before the Cincinnati Bengals surrendered the 10th pick of the draft to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, the team discussed trading that selection to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby. But the Bengals were unwilling to match the pair of first-round picks the Baltimore Ravens initially sent to Vegas for Crosby before a failed physical nixed the deal.

What are the Giants planning with their first-round draft picks?

What will the New York Giants do with a pair of picks in the top 10? A source close to the situation told me, “John (Harbaugh) knows what he’s going to do and John’s not talking to anybody!” There’s been speculation that the team could use the 10th pick on an offensive lineman, possibly Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane. But even though he’s a perfect fit for what Harbaugh has done in the past with Baltimore, people close to Ioane believe the 10th selection of the draft may be a bit early for his services.