The NFL season is over for 24 teams, which means many have already turned their attention towards free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft. We’re still months away from the draft in April, but it’s never too early to start taking a look at who some of the top prospects could be.

EssentiallySports’ NFL Draft Expert Tony Pauline and NFL Editorial Chief Tim Wood have teamed up to create the DraftCast, a weekly segment where you can find the latest news and hear Pauline’s thoughts on the upcoming draft. Episode two is now streaming, so you can catch the full hour-long podcast on YouTube or Spotify.

Ty Simpson’s $6.5-million gamble

About a week ago, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson announced he would be entering his name into the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s viewed as one of the top signal callers in the draft, and while it’s always hard to pass on an opportunity to go to the NFL and be a potential first-round pick, the decision wasn’t easy.

Simpson was reportedly offered over four million dollars by Miami, Tennessee, and Ole Miss to transfer this offseason. Miami, which is about to play for the National Championship on Monday, offered him the biggest offer at $6.5 million, but he turned it down. For reference, unless Simpson is drafted in the top-seven picks, he will be making less money in his first year in the NFL than he would be if he accepted Miami’s offer.

Pauline and many other scouts don’t believe Simpson is ready to play in the NFL. He’s made just 15 career starts, and he looked quite shaky in the College Football Playoffs this year, especially in the Tide’s loss to Indiana. But he’s made up his mind and is on his way to the NFL. Now he just has to perform well at the combine and his pro day, and see where he lands.

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Ohio State’s defensive stars

Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs have taken very different routes to get to this point, but they’re both expected to be top-10 picks in the draft. Downs has been a superstar since stepping onto the field as a true freshman, while Reese exploded onto the scene for the first time in 2025. Pauline believes they’ll both be under-drafted because of their positional value, but thinks they’re both elite players.

Kayden McDonald is one of the least talked about defensive stars coming out of Ohio State, but he’s viewed as a lock to go in the first round, according to Pauline. Pauline believes he’ll be in the conversation for the first defensive tackle taken off the board after a breakout season in 2025.

The Buckeyes should have three defensive players taken in the first round, and they all look like future Pro Bowlers.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl recap

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl gave us a unique look at who could be the QB1 and QB2 in this year’s draft. Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore (if he enters the draft) could very well be the first and second picks, and before this game, some viewed Moore as the better prospect.

During the podcast, Pauline said he doesn’t like to base things on one game, but he thought this Peach Bowl was very telling. Mendoza has been viewed as the more NFL-ready prospect, and that showed in this game. He looked much more mature and handled the moment much better than Moore did. However, Pauline still thinks he has a higher ceiling than Mendoza, but he needs time to develop. He doesn’t see Moore as a day-one starter like Mendoza.

Should Dante Moore want to be a Jet?

While it’s very easy to hate on the New York Jets and give them crap for how they’ve developed quarterbacks in the past, Pauline doesn’t think landing in New York would be a bad thing for Dante Moore.

He believes they have a young, talented offensive line that has both of the tackle positions figured out. They have a true WR1 in Garrett Wilson, who’s locked down with a four-year deal tying him to the Jets through 2030, and AD Mitchell, who flashed at times late in the season. The Jets also have a terrific, young tight end in Mason Taylor, who can be a young quarterback’s best friend. On top of that, they could also get Breece Hall back next year if they can figure out an extension this offseason.

The Jets are the Jets, but on paper, it’s not a horrible situation.

Trinidad Chambliss spotlight

Nobody has done more for their draft stock this year than Trinidad Chambliss, who was playing Division II football just over a year ago. He’s been electric since taking over as Ole Miss’ QB1, and he’s proven to have the “it” factor. When the game’s tight and he needs to make a play, he’s going to find a way to make it, and that’s something scouts value.

The only thing with Chambliss is that he wants to stay in college. He signed a massive NIL deal with Ole Miss, which would pay him $6-million, but the NCAA denied his waiver for an extra year of eligibility. The courts are going to get involved, and nobody really knows what is going to happen. If he gets the extra year, he’ll almost certainly go back, but if this court battle drags on, there’s a chance he misses out on the April draft, and the NFL would then hold a supplemental draft for him.

Pauline would love to see Chambliss in this draft class. Even with Simpson declaring that he believes Chambliss would be the QB3 behind Mendoza and Moore, he could see him going late in the first round if someone wants to take a shot on him.

Carson Beck’s draft stock

After Ohio State made its CFP run, Will Howard was being talked about as a day two pick. He ended up going in the sixth round, and Pauline believes Carson Beck could be in a similar spot.

Beck wasn’t much of a factor in Miami’s win over Texas A&M, but he’s played really well in the Hurricanes’ last two games, particularly against Ole Miss, where he threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He’s improved his draft stock despite a turnover-riddled regular season, but he’s still not going to as high as many are projecting.

Which team could get A.J. Brown this offseason?

If the Philadelphia Eagles were to move off of Brown, one team to watch would be the New England Patriots. One of the reasons Mike Vrabel and Tennessee split up was because he wanted to sign Brown to a long-term deal. That didn’t get done, but now Vrabel’s with the Patriots, who could use some wide receiver help. They’d certainly be the favorites to land him if Brown was made available.

Can the 49ers overcome all their injuries?

Pauline believes the San Francisco 49ers are still capable of winning it all. He believes in Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy, and he doesn’t think there’s one team in the NFC you can point to as the overwhelming favorite to win it all.

If Purdy can avoid turning the ball over, Pauline believes the 49ers have a chance to go into Seattle and dethrone the NFC West champions before going on the road and upsetting LA or Chicago. However, he does acknowledge the injuries are piling up, and it would be very, very tough to bring home the Lombardi, but it’s not out of the question.

Which Head Coach candidates are being glossed over?

Pauline believes this year’s head coaching “class” is very shallow. The John Harbaugh’s and Kevin Stefanski’s of the world don’t come around every cycle, but after them, there aren’t many highly sought-after coordinators. But if there’s one guy that’s flying under the radar, it’s Paul Kelly.

Kelly is a name most of you probably have never heard of. He’s the Denver Broncos’ assistant head coach and has spent the last three seasons under Sean Payton. Pauline believes he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the work he’s done in Denver, but he should start receiving some interviews in the coming years.