The NFL Draft is one of the biggest weekends on the NFL calendar. There are more than 20 weeks of games, but there aren’t many weekends that could completely alter the future of your franchise overnight if you get it right. There’s a reason 600,000 fans showed up to draft weekend in a little town in the middle of Wisconsin last year.

As the draft approaches, we’re always left with more questions than answers. Everyone likes to pretend they know what’s going to happen on draft night, but the truth is, nobody really knows.

With draft hype at an all-time high now that we’re less than a month away from the start of the first round, here are 10 big questions looming over the 2026 NFL Draft.

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Is Ty Simpson Really a First Round Pick?

Fernando Mendoza is the only quarterback in this draft class that is viewed as a consensus first round pick. Before the season started, this looked like it could be an all-time draft class, but as the season progressed and guys like Garrett Nussmeier, Drew Allar and Cade Klubnik tanked their draft stock, Mendoza took firm grasp of the first overall pick and never let go. But there’s another guy that could end up going in the first round.

Ty Simpson started one year at Alabama, where he looked pretty good before a disastrous last couple of games in the postseason. Now, he’s a fringe first rounder, and nobody knows if he’ll end up going on day one. I personally don’t think he’s worth a first round selection, but quarterback is a premium position, and teams are desperate to find a good one, so you never know.

Most of the teams that need a quarterback are picking at the top of the first round, but the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers hold picks 24 and 21, respectively. Will one of them take Simpson in the first round? Will another team trade up for him? We’ll find out on April 23rd.

Will the Titans Take Jeremiyah Love at 4?

Jeremiyah Love is one of the most gifted running backs to come out of college since Saquon Barkley, but as we all know, running backs aren’t typically taken in the top 10. Love feels like a lock to go that early, but just how early will he go?

Some have Love going to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3, but that feels ambitious. They have far too many needs to take a running back that high, but it does feel like there’s a chance he comes off the board at No. 4 to the Tennessee Titans. Will Robert Saleh and Co. take a shot on the Notre Dame prospect? Or will they let him slide at least another spot?

It all depends on who is still there. If David Bailey is still on the board, I think there’s a really good chance he’s the pick. Saleh loves drafting defensive linemen, as was evident during his time with the Jets, so Bailey or even Rueben Bain could be the pick. I could also see them taking Sonny Styles if he’s available.

The draft is really going to start when Tennessee’s on the clock, because their pick could change the outcome of the entire top 10.

Where Will the Rueben Bain Jr. Slide End?

At one point, Rueben Bain was considered a lock to go in the top-three, but after his arms measured in at 30 7/8 inches, far below the 33-inch mark teams want to see from a pass rusher, at the combine and he refused to measure and workout at his pro day, he could very well find himself tumbling on the first night of the draft. But how far does he get?

If he doesn’t go in the top four picks, it’s hard to see the Giants or Browns picking him at five or six. The Commanders would’ve seemed like a good spot a while ago, but now that they’ve signed K’Lavon Chaisson and Odafe Oweh, that doesn’t seem likely.

The Saints at eight could be a good fit, but they’re notorious for drafting prototypical players. They like their defensive ends to be long and athletic, and Bain does not fit that bill. The Chiefs at nine could also be in consideration, considering they need a pass rusher. Cincinnati at 10, Miami at 11 and Dallas at 12 would all make sense too.

It’s difficult to see Bain getting out of the top 10. I think the Saints, Chiefs or Bengals would take him if he were on the board, but I’d say his floor is no lower than 12. If he somehow makes it that far, there’s something other than his arms keeping him from being drafted.

How Will Jordyn Tyson’s Injury History Effect His Stock?

I’ve been on record saying I believe Jordyn Tyson is the best receiver in this draft class, but I understand why he won’t be the first receiver off the board. His medicals aren’t exactly encouraging. He’s had multiple knee injuries, including an ACL, MCL and PCL tear, and is coming off a hamstring injury that caused him to miss time last year.

To make matters worse, Tyson opted not to workout at the combine or his pro day. He will hold a workout for teams on April 17th, just a week before the draft, but teams already have a ton of red flags about his health.

If Tyson didn’t have such a long injury history, he would probably be a top-eight pick in the draft this year. But with his CVS receipt-length injury history, I’ve seen him mocked in the 20s. He could end up going anywhere from 13 to the mid 20s, so it will be very interesting to see how far he slides, and if he’s the second or third receiver off the board.

How Will Caleb Banks’ Foot Injury Effect His Stock?

Caleb Banks is an absolutely massive defensive tackle, weighing in at 6-foot-6, 327 pounds at the NFL Combine. He’s also incredibly athletic for his size, running a 5.07-second 40-yard dash with a 32-inch vertical and a 9-foot, 6-inch broad jump. He hasn’t played a ton of football, but he was viewed as a first round pick because of his potential. That is, until he broke his foot a the combine.

Banks has suffered multiple foot injuries throughout his college career, and now that he’s dealing with a broken foot, teams are going to have a lot of red flags on his medicals, just like Tyson. He went from almost a lock to go in the first round to potentially even sliding out of the second round.

It is going to be very interesting to see where Banks ends up. I’m sure someone will take a chance on him in round two, but it’s very risky.

Is Peter Woods Actually a First Rounder?

This is a very weak defensive tackle class, at least at the top. There are no real super star defensive tackles, and I don’t know if there’s even a consensus top guy. Peter Woods was supposed to be the guy in this class, but he did not live up to the hype in 2025, and now people are questioning if he’s even worthy of a first round pick.

Woods was lauded as this super athletic freak who is super explosive, but it did not translate on the field. He only managed to record 14 pressures and two sacks in his junior year, and he posted by far the worst defensive grade of his career with a 72.5, exactly 14 points lower than his next-lowest grade.

NFL teams will also take a chance on a player as athletic as Woods, but maybe not in the first round. He has a lot of questions to answer about why he couldn’t produce last year in a pretty weak ACC. We’ll see if the answered those questions well enough to hear his name called on Thursday instead of Friday.

How High Will Chris Bell Go?

Chris Bell was viewed as a potential first round draft pick by many entering the last month of the season, but the former Louisville wideout tore his ACL in late November and has been rehabbing ever since. Despite that, the consensus seems to be that he’ll go in the early part of the second round, but with so many teams at the end of the first round needing receiver help, is there a chance he sneaks into the top 32?

Bell is 6-foot-2, 222 pounds and runs in the low 4.4s. He’s a big body that can play on the boundary and go up and win jump balls, but he’s also capable of playing the short to intermediate game and winning over the middle of the field. He has all the tools of an elite NFL wide receiver, but an ACL tear in late November means he might not be ready for training camp.

ACL tears aren’t what they used to be. Players are recovering from them faster than ever, and while it may take a full year to feel absolutely 100 percent again, they can usually get back to their former selves, unlike in the past. He is a great football player who is gaining a lot of attention as the draft grows nearer. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up getting selected in the final few picks of the first round.

What’s Spencer Fano’s Draft Stock?

At one point, Spencer Fano was considered the top offensive tackle in this draft class, but after his arms measured in at 32 inches at the NFL Combine, his stock slipped. Some were even projecting him to move inside to guard, which caused him to start falling outside of the top 15 in most mock drafts, but at his pro day, he measured in at 32 7/8 inches, just under that 33-inch mark teams like to see in tackles, so now his stock is rising again.

It’s hard to get a pulse on where Fano could end up, but there’s a real chance he’s the second offensive tackle off the board. Francis Mauigoa seems to be the consensus top guy, so it feels like it will be Fano and Monroe Freeling, who had a really good showing at the combine, battling it out for the OT2 spot.

Are There Prospects Worth Trading Up For?

Everyone is always curious to see how many trades we’ll see on opening night of the NFL Draft. Last year, there were three trades involving first round draft picks, but in 2024, there were five of them. Teams can get trigger happy on draft night, but for teams to trade up, there actually have to be players worth trading for, and I’m not sure there are many in this class.

I don’t see any of the top five teams moving out of their draft slot. I think the first trade we could potentially see is someone like Dallas or Miami trying to leapfrog Washington, New Orleans, Cincinnati and Kansas City for someone like Mansoor Delane or Caleb Downs. But I’m not sure either of them are willing to pull the trigger.

I could also see a team moving up from the 20s to snag one of Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon or Jordyn Tyson if one of them begins to free fall. You also can’t rule out someone moving up for Simpson if they feel the Jets or Steelers would take him at 16 or 21.

Another factor in this is, the 2027 class is supposed to be one of the best in recent memory. I don’t see too many teams wanting to part ways with their 2027 first rounder to move up for anyone in this class, which seems to be significantly worse than next year’s.

I’m sure we’ll see a trade or two on draft night, but I’d be surprised if there are any more than three trades made on Thursday.

Who Is QB3 Behind Mendoza and Simpson?

Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson are clearly the top two quarterbacks in this draft class, but who is the top dog behind them? All of these guys that were supposed to be first rounders had disappointing 2025 seasons, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. I’m sure we’ll see someone outside of Simpson and Mendoza become a pretty good quarterback in the NFL one day, but the question is who?

Garrett Nussmeier was the early pick to be the first quarterback off the board after a really strong 2024 campaign, but he played injured throughout the entire year and is now viewed as a day two or maybe even day three pick. He looked really sharp at his pro day, but that doesn’t always mean much. It’s kind of hard to mess those up, but there seems to be some momentum behind him right now.

Drew Allar is what you want your starting quarterback to look like. He’s 6-foot-5, 235 pounds and has a huge arm. The only thing is, he sucks at playing quarterback and is coming off an injury. Cade Klubnik also had his name in the ring to be a first round pick, but he and Clemson both had very disappointing seasons, and now he’s dropped into day three conversations.

Then there’s someone like Taylen Green, who is a freak athlete, but hasn’t really put up big numbers as a passer in college. Cole Payton is also another intriguing one, but he only started one year and played in the FCS, so will anyone feel comfortable picking him on day two?

If I had to guess, I’d say it will be Nussmeier or Allar coming off the board after Mendoza and Simpson, but we could see a pretty large gap between the top two guys and the next tier.