2026 NFL draft: Latest buzz on Jermod McCoy, QB class

The 2026 NFL draft is less than three weeks away (April 23-25). So, we asked draft analysts Matt Miller and Field Yates to break down the newest intel from around the league.

Pro days are wrapping up, though a handful of top prospects still have private workouts with teams this month. How did Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy answer injury questions at his pro day? And what did we learn from the prospects not named Fernando Mendoza at Indiana’s pro day?

We also asked our experts for the latest on a bunch of buzzy topics. Who is the third-best quarterback prospect in this class right now? Which NFL teams could trade out of the first round? How many edge rushers, offensive linemen and wide receivers could get picked on Day 1? Finally, Miller and Yates emptied their scouting notebooks with what they’re hearing, seeing and thinking.

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Jermod McCoy | Who’s the QB3?
Indiana’s pro day | Positional over/unders
Emptying notebooks: What we’re hearing

What’s the league buzz off the much-anticipated Jermod McCoy pro day workout on Tuesday?

Yates: The race for CB1 is officially on. Both McCoy and LSU’s Mansoor Delane are viewed as top-15 prospects in the class, with the Giants, Commanders, Saints, Chiefs, Bengals and Cowboys as natural landing spots. But McCoy’s health lingered until this pro day workout, as a torn ACL caused him to miss the entire 2025 season and he sat out the combine.

While scouts on the road had been getting positive reviews about McCoy’s recovery, there is a certainty in seeing it on the field. He posted a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash, a 38-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-7 broad jump.

Miller: Like Field said, the feedback I received from teams was that McCoy is back in the running for CB1. There were some questions even from the morning of the workout about what drills he would participate in. But he did everything, including positional drills.

Teams love McCoy’s size and his over 1-inch advantage in terms of arm length over Delane — 31¼ inches compared to 30 inches. And while Delane’s elite final season might keep him in the top spot, both players feel like top-12 locks.

Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson are the top two QBs in this class. But who is No. 3?

Miller: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU. There are a number of good competitors for this spot, but Nussmeier has impressed in the predraft process now that he’s healthy from an abdominal injury suffered before the 2025 season. Going back to the 2024 tape, Nussmeier ranked fifth in the FBS with 4,052 yards; he threw 29 touchdowns to 12 picks. And he was cutting down on his interceptions in 2025 before being shut down for the season after nine games.

The 6-foot-2, 203-pound quarterback lacks elite measurables, but his instincts, accuracy and high ball velocity are traits teams can build around. He should come off the board at some point on Day 2.

Yates: Carson Beck, QB, Miami. This answer has varied over the past few months, but I’m giving Beck the nod for a few reasons. He has a natural throwing ability (69.5% career completion percentage) and plenty of experience (43 starts). Scouts are extremely impressed with his overall acumen as a player. Plus, Beck has very good size (6-foot-5, 233 pounds) and handled the pressure of starting at two high-profile colleges. I believe he’ll go in the third round.

What did we learn from Indiana’s pro day Wednesday?

Yates: Quarterback Fernando Mendoza might as well start shopping for a home in Las Vegas, so what he did was not going to influence much. But a player who had something on the line was wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, whose excellent contested catch ability and chemistry with Mendoza shined this past season. Sarratt ran a 40, with scouts clocking him around 4.50 seconds. That time was good enough to further cement his case as a potential top-100 pick.

Miller: Cornerback D’Angelo Ponds also put an exclamation mark on a fantastic collegiate career, as he was timed at 4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash by scouts in attendance. Ponds is the best nickelback in the class and ranks inside my top 50 prospects. He lacks prototypical NFL size (5-foot-9, 182 pounds), but he’s explosive with a 43½-inch vertical jump that more than makes up for his height.

Which team is most likely to trade down in Round 1?

Miller: The Buffalo Bills. Finding a partner willing to move into Round 1 might be as difficult as predicting which team will move out. It’s expected that teams will not give up too much 2027 capital based on the strength of next year’s class. That makes me think it’ll be a “win-now” team willing to jump out of Round 1. Buffalo GM Brandon Beane has long been a fan of moving down on draft day. And with just three picks in first four rounds, the Bills could benefit from adding draft capital.

Yates: The Seattle Seahawks. To be clear, my assessment of who is most likely is based off what I believe is logical; no team has revealed its intentions to move up or down in the draft. But the Seahawks are a sensible pick for two obvious reasons. They enter the draft with a league-low four selections and can offer the 32nd pick to another team that wants to secure a fifth year of contract control for a prospect.

Call it now: How many first-round edge rushers will we see?

Miller: Five, maybe six if you classify Ohio State’s Arvell Reese as an edge rusher. I believe Reese, David Bailey (Texas Tech), Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) and Keldric Faulk (Auburn) are locks. Then, Akheem Mesidor (Miami) and Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) are likely to go in the first round, too.

But would it be a surprise to see as many as nine edge rushers? Not in this class. There is a lack of top prospects at other premium positions and a need for rotational pass rushers in the NFL, especially from playoff teams selecting in the back end of the round. R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma), Zion Young (Missouri) and T.J. Parker (Clemson) could all sneak in.

How about the number of first-round offensive tackles?

Yates: Six, though a seventh is possible. The six I believe are the strongest first-round candidates: Francis Mauigoa (Miami), Spencer Fano (Utah), Monroe Freeling (Georgia), Kadyn Proctor (Alabama), Caleb Lomu (Utah) and Blake Miller (Clemson). But Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor is right there as well. The intriguing part about this class is that stacking these tackles is so dependent upon scheme and which traits a team most values.

And what about the number of first-round wide receivers?

Miller: Five. We know about Makai Lemon (USC), Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) and Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana), but there’s a strong case for a fifth receiver in the final eight picks. Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion is the best candidate for that, thanks to his run-after-catch ability and pure speed. Teams like Buffalo, San Francisco, Kansas City or Miami could all be potential landing spots.

What else did you hear and see this week?

Miller’s notes:

• One player trending in the wrong direction leading up to the draft is Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson. In reviewing my grades with a handful of scouts, many remarked that Tyson’s hamstring injury and lack of predraft workouts could cause him to slide to the back half of the first round. Three scouts told me that Tyson ranks as the No. 4 receiver on their internal boards. He is scheduled to do positional work for NFL teams on April 17.

Yates’ notes:

• While there might not be a true center taken in the first two rounds, there is strong depth at the position. A name with plenty of intrigue around the NFL is Texas A&M’s Trey Zuhn III. He played more than 3,000 snaps at left tackle, with just 124 at center (all in 2025). Zuhn has strong foot quickness and would be one of the tallest centers in the NFL at nearly 6-foot-7. I have an early Day 3 grade on him.

• This defensive tackle class lacks a guaranteed top-20 pick, but it offers a good blend of archetypes at the position. Oklahoma’s Gracen Halton, Penn State’s Zane Durant and SE Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor are among those whose quickness gives them a chance to be impactful behind the line of scrimmage. But one name that comes up with scouts as a brick wall to defend the run is South Carolina’s Nick Barrett. He was excellent in 2025, posting 28 solo tackles, 14 run stuffs (tackles on runs for 0 or negative yards) and his first two career sacks. Barrett should go off the board on Day 3.