2026 NFL draft: Ranking the Top 50 remaining prospects entering Day 2
There are plenty of talented players left after an exciting first day of the NFL draft in Pittsburgh. Here are my top prospects available for Friday's second and third rounds:
1. T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson, Jr.
Parker’s counters can stall when first contact doesn't win, so he needs a better Plan B, but there's double-digit sack upside at the next level.
2. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee, Jr.
Before McCoy got hurt, he showed high-end ball production and sticky man-cover traits, and his pro-day testing reminded teams why the upside is so enticing.
3. Denzel Boston, WR, Washington, Jr.
Boston is a big-bodied, strong-handed, red-zone-friendly outside receiver with real production and better route nuance than a lot of receivers built like him.
4. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo, Sr.
McNeil-Warren, an All-American and Thorpe semifinalist, finished 2025 with 77 tackles, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and a pick-six, and his testing (9.01 RAS) was good enough to support the tape.
5. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech, Sr.
Over his final two seasons, Rodriguez piled up 255 tackles, 21½ tackles for loss, 10 forced fumbles, six sacks and five interceptions.
6. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson, Jr.
Terrell has mastered the "Peanut Punch" with eight forced fumbles the last two seasons. He also had three sacks last year.
7. Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M, Sr.
After making the leap from the MAC to the SEC, Howell earned the conference's Defensive Player of the Year last season with 14 tackles for loss and 11½ sacks (tied for seventh in the FBS).
8. Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee, So.
Hood is a fiery, aggressive press corner who features enough size, speed and physicality to make plays in a man-heavy scheme.
9. Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State, Jr.
McDonald is hard to uproot once he drops anchor. He'll hold the point and keep your linebackers clean.
10. Christen Miller, DT, Georgia, Jr.
Miller will be an impactful run defender on Day 1; it's easy to envision him eventually becoming a disruptive pass-rusher in the pros despite only producing four sacks in three seasons with the Bulldogs.
11. D'Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana, Jr.
Ponds is small, but so is a stick of dynamite. He is rarely out of position in zone or man coverage, and features elite athleticism, instincts and awareness.
12. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia, Jr.
Allen led the Bulldogs in tackles, tackles-for-loss and forced fumbles last season, earning first-team All-SEC and All-American recognition.
13. Zion Young, Edge, Missouri, Sr.
Young was a standout performer at the Senior Bowl, earning Defensive MVP honor in the actual game.
14. Bud Clark, S, TCU, Sr.
Clark is a former four-star recruit who became a four-year starter, three-time All-Big 12 honoree and two-time team captain for the Horned Frogs.
15. Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas, Jr.
Hill became a three-time All-American and Butkus Award finalist with 31½ tackles for loss, 17 sacks, eight forced fumbles and three interceptions in three seasons with the Longhorns.
16. Treydan Stukes, S, Arizona, Sr.
Stukes, a former walk-on, returned from an ACL tear to earn third-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 honors, then ripped off a 4.33 40-yard dash time with a 9.95 RAS at the combine.
17. Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt, Sr.
Stowers is a modern NFL tight end: matchup-driven, explosive (9.42 RAS), and production-proven.
18. Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina, Jr.
Cisse's stock received a boost after transferring from N.C. State and holding his own in the SEC.
19. R Mason Thomas, Edge, Oklahoma, Sr.
Thomas is strong, and flashes real edge bend with pressure ability when he gets a clean runway, which could be a nightmare for taller tackles.
20. Gabe Jacas, Edge, Illinois, Sr.
Jacas has a masters in leverage. He's ruggedly strong and wins with effort and brute physicality.
21. Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama, Sr.
Bernard features inside-outside flexibility and a polished, usable all-around game. He's one of the best blocking receivers in this class and was productive on wildcat, jet sweeps, motions and screens throughout his college career.
22. Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech, Sr.
The "space-eater" is one of the premier run-stuffers in this draft class, anchoring a Red Raiders' run defense that ranked first nationally.
23. Chris Bell, WR, Louisville, Sr.
Bell earned first-team All-ACC honors after posting 72 receptions for 917 yards and six touchdowns before suffering a torn ACL in Louisville's loss at SMU.
24. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State, Sr.
Dennis-Sutton looks like a base end, plays like a power rusher, and tested like a guy who can actually survive in space when the NFL asks him to do more than just squeeze the C-gap.
25. Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M, Jr.
Bisontis' pass-protection profile doesn't need a publicist, but his ceiling depends on how much nastier and more consistent the run-blocking becomes.
26. Keith Abney II, CB, Arizona State, Jr.
Abney was a two-year starter for the Sun Devils, producing 21 passes defensed, five interceptions and two forced fumbles over his last two seasons.
27. Logan Jones, C, Iowa, Sr.
The awards stack (Rimington + unanimous All-American) plus the Combine (9.63 RAS) will make Jones extremely hard to pass on once the board hits the top-75 range.
28. Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh, Jr.
Louis tested like a twitchy hybrid with a 4.53-second 40 time, 39½-inch vertical, 10-foot-9 broad jump and 6.97 three-cone at the combine (8.83 RAS).
29. Keionte Scott, CB, Miami, Sr.
Scott is a nickel defender with edge-rusher wiring. He posted 64 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions for the Hurricanes in 2025.
30. Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma, Sr.
Halton, a former four-star recruit, racked up 33 tackles, 7 tackles-for-loss and 3½ sacks in 2025, added a fumble-return touchdown, earned second-team All-SEC honors and was named a team captain his senior season.
31. Skyler Bell, WR, Connecticut, Sr.
Bell caught 101 passes for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025, was a Biletnikoff finalist, and became the Huskies' first consensus All-American before backing it up with an official 4.40 40 in Indy (9.83 RAS).
32. De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss, Sr.
Stribling is a smooth-moving vertical target with long strides, above-the-rim ability and verified speed after running 4.36 in Indy.
33. Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson, Jr.
Williams is a high-volume slot option with NFL separation skills, real ball toughness, and verified speed (8.58 RAS).
34. Derrick Moore, Edge, Michigan, Sr.
Moore improved each year in Ann Arbor, and finished with 21 sacks, the eighth most in school history.
35. Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke, Sr.
Rivers is a smart, physical, ball-aware corner who wins with anticipation and competitiveness.
36. Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas, Sr.
Washington is built like a bruiser, but timed like a track guy in Indianapolis. He aced the combine with a 4.33 40 and a 1.51 10-yard split (fastest among RBs; tied for 8th overall among all positions).
37. Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia, Jr.
Branch is a twitchy, explosive (9.12 RAS), space-destroying playmaker who wins with speed, suddenness, and return-game electricity.
38. A.J. Haulcy, S, LSU, Sr.
Haulcy's the kind of defender who makes your defense tougher and your quarterbacks in practice more careful.
39. Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame, Sr.
Fields isn't the class' twitchiest separator, but he's the kind of big, trustworthy target quarterbacks love in tight windows.
40. Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana, Sr.
Sarratt was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree after leading the Hoosiers in receiving both seasons and a team captain during their undefeated run to a national championship.
41. Romello Height, Edge, Texas Tech, Sr.
Height formed a dynamic pass-rush duo with fellow transfer David Bailey, and posted 62 QB pressures in 2025, which was second in the Big 12 (behind Bailey) and seventh in the FBS.
42. Chris Brazzell II, WR, Tennessee, Jr.
Brazzell finished 2025 with 62 receptions for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns, then validated the traits with a 4.37 40 in Indy.
43. Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon, Sr.
Pregnon, a first-team All-American and two-time All-Big Ten honoree, hasn't allowed a sack in three seasons and only allowed two hurries last year.
44. Jaishawn Barham, Edge, Michigan, Sr.
Barham’s hand usage and rush feel are behind, but the range, movement ability (8.82 RAS) and upside as a multipurpose front-seven chess piece in a creative scheme is obvious.
45. Domonique Orange, DT, Iowa State, Sr.
The NFL sell is simple for the "Big Citrus": elite run defender, two-down tone-setter, odd-front friendly.
46. Jake Slaughter, C, Florida, Sr.
Slaughter is smart, steady, athletic (9.97 RAS) and polished in pass protection.
47. Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma, Sr.
Burks' production never matched the promise, but he helped himself in Indianapolis by confirming his explosive traits on tape.
48. Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas, Jr.
Muhammad earned second-team All-SEC honors last season, then tested cleanly with a 4.42 40, 1.51 split, 39-inch vertical and 10-foot-10 broad jump (9.51 RAS).
49. Keyron Crawford, Edge, Auburn, Sr.
The Arkansas State transfer produced a pressure rate of 17.8% in 2025 (12th in the FBS).
50. Gennings Dunker, T, Iowa, Sr.
Dunker is a powerful, nasty, Iowa-forged O-lineman who wins with brute force and leverage.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 8:52 PM.