Sports

4 Things to Watch on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft

By Luke Easterling Athlon Sports

The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft was a whirlwind, with tons of trades and some surprise picks that turned just about every mock draft upside-down.

Now that the dust has settled from the first 32 picks, it's time to look ahead to Day 2, as teams continue to build out the young depth of their rosters throughout the second and third rounds.

Here are four things to watch as we get ready for Friday's action from Pittsburgh:

Who's the Next QB?

Thursday night featured one foregone conclusion at quarterback (Indiana's Fernando Mendoza to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 1 overall), and one massive surprise (Alabama's Ty Simpson to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 13 overall).

But who will be the next one off the board?

Most evaluators expected Mendoza and Simpson to be the first two signal-callers selected, but it's anyone's guess who the next one will be. Miami's Carson Beck brings a ton of starting experience to the table against top competition, as does LSU's Garrett Nussmeier. Penn State's Drew Allar is coming off a season-ending injury, but has intriguing physical tools that could entice a team at some point on Day 2. Arkansas' Taylen Green has the most upside of any quarterback in the entire draft due to his rare physical traits and athleticism, which could make a strong case for him as QB3 in this class.

Teams with a clear need at quarterback heading into Day 2 include the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Getting Defensive

Every year, there's tons of high-end talent that falls through the cracks of the first round and remains on the board as the second round kicks off.

This year, the majority of the top prospects available after the top 32 picks are on defense.

Based on my overall board, 13 of the 14 best prospects still on the board after the first round are on that side of the ball. Teams looking for help at cornerback should be particularly happy about this development, as five of those 13 players are corner prospects.

Related: Best Available Players for Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft

Tennessee's corner tandem of Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood is still available, as is one of this year's top safety prospects, Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. There's plenty of talent still available at linebacker (Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez, Georgia's CJ Allen, Texas' Anthony Hill Jr.), and the depth of the edge defender class continues to show up on the updated board. Teams in need of a run-stuffing nose tackle still have top options like Ohio State's Kayden McDonald and Texas Tech's Lee Hunter to consider.

The lone offensive player in that group of 14? Washington WR Denzel Boston, who should have been an easy first-round pick.

Boom or Bust

Speaking of McCoy, the talented Vols cover man was one of the biggest wild-card prospects heading into this year's draft.

His 2024 tape was elite, showing a dynamic playmaker with impressive athleticism and ball skills, and a knack for making splash plays when opposing quarterbacks dared test his side of the field. But a torn ACL last January cost him the entire 2025 season, and he only recently got back on the field for a predraft workout to try and show NFL teams he'll be ready to roll as a rookie.

But long-term concerns over his durability clearly had a massive impact on his draft stock across the league, as he remains on the board heading into Day 2. Based on film study, athletic traits, and potential, McCoy was a top-10 player on my board (No. 9 overall), but this just shows how heavily the medical side of things can influence team decisions on draft weekend.

Michigan CB Will Johnson experienced a similar fall in last year's NFL Draft, despite being a consensus top-10 talent. The Cardinals snatched him up early in the second round, and it's likely McCoy will have a similarly short wait Friday night before he lands with his new team.

Just like Johnson, McCoy will be eager to prove that he can stay healthy at the next level, and reward the team that gambles on his talent by living up to the hype and providing one of the biggest steals of the entire class.

Louisville WR Chris Bell is another top prospect who could have been a potential first-round pick if not for a torn ACL he suffered last season, and he could also prove to be a Day 2 bargain thanks to his impressive blend of size, speed and athleticism.

Undersized corners like Clemson's Avieon Terrell and Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds will be out to prove they should have been first-rounders despite their limited measurements, while smaller edge rushers such as Texas A&M's Cashius Howell and Oklahoma's R Mason Thomas will hope to do the same.

Welcome to the Party

Heading into Thursday night, there were already six teams that didn't own a first-round pick, thanks to previous trades. Thanks to a handful of on-the-clock deals, that list has now grown to eight.

Here are the teams who are now scheduled to make their first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft at some point on Day 2:

49ers traded back twice from their original spot at No. 27 overall until they were out of the first round entirely, just the Bills are after trading down three times from the No. 26 slot.

The Bengals dealt the No. 10 overall pick to the New York Giants for DL Dexter Lawrence, while the Colts sent their first-rounder this year (and next year) to the Jets in last year's deal for CB Sauce Gardner. The Falcons parted with their top pick this year (sending it to the Rams) in order to get back into the first round last year for DE James Pearce Jr., and the Packers also sent away their first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 to the Dallas Cowboys for OLB Micah Parsons last season.

The Jaguars' first-rounder this year was part of the haul they sent to the Cleveland Browns in last year's draft-day trade to move up for WR/CB Travis Hunter at the No. 2 overall selection, while the Broncos recently dealt the No. 30 overall pick in this year's draft (among others) to the Miami Dolphins for WR Jaylen Waddle.

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 4:01 AM.

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