We are heading into the home stretch ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
And the rumors are heating up.
In today’s installment of the rumor roundup we are looking at the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys, Jeremiyah Love, Carnell Tate, and much more.
NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah held his annual pre-draft conference all on Tuesday, and offered several tasty nuggets for assembled media members.
One of those is that the Pittsburgh Steelers might be thinking wide receiver first round, even after adding Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason to pair with DK Metcalf. A potential target for Pittsburgh in the first round?
“That would give them three giants out there,” Jeremiah said.
If the Steelers forgo a WR in the first round, Alabama’s. Germie Bernard, Georgia State’s Ted Hurst, and Mississippi’s De’Zhaun Stribling are other options for the Steelers.
Washington the floor for Jeremiyah Love?
The Tennessee Titans have become a popular landing spot for Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in mock drafts.
But if Love somehow slides past Tennessee at No. 4, do not expect him to slide too far.
Speaking on Get Up Tuesday morning, NFL Insider Adam Schefter identified the Washington Commanders at No. 7 as the likely floor for Love in the first round:
“Feels like the floor, the floor is #7 and the Washington Commanders … Washington makes the most sense. Washington is sitting there waiting to see whether one of these other teams makes the plunge on a RB.”
The complicating factor might be the fact that Washington enters the 2026 NFL Draft with just six selections, and following their pick at No. 7 they are not on the clock again until pick No. 71, the seventh pick of the third round. The Commanders are one of the teams discussed as a trade-down candidate, to add additional draft capital between those two selections.
But if Love is available, additional draft capital might have to wait.
Has Carnell Tate sealed his Browns fate?
In mock drafts, sending Carnell Tate to the Cleveland Browns at No. 6 is a somewhat popular selection. The Browns are expected to come away with both a wide receiver and an offensive tackle in the first round, and keeping an Ohio State product in Ohio certainly makes a lot of sense.
But has Tate already sealed a non-Browns fate?
As noted by our own Jared Mueller at Dawgs by Nature, Tate did not complete a full testing profile during the pre-draft process, opting just to run the 40-yard dash. And while that came in at 4.53 seconds, that incomplete athletic profile could be enough for Cleveland to pass on Tate.
As they apparently did with Tetairoa McMillan a year ago:
That could open the door for Cleveland to address offensive tackle at No. 6 — if they stay in that spot — and then WR later in the first round.
Cowboys trying to jump the Giants?
The past few weeks have seen significant chatter that the Dallas Cowboys are one of the few teams looking to trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft, with the team linked to a potential move to No. 6 in a deal with the Cleveland Browns. That would get the Cowboys ahead of one of their long-time rivals, the Washington Commanders at No. 7.
But is Jerry Jones trying to get ahead of a different NFC East rival, the New York Giants at No. 5?
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz — who has already made the case that several trades could happen when the draft begins — wrote on Tuesday that there is a growing belief that the Cowboys are moving up to target a player the Giants also have their eyes on:
There’s a belief among teams at the top of the draft that the #Cowboys, who have picks at #12 and #20, are a team to watch in trade-up scenarios, according to multiple league sources. Several teams have said they believe Dallas is targeting a player the Giants also covet, and getting ahead of them would be ideal if the price makes sense.
As for who that might be?
The Giants have been linked with Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 5, even since his command performance at the Combine.
But the Cowboys also have a pressing need at linebacker …
Ty Simpson remains a flash point as the 2026 NFL Draft approaches. This discussion kicked into gear when ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky made the case that the Alabama quarterback was QB1 in his eyes, and has continued to simmer in the days leading up to the draft.
With the New York Jets holding a pair of picks in the first round — No. 2 and No. 16 — they are considered one potential landing spot for the Alabama passer. But during his pre-draft conference call, Daniel Jeremiah poured some cold water on that idea:
As far as what the Jets might do, Jeremiah joined the chorus of insiders who believe New York will opt for Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey with that second pick. While Arvell Reese was an early favorite for the Jets at No. 2, Jeremiah believes there is “less projection” with Bailey, who has always played on the edge in college while Reese has seen time at both off-ball linebacker, and on the edge:
However, Steelers might not
We head back to Pittsburgh for our next snippet.
Could the Steelers address their quarterback room in this draft, perhaps with a trade back into the first round?
Pittsburgh enters the 2026 NFL Draft with 12 selections, the most of any team. And that trove of draft capital could make the Steelers one of the teams willing to trade back into the first round … perhaps for Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
“I’ve heard they do like Ty Simpson,” Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports said to Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday. “I would not be surprised if they package some of those Day 2 picks to get back up into the first round to get Ty (Simpson) at the bottom of round one if he’s still there.”
The Steelers currently have a pick in the second round (No. 53) and three picks in the third round (No. 76, No. 85, and No. 99). Pittsburgh also has a pair of fourth-round selections at No. 121 and No. 135.
If the Steelers wanted to get back into the first round — using the Seattle Seahawks at No. 32 as a reference point — then, according to this Draft Trade Value Chart, their picks at 53, 85, and 121 could be enough.
Todd McShay predicts several trades
Todd McShay’s latest mock draft is filled with several surprises.
Including a bevy of trades in the first round.
The NFL analyst has the New Orleans Saints moving up in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to get to No. 3 for Arvell Reese, the Cowboys coming up to No. 6 in a deal with the Cleveland Browns for Sonny Styles, the Jets coming up to No. 7 from No. 16 in a deal with the Washington Commanders for Carnell Tate, the Chicago Bears moving up a few spots in a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers to draft safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 22 and the Cardinals moving back into the first round to select Ty Simpson at No. 30.
McShay’s latest mock is worth a full look, but if this is what we can expect in the first round, buckle up.
