11 Bold Predictions: 2026 NFL Draft (Fantasy Football)

The 2026 NFL Draft is where things get interesting for fantasy football. This week, our Featured Pros are all about stepping outside the safe picks and leaning into bold calls that could shape your drafts. Our experts are predicting surprise selections, trades, and landing spots that could send fantasy values soaring. If you want to be proactive rather than reactive, this is the place to start.

Bold Predictions: 2026 NFL Draft (Fantasy Football)

What is your boldest (but semi-plausible) prediction for the NFL Draft?

Jeremiyah Love (RB)

“Jeremiyah Love, arguably the top offensive prospect in this draft, will not fall to the Washington Commanders with the 7th overall pick. While I think Arizona is live to draft him, they’re also live to posture for what should be a much better draft class in 2027. Washington is not going to let Love fall to the Titans or Giants and instead sends Arizona a haul to move up 4 spots and lock in their RB of the future. The WR class is deep this year, which is one of Washington’s more glaring needs, but they should be able to find some solid day 2-3 WR talent to fill those gaps (or sign Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk for funsies).”
– Avery Thrasher (The Branded Sports)

Zachariah Branch (WR)

“Even though most people have Zachariah Branch as a 3rd-rounder, he will sneak into the 1st round. He profiles to me as a better prospect than Xavier Worthy or Hollywood Brown and has the elite speed that teams will want. His skill set is being underrated, and he is more refined than people give him credit for. On top of being drafted high, he will be a Pro Bowler by year 3. Branch is WR4 overall for me this year.”
– Justin Weigal (FantasySharks)

Dallas Cowboys

“The worst-kept secret in the world is the Dallas Cowboys’ desire to move up for a difference maker on defense. Thursday night, they’ll find a way to do it by way of the Arizona Cardinals. Dallas will send a package containing picks 12 and 20 to Arizona for the 3rd overall pick in order to get ahead of two division rivals, the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants, to select LB Sonny Styles out of The Ohio State University. This will then give Arizona, perhaps a two-part bold prediction here, the ammunition required to select QB Ty Simpson at some point in Round 1, giving them the elusive 5th-year option on his eventual rookie deal.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)

“The Dallas Cowboys trade into the top six to select an Ohio State defender. Jerry Jones loves creating a splash and making himself and his team the highlight of any major event. More importantly, Dallas has done their homework on Arvell Reese, Sony Styles, and Caleb Downs. Unfortunately for them, none of the three will likely be available when the Cowboys make their first pick at 12th overall. The Arizona Cardinals, at third overall, want to move back and could take picks 12 and 20 from Dallas, allowing them to select Reese. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns at six are open to trading back to get a better value on an offensive tackle. Could they agree to swap picks six and 39 for 12 and 20 so the Cowboys can get ahead of the Washington Commanders for Styles or Downs? The last time Jones traded up in the first round of the NFL Draft was 2012, going from 14th to sixth overall to select Morris Claiborne. No one should be shocked if the Cowboys steal Day 1 of the NFL Draft and make a splashy move to secure a blue-chip former Buckeyes defender.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

Offensive Linemen

“No offensive linemen will be drafted in the top 10 picks for the first time since 2016. Across the board, this class is not the strongest, especially at offensive linemen. The top 10 will be a combination of elite linebackers, Mansoor Delane, Caleb Downs, Jeremiyah Love, multiple quality receivers, and elite pass rushers. As for O-line, Spencer Fano is the top prospect, but he lacks the size to be a top-end talent. The other player to watch is Francis Mauigao, who is arguably a better all-around prospect and more physical. Either way, these two may be waiting until after the top 10 picks to hear their name called.”
– Ellis Johnson (FantasyPros)

Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL)

“Kyle Pitts gets traded during the draft. The Falcons’ new GM, Ian Cunningham, has made it clear that this will be the last season they have so few draft picks. The Falcons franchise-tagged Pitts and have shown they aren’t tied to players who were drafted and signed under the previous regime, already cutting Darnell Mooney and trading away Ruke Orhorhoro this offseason. If the price is right, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pitts playing elsewhere next season, and David Njoku, who played under Stefanski in Cleveland, just so happens to still be a free agent.”
– Nick Penticoff (Fantasy Football Astronauts)

Dillon Thieneman (S)

“It’s Christmas time for 32 NFL fan bases, and on Thursday night, they finally get to see what’s under the tree. No more hints, no more guessing, we finally get to see what the NFL has in store for us. But just like at Christmas, there is always that one surprise gift, and in the 2026 NFL Draft, that gift may come from the Los Angeles Rams when they select Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 13 overall. Most mocks have the Rams taking a wide receiver to pair with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams or an offensive tackle to beef up their front after Rob Havenstein’s retirement. Names like Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson, and Monroe Freeling keep appearing for good reason. But what I’ve heard from my scouting contacts is that the player the Rams are absolutely enamored with is Thieneman. At 6’0″, 201 pounds, he ran a 4.35 forty and posted a 41-inch vertical at the Combine. On tape, he’s one of the most productive and versatile safeties in the class: over 300 career tackles, including 92 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 INTs, and 5 PBUs in 2025 at Oregon. He played deep, nickel, robber, and run support without missing a beat. He’s a confident, downhill striker with a nose for the football and the football IQ to wear the green dot as a rookie. The Rams have already upgraded the corner room with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Thieneman would be the missing eraser on the back end, a flexible chess piece next to Quentin Lake, who lets them mix coverages week to week. It’s clear that Les Snead and Sean McVay think the reason why they were not Super Bowl champs last year came down to the secondary, and they will not make that mistake again. This regime has routinely drafted the best player available when the grade is clear, even if it breaks consensus. With the wide receiver depth in this class, they can wait on that need. If Thieneman is there at 13, don’t be shocked when the card comes in. It would be the 2026 version of the Michael Penix surprise; unexpected, and sending a ripple effect through the entirety of the draft.”
– James Emrick-Wilson (The Armchair Sports Corner)

Ty Simpson (QB)

“Ty Simpson will be a mid-1st round pick! In the NFL, the quarterback is king. It is the most important position in professional sports and can make or break a team. Matthew Stafford is in his last year(s), and the Los Angeles Rams have a championship-caliber roster and coaching staff. They need to address the quarterback’s future in the next year, and getting Simpson with their 13th pick in the first round would get them a player who can learn from Stafford, has higher-level experience having started at an SEC school, and allows them the 5th year option with an affordable quarterback for the next few years.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)

“The New York Jets trade back into the first round to draft Ty Simpson. The New York Jets’ quarterback room is Geno Smith, Brady Cook, and Bailey Zappe. Their coach, Aaron Glenn, is already on the hot seat. They have four picks in the first 44, including that valuable 33rd overall pick that they could use with one of their fourth-round picks or players to move back into the first and select Alabama Crimson Tide QB, Ty Simpson. While Simpson isn’t quite the prospect as Indiana Hooisers QB Fernando Mendoza, he was making some legit NFL throws and plays with his legs before he got sick and injured late in the season. With the Jets’ front office and coaching staff wanting to preserve their job, I think they make the surprising move to get a third first-round selection to ensure they acquire Simpson ahead of the betting favorite to land him, the Arizona Cardinals.”
– Seth Woolcock (FantasyPros)

Green Bay Packers

“The Green Bay Packers are currently sidelined in the first round after the Micah Parsons trade, but I don’t expect them to stay quiet for long. With the Chiefs, Jets, and Browns all sitting on multiple first-round picks, there is plenty of capital available for a team looking to get aggressive. My bold prediction is that the Packers trade back into the late first round to snag a top-tier cornerback like Avieon Terrell or Colton Hood before the talent at the position evaporates. This secondary class is notoriously top-heavy, and Green Bay simply can’t afford to wait until pick #52 while the “blue-chip” defenders disappear from the board. For a team in a clear “win-now” window, it’s a calculated move to secure a championship-level defense while they have the chance.”
– Lawrence Iacona (Gridiron Experts)

Omar Cooper Jr. (WR)

“From the BettingPros Discord – “That Omar Cooper longshot is the most degen pick I’ve seen this draft season bro” – Seth Woolcock. My BOLDEST prediction for the NFL Draft is that Indiana’s WR Omar Cooper Jr. will be a top-10 pick. Nobody would be surprised if we saw up to three WRs drafted inside the top-10, given we already have two near locks (Carnell Tate/Jordyn Tyson) based on the current betting odds. The Giants, Browns, Commanders, and Saints could all potentially draft WRs in Round 1. Cooper has met with half the teams selecting inside the top-10 (Browns, Jets, Commanders, Saints, Titans, etc.). NFL scouts/teams seem higher on him than the consensus. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has mentioned that some teams have Cooper as their No. 2-ranked WR. He is an explosive YAC generator that NFL offenses are building around. Got it at 50-1.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Minnesota Vikings

“The Vikings do not draft a safety in the first round. Instead, they target a defensive end or defensive tackle. Safety has been the chalk pick for Minnesota all draft season, but they also have glaring needs at edge and defensive tackle that still need to be addressed. It’s also possible that Harrison Smith returns for the 2026 season.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)

Los Angeles Rams

“At the time of this writing (Wednesday, 1:41 a.m.), one rumor picking up steam involves the Rams, who are reportedly looking to trade into the top ten for a WR, potentially Jordyn Tyson. It makes sense. The Rams are all-in and need depth and an eventual replacement for veteran Davante Adams. The domino effect could cause Maikai Lemon to slip a little, potentially to a team like the Steelers. On another note, the word on the street is that CB Jermod McCoy‘s medicals came back worse than feared. He could be red-flagged by teams and fall out of the first round entirely.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)