Welcome to the NFL DRAFT edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
It's finally here! The 91st annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting is upon us. Sure, most people call it the NFL Draft, but I'm a purist, so I'm going to call it by its formal name. Actually, being a purist isn't all its cracked up to be, so I'm just going to call it the NFL Draft like a normal person.
With the draft just hours away, we're going all draft in the newsletter: We've got Ryan Wilson's final mock draft, we've got some bold predictions and we're going to give you some best bets. Yes, you can bet on the draft.
If you're wondering when the draft actually starts tonight, we have you covered with the full details here (The short explanation: It kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network).
If you won't be around a TV tonight, you can keep track of every pick that's being made by using our CBS Sports Draft tracker. It will show you the team that's on the clock plus what position needs that team currently has, and it also has a list of the best available players that updates each time someone gets drafted.
If you want to check out all the draft coverage we've produced this offseason at CBS Sports, feel free to click here. We've also got Jonathan Jones' final insider notebook with the latest news rumors about the draft, which you can see here.
Finally, If you're hosting a draft party, remember that you must serve pierogies as a nod to the fact that the draft is in Pittsburgh.
As always, here's your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. Let's get to the fun.
Mike Vrabel won't be at the Patriots' facility for the final day of the NFL Draft. The Patriots head coach told ESPN on Wednesday night that he'll be entering counseling this weekend, and because of that, he'll be sitting out Day 3 of the draft, which consists of Rounds 4 through 7.
If you want more details on Vrabel's situation, we've got the full story here.
Ryan Wilson has done so many mock drafts this offseason that I've completely lost count of how many he's done. If he told me the number was 279, I would believe him. I mean, I'm 90% sure Wilson hasn't seen his family in three months and if anyone from his family is reading, I just want you to know that he's OK and he'll be home on Sunday when the draft is over.
Anyway, Wilson just completed his final 2026 mock draft and we're going to reveal the top half of it right now. Let's check out the top-15 picks:
1. Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)2. Jets: EDGE David Bailey (Texas Tech) 3. Cardinals: RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) 4. Titans: EDGE Arvell Reese (Ohio State)5. Giants: WR Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State)6. Browns: OL Spencer Fano (Utah) 7. Commanders: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami)8. Saints: WR Carnell Tate (Ohio State)9. Chiefs: OT Francis Mauigoa (Miami) 10. Giants (via Bengals): LB Sonny Styles (Ohio State) 11. Dolphins: CB Mansoor Delane (LSU) 12. Cowboys: S Caleb Downs (Ohio State) 13. Rams (via Falcons): WR Makai Lemon (USC)14. Ravens: IOL Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State)15. Buccaneers: EDGE Akheem Mesidor (Miami)
If you want to see how the rest of the first round plays out and, trust me, you do, then you're going to want to click here. If you feel like Ryan Wilson hates your favorite team and you'd rather read someone else's mock draft, then you can click here to check out Pete Prisco's final mock. We also have Mike Renner's final mock draft, and you can see that here.
For full draft coverage over the next three days, be sure to listen to Wilson on "With the First Pick," our year-round NFL Draft podcast here at CBS Sports.
After Fernando Mendoza gets taken with the first overall pick, no one really seems to know what's going to happen in this draft. Personally, I am fully expecting the draft to go off the rails tonight. With that in mind, I decided to come up with several bold predictions for the draft.
1. Jets make two top-10 picks. The Jets have four of the first 44 picks, so they certainly have the ammo to make a big trade and that's exactly what I have them doing. With this prediction, I have them trading up from 16th overall to seventh overall in a deal with the Commanders. The Jets then land Jordyn Tyson to go along with David Bailey at second overall.
2. Chiefs trade into top five. In this prediction, the Chiefs end up making a trade with the Cardinals to move up to third overall. The Chiefs, who need to make sure they get some pass-rushing help in this draft, use their new pick to take either David Bailey or Arvell Reese. With the Jets expected to take one of those two players at second overall, the Chiefs grab the guy that falls to them at third.
3. Rams make bold trade up to sixth overall. The Rams tried to make a trade for A.J. Brown this offseason, but that didn't work out. There's a good chance that Les Snead will still be looking to get a receiver, which is why I have the Rams trading up to sixth overall in a deal with the Browns.
I've got a few more bold predictions and you can check out my full list here.