Who Is The 2026 NFL Draft’s RB2?
Last year’s draft saw six running backs taken in the first two days, including two first-rounders. 2024 didn’t see a rusher selected until the midpoint of the second round. 2023 showed the same output as 2025, and like 2024, the 2022 draft failed to see a first-round running back.
Now, we already know that the 2026 NFL Draft will not follow the even-year trend as Notre Dame sensation Jeremiyah Love is widely projected to become a top-five pick, but after him, who will be the second running back off the board, and where will they be taken? Oddly, enough, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Love’s backfield running mate Jadarian Price is considered by many teams to be the RB2 in this year’s draft class, meaning the Fighting Irish could put out the first two rushers in the draft.
Unfairly forced to play second fiddle to Love all three years of his time in college, Price still made a name for himself, rushing for 1,692 yards and 21 touchdowns over his three years in South Bend, averaging six yards per carry over the course of his career. Scouts saw Price maintain that maximum efficiency while operating on only 6.8 carries per game, keeping his legs much fresher than those of Love. Price operates by vision with patience for developing holes in the offensive line. He has impressive acceleration once he finds his outlet and runs with impressive balance and body control.
Price was certainly impressive in limited time, but NFL teams do not have film on him in extended use. His change of direction doesn’t look necessarily smooth, and his patience behind the line can sometimes leave him over-reliant on bouncing outside. He also benefitted massively from the impressive Notre Dame line in front of him, but he may struggle if his NFL line doesn’t create lanes consistently. Additionally, despite the short sample size, Price showed lots of room for improvement in ball security.
Arkansas’s Mike Washington Jr. is widely seen as the RB3 of the class behind Love and Price. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks Price as the 39th-best overall prospect, Dane Brugler of The Athletic slots him in at 51st overall, and Todd McShay of The Ringer puts Price at 69th. Washington doesn’t appear in Jeremiah’s top 50 but ranks 85th on Brugler’s list and 96th on McShay’s. If rankings determined draft order, this would slot Price in the mid- to late-second round and Washington solidly in the third.
Interestingly, though, when a draft is so thin on prospects at a single position, it can price that position at a premium, inflating the stock of some lower-ranked prospects. Because of that possible effect, there’s a sense that Price could potentially find his way into the first round. Once Price’s name is called, the position could see a run of selections by teams eager to add fresh legs to their room.
Prospect Profile: Keionte Scott
The University of Miami (FL) saw its formidable pair of pass rushers fly up draft boards in its run through the College Football Playoffs, and Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor — the Hurricanes’ two highest-rated defenders, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) — are projected Day 1 picks as a result. Miami’s third highest-rated defender has also flown up draft boards recently as nickelback Keionte Scott looks to begin his NFL career.
An unranked recruit out of Helix HS (CA), Scott turned to junior college to continue his football career. Twice earning JuCo All-American honors and getting named a team captain in his second year at Snow College, Scott committed to Auburn as a JuCo recruit. Working primarily in the slot, Scott showed immediate promise with the Tigers. His contributions came all over the field as he registered 53 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, and four passes defensed. He showed more of the same in 2023, though some injury trouble limited his time and production a bit.
After initial rumors that Scott may transfer, he announced he would return for a third year at Auburn, but injuries limited him severely throughout the year, and he officially entered the transfer portal in 2025. After initially transferring to Houston, Scott quickly re-entered the transfer portal and found his way to Coral Gables. Healthy again, Scott not only returned to the promising levels of play from his early time at Auburn but also took his play to another level for the Hurricanes.
In his lone year at Miami, Scott looked dominant for the Hurricanes early and often. Roaming around in his nickelback role, he made plays all over the field, recording 37 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, a pick six, four passes defensed, and a forced fumble in the Canes’ first nine games. It was announced that Scott would miss the rest of the season with a right foot injury, but when the Miami extended its season by sneaking into the College Football Playoff, the extra weeks of rest allowed him to return for the team’s run to the National Championship. The impact of his return to the field was immediately felt in College Station, where he tortured the Aggies with three tackles for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble. In the next round, Scott made the play of the game against Ohio State when he returned an attempted screen pass 72 yards for his second pick six of the year.
There’s a lot to like about Scott’s game because its versatility offers so much. His all gas, no brakes playing style guarantees some flashy playmaking where he may blitz out of the slot, blow up runs or screens behind the line of scrimmage, or ambush screen passes. At the Miami Pro Day, that all gas speed was clocked at an unofficial 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He finds success with such aggressive play due to elite instincts and quickness. His energy and tenacity help him play much bigger than his size as he disrupts in the box like a linebacker and tackles with pop when he can square up.
As a traditional cornerback, Scott is not as strong in man coverage, though he can still generally stick with guys. He can also struggle in contesting catches with taller, longer receivers. After two years of JuCo and four in the NCAA, Scott will be an older rookie at 25 years old, and his injury history is certainly worth keeping in mind. I’m not quite sure what this says for him, but his three-game absence after a season-ending diagnosis this year was not a first. In his second year at Auburn, Scott required tightrope surgery for a high right ankle sprain but somehow only missed three games after a speedy recovery.
After his recent rise in draft stock, Scott has been projected as high as the second round, though age, injury, and limited usability could certainly cause him to slip into the third or fourth round. At the moment, though, his stock is hot as Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network ranks him as the 44th-best overall prospect in the class. Dane Brugler of The Athletic slots Scott in at 53rd overall, and Todd McShay of The Ringer puts him at 52nd. Both Jeremiah and McShay list him as the seventh-best cornerback of the class, while Brugler classifies him as the fourth-best safety.
While Scott’s versatility likely won’t allow a team to stick him at outside cornerback or deep safety positions at length, it can allow him to excel in a very specific role. Last year, the Super Bowl champion Seahawks saw rookie second-round safety Nick Emmanwori excel in an extremely similar type of role as what Scott held in the Hurricanes’ defense. If there’s a team in the NFL looking for a player to fill that particular role, they could look to strike gold by selecting Scott sometime in the first two days of the draft.
CB Andre Chachere Announces Retirement
Finding longevity in the NFL at any level is an impressive feat. Doing so as an undrafted free agent out of college takes some serious determination. After seven years in the NFL, cornerback Andre Chachere failed to find his way onto a roster in 2025, and today he announced his decision to retire from the NFL.
Chachere came out of San Jose State, where he played almost exclusively on the outside as a cornerback. After seeing few snaps as a freshman, he found a consistent role coming off the bench in his sophomore year. His strongest season came in a breakout junior campaign that saw him intercept four passes, returning them for a total of 117 yards, and register 14 passes defensed as a full-time starter. His production dipped a bit in his final year, though, and Chachere went undrafted in 2018, initially signing with the Texans.
Patient and determined, Chachere didn’t make his NFL debut until his fourth year in the league. After failing to make the initial 53-man roster in Houston, he started the season on the Texans’ practice squad but ended up in Detroit, signing to the Lions’ taxi squad in mid November. He was briefly called up to the active roster as a rookie in Detroit but didn’t see any game time. After failing to make the Lions’ 53-man roster the next year, Chachere signed to the Cardinals’ practice squad, was released a month later, signed to the Panthers’ practice squad, then was signed off the Panthers’ p-squad to the Cardinals’ active roster, again failing to see any game time. After getting cut in the offseason, Chachere spent the 2020 season on the Colts’ practice squad.
Once again failing to make an initial 53-man roster, Chachere was claimed off waivers by the Eagles for the 2021 season. He finally made his way into an NFL game, initially serving mostly on special teams before earning his first career start in the final week of the regular season. He remained in Philadelphia in 2022, but after appearing in 16 games the prior year, he only saw action in seven games in his second season making it onto the field. Waived again in the offseason, Charchere was claimed off waivers by the Cardinals, marking his third stint with the team. In the most active season of his career, he found his way onto the field as a nickelback for the Cardinals, spending a good portion of his snaps back at safety, in the slot, and in the box after playing in college on the outside. Appearing in all 17 games that season, he made five starts.
Chachere failed to make one more 53-man roster the next year and signed to the Jaguars practice squad for less than a month before a fourth stint in Arizona on the practice squad. Chachere has made the decision to end his playing career with eyes on an unclear future. After working three full years before making his NFL debut and spending so much time on the waiver wire, he still found a way to make an impact for a short time on an NFL defense and lasted seven years in the league.
Miami T Francis Mauigoa Undergoing Imaging For Back Issue
APRIL 9: There were “no new issues or concerns” with Mauigoa’s medical recheck, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He has met with or visited several teams with top-10 picks, and with a clean bill of health, he will likely land in that range.
APRIL 8: While it’s still to be determined who the top offensive lineman taken in the 2026 NFL Draft will be, many of the same names are routinely included in consideration. One such player, Miami (Fla.) offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, will reportedly be present at Combine rechecks Friday to undergo testing for a minor back issue, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Arriving in Coral Gables as a consensus five-star recruit ranked as the second-best offensive tackle in the country, Mauigoa earned an immediate starting role with the Hurricanes at right tackle and started every game there from his true freshman season opener to the team’s National Championship Game loss in their home stadium a few months ago. Rapoport reports, though, that the 20-year-old is dealing with a disc issue that “caused him some discomfort late in the season.”
Enduring a streak of starts that lasted 42 games despite the potential back injury, Mauigoa has gone on to perform at his pro day without experiencing any of the discomfort that bothered him at the end of the year. Rapoport adds that a full professional consultation determined that Mauigoa is “not considered a candidate for immediate surgery.” Still, some teams have requested additional imaging to learn more about the issue, and with nothing to hide, Mauigoa has agreed to undergo the additional testing.
Rapoport followed up his initial report to relay that “the initial belief is that this will not cause” Mauigoa to fall in the draft. Field Yates of ESPN’s sources also seemed to indicate that Mauigoa’s draft stock has not been “affected much, if at all.” Both reporters caution, though, that teams interested in Mauigoa will continue to monitor the situation as they fashion their draft boards and prepare for draft night.
Assuming his draft stock remains untouched over the next three weeks, Mauigoa is expected to be a top-10 pick. He’s been projected throughout the top half of the Day 1 picks, mocked as high as No. 2 overall and as low as 14th overall. He’s in competition with Utah’s Spencer Fano, Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, and recently, Georgia’s Monroe Freeling for top lineman honors.
Prospect Profile: Monroe Freeling
Ever since about the midway point of the 2025-26 NCAA season, the same few names have been atop 2026 NFL Draft position rankings for offensive lineman. Though some questions have arisen over whether these players will be guards or tackles at the next level, Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, Utah’s Spencer Fano, and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor have repeatedly been projected as the first offensive linemen off the board in some order. In recent weeks, though, Monroe Freeling has started to test the boundary between those three and the rest of the draft class’s top linemen.
A member of the Class of 2023, Freeling was a top 10 offensive tackle recruit in the country, per 247Sports, receiving some five-star grades but not locking down a consensus five-star rating behind the likes of Proctor and Mauigoa. A gigantic prospect, it didn’t take long for Freeling to burst onto the recruiting scene.
Despite hiding out at Oceanside Collegiate Academy in South Carolina, Freeling received his first offers in his sophomore year, and they were big ones. His first offer came from the school he would eventually commit to, Georgia. Over the next few months several other big offers began to roll in. In the summer before his senior year, Freeling took official visits to Notre Dame, Florida, and Miami, as well as an unofficial visit (paid for on his own dime) to Alabama.
Committing to the Bulldogs in the final days of the summer, Freeling saved his final official visit for a trip to Athens in December. Two weeks later, he signed his letter of intent and enrolled about two more weeks after that. As the offensive line shuffled around pieces throughout his true freshman season, Freeling only saw the field in garbage time and special teams, appearing in nine contests and burning his redshirt. In his sophomore season, Freeling established a bigger role, starting the year as a core special teamer and coming off the bench as the Bulldogs’ primary swing tackle. Nine games into the season, he was asked to step in for a struggling, injured Earnest Greene III at left tackle, and he started the final five games of the season.
Freeling entered his junior year as the starting left tackle for Georgia, retaining the role from the end of his sophomore campaign. Despite earning that leading role, he was still very much an unfinished product. A high ankle sprain slowed him down a bit as the team got into SEC play, but he improved in each showing from week to week. Learning as he went, Freeling tended to rely heavily on his intelligence and physical gifts to make up for short-comings in his technique and abilities.
Those physical assets are a big reason he’s flown up draft boards lately. Ever since he started playing football, Freeling has worked hard to fill out his long, broad frame. He uses every inch of that frame to fill up space and absorb rushers. Unsurprising for a Georgia lineman, his biggest strengths are in the run game, where his burst off the ball gives him an early edge on moving defenders, and his raw power does a lot of work opening holes. That same quickness off the line gives him a good head start in pass pro, where he is alert and ready to defend against stunts and counters.
The longer plays go on, though, Freeling’s focus tends to slip. He can sometimes overextend himself in the run game, ending up on the ground a bit too often. Late in pass pro, he may stop moving his feet and get caught lunging at persistent, late rushers. He puts himself in good position when landing heavy hands on rushers, but when he goes too wide with his hands early and misses, defenders can have success getting into his body and using his high center of gravity to stand him up on his heels.
Overall, Freeling is a bit of a project but a quick, smart learner. He has elite size and excellent athleticism, but with only one full year of starting experience under his belt, any team drafting him will need to be prepared to put the finishing touches on him as an NFL tackle. Depending on whether or not a team feels confident in their ability to develop him, Freeling currently projects as a first-round prospect, improving on early second- to third-round projections. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network ranks Freeling as the 20th-best overall prospect and the fourth-best tackle, while Dane Brugler of The Athletic slots him at 17th overall and third for offensive tackles.
Freeling may fit best with a team that can afford to bring him up slowly into a starting role. If needed, though, Freeling’s time in Athens proved that he can succeed while learning on the job and could start right away, if needed. His elite physical traits will ensure he hears his name in the draft; the only question will be how early into the process it gets called.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/26
Here are today’s midweek minor transactions:
New York Jets
- Signed ERFA tender: LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Received roster exemption (international player): LB Julius Welschof
Going undrafted out of Indiana in 2022, McCrary-Ball will be back for his fourth year in New York. After serving solely on special teams in his first two years, McCrary-Ball saw some extended time on defense for the first time in his career last year.
Welschof has been with the Steelers since he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent two years ago out of Charlotte, where the German-born defender had transferred after five years at Michigan. With the international player roster exemption, the Steelers will be able to place Welschof on their practice squad in the regular season without him counting against the 16-man limit.
Prospect Profile: Ty Simpson
Last year, we ended our Prospect Profile series with the 2025 NFL Draft’s most controversial quarterback. This year, we’ll start with one, and no quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft is driving more controversy right now than Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
While recent highly drafted quarterbacks have been benefactors of the transfer portal, this year’s draft class features some passers who have bucked that trend. Simpson, a consensus five-star prospect that 247Sports ranked as the 29th-best overall recruit and the fourth-best quarterback, committed to the only college he would end up attending when he was just a junior at Westview HS (Tenn.). The two top-ranked quarterback recruits of the class of 2022 — Drew Allar and Cade Klubnik — will also finish their collegiate careers having worn only one logo.
The son of a football coach — specifically, Jason Simpson, who has held the head coaching position at Tennessee-Martin since 2006 — Simpson was receiving college scholarship offers before he even arrived on his high school campus. Michigan offered him as an eighth grader, and Kentucky, Mississippi State (his dad’s alma mater), Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Baylor all offered him the summer before his freshman year. Over the years, he received every offer a recruit could ever dream of and took unofficial visits to several of those schools, making sure to cover his bases with some in-person research.
It wasn’t until the summer just before his sophomore year that he attended a Crimson Tide summer football camp and received an offer from Nick Saban. He returned in September to attend a home game against Ole Miss, during which he watched Tide passer Tua Tagovailoa complete 72.2 percent of his passes for 418 yards and six touchdowns (five to Devonta Smith). At the end of his junior year, he chose Alabama over Clemson, Ole Miss, and Tennessee, then he proceeded to sign in December and enroll early.
Simpson made his collegiate debut in the Tide’s season opener, appearing for some garbage time snaps as a true freshman. He would appear in three more games that year but be limited to just those games in order to preserve his redshirt. As a redshirt freshman and sophomore, Simpson continued in his garbage-time duties after Jalen Milroe, a four-star recruit from the class before his, took over starting duties. After three years of waiting, Simpson finally got his opportunity to start as a redshirt junior.
After a disappointing (and, in hindsight, shocking) season opening loss to Florida State, in which Simpson would complete only 53.5 percent of his passes and average only 5.9 yards per attempt, Simpson rebounded in a big way. Leaving his performance against the eventual 5-7 Seminoles in the rearview, Simpson established himself as the clear top quarterback through the first nine games of the season. At that point, he had completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 21 touchdowns and only one interception while averaging 273.4 yards per game. The next six weeks saw a stunning decline as he completed only 60.5 percent of his passes for seven touchdowns and four interceptions while averaging only 184.3 yards per game.
Simpson’s deterioration down the stretch of the season could be the result of many factors. The slide started with a loss at home to Oklahoma, a top-seven defense in both points and yards allowed, and many believe the Sooners revealed a blueprint for finding success against the Tide, though that theory would lose credibility once Alabama got revenge in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Others put stock into the players around Simpson, pointing out that a usually potent Alabama rushing unit finished 125th in the FBS in yards per game last season, while freshman phenom wide receiver Ryan Williams developed a bit of a sophomore slump, disappearing for just 13 receptions, 161 yards, and no touchdowns in those last six games.
Simpson’s health may have played into his struggles, as well. It’s believed that he played through a lower back injury and elbow bursitis starting sometime in October, while also suffering from gastritis that caused his weight to dip almost 20 pounds. To top it all off, his season ended with a fractured rib, suffered in a season-ending loss to the eventual champion Hoosiers. Regardless of the exact reason(s), fair or not, the documented struggles will throw up red flags for scouts, either concerning his performance itself, his response to external factors, or his health and durability.
For all his struggles that sit fresh in mind from his most recent performances, Simpson still displayed some draft-worthy traits throughout his lone season as a starter. He’s at his best in the short- to intermediate-game, seeding throws with anticipation, accuracy, and velocity. He can air it out, as well, but the accuracy and timing on deep balls are far less consistent. He’ll need to develop a bit more touch, as well, to really get the most out of his game by implementing different degrees of arc on all levels of throws. Simpson isn’t heavy-footed, and though he doesn’t run much, he uses his feet to extend plays effectively.
One of Simpson’s best assets is his mental game. His ability to read defenses and process coverages pre- and post-snap is a testament to the time he spent sitting and learning before ever starting. He can also be a bit over-aggressive with his first instinct reactions after things go off script, and there’s also been loads of debate and concern over his decision to declare for the draft after only starting one season at the college level. There have been several examples of others doing the same, and the results have often been overwhelmingly more negative than positive.
Regardless, Simpson is widely seen as the QB2 of the 2026 NFL Draft class, behind only presumed No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza out of Indiana. That won’t likely land Simpson as the No. 2 overall pick, though. Over the past several weeks, Simpson’s draft stock as varied wildly, with some projecting him as a top-10 pick and others grading him as a third-round talent or later. The truth likely falls somewhere in the middle and will depend on external factors like the level of need that certain teams will have for his position and the actions of those teams before and during the draft.
The most recent projections have him either getting taken in the mid- to late-first round by a team that likely trades up for him or getting drafted on Day 2. I would be remiss not to remind that Shedeur Sanders held similar projections as the perceived QB2 behind Cam Ward for much of the pre-draft process last year. It will certainly be interesting to see if any other similarities play out from here.
Latest On Vikings’ GM Search
It’s been just over two months since the Vikings parted ways with former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, yet Minnesota still hasn’t begun the process of replacing him, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. At the NFL’s annual league meeting, though, Vikings president/co-owner Mark Wilf gave the media an overview of the planned general structure of the process.
According to Wilf, the Vikings do not intend to utilize the services of “a search firm or formal consultant” but will, instead, “contract with a service that will help whittle down a list of candidates.” It’s an interesting distinction with not much clarity on what services a formal consultant would provide that the team isn’t interested in.
It appears that, without the help of a search firm or consultant, it will be Wilf “and the rest of the Wilf family” — which includes older brother and chairman/co-owner Zygi Wilf and cousin and vice chairman/co-owner Leonard Wilf — that will be making the decision. He expects that they will be advised by a “small, tight group” and that “input” will be sought from head coach Kevin O’Connell and chief operating officer Andrew Miller. There was mention of “participation from what Wilf called a ‘third party,'” as well, but it’s unclear if that was in reference to the above-mentioned service to be contracted.
Wilf relayed to the media that interviews are not expected to take place until after the 2026 NFL Draft at the end of the month. Since Adofo-Mensah’s exit, executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski has taken up the mantle of interim general manager, and he will continue to do so through the draft. Wilf told the media Brzezinski had “done an outstanding job in terms of, in the building, building consensus, strategy.”
So far, with Brzezinski in GM duties, the Vikings have allowed defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, wide receiver Jalen Nailor, and punter Ryan Wright to depart for multi-year deals in free agency. Of their potential departing free agents, the only ones the team re-signed were backup quarterback Carson Wentz, special teams ace Tavierre Thomas, and long snapper Andrew DePaola. Minnesota has brought in three external free agents, as well, in former Steelers CB3 James Pierre, punter Johnny Hekker, and quarterback Kyler Murray.
The timing of Adofo-Mensah’s dismissal caught many by surprise, leaving the Vikings without any viable candidates to replace him so late in the process. It’s forced the team to rely on Brzezinski and newly hired football administration consultant Matt Thomas during a crucial period of team-building, and now, it appears Minnesota will continue to rely on them until after another crucial team-building event takes place at the end of the month.
QB Will Levis Out In Tennessee?
After the Titans utilized the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft to draft Miami quarterback Cam Ward last year, it was clear that Will Levis‘ time as a starter in Tennessee had likely come to an end. So far, in 2026, the Titans have added two more quarterbacks in free agency, and this time, there’s a chance it could spell the end of his time in Tennessee altogether.
Levis arrived in Nashville as a second-round pick out of Kentucky. He was selected in much the same manner as Malik Willis, who came out of the third round the prior year. Both young passers were being given a chance to stake out a role as the future at quarterback for the Titans in the dying days of Ryan Tannehill‘s NFL career. Willis had disappointed in a short sample size starting as a rookie, and Tennessee felt the need to bring in some added competition from the top few rounds of the draft.
After Tannehill got injured, a rookie Levis stepped up and, thanks to a four-touchdown game in his first start, looked like a promising option for the position moving forward. In nine games, Levis averaged about 200.9 passing yards per game with eight touchdowns to only four interceptions. When both Tannehill and Willis departed the next year, Levis was named the starter for 2024. An AC joint injury limited him to only 12 games, but Levis’ 13 touchdowns to 12 interceptions while averaging just 174.3 yards per game were a disappointing followup in his sophomore campaign, handing the Titans Ward at the top of the draft.
Before the 2025 season, Levis underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in July aimed at resolving an issue to prioritize his long-term health. With Levis out of the picture, the Titans signed veteran reserve options Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle, with Allen winning QB2 honors and backing up Ward during his rookie season. Allen boasted starting experience from his time filling in for an injured Joe Flacco on the 2019 Broncos then again the next year, when he started five games in place of an injured rookie Joe Burrow.
This offseason, the Titans signed two more new arms in free agency, inking veteran Mitchell Trubisky and Hendon Hooker to new deals. According to Jim Wyatt, a senior writer/editor for the Titans, Trubisky is not just coming in to serve as the veteran voice of experience in a young quarterbacks room, he’s coming to fill the QB2 role behind Ward.
That means two things for Levis. Either, he will compete with Hooker for the QB3 job and a likely spot on the practice squad, or he will be traded to another team that may want to give him more of a chance to play. In order to put him on the taxi squad, Levis will need to be subjected to the waiver wire, where any team would have the chance to claim him with the Titans getting nothing in return. Considering that, it makes far more sense for Tennessee to attempt to get something for Levis now before they need determine whether to risk him on the waiver wire or keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.
One team that may be willing to trade for Levis is the Jets. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, New York could be looking to add a veteran backup before the draft, and a healthy Levis could be the perfect puzzle piece to their current roster. If the Titans determine that Levis is the odd man out in their quarterbacks room, offloading him to the Jets could be a best case scenario for all involved.
Jets, Cardinals Could Have Similar Approach To Top Of Draft
Crowded together at the top of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jets and Cardinals find themselves in a bittersweet situation. With the second and third overall picks in the first round, each franchise has a great opportunity to add an elite talent, but while both squads have a need at the sport’s most important position, this year’s draft is not lining up to reward them with one to select with their top draft picks.
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is widely considered the consensus QB2 of the draft class behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who is expected to go No.1 overall to the Raiders. Unfortunately for Simpson and both teams, taking the Crimson Tide passer at Nos. 2 or 3 overall would be seen as a huge reach, so if either team were interested in landing the second-best quarterback prospect, it might require some maneuvering for another slot in the first round.
The Jets currently hold pick Nos. 2, 16, 33, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, there’s belief New York will exit the second round of the draft with a pass rusher and a quarterback, but that could happen in several different ways. Per Rapoport, the Jets are widely expected to select a pass rusher with the second overall pick. Versatile Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese has been a popular projection for New York there, but Texas Tech’s David Bailey also recently met with the team.
Rapoport also expects them to do their homework on all the possible options available at No. 2. They recently hosted Reese’s running mate in the Buckeyes’ linebacking corps, Sonny Styles, for a top 30 visit. Per Rapoport, Styles, also an expected top 10 pick, has plans to visit the Bengals, as well, though his trip to Cincinnati will be a considered a local visit, not a top 30.
To address the quarterback position, a lot rides on where exactly the Jets value Simpson. If they value him enough, they could chance him being around for their 16th overall pick in the first round. If things are trending in a direction that feels as if Simpson won’t make it that far, they could utilize their first overall pick of the second round to potentially try to trade up and land the quarterback. Alternatively, if using the 16th pick still feels like a stretch for Simpson, New York may explore increasing their collection of draft picks with a move further back in the first round.
As for the Cardinals, Rapoport claims it would surprise him if they drafted Simpson third overall, but at the same time, he acknowledges that we’ve seen the precedent for it in the past. He asserts that Arizona could simply fall in love with Simpson enough to select him that early. More likely, though, the Cardinals may look back just a year to an example set by the Giants. Following the approach New York used to add an elite pass rusher before trading back into the first round for a quarterback, the Cardinals may opt to do the same.
Where Simpson could fall in the first round (or later) has been a huge topic of debate. Early conjecture speculated that it might be prudent to move up past the Steelers at 21 to land Simpson, while further evaluation suggested trading into the back end of the first round, just ahead of the Dolphins at 30, would be the likely move. In recent weeks, Simpson’s chances of landing with either team in the first round have gone way down. In a mid-March episode of The McShay Show podcast, Todd McShay of The Ringer guaranteed that Simpson would “for a fact” not be the Steelers’ pick at No. 21, suggesting the team has more of a third-round value on the Crimson Tide quarterback.
Though Simpson recently visited Miami, ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) did “not believe (the) Dolphins are in the mix for him.” Additionally, all four teams have done homework on other passers in the draft. Notably, since March 21, Miami quarterback Carson Beck has met with each team. Beck and the other projected mid-round quarterbacks offer secondary options for the teams that don’t land Simpson and may end up being preferred options if their draft slot more appropriately fits their value.
These represent just a few of several possibilities that could play out at the end of the month. There is no shortage of quarterback needs in the NFL, but seeing the Giants land their potential franchise passer later on in the first round a year ago has opened the door for a number of mind games to play out. We’ll see how well these draft day decision makers can play poker down the stretch as we await the final weekend in April.