Denzel Boston lands in Las Vegas and five more bold predictions for Day 2 of the NFL Draft
By Jared Dubin Apr 24, 2026 at 11:08 am ET • 3 min read 
Getty Images Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books.
Things got off to an expected start with the Raiders drafting Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick and the Jets taking a pass rusher in David Bailey at No. 2, but the rest of the night was pretty wild.
The Cardinals took Jeremiyah Love! The Titans swerved and took Carnell Tate! Arvell Reese slipped to No. 5! The Chiefs traded up for Mansoor Delane! The Cowboys traded up for Caleb Downs! The RAMS were the team that made Ty Simpson a first-round pick!
Rueben Bain Jr. fell to the Buccaneers at No. 15! The Eagles traded up for a wide receiver in Makai Lemon! The Jets traded back into Round 1 for a third pick! The Seahawks made Jadarian Price the second Notre Dame running back of the first round!
We should get even more craziness on Friday night, with two rounds on tap rather than one. And with that in mind, we've put together a list of bold predictions for what you might expect to happen in Rounds 2 and 3.
49ers draft edge rusher at No. 33
San Francisco has a pair of edges coming off season-ending injuries in Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, and could still use some pass rush juice coming off the edge of the formation. With players like R Mason Thomas, Zion Young, Cashius Howell, T.J. Parker and Gabe Jacas still available, the bet here is that San Francisco adds to that unit to help new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris pressure the quarterback.
Denzel Boston joins Fernando Mendoza
The Raiders have a top target for their new quarterback in tight end Brock Bowers, but they're still very thin at wide receiver. At the moment, the depth chart is led by Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, Tre Tucker and Dont'e Thornton. They desperately need to add someone to threaten defenses on the outside. Enter Boston, a big-bodied X receiver who can thrive in Klint Kubiak's offense and especially on the type of throws that Mendoza favors.
Colton Hood goes before Jermod McCoy
The Tennessee cornerbacks should both come off the board in Round 2, but with McCoy's knee issues apparently being concerning enough to push him out of Round 1, we're betting that Hood actually goes ahead of his former Volunteer teammate. Hood has great size and physicality and was a potential first-round-worthy prospect in his own right, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him go a few picks ahead of McCoy, whose fall seems reminiscent of what happened with Will Johnson last year.
Defense-heavy Round 2
In Josh Edwards' Day 2 mock draft, he has TWENTY-FOUR defensive players going in the second round of the draft. The top ELEVEN players on Edwards' best available list for Day 2 all play defense: McCoy, Aveion Terrell, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, D'Angelo Ponds, Lee Hunter, Kayden McDonald, Howell, Jacas, Treydan Stukes, Thomas and Jake Golday. There's also a crop of linebackers still available in Jacob Rodriguez, CJ Allen, Anthony Hill Jr., Josiah Trotter and Kyle Louis. If you're looking for fantasy football-relevant players, it might be slim pickings in the early portion of Day 2.
2026 NFL Draft essentials
- Live draft blog: Rumors, trades and picks in real time
- Interactive draft tracker: Filter every pick by round, team, position and more
- Live team grades: Instant analysis for every team's draft class
- Round 1 pick grades: Full breakdowns for every first-round selection
- Full draft order: All 257 picks by team
Carson Beck goes as QB3
It's probably a three-man battle to be the third quarterback drafted, with Beck battling Garrett Nussmeier and Drew Allar. There has been smoke all week, though, that Beck could go higher than anybody expected. The Cardinals, Jets and Steelers are all candidates to take a quarterback in Rounds 2 or 3, and all of those teams were heavily connected to Beck during the draft process. It would be somewhat surprising if he went at No. 34 to Arizona, but No. 44 to New York, No. 53 to Pittsburgh or No. 65 to Arizona seem like realistic-ish possibilities.
A dearth of offensive tackles
An incredible seven offensive tackles flew off the board in Round 1: Spencer Fano to the Browns, Francis Mauigoa to the Giants, Kadyn Proctor to the Dolphins, Blake Miller to the Lions, Monroe Feeling to the Panthers, Max Iheanachor to the Steelers and Caleb Lomu to the Patriots. Part of the reason for that is that teams felt this tackle class was heavy at the top but light in the middle rounds. Edwards only has one tackle going in the second round of his Day 2 mock, for example, in Caleb Tiernan, and only three more in Round 3 in Markel Bell, Travis Burke and Austin Barber. Having more tackles drafted in Round 1 than Rounds 2 and 3 combined would be pretty wild, but it's totally on the table.
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