Do you hear that? It is the sound of the clock ticking down to the 2026 NFL Draft.
We are now just five days away from the biggest offseason event on the NFL calendar, which means we are also deep, deep into speculation and smoke-screen season.
No one — not NFL media members, not “insiders” with their dubious information, or fans with sources — knows what will take place across the three days and seven rounds of the draft.
But that has not stopped anyone from declaring that two absolute certainties
will occur:
- The first is that the Las Vegas Raiders will select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall selection. Not even the Raiders, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2002 and have had only two winning seasons since then, can mess this one up. (Right?)
- The second, in what has somehow become the biggest guarantee since Joe Namath talked to reporters by the hotel pool in Miami before Super Bowl III, is that the Cleveland Browns will trade the No. 6 overall selection.
Will that happen? Possibly. But if/when it does, hopefully it will involve receiving another first-round selection in this year’s draft so general manager Andrew Berry can fix another roster hole, rather than waiting and hoping that the Browns will be in a position in 2027 to select quarterback Archie Manning. (If that is even something they should consider is a topic for another day.)
The good news is that everyone will know Berry’s intentions soon enough. For now, let’s open the weekend with the latest edition of the Saturday Dawg Chow.
Dawgs By Nature
- NFL draft QB Ty Simpson rumor could involve a Browns trade (Jared Mueller) – NFL draft rumors are swirling that Ty Simpson has a landing spot, and the Cleveland Browns could help facilitate a trade for him.
- For Browns, 2026 NFL Draft class full of blessings and curses (Jared Mueller) – The 2026 NFL Draft is just around the corner, with some positives and negatives for the Cleveland Browns.
- Browns NFL draft profile: WR Brenen Thompson (Barry Shuck) – As Cleveland Browns fans look for more WR help in the 2026 NFL Draft, Brenen Thompson profiles as a good option.
- Browns NFL Draft: Carnell Tate or bust is busted thinking (Curtiss Brown) – Cleveland Browns fans really want Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, but the 2026 NFL Draft has other good options, too.
The Feed
We do not have a Jordyn Tyson draft profile at the moment, but that will be remedied later today. So y’all come back now, ya hear?
Cleveland Browns
- Who are Day 3 NFL draft options for Browns? Here are 10 possibilities (Beacon Journal) – The Cleveland Browns currently have five day-three picks out of the nine they’re going to have for the draft, which starts April 23. What you hope to find is maybe a serviceable rotational player, or someone who becomes a special-teams ace.
- Tyson Campbell getting comfortable in first offseason with Browns (Browns Zone) – Tyson Campbell said he began to get comfortable in his second game after being traded to the Browns in October. Imagine how at home he’ll feel after an entire offseason program and training camp.
- Why Jeremiyah Love might be the only player worth a trade up for the Browns from No. 6 in the NFL Draft (cleveland.com) – Would the Browns trade up for Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who’s widely regarded as the most talented player in this draft?
- 3 latest mock draft trade predictions for the Browns’ first-round picks (clevelandbrowns.com) – Draft analysts project trades for the Browns’ No. 6 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
NFL
- The true measure of NFL draft prospect Carnell Tate (ESPN) – Carnell Tate placed his palms on the turf and crouched at the starting line of the 40-yard dash. Ordained as the next in a long line of superstar wide receivers from Ohio State, Tate drew his left arm back before surging forward with his right leg at the NFL Combine in February.
- Zay Flowers on CRAZY Ravens Practices, Lamar Jackson Bond, & John Harbaugh’s Exit (4th & South Podcast) – Baltimore Ravens star Zay Flowers sits down for a honest, unfiltered conversation with former NFL stars Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette on the intense AFC North rivalry between the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, why they will always HATE each other, shares his honest thoughts on John Harbaugh’s shocking departure from Baltimore including how much he OVERWORKED his players, and explains why he’s excited about the Ravens’ new coaching staff with Jesse Minter at the helm.
- Texans, DE Will Anderson Jr. agree to three-year, $150 million extension (NFL.com) – Not long after doling out one massive extension, the Houston Texans have paid the other half of the NFL’s most prolific sack tandem. Will Anderson Jr. and the Texans agreed to terms on a three-year, $150 million extension on Friday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
- No smoke screen, Bucs need to fortify their defense in NFL draft (Tampa Bay Times) – The same could have been said last year, but they took wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round.
