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Louis Riddick
A number of Authors
I completely love the NFL draft. I like the tape. I like the evaluations. I like the projections and anticipation. And we’re practically there — the 2026 draft kicks off with Round 1 on April 23. You’ll be able to catch me on the ESPN set for all three days of the motion.
The tape is not the whole fact on prospects. The actual evaluation comes from spending time with them and getting a way of who they’re; that is why staff interviews and visits are so essential. However the tape additionally does not lie, and after spending hours and hours watching this class, I needed to choose a couple of prospects who actually caught my eye. There are my guys within the class — the gamers I might be standing on the desk to draft.
The primary 5 are first-rounders who shall be stars. I can not get sufficient of them and could be ecstatic to land any of them. The second 5 are sleepers I actually like. I might be focusing on them on Day 2 if I had been working an NFL staff, and I feel they may all simply outperform their projected draft slots.
That is Yr 4 of constructing this record, and it begins with a star working again anticipated to go within the prime 10 and ends with a Day 2 security who has a ton of upside.
Bounce to:
First-rounders that I love
Sleepers who could be stars
5 surefire stars in Spherical 1
Top: 6-0 | Weight: 212
Each NFL common supervisor and head coach is on a mission right now of 12 months so as to add offensive gamers who can win video games on a single play. Love is that man. He can break an enormous play from wherever on the sphere. He had 11 runs of 20 or extra yards final season, and 6 of them went for touchdowns.
Love has the facility, pace, open-field elusiveness and flexibility to strike within the run sport and go sport. His route working is nearly as good as most NFL broad receivers. To that time, I thought he appeared like a wideout caught working routes with the working backs on the mix. He drops his weight and modifications path on a dime. Love hauled in 27 passes for 280 yards final season.
Do not get caught up within the debate about whether or not working backs needs to be drafted within the prime 10. This younger man is just not a working again. He’s a game-changing playmaker who piled up 1,652 yards and 21 touchdowns from scrimmage final season. On the finish of the day, that is what each staff desires.
Top: 6-5 | Weight: 244
There isn’t any such factor as a can’t-miss prospect in a sport that’s so depending on environment and the power to bodily persevere. However … Kinds is a can’t-miss prospect.
Along with his mix of distinctive bodily traits — dimension, pace and fluid athleticism — and diamond-level character, I might sleep very effectively at night time realizing that I had drafted a participant who might be the face of the franchise. He completed final season with 77 tackles, a sack, a compelled fumble and an interception. After which, he confirmed off his explosion on the mix, with a 43½-inch vertical soar. He does all of it.
Kinds is barely scratching the floor of his potential as a multitool defender. He can achieve this many issues to make the protection higher — a very powerful of which is perhaps his potential to steer and make these round him higher. Kinds is made for giant roles in huge moments, and he is an extremely protected prospect in that he is already a professional. He is a foundational participant.
Top: 6-4 | Weight: 320
At its core, soccer is about dominant, bodily play alongside the traces of scrimmage. And there was no person in school soccer final season who had extra snaps of impose-your-will play alongside the offensive line than Ioane. He’s an absolute tank at 320 kilos, and he has the flexibility to line up wherever on the road. Ioane performs with energy, agility, pace and a degree of nastiness when ending blocks that’s really distinctive.
Any entrance workplace that believes in constructing from the within out and staying sturdy down the center — one thing I’ve talked about for the previous decade — ought to see Ioane as vital foundational participant.
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Olaivavega Ioane’s NFL draft profile
Take a look at among the prime highlights from Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane.
Top: 6-2 | Weight: 203
Tyson is one of the best broad receiver within the 2026 draft. Full cease.
He has all of it … dimension, explosive quickness, physique management, energy and stable top-end pace. He can transfer between the X, Z and slot receiver positions seamlessly and may put plenty of strain on an opposing protection by exploiting matchups wherever on the sphere. Tyson had 75 catches, 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024 earlier than posting 61 catches, 711 yards and eight TDs in 9 video games in 2025.
The principle factor holding again Tyson from being broadly thought of as a surefire famous person is his important harm historical past. He suffered a torn ACL/MCL/PCL in 2022, had a broken collarbone in 2024 and handled hamstring issues in 2025. The conversations amongst staff medical workers members concerning Tyson’s future availability projection shall be fascinating. However I consider that the chance is well worth the reward. This man shall be particular.
Top: 6-0 | Weight: 199
A really sensible and completed broad receivers coach informed me a very long time in the past that one of the vital essential differentiating traits that he appears for when evaluating wideouts — past persistently catching the ball — is how shortly and successfully they will transition after the catch. Do they get the ball upfield? Can they make defenders miss? Can they break tackles? And have they got the pace to show a brief go into a protracted acquire?
Cooper checks these bins. He averaged 7.3 yards after the catch final season and confirmed no concern snagging the ball in site visitors. He made the most difficult catch of the season in a got-to-have-it state of affairs against Penn State. And Cooper, who had 937 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025, can play within the slot or exterior on the X or Z spot.
When he ripped off a 4.42 within the 40-yard sprint on the mix, that sealed it for me. This man shall be a star on the NFL degree.
5 sleepers exterior Spherical 1
Top: 5-11 | Weight: 193
Activate any tape of the Hurricanes in 2025, and I assure you if Scott was on the sphere, he was making performs. He had 67 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, two interceptions, two compelled fumbles and 4 go breakups final season.
He’s the last word competitor and performs the sport with a ardour for contact. He possesses next-level soccer IQ and the pace/quickness to be a three-down issue on the nickel place, and that has turn into important for one of the best NFL defenses. I noticed instances within the 4.32-4.35 vary for his professional day 40-yard sprint. That is outstanding. We should always hear his title known as early on Day 2, for my part.
Top: 6-0 | Weight: 220
I’ve talked about Louis a ton this spring, and never simply because he performed at Pitt.
Bear in mind how impactful former Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks was towards the run and the go throughout his nice NFL profession? I am not saying Louis is Brooks, however the Corridor of Famer’s model of play is precisely what I see after I watch Louis. He has the motion expertise of a defensive again and the arms of a large receiver. And I see the instincts, key-and-diagnose traits and general toughness within the field towards the run to be an elite-level playmaker within the professionals the second he steps onto the soccer subject. He can get off blocks, defend the run and make robust tackles (77 of them final season, together with 7.5 for loss).
“He simply jogs my memory a lot of Derrick Brooks.” @LRiddickESPN says @Pitt_FB‘s Kyle Louis has all the things it takes to be a star within the NFL 📈 pic.twitter.com/y2g9EbcVRr
— ACC Community (@accnetwork) March 30, 2026
Day 1 starter with Professional Bowl upside. Louis is a real baller made for right now’s sport, and I like him as a quintessential Will linebacker for any protection.
Top: 6-4 | Weight: 316
Georgia Tech coach Brent Key has mentioned that Rutledge has the potential to be one of the best offensive lineman he has coached, which is saying one thing. Rutledge is a block of granite, taking part in with leverage and leg drive. He has the athleticism to play in zone or man run-game blocking schemes, and you’ll sense his competitiveness and need to place defenders on their backs.
Rutledge might want to refine his go professional method, however he has a robust punch and wonderful anchor. Some consider he might be an All-Professional heart on the NFL degree. I do not care what place he finally ends up taking part in; I might need him on my staff.
Top: 6-1 | Weight: 188
When a participant finishes his school profession with 15 interceptions, there may be little doubt that he has the instincts to anticipate route combos, get good breaks on the soccer and create turnovers. Clark is a giant play ready to occur, whether or not his alignment begins within the field as a nickel or dime LB, or in split-safety/single-high center coverages within the again finish, the place he can actually showcase his 4.41 pace and vary. Oh, and he’ll help the run and strike as a tackler, too. This all provides as much as the form of prospect that groups will covet subsequent week.
Top: 6-1 | Weight: 190
He is perhaps flying below the radar for the typical football-viewing fan, however NFL groups know Stukes’ upside. He has good dimension and distinctive practical explosiveness. Stukes ran a 4.33-second 40 and posted a 38-inch vertical soar on the mix.
Stukes can play nickel, dime, free security or sturdy security as a result of he’s good, instinctive and an alpha competitor who likes to hit. Moreover, he is an efficient blitzer. He’s equally expert as a person or zone defender, and he has distinctive vary and ball expertise as a deep-field security. Stukes has seven profession picks, together with 4 final season. There may be nothing to not like about Stukes … nothing in any respect.
