NFL Draft landing spots for the top 10 QBs, plus what every team should do in the draft and A.J. Brown rumors
The Pick Six newsletter goes all-in on 2026 NFL Draft buzz, mock drafts and trade rumors
By
John Breech
Apr 20, 2026
at
1:08 pm ET
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12 min read
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Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
Draft week is finally here. I repeat: Draft week is finally here. This is not a drill. I’ve read at least 300 mock drafts over the past two months, and I plan to read at least 300 more between now and the start of the draft Thursday night.
I hope you’re planning to do the same, because we’re throwing roughly 300 mock drafts at you today. We have a QB mock draft, a full Patriots mock draft and Ryan Wilson’s special mock draft — but I’m not going to tell you why it’s special. You’ll have to read on to find out. Plus, we’ll also be grading the Dexter Lawrence trade.
As always, here’s your reminder to tell your friends to sign up for the newsletter. Let’s get to the rundown.
1. Dexter Lawrence trade grades: How Bengals and Giants fared after blockbuster deal
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The Bengals pulled off an absolute shocker Saturday night by acquiring Dexter Lawrence in a trade with the Giants. It was an all-in move by a team that never quite seems to go all-in, and it makes the Bengals a true Super Bowl contender.
Here are the terms of the deal:
Bengals get: Dexter Lawrence
Giants get: 2026 first-round pick (10th overall)
The Bengals also got a very manageable contract done with Lawrence. The defensive tackle agreed to a one-year, $28 million extension, and if you tack that onto the two years he already had left on his deal, the Bengals now have him under contract for an average of $23.3 million over the next three seasons. At that number, Lawrence is arguably a bargain.
Jordan Dajani graded the trade for us, and both teams fared well:
Bengals grade: B. This move is pretty un-Bengals-like. This franchise is famous for waiting too long to pay star players, like defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Cincy watched him put up back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons and still didn’t want to commit to him. Now they trade a top-10 pick for a defensive tackle coming off his worst NFL season and start working on giving him a massive raise? Yes, Lawrence is a bit younger than Hendrickson at 28 years old, but still surprising.
Giants grade: A.A star player wanted out, and the Giants were hesitant to give him the raise he was after. The fact they netted a first-round pick that lands in the top 10 for Lawrence is certainly a win. … The Giants are now the sixth team to own multiple first-round picks in this upcoming draft, but they’re the only franchise with two selections in the top 10. With this kind of capital, they have plenty of options to consider. … The Giants don’t automatically get better by parting ways with a talent like Lawrence, but this was a very strong offer from the Bengals that they could not decline.
We’ve got the full story on the trade here.
I loved this deal for the Bengals, and I explained why here.
The Lawrence trade also has a massive impact on the NFL Draft, with the Giants now holding two top-10 picks. So how will this deal shake things up? Garrett Podell broke that down here.
2. Mock Draft Monday ends with a twist: What every team SHOULD do in the first round
It’s time for another edition of Mock Draft Monday, where we hunt down one of our NFL Draft gurus and force them to give you a new mock draft. There’s no better way to start the week than with a fresh mock. With the draft being held this week, this is our final Mock Draft Monday of the year. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Since this is the final time we’ll be doing Mock Draft Monday in 2026, we decided to add a twist: Ryan Wilson is offering picks that he thinks each team should make. In most mock drafts, you’re trying to project what a team will do, but not here. In this mock, Wilson makes the pick he personally thinks each team should make.
Let’s check out what he has happening in some key spots (we’ll be jumping around, so this won’t include every early pick).
2. Jets: EDGE David Bailey (Texas Tech).Here’s the thing: Is Bailey in the same class as Abdul Carter or Will Anderson Jr.? No, but that doesn’t mean he’s not one of the best players in the ’26 class — and certainly more of a sure bet as an edge rusher than Arvell Reese.
3. Cardinals: LB Arvell Reese (Ohio State). The Cards have taken a defensive lineman in the first round in each of the past two drafts, but the need remains for an explosive playmaker off the edge.
7. Commanders: RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame).The Commanders could go wide receiver or edge rusher here, but Love not only fills a need in the backfield, he’s also a receiving threat. I love the idea of pairing him with Jayden Daniels.
9. Chiefs: S Caleb Downs (Ohio State).The Chiefs lost a lot from their secondary this offseason, and while pass rusher is also a need, Downs is a special talent.
10. Giants (via Bengals): WR Carnell Tate (Ohio State). The Giants bolstered the O-line at No. 5 in my draft (with Francis Mauigoa), so at No. 10 they get Malik Nabers a running mate and Jaxson Dart another big-play weapon.
12. Cowboys: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami). With the Bengals trading for Dexter Lawrence, Bain slips past 10 and lands in the Cowboys’ lap at No. 12.
13. Rams (via Falcons): WR Makai Lemon (USC). Davante Adams and Puka Nacua both currently have contracts that expire after the 2026 season. Even if (when) that changes, adding Lemon to an already explosive offense makes plenty of sense here.
Wilson’s special mock draft will be dropping later today, and once it’s released, you’ll be able to find it here.
Wilson and the “With the First Pick” crew also put together a seven-round mock draft for today — and if you start reading now, you should be able to finish it by the time the draft kicks off Thursday.
3. QB mock draft: Predicting where the top quarterbacks will land
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Since it’s the final Mock Draft Monday of the year, that means we’ll be throwing as many mock drafts your way as possible today. Not only do we have Wilson’s mock draft, but we also have my QB mock draft, where I predict the landing spots for the top quarterbacks in this year’s class.
At this point, the only QB who seems like an absolute lock to land with a specific team is Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders. After that, no one seems to have any idea what’s going to happen, so I decided to take a stab at where 10 of the top quarterbacks in the draft will end up.
Here are the top five on the list (minus Mendoza):
Cardinals: Ty Simpson, Alabama (Round 2, Pick 34)
The Cards currently have two quarterbacks on their roster in Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, but both are only under contract for the 2026 season. They also haven’t invested much money in either player, with Brissett on the books for just $9.06 million (something he’s not happy about) and Minshew set to make $5.75 million.
It seems pretty clear the Cardinals will be looking for their QB of the future in this draft, and because of that, it wouldn’t be surprising if Simpson ends up in Arizona. I have him going 34th overall, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Cards trade up into the first round to take advantage of the fifth-year option that comes with first-round picks.
Jets: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (Round 4, Pick 104)
The Jets might consider taking Ty Simpson with an earlier pick, but if they pass on the Alabama quarterback, it would make sense to grab a QB here. Nussmeier seems like someone who could be a good fit for Frank Reich’s offense.
Steelers: Drew Allar, Penn State (Round 4, Pick 121)
For the second straight year, the Steelers are in a precarious position at quarterback heading into the draft: They’re waiting to see what Aaron Rodgers will do. If Rodgers retires, they’ll likely need to draft a QB, and that’s where Allar would come in. On the other hand, if the four-time MVP returns for another season in Pittsburgh, Allar can sit behind him for a year and soak up everything Rodgers has to offer.
Eagles: Cole Payton, North Dakota State (Round 4, Pick 137)
If there’s one thing Howie Roseman loves doing in the draft, it’s collecting quarterbacks. The Eagles general manager has selected at least one QB in four of his past seven drafts, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he grabs another one. Also, with Jalen Hurts heading into a critical 2026 season, it would make sense to bring in a young QB who could be groomed for the future.
Dolphins: Carson Beck, Miami (Round 5, Pick 151)
After watching Beck lead the Hurricanes to the College Football National Championship game, the Dolphins decide to keep him in Miami by taking him in the fifth round. The Dolphins did sign Malik Willis to take over at QB this year, but there’s no guarantee that experiment will work out.
My QB mock draft included a total of 10 quarterbacks, and if you want to know where they all end up, you can check out my full predictions here.
4. Patriots seven-round mock draft: New England goes offense with three of first four picks
Every Monday, we do a mock draft for one specific team, and today we’re covering the New England Patriots. Yes, they’re the defending AFC champions, but they still have plenty of holes. They could use help on the offensive line, should look to add a pass rusher, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they take a receiver at some point.
So what will they end up doing? We put Tyler Sullivan in charge of making every Patriots pick across all seven rounds, and he added some beef on the offensive line with their first-round selection.
The Patriots have a total of nine picks in the draft. Let’s check out what Sullivan has them doing with their first five picks:
Round 1 (31st overall): OT Max Iheanachor (Arizona State)
If you want a full explanation for the picks — or you’re wondering how the other three selections turned out — be sure to check out Sullivan’s full mock draft for the Patriots here.
5. NFL insider mock draft: Love goes in top five, Cardinals make surprise pick at No. 3 overall
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I told you we were going heavy on mock drafts today, and I wasn’t kidding. We’re closing things out with our NFL insider mock draft from CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, who only does one mock draft per year. Jones gathers all the intel he’s heard over the past few weeks and turns it into a mock.
Back in 2024, he had the Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr., and I’ll never forget how much heat he took on social media. The internet screamed, “THEY JUST SIGNED KIRK COUSINS, THERE’S NO WAY THEY’RE TAKING A QB,” but Jones got the last laugh when the Falcons ended up taking Penix.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what Jones has going down on draft day:
1. Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) 2. Jets: EDGE David Bailey (Texas Tech) 3. Cardinals: OT Francis Mauigoa (Miami) 4. Titans: EDGE Arvell Reese (Ohio State) 5. Giants: RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) 6. Browns: OL Spencer Fano (Utah) 7. Commanders: WR Carnell Tate (Ohio State) 8. Cowboys (via Saints): LB Sonny Styles (Ohio State) 9. Chiefs: CB Mansoor Delane (LSU) 10. Giants (via Bengals): S Caleb Downs (Ohio State) 11. Dolphins: WR Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) 12. Saints (via Cowboys): EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) 13. Rams (via Falcons): OT Monroe Freeling (Georgia) 14. Ravens: IOL Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State) 15. Buccaneers: EDGE Akheem Mesidor (Miami) … 30. Cardinals (via Dolphins): QB Ty Simpson (Alabama)
The biggest surprise starts at No. 3 overall. No one really seems to know what the Cardinals are going to do. If they want an offensive weapon, they could take Jeremiyah Love. If they want pass-rushing help, either David Bailey or Arvell Reese will be available. However, Jones has them going with an offensive lineman in Mauigoa.
Jones also has the Cowboys trading into the top 10 to grab Sonny Styles. The Cowboys have been involved in plenty of trade speculation over the past few weeks, so they’ll certainly be a team to watch.
Finally, Jones has the Cardinals trading back into the first round to get Ty Simpson, so it’s nice to see he agrees with my QB mock draft.
If you want to see Jones’ full first-round mock draft, we’ve got that here.
6. Extra points: A.J. Brown trade rumors, plus Aaron Rodgers likely won’t announce his return this week
It’s been a busy past few days in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.
A.J. Brown to the Patriots is likely to happen. At this point, it almost seems like a given that A.J. Brown is going to be traded. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones revealed over the weekend that a deal will likely go down after June 1, because it doesn’t make much financial sense for Philadelphia to trade him before that. The Eagles would take a dead cap hit of $43.4 million if they traded Brown before June 1, according to Over the Cap, but that number would drop to $16.4 million if they trade him after June 1. That’s a substantial difference, and it sets things up for Brown to be traded later this year. According to ESPN, the Patriots are still the most likely team to land Brown, and a deal between the two teams could get done shortly after June 1. In the meantime, Brown isn’t expected to attend the start of Philly’s offseason workout program today, according to NFL Network.
Trent Williams signs two-year extension with 49ers. The 49ers were going through some drama with Trent Williams this offseason, but that is now over after the offensive tackle agreed to a two-year, $50 million extension on Monday. This move means that the 37-year-old Williams will now likely be finishing his career in San Francisco.
Aaron Rodgers not expected to make decision this week. Steelers owner Art Rooney wanted to see Aaron Rodgers make a decision about his possible return before the draft, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. According to NFL Network, Rodgers isn’t expected to make his decision this week, which could set up an intriguing situation for the team at the draft.
Cardinals suddenly have a Jacoby Brissett problem. Speaking of quarterbacks, the Cardinals suddenly seem to have an issue with Brissett. The veteran QB apparently isn’t going to show up for workouts unless he gets a new deal. The QB is set to make just over $9 million in 2026, and he doesn’t think that’s enough if he’s expected to be the starter. We’ve got the full details on Brissett here. The Cards were already thought to be interested in taking a QB, but this fully opens the door for them to use an early pick on a QB in the draft.
