Weird things happen in the NFL Draft. Teams draft some guys entirely too early, and it changes the entire shape of the draft board. That means players who would otherwise get picked in the first round fall to the second round and have awesome value.
This year, three examples of that were the Rams drafting Ty Simpson 13th overall, the Vikings drafting Caleb Banks 18th, and the Titans drafting Carnell Tate fourth. That made some guys slip, and based on the FanSided 2026 NFL Draft Big Board, a lot of those guys slipped a looooong way.
These are 10 of the best players available, where they are on the Big Board, why they (probably) slipped, and where they could end up.
21. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
Teams don’t value linebackers, and teams really don’t value linebackers when they cost the same amount of money as guys at other positions. That’s why you don’t see linebackers get franchise tagged (they are lumped in with EDGEs), and that’s why they don’t really get drafted in the first round unless they are an elite prospect. CJ Allen is really, really good, but he’s not nearly as elite a prospect as Sonny Styles or Arvell Reese.
The Big Board says: “Even though his diminutive frame raises concerns, he is perhaps the best coverage linebacker in this class…”
You need to be more than that if a team is going to yoink you out of the pool in the first round. He’s a good tackler and he’s relatively sticky in coverage, but he’s pretty average-sized and doesn’t have that big-time stopping power that you’d want out of a first-round linebacker.
In the second round, though? He’s a good bet. Look for him to go to Arizona, Buffalo, or Cincinnati.
23. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
There were only two cornerbacks who went in the first round of the draft. Mansoor Delane went to Kansas City, and Chris Johnson went to Miami. We all knew that Delane was the best cornerback in the draft class, but after him, you didn’t really know how it was going to pan out.
It could’ve been Johnson, Avieon Terrell, Brandon Cisse, or Jermod McCoy. The Big Board has McCoy as the next best cat.
"With peerless ball skills, tremendous technique and a willingness to tackle in the open field, McCoy would be a lock for the top-10 if he didn't have the injury concerns surrounding him."
McCoy’s big knock is that he tore his ACL in January of 2025 and missed the entire season. He was phenomenal the last time we saw him, but that’s a hell of a risk when you’re talking about a player who could potentially have a fifth-year option.
Buffalo is a team that needs to get younger in the secondary. Arizona needs all the help that it can get everywhere on defense. The Saints lost Alontae Taylor in free agency, and you have to imagine they’d like a high-upside guy.
24. Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
Five wide receivers were drafted in the first round, which means that Denzel Boston is really the only guy left who could have a first-round draft grade. At 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, he’s a massive dude, but that’s not the kind of receiver that every team is looking for.
He’s not going to blow your mind with speed, and he’s not going to rip off huge YAC … But he’ll do what huge guys (who are good) do, and use a massive catch radius to win at the point of the catch.
“The separation and speed concerns are real, but there are few players in this class that are as skilled at plucking the ball out of the air.”
The Chiefs desperately need pass catchers, and Patrick Mahomes has never had this kind of target as a wide receiver before, so that would be fun. The Raiders need guys for Fernando Mendoza to throw the ball to. The Dolphins' offense would also be better if they had a single wide receiver.
27. Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
If you’re going to be a run-stuffing defensive tackle who goes in the first round of the draft, you had better be a phenomenal run-stuffer who has a little bit of upside as a pass rusher. It turns out, teams don’t think Kayden McDonald has that in his bag.
"Some may be concerned that he is a bit of a one-trick pony at the NFL level, as his lack of pass rush upside may limit him to a very defined role."
There are only a few teams that have a true meatball in the middle of their defensive lines, so he can pretty much go anywhere other than Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas City, or New England (maybe a few other teams too).
28. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
Avieon Terrell is awesome. He’s crazy fast, super athletic, and he’s “going to generate turnovers by way of some tremendous instincts in zone and a Charles Tillman-esque punch that dislodges the ball from receivers with ease.”
BUT, he’s 5-foot-10 and 186 pounds. We’ve seen pipsqueaks get drafted in the first round in the past, but that’s not the kind of gamble that (apparently) a lot of corner-needy teams are willing to make.
The same teams that’d be in the running for Jermod McCoy would be in the running for Terrell: The Bills, the Cardinals, the Saints, and we can add in the Bengals too.
29. Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
It’s a big year for short-armed EDGEs. Reuben Bain is good enough to make up for those arms and still be a first-round pick; Howell is not. He’s an absolute menace as a pass rusher, but against the run?
“He doesn’t defend the run well, but he plays with an edge, fires off the ball like few in this class can even come close to, and will immediately use his speed to generate pressures and sacks as a designated pass rusher.”
If you had to choose between an EDGE who’s elite at stopping the run and an EDGE who’s elite at rushing the quarterback, you’d pick the latter 100 percent of the time.
San Francisco needs to get younger, better, and healthier at the EDGE. The Ravens need more juice on the defensive line. It would be very funny if the Falcons used their first pick in the draft to get another EDGE. You can always count on bad defenses like the Cardinals and Bengals to get a guy like this. And the Chiefs are in desperate need of edge rusher help as well.
30. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
The third safety who is drafted in the first round of the draft never works out. Luckily for Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, he didn’t get picked.
“His tall frame and sculpted upper body can help deliver jarring messages to receivers, and with some of the best zone coverage instincts in this class, EMW could also be ideal for anyone dying for a centerfield roaming safety.”
He’s a wrecking ball as a tackler; he’ll blow people up, but he’s had some problems with missed tackles. That can be just as fun as it can be frustrating.
The Bengals traded away their first-round pick so they couldn’t get Caleb Downs, and I think they’ll be a great team for EMW. The Chiefs need defensive backs, and he’d be fun in Spag’s defense. The Vikings are also going to be without Harrison Smith for the first time in over a decade, so it’d probably suit them pretty good to get an awesome young guy in the building.
32. Treydan Stukes, CB, Arizona
“Stukes is going to be an unusual prospect, as some teams will look at him as a big nickel who can disrupt at the point of attack, while others could use him as a roaming safety.”
Nickel packages are hot in the streets these days, and if the Eagles have shown anything with Cooper DeJean, having a certified killer as your nickel cornerback can make your defense operate at an entirely different level.
Stukes probably isn’t going to be as good as DeJean, but getting a guy who can emulate that kind of play is worth a second-round pick … if you can get past him being a 24-year-old rookie.
The Cowboys would be a good landing spot. He’d probably be good with Brandon Staley in New Orleans. And of course, the usual suspects: the Chiefs and the Bengals.
35. TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson
TJ Parker’s whole thing is that he’s been inconsistent. He was a game wrecker in 2024, but he was relatively invisible in 2025. It’s hard to fault a team for not making him a target in the first round. In the second round, though? He’s a great pick for anyone who can get him.
“The power and advanced pass rush plan of attack may give him a very high floor in the NFL, even if the ceiling is up for debate.”
Getting him on a defensive line with Chris Jones in Kansas City would be great. The Lions haven’t done anything at EDGE this offseason. Green Bay has a whole lot of defensive problems, and with Micah Parsons probably missing time at the beginning of the season, Parker would be a good guy for them.
36. Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
One of the deepest parts of this draft (and almost every draft) is cornerbacks, and it’s going to be shown in the second round. Brandon Cisse can be a good man-coverage corner, but he’s not going to knock your socks off with being sticky and being a lockdown guy for an entire game.
“Cisse needs to go to a team with a great defensive backs coach, as this hypothetical leader can iron some of his overaggression in run defense out of him.”
That screams Dallas: Christian Parker was the Eagles' DBs coach for the past two seasons, and the Cowboys hired him as their defensive coordinator this offseason. Other than him, other landing spots could (once again) be: the Bills, Cardinals, Saints, and Bengals.
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