Experts project top 10 fire sale in NFL Draft: These players are actually worth trading up for

The 2026 NFL Draft approaches, and it seems like just about team in the top 10 is reportedly looking to move out of the top 10 by next weekend. Whether it's the lack of compelling quarterbacks beyond Fernando Mendoza or just the way execs are viewing a weak class at the top, it looks like there might be an attempted fire sale of early picks. But to sell, you need buyers — otherwise, those picks just sit there on the market and no one snatches them up.

Finding a dance partner might not be easy, but the good news is that there are at least some players who could convince teams picking in the teens to jump up. Not counting presumptive No. 1 overall pick in Mendoza (since there's no way he's going to be traded), here are the players worth moving into the top 10 for.

LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

I don't think there's a single player I've grown to love more during the scouting process than Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles. Maybe I'm just buying into the hype too much, but Styles is the kind of talent that a team should be willing to move up for.

A big part of this is about Styles' athletic testing and how it compares to other linebackers. Among all linebackers in MockDraftable's database, here are Styles' percentile ranks in some key tests.

There's just so much to love about Styles. He has the athleticism to be one of the league's best coverage linebackers, but also hits hard and can excel when defending in the run game. Those coverage skills come from a history playing safety early in his career.

While not an edge rusher in the traditional sense, his athleticism makes him a really solid blitzer, so while you aren't drafting him with the idea of him going after the quarterback on every play, you do get a player who can get into the backfield when he's asked to create that kind of pressure.

EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech

Houston's Will Anderson extension makes one thing clear: Veteran edge rushers are going to start costing a lot of money, so trying to add rookie-scale talent at the position can become a cheat code of sorts to winning football games. That should increase how valuable Texas Tech's David Bailey is heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.

Bailey, who transferred to Lubbock after three seasons at Stanford, led the nation in 2025 with 14.5 sacks and led the Big 12 with 19.5 tackles for loss. He's a ferocious edge rusher who gets off the ball fast and uses a bevy of moves to get past blockers and into the backfield, where he immediate wreaks havoc on opposing quarterbacks.

This is a draft class that feels a bit weak when it comes to edge rushers. If you're looking for guys with elite upside, it's basically Arvell Reese, Rueben Bain Jr. and Bailey, and of those, Bailey is the one I'd make a move for. I don't see that much of a gap between he and Reese, but Bailey can likely be had in the latter half of the top 10 while Reese could go as high as No. 2 overall, so the price tag to make a deal for Bailey is smaller. And as for Bain, concerns about his short arms and what feels like a notable gap between him and Bailey make it a bit too risky to trade up for him.

RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

There have been a number of mocks that expect Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love to go at No. 4 overall to the Titans, and I don't think there are any NFL teams that should trade up that high to get him. But what if Love starts to fall a bit? What if, for example, he's still there at No. 9 when the Chiefs are on the clock? They just signed Kenneth Walker, so they don't need Love; would they be interested in trading back there?

If so, that's a spot that a number of teams should try to move up for. Taking a running back in the top 10 is risky, but it's far, far less risky to do it at No. 9 than to do it at No. 4 — and it's also going to cost less to move up to No. 9 than if you tried to move up to No. 4.

Love is the best running back in this class by far. It's not even close, as no one else has the kind of upside Love has. This is a kid who could easily turn into a top-five back in the NFL within a few years, as he does everything well. He has the speed to bust off a huge gain without anyone coming close to stopping him, and while the one knock on him is that he can get stood up at the line of scrimmage, if he's able to get past that initial level of the defense, he can bust off big chunk plays with ease.

He's also a very good receiver, so whoever drafts him can expect him to be a three-down back who can make plays out of the backfield while also being good enough to stay in and block if needed. If Love falls in this draft, teams that need a true No. 1 back should be all over moving up. Carolina in particular feels like it would be a strong landing spot.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow