{"id":853300,"date":"2026-04-04T14:09:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T14:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/853300\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T14:09:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T14:09:30","slug":"cowboys-stun-nfl-grab-arvell-reese-jets-make-bold-moves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/853300\/","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys stun NFL, grab Arvell Reese; Jets make bold moves"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 NFL Draft is just weeks.\u00a0 With the stage set in Pittsburgh<\/a> and Fernando Mendoza set to be the first name called come drat night, there is growing buzz around teams potentially moving up or back via trades that could land top prospects in intriguing places.<\/p>\n

As the NFL draft rumor mill buzzing, this NFL Mock Draft <\/a>sets a few trade scenarios in place that could shift the entire draft board, shock fans and perhaps change the landscape of the entire NFL.<\/p>\n

With the Las Vegas Raiders on the clock and expected to land their QB, let the chaos begin.<\/p>\n

2026 NFL Mock Draft: Eye-popping trade turns board upside downNo. 1: Las Vegas Raiders \u2013 Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana<\/p>\n

In taking Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, the Raiders will have high expectations for the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner.\u00a0 Klint Kubiak and company will also have some patience.\u00a0 In signing Kirk Cousins this week<\/a>, the new Raiders head coach has a veteran in place to start the season to give Mendoza time to find his way in the NFL.\u00a0 The signing also gives Mendoza a veteran presence to learn from and motivation to excel at the next level.<\/p>\n

No. 2: Dallas Cowboys via New York Jets \u2013 Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State\"2026<\/p>\n

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese ( | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Dallas Cowboys have been rumored <\/a>to be eyeing the No. 3 overall pick, but the shock here is that Jerry Jones and crew really push the ball and land the No. 2 overall pick in an eye-opening block buster trade with the New York Jets. The draft day trade shocks the board and gives the Jets three first round picks in the top 20 in this draft.\u00a0 With the No. 2 overall pick, the Cowboys get their next Michah Parsons type talent in Arvell Reese to fits two of the Cowboys\u2019 needs.\u00a0 He can get after the passer and he has elite talent at the linebacker position.<\/p>\n

No. 3: Arizona Cardinals \u2013 Francis Mauigoa, T, Miami (FL)\"2026<\/p>\n

Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Cardinals will listen to trade offers for this pick but ultimately stay pat and take an opportunity to rebuild their offensive line with the selection of Francis Mauigoa<\/a>.\u00a0 The best tackle in the draft, Mauigoa offers elite pass protection for a team that will take a young quarterback at some point in this draft.\u00a0 In all reality, the Cardinals may have their eye on the 2027 NFL Draft class.\u00a0 In the meantime, it\u2019s all about rebuilding from the inside out.\u00a0 They need to get that offensive line on point and Mauigoa is a great starting point.<\/p>\n

No. 4: Tennessee Titans \u2013 Jeremiyah Love, HB, Notre Dame\"Jeremiyah<\/p>\n

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Titans grab the top running back and perhaps the best offensive playmaker in this draft with the selection of Jeremiyah Love with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft.\u00a0 The Titans will be intrigued by the top defensive players on the board, but they find a greater need to build around Cam Ward.\u00a0 They give him a dynamic weapon in the backfield to potentially lead them into the future.<\/p>\n

No. 5: New York Giants \u2013 Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State\"2026<\/p>\n

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs | Adam Cairns\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Giants at No. 5 can go in a few directions.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have as huge of a need at linebacker as they had prior to free agency, so they grab another generational talent with the selection of the best safety in the draft.\u00a0 Caleb Downs not only comes with high-impact playmaking skills, but he had the versatility to play corner if needed.\u00a0 With John Harbaugh\u2019s love for the safety position, the Giants create quite a safety room with Downs, Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 NFL Draft is just weeks.\u00a0 With the stage set in Pittsburgh and Fernando Mendoza set to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":853301,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2066],"tags":[230,229,257,2461,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-853300","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-cowboys","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-cowboys","11":"tag-dallascowboys","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116346840351246133","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=853300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/853301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=853300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=853300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=853300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}