NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah held his annual pre-NFL draft conference call with members of the media on Tuesday, answering questions for an hour. Here are five takeaways from the event.
Programming note: Tune in for live coverage of Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft beginning at 8 p.m. ET on April 23 on NFL Network, NFL+, the NFL Channel, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
1) WR fits for Steelers. The Steelers have been combing the WR ranks during the pre-draft process, even after acquiring Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason to go along with DK Metcalf. They might even use their first-round pick on a wideout, which could excite Pittsburgh fans next Thursday night.
Jeremiah said he thinks Washington's Denzel Boston is one that makes sense with the 21st overall pick.
"That would give them three giants out there," Jeremiah said.
Outside the first round, Jeremiah mentioned Alabama's Germie Bernard and two other fast-rising WR prospects as players to keep an eye on: Georgia State's Ted Hurst and Ole Miss' De'Zhaun Stribling.
"Both of those guys (Hurst and Stribling) have a lot of heat, talking to folks around the league," Jeremiah said.
He especially sounded excited about Stribling, who has helped his cause a lot since the end of the season, running a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
"The more you watched him, the more you liked him, at least for me," Jeremiah said of Stribling. "He catches everything. ... What also has helped him has been meeting with teams, (they) have been impressed with how football-intelligent he is."
2) Why Titans shouldn't pass on Love. The Titans have an interesting call with the fourth overall pick. They can continue surrounding QB Cam Ward with a player such as Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love or they could continue building up a defense that allowed the fifth-most points in the NFL last season.
Jeremiah said his natural instinct would be to fix the defense -- and the offensive line -- prior to adding a playmaker such as Love.
"The Titans (are) a fascinating one," Jeremiah said. "I've always had the rule of, you need to build out the key parts of the roster, including the offensive line, before you insert the running back. The career, the shelf life, you want to be able to maximize all their carries. You don't want to waste carries on a bad team with a running back. You'd like to build it up and then drop the running back in."
But because Love is such a strong prospect, he'd be willing to go against his own philosophy in this case.
"I'm breaking my own rule in saying I still think they should take Jeremiyah Love even though they don't have all those pieces in place," he said, "with the hope being that one more offseason of free agency and the draft, they can build up that offensive line, the rest of that offense.
"They go into a new stadium I believe that year, so in Year 2, I think you could see that whole offense really start to blossom."
Jeremiah said Love is a "complete back who can do everything." Although Jeremiah had a stronger grade on Saquon Barkley, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, he said his grade Love is similar to the one he gave Atlanta's Bijan Robinson (who went eighth in 2023) and is higher than the one he gave Jahmyr Gibbs (12th in 2023).
"He's explosive," Jeremiah said of Love, "and he's not a little guy -- he's 212 pounds."
3) Intrigue around Commanders' decision. Jeremiah said that one of the first "inflection points" of the first round could come at No. 7, when the Commanders are on the clock. Washington certainly has needs on defense but also has been connected to receivers such as Ohio State's Carnell Tate, as well as Jeremiyah Love, in mock drafts. They also lack second- and fourth-round picks this year via the Laremy Tunsil trade and could look to move down, if that option presents itself.
So which way does Jeremiah see it going? It depends, but he's leaning toward one side of the ball, especially if Ohio State LB Sonny Styles is still available.
"It would be hard if Styles was there to trade off of that pick," Jeremiah said. "... The two guys that make the most sense if they were to stay there would be (Styles) and (Ohio State safety Caleb) Downs."
Later Jeremiah recalled a conversation he had with an older scout who compared Styles to Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, another former safety who became a star after converting to linebacker with the Bears.
"I love (Styles). ... All the range that he has, length, the ability as a blitzer ... there are so many things you can utilize with him," Jeremiah said.
Seeing all the things Styles is capable of -- spying quarterbacks, defending RPOs and covering tight ends -- makes Jeremiah think Styles would be a natural in Dan Quinn's defense.
4) Saints' top options in Round 1. The Saints could go in a number of different directions with the eighth overall pick. They have needs on both sides of the ball. Jeremiah mentioned two players that he keeps coming back to for New Orleans at No. 8 -- one on each side of the ball.
The first option would be defense with Miami Edge Rueben Bain Jr. Jeremiah said there's a "decent chance" he's available when the Saints pick.
"He could set the edge on early downs, you can let him rush inside and beat up on guards, as well," Jeremiah said. ... Having been around (defensive coordinator) Brandon Staley, I know he'll appreciate how hard he plays."
Another direction would be wide receiver. If Carnell Tate is off the board, Jeremiah thinks Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson could be in play. Injuries have been the biggest question mark for Tyson, who missed time due to injury in each of his four years in college, including a knee injury that wiped out parts of two seasons.
"He's a dynamic, explosive athlete," Jeremiah said of the 6-foot-2, 203-pound Tyson. "You think about him and Chris Olave there ... I could see them going down that road."
5) Perfect fix for 49ers' pass-rushing woes? After notching a league-low 20 sacks last season, the 49ers must upgrade the pass rush one way or another.
The returns from injury of Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams clearly will help. The Niners also added Osa Odighizuwa and Cameron Sample to their front, and they have several second-year players who are capable of making jumps. Yet it feels highly plausible for San Francisco to add pass-rush help in a good class of edge rushers, perhaps as early as the team's first-round pick at No. 27 overall.
Which edge rusher is the best fit for the Niners at that spot? For Jeremiah, it's UCF's Malachi Lawrence.
"When you talk about guys who fit that scheme, you've got to feel their juice off the edge and (Lawrence), he brings that," Jeremiah said. "The run (stopping) stuff, he's got to get a little better. There's times he gets stuck at the point of attack. He needs to improve.
"But if you told me Malachi Lawrence, you could handpick him to play in one defense, I'd send him to San Francisco."
The 6-4, 253-pound Lawrence was an NFL Scouting Combine standout, turning in the third-fastest 40-yard dash time among all edge rushers (4.52 seconds), the second-highest vertical jump (40 inches) and the second-best broad jump (10-foot-10). He's seen his stock explode this offseason and now could be in play in the late first round.
The pairing just feels right for Jeremiah.
"(Lawrence is) built to play in that attack front that they use," Jeremiah said. "(Defensive line coach Kris) Kocurek would love this type of a player. Just line him up wide and let him go."
