Matt Miller's 7-Round Mock Draft

ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller joined the show to walk through his 2026 seven-round mock draft, and the conversation revealed how much the top of the board is hardening even as measurables muddy the picture for the biggest names.

Miller has Fernando Mendoza going first to the Giants and Arvell Reese coming off the board second to the Jets. The Reese pick is the interesting one. A wave of negative pro day coverage has started to pile up, but Miller is skeptical of the over-evaluation that happens this late in the cycle. He keeps a sticky note on his desk that reads "draft good football players", a reminder that tape from August through December should outweigh an arm measurement or a disappointing agility drill.

At four, Miller sticks with Jeremiah Love to the Titans despite Adam Schefter's body language on other shows suggesting Tennessee has cooled. Miller acknowledges this is the time of year things shift, but argues Love is the best player in the class and pairs naturally with Cam Ward as a Bijan Robinson-style weapon.

The Giants take Ohio State safety Caleb Downs fifth. The logic leans on John Harbaugh's history with elite safeties, Ed Reed, Kyle Hamilton, and Downs' football character, versatility, and culture-setting traits from Alabama and Ohio State.

The back half of the first round gets more specific. Miller has Dallas remaking its secondary with two picks, grabbing corner Will Johnson-type McCoy, who he believes would have been the top corner in last year's draft if not for a January ACL tear. Kansas City grabs Avant Terrell, whose brother AJ plays for the Falcons, to continue the Chiefs' pattern of developing corners on rookie deals.

The quarterback conversation gets honest. Miller has Ty Simpson going 33rd to the Jets, not in the first round. Simpson only started 15 games in college, ten below the threshold NFL teams typically want. Garrett Nusmeer goes to the Steelers at 53, Drew Allar to the Rams. Miller's frame on the QBs without a first-round stamp: you can date one in the second round instead of marrying one in the first. The narrative pressure is completely different.

On the trench run, Miller expects 14 or more offensive tackles and edge rushers off the board in round one, which is going to push receivers down and force teams to trade up if they want a true blindside protector.

Miller closed on Sunny Styles, the Ohio State linebacker who he slots at ten to the Bengals. Styles was the name everyone was talking about in August and September before the Reese hype took over. Converted safety, can rush the passer, elite athlete. Miller thinks he could easily go as high as five.

The through-line: this draft's value lives in the trenches and at non-premium positions, and the teams that read that correctly are going to win the weekend.