With the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft officially in the books, Mel Kiper Jr. has already turned the page to Day 2.
There were a few surprises during Day 1 of the draft, like the Los Angeles Rams selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick. We also saw a few teams go all out on adding playmakers, such as the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. Luckily for the teams that missed out, there's still a lot of firepower left on the board.
As of this moment, Kiper has Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston as the No. 1 player remaining on his "Big Board." The 6-foot-4 playmaker had 62 catches for 881 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns during the 2025 season.
"Boston has developed into a nuanced route runner who uses his size and physicality to shield defenders from the football. His length and catch radius make life miserable for opposing cornerbacks. And the way Boston quickly finds openings in coverage jumps out on tape, helping him to 14.2 yards per catch on the 2025 season. He has Velcro-esque hands, allowing him to go high or low to haul in difficult receptions."
Here are the top 10 prospects available, according to Kiper:
- Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston
- Missouri edge rusher Zion Young
- Georgia linebacker CJ Allen
- Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy
- Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
- Oregon offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon
- Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas
- Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald
- Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez
- Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller
© Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.
Mel Kiper names his early "winners."
The Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Las Vegas Raiders were just a few of Kiper's winners for Day 1. He also loved what the Dallas Cowboys did on Thursday, adding Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence.
"Dallas traded two fifth-round picks to move up one spot, but it was worth it," Kiper said. "The Cowboys got my No. 6 prospect and a culture-changer for a defense that needed one. They had a top-five offense last season. It didn't matter. Dallas would get into the end zone, and opponents would immediately go the other way and score. But Downs won't tolerate that on the back end of the secondary. He diagnoses and sniffs out plays, and he has the coverage and tackling ability to limit the big plays that buried the Cowboys in 2025 (54 plays allowed of 25 or more yards, most in the NFL)."
It's only a matter of time before Kiper shakes up his draft rankings.
