Sports
2026 NFL draft: Latest buzz on Ty Simpson, Jeremiyah Love
Pro days are underway across the country, as we’re less than a month away from the 2026 NFL draft on April 23. Amid a ton of buzz about early picks and the quarterback class, we asked NFL draft analysts Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates to break down the latest intel from around the league.
How likely is Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson to go in Round 1? Does Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love make sense for the Titans at No. 4? Who could rise into the top 10 picks by April, and which underrated prospects could be available late? We get into all that and then let Miller, Reid and Yates predict the best first rounds for teams with multiple Day 1 picks. How can the Browns, Chiefs, Cowboys, Dolphins and Jets win the day?
Finally, our experts empty their scouting notebooks with what they’re hearing, seeing and thinking ahead of April. Let’s start with the latest on Simpson, who said he’s “absolutely” a first-round pick at Alabama’s pro day.
Jump to a section:
Ty Simpson | Jeremiyah Love
Who will move into top 10?
Day 3 sleepers | First-round mocks
Emptying our notebook: What we’re hearing

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What percentage chance would you put on Ty Simpson going in Round 1?
Miller: 25%. As the draft order stands right now, no team in Round 1 makes sense to me as a Simpson landing spot. No team in the top 10 that needs a quarterback is likely to reach for him, nor should they. Even the Rams are drafting too early at No. 13 overall. Maybe a team trades back into the first round for him, but that’s a risky proposition to give up draft capital — especially if it includes 2027 picks.
Reid: 75%. Considering the lack of QB talent at the top of the draft, I’d be surprised if Simpson wasn’t selected in the first round. But I agree with Matt that there are no logical landing spots in the first 16 picks. One idea that I floated in my last mock draft was the Cardinals trading back into Round 1 at No. 28 for Simpson. With Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew at the top of the depth chart, they are obviously in need of a young QB.
Yates: 90%. I borrowed from Jordan’s idea of the Cardinals trading up in my last mock draft, but I’m going a step further than him on the percentage. Simpson is the clear-cut second-best QB prospect, his first half of last season was far too strong and there are too many teams that need a QB in the first round for him to not be selected on Thusrday.
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Could the Titans really take Jeremiyah Love at No. 4?
Reid: Love is my No. 1 prospect in this class, but I just don’t see it happening. General manager Mike Borgonzi joined Tennessee after 16 seasons in Kansas City, where the Chiefs always valued premium positions early. Don’t be surprised to see another defensive player added here for new coach Robert Saleh.
Yates: They absolutely could. Tennessee’s busy offseason has opened the board up, as it added all over its defense and signed wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson to a four-year deal. Love is my No. 2 prospect, and many NFL executives and scouts believe he is Tennessee’s most likely pick. With that said, what other teams think the Titans are going to do doesn’t mean much. This will come down to whether Tennessee is confident in the rest of its roster.
Miller: Yes, they could and should take Love at No. 4. The Titans were aggressive enough in free agency to enter the draft without a must-pick position here. Love is the type of transcendent prospect who the Titans can build their offense around, giving quarterback Cam Ward a viable threat in the run and pass game. And from what I’ve heard, if Love falls past Tennessee, the Giants will likely take him at No. 5.
Who isn’t a consensus top-10 pick right now but could end up there by draft time?
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Yates: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama. Consensus is not easy to find right now, but one name that I haven’t seen linked to the top 10 as often is Proctor. He has incredible traits, led by his mammoth size at 6-foot-7 and 352 pounds with nifty athleticism. He could be in play for the Browns at No. 6 and the Chiefs at No. 9.
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Miller: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia. He might rise into the top 10 based on positional value and need. The 6-foot-7, 315-pounder was just a one-year starter, but his athletic tools are that of a high-end NFL starter on the left side. Like Proctor, the Browns or Chiefs could take a chance on Freeling.
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Reid: Keldric Faulk, DL, Auburn. He fits the exact archetype that teams covet near the top of the draft. At 6-foot-5, 276 pounds, Faulk’s pass-rush production took a step back in 2025, but he’s only 21 and one of the best run defenders in the class. When speaking to scouts, Greg Rousseau and Mykel Williams are two NFL comparisons for him. The Chiefs at No. 9 and the Bengals at No. 10 overall are two teams to watch here.
Who is your favorite Day 3 sleeper right now?
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Miller: Will Lee III, CB, Texas A&M. Lee was a consistent performer throughout college and jumps off the tape in press coverage, where he played 240 of his snaps over three seasons. That talent was on display at the Senior Bowl, too. Lee’s 4.52-second time in the 40-yard dash at the combine didn’t help his draft stock, but he’s a potential NFL starter.
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Reid: Adam Randall, RB, Clemson. He made a seamless transition from wide receiver to the backfield this past season. Because of that background, the 6-foot-3, 233-pounder could be a movable piece all over the field. Randall also has A+ value on special teams with experience as a return specialist. I have a strong Round 4 grade on him.
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Yates: Dae’Quan Wright, TE, Ole Miss. Much like the running back position last year, there are going to be tight ends that drop because of the incredible depth of the position. Wright played an important role for Ole Miss this past season, hauling in five touchdowns on 39 catches. He’s a snappy route runner who’s comfortable hauling in catches outside of his frame.

The perfect first round for teams with multiple Day 1 picks
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Reid’s ideal picks for the New York Jets
2. David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech
16. Makai Lemon, WR, USC
The Jets should take two players who can be impactful right away. A highly productive player off the edge, Bailey’s explosive get-off is something this pass rush lacks. And for help opposite Garrett Wilson, Lemon is a steady option who could move inside to the slot. His sure hands, formational versatility and competitiveness after the catch make him an easy fit in new coordinator Frank Reich’s offense.
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6. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
24. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
In an unpredictable draft, Tate is one of the surer prospects. The field-stretching wideout is an excellent route runner who dropped just one pass in 2025. Simply put, the Browns need his offensive firepower. Cleveland will have a good debate about taking an OT or WR with the first pick, but they’d be excited to land Lomu in this perfect scenario. He surrendered six pressures and zero sacks at left tackle in 2025. Plus, he is nimble in space to get to the second level as a run blocker.
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Miller’s ideal picks for the Miami Dolphins
11. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
30. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
The best route for the Dolphins would be a complete rebuild of the secondary after allowing the highest completion percentage in 2025 (72%) and trading safety Minkah Fitzpatrick again this offseason. McCoy, who sat out the 2025 season with an ACL injury, profiles as a true CB1 with shutdown ability. McNeil-Warren would give new coach Jeff Hafley a long, rangy safety who could play in the box or at free safety.
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9. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
30. T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson
After losing Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to the Rams, cornerback is at the top of Kansas City’s needs. Delane blew scouts away with a 4.38 40-yard dash time at LSU’s pro day Monday and cemented his status as the top cornerback in the draft. And after an underwhelming season, Parker has had a strong predraft process. Dense and powerful rushers are prioritized in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, making Parker an ideal fit.
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Miller’s ideal picks for the Dallas Cowboys
12. Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami
20. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
Dallas signed Sam Williams to a one-year deal and traded for Rashan Gary, but this is still a roster that needs another speed rusher. Bain would bring exactly that, as well as power to the position. At safety, Dallas signed Jalen Thompson and has Malik Hooker under contract for one more season. They could use another playmaker on the back end; Thieneman had eight interceptions and two forced fumbles in three seasons at Purdue and Oregon.

What else did you hear and see this week?
Yates’ notes:
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LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had his pro day Monday, which was an important showcase for him after a disappointing season. Nussmeier threw the football with the accuracy you would expect — the hallmark of his great 2024 season was excellent anticipation and accuracy — and observers noted how he looked healthy, which Nussmeier himself noted at the conclusion of the event. Health was an issue for him this past season, but seeing him look like this helped strengthen his case to be taken as QB3 in the upcoming draft.
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A prospect who I’ll bang the drum for is Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge, who is No. 48 on my board. Perhaps no player embodied the toughness and identity of the Georgia Tech program quite as well as Rutledge over the past two seasons. And he showed at the combine that he’s a quality athlete. Scouts I talk to believe he’s a strong bet to go in the second round.
Miller’s notes:
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Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson opted to not work out at the combine and will not participate in Friday’s pro day, but a scout told me he will work out for teams on April 17. That’s just six days before the start of Round 1, and Field reported Wednesday that Tyson will do only positional work. A potential top-15 pick, Tyson has been plagued by hamstring injuries that limited his 2025 season to just nine games.
Reid’s notes:
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Alabama’s pro day took place Wednesday and multiple scouts in attendance came away impressed with how the ball came off Simpson’s hand. “I thought his arm was a little above average on tape, but it’s much stronger than I anticipated after seeing him up close,” said an NFC executive.
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After Faulk didn’t participate in the 40-yard dash at the combine, evaluators were eager to his true speed at Auburn’s pro day Tuesday. Scouts that I talked to had him timed in the range of 4.67 to 4.69 seconds. He also completed 17 reps on the bench press and participated in positional drills.
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At Miami’s pro day Monday, edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor took part only in positional drills, but offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa did run a 40-yard dash. Scouts that I talked to had him in the 5.10 to 5.12-second range on both runs. Mauigoa is my top-ranked offensive tackle and could go as high as No. 3 to the Cardinals.
Sports
Alexi Lalas dreading thought England could win World Cup on America’s 250th birthday: ‘Cannot have that’
Alexi Lalas previews 2026 FIFA World Cup, ‘Summer of ’94’ film
U.S. Soccer legend Alexi Lalas joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Lalas highlights the event’s cultural significance and reflects on the 1994 US World Cup team. Fox Sports announces a $250,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, matched by Fox Corporation, aimed at growing soccer grassroots.
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There is no clear-cut favorite heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but if you ask Fox Sports analyst Alexi Lalas who he believes will lift the trophy at the end of the tournament, he’ll give you one answer.
“I don’t care who wins as long as it’s not England,” he said during Fox Sports’ FIFA World Cup 2026 Media Day on Wednesday in New York City. “I can abide by a lot of things happening this summer, but one thing I cannot is having England come over on our shores, on our 250th birthday of what I feel is the greatest country in the world, and for them to win a World Cup.
“If you think they’re insufferable now, could you imagine they came over and won that World Cup and it’s coming home through our country. I cannot have that, so anybody but England.”
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Alexi Lalas, Fox Sports soccer analyst and U.S. men’s national team legend, appears animated on stage at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on April 14, 2023. (Michael Janosz/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
The U.S.-England rivalry in soccer was in full force in 2022, when they were pitted against each other in their group stage in Qatar. It was a 0-0 draw in a hard-fought match for both sides, but in 2026, they’ll have to get out of their respective groups if they are to meet in the tournament.
But Lalas couldn’t imagine England taking home its first World Cup since 1966 — the country’s only victory in the tournament of all tournaments.
US SOCCER GREAT THINKS AMERICAN TEAM CAN SHOCK THE WORLD AT UPCOMING WORLD CUP
There is no denying, though, how great the English squad will be this year, as Lalas knows.
“They’re really good,” he said. “As much as it pains me to say, they are very, very good. The soccer gods have a wicked sense of humor. Please not England, anybody but England.”
Lalas’ Fox Sports colleague, host Rebecca Lowe, is a West Londoner who has dreamed of her country winning it all since she can remember.
“Every four years of my play since 1990, I think about England winning the World Cup,” she said after Lalas’ rant. “So, I’m now getting to a stage where if I now go against them, they’re going to do it.
“I’m going to be courageous. It is going to come home.”

Commentator and former player Alexi Lalas looks on before the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2025 final between the United States and Mexico at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on July 6, 2025. (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Lowe and Lalas said that they will have a bet in place once the tournament begins where, if England does indeed win it all, the latter will have to do something and vice versa.
Carli Lloyd, Stu Holden, and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez also gave their predictions about who would win. Hernandez was on Lowe’s side believing England could win it all, though he hopes his home country, fellow host site Mexico, can do so instead.
Lloyd and Holden both think France, which fell in penalties to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup Final, will get the job done at MetLife Stadium in July.
“The French, I just look at this team, they continue to get stronger. When they go down a generation, the next generation comes,” Holden said.

Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas speaks at the FOX Sports 2018 FIFA World Cup Celebration on Sept. 26, 2017, at ArtBeam in New York City. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for FOX Sports)
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“I’m going to go with France as well,” Lloyd added shortly after. “The depth, the experience. I know firsthand losing in 2011 at the World Cup, coming back and really having that desire to really want to win in 2015. There’s something about that.”
The panel was hopeful the U.S. men’s national team can make a run on home soil, but it’s hard to deny the talent level elsewhere as the best players and countries in the world converge on North America in just a few weeks.
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Sports
Pakistani climber Salman Ateeque summits Mount Everest
ISLAMABAD: Renowned climber Salman Ateeque on Thursday successfully scaled Mount Everest, becoming the 13th Pakistani to reach the world’s highest peak.
Ateeque reached the 8,849-metre summit at approximately 11:39am during the ongoing 2026 Himalayan climbing season, which has drawn hundreds of climbers from across the world.
Around 464 climbing permits were issued this season to mountaineers from 80 countries, with the largest contingents coming from China and India, said sources privy to the matter.
Ateeque was reportedly the only Pakistani climber to obtain an Everest permit this year.
The climber, who has a professional background in electrical engineering and over two decades of experience in the telecommunications sector, previously summited Mount Manaslu — the world’s eighth-highest mountain — in Nepal last year.
Officials familiar with the expedition said Ateeque successfully navigated the hazardous Khumbu Icefall and made his summit push during a favourable weather window.
His ascent adds another chapter to Pakistan’s growing presence in high-altitude mountaineering.
It is pertinent to mention here that Nazir Sabir became the first Pakistani to summit Everest in 2000, while Samina Baig made history in 2013 as the first Pakistani woman to reach the top of the mountain.
Other notable Pakistani Everest summiteers include Hassan Sadpara, Mirza Ali Baig, Abdul Jabbar Bhatti, Shehroze Kashif, Sirbaz Khan, Sajid Ali Sadpara, Naila Kiani, Wajidullah Nagri, Abdul Joshi and Saad Bin Munawar.
Sirbaz Khan is recognised as the first Pakistani to scale all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, while Sajid Ali Sadpara became the first Pakistani to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen.
The Pakistani mountaineering community and sports enthusiasts are now awaiting Ateeque’s safe descent to Everest Base Camp following the successful summit.
Sports
Neuer recalled to aid Germany World Cup bid
Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was handed a surprise recall to Germany’s 26-man World Cup squad on Thursday, coming out of international retirement to play in the tournament for a fifth time.
The 40-year-old retired from international duty in 2024 but coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed the World Cup winner will be the number one option ahead of Oliver Baumann at this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“Everyone knows the aura and quality Manu has, what he brings to a team,” Nagelsmann said at a squad announcement in Frankfurt.
“We’re planning with him as our number one.”
Joshua Kimmich will retain the captaincy despite the long-time skipper’s return.
Former Manchester City and Bayern winger Leroy Sane, now at Galatasaray, has retained his spot.
Bayern Munich’s Neuer is the only remaining member of the squad that won the World Cup in 2014.
Matthias Ginter, another 2014 World Cup winner who was instrumental in Freiburg’s run to the Europa League final, failed to make the cut, with Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw preferred in central defence.
Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig was dropped from the squad after being called up for the March friendlies, but will travel with the side to help in training during the tournament.
Munich’s Jamal Musiala returns to the squad after missing Germany’s March friendlies as he recovered from a broken ankle.
Nagelsmann named a Premier League-heavy attacking contingent, which includes freshly minted English Premier League champion Kai Havertz of Arsenal, Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz and Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade.
Bayern youngster Lennart Karl, 18, was also called up to a major tournament for the first time.
Germany’s World Cup struggles
As expected, Bayern forward Serge Gnabry misses out with a thigh injury, as does Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. Recent regulars Niclas Fuellkrug and Robert Andrich were not called up.
The German FA (DFB) began sharing video snippets announcing the squad player by player on social media early on Thursday, with Kimmich the first confirmed.
Neuer was the standout player as Germany won their fourth World Cup in 2014, but since then the team’s form has plummeted.
Germany crashed out at the World Cup group stage in 2018 for the first time since 1938 and repeated the feat four years later in Qatar.
The Germans have not fared much better in other international tournaments. Since making the semi-finals of Euro 2016, Germany have won just one knockout game in the tournament— a 2-0 success against Denmark on home soil at Euro 2024.
Neuer has impressed this season for Bayern, winning man-of-the-match honours in the quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, but comes into the tournament under an injury cloud due to a recurring calf complaint.
He is in doubt for Saturday’s German Cup final against Stuttgart in Berlin.
The Germans will have one final match on home soil, against Finland on May 31, before facing World Cup co-hosts the United States in Chicago on June 6.
Germany will be based in North Carolina during the tournament.
They are in Group C alongside debutants Curacao, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Germany squad:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nuebel (Stuttgart)
Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle/ENG)
Midfielders: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove Albion/ENG), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool/ENG)
Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal/ENG), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray/TUR), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade
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