Mel Kiper’s final Top 10 NFL mock draft has two big surprises

The 2026 NFL Draft is just over a week away and Mel Kiper Jr. is working overtime. The ESPN analyst released his top-10 mock draft on Wednesday, and there are definitely some elements here worth talking about.

A lot of this is more or less aligning with what we thought. There’s been a ton of chatter about the Jets preferring David Bailey to Arvell Reese, hence the surprising switch there — and Jeremiyah Love has been getting a lot of play at No. 4 to the Titans. It’s from that point on this gets a little wild.

• Caleb Downs at No. 5 makes a lot of sense. He might be my favorite player in this entire draft class, and the kind of defensive talent who can truly take over a game — assuming a defensive staff has enough creativity. It wouldn’t shock me to see the Giants go in this direction, especially with John Harbaugh leading the charge.
• Seeing Sonny Styles go to the Cowboys isn’t a shocker, but seeing them trade up to No. 6 is a little surprising. There’s been a lot of talk about Dallas trying to make the jump from No. 12, and Cleveland is a natural trade partner there. The surprise is that Dallas would make a big move like this and not walk away with an edge rusher.
• Not really sure about the Commanders taking Carnell Tate at No. 7 with this board. They need defensive help in the worst way, and grabbing a receiver feels like a little too much of a luxury in the top-10.
• Having Jordyn Tyson land in Kansas City at No. 9 is the pick that’s turning heads. Make no mistake: The Chiefs need weapons, but they were absolutely decimated at cornerback following the Trent McDuffie trade, and Mansoor Delaine feels like a natural fit. The Chiefs need to give Patrick Mahomes more help, but this year when he’s going to be missing time due to injury feels a bit bizarre. If this was Tate dropping I’d get it, but No. 9 for Tyson feels like a bit of a reach.

What do you think? Anything about Mel’s draft that really surprises you?