Which 2026 NFL Draft prospects could slide to later picks?

In the NFL draft, the appearance of late movement might be merely an illusion.

Terms like "rise" and "fall" have become staples of the draft lexicon as means of accounting for the discrepancy between the pre-draft expectations for a player and his ultimate landing spot. And when a gulf between the two sides emerges and entails an extended wait, it's difficult not to revert to the popular terminology.

Ultimately, however, there's little actual late action to a monthslong process in which the bulk of the evaluation work was completed a good while ago. Yet even though this year's class surely won't produce as much drama as Shedeur Sanders lasting until the fifth round did last April, the notion of a draft-day slide is sure to re-emerge.

With that said, here are five players who could end up being taken later than the consensus suggests:

CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

Fourteen months after McCoy suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the injury issue should be put to bed. An April pro day in which he was timed at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, per multiple reports, and showed off his explosion in his vertical leap (38 inches) and broad jump (10-foot-7) should have done just that.

For NFL teams weighing a potential make-or-break investment, however, things are never that straightforward. Any team potentially selecting McCoy in the top half of the first round will have to be fully comfortable with his prognosis, and there could be varying comfort levels with taking on such a risk.

But unless there's a significant medical scare, any tumble shouldn't be a precipitous one for a player widely seen as a top-tier talent. McCoy's range likely begins at No. 10 with the Cincinnati Bengals, who appear interested in remaking their secondary and could be drawn to another defender with superlative athleticism. Other potential landing spots in the middle of the first round include the Miami Dolphins (No. 11), Dallas Cowboys (No. 12), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 15) and Minnesota Vikings (No. 18). If he makes it to the midpoint of Day 1, however, he becomes a bit of a wild card.

CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson

Demand always outpaces supply when it comes to the pipeline for competent cornerbacks in the NFL. With sizable secondary questions lingering for several teams in the back portion of the first round, Terrell figured to be one of the figures who could stand to benefit from those dynamics colliding.

Though the Clemson standout and brother of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell doesn't measure up - literally so, at 5-11 and 186 pounds - to McCoy and LSU's Mansoor Delane, he still entered the pre-draft process as the prohibitive favorite to be the third corner selected. Now, however, he looks at risk of being leapfrogged by San Diego State's Chris Johnson and Tennessee's Colton Hood, both of whom appear better positioned to hold up on the perimeter against bigger targets.

Terrell's pro day stirred up some consternation after he pulled a hamstring and ran a 40-yard dash that some timed at 4.64 seconds. Still, 31 starts of high-level playmaking in coverage should supersede that lone - and possibly erroneous - data point. Terrell has proven himself to be an aggressive yet calculating coverage presence, and he shouldn't last long into Day 2. Still, his physical make-up is probably that of a player who misses out on the first-round cut.

DE Akheem Mesidor, Miami (Fla.)

It took the West Virginia transfer six years to finally translate his considerable skill set into consistent production, but Mesidor became a driving force behind the Hurricanes' run to the national championship game. While that trajectory put him on the brink of becoming a first-round draft pick, it also might ultimately hold him out of it.

Mesidor turned 25 earlier this month, and questions about his advanced age have followed him throughout the pre-draft process. Like any good pass rusher, he's had his counter at the ready, calling himself a "seasoned rookie" and pointing out his experience has helped him develop a refined approach he can weaponize right away in the NFL. But while NFL general managers at the scouting combine largely shrugged off the notion of age being a deterrent in evaluations, the advantage conferred by going up against younger and less developed blockers can't be fully ignored. And neither can a lengthy injury history.

On tools and track record alone, Mesidor shouldn't have trouble finding a place in the middle of the first round. And he still might not, with the Buccaneers at 15 and Cowboys at 20 standing out as potential suitors. Yet with two X-factors weighing against him, a slight slide can't be ruled out.

LB CJ Allen, Georgia

Rather than an outright fall, this might be a classic case of a player's stock settling at a more reasonable spot - even if that's later than initially anticipated.

At one point in the fall, Allen might have at least been seen in a comparable class to Sonny Styles in the discussion about the best linebackers in this class. But while the Ohio State standout has separated himself from the pack, Allen seems to have seen it catch up to him.

Instincts and savvy have allowed him to become a highly reliable second-level defender when asked to clean up everything in front of him. Still, standing out in the run game can only do so much for a 6-1, 230-pound linebacker who too frequently finds himself out of sorts in coverage assignments. Beyond facing a serious challenge from Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez to be the second player selected at the position, Allen also has some stiff competition from more dynamic and athletic alternatives, including Texas' Anthony Hill Jr. and Jake Golday. It's not unfathomable that Allen could land with a linebacker-needy such as the Buccaneers or Cowboys, particularly in a trade-back scenario. But a player who only rarely generates splash plays might be saddled with a ceiling that prevents him from hearing his name called Thursday.

OLB Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

That Howell ended up in the first-round conversation is a testament to the Bowling Green transfer's exponential growth as a player. Yet even after he showed off his explosiveness off the edge against the country's best through a Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year campaign and College Football Playoff berth, the atypically built pass rusher might end up taking a backseat to several of his less productive peers.

With 30 1/4-inch arms, Howell is a complete outlier as an NFL edge rusher, let alone an early draft pick. That shortcoming might only hold him back so much on its own, but it's intertwined with issues in setting the edge and inconsistent hand usage. The result is a boom-or-bust approach to creating disruption.

Compounding the problem for Howell is that he's stuck in a muddled second tier of pass rushers that will fill out the late Day 1 to early Day 2 range. Several of the prospects in that group, such as UCF's Malachi Lawrence and Missouri's Zion Young, size up as better fits for the franchises that gravitate toward rangier threats off the edge.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NFL Draft: Five big-name prospects who could fall