Twenty-six true difference-makers in the 2026 NFL Draft; plus, 5 must-pick sleepers

The class of prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft features a rock-solid collection of playmakers and key contributors. While the group lacks some sizzle at the marquee positions (quarterback and running back), scouts will find plenty of talent available throughout.

As the presumed No. 1 overall pick, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is the headliner of the quarterback class. The reigning Heisman Trophy-winner is a clutch competitor who shines in big moments as a pinpoint passer. Although he lacks the superpowers typically associated with a QB1, his winning habits and championship standards should translate into long-term success as a pro.

Alabama’s Ty Simpson is the most polarizing quarterback prospect in the class. On one hand, he boasts flawless footwork and mechanics; on the other, his limited experience (15 college starts) and substandard physical dimensions (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) make him an outlier as a potential franchise quarterback. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Miami’s Carson Beck will garner plenty of attention as developmental prospects with starting potential.

The 2026 running back class features a potential gold-jacket candidate in Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, who ranks as the No. 1 player on my draft board. The electric playmaker is joined by his college teammate, Jadarian Price, and Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson as possible feature backs. With Arkansas’ Mike Washington and Washington’s Jonah Coleman likely slated for key roles as rotational runners, teams could find plenty of hidden gems among this crop of ball-carriers.

The wide receiver class is loaded with polished pass-catchers and shifty slot receivers. Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and USC’s Makai Lemon are impact players who should make their mark from Day 1. The trio is joined by Indiana’s Omar Cooper, Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion and Washington’s Denzel Boston as role players who could become difference-makers within systems that accentuate their unique skills.

Teams seeking playmaking tight ends will have plenty to choose from. Although there are not many traditional tight ends within the group, Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq, Ohio State’s Max Klare, Cincinnati’s Joe Royer and Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers could make their mark as “flex” tight ends utilized in various ways to create and exploit mismatches on the perimeter. Utah’s Dallen Bentley flashes intriguing potential as a “Y” tight end due to his size (6-4, 253 pounds), length and skills.

The talent and depth of the offensive tackle class could lead to a run at the end of the first round. Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, and Utah products Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu are joined by Georgia’s Monroe Freeling and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor as likely first-round locks. Clemson’s Blake Miller and Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor could join the party, with teams salivating over their potential as long-term starters.

On the interior, Penn State’s Vega Ioane is a special player worthy of top-10 consideration, based on his dominance at the line of scrimmage. Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis, Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon and Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge are plug-and-play starters who could sneak into the Day 1 conversation by the end of the process.

Defensively, the 2026 class features a collection of pass rushers and edge defenders that are best suited for complementary roles. Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Texas Tech’s David Bailey are explosive defenders with disruptive playmaking potential. Each displays a superpower that could make them a perennial Pro Bowler, but they will need to round out their games to get the most out of their NFL careers. Miami’s Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor are relentless competitors with rugged games, making them ideal complementary pass rushers on front lines that already feature a dominant defender. With Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, Missouri’s Zion Young, Clemson’s T.J. Parker and Illinois’ Gabe Jacas piquing scouts’ interest with their disruptive potential, the performance of the 2026 class could exceed expectations.

The defensive tackle class lacks depth, particularly among interior pass rushers, but teams in the market for run-stoppers could find a diamond in the rough on Day 2. Florida’s Caleb Banks, Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald and Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter are fringe first-rounders who could deliver strong results as run-first defenders. Keep an eye on Clemson’s Peter Woods as a surprise Day 1 pick, due to his talent and traits as an inside pass rusher.

The 2026 linebacker class is loaded with a mix of downhill head-bangers and hit, run and chase defenders with a knack for producing splash plays against the run and pass. Ohio State’s Sonny Styles, Georgia’s CJ Allen and Texas’ Anthony Hill have surged to the top of the charts as difference-makers; Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, meanwhile, could come off the board sooner than previously expected, due to his big-play production (13 forced fumbles, 25.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions).

The cornerbacks in the class are highly regarded, due to their versatility and polish on the perimeter. Although there is not a “can’t miss” prospect in the group, the buzz around LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy among NFL scouts suggests each ball-hawking defender would be viewed as a rock-solid CB1 in any class. South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse and San Diego State’s Chris Johnson are on the radar as Day 1 outside cornerback possibilities, with Clemson’s Avieon Terrell, Miami’s Keionte Scott and Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds generating significant interest as slot defenders.

The 2026 collection of safeties features several ballhawks with versatile skills that enable them to play in the deep middle or near the box as run-pass defenders. Ohio State’s Caleb Downs flashes star potential as a high-IQ defender with game-changing skills; he could be joined by Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeill-Warren as Round 1 selections.

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Anthony can only watch his Sox teammates from a distance

“He sees what’s going on. He badly wants to be here,” said Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “[But] we have to make sure he’s right when he comes back.”

How to get there? Tracy said the Sox want Anthony to be pain-free when he starts swinging, a threshold he hasn’t reached.

“We’re not going to resume hitting if there’s still discomfort in the hand,” said Tracy, who’s been in touch with the outfielder. “That’s a big piece of our lineup. It would be great to get him back. The whole point is we don’t want our player, that player, to play injured, especially when it comes to swinging the bat. So, just continuing to get him to where he feels very confident in his mind that that hand feels good. That’s our goal.”

Tracy was unsure whether Anthony’s ligament has healed to the point where there’s no risk of reinjury. But even if that’s the case, the team doesn’t want Anthony to start a hitting progression until he doesn’t need to think about the injury.

“This guy can really hit, and [he needs his] hand to hit. I fully support him,” said Tracy. “We don’t want players in the box if they’re not confident that they should be out there. There’s a lot of components to it that go beyond just [medical] scans.”

Ranger Suarez, who went on the injured list with a left groin strain just before the All-Star break, felt fine after throwing a bullpen session on Sunday morning. The Sox will check in Monday to determine whether Suarez (4-3, 3.15 ERA in 17 starts) can start on Tuesday against the Orioles, or if he might need a couple of days.

“We’re definitely getting close,” Tracy said.

Connelly Early, who’s been on the IL with left elbow inflammation since July 1, has extended his throwing program to 90 feet on flat ground. A standard progression would have him move up to 105 and then 120 feet on flat ground before he starts throwing off a mound, with a need to throw multiple bullpen sessions before facing hitters in live batting practice, rehab games, or both. It’s likely he’ll be out until at least August.

“He’s got to work his way back [to the mound],” said Tracy. “He’s doing fine. Just, his [rehab] is going to take just a touch longer [than Suarez’s].”

Willson Contreras entered Sunday with 193 regular-season homers, including 33 to the opposite field. The ability for the righthanded masher to crush pitches to the right of center has been a distinguishing trait since his first day in the big leagues. But of his first 21 homers this year, just one had been to the right of center. “[Suarez] was joking with me the other day that I haven’t hit an oppo homer,” said Contreras. “I said, ‘It’s going to come. I don’t know when.’” It came on Sunday. Contreras drilled a two-run homer beyond the Red Sox bullpen in right-center, becoming the first Sox righthanded hitter this year with an opposite-field homer at Fenway. “That’s a reminder to Ranger,” said Contreras. … Isiah Kiner-Falefa (on the IL since June 20) and Marcelo Mayer (June 26), sidelined by stress reactions in their left forearms, will meet with a hand specialist for follow-up scans on Monday … Trevor Story, out since May 15 with a sports hernia, is increasing the intensity of his baseball activities, but is still experiencing soreness from lateral mobility drills. Once he gets past that soreness, he and the team will consider a rehab assignment.

Alex Speier can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @alexspeier.

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Trump’s South Carolina Senate endorsement faces GOP primary challenge

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President Donald Trump has made his pick to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., but several Republicans eyeing his seat don’t care.

A handful of hopefuls vying to win the Republican nomination in August to take the reins from Graham have already announced their intent to jump into the race, despite Trump throwing his endorsement power behind Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., Graham’s sister who many believed to be a placeholder for the remainder of his term.

Trump on Friday, after meeting with Graham in the Oval Office, announced his “complete and total endorsement” for her to get into the race.

TIM SCOTT SAYS HE’D ‘LOVE TO SEE’ FOX NEWS HOST REPLACE LINDSEY GRAHAM

Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House.

President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 16, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

“I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026,” Trump said. “I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.”

She has not yet committed, and the coveted Trump endorsement has not stopped Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., businessman Mark Lynch or the latest to jump in, Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., from entering the fray.

Fry, in particular, was just last week lauded by Trump as someone to watch. He also had spent time speaking with White House operatives about launching a bid, and a Trump endorsement seemed all but guaranteed.

GRAHAM’S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITE

A source in Fry’s political orbit told Fox News Digital that the lawmaker has “accomplished more than all the potential candidates combined,” having passed three bills in his first four years in Congress.

“This is really about giving voters a choice and not a coronation,” they said.

Still, Fry is not running away from Trump. In his campaign announcement, Fry noted, “Of the many things Lindsey Graham believed in, standing with President Trump and advancing the Republican agenda were among his defining principles.”

“There is no other way to put it: Lindsey Graham was one of a kind,” Fry said. “There is no replacing him, but I believe the best way to honor his legacy is to fight alongside the president just as steadfastly as he did.”

During this cycle, at least, the Trump endorsement has not proven a sure bet.

South Carolina-based Republican consultant Dave Wilson told Fox News Digital, “South Carolina voters want to have a choice and not be told who they need to be voting for.”

GRAHAM ALLY RIPS ‘THIRSTY’ REPUBLICANS JOCKEYING TO REPLACE LATE SENATOR

Rep. Russell Fry arrives at the Capitol Hill Club.

Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., arrives for the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on May 13, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

“The president’s quick endorsement of Darline Graham was very symbolic,” Wilson said, but added, “We’re seeing in South Carolina that his endorsement didn’t carry as much weight as people thought it was going to.”

Wilson was referring to Trump’s endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette ahead of last month’s GOP gubernatorial primary.

Evette was the top vote getter in the primary but lost the ensuing runoff election against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in a landslide. And Trump, ever hungry for a victory, endorsed both Wilson and Evette days before the runoff.

Veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News Digital that a Trump endorsement is “a major boost for any candidacy, but it doesn’t necessarily give you a lock on the seat.”

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Just because Trump has thrown his weight behind Graham doesn’t mean others shouldn’t run, Williams contended. He noted that Senate seats rarely open up in South Carolina, and that when the opportunity presents itself, hopefuls need to seize it.

“If you’re an aspiring House member in South Carolina, this is your time to run regardless of whom the president is supporting,” Williams said.

“There’s no downside for running,” he continued. “They’re all going to run as Trump Republicans, and they’re all going to flatter the president on the campaign trail.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

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Fidelity launches its first ETF share classes, adding municipal income, real estate, and short-term bond options to its growing exchange-traded lineup

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Fidelity Investments launched its first ETF share classes on June 18, 2026, adding exchange-traded versions of three established mutual fund strategies to its lineup: the Fidelity Intermediate Municipal Income ETF (FIMU), the Fidelity Real Estate Income ETF (FREI), and the Fidelity Short-Term Bond ETF (FSTB).

Each ETF share class is built on an existing mutual fund strategy, sharing the same portfolio, track record, and investment management team, according to Fidelity’s announcement. The three funds are listed on the Nasdaq and available to individual investors and advisors on Fidelity’s platform.

ETF share classes offer investors benefits that mutual funds don’t provide. By adding an ETF wrapper to a mutual fund, asset managers allow both traditional and exchange-traded versions of the same strategy to coexist under one portfolio umbrella. Compared to mutual funds where net asset value is settled after the market close, the ETF structure enables intraday trading, potential tax efficiency through in-kind creation and redemption mechanisms, and in many cases lower expense ratios, according to InvestmentNews analysis.

The three new Fidelity products come with competitive expense ratios. FIMU carries an estimated net expense ratio of 0.30%, FREI charges 0.57%, and FSTB, the short-term bond strategy, will charge 0.20% on a net basis, according to Fidelity’s official announcement.

Existing Fidelity mutual fund shareholders on the company’s platform will have the option to convert their holdings to the ETF share class on a recurring, non-taxable basis. Greg Friedman, head of ETFs at Fidelity, said the company is “at an inflection point in the ETF industry, with exemptive relief providing the opportunity to offer additional product choice for investors.”

Why the timing matters

Fidelity’s entry into ETF share classes marks a significant industry shift. For decades, Vanguard was the only firm permitted to run ETF share classes within mutual funds, protected by a patent that expired in May 2023. After that expiration, nearly 80 fund managers filed petitions with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for exemptive relief to add ETF share classes of their own, according to ISS Market Intelligence.

The SEC’s approval of Dimensional Fund Advisors’ application in September 2025 became the starting gun for other asset managers. Dimensional’s approval was significant because it was the first SEC clearance for an actively managed strategy to use the ETF share class structure. Following that decision, more than 60 sponsors re-filed share class relief applications, according to a Brown Brothers Harriman analysis cited by InvestmentNews.

Investor appetite for ETF share classes is strong. A 2024 ISS Market Intelligence survey found that 60% of advisors said they would prefer to access a favored manager in ETF form, versus just 15% who would opt for a mutual fund. A separate Brown Brothers Harriman global investor survey in March 2026 found that 86% of U.S. respondents said they would buy an ETF share class of a mutual fund if given the choice, according to InvestmentNews.

With these launches, Fidelity’s exchange-traded lineup expands to 84 ETFs and exchange-traded products with $172 billion in assets under management as of May 31, 2026. The company’s data shows that 53% of advisors’ portfolios included ETFs as of the fourth quarter of 2024, up from 44% the prior year, signaling the growing integration of ETF structures into professional investment strategies.

Sources

Fidelity Newsroom — Official announcement of the three ETF share class launches, fund names, tickers, expense ratios, portfolio managers, and experience levels; launch date of June 18, 2026; non-taxable conversion option for existing mutual fund shareholders.
InvestmentNews — Explanation of how ETF share classes work; Vanguard’s patent expiration in May 2023; nearly 80 fund managers filing for exemptive relief; Dimensional Fund Advisors’ September 2025 SEC approval as first for actively managed strategies; ISS Market Intelligence data on 60% of advisors preferring ETF form; Brown Brothers Harriman data on 86% of U.S. respondents willing to buy ETF share classes; Fidelity’s 53% advisor adoption of ETFs in Q4 2024 versus 44% prior year; more than 60 sponsors re-filing applications after SEC approval.