These 5 prospects could trigger chaos in 2026 NFL Draft (led by Jordyn Tyson)

The NFL Draft is no stranger to absolute chaos, and every year, there are a handful of storylines that emerge with the potential to shake up the league completely. From teams jumping up to take surprising fallers, to injuries making prospect evaluations nearly impossible, the draft is a spectacle that is simply never without intrigue.

With some of the aforementioned storylines affecting the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft already coming into focus, it's time to start looking at some of the players who could turn draft boards on their heads.

WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

No one is doubting Tyson's legitimacy as a top wide receiver prospect in the class, with mocks seeing him go as high as inside the Top 10. He's on a collision course with becoming the first Sun Devils' wideout to be taken in the first round since Brandon Aiyuk in 2020, but concerns are beginning to arise that may limit just how early he will hear his name called. Health has been a consistent point of emphasis for his game, and a recent hamstring issue has made the situation even muddier.

Also Read: Top landing spots for Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson in the 2026 NFL Draft

He was tagged with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, an injury that commonly takes anywhere from 4-8 weeks to heal fully. However, he wasn't able to participate in his March pro day, and it may have become a problem again during pre-draft training. Tyson should still be considered a lock to be a 1st round selection, but said concerns might lead to him falling into the second half of the round, with similar situations in the past sparking a game of chicken between franchises and the prospect.

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State

Everyone loves a small school quarterback sleeper, and Payton certainly has the skills to become the next in a long line of them. It's remained a consensus opinion that the 2026 quarterback class is far from the heights of recent years, and behind projected No.1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, how the rest of the board falls is a crapshoot. Alabama's Ty Simpson is seen as the other signal caller to potentially make his way into the 1st round, but that's far from a guarantee.

That's where Payton comes in. He's a dual-threat weapon who put on some excellent tape in 2025, followed up by an impressive pro day, where his connection with fellow Bison, WR Bryce Lance, was on full display. The FCS product could rise into the second day of the draft, and if multiple teams believe he could become their QB of the future, his draft position could be earlier than just about anyone expects.

OL Spencer Fano, Utah

Fano, who played offensive tackle at Utah, has long been tabbed as an interior offensive line prospect at the NFL level, with the predicted position change largely due to severe arm length issues. That deficiency was highlighted in his NFL Combine measurements, listing him at just 32 1/8 inches. The combine, however, has run into inconsistencies with their arm measurements in the last few years. The questions only increased at his pro day, when he measured in with 32 7/8-inch arms, a massive improvement.

Wherever Fano ends up playing, he projects as a top offensive lineman talent available to teams in this year's draft. With that being said, if he has the size to stick at tackle in the long term, he immediately becomes that much more appealing as a prospect. He's viewed as a player who could be taken anywhere in the 1st round, and teams' individual evaluations of the Utes' star could lead to a wide range of potential outcomes come draft night.

LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech

One of the best linebackers in the country across the 2025 season, Jacob Rodriguez's draft projection is truly a mystery. He doesn't have the ideal size, comes into the league with age and brief injury concerns, but he's an impressive football player from top to bottom. His athletic testing numbers silenced plenty of questions surrounding how his movement skills could translate when going up against NFL athletes, and rankings of the top end of the linebacker pool are far from concrete.

With names including Georgia's CJ Allen, Texas' Anthony Hill, and Missouri's Josiah Trotter, among others, the order of LB prospects selected after Ohio State's Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese is anyone's guess. Rodriguez has been mocked as late as the 3rd round and as early as the 10-20 range, and is someone whose selection on draft night could dictate how the entire rest of the position plays out.

EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

Howell is in the same boat as Fano, being that his prospect profile is heavily plagued by far-from-ideal arm length. That might be underselling just how historically short his arms are, with his 30 1/4-inch measurement being the shortest by any edge rusher since 1999. He has the type of talent to be a 1st round pick, but the absolute mammoth-sized offensive tackles in the NFL could give him serious problems.

Also read: Top landing spots for Texas A&M Edge Cashius Howell in the 2026 NFL Draft

If his frame was even just average, he might be seen as a possible game wrecker at the next level, but now, it's not out of the realm of possibilities that he ends up sinking into a role as more of a pass rush specialist. While pass rush production is always important, it may give teams pause if they believe Howell will be limited in his ceiling and snap count. Multiple teams in the back end of Day 1 need EDGE help, but if he falls past that range, there's no telling when the slide will end.