Cowboys make mock draft trade into top 10, plus explaining the Rueben Bain Jr. situation

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Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

I'm not sure how it's possible, but we are now just 10 days away from the start of the 2026 NFL Draft. In 10 short days, there will be no more mock drafts, so I am going to cram as many as possible into this newsletter between now and then.

Since the draft is now officially 10 days away, we're going to be talking a lot about the draft today. Not only do we have a SEVEN-ROUND mock draft for the Giants, but we have our weekly Monday mock draft. Also, we'll take a closer look at the situation involving top-10 draft prospect Rueben Bain Jr.

As always, here's your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. Let's get to the rundown.

1. Mock Draft Monday: Cowboys make trade into top 10

It's time for another edition of Mock Draft Monday, which is where we hunt down one of our NFL Draft gurus and force them to give you a new mock draft since there's no better way to start the week than with a fresh mock. With the draft coming up next week, this is our penultimate Mock Draft Monday. And yes, I'm already getting emotional about that.

This week, we have a mock draft from Zach Pereles, who has the Cowboys making a trade into the top 10 to land a defensive player.

Let's check out his top 10:

1. Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)
2. Jets: LB Arvell Reese (Ohio State)
3. Cardinals: OT Spencer Fano (Utah) 
**4. Titans:**RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame)
**5. Giants:**LB Sonny Styles (Ohio State)
6. Browns: WR Carnell Tate (Ohio State) 
7. Commanders: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) 
**8. Cowboys (via Saints):**S Caleb Downs (Ohio State) 
9. Chiefs: EDGE David Bailey (Texas Tech) 
**10. Bengals:**CB Mansoor Delane (LSU)

If Jerry Jones has proven one thing during his time as the owner of the Cowboys, it's that he's not afraid to make a trade in the first-round. Over the past 14 years, the Cowboys have made FOUR first-round trades, but only one of those came in a deal where they moved up (They made a deal with the Rams to move up from 14th overall to sixth overall in 2012). With the Cowboys desperate to improve their defense, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if Jones decides to pull the trigger and make a move up the draft board in the first round, so Pereles' prediction is certainly something that could happen.

If you want to see how the rest of Zach's opening round pans out, then be sure to check out his entire mock draft here.

For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on "With the First Pick" -- our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube.

2. Rueben Bain Jr. involved in 2024 car crash that led to one person's death: What you need to know

Rueben Bain Jr. was involved in a car crash back in 2024 that involved a passenger who later died. The accident took place more than two years ago, but it was kept under wraps until Sunday night when The Read Optional shared the details of the incident.

Here's what you need to know:

• Bain was the driver in the car. The Miami Hurricanes defensive end got into a car accident at 4 a.m. on St. Patrick's Day in 2024 while driving on I-95 in Miami. Bain's vehicle hit another car before slamming into a concrete barrier on the side of the highway. Bain, who was 19 years old at the time, had three passengers in his Land Rover. He was cited for careless driving by authorities in Florida, but that citation was later dismissed.
• One of Bain's passengers eventually died. Destiny Betts, a 22-year-old who was riding in Bain's vehicle, suffered "incapacitating injuries" during the crash, according to The Read Optional. Betts, who was on spring break in Miami, was rushed to a trauma center, but she never regained consciousness. She spent nearly three months in a coma, before passing away on June 13, 2024.
• NFL teams were apparently aware of the incident. Although the general public is finding out about this incident for the first time, it seems that most NFL teams were already aware of the situation, according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones. "Teams I've spoken with the past two months -- outside of one -- have been satisfied with Bain's explanation," Jones reported on Sunday night. "Most have considered the matter handled."

Bain is expected to be a top-10 pick and it's impossible to say for sure whether this will impact his draft status. If teams already knew about the situation and accepted his explanation, then he likely won't fall. It's also worth noting here that Betts' family views her death as a tragic accident. "At this time, we are not seeking public attention surrounding this tragedy and respectfully request that our family's privacy be honored. We also wish Mr. Bain the best as he continues his life and career," the family told The Read Optional.

The problem for Bain is that he was also cited for careless driving again in October 2025, according to court records. Although this citation was later dismissed, two citations could show teams a pattern of bad decision-making, which might hurt his draft stock, so it will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out.

We've got the full details on Bain's situation here.

3. Giants seven-round mock draft: New York goes on the defensive with top two picks

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For the past two weeks, we have been doubling up on the mock drafts every Monday. First, we give you a regular mock draft and then we give you a team mock draft, and today, we'll be covering the Giants with our team mock draft.

The Giants are going to be an interesting team to watch. In John Harbaugh's first draft with the team, the Giants will have two of the first 37 picks, but they don't have a third round pick, so after making a selection at 37th, they won't pick again until 105.

We put Jordan Dajani in charge of making EVERY Giants pick for all seven rounds and he has them looking to the defensive side of the ball at fifth overall.

The Giants have a total of seven picks in the draft and we're going to check out what Dajani came up for their for first selections:

• **Round 1 (No. 5 overall):**CB Mansoor Delane (LSU)
• Round 2 (37th overall): IOL Emmanuel Pregnon (Oregon)
• Round 4 (105th overall): DL Domonique Orange (Iowa State)
• Round 5 (145th overall): IOL Keagen Trost (Missouri)

If you want a full explanation for the picks or if you're wondering how the other three picks turned out, then be sure to check out Jordan's full mock draft for the Giants here.

4. Five NFC teams that must ace the NFL Draft

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Every team in the NFL will be facing pressure to ace the draft, but some teams will be facing slightly more pressure than others. With that in mind, Jared Dubin made a list of five NFC teams that need to come up big in the draft this year.

1. Cowboys. The Cowboys desperately need to take advantage of their opportunity with two picks in the first round. They have a Super Bowl-caliber offense with Dak Prescott throwing to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, plus Javonte Williams capitalizing on the light boxes that passing attack affords him. But the defense was arguably the worst in the NFL last year and needs to be upgraded at every level.

2. Rams.Matthew Stafford is basically going year-to-year at this point, and the Rams don't know if and when they'll need to truly start over from scratch. That means they have precious few chances to win another Super Bowl. They no longer have the two first-rounders they came into draft season with thanks to their trade for Trent McDuffie, but they also used that trade to shore up their biggest weakness; and they have a top-15 pick available to them to upgrade at some other spot.

3. Lions. After missing the playoffs despite being projected as a Super Bowl contender, they're also picking earlier within each round than anybody expected, so they have a chance to add players that make a greater impact than you might have thought they'd have coming into the 2025 season. For the Lions to get back to the top of what might be the most competitive division in the NFL, they have to come away from this draft with impact players along both lines.

4. Vikings. This is an interesting draft for the Vikings for another reason, in that interim general manager Rob Brzezinski will run the show but the Vikings won't actually be hiring their new GM until after the draft. If Brzezinski does a good enough job and works well with O'Connell and his staff, could he land the full-time role? That's something to watch out for.

If you want Dubin's full explanation for why each of these teams needs to crush the draft or if you want to know who the mysterious fifth team is, we've got that here.

5. Biggest need for every NFL team heading into the draft

The NFL offseason is all about filling the biggest holes on your roster and the best time to do that is in the draft. Every team has different needs, so Josh Edwards decided to take a look around the NFL to identify the BIGGEST need for each team heading into this year's draft.

Let's check out four of the teams on his list:

• Seahawks: Running back. Seattle is in good shape overall. The Seahawks had multiple players hit free agency, including cornerback Riq Woolen, edge rusher Boye Mafe and running back Kenneth Walker III. Zach Charbonnet may not be available early in the season as he recovers from injury, so depth is required.
• Giants: Defensive line. Defensive tackle is the biggest need after learning of Dexter Lawrence's desire for a trade. The team is already thin in that role.
• Patriots: Linebacker. Defensive line, edge rusher and linebacker are all areas that could be upgraded. The latter represents the most room for improvement.
• Ravens: Interior offensive line. After losing center Tyler Linderbaum and offensive guard Daniel Faalele, the team will need another starter regardless of how they move the pieces around to get the five best on the field.

Remember, Josh covered all 32 teams and if you want to see the biggest need for the 28 other teams, you can do that here.

6. Extra points: Netflix or YouTube could be landing more NFL games

It's been a busy past few days in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.

• **Three companies battling for special NFL TV package.**The NFL is planning to put a special TV package of games up for bid, and right now, it appears that the package will go to one of three companies. According to Pro Football Talk, the frontrunners for the package are YouTube, Netflix and Fox. The package will likely include the NFL's Australia game plus a Thanksgiving Eve game, a second Black Friday game and a potential Christmas Eve game. If Netflix lands the package, then the streaming company will have a total of seven games this year: The five new ones plus a double-header on Christmas.
• Ted Ginn Jr. charged with DWI in Texas. The former NFL wide receiver was pulled from his UFL head coaching duties after being charged with a DWI on Saturday. Ginn is now the coach of the UFL's Columbus Aviators, but the team decided to pull him from Sunday's game, which was in Texas against the Dallas Renegades (Dallas ended up winning 28-23). Ginn acknowledged the arrest in a post on social media. "I made a serious mistake and take full responsibility for my actions. I've always believed in accountability and now it's my turn to live that standard," Ginn wrote. The 41-year-old is a former 2007 first-round pick who played for six teams over 14 seasons.
• Zach Ertz wants to keep playing. The 2025 season ended with a torn ACL for Ertz, but he's not going to let that slow him down. The 35-year-old, who has spent the past two seasons in Washington, wants to play at least one more season. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ertz said he doesn't want the torn ACL to be the final play of his career. "When people think of my career and that last play, I don't want that to be the conversation starter. And so, for me, it's just doing everything I can to get back to my best because I felt like I was playing really good football before I got hurt." Teams will have a better idea of their needs at tight end after the draft, so Ertz will probably have to wait until a few weeks (or even months) before he possibly ends up signing with anyone.