The 2026 NFL Draft is here, and as we approach the Las Vegas Raiders being on the clock for the No. 1 overall pick, news and late buzz around prospects are swirling. The latest is the versatile defensive back Treydan Stukes out of Arizona, following comments by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.
Treydan Stukes Gaining First-Round Buzz Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft
ESPN’s Field Yates published his final mock draft, and at the bottom of it, there’s a section titled “Kiper’s draft-day notebook.”
In there, Kiper discussed the three most well-known safeties, such as Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman, and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, but also named some other names to watch for, highlighting Pitt’s Kyle Louis and Stukes.
“Arizona’s Treydan Stukes is one of the hottest names in the league right now,” Kiper said. “There’s a chance he gets into the late part of Round 1 but shouldn’t make it past the middle of Round 2. He wears so many hats in the secondary; he covers, he hits, and he has opportunistic ball skills. Keep an eye on Stukes as a potential surprise pick late on Day 1.”
According to PFSN, Stukes has taken multiple Top 30 visits, including to teams like the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee Titans.
In his PFSN scouting report, there’s mention of his injury history and that he’s a sixth-year senior, but Stukes, per the report, “is an explosive, quick-footed, and fluid mover in coverage, who weaponizes his hyper-elite processing, route vision, and adaptability with calculated, efficient footwork, rapid reaction, and proactive physicality at contact. Stukes is most comfortable in zone coverage and off-man, as he operates better with cushion to read, react, and manage positioning.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Stukes measured in at 6’1″ (90th percentile), weighed 190 pounds (41st percentile), ran a 4.33 40-yard dash (95th percentile), a 10’10” broad jump (91st percentile), and recorded a 38″ vertical jump (78th percentile). He also posted a PFSN CB Impact score of 90.6, which was 10th in the nation.
PFSN’s Ian Cummings published a 7-round mock draft on Draft Day and had Stukes landing No. 41 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, highlighting his versatility to play nickel and safety.
Following the trade in which the Bengals acquired defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence for the No. 10 overall selection, this 41st pick coming in the second round by the Bengals would be the first of their draft.
A popular pick for them at No. 10 overall had been Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, but here at No. 41, they get an older prospect in Stukes, but if his medicals check out, he could provide a boon on the back end of a defense that ranked 28th in PFSN’s Defense Impact score with an impact score of 65.3.
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Also, PFSN’s Jacob Infante sat down with Stukes in an exclusive interview in March, and Infante asked Stukes about the idea of being a consensus early-round pick amid the injury history and being a redshirt walk-on.
“It’s a dream come true, man,” Stukes said. “I can hardly even express in words what this time has meant to me, like you said, going from being a walk-on all that time ago to in the position that I am now, it’s nothing short of a dream come true. I have a lot of people to be thankful for, in the building and my family. They all helped me so much to grow as a person and player up to this point, so it’s been a blessing.”
We’ll see if Stukes can sneak into the back of the first round to a team that could deploy his versatility, such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, or New England Patriots.
