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2026 NFL Draft rankings: Jordyn Tyson leads best WR prospects

April 19, 2026
2026 NFL Draft rankings: Jordyn Tyson leads best WR prospects

Quarterbackssteal most of the attention, but at the end of the day, they all need teammates to throw to.

USA TODAY Sports

The2026 NFL Draftapproaches, and wide receivers are expected to be among the most well-represented in the annual selection show as a premium position.

Wideout is also projected to be one of themost popular positions picked in the first roundspecifically. A handful of wide receivers have received first-round grades, like Arizona State'sJordyn Tysonand Ohio State'sCarnell Tate. USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis had five receivers come off the board in the first round in hislatest mock draft.

The depth of wide receiver talent in this year's class is notable as well, with dozens of players outside of the projected first-rounders worthy of selection in the 2026 draft.

USA TODAY Sports has compiled a list of the top wide receiver prospects in this year's draft and ranked them ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. Here's how they stack up on draft expertAyrton Ostly's big board:

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<ol><li><p style=Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio State

On a defense already dotted with stars, Reese rose from an occasional contributor to a bona fide star in his first full season as a starter. The 6-4, 241-pound linebacker exhibited uncommon fluidity for a player of his size, finding equal comfort dropping back in coverage as bullying his way into the backfield. His pass-rush plan is still rather rudimentary at the moment, but he has the toolkit of a double-digit sack artist. In a league where defenses are constantly taxed against the pass and run, Reese displays a unique aptitude for detonating whatever play an offense might throw at him.

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  • Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

    It's a testament to Mendoza's impeccable body of work that the pre-draft vivisection of his game has largely only turned up questions of how he'll fare operating from under center rather than in the shotgun.

    No one will confuse the 6-5, 236-pound Heisman Trophy winner with the likes of Cam Ward or Drake Maye, as he's not particularly creative or dangerous when a play breaks down. But that's about the only phase in which Mendoza comes up short. He's as precise as any passer you'll find from the college ranks, and he comfortably works through progressions and manipulates coverages. His arm strength isn't otherworldly, but he can attack every level with suitable velocity on his throws. Forcing him off his spot can throw him off his rhythm, but Mendoza rarely loses his cool under pressure and still conjures solutions when things aren't going his way. Beyond the improvisational shortcomings, he's the picture of a top-tier quarterback prospect.

    More: Why Fernando Mendoza won't be at NFL draft: Indiana QB staying home

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  • Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

    The hyperbole inherent to NFL draft evaluations doesn't seem so outlandish when it's being attached to Love. For the 6-0, 213-pound Heisman Trophy finalist, everything starts with his game-breaking speed, which allows him to turn the corner with ease or jet through even the narrowest of openings on the interior. And once he has a step on the defense, he's extremely unlikely to be caught. He's far from just a linear threat, however, as his distinct creativity shines through in the open field – particularly when he unleashes his spin move or hurdle. Operating in a different gear than everyone else has created some inconsistencies in his early pacing, but it's rarely something that derails him. His elite skill set also carries over to his work as a pass catcher, where he can further vex defenses that won't likely have an answer when he lines up in the slot or out wide. It's fair to hold onto questions of positional value for running backs, but Love is unquestionably among a select few who deserve to be seen as this class' difference-makers.

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  • Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami

    No defender in college football broke open games last season quite like Bain, who led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 83 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. The 6-2, 263-pounder frequently took the shortest path possible to the quarterback, uprooting anyone who stood in his way. Bain's atypical build for an edge rusher – including his short arms – invited plenty of scrutiny about how he might translate to the pro ranks, but he's already demonstrated he can mitigate the concern. If he's neutralized, it seems unlikely that it'll become a common occurrence.

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  • Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

    After arriving at Ohio State as an elite athlete searching for a true position, Styles departs Columbus having developed an unparalleled proficiency for the intricacies of linebacker play. The 6-5, 244-pound former safety could be counted on to be in the right place to plug the run at all times, and he still has room to grow in coverage and as a blitzer. Clean in everything he does, Styles can help be a standard-bearer for whatever defense he joins.

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  • Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

    From his first snaps at Alabama as a five-star freshman to his final push at Ohio State, Downs put himself in a class all his own at safety. The two-time unanimous All-American repeatedly snuffed out plays before they could get started, particularly against the run or near the line of scrimmage. While he doesn't measure up as a physical marvel like Kyle Hamilton or Derwin James, he could have the same bottom-line effect for a defense, even if he doesn't match their ball production. His position might prevent him from cracking the top five, but he'll force offenses to account for him on every down.

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  • David Bailey, OLB/DE, Texas Tech

    Right off the snap, Bailey gets offensive linemen on their toes. The 6-4, 251-pound edge rusher's explosion off the ball can get blockers off balance in an instant, at which point Bailey can attack them by changing course or unleashing a spin move. Bailey's lean frame can result in him being eradicated in the run game at times, but players who can derail opposing passers with his level of efficiency can't be ignored. It shouldn't be long into his NFL transition before his pressure rate ticks up and he takes his place as one of the league's most threatening matchups off the edge.

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  • Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

    He was never the WR1 in the Buckeyes' loaded receiver room, but Tate stands above the rest of the pass-catching options in this class. With subtle shifts in his tempo and sudden breaks in his routes, the 6-2, 192-pound target creates separation without much strain. He settles into open spaces against zone and skies over defensive backs to haul in difficult passes down the sideline. He might not look the part of a go-to target, but he measures up to the title in almost every respect.

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  • Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

    Not long into his foray into the Southeastern Conference, the Virginia Tech transfer made clear to opponents that he was not to be tested. Delane rapidly earned the title of shutdown corner, with teams almost universally opting to avoid throwing his way. At the next level, he figures to draw comparisons to Trent McDuffie – another cornerback who doesn't let his size or limited ball production prevent him from being recognized as a first-tier cover man.

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  • Makai Lemon, WR, USC

    In an earlier era, Lemon might have been dismissed as a slot receiver not capable of being an offensive focal point. Now, however, there shouldn't be much doubt about how much the Biletnikoff Award winner can shoulder. Lemon is a maestro when it comes to getting open underneath, and he can be counted on to vacuum up any throw that approaches his area. And teams that underestimate his downfield credentials could end up paying if they try to sit on short and intermediate throws.

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  • Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

    A torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last January kept McCoy out of commission for all of last season and clouded his pre-draft process. But in a stellar pro day showing, the 6-1, 188-pound corner served up a reminder that he has all the trappings of a top-tier cover man. With superlative ball skills and ample tools to stick with receivers throughout their routes, McCoy can grow into a standout in any defensive scheme.

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  • Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

    After his impressive performance at the NFL scouting combine, Thieneman rocketed into the discussion of this draft's premier defensive backs. Easy coverage instincts extend his already expansive range, and vigilance is required for any passing attack that throws to his area of the field. He can't measure up to Downs or some of the other safeties in this class when operating closer to the line of scrimmage, but he shouldn't be asked to serve in that capacity too frequently anyway.

  • " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=13. Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State

    Even with everything crumbling around him in Penn State's calamitous season, Ioane still held firm. The 6-5, 320-pound left guard is a brick wall in pass protection, but where he really shines is in his forceful displacements in the run game. Ioane will have to figure out a way to handle quick-twitch defensive tackles who will test his fluidity, but he's one of the more reliable prospects in this class.

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  • Francis Mauigoa, OT/G, Miami

    Solid to the core, the former five-star recruit holds his ground against the pass and forces opposing linemen out of the way with his strong first contact. But while there's not much mystery to the 6-6, 329-pounder's play, there are several unknowns about his projection. A move inside could be in his future to safeguard against concerns that he'll be beaten by rangy edge rushers, but the skill set is there to hang at right tackle.

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  • Spencer Fano, OT, Utah

    Smooth movements allow Fano to conjure answers for even the speediest edge rushers. He still could have trouble with rangier defenders, however, as well as ones who can convert speed to power and knock him off base. Like many offensive tackles in this class, he'll face questions of whether he belongs at the position, with some question of whether he should head to center. 

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  • Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

    From his massive frame (6-7, 315 pounds) to his quickness, Freeling checks off some of the most notable boxes for a high-end left tackle. As a one-year starter, his technique is still a work in progress, with some bad habits sapping his efficacy. But he's clearly on an upward trajectory, and teams might be eager to buy on an ascendant blocker. 

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  • KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

    Few receivers are true separators at all three levels. Concepcion qualifies as just that, with more than enough quickness and speed to free himself from coverage at any point on the field. Drops have dogged him, but he could shake the issue in short order. Versatile and dynamic, Concepcion is more refined than he gets credit for, and he could become a vital part of an aerial attack with more polish.

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  • Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

    The ultimate seam threat, Sadiq accelerates in a manner not seen from 6-3, 241-pound pass catchers. Though he's proven himself after the catch, much of his value remains somewhat theoretical, as his experience and workload in the downfield passing game haven't aligned with his capabilities. But as an instant mismatch creator and aggressive run blocker, he can change the complexion of whatever offense he joins.

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  • Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

    Some will see a 6-4, 210-pound body and assume Boston relies on pulling down jump balls in close quarters. But while tilting those throws in his favor is his best feature, it's far from his only one. Boston has impressive fluidity for a player with his physical make-up, and his tracking and midair adjustments make him an even more confounding coverage assignment.

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  • Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

    Though he might not be an all-around coverage maven, McNeil-Warren is comfortable exerting his will from several different vantage points. He rallies to the ball in a hurry in run support, working his way through traffic to deliver big hits. And though his 6-4, 201-pound build limits his comfort zone in coverage, he can give both quarterbacks and receivers pause on attempting any throws over the middle.

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  • Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

    Once seen as the clear-cut favorite to be the first receiver selected, Tyson now might be the most polarizing pass catcher in this class. Quick and crisp when he's dialed in, he has a robust set of maneuvers to beat man coverage from various spots. But medical concerns from various ailments muddle his draft outlook, and he can be inefficient with his footwork. 

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  • Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami

    Having just turned 25 with an extensive injury history, Mesidor enters the draft with red flags that might tank other prospects' stock. Teams that look past those issues, however, will see an advanced and unrelenting pass rusher with a deep bag of tricks to beat blockers. Mesidor might be one of the most divisive prospects in this class in his projection, but there's not much to object to with the on-field product.

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  • Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

    With McCoy sidelined, Hood did a commendable job of filling in as the Volunteers' primary asset in coverage. The Colorado transfer kept the competitive juices flowing in shutting down tight-window throws as well as making his presence felt against the run. He can't match McCoy in overall fluidity, but he still sizes up as a meaningful counter in man coverage for bigger receivers.

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  • Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

    Other receivers are sure to be more vexing coverage matchups than the 6-0, 199-pound target. Cooper, however, has a truly distinct aptitude for slipping tacklers in the open field. His penchant for racking up yards after the catch should carry over to the NFL and endear him to his future quarterback, as should his aggressive approach to fighting through contact and operating in traffic.

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  • Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

    In a class rife with right tackles and expected guard converts, Lomu stands out as a true blindside protector. Bulking up will be an essential step for the 6-6, 313-pounder to hold his own against more powerful edge rushers, but there's considerable room for growth on top of the enticing glimpses of his potential he's already displayed.

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    Ranking top 25 prospects for 2026 NFL Draft

    1. Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio State

      On a defense already dotted with stars, Reese rose from an occasional contributor to a bona fide star in his first full season as a starter. The 6-4, 241-pound linebacker exhibited uncommon fluidity for a player of his size, finding equal comfort dropping back in coverage as bullying his way into the backfield. His pass-rush plan is still rather rudimentary at the moment, but he has the toolkit of a double-digit sack artist. In a league where defenses are constantly taxed against the pass and run, Reese displays a unique aptitude for detonating whatever play an offense might throw at him.

    2026 NFL Draft: Ranking top WR prospects

    1. Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

    Scouting report:Tyson's been the top wide receiver prospect all season despite other risers at the position, thanks to his elite route-running for his age. His suddenness, paired with that route-running, creates separation at will. He lacks elite vertical speed but has the ball skills, alignment versatility and playmaking teams love to see packed in a 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame.

    2. Carnell Tate, Ohio State

    Scouting report:Tate looks poised to be the next first-round receiver out of Columbus. He boasts impressive size and route running at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. While he's not a burner, he dominates on vertical routes thanks to his elite contested catch ability (85.7% contested catch rate in 2025). He's one of the most sure-handed players in the class; he didn't drop any of his 66 targets in 2025.

    3. Makai Lemon, Southern California

    Scouting report:Lemon isn't an impressive athlete and won't test off the charts at the combine but he has an incredible feel for finding space in coverage and maximizing opportunities. His solid frame (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) should hold up in the slot at the NFL level. He had just two drops in 2025 on 108 targets and a 130.0 quarterback rating when targeted.

    4. Denzel Boston, Washington

    Scouting report:Boston is an ideal outside wide receiver at 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds who wins with physicality at the catch point. He's quick but not fast and tracks the ball downfield extremely well. He can be a red zone target sooner than later and will keep up in the NFL thanks to his route running. His physicality translates as a run blocker as well which will endear him to many evaluators.

    5. Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

    Scouting report:Compact frame absorbs contact well and keeps him upright against defenders, allowing him to work upfield.Plays more like a running back in the open field; forced 27 missed tackles in 2025 alone. Best against zone coverage with great contested catch abilities. Experienced lining up wide (2024) and in the slot (2025). Not an elite athlete and has a limited catch radius.

    6. KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

    Scouting report:Dynamic weapon in the open field with immediate value as a returner. Makes plays in space against defenders thanks to his mix of quickness and long speed. Tracks the ball very well downfield. Smaller frame and drops are his only knocks. Drops are also a concern with 7 on 61 targets in 2025.

    7. Germie Bernard, Alabama

    Scouting report:Bernard won't wow you with one trait or his athleticism but he does pretty much everything well. Smooth athlete who can transition weight and flip his hips quickly. Size means he can operate in the slot or outside. Good play strength with ideal football IQ.

    8. Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee

    Scouting report:Elite size with the burst and verticality NFL teams covet on the outside. Can operate underneath as well despite his long levers. Not an after-catch threat but his size makes him a near-lock in contested catch situations.

    9. Malachi Fields, Notre Dame

    Scouting report:Big-bodied receiver who thrives on the boundary. Lacks elite speed and acceleration; wins on size and strength over speed. Strong hands and physical attitude after the catch. Body control comes up in the red zone and could become a go-to in contested catch situations.

    10. Chris Bell, Louisville

    Scouting report:Strong frame with ideal speed for the NFL level. Proven hands and physicality in press coverage to work as a possession target if need be. Explosive after the catch. ACL tear knocked him from first-round consideration so he could be a value pick on Day 2 or 3.

    WR MOCK DRAFT:Where Carnell Tate, top WRs could land

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    NFL DRAFT BIG BOARD:Ranking the top 150 best players available

    1. Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana <p style=2. New York Jets – David Bailey, OLB/DE, Texas Tech

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=3. Arizona Cardinals – Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio State

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=4. Tennessee Titans – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=5. New York Giants – Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=6. Cleveland Browns – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=7. Washington Commanders – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=8. New Orleans Saints – Makai Lemon, WR, USC

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=9. Kansas City Chiefs – Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=10. Cincinnati Bengals – Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=11. Miami Dolphins – Francis Mauigoa, OT/G, Miami (Fla.)

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=12. Dallas Cowboys – Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami (Fla.)

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) – Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=14. Baltimore Ravens – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) – Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=17. Detroit Lions – Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=18. Minnesota Vikings – Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=19. Carolina Panthers – Spencer Fano, OT, Utah

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay Packers) – Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=21. Pittsburgh Steelers – Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=22. Los Angeles Chargers – Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami (Fla.)

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 23. Philadelphia Eagles – Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State <p style=24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) – Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 25. Chicago Bears – T.J. Parker, DE, Clemson <p style=26. Buffalo Bills – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 27. San Francisco 49ers – KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M 28. Houston Texans – Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech <p style=29. Kansas City Chiefs (from Rams) – Malachi Lawrence, DE, UCF

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 30. Miami Dolphins (from Denver Broncos) – Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State 31. New England Patriots – Zion Young, DE/OLB, Missouri <p style=32. Seattle Seahawks – Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

    " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

    NFL mock draft: Big-name prospect drops in latest first-round projection

    11. Elijah Sarratt, Indiana

    Scouting report:Great size and experience outside but has taken snaps from the slot as well. Excellent run blocker for the position. Earned the nickname "Waffle House" from teammates because he's "always open." Dependable hands with ideal timing and route-running. Lacks elite athleticism but makes up for it with a feel for finding holes in zone coverage, especially on in-breaking routes.

    12. Antonio Williams, Clemson

    Scouting report:One of the best route-runners in the class who operates out of the slot and separates consistently. Lacked production in 2025 compared to 2024 but crucially improved on drops. Showed more after the catch in 2025 as well. May be limited to the slot in the NFL and lacks elite speed to be a vertical threat.

    13. Zachariah Branch, Georgia

    Scouting report:Undersized wide receiver who may be forced to a slot-only role. Offers game-changing speed, acceleration and elusiveness in the open field. Alignment versatile as he was used in the backfield at times with Georgia. Offers immediate returner value. A burner in a class with few of them.

    14. Bryce Lance, North Dakota State

    Scouting report:One of the top performers from the NFL combine with an explosive mix of size and speed. Not shifty, more vertical with long speed and burst. Uses strength to separate at the top of routes. Will need to improve overall route-running and releases at the next level.

    14. Ja'Kobi Lane, Southern California

    Scouting report:Prototypical outside receiver frame that should make him a redzone target sooner than later in the NFL. Attacks the ball in contested catch situations. Uses basketball background to box out defenders. Finds soft spots in zone well and plays through contact. Lacks elite speed, is inexperienced in the route tree and is not a proven separator.

    15. Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State

    Scouting report:The fastest player at the 2026 NFL combine, Thompson led the SEC in receiving yards in 2025. Size concerns will limit him to the slot but in a league searching for explosive plays and players, he'll find a fit. Route-running needs improvement and drops were an issue in 2025 (five on 87 targets).

    16. Ted Hurst, Georgia State

    Scouting report:Ideal outside wide receiver with length and long strides that get up to speed quickly (4.42 40-yard dash). Agile enough to shake press coverage. Capacity for a wider route tree than what he did at Georgia State. Great footwork. Not proven in contested catch scenarios. Small-school label will also question how he can handle NFL-level cornerback play.

    17. Skyler Bell, Connecticut

    Scouting report:Ideal speed with good size to hang either on the outside or the slot. Acceleration out of his breaks to be a threat at all levels. Good body control and contested catch ability. Outstanding production. Lowered his drops from 8 in 2024 to 4 in 2025 with big jump in targets. Route-running will need some polish in the NFL.

    18. Reggie Virgil, Texas Tech

    Scouting report:Long strider who glides faster on tape than he ran at the combine. Strong hands and body control show up against press coverage. Solid awareness against zone, much better than you'd expect from a two-year starter. Not a sudden mover and that shows up in his routes, which can be rounded.

    19. Deion Burks, Oklahoma

    Scouting report:In a class without a lot of speed at wide receiver, Burks could go earlier than anticipated with his 4.30-second 40-yard dash. Wins with his quick twitch in cuts, footwork and savvy against zone coverage. Weapon on reverses and jet sweeps. Play speed seems a bit slower than timed speed and he struggles to win contested catches due to his short arms (sub-30 inches). Body catcher which will limit him in the NFL.

    20. De'Zhaun Stribling, Mississippi

    Scouting report:Great size with 4.3 speed at the outside wide receiver spot.Transferred to Ole Miss for 2025 and made considerable strides, namely reducing his drops. His speed is not sudden; he's a long strider who moves smoothly in and out of transitions. Competitive run blocker. Struggles to separate consistently against press coverage. Can be out-muscled for contested catches.

    21. Josh Cameron, Baylor

    Scouting report:Running-back-sized wide receiver with strength and reliable hands, but not a sudden mover or good route-runner.

    22. Malik Benson, Oregon

    Scouting report:Electric track speed to stress defenses vertically with good length and toughness but unproven in short and intermediate concepts. Not a creator after the catch despite speed.

    23. CJ Daniels, Miami (Fla.)

    Scouting report:Creative possession wideout who is best in contested catch scenarios with great body control but struggles against press coverage and lacks speed. Also had injuries in 2022, 2024 and 2025.

    24. Kevin Coleman Jr., Missouri

    Scouting report:Slot-only prospect with good hands and physicality for his lean frame with good after-catch burst but lacks speed, route-running and size to play through press coverage.

    25. Kaden Wetjen, Iowa

    Scouting report:One of the best return specialists in college football history, who is an elusive open-field runner, but his smaller catch radius limits his ceiling as a slot receiver.

    26. Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech

    Scouting report:Undersized yet explosive receiver with great burst but may struggle in a likely slot-only role at the NFL and drops are a question mark.

    This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:2026 NFL Draft position rankings: Best available WR prospects

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    Saturday, April 18, 2026

    UPS plane aborts landing in Louisville after small plane crosses its runway in latest close call

    April 18, 2026
    UPS plane aborts landing in Louisville after small plane crosses its runway in latest close call

    A UPS cargo plane had to abort its landing in Louisville earlier this week when a small plane crossed the runway just as it approached.

    Associated Press

    The air traffic controller yelled “Skylab 25, stop!” at the small plane before quickly ordering the UPS plane to pull up and perform a maneuver called a go-around to avert another tragedy at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport, which is a major hub for UPS. The audio was posted online bywww.LiveATC.net.

    Just last November, aUPS plane crashedafter anengine fell offas it was rolling down the runway to take off. The National Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday that it plans to hold two days of investigative hearings starting May 19 to learn more about why the crash thatkilled 14 peoplehappened.

    Fortunately, no one was hurt in this latest incident, which happened about 12:10 a.m. Tuesday.

    Right after the cargo plane safely pulled up, the controller asked “Skylab 25, what are you doing?”

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    The pilot responded “Skylab 25, yeah, sorry about that.”

    The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

    UPS said in a statement that its pilot followed standard procedures to perform a go-around and there was no impact on the package delivery giant's operations.

    Close calls like this happen somewhere frequently. Just last week, a Frontier Airlines jetnearly collidedwith two trucks that crossed in front of it as it was taxiing at slow speeds at Los Angeles International Airport. In a separate incident earlier this week in Charlotte, North Carolina, an American Airlines pilot told the tower he had to slam on the brakes when a truck crossed in front of him on a taxiway.

    Last month, an Air Canada plane landing at LaGuardia Airport in New Yorksmashed into a fire truckthat had been cleared to cross the runway less than 20 seconds earlier. Both pilots were killed and dozens were injured in that crash.

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    James Franklin wanted to spite Penn State after firing. Here's why he didn't

    April 18, 2026
    James Franklin wanted to spite Penn State after firing. Here's why he didn't

    BLACKSBURG, VA – We’ll get into the money ordeal, just not the way you’d think. Not through the fascinating lens of who in their right mindwalks away from $40 million?

    USA TODAY Sports

    James Franklin does, and before we examine the why and what he was thinking, we need to attack this money thing from a different angle. Not the money of losing, and getting paidtens of millions to not coach.

    But the money of winning, and what it now costs to field a championship roster in the NIL-driven era of college football.

    “I’ll give Penn State credit, they went all-in last year,” Franklin told USA TODAY Sports in a wide-ranging interview. “But they went all in for one year.”

    That’s where this money trail begins. Not with Franklin letting Penn State off the hook for $40 million byaccepting the Virginia Tech jobin December and allowing the mitigation clause in his $49 million buyout from Penn State to kick in.

    Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts to a play against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on September 13, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions yells towards an official after the game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium on August 30, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 6: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on during the game against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 6, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on against the UCLA Bruins during the second quarter at Rose Bowl Stadium on October 04, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 11: Head Coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on during the fourth quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 11, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) Sep 27, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin and quarterback Drew Allar (15) react after losing to the Oregon Ducks at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin answers questions from the media following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

    Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses

    But with Penn State, a college football blue blood for decades — a blue blood in dire straits when Franklin arrived in 2014 — not acting like one until it was forced to see the ugly truth in 2024.

    You remember the 2024 season, right? Penn State lost a gut-punch of a game at home to Ohio State —yet another lossin a big game for Franklin — and lost in the Big Ten championship game to Oregon. The Lions played that season, Franklin told USA TODAY Sports, with an NIL budget of $7 million.Seven million.

    There were Group of Five schools with larger budgets.

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    Ohio State, the eventual national champion, played with a budget in excess of $20 million. So did Notre Dame, the national runner-up. So did many other blue blood, Power conference programs chasing the biggest prize of all. Or at least a ticket to the College Football Playoff ride.

    “We were still competing against schools that had been all-in every year of the NIL market,” Franklin said. “Schools that did whatever it took.”

    Like Ohio State going out and buying the best young defensive player in college football (Caleb Downs), the best running back in the SEC (Quinshon Judkins), the best high school player (Jeremiah Smith) and a Power conference championship-winning quarterback (Will Howard) heading into 2024. Or Notre Dame throwing big money at quarterback Riley Leonard and wide receiver Beaux Collins.

    You remember 2024, right? Franklin and his staff convinced players to play for less at Penn State, and the Lions reached the CFP and beat SMU and Boise State — and were a game away from playing in a national title game rematch against Ohio State.

    Wait, not a game away. A play away.

    One lousy play in a 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the national semifinal, an interception from quarterback Drew Allar at Penn State’s 28 to set up the Irish game-winning field goal. The score was tied at 24, there were 38 seconds remaining in regulation, the Lions got 13 from running back Nick Singleton on first down, and there were 33 seconds to play, and it’s the CFP, and it’s now or never, and it’s time to end this thing. Forget overtime.

    And then it happened.

    “Can’t even begin to explain the disappointment,” Allar said.

    Franklin, sitting right next to Allar in the postgame aftermath, did what he always does. Protect players, shoulder the blame, and then declared, “There's going to be a ton of guys coming back next year that are going to be hungry and are going to be motivated for more.”

    Which brings us all the way back to the $7 million.

    Penn State finally realized after a punch to the gut to end 2024, it had to spend to win. So after not completing a pass to a wide receiver in the national semifinal (that’s not a misprint), Penn State went out and spent millions in the transfer portal on wide receivers Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson. The school also spent a truckload to keep critical pieces from the 2024 roster from heading to the NFL ― or to other college programs.

    A year after Ohio State went all-in, Penn State did, too. The first time in the NIL era both teams were on the same financial level.

    Then Allar threw another galling interception in Week 4 — this time at home in overtime against Oregon, ending the most anticipated regular season game in decades — and the 2025 season was gutted for all to see, like a prized buck in the rich hunting grounds of Central Pennsylvania.

    Right there in Happy Valley, where Penn State’s all-in hand busted despite a full house.

    A week after that, the Lions lost by five at UCLA, and then lost by one at home to Northwestern. And that was it. Franklin’s career at Penn State — which before the 2025 season included 34 wins over the previous three seasons, six double-digit win seasons in 10 non-COVID years, and a 4-21 record vs. the Top 10 — was over.

    One play in January, and three losses before the calendar escaped October. And the whole damn thing was blown up.

    Suddenly, firing a coach just six games removed from leading your program within a whiff of playing for it all came quickly into focus. The panic move from president Neeli Bendapudi and athletic director Pat Kraft fell in line with the rest of reactionary NIL world.

    It’s not personal, it’s just now or never.

    “Football is our backbone,” Kraft said. “We have invested at the highest level. With that comes high expectations.”

    It’s here where we reintroduce the concept of what numbskull would willingly walk away from $40 million? The same guy who had his heart ripped out with a six-game prove-it season.

    The same guy who 12 years earlier followed Bill O’Brien’s gem of a job breathing life into Penn State after the horrific Jerry Sandusky scandal cost the program its soul, and then won the Big Ten in Year 3. The same guy who couldn’t beat Ohio State enough (who has?), and couldn’t get out of the East Division while battling the Buckeyes and Michigan year after year. The same guy who, for some reason, had a woefully substandard NIL budget every season but one at Penn State.

    Then got fired six games into the first time Penn State went all-in.

    So yeah, now it’s time for the answer, time for Franklin to explain what in the world he was thinking when he walked away from $40 million — and gave Penn State a financial lifeboat in the process? By agreeing to coach at Virginia Tech, Franklin’s buyout from Penn State was mitigated from $49 million to $9 million. So the Lions, pinching NIL pennies until 2025, saved 40-large after firing the second-winningest coach in school history.

    “You go through that deal, and you’re thinking, I don’t want to let them off the hook financially. That’s something you’re struggling with,” Franklin said. “But it wasn’t about me penalizing Penn State. At that point, it was about what do I need to do for my family and for myself to be happy and move on?”

    He taps his index fingers on his desk inside the Merryman Athletic Center, a few Michael Vick deep balls from Lane Stadium. The house Frank Beamer built, where all of those hard-working, overachievingHokiesof the past carried that beat-up lunch pail winning season after winning season. And the explanation is just beginning.

    “It’s unusual to stay at a place now for 12 years.” Franklin said. “You pour your heart and soul into something. There were 12-15 times where I could’ve left for another job, but I was committed to that place, and I was committed to those people.”

    He trails off again because he's been avoiding this answer for months, mainly because he doesn’t want to make excuses for a Penn State run he’s intensely proud of, and he really doesn’t want to rehash it. What’s done is done.

    Do you really want to know why a man walks away from a $49 million vacation?

    “This place, Virginia Tech,” Franklin continues, “This placewanted us. You know what that feels like? Theywanted us. That’s powerful. Money can’t replace that.”

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    Nov 22, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Incoming head coach James Franklin speaks to fans on the sideline before the game at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

    Getting the band back together

    We’re not done with the money theme just yet. It's time to add a few actors to the Shakespearean drama.

    When Franklin finally made the decision he wanted to coach again, he wanted to do everything he could to replicate what he built at Penn State. In other words, the structural pieces in place to build and grow and win.

    The first person he reached out to wasBrent Pry, his longtime defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt and Penn State. The one assistant who knew Franklin better than any other, who knew the program and the process and exactly how to piece it all together.

    And the man who had just been fired as head coach of Virginia Tech.

    “How about that for a plot twist?” Pry says.

    Virginia Tech fired Pry after an 0-3 start to begin 2025, and zeroed in on Franklin not long after he was fired by Penn State. But that’s massively underselling it.

    Hokies athletic director Whit Babcock met Franklin at the Atlanta airport, and had an entire plan in place for how the university would strengthen its financial commitment to football, and how the long, cold winter of Virginia Tech football — the golden years of Beamer Ball ended in 2011, four years before he retired in 2015 — were over. Babcock's plan, Franklin says, had every answer for every question.

    “I don't think we ever talked about my contract,” Franklin said. “They had a number they were comfortable with, and I don't think we ever talked about it again. It was all just about, what do we need to do to put Virginia Tech back on the map?”

    But before that reality unfolded, Franklin and Pry talked at length about coaching together again if Franklin found the right job. Once Babcock full-court pressed Franklin with the right job, the 800-pound you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me had to be addressed.

    Franklin wanted the guy Babcock just fired — the coach he just agreed to pay $6 million to not coach in Blacksburg after a 16-24 record over three seasons and three games — as his defensive coordinator.

    More than any other piece of the band Franklin was stitching back together — including former Penn State assistants Ty Howle (offensive coordinator), Danny O’Brien (quarterbacks), Sean Spencer (defensive line), Chuck Losey (strength coach), Andy Frank (general manager), Kevin Threlkel (chief of staff) — Pry was critical.

    It wasn’t just Babcock who had to be convinced of the strange move, Pry had to buy it, too — and agree to let Virginia Tech off the hook for a majority of the $6 million because of his mitigation clause.

    Somehow, the financial dysfunction all fit perfectly together.

    “I do think there's an aspect of talking about it, and then the reality of actually doing it and what walking back in this building is going to be like for Brent,” Franklin said. “You know, the humility that you have to have to do that, and to walk past this office. It takes a special guy who has a lot of love for this place.”

    Pry, maybe the most unassuming coach in a fraternity of peacocks, made the deal and moved a couple offices down from Franklin ― and from his old office.

    “Now looking back, I should’ve demanded access to the head coach’s bathroom,” Pry deadpanned.

    Franklin’s rationale, his pitch to Babcock, was simple: If Pry is good enough to be hired by an SEC school as defensive coordinator, he’s good enough to do the same job at Virginia Tech.

    “I think once everybody took the emotion out of it and stepped back, it was like, yeah, this could make a lot of sense,” Franklin said.

    The parallel world

    When Franklin left Vanderbilt after the 2013 season to accept the Penn State job, five high school recruits that were committed to the Commodores followed him to Happy Valley. One was quarterback Trace McSorley, who would become one of the greatest players in school history, and the most valuable player of the 2016 Big Ten championship game.

    By the time national signing day had come and gone last December, 11 high school recruits had flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech, and not long after the transfer portal opened a month later, 12 Penn State players transferred to the Hokies ― including rising sophomore quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.

    The very player Franklin will structure this buildout ― which looks a whole lot like the beginning of the Penn State buildout in 2014 ― around.

    "What I came here for," Grunkemeyer said. "To help (Franklin) turn this around."

    That first Penn State recruiting class was the most important in Franklin’s 12 seasons. Not just for how it set the foundation for the first Big Ten championship since 2008, but how it proved the staff could develop players and place them in the NFL — the No.1 priority for players prior to the advent of NIL and free player movement.

    Ten of 25 players from the NCAA sanction-saddled 2014 recurring class played in the NFL, despite 18 of the 25 not ranked nationally by the 247Sports composite. It should come as no surprise then, that the 11 Penn State recruits flipped to Virginia Tech when Franklin accepted the job.

    Or that 12 more players on the Penn State roster — including Grunkemeyer, starters TE Luke Reynolds and LB Keon Wylie, and 2026 projected starters S Kenny Woseley Jr. and DE Mylachi Williams — followed Franklin to Virginia Tech.

    Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer followed James Franklin from Penn State to Virginia Tech.

    Grunkemeyer, like all quarterbacks, is the key. He got his chance when Allar sustained a season-ending injury, and completed nearly 70% of his passes for 1,339 yards and eight touchdowns. So if you’re going to dream at Virginia Tech, dream big.

    It’s not so much Grunkemeyer’s numbers in his first season as a starter, as it is what happened in early November against eventual national champion Indiana. A moment where Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s remarkable, last-minute, game-winning touchdown pass in Happy Valley kept the Hoosier’s unbeaten season alive.

    Grunkemeyer outplayed Mendoza that day, then won his last four starts of the season — including a bowl win over Clemson. Grunkemeyer didn’t throw an interception over the final four games of the season.

    But what would’ve been the biggest upset of the season was simply another side note to the untethering of the program in an all-in season. From everything that could go right prior to the beginning of the season, to everything that could go wrong once the heavy lifting began in late September.

    “The upgrade in NIL needed to be done, considering how NIL was being used before (2025),” Grunkemeyer said. “But then that comes with expectations, and as players, we have to do our part. Players should be getting paid, and the one thing (Franklin) does a really good job of is you wouldn’t know who is getting paid by the standard he sets and the culture we have.”

    Not long ago, Franklin and his wife, Fumi, vacationed in The Bahamas to decompress from yet another grind of a football season. As he was walking through the lobby at the resort, Franklin ran into Amani Oruwariye, an overlooked cornerback recruit from his first recruiting class at Penn State.

    It was Vanderbilt, Boston College and Cincinnati showing interest in Oruwariye more than a decade ago, and that’s about it. So when Franklin left Vanderbilt for Penn State, he took Oruwariye — an unranked national recruit in the 247Sports composite, and 33rd best at his position — to Happy Valley and turned him into an All-Big Ten player.

    Oruwariye has played six seasons in the NFL, and is currently a backup for the Baltimore Ravens. He’s the story Franklin has sold to every player on the Virginia Tech roster. To the high school recruits who decommitted from Penn State and signed with Virginia Tech, to the Penn State players who followed Franklin to Blacksburg, to critical Hokies players who were kept in the fold from Babcock’s commitment to financial support.

    You want to play football and get to the NFL? We want you here, and we’ll get you there. There's a track record.

    Besides, everybody loves to be wanted. And paid.

    “It’s kind of an interesting parallel,” Franklin says. “The business model has changed, and you better be bold and aggressive under the new model. You better embrace it, and you better go after it. You can’t sit and hope for the best.”

    Even when you have $49 million reasons to do just that.

    Matt Hayesis the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at@MattHayesCFB.

    This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Why James Franklin gave up $49 million buyout to rebuild Virginia Tech

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    Officials warn of surge in cyclorphine, lethal drug said to be 10 times stronger than fentanyl

    April 18, 2026
    Officials warn of surge in cyclorphine, lethal drug said to be 10 times stronger than fentanyl

    Health officials and law enforcement agencies across the country are raising alarms about an emerging synthetic opioid that is believed to be up to 10 times stronger thanfentanyl.

    Scripps News

    The drug is known as cychlorphine, but is scientifically referred to as N-propionitrile chlorphine.

    Because of its extreme potency, even very small doses of cychlorphine are potentially lethal. Officials said it has been linked to a growing number of overdose deaths and is being found in other illicit drugs.

    Another major concern is that it requires multiple doses of naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, to try and reverse an overdose.

    RELATED STORY |US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen

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    The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) San Francisco Field Division has identified the drug in cases around Northern California, according to a local ABC-affiliate.

    In eastern Tennessee, the Knox County Regional Forensic Center noted that cychlorphine had been detected in 41 deaths across its 23-county service area as of early April.

    ICYMI |Walgreens launches a cheaper, generic version of over-the-counter Narcan

    Citing "reports," the Knox County Regional Forensic Center claimed that officials believe cychlorphine originated in China in 2024 and quickly moved to Europe before hitting the United States in late 2024 where it possibly first appeared in Florida.

    TheCenter for Forensic Science Research and Educationsaid it was first detected in mid-2024 and has been showing up in toxicology reports from at least eight states and several Canadian provinces.

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    Fired by Trump, this immigration judge set off on the migrant trail

    April 18, 2026
    Fired by Trump, this immigration judge set off on the migrant trail

    Five months after he was fired as a U.S. immigration judge, Jeremiah Johnson found himself rumbling into the highlands of Guatemala on a crowded bus, a bouquet of flowers in hand.

    USA TODAY

    His unusual, if poetic, mission: to visit relatives of an indigenous family who fled their village for the United States and won asylum in his courtroom.

    Johnson, 52, served nearly a decade as an immigration judge in San Francisco, in a famously liberal circuit, hearing hundreds of asylum cases. Day in, day out, he heard stories of political and religious persecution, torture, violence, rape. He granted asylum89% of the time.

    That statistic, he believes, is likely one of the reasons the Trump administration targeted him and the San Francisco court in an effort to rid the system of alleged bias in favor of immigrants, and against the Department of Homeland Security.

    The Department of Justice, which oversees immigration judges, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

    While PresidentDonald Trump's mass deportation effort has played out in dramatic U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps of major American cities and the expansion of immigration detention, the White House has also been quietly working to reshape the nation's immigration courts, where immigrants can be ordered deported or granted the right to stay.

    Since Trump took office in January 2025, the DOJ has fired at least 107 immigration judges, including roughly two dozen in San Francisco alone, according to the National Association of Immigration Judges, a union for the judges. Nationwide, another 50 or so have left or been dismissed.

    "Under President Trump, asylum is now granted in just 7% of cases," the White House said inan April 9 news release, citing an investigation by theNew York Times. The release touted: "The era of amnesty is over."

    That statistic likely includes not only judges' decisions but abandoned cases in which the applicant failed to appear, according to the right-leaningCenter for Immigration Studies. In PresidentJoe Biden's last year, the comparable asylum grant rate including abandoned cases was 36%.

    The San Francisco court has the third-highest number of asylum cases in the nation after New York and Miami, according to theTransactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which compiles government data. The administration has ordered the court to close by May 1; the majority of the court's cases are shifting to judges 30 miles away in a smaller, suburban court in Concord, California.

    "The fact that these judges are being aggressively removed and bullied by the administration – they don't have the protections that a regular judge has and I don't think people realize that," said U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-California).

    On the bus in Guatemala in mid-April, Johnson had no phone number and no address as he rode into the green mountains southeast of Todos Santos, not far from the Mexican border. He had only the family's name in a notebook and a local guide, a veterinarian, who spoke the indigenous Mam language of the region. He wore a bucket hat.

    Former San Francisco immigration judge Jeremiah Johnson traveled to Guatemala in April 2025.

    The asylum-seeking family's head of household "was a refugee," a married man and father of two boys, Johnson said. The family belonged to an indigenous Mam-speaking Mayan community that was at odds with the Spanish-speaking Ladinos in the area. A conflict over water turned deadly.

    In 2017, the man and his brother went to pull water from a well originally built by their grandfather. A group of eight Ladino men confronted them, then violently attacked, according to the family's I-589 Application for Asylum, shared with USA TODAY. The man escaped to get help. "When I returned with my wife and mother, we found my brother's body. He had been beaten to death," he said in the asylum petition.

    Their identities are redacted from the asylum application and the family's immigration attorney, Alicia Chen, asked for their names to be withheld to protect the family.

    The water conflict had deep roots in the country's civil war, which pitted the military and Ladino elites against Mayan indigenous groups. Though the war ended in the 1990s, vestiges remained of the racial and ethnic conflict. The family relied on other water sources for awhile, but they dried up. When they attempted to draw water from their grandfather's well again, Ladinos again violently confronted them. He, his wife and young son were left "bleeding and severely injured," according to his statement. The family walked two hours to the nearest police station to file a report; they were mocked instead, he said.

    Johnson heard all this in court. Theirs was the last case he decided.

    "My last words on that bench were through the Mam interpreter," he recalled. "'You've been granted asylum in the United States. That decision is final.'"

    "Their persecution goes back to the civil war," he said by phone from Guatemala. "These villages were all burned."

    In the village, he sketched a church that during the war, he learned, served as a jail where indigenous Mam people were imprisoned.

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    'To ever keep in mind the needs of others'

    Johnson was appointed to the bench during the first Trump administration by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Originally from New Jersey, he attended the University of San Francisco School of Law. He interned at the International Rescue Committee, and was inspired by lawyers who deftly navigated complex immigration laws.

    He held fast to his own father's words of wisdom, "to ever keep in mind the needs of others." He became an asylum officer for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before applying to join the court.

    If he or the San Francisco court had a higher-than-most asylum grant rate, he said, that was driven by the mix of cases on the docket; the case law of the liberal 9th Circuit and the high level of attorney representation in his court.

    Nationwide, judges might see only the asylum cases of Chinese nationals; or Cubans; or, in Johnson's case, a large number of Sikhs from the Punjab region of India, where many faced religious or political persecution, he said.

    But the closure of the San Francisco court is a symbolic win for the Trump administration: Immigration judges hold the power to deport immigrants, or let them stay, and San Francisco judges more often let them stay.

    People wait in a queue to attend their immigration appointments outside the U.S. Immigration Court building in San Francisco, California, on October 24, 2025.

    The DOJ put immigration judges on notice ina June 2025 memothat said some judges "appear to believe... that exhibiting bias is justifiable in certain situations, as long as that bias is in favor of an alien and against the Department of Homeland Security."

    That belief is deep-seated in the White House. Trump Homeland Security adviser and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is a critic of asylum.

    "Everyone involved in the asylum system knows and understands the claims are all fake: the aliens who make them, the free NGO lawyers who file them, the judges who hear them, the federal officers who process them," he wrote on X on April 1.

    Johnson's termination letter landed in his inbox on the Friday before Thanksgiving in 2025; his email was locked so fast he didn't have time to print it.

    Finding the family

    Last year, nationwide, senior managing judges were let go first, Johnson said. In San Francisco, the new judges, still on their two-year probation, were the first fired. The remaining judges saw their caseloads balloon. Beginning in July, Johnson started seeing six cases a day, including three "detained" cases of people in ICE detention.

    There are nearly3.8 millioncases in the nation's immigration court backlog. Roughly two-thirds, or2.4 million, are asylum applications, according to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which runs the immigration courts within the DOJ.

    A bill to establishan independent immigration court system‒ first introduced in 2022 under the Biden administration ‒ has been reintroduced this year by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, (D-California). The bill, which is supported by the immigration judges' union, would create a system that better reflects other U.S. courts and protects them from being hired or fired by the executive branch.

    On that Friday in November, Johnson's docket was empty except for one case, the family of four from Guatemala.

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    Tossed from the bench, Johnson packed a backpack and set off heading in the reverse direction of what is now a mostly empty migrant trail.

    He had beers with humanitarians at the Arizona border in January. He spoke with border ranchers who voted for Trump. He had coffee with a retired Border Patrol agent, then was invited to his house for strawberry crepes. He took notes.

    In Guatemala, the veterinarian asked around for the parents of the man who survived the water well attack and found them. "They're home," he told Johnson. "They'll see you." After pleasantries and explanations and the gift of flowers, Johnson asked about their murdered son, the refugee's brother.

    "There were tears on the señora's face," he said. The father "started rubbing his chest."

    He and his wife wanted to show him the grave.

    Lauren Villagran covers immigration for USA TODAY and can be reached at lvillagran@usatoday.com and on Signal at laurenvillagran.57.

    This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Federal immigration court judge embarks on odyssey to Central America

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    Friday, April 17, 2026

    Rohingya sea crossings hit record death toll in 2025, UNHCR says

    April 17, 2026
    Rohingya sea crossings hit record death toll in 2025, UNHCR says

    GENEVA, April 17 (Reuters) - Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees ‌were reported missing ‌or dead in the ​Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal in 2025, making it the ‌deadliest year ⁠on record for the route, the ⁠United Nations refugee agency said on Friday.

    Reuters

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    More ​than one ​in ​seven of ‌the estimated 6,500 Rohingya refugees who attempted the sea crossing last year were reported missing ‌or dead, ​marking the highest ​mortality ​rate worldwide ‌for refugee and migrant ​sea ​journeys, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told reporters ​in ‌Geneva.

    (Reporting by Olivia Le ​Poidevin, Editing by ​Friederike Heine)

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    No charges to be filed against Taylor Frankie Paul's ex-boyfriend in Utah case

    April 17, 2026
    No charges to be filed against Taylor Frankie Paul's ex-boyfriend in Utah case

    Dakota Mortensen, the ex-boyfriend of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” starTaylor Frankie Paul, will not be charged in relation to an allegation of domestic violence this year, the Utah city of Draper said.

    NBC Universal Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen. (Getty Images )

    In a statement, the city announced the city prosecutor's decision two days after the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Officedeclined to file charges against Paul.

    "The Draper City Prosecutor reviewed the DA’s findings and, upon further review of the Draper Police case, has declined to file any charges against Taylor Frankie Paul or Dakota Mortensen related to an investigation of domestic assault claims," the city said.

    Mortensen filed a complaint of domestic violence against Paul on Feb. 23, and Paul counter-claimed an assault by him.

    “After a thorough investigation by Draper Police, the City Prosecutor has determined that there is insufficient corroborating evidence to support filing criminal charges against either party,” the city said in the statement.

    The police department said it "would only pursue the investigation further if additional information is provided that supports the prosecution of either party.”

    NBC News has reached out to representatives for Paul for comment.

    Mortensen declined to comment when he was reached by phone.

    In the incident in February, a friend reported that Paul assaulted Mortensen, according to police records obtained through a Utah public records request.

    Mortensen told police that Paul attacked him, grabbed his throat, scratched him and threw objects at him, according to Draper police records. Paul told police that she told Mortensen to leave her home and he refused and that at one point Mortensen grabbed her and hit her head against the dashboard of his vehicle, according to the police documents.

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    Police said in the documents about the investigation that the city prosecutor “advised that neither Taylor or Dakota are credible witnesses, with both their statements being fraught with inconsistencies.”

    The documents reviewed include accounts from both Mortensen and Paul. They describe in detail at least one domestic violence incident with allegations hurled against each other. Both parties refer toadditional incidentsbut those are not described at length.

    NBC News has also reviewed photos and videos included in the police documents. The photos show injuries Paul and Mortensen said they suffered during the alleged domestic violence incidents, including bruises, scratches and other abrasions on both of their bodies, including their arms, legs, necks and faces.

    Videos reviewed and included in the documents capture interviews between each of the parties and police officers, bodycam footage and audio of 911 calls placed.

    Also included in the documents is audio of a 911 call made by Mortensen's roommate, who identifies himself as Cru Eaton. Eatoninitially reported the incidentthat took place at the end of February.

    Police referred the case to the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, because the couple’s child was home at the time, the city said in Thursday’s statement.

    Allegations of domestic violence between the couple made headlines last month when a leaked video from a 2023 incident went viral. The video, posted online byTMZ,appeared to show Paulhurling a chair at Mortensen as he protested.

    The couple’s on-and-off relationship was depicted in “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which premiered in 2024.Filming for season fivewaspaused last month,sources have told NBC News.

    Paul was to be the centerpiece of season 22 of ABC's “The Bachelorette,” but after the 2023 video was leaked, the networkpulled the upcoming season.

    Mortensen will beedited out of the upcoming seasonof "Vanderpump Villa," a source familiar with the show confirmed to NBC News.

    Draper is a city of around 50,000 in Salt Lake and Utah counties, south of Salt Lake City and in the metropolitan area.

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