The NFL Draft is just two weeks away. If you enjoy soaking up all the insights and buzz, you’ve likely watched NFL Network’s Path to the Draft or The Insiders, or checked out his mock drafts on NFL.com. If so, you probably know about Lance Zierlein.
Zierlein is an NFL Media analyst for NFL Network and NFL.com. He also cohosts a morning radio show in Houston with John Granato called John and Lance. Zierlein is the son of Larry Zierlein, the former NFL offensive line coach who won a Super Bowl with the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers.
We recently caught up with Lance Zierlein to discuss the 2026 NFL Draft.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Awful Announcing: How would you describe this draft?
Lance Zierlein: It’s like a grilled, skinless chicken (breast) with light seasoning—it can sustain you, but it’s not going to be something you talk about for years. There’s not a lot of flash and sizzle, but it will sustain many teams. There are some good players. It’s just not full of the headlines you typically see with a lot of drafts.”
Who is the safest player in this draft?
“Mansoor Delane, the cornerback from LSU. I wish he were a little taller with a little longer arms, but he’s a tremendous athlete. He’s very good at covering man-to-man. He’s got the speed you want. He’s got instincts and ball skills. He can live on an island by himself and cover exceptionally well. What translates to the NFL are instincts and ball skills because if you can make a play on the football, you can become a good NFL player, especially if you have enough speed to play deep.”
“No matter how high level of a prospect I am, I will always have that underdog mindset.”@LSUfootball CB Mansoor Delane is ready for the league 💪
2026 NFL Draft – April 23-25 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/UqfvZ3TLl1
— NFL (@NFL) April 1, 2026
Which prospect is the riskiest?
“The riskiest player might be the guy I have graded highest, and that’s Arvell Reese, because he’s not really an edge. They’re going to move him to edge, but he’s still learning to play linebacker. His instincts are kind of average at linebacker. His pedigree isn’t as a full-time edge, so you’re just working off flashes. You’re working off his traits. You’re working off his potential. But he hasn’t been a full-time linebacker or a full-time edge. You’re dealing with a guy who is still learning the game.”
Which team faces the most pressure to succeed in this draft?
“The Jets are because they get the second pick. It’s probably going to be David Bailey or Reese. So, if you pick wrong, everyone’s going to look and say, ‘The other guy was so much better.’ You’ll be judged between these two players, and then you get to pick number 16. You’re not going to pick a quarterback. I don’t think they’ll draft Ty Simpson. You’ve got a lot of draft capital, so you need a good draft to set everything up for your quarterback next year. With three first-round picks (in 2027), it’s almost a lock that they will take a quarterback next year.”
The Kansas City Chiefs also hold two first-round picks. What do you think they’ll do?
“I think one will be a pass rusher, and the second I think will be a corner. It’s just so hard to give names just because of the dominoes that fall. They could go with Mansoor Delane with the first pick if he falls. But if he doesn’t, then I need to know where Rueben Bain is. If Bain is off the board, maybe they go with an offensive lineman.”
Jeremiyah Love with a ridiculous spin move for a big TD run!
(Notre Dame would add a pick-six to extend the lead to 14-0 shortly after that.)
Joe Tessitore has the Notre Dame-Pitt call for ABC. 🏈⚡️🎙️pic.twitter.com/sPDBBpk5b5
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 15, 2025
Which team is the best fit for Jeremiyah Love?
“I actually like the Titans with him. Tennessee had Derrick Henry not long ago, so they know what it’s like to have a dominant running back. They’ve also had Eddie George. Obviously, this has nothing to do with management now, but he could be the next in line. If you go back to Earl Campbell with the Oilers, Chris Johnson was a home-run hitter. I think Tennessee is an interesting fit because they have a young quarterback who needs a little help in the running game.”
Was being a draft analyst always your goal?
“I knew I wanted to be in sports, but then I wasn’t. I was working a 50-hour-a-week job doing something I hated. I had gotten married. My wife at the time was pregnant, and I just said, ‘I’m supposed to be in sports. What am I doing?’ It was a car repair place. I didn’t know anything about cars. I worked at the front, dealing with customers. ‘This is how much this break job is.’ I was miserable. I wasn’t making any money. So I just quit and started my own sports company: Pigskin Sports, where I said, ‘I’m going to analyze sports, and I’m going to handicap.'”
How did you originally get into broadcasting?
“I started doing radio shows. I would just come on and talk about college and pro football. I might give point spreads and my picks against the spread. I knew my football, and I was pretty entertaining talking about it. The general manager of the radio station liked me and offered me some weekend work for free, of course. Two years later, an opening came up in the morning, and he trusted me because he liked hearing me on the radio. That’s how I got on morning radio.”
.@LanceZierlein has two Notre Dame RBs selected in the first round in his latest draft 👀
🔗 : https://t.co/elpJikK0cn pic.twitter.com/tNYNtTH0zR
— NFL (@NFL) April 7, 2026
How many players do you usually write scouting reports for?
“I typically do 470 to 500 players. This year is going to be lighter. It’s only going to be 400. I lost my mom to cancer in January, so that obviously slowed everything down. So I’m not going to get to as many players. To be perfectly honest, every year I’m writing about double the amount of players who get drafted, with so many players going back because of NIL now. The players who could potentially get drafted is smaller than it’s ever been. There are just not as many potentially draftable players.”
Our condolences on the loss of your mother, Marcia. How did she influence you?
“She was a high school teacher. My dad would be gone for five days on the road recruiting football players because that’s how it used to be. She’d get home, take care of everything at the house, and shuttle us around. I learned work ethic from her and to be open-minded. She taught me through her words and actions that everyone starts with a clean slate. So let the content of their character dictate who they are, and treat everyone with the same kindness.”