We are one away from the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, and you know that that means: mock draft time.
While the first-overall pick is already seemingly locked in, beyond what the Las Vegas Raiders are doing at No. 1, this could be one of the more unpredictable Drafts of the decade.
From the straightforward to the stunning, here are my current projections for the 2026 NFL Draft as we count down the days until the Raiders are officially on the clock.
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1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)
Sorry, no contrarian shock selection here. The Raiders get their (hopefully) franchise quarterback of the future.
2. New York Jets: Arvell Reese (LB, Ohio State)
While this would have been Dante Moore if the signal-caller hadn’t decided to play one more year at Oregon, the Jets pick up one of the biggest game changers on the board with Reese from the Buckeyes.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Francis Mauigoa (OT, Miami)
Some Cardinals fans would want a more exciting pick here at the third spot, but Arizona are playing the long game in the NFC West. While they look to possibly grab their QB of the future in 2027, getting Mauigoa would be the first puzzle piece for that desperately needed foundation.
4. Tennessee Titans: Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame)
The Titans have new uniforms, a new stadium on the way, and are trying to usher in a truly new era for the franchise. What better way to add to that excitement than to pair the most recent No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward, with one of the most special rushers of the past decade?
5. New York Giants: Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State)
The Giants have a few options at the fifth spot, and while they could add more to their already overwhelmingly youthful offense with a top wide receiver, I have them adding Styles to their defense.
6. Cleveland Browns: Carnell Tate (WR, Ohio State)
Although the Browns have 40,324 quarterbacks on their roster, they need a true elite wide receiver to throw to if they want to drag their offense out of the abyss. Tate is consistent, has a high floor and an equally high ceiling, and would get to stay in the state of Ohio if the Browns select him.
7. Washington Commanders: Caleb Downs (LB, Ohio State)
You get a Buckeye. You get a Buckeye. Everyone gets a Buckeye. The fourth Ohio State player comes off the board in the first seven picks, with the dynamic Downs going to Washington.
8. New Orleans Saints: David Bailey (EDGE, Texas Tech)
If the Saints can get Bailey at the eighth spot, they’re going to be ecstatic. Bailey is projected as a possible top-three pick in this year’s Draft, and would be an instant spark plug on the New Orleans defense.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Mansoor Delane (CB, LSU)
The Los Angeles Rams looked at the Chiefs’ top two cornerbacks and thought they seemed pretty great, so they acquired both Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. In their place, the Chiefs will bring in a secondary talent that might surpass both of them if developed correctly. Which, with the Chiefs at the cornerback position, seems certain.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: Rueben Bain Jr. (EDGE, Miami)
Goodbye, Trey Hendrickson, you are now a Baltimore Raven. Hello, Rueben Bain Jr., who was one of the main characters of last college football season, destructively carrying the Miami Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff national title game.
11. Miami Dolphins: Jermod McCoy (CB, Tennessee)
The Dolphins are building towards the future, and grabbing one of, if not the best, cornerbacks of the class in McCoy is a savvy move heading into 2026.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon)
The Cowboys need to strengthen their secondary, and if Delane and McCoy are off the board, I see them taking the best safety available, Thieneman, from Oregon. After Jerry Jones recently blamed the defense for being the reason why the Cowboys missed the playoffs last season, they’re going to try every move possible to get better on that side of the ball.
13. Los Angeles Rams: Makai Lemon (WR, USC)
Although the Rams have one of the best one-two wideout duos in the league already with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, they need to be thinking about the future. With Nacua prepared for a significant salary increase, pairing him with an explosive rookie in Lemon could give L.A. a tandem they can build around for the next half-decade.
14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane (IOL, Penn State)
Lamar Jackson might not be the CEO or President of the Baltimore Ravens, but he needs to be protected like one if they want to make it back to the playoffs and challenge for the Lombardi Trophy. Getting Ioane to be one of Jackson’s personal secret service will go a long way.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Akheem Mesidor (EDGE, Miami)
The lightning to Bain Jr.’s thunder, Mesidor didn’t grab as many headlines as his Hurricanes partner in crime, but he might have an even higher ceiling. The Buccaneers could be the team that helps him reach those goals.
16. New York Jets: Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State)
If the Jets can exit the first round with a force of nature like Reese on the defensive side and a monster like Tyson on the offensive side, even for a pessimistic fanbase, it’d be hard not to be galvanized for the future.
17. Detroit Lions: Monroe Freeling (OT, Georgia)
It’s very simple. When Jared Goff has time to throw and a clean pocket around him, he’s arguably the best quarterback in football. When Jared Goff doesn’t have a clean pocket and is pressured in any way, he craters into a bottom-half QB prone to devastating errors. No team is more reliant on having a strong offensive line than the Lions.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Peter Woods (DL, Clemson)
The Vikings are attempting to get back into the playoffs with the addition of Kyler Murray to put pressure on sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy. But their defense also needs some upgrades, and Woods at the 18th selection would be a gigantic boon for the franchise out in Minnesota.
19. Carolina Panthers: Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon)
The Panthers have so many good things going for them after almost upsetting the L.A. Rams in the playoffs. They have a good defense, some great receivers, and the addition of Sadiq would only continue their evolution into a team of trees impossible to defend.
20. Dallas Cowboys: C.J. Allen (LB, Georgia)
Another Dallas pick, another strong player on the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys. Defense, defense, defense. And more defense. And even more defense. And if there’s still room left on the roster, get some more defense.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M)
Do they take Ty Simpson here? While I went back and forth, the Steelers seem to really like Will Howard, whom they took this past NFL Draft, and the 2027 crop of quarterbacks looks like it could be generational. Instead of a QB, they take the wideout who could be the partner of that future franchise gunslinger in A&M’s Concepcion.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Spencer Fano (OT, Utah)
If you watched even five minutes of the Los Angeles Chargers last season, you would know that Justin Herbert either needs more offensive linemen or mechanical armor to survive a few more seasons under center. Until the NFL allows quarterbacks to wear mech suits, I’m going to have the Chargers pick as many bodies to protect Herbert as humanly possible.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Keldric Faulk (EDGE, Auburn)
The Eagles know how to turn back-half defensive picks into superstars, and they might have another one in the form of Faulk from the Auburn Tigers.
24. Cleveland Browns: Kadyn Proctor (OT, Alabama)
Alright, so the Browns got their wideout of the future in the first round, who their hypothetical franchise QB will be throwing to consistently. Now, let’s get a strong tackle that can protect that QB.
Perfect. Now, all the Browns need to do is find that mythical starting signal-caller, and they’re ready to contend. Easy.
25. Chicago Bears: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S, Toledo)
The Bears want to build off their shocking NFC North title last season, and to do that, their secondary needs to be a whole lot better. McNeil-Warren would be a perfect addition to a young, exciting Bears team that has a lot to prove in 2026.
26. Buffalo Bills: Denzel Boston (WR, Washington)
Josh Allen wants to win a championship in Buffalo, but he can’t do it with a below-average receiving crew. The Bills know this, and they already got him some help with the trade for DJ Moore in the offseason. Getting Boston at the back-end of the first round would be another necessary weapon in the arsenal.
27. San Francisco 49ers: Caleb Lomu (OT, Utah)
Brock Purdy is an extremely good QB when healthy. Unfortunately for the 49ers, the former Mr. Irrelevant, who has become the franchise face, has been sidelined multiple times this season due to injury. While Lomu won’t guarantee Purdy’s health, it’s a step in the right direction to protect the organization’s crown jewel.
28. Houston Texans: Max Iheanachor (OT, Arizona State)
The Texans could load up on their already elite defense, but if C.J. Stroud is going to continue to be their starting QB, he needs as much help as he can get when it comes to time to throw.
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Omar Cooper Jr. (WR, Indiana)
From the national champions of Indiana to the most recent dynasty in the NFL. After grabbing some defense with their first pick, the Chiefs come swinging with their back-half selection, scooping up Cooper Jr. as one of Patrick Mahomes’ new favorite outlets.
30. Miami Dolphins: T.J. Parker (EDGE, Clemson)
After grabbing one of the best cornerbacks in the class, the Dolphins follow up that pick with another force on defense with Parker from Clemson to round out a fruitful first round.
31. New England Patriots: Elijah Sarratt (WR, Indiana)
To finish off a first round full of wideout selections, the Patriots put their trust in Sarratt, who won the national title with Mendoza and Cooper Jr. only a few months ago. The Patriots will hope that Sarratt can grow into a leading weapon for MVP runner-up Drake Maye.
32. Seattle Seahawks: Avieon Terrell (CB, Clemson)
And somehow, in the end, the best pick of the entire first round might land in the hands of the reigning, defending Super Bowl champions. The Seahawks need some help back in the secondary following free agency, and Terrell is a player who could slip to them to close out Thursday night in Pittsburgh one month from now.
