2026 Mock Draft - Predicting the Future

 

Yesterday I ran through what would happen in the draft if I was calling the shots. Today I’m making my predictions for what will actually happen. As usual, I don’t predict any trades in my draft, because I don’t think that’s as fun.

 

1) Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

As is the case most years, the first overall pick has basically been decided. Mendoza is an excellent quarterback prospect, and the only one in the draft worth taking this high. There was never really any other option for the Raiders to consider here.

 

2) New York Jets – Arvell Reese, EDGE/LB, Ohio State

I think this pick comes down to either Reese or David Bailey. Bailey is the more developed prospect, but Reese’s athletic upside is difficult to turn away from. If he can put everything together as a pass rusher he can be a true game-changing player like few others in the league. Even if he doesn’t, his skill as a linebacker means he’ll at least be an above average starter.

 

3) Arizona Cardinals – Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

Offensive line makes a lot of sense with this selection. The Cardinals have one good tackle in Paris Johnson, but the line as a whole is still fairly mediocre, and they need to find a solution before they make whatever move they are going to make at quarterback. Freeling isn’t typically thought of as the top lineman, but he’s the sort of athletic, ascending prospect who some team will fall in love with.

 

4) Tennessee Titans – Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

It’s clear that Tennessee wants to get Cam Ward some help. I don’t think this is the best way to do it—an offensive line and a wide receiver are far more help to a quarterback than a running back—but I can’t deny that Love is an exciting prospect. He has a rare blend of power and speed to go along with excellent skills as a receiver that will make him one of the best running backs in the league in a couple years. The Titans are also a good candidate to trade back, as they’d be able to slide down 5-10 picks while still being in position to get the offensive help they need.

 

5) New York Giants – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

The Giants will be picking between a few different Buckeyes at this point in the draft. Caleb Downs would make a lot of sense, and Carnell Tate would be a good piece to pair with Malik Nabers. But I think they’ll go with Styles. John Harbaugh saw a massive improvement in his defense in Baltimore when they traded for Roquan Smith, and Styles is the best linebacker prospect to enter the league since Smith. He has the sort of rare skills in both run defense and coverage that could make him a transformational piece that elevates the entire defense around him.

 

6) Cleveland Browns – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

The Browns have two picks in the first round, and most people expect them to use one on a receiver and one on an offensive lineman. The only question is what order they go in, and I think (with Freeling off the board) they grab the receiver first. Tate is a smooth, long athlete with good route running ability and excellent ball skills. He isn’t the most explosive player, but he will be a great friend to whoever ends up throwing him the football.

 

7) Washington Commanders – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

Downs is a difficult player to place. If you strip away positional value he is probably the best player in the entire draft, but teams are reluctant to spend a selection this high on a safety. Washington could prefer a higher-value cornerback or pass rusher at this spot. But they need simple competence on the back end of their defense, and Downs will provide that from day one.

 

8) New Orleans Saints – David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

I think this is about the bottom of Bailey’s range. Any of the teams above this could decide to grab him, and quite a few teams would be interested in trading up. But if he ends up here for the Saints, they wouldn’t even think twice about picking someone else. He is an explosive pass rushing force who is better against the run than he gets credit for.

 

9) Kansas City Chiefs – Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami

There has been a lot going around about Bain the past few weeks, concerns both on and off the field. So I can’t rule out that he could fall farther than this. But I also think Kansas City would be foolish to pass up the potential he offers as a pass rusher. They’ve tried a few times to address the position with mixed levels of success, and Bain is the sort of player that could solve things once and for all and get them back into position to compete for Super Bowls.

 

10) New York Giants – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

The Giants added this pick by trading away an impact defender, and I think they did it because they want to add juice on offense. Tyson is another player who could go a lot higher than this. He probably has the best tape of any receiver in the class, and I could see a team falling in love with him and happily overlooking concerns about his health and his questionable athletic juice.

 

11) Miami Dolphins – Francis Mauigoa, OT/OG, Miami

Mauigoa could (and probably should) go a lot higher than this, but his slide allows him to stick around Miami. The Dolphins desperately need talent anywhere, and Mauigoa is a solid piece with a high floor who will offer them stability as they try to build going forward. Basically every position is on the board for the Dolphins, so they’ll end up taking whoever they think is the best player.

 

12) Dallas Cowboys – Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

There has been a lot of buzz about Dallas trying to move up the board for one of the top pass rushers, but if they stay put I think they’ll be happy to add to the back end of their defense instead. Thieneman tested as a sensational athlete and has the skills to erase the back end of the defense. He needs to bulk up and get better as a tackler, but he has the upside to be among the best in the league if he puts everything together.

 

13) Los Angeles Rams – Makai Lemon, WR, USC

The Rams have had a good receiving corps the entirety of Sean McVay’s tenure, but cracks are appearing. Davante Adams is still lethal in the red zone, but the signs of age are starting to show. And Puka Nacua has tons of off field concerns and is entering the final year of his contract. Lemon would be a fantastic fit for the McVay scheme, with incredible instincts for finding space out of the slot and over the middle of the field.

 

14) Baltimore Ravens – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

Isaiah Likely followed John Harbaugh to New York, and Mark Andrews is getting up there in years, leaving the Ravens with a clear hole at the tight end position. Sadiq is a very similar player to Likely, an athletic, flexible tight end who can create big plays down the field. This feels like about where he’ll go, but if the Ravens want to look elsewhere, they sneakily have holes at pretty much every spot on their roster.

 

15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Keldric Faulk, EDGE/DT, Auburn

Faulk is a bit of a wild card. It’s easy to see him sliding as teams become skeptical about his lack of pass rush juice. It’s also easy to see them falling in love with his ability as a run stopper and his upside as an athlete. I think he’ll end up somewhere in the 10-20 range, and I could see him going to any of the teams here. Tampa Bay makes a lot of sense as a team with basically nothing on the edge.

 

16) New York Jets – Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

This spot for the Jets feels like prime position to add receiving talent, but with the top three names off the board in this scenario I think Delane’s talent is hard to pass up. This is one of the picks the Jets got in return for Sauce Gardner, and while Delane is a very different player stylistically, he can slide in as a replacement as the team’s number one cornerback.

 

17) Detroit Lions – Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

The Lions have been paired with offensive linemen through most of the process, and they have their pick of a few intriguing prospects here. Proctor has some significant concerns, but he also has the sort of physical skills that will make some team fall in love and take him higher than most people expect.

 

18) Minnesota Vikings – Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

Outside of the top few picks this might be the place with the most consistency in mock drafts, with nearly everyone pairing the Vikings with Dillon Thieneman. When something happens this often it can be a signal that there is something there, and the Vikings do desperately need a safety. But I think McNeil-Warren is a better fit for what they want to do on defense. He’s a rangy player with excellent physicality and the ability to come down and play in the box, the sort of versatility that is essential in Brian Flores’s defense.

 

19) Carolina Panthers – Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

Carolina’s offensive line stabilized last season after years of utter ineptitude, but they could always use more help. Taylor Moton is 32 years old and expensive, and it would make sense to grab someone with the plan to replace him. Lomu has a lot of upside but is still figuring stuff out, so a year either playing guard or refining his technique on the bench could help transition to the NFL.

 

20) Dallas Cowboys – Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami

The Cowboys don’t get their impact pass rusher with their first pick, so they settle for more of a solid player down the board. I don’t love Mesidor—he’s not that impressive as an athlete and is one of the oldest players in the class—but he does some nice things on film that would fit in with Dallas’s defense. I wouldn’t be surprised though if they decided to take a swing on one of the higher-upside but less proven alternative options.

 

21) Pittsburgh Steelers – Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

I don’t love Miller as a prospect, but he’s the sort of player who will definitely have fans in the league. A gifted athlete with a lot of experience, he’s the sort it’s hard to see sliding out of the first round. The Steelers have spent a lot of draft capital along the offensive line is recent years, but they still have issues at one tackle spot, with Broderick Jones struggling both with health and when on the field.

 

22) Los Angeles Chargers – Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State

The Chargers are going to spend the entire night praying that Ioane gets to them, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them jump up a few slots to make sure they grab him. If he isn’t there, they may try to reach for one of the other guards instead. But they could also use some fresh talent at wide receiver or at pass rusher.

 

23) Philadelphia Eagles – Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana

I have no idea if AJ Brown will be an Eagle this year, and I get the feeling the Eagles probably don’t either. But I’m pretty confident he won’t be there in 2027, and the Eagles have the sort of depth that allows them to think a year or two ahead. Cooper would be a good fit for what Jalen Hurts wants to do on offense, with the quickness to win off the line on slants and the ball skills to make plays down the field. He’s been climbing throughout the process, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes even higher than this.

 

24) Cleveland Browns – Spencer Fano, OT/OG, Utah

I gave the Browns a receiver with their first pick, and now I give them a lineman. What position Fano will play is still a big question, but the Browns need help at basically all of them, Cleveland still has no idea what they’re doing at quarterback, for this year or for the futures, but the combination of Tate and Fano would give them two solid, high-floor players they can count on as they build their offense going forward.

 

25) Chicago Bears – Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

McCoy is the wild card of the first round. A couple weeks ago I thought he was a lock for a top ten pick, as he tested extraordinarily well and in theory put concerns about his knee to rest. But apparently new concerns have popped up, and now I could imagine him sliding out of the first round entirely like Will Johnson did a year ago. McCoy is a better prospect than Johnson, and I think someone will take a chance on his talent. The Bears seem like a team that can afford to take a flyer on a high-upside player like this.

 

26) Buffalo Bills – Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M

The biggest problem the Bills had a year ago was stopping the run, and Howell isn’t going to fix that. It’s tempting to pair them with Kayden McDonald, but I think they’ll roll with second year player Deone Walker as the space-eating force in the middle. Instead I’ll have them address their pass rush. Howell is a player with some clear flaws, but he is as explosive and flexible as any pass rusher in this class. In the near term he’s the sort of player who can make an impact in a situational role, coming onto the field on passing downs simply to get after the quarterback.

 

27) San Francisco 49ers – CJ Allen, LB, Georgia

Allen is a player I just kind of feel is going to end in the first round, so here I’m giving him to San Francisco. He isn’t as well-rounded as the two Ohio State linebackers, but he is an excellent athlete who can make a lot of good plays against the run. How he develops from here is a big question, but in San Francisco he’d have a good supporting cast to help him as he figures things out.

 

28) Houston Texans – Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State

McDonald is the sort of player who always seems to find his way into the first round—a big, run-stuffing nose tackle who has some doubters among the people who care about positional value but is loved by NFL coaches. He’s one of the better versions of this type of prospect, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go even higher than this. Putting him in Houston would make a lot of sense, where they already have enough pass rushing juice that they can live with someone who just sits in the middle and swallows the running game.

 

29) Kansas City Chiefs – Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

This is the pick the Chiefs got for trading away Trent McDuffie, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they used it to replace him. I think they’ll use one of their first two picks on a cornerback, and Johnson is a name I could see sneaking into the first round. He’s a great athlete who dominated at a smaller program in college. There are concerns about how he will translate to regularly facing NFL talent, but someone will gamble on the upside at this point in the draft.

 

30) Miami Dolphins – Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

Similarly I see the Dolphins replacing a wide receiver with a wide receiver. Boston is a very different player from Jaylen Waddle, but he has rare size and physicality that will make him a headache for any defense to face. He’ll slide some due to concerns about his explosiveness, but this is around where similar players like Tee Higgins and Courtland Sutton went (or if you want to be less generous, Keon Coleman).

 

31) New England Patriots – Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF

There is a very interesting second tier of pass rushers, and I think one surprising name will sneak into the first round. Of them I’m picking Lawrence, who possesses the sort of athletic upside that is rare to find at this point in the draft. He is 6-4 and 253 pounds with long arms and insane athletic testing. With 20 sacks across the past three seasons his production doesn’t jump off the board, but there’s enough there to build on as an NFL pass rusher.

 

32) Seattle Seahawks – Emmanuel Pregnon, OG, Oregon

The Seahawks really only had one glaring hole on offense last year, and that was at right guard. Spending a second straight first round pick on a guard would be a little strange, but this team is well rounded enough that they can afford some luxury selections. That similarly means they’re open to ignoring positional need altogether, and I wouldn’t be shocked by any pick here. One big loss this offseason is Kenneth Walker, and while I don’t think there’s a running back worth taking at this spot, it wouldn’t be the first time the Seahawks pulled this kind of move.

This is also a very good candidate for a trade down. The Seahawks are light on draft capital, and we’ve seen a number of teams over the years move back into the first round to grab an extra year of team control on a rookie’s contract. If I had to pick one, I could see Arizona jumping up here (or even higher) to make sure they secure Ty Simpson. But mock drafts are more fun with some constraints, so I’ll stick the Seahawks here and give them a guard.

2026 Mock Draft - I Call The Shots

Here is the first of my two annual mock drafts. This is the version where I tell you who I would pick if I was making the calls for every team. For this exercise I limited myself to only players whose tape I studied, which left me a little light on prospects at the back end. If I did a more thorough analysis the last ten picks would probably look very different, but I didn’t feel like it this year.

 

1) Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

Mendoza is an easy choice here. He wouldn’t be the top ranked quarterback in every year, but he’s the only quarterback in 2026 worth even considering this high. The Raiders have spent the past 20 years searching for a quarterback, and while I won’t go as far as to guarantee Mendoza is going to be that guy, he’s definitely on the safer side.

 

2) New York Jets – David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

This is another easy choice. The Jets aren’t really in position to be picky about positional need, and fortunately they don’t have to. Bailey is the most explosive pass rusher of this class, and he combines this with a variety of moves to take advantage of any tackles who try to play things safe against his speed. He might be a little bit of an awkward fit opposite another undersized edge rusher in Will McDonald, but they’re both solid enough against the run to at least not be considered liabilities.

 

3) Arizona Cardinals – Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami

This is where things get a little more interesting. Bain has his flaws, and the third pick feels a little high to take a risk on a prospect who doesn’t typically have the tools you’d want from a player this high. But Bain has enough weapons to make up for his short arms that I think he’ll find a way to becoming a high-level NFL player. He’s the best player left on the board at this point, and Arizona can use another pass rusher opposite Josh Sweat.

 

4) Tennessee Titans – Francis Mauigoa, OT/OG, Miami

Mauigoa probably isn’t the best player on the board right here, but he’s close enough that I’m willing to pull the trigger. Tennessee’s offense was so utterly devoid of talent last year that it was basically impossible to tell if Cam Ward is worth anything or not. They need to find a way to fix that, and while the bigger need is probably at receiver, I think the safety of Mauigoa as a prospect is enough to make up the difference. I’m open to where they would play him—I probably like him better as a tackle and JC Latham better as a guard—but his versatility will make their line better no matter where they put him.

 

5) New York Giants – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

This is high for a safety, but Downs is probably the best overall player in the class at any position. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever scouted, and he’ll give an immediate boost to a defense both with his own skills and with his ability to coordinate the others around him. The Giants have a lot of exciting pieces up front, and with a player like Downs in the secondary this could take the leap to being one of the best defenses in the league.

 

6) Cleveland Browns – KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

There’s some risk to Concepcion, but he is easily the most explosive of the first round receiver prospects, and he has enough other tools to go with his speed to make me confident he’ll round into a very good receiver. The Browns still have no idea what they’re doing at quarterback, but whoever it is they are going to need something better than the ghost of Jerry Jeudy as their top target.

 

7) Washington Commanders – Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

I can’t really comment on McCoy’s health, which may push him lower than this in the actual draft. But if he can return to the form he showed in 2024, he has the potential to become one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He has the physicality to eliminate a receiver before he can get into his route, and the closing speed and ball skills to produce game-changing plays when targeted. Washington basically couldn’t stop anyone from throwing on them last year, and while McCoy won’t fix every problem, he’s at least a very good start.

 

8) New Orleans Saints – Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio State

The Saints have finally crawled out of the cap pit they dug, and the cost has been basically any young player showing promise. They need help at almost every position, so why not take a guy who might not have a position? I have no idea whether Reese can develop the pass rushing skills to be a star edge defender, but it’s hard to imagine someone with his combination of power, athleticism, and instincts not finding some way to be useful on an NFL field.

 

9) Kansas City Chiefs – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

I had Makai Lemon higher on my receiver rankings, but I really like the fit for Tyson in Kansas City. He isn’t the most explosive athlete, but he is an incredible route runner who consistently creates separation on the boundary. The ideal scenario for him is to partner with a veteran quarterback who can get the ball out to hit the windows he creates, and you aren’t going to find a better destination in the top half of the draft.

 

10) New York Giants – Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

The Giants address defense with their first pick, and now they go offense with their second. They have a great left tackle in Andrew Thomas, but they still haven’t been able to figure out the other positions along the line. Freeling won’t solve all of their issues, but he’ll at least give them another piece to build on.

 

11) Miami Dolphins – Caleb Banks, DT, Florida

It’s tough to know what to do with a player like Banks. His tape is sensational, but he has enough injury issues that he may simply never make it in the NFL. Sending him to somewhere like Miami seems like the best fit. They are clearly playing the long game with their rebuild, and they can afford to take a chance on a talent like Banks. If he stays healthy, he is a star to build around. If he doesn’t, then all it really means is that they now might be four years away instead of three.

 

12) Dallas Cowboys – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

Styles is another player who will bring stability to a defense that desperately needs it. He’s a phenomenal athlete, and a physical force that can choke off an opposing running game. He also has great instincts in coverage, and if he can continue to grow to attack NFL schemes, he has the potential to be one of the rare linebackers that genuinely changes how an offense has to attack.

 

13) Los Angeles Rams – Spencer Fano, OT/OG, Utah

Matthew Stafford has done a lot of work covering for an offensive line that is mostly just fine, but Stafford won’t be around forever. Whenever the Rams do move on at quarterback, it will be helpful to have a stronger foundation up front. It’s unclear where Fano will eventually wind up in the NFL, but he’s skilled and athletic enough that I’m confident he’ll become a valuable piece at guard even if he doesn’t have the length to make it at tackle.

 

14) Baltimore Ravens – Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

This is mostly a value pick. The Ravens have some good players in the secondary, and they’ve spent their last two picks there on players who show early signs of promise. But the unit as a whole still struggled at times last year, in part due to lack of depth as injuries added up. Delane will help the depth immediately and will give them an option to move into the starting role after what will likely be Marlon Humphrey’s last year with the team.

 

15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

This was a weird one to try to figure out. The most glaring need for Tampa Bay is edge rusher, but there isn’t anyone with that kind of pass rushing juice worth taking here. So I’ll help them on the back end instead. Thieneman tested as a phenomenal athlete, and he can be a very good player in the right situation in the NFL. Drop him in deep coverage, let his speed and instincts rule in space, and don’t ask him to make too many crucial tackles. Putting him on the back end will open things up to let the Buccaneers move Antoine Winfield Jr around even more, getting one of their best defensive players more involved.

 

16) New York Jets – Makai Lemon, WR, USC

The Jets addressed their defense with their first pick, so now I’ll give them offense. Their two leading receivers last year were Garrett Wilson, who only played in 7 games, and Adonai Mitchell, who came over in a trade midseason. They need basic competence here, and basic competence is Lemon’s calling card. He’s not the most physically exciting talent, but he has a very good feel for finding open spots in coverage, and can create with the ball in his hands after he makes a catch.

 

17) Detroit Lions – Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

Taylor Decker held down the left tackle position in Detroit for the past decade before his release this offseason. It sounds like the plan is to move Penei Sewell from the right side to the left, but that still leaves a hole to fill on the right side. The entire recent run of Lions success was built on a dominant offensive line, and their struggles a year ago were largely the result of backslide in that area. They desperately need an infusion of youth at the position, and Lomu has the potential to develop into another elite tackle.

 

18) Minnesota Vikings – Keldric Faulk, EDGE/DT, Auburn

After letting both Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave walk this offseason the Vikings basically have only one proven player on their defensive line. Faulk is a fascinating prospect with a ton of tools and a ton of holes in his game. But he is a phenomenal run defender, and he has the frame to put on weight and play more in the interior. The Vikings defense is a perfect fit for what he should be, a player who controls things on the interior, flashes occasionally with quickness as a pass rusher, and lets smaller, speedier guys try to get the corner on his outside.

 

19) Carolina Panthers – Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Love is an elite running back prospect who probably should have gone higher than this, but I didn’t see a great fit in the teams selecting above. Instead I’ll send him to Carolina, who could use another explosive skill player on their offense. Chuba Hubbard hasn’t performed at the level of an NFL starter, and Rico Dowdle left as a free agent this offseason. Love would immediately provide them with a weapon in both the run and pass game as they try to figure out if they can build a good offense around Bryce Young.

 

20) Dallas Cowboys – Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

Both Cowboys picks should be spent on trying to address their defense. With the first I gave them a linebacker to help them in the running game. With the second I’m grabbing a cornerback to help on the outside. Hood is up and down as a player, but his best moments show the potential to grow into a very good player in man coverage.

 

21) Pittsburgh Steelers – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Pittsburgh traded for Michael Pittman this offseason, but that probably isn’t a long term solution at the receiver position. Tate is a well-rounded prospect who can contribute immediately as a deep threat and grow to be a solid piece of their passing attack. He has good hands and a good feel for coverage, the sort of player that will be very helpful if they ever decide to try to find a young quarterback.

 

22) Los Angeles Chargers – Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State

The offensive line basically sank the Chargers season in 2025. Getting Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back healthy will be a huge boost, but they still have gaping holes on the interior. Ioane isn’t going to blow you away with what he does on the field, but he’s a reliable high-floor option for a team that needs an immediate impact player.

 

23) Philadelphia Eagles – Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

AJ Brown may or may not be traded this offseason, but it’s clear that one way or another his time in Philadelphia is drawing to a close. Boston isn’t going to replace everything Brown is, but he can be a good complement across from the speed and grace of Devonta Smith. He’s a big, physical ball-winner who can bail a quarterback out of a bad situation and create plays in the red zone. I have a few concerns about if he has the burst to succeed in the NFL, and his refusal to run the forty only makes me worry more. But his tape is excellent, and I think it’s worth the gamble at this point.

 

24) Cleveland Browns – Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

This is where the draft begins to get tricky. It’s a thin class this year, and I’m going to have to take some players in the first round who really shouldn’t be there. McNeil-Warren is right on the border. He’s a good athlete who flies all over the field and can make explosive, violent plays. But he’s also a little shaky reading plays, and doesn’t have much experience playing against NFL caliber athletes. That said, he’s the best option for a Browns team that is in position to take a few gambles.

 

25) Chicago Bears – Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M

I don’t love the fit for Howell in Chicago’s defense, but his pass rush juice makes him difficult to pass up at this point. He might be too small to hold up consistently as an edge presence in the NFL, but if the Bears can find a way to surround him with players that can cover for his weaknesses, his quickness and flexibility will make him a threat to every quarterback they face.

 

26) Buffalo Bills – Aveion Terrell, CB, Clemson

The Bills took a cornerback in the first round a year ago, but Maxwell Hairston didn’t do much as a rookie (partially due to injury), and even if he takes a leap the Bills could still use some help in the secondary. Taron Johnson gave them a weapon out of the slot for the past few years, but he’s in Las Vegas now, so Terrell will have an opportunity to contribute immediately. There are some concerns about him—he ran a terrible forty that may or may not have been impacted by a hamstring injury—but there are enough good moments on tape to take a shot here.

 

27) San Francisco 49ers – Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

The 49ers have gotten by with basically one good lineman for several years, but Trent Williams is 38 years old, and eventually the weakness will come back to bite them. Proctor isn’t the best fit for what they want to do schematically, but he has size and athleticism that is difficult to pass up at this point. If he can harness his gifts, he can be a physically overwhelming presence that reshapes an offense.

 

28) Houston Texans – Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

This is where I start feeling really desperate with these picks. Miller is a great athlete, but his tape is sloppy, and taking him is gambling on the coaching staff being able to correct the holes in his technique. This isn’t great for a team that needs offensive line help right now, but that’s the downside with picking this late in the first round.

 

29) Kansas City Chiefs – Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State

McDonald is an overwhelming force in the middle of the defensive line. You simply can’t run between the tackles with him on the field, and the value he brings there is enough to make up for his lack of juice as a pass rusher. Placing him beside Chris Jones should take some of the burden off of the veteran, letting him focus more of his attention to getting after the quarterback.

 

30) Miami Dolphins – Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana

The Dolphins went for a home run with their first pick, now they try just to make contact with their second. Cooper isn’t the biggest or most explosive receiver, but he does a good job creating separation and plays bigger than his frame. Pretty much any position is on the table here, and Cooper will be a solid piece of whatever their offense is going forward.

 

31) New England Patriots – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

The Patriots have to get someone for Drake Maye to throw to, and at this point Sadiq is the best option on the board. He isn’t the sort of route runner we’ve seen from top tight end prospects over the past few years, but he has the ability to separate down the seam that will pair perfectly with Maye’s ability to stand in the pocket and fire lasers down the field.

 

32) Seattle Seahawks – Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina

I mentioned Miami and Cleveland as two teams that can afford to take a risk on boom-or-bust players because their rosters are so bad that a draft miss won’t cost them much. Seattle comes from the opposite direction but arrives in the same place. Their roster is loaded with talent, so even if Cisse can’t develop his raw athleticism, this defense will still be a nightmare to go against. And if he does figure things out, it could become impossible to throw the ball on them at all.

2026 Quarterback Prospects

 

As I do most years I am ending my draft breakdowns with the quarterbacks. This year I regret that decision. This might not be the worst quarterback class I’ve seen, but it is probably the most boring. I only broke down five players, and only two of them would I have any real interest in as long-term investments. The rest are just kind of bland, not chaotic enough to be fun and not competent enough to justify putting onto an NFL field.

(The two who could have spiced this up are Taylan Green and Cole Payton, two players who tested as freakish athletes but who I couldn’t find enough tape to do a full breakdown for. But I watched enough to convince me I wasn’t really missing out on anything.)

 

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

Mendoza is the top quarterback in the class, and the only one I’d give better than even odds of becoming a long term NFL starter. He’s going to go first overall, and that won’t be too much of a reach, even if he doesn’t touch the same highs as some top overall picks we’ve seen. He’s just a solid, well-rounded quarterback who does a lot of stuff well and has room to grow in the NFL.

Mendoza’s physical tools are impressive. He is 6-5 and 236 pounds, and he runs well enough to be a genuine threat that defenses have to worry about. He combines this sturdy frame with an arm that—while not quite at the level we’ve seen from players like Caleb Williams and Drake Maye in recent years—is strong enough to create opportunities at all levels of the field. He can launch the ball between a safety and a cornerback on a deep route, and he can fire lasers to the perimeter that defenders have no hopes of ever reaching.

Throwing to the perimeter is what Mendoza does best. He gets the ball out with good timing and rhythm, and it rarely ends up anywhere other than where he wants it. He is extremely accurate working to both sidelines, which makes him absolutely lethal on back shoulder throws. Pair him with a receiver with good ball skills and a couple times a game they’ll create a first down even when the defense is set up to stop it.

The best thing about Mendoza is that there really aren’t any bad parts to his game. He doesn’t throw with a lot of anticipation for windows over the middle, but he also doesn’t put the ball into harm’s way. The offense he ran was very simplified, leaning on a lot of one-read plays and RPOs, but when he was asked to execute more complex stuff he mostly looked good doing so. There are reasons for concern based off of sample size, and it may take a while to get fully in the rhythm of working through his reads at NFL speed. But I think he has enough of a base to figure that out over his first couple seasons.

If there is one real concern I have with Mendoza it’s about how he handles pressure. At Indiana he was basically never under pressure, thanks to the scheme and a very good offensive line. When he did face pressure, the results could be a little mixed. He made plenty of good plays and did a good job avoiding sacks, but there were also a couple times I saw that he didn’t feel backside pressure and got stripped as he was winding up to throw. He doesn’t do a lot outside of structure, and every now and then he’ll try to pull off a throw that’s ambitious even for his arm, on one occasion I saw leading to an underthrown ball and an ugly pick-six.

These are situations he is going to face more in the NFL, and it will be up to him to adjust. He’s not at a level where he looks outright panicked under pressure, but it’s a potential issue that could keep him from living up to his potential. But it’s also something he could figure out, and in the long run I think he will. He may not make the sort of splash plays that separate the true top tier of NFL quarterbacks, but I expect he’ll be a reliable starter for the next decade.

 

Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

There are a lot of red flags with Simpson. He’s on the smaller side for a quarterback, and his physical tools are merely average. He only started a single year at Alabama after spending three seasons on the bench. And his performance really tailed off as the season went along and he got into the meat of the schedule. Whether this was due to some nagging injury or a loss in confidence, by the end of the year he’d fallen from someone being in the conversation for a top five pick to someone who might not even make the first round.

These are all reasons for concern, and players with this sort of profile very rarely succeed in the NFL. And yet, I can’t help liking what I see from Simpson. There are the pieces of a good quarterback here, and after Mendoza he’s the only player from this class I think has a real shot of developing into a starter.

Three or four times a game Simpson will throw a ball that makes you sit up in your seat. He’s a very smart player who progresses through his reads well, and he is always looking to make the most of his opportunities down the field. He has an incredible feel for space over the middle of the field, holding the ball to wait for his receiver to clear into an open window and anticipating gaps in the defense to lead his target to where he has the best chance of making the catch. He’s able to alter the trajectory of his ball to clear underneath defenders, and he rarely gets fooled by a coverage.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of bad plays to go along with the good. The biggest issue for Simpson is accuracy, especially to the outside part of the field. He can make all the throws he needs to, but periodically the ball will fly off target. It’s usually still catchable, but it makes life harder for his receivers and takes away some plays that should be automatic.

Against pressure I’d describe him as inconsistent. He makes some very nice plays maneuvering in the pocket to wait for a throwing window to open, but he’ll also create some major losses trying to go into hero mode, scrambling backwards hoping to extend a play that is truly dead. He’s good at avoiding throwing interceptions, but he can be reckless carrying the football. When he does escape the pocket though, he is creative out of structure and can make good plays either throwing on the run or tucking the ball and taking it himself.

More than any other quarterback I can remember I wish Simpson had stayed for another year of college. Because there’s an NFL starter in here, but it will take some work to unlock it, work I’m not sure he’ll get a chance to do in the NFL. The common wisdom is to let a quarterback learn from the sideline, but Simpson has already spent years watching other people play football. He needs to play football himself, and he needs to do it in a place where his inconsistencies won’t get people fired.

And even if it does pan out, the upside for Simpson is still limited. He might be able to creep into the top ten of quarterbacks, but he’ll never be someone defenses are truly scared of. It’s difficult to know how to value a player like this. I’d probably feel best about him at the end of the first round, but teams selecting there will either not be able to give him the reps he needs or else not give him the leash to work through his mistakes. I think the best fits may actually be at the top of the second round, teams that need a quarterback but also won’t put him under too much pressure to succeed right away. In a couple years, as talent gets built around him, Simpson can be the quarterback of a good NFL team. It will just require luck and some patience.

 

Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU

The best case you can make for Nussmeier is that you should just ignore everything that has happened in the past year. He reportedly suffered a core injury during the offseason that hampered him the entire year, and it is believable watching him on film. In 2025 he was an extremely vanilla quarterback, executing the simplest parts of the offense and doing nothing beyond that. He picked who he wanted to throw to before the snap, and he generally threw it there, focusing on short, safe passes at the expense of trying anything down the field that might strain his injury.

Based only on his 2025 film, I’m not sure I’d even consider Nussmeier draftable. But I went back and watched a few of his games from 2024, and that’s where things get a little bit interesting. There are a lot of similarities between 2024 Nussmeier and 2025 Simpson. Both slightly undersized quarterbacks, but both with stronger arms than you’d expect. Both first year starters with some questionable decisionmaking, especially managing the pocket. And both capable of some incredible throws down the field, the sort of plays that force you to think long and hard about whether there’s something here worth investing in.

For Nussmeier his best throws also come working over the middle. He has good anticipation for windows and good feel for throwing with touch, able to layer balls over defenders to drop into the perfect place for the receiver. He throws very good deep sideline routes as well, and the back ends of defenses always have to be on alert.

There are enough other issues that I would still have Nussmeier comfortably below Simpson even if I completely ignore the most recent season. His aggression down the field often crosses the line into recklessness, and even in his “good” year he threw 12 interceptions (compared to only 5 for Simpson). He offers basically nothing as an athlete, and he is inconsistent throwing on the run, somehow seeming to be far better when moving to his left than to his right. His mechanics are fine in the ordinary course of play but break down quickly under pressure, and he frequently tries to throw the ball while fading away, leading to risky throws that rarely goes where he wants them.

Just based on his 2024 tape, I would consider Nussmeier worth about a fourth round pick. Most likely to be a long-term backup, but maybe with the upside to develop into a functional bottom-half starter. I’m mostly willing to give him the injury excuse for 2025, given it robbed him of basically all the things he does well. But it still makes me a little nervous, so I’d probably bump him down a round to play it safe.

 

Carson Beck, QB, Miami

If all you’re looking for is a backup quarterback, Beck isn’t a bad option. He’s got good enough size and good enough arm strength to play in the NFL, while not excelling enough in either to justify calling him a developmental prospect. He has plenty of experience with three years starting at a high level in college, and he knows how to execute the basic parts of an offense. His mechanics are clean, and his process is quick. The ball comes out on time on routine routes, and most of the time he puts it in a good spot as well. If you bring him in to run a simplified scheme with a good supporting cast, he can probably win some games as an NFL quarterback.

When things get messy around Beck though, there isn’t much he can do. He isn’t great about sensing pressure around him in the pocket, and even when he does feel it he is held back by a lack of athleticism. He doesn’t bring much to the table as a scrambler, and even when he tries to maneuver in the pocket he often doesn’t have the flexibility to adjust while keeping a solid throwing base beneath him. He’s smart enough to get to second and third reads, but his stiffness holds him back here as well, and his mechanics and accuracy degrade as he works across the field.

The other thing we have to talk about with Beck is the interceptions. In his three years as a starter he threw 30 picks, a problem that did not get any better with more experience. And the interceptions come in all sorts of flavors. Sometimes he misses a coverage rotation and throws it straight to a defender. Sometimes he fades away from pressure and leaves a ball floating over the middle of the field. And sometimes he makes all the correct decisions and simply misses with his target. He has a tendency to leave balls behind his receivers coming across the middle of the field, a lack of anticipation that makes it difficult to hit tight windows and robs his teammates of opportunities to pick up yards after the catch even when he does hit them.

Basically, I see no scenario where Beck is a long-term starter in the NFL. His best plays simply aren’t good enough to live with his worst plays, and he isn’t worth the time it would take to develop him into what best case scenario might be the 20^th best quarterback in the league. But he also probably won’t wash out of the league in a hurry either. Keep him on the bench, give him a spot start here and there, and he can execute enough of a basic offense to keep a season from totally collapsing when a starter goes down. Your mileage may vary on how you value a player like this, but to me it’s about a fifth or a sixth round pick.

 

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

Allar is the pie-in-the-sky project quarterback of this year’s class. He has good size to go along with the strongest arm of any quarterback I looked at this year, and he makes use of all his tools in flashes on the field. He can fire balls into tight windows, and he can make throws from awkward platforms that other quarterbacks wouldn’t (or at least shouldn’t) dare attempt. He isn’t the fastest player in the world, but he has enough speed to pose a threat as a runner, combined with his big frame that makes him a headache to try to tackle.

All of these tools will convince someone he’s worth trying to develop into a starter, but I just don’t see it. There are way too many flaws that need to be fixed for him to even be a capable NFL backup. He struggles to get to any receiver past his first option, and even when he tries to get to a second or third read he’s usually slow enough to miss any window that was there. His mechanics fall apart as he goes through his progression, and even when they’re good he can be wildly inaccurate.

I’m not averse to project quarterbacks, but I’m less forgiving for someone like Allar than I would be for someone with less experience or coming from a smaller school. He was the top recruit coming out of high school, had years of the best private coaches on the market, then spent four years at a premier college working with multiple different offensive staffs whose number one goal was to turn him into a good quarterback. Drafting him is betting that your coaches can do what all of these previous coaches failed to do. Sometimes some people just can’t be taught. I probably wouldn’t even bother spending a draft pick on Allar, no matter how impressive he looks throwing a football in shorts.

2026 Offensive Line Prospects

 

Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami

Mauigoa’s game is built around power. As a run blocker he has the ability to blast people backwards off the ball, either driving them into the second level or collapsing the entire half of the line to open a massive hole behind him. He’s an old fashioned right tackle, the sort of player you tilt your entire running game to power behind on a regular basis. He has enough athleticism to pull off a handful of reach blocks, though can sometimes struggle to move his feet around to truly seal a defender off from a play if forced to work too far laterally. He’s better at the point of attack than on the backside, but he’s good enough at both to be a consistent plus in the running game.

The story is similar in pass protection. He isn’t the quickest or twitchiest athlete, but his technique is clean and his strength allows him to get away with things other tackles can’t. He’s a very patient player, mostly just sitting back and waiting for a pass rusher to come to him. This means that he never gets out of balance, and is always in position to react to whatever move is thrown at him. He can sometimes be a bit slow to react to inside moves, but even when a defender is able to get an edge on him he has the upper body strength to keep them from powering through, able to stick out a single arm to stop them in their tracks before they can reach the quarterback.

There are things to clean up in pass protection. Mauigoa’s patience can occasionally stray into passivity, as he’ll hold his arms back and let pass rushers attack into his chest. Most of the time his 329 frame has no problem absorbing the contact, but against good pass rushers he can sometimes lose leverage and be knocked back. He has a strong punch when he deploys it but doesn’t use it often enough. It’s a delicate line between too passive and too aggressive, and most of the time Mauigoa pulls it off, but in the NFL I think he would benefit from leaning more towards the aggression side.

I don’t necessarily see a top tier NFL tackle in Mauigoa, but I see a solid player who can be counted on for years at the position, with enough surety that I’d be willing to take him in the top ten. I would be mildly intrigued if a team wanted to move him to guard, where I think he does have the potential to be one of the best in the league, but I think he’s got enough athleticism that he’ll stick on the outside long term.

 

Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

Freeling is the high-risk, high-reward player in this year’s offensive line class. As a physical prospect he is spectacular, standing 6-7 and weighing 315 pounds with nearly 35 inch arms. He tested above the 90^th percentile in both the forty yard dash and the vertical leap, and that athleticism shows up on the field. He makes impressive reach blocks in the running game, and he shows incredible quickness in pass protection, able to recover from basically any situation to find his way back into the path of the pass rusher.

The issue with Freeling is that he needs too lean on this recovery ability a bit too often. His technique is very raw, and too often he will be caught leaning too far forward, missing with his punch and having to flail around to try to keep up with a pass rusher. Most of the time his raw athleticism is enough to keep the defender from pressuring the quarterback, but the margins are always thinner in the NFL, and I think he’ll struggle early on.

Freeling only started for a single year in college, and he showed improvement over the course of that season, so taking him is a gamble on that improvement continuing. Because if it does, he has the potential to be one of the best in the league. He’s strong enough to get movement in the running game, and when he does land his punch it’s enough to knock even strong pass rushers backwards. There’s more of his athleticism to harness as well, if he can get better about keeping his feet moving to sustain a block through the course of the play. There’s enough risk of failure here that I’d be reluctant to spend a top ten pick on him, but enough upside that I would be willing to take the gamble over some of the safer players on the list below.

 

Spencer Fano, OT/OG, Utah

There are two Utah tackles likely to go in the first round this year, and I see the two of them as having very similar value, despite being very different players. Fano is the technician of the two, a fairly polished player who is somewhat limited by his physical tools. In his case, the issue is mostly length. He’s 6-5 and 311 pounds, which is good enough for a tackle but still a little less than ideal. The bigger issue is his arm length. At only 32 inches they are below the typical threshold for a tackle, a problem that seems to pop up with at least one lineman each year.

And it is a problem for Fano. He struggles to win when he tries to use his arms, not getting much disruption with his punch on defenders and too often taking contact into his chest. He doesn’t get driven backwards into the quarterback, but he can be knocked off balance to set up the next move. He struggles some to close down the edge against speed rushes, and he isn’t great at sustaining blocks, at times letting defenders slide outside the frame of his body and having no option but to grab hold and hang on for dear life.

This is unfortunate, because all the other parts of Fano’s game are awesome. He tested as a top tier athlete, and while I think that slightly overstates his performance on the field, he is still capable of movement that very few linemen are. He dances with ease to mirror pass rushers across from him, and he can pull off aggressive reach blocks to open things up in the running game. He’s also able to drive defenders off the ball, opening massive holes as a point of attack blocker. At times Utah would even flip the sides of their two lineman so they could run directly behind Fano, not caring that they were telling the defense exactly where the ball was going because they could count on him to win on pure physical force.

Everything I described about Fano makes it seem like he’d make an awesome guard, and I think that is probably where he will play most of his career in the NFL. But his quickness is enough that I would be tempted to give him a chance at tackle, in the event he is one of the rare athletes who is good enough to overcome his shortcomings. With practice I think he can develop enough technique to be at least average with his arms, which combined with his quickness could make him an above average starting tackle. Either way, as a project tackle or a high-upside guard, I see his value as comfortably in the middle of the first round.

 

Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

Lomu is another tackle who looks great on paper but is still figuring some stuff out on the field. He doesn’t quite have the length of Freeling, but he has what he needs to succeed at tackle in the NFL, to go along with elite level athletic testing. On the field I think his athleticism falls more into the camp of “very good” rather than elite, which is enough to knock him a rung below Freeling, even if he’s closer to being a finished product.

Lomu generally plays with good technique and balance. He can be a little passive on his drops at times and not give himself the space needed to adjust to the pass rush, but this is easily corrected with coaching. When he does take the proper angles, he has the physicality to stop rushers dead in their tracks and the lateral agility to keep in front of all but the quickest rushers. At times he can play a little high, which leads to some ugly losses when defenders attack into his chest, but most of the time he is able to anchor and absorb contact before it can become a problem.

The biggest flaw I see with Lomu is that he seems just a little stiff as an athlete. He can cover a lot of ground moving laterally, but he struggles at times to swing his hips around to seal a defender off from a play. This can cause issues in the running game, where defenders are able to slide off his contact to either make a tackle or draw a holding penalty. This is a flaw that can be mostly smoothed over, and Lomu has enough upside to make him worth a pick in the middle of the first round. I think ultimately he’ll settle in as a middle-tier starter, a valuable player if not an exciting one.

 

Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State

If you’re looking for a guard I think I’d prefer a couple of the names higher on the list converting from tackle, but I wouldn’t blame you if you’d want the safer option of someone who has spent years playing the position. And Ioane is about as safe as they come. He isn’t extraordinary at anything, but he’s very good at pretty much everything. He gets some movement off the line of scrimmage but doesn’t blow anyone backwards. He can keep up with most pass rushers on the interior but can occasionally lose to quickness. He’s a well-rounded, plug and play NFL starter who will be among the better guards in the league for a long time, if not ever the best.

If there’s one part of Ioane’s game that really shines it’s his ability to move in space. He is a fantastic puller, able to get to the hole with ease and then turn up to make plays on anyone in the hole. He has very fluid hips that allow him to flip around and seal defenders away from the play on a consistent basis. This helps cover for what is probably the biggest weakness of his game, which is a struggle to sustain blocks. When a defender is able to keep him square Ioane has trouble stopping them from sliding to the side as the play develops. He needs to use his body to cut them off from the play, and fortunately he has the footspeed to make this happen most of the time.

Ioane has some things to clean up as all young players do—he plays high at times and can get knocked backwards by initial contact in pass protection, which will be harder to recover from in the NFL—but he’s closer to ready than almost anyone else on this list. He’s worth a selection in the top twenty, and for the right team could probably justify jumping a couple of the players I have above him.

 

Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

Proctor is the behemoth of this year’s offensive line class. He is 6-6 and 352 pounds, and he carries that size well on the field. He is a good athlete who is able to make plays in space, and it is basically impossible to move him backwards. Every pass rusher that tries to attack his chest is simply swallowed by his bulk, never getting more than a couple inches of backwards movement before grinding to a halt.

When discussing a couple players above I mentioned issues sustaining blocks once they get their hands on a defender. That isn’t an issue for Proctor. When he gets his hands on an opponent in either the run or the passing game, the play is basically over. His upper body is incredibly strong, and he is able to grip a defender and hold him inside his frame, in complete control as he moves his feet to seal him away from the ball.

The issue comes in everything before he gets his hands on the defender. Proctor is a good athlete in a linear way, able to cover ground well whether it’s hitting his drops in pass protection or coming around as a puller or heading to the second level. But he struggles to change direction once his initial move has been made, and quicker defenders are frequently able to dance past him. Better technique might clean some of this up, but I think it’s mostly a physical shortcoming that will stick with him in the NFL.

A move to guard might help, but I would also like to see more from him in the running game. He never gets as much displacement as I’d expect from someone with his size and strength. I think his height works against him a bit, as he can play high and have issues getting beneath a defender enough to shove him backwards. He’s still good enough as a run blocker for that to be a plus of his game, but he isn’t the sort of weapon you’d expect just looking at him on paper.

Proctor’s physical tools give him a lot of advantages, but they also hold him back in ways as well. I think this will be the case at whatever position he plays, keeping him from ever being more than a pretty good player. This makes him better suited as a pick near the end of the first round after the players with higher upside are off the board.

 

Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

Miller is another player with all the physical tools you could want from a tackle. He has the height and weight and long arms, and he tested as a phenomenal athlete. That athleticism shows up on the field where he is a fluid mover who covers ground with ease. He has excellent recovery ability and is typically able to find a way to make a block work even if he’s beaten on initial contact.

The problem with Miller is that he relies far too much on this recovery ability, because he is beaten on initial contact too often. Above I discussed some linemen who struggled with power and others who struggle with quickness. Miller struggles with both. He plays with wide hands that leave his chest open to getting bowled over by power rushes. He also will get caught leaning too far forward, leaving him stumbling against air when a quicker defender is able to step to the side to get around him.

Miller’s technique is a mess, and I don’t think he can play in the NFL until he has a significant amount of development and also likely some work in the weight room. There are enough good plays on his tape to make me think he can develop down the road, and his athletic potential gives him good upside if he puts things together. But that’s a gamble that will only pay off two or three years down the road, and even with his gifts he’s not the sort of player I’d want to take until day two.