The 2026 NFL Draft is right around the corner. In less than three weeks, 32 of college football’s best will hear their name called on a Thursday night in Pittsburgh before boarding a plane and heading to their new home.
As the draft draws closer, more and more draft rumors will begin to swirl. We’ll hear of prospects rising up and down draft boards, and start to hear who everyone could be interested in. Not all of it will be real – there are a ton of smokescreens around draft season – but as the draft gets closer, we’ll start to get a better idea of how the first 32 picks will shake out.
With that said, here’s my latest first round mock draft.
1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza
This still has not changed, and probably will not change before draft night. The Las Vegas Raiders are all in on Fernando Mendoza, even after they signed Kirk Cousins last week.
2. New York Jets: LB Arvell Reese
3. Arizona Cardinals: OT Francis Mauigoa
I’ve bounced back and forth between offensive tackle and defensive end here. Arizona really needs the pass rush help, but if they want to run Mike LaFleur’s offense, they need to build up the trenches. Francis Mauigoa seems to be the consensus top tackle in this draft class, so if they can get a franchise LT in year one under LaFleur, it will open up a lot of options in the future when they’re ready to compete.
4. Tennessee Titans: DE David Bailey
5. New York Giants: LB Sonny Styles
When the New York Giants are on the clock, I expect one of the two remaining defensive Buckeyes to come off the board. It will either be Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs, and I’ve gone back-and-forth, but right now, I’m leaning Styles. I know the Giants signed Tremaine Edmunds, but Styles is a special athlete that can play alongside him for the foreseeable future. Their front seven would be terrifying with Styles in the mix.
6. TRADE: Kansas City Chiefs: DE Rueben Bain Jr.
Trade Details: KC trades picks No. 9, No. 74 to CLE for pick No. 6
Yes, there are concerns about Bain’s arm length, but tape doesn’t lie, and his tape is incredible. He would fit in perfectly with this Kansas City defense, which was one of the best in the league last year.
7. Washington Commanders: RB Jeremiyah Love
With Bain off the board, the Commanders could very well turn their attention to Mansoor Delane, but with Jeremiyah Love still available, I don’t see how Washington turns him down. Love is probably the best overall player in the draft this year, and while Washington’s rushing offense was actually pretty good last year, Love would make them even more dynamic.
8. New Orleans Saints: S Caleb Downs
This is another spot where Mansoor Delane could go, but I have to stop the Caleb Downs slide here. People are forgetting just how good Downs is. He’s a top-two talent in this draft class, and just because we’ve been talking about him as a top-five pick for three years doesn’t change that fact. The Saints need some secondary help, and while corner is probably a bigger need than safety for them, Downs is a generational talent.
9. Cleveland Browns: WR Carnell Tate
After trading back from No. 6, the Cleveland Browns still manage to get their hands on the top receiver available in Carnell Tate. He’s 6-foot-2, 192 pounds, and even though his 40 time was underwhelming, he plays much faster than his 4.53-second time. Cleveland desperately needs receiver help, and Tate can step in and be their WR1 right away. I’m not buying into the Kadyn Proctor top-10 hype that’s been floated around.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: CB Mansoor Delane
11. Miami Dolphins: CB Jermod McCoy
With Delane taken one pick ahead of them, the Miami Dolphins pivot to the second-best corner in this draft class, Jermod McCoy. The Tennessee product missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL, but he’s 100 percent now and will be ready to go this offseason. If he didn’t miss all of 2025, he may have been the top cornerback in this class. He’s extremely talented and athletic, so he’d be a great fit in Jeff Hafley’s defense.
12. TRADE: Detroit Lions: OT Spencer Fano
Trade Details: DET trades picks No. 17, No. 50 to DAL for picks No. 12, No. 112
13. Los Angeles Rams: OT Monroe Freeling
With the Lions leaping them for Fano, the Rams take the next-best tackle available in Monroe Freeling to shore up their offensive line for another Super Bowl push. Sure, Jordyn Tyson or Makai Lemon, or maybe even Kenyon Sadiq, would be fun here, but football games are won in the trenches, and Sean McVay knows that. By bringing in Freeling, they make sure Matthew Stafford will be protected for his final season or two.
14. Baltimore Ravens: OG Olaivavega Ioane
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DE Akheem Mesidor
16. New York Jets: WR Makai Lemon
If I’m the Jets, I’m sprinting to the podium if Makai Lemon is still here at 16, especially if Ioane is already gone. The Jets have not been a desirable quarterback destination for a while now, but if they have an offensive unit consisting of Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Makai Lemon, Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou (not the mention Mason Taylor), all of a sudden, they’re in a great spot offensively. All they’d need is the quarterback…
17. Dallas Cowboys: DE T.J. Parker
Clemson’s defense was very disappointing last year, and that includes T.J. Parker. Parker and Peter Woods were both projected to be top-10 picks in this draft, but now they’re borderline first rounders. I’ve been low on Parker throughout the pre-draft process, but I went back and watched his 2024 tape, and I think someone’s going to take a shot on him in the first round. After trading down, I could see Dallas taking a shot on Parker, who has more upside than pretty much any edge rusher left outside of maybe Keldric Faulk, but Parker’s more ready to play now.
18. Minnesota Vikings: S Dillon Thieneman
I think I’ve had Dillon Thieneman going to Minnesota in pretty much all of my mocks, but it just makes too much sense. The Vikings need safety help, especially with Harrison Smith getting closer and closer to retirement, and Thieneman is easily the best on left, in my opinion.
19. Carolina Panthers: TE Kenyon Sadiq
Kenyon Sadiq is such a fun prospect, and it’s hard to narrow down where he’ll end up. I could see him going as high as No. 9 to the Chiefs, but I could also see him falling to the late-teens/early-20s. In this mock, though, I have him ending up in Carolina. The Panthers don’t have anyone at tight end, so adding another weapons for Bryce Young alongside Tet McMillan makes a ton of sense.
20. Dallas Cowboys: CB Avieon Terrell
Dallas double dips with Clemson defenders by taking Avieon Terrell at No. 20. The Cowboys obviously need cornerback help, and after passing on him at No. 17, they get Terrell at 20. He’s another Tiger who had a disappointing 2025, but he still didn’t play that bad, and he’s only 21 years old. There’s a ton of room for growth, but he’s already good enough to be their best cornerback.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: OT Blake Miller
Blake Miller’s received a lot of draft hype recently, and it’s easy to see why. He’s 6-foot-7, 37 pounds and runs a 5.04-second 40-yard dash with a 32-inch vertical. He’s a great athlete for his size, and he has the production to match, giving up two sacks and 14 pressures while earning a 72.4 run blocking grade. Pittsburgh needs to address their offensive tackle room, so Miller fits in perfectly in the Steel City.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: DE Keldric Faulk
I don’t think there’s a guard worth taking here with Ioane off the board, so I have Los Angeles pivoting to the defensive side of the ball and taking Keldric Faulk. I’m not a big Faulk fan, but I can see why people like him. He’s got the size and athletic traits teams like in a modern day defensive end, but I just don’t like to see two sacks of production in his final year. If he’s developed properly, he could be a good replacement for Odafe Oweh.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: WR Jordyn Tyson
I love Jordyn Tyson, but his medical history is scary. I think he’s a top-10 talent, but it’s hard to see a team in the top-10 taking that risk, and it feels like every year there’s a big name player that falls in the draft and ends up in Howie Roseman’s lap. Plus, by taking Tyson here, it enables another move later in the draft…
24. Cleveland Browns: OT Kadyn Proctor
I don’t think the Browns are actually considering Kadyn Proctor at No. 6 (or in this mock, No. 9), but I do think they really like him and would love to take him at No. 24. He’s a project, but if he gets developed properly, he can be one of the best tackles in the league. Cleveland’s done a good job of revamping their offensive line, so he wouldn’t even have to start this year. Let him learn and take over in 2027.
25. Chicago Bears: DT Peter Woods
26. Buffalo Bills: LB CJ Allen
27. San Francisco 49ers: OT Caleb Lomu
This is where we start getting into the third tier of offensive tackles, but there are still some good ones left on the board and a lot of teams who need help on the exterior of their offensive line. With Trent Williams’ future in question, the 49ers need to lock up their tackle of the future, and Caleb Lomu is probably the best one left.
28. Houston Texans: OG Chase Bisontis
The Houston Texans are still in the process of remaking their offensive line, and after re-signing Ed Ingram, they have one major hole left, and that’s at left guard. This pick came down to Emmanuel Pregnon and Chase Bisontis, and even though I like Pregnon a bit better, Bisontis is getting some first round hype right now, so I’m leaning the Texas A&M prospect. They couldn’t go wrong with either one, though.
29. Kansas City Chiefs: CB Colton Hood
The Chiefs moved up to grab their pass rusher, so now they come back at No. 29 and address their need at cornerback. Colton Hood seems to be the next-best option after the top-three corners. He played really well as Tennessee’s CB1 last year, and ran a 4.44-second 40-yard dash with a 40.5-inch vertical at the combine. With Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson gone, it feels like No. 9 or No. 29 has to be a corner.
30. Miami Dolphins: WR Omar Cooper Jr.
The Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle, leaving Malik Willis with nobody to throw to next season. I don’t think Miami will use the 11th pick on a receiver, but the 30th pick has to be one, right? I personally think Omar Cooper Jr. is worth of going in the top-20, but with how the board fell, he falls to No. 30 in this mock, and Miami sprints to the podium to draft him.
31. TRADE: Philadelphia Eagles: OT Max Iheanachor
Trade Details: PHI trades WR A.J. Brown to NE for picks No. 31, No. 95, 2027 3rd-round
And here it is. After taking Jordyn Tyson at No. 23, the Eagles trade star wideout A.J. Brown to the Patriots in exchange for pick No. 3, No. 95 and a 2027 3rd-rounder.
Lane Johnson probably has one more year in him, which means the Eagles will need to find a new tackle by the start of 2027. By trading Brown to New England and moving back into the first round, they ensure they get Max Iheanachor, one of the best pass protectors in the class. He’s ready to play right away, but if he can sit behind Johnson for a year, that’s even better.
32. Seattle Seahawks: DE R Mason Thomas
R Mason Thomas has been getting a ton of hype during the pre-draft process. He’s an explosive athlete, running a 4.67-second 40-yard dash with a 9-foot, 11-inch broad jump, but he’s small, coming in at just 6-foot-2, 241 pounds at the combine. He’s had success in college with 15.5 sacks in the last two seasons, but Seattle’s definitely betting on upside here.
