NFL Draft: 2026 NFL Draft 1st Round Mock

This first-round 2026 NFL Draft mock draft assumes a New England Super Bowl victory over Seattle.

1. Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (6-5, 225)

   Mendoza will be the first pick. He had only one clearly NFL-caliber season and didn't throw with volume at Indiana, but his efficiency and explosiveness numbers as a passer at Indiana were so substantial that he produced big yardage and touchdown numbers despite the limited volume. While he hasn't yet shown the ability to throw with volume, in the meantime his numbers could withstand major regression and still grade highly.

    
2. New York Jets - Arvell Reese, OLB, Ohio State (6-4, 243)

   I can't claim to grasp the specific reason Reese is projected so high – strong combine numbers could help clarify things on that front – but in the meantime the pitch is made on the promise of rare playmaking upside as a defensive disruptor. The promise that the little witnessed so far is just the beginning, and that it's now or never to buy what will very soon be a unique asset. It may well be true, and whatever else the case Reese is likely going in this range.

    

3. Arizona Cardinals - Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (FL) (6-6, 335)

   There won't be a worthwhile quarterback option for the Cardinals. To make whatever quarterback they have look viable they'll need to instead use this pick on strengthening the offensive line. Mauigoa on the right and Paris Johnson the left will give Arizona a real chance to forge one of the league's best offensive lines as soon as 2026.

    

4. Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (6-3, 215)

   Jordyn Tyson is the better receiver to me but if the Titans are specifically looking for a boundary receiver then it might be Tate who can fit better for Tennessee. Chimere Dike is a player to feature in the slot and/or flanker rep, and Tyson is probably a little redundant to Dike's presence. Not that there would be anything wrong with the Titans simply featuring both.

    

5. New York Giants - Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (6-0, 205)

   The consensus regards Downs as the best safety prospect in some number of years, warranting a selection in this range even irrespective of how weak the class might be. Tyler Nubin isn't convincing but even if he turns out to be a keeper the Giants can just use it as an opportunity to deploy three-safety looks along with Jevon Holland.

    

6. Cleveland Browns – David Bailey, DE, Texas Tech (6-3, 250)

   Jordyn Tyson would be an easily justified pick here, but the Browns won't have a quarterback anytime soon and they should be realistic about their need to win with defense in the meantime.

    

7. Washington Commanders – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State (6-2, 200)

   Tyson is one of the very few players in this draft who is blue chip or close to it. It's one of the easy picks to call if he makes it to Washington here.

    

8. New Orleans Saints – Keldric Faulk, (3-4) DE, Auburn (6-6, 285)

   Faulk gets incorrectly described as an edge rusher and then gets held against him the fact that he didn't produce many sacks at Auburn, but if Faulk has an actual standout value in the NFL it would be as a 3-4 defensive end – a tall defensive tackle more or less. If Faulk works out in the NFL then it would be as a Chris Canty type. If he tests well there's reason to believe Faulk has real upside when lined up wide of the guard.

    

9. Kansas City Chiefs – Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State (6-3, 326)

   McDonald is young and therefore probably somewhat raw but the long-term upside as a disruptive two-gap tackle could be compelling in a draft this week. It's kind of like the Tyleik Williams selection last year, but at an inflated price in a worse draft class.

    

10. Cincinnati Bengals – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State (6-5, 243)

    I find Styles to be a little difficult to figure out – as a safety/linebacker tweener I worry he's built a little high to run in the middle of the field, and on the edge he would be less able to affect the game with his otherwise standout coverage, though he could very well project as a legitimate edge rusher in a 3-4 look. The better he tests athletically the easier it is to get over it, but sometimes these undefined guys at the very least take a little while to settle in to a specific NFL application.

     

11. Miami Dolphins – Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee (6-0, 193)

    McCoy suffered a torn ACL in January of 2025 and missed the entire season as a result. He showed enough in the two years prior and this class is weak enough that McCoy could still push for the top 10 picks, especially if he tests well athletically before the draft. If the Dolphins don't like any corners at this pick they should trade back and take one.

     

12. Dallas Cowboys – Rueben Bain, DE, Miami (FL) (6-3, 270)

    Bain is generally projected as a top-10 if not top-five pick, so perhaps this is projecting him too low. Bain looks like a high-floor player given his steady, early production at Miami and on tape he shows plenty of bend off the edge. It remains to be seen how athletic he is, though, and if his athleticism trends toward average he might project better as a strong-side end than a true lead pass rusher.

     

13. Los Angeles Rams (from ATL) – Peter Woods, DT, Clemson (6-3, 315)

    Woods' 2025 numbers are downright bad and he'll need to test well athletically to crash the top 15 like this. There's reason to suspect Woods will be one of the athletic standouts in this defensive line class, however, and at his build he should be able to offer two-gap functions even if he doesn't disrupt at the NFL level.

     

14. Baltimore Ravens - Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State (6-4, 336)

    Eric DeCosta has shown nothing as a general manager but if he would start fixing the Baltimore offensive line that he has otherwise mismanaged then perhaps he can make up for his past failures.

     

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – T.J. Parker, DE/OLB, Clemson (6-3, 265)

    I haven't seen Parker projected this high so maybe it's wrong to project him in this range, but if he tests better than average he'll end up ranking around here for me. Although Parker's 2025 junior season was somewhat disappointing (9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks) it was far from bad, and as a freshman three-year starter Parker posted numbers that you don't often see. His sophomore 2024 season in particular was pretty nuts with 19.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

     

16. New York Jets (from IND) - Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (6-0, 214)

    Love's production is just awesome and he'll presumably test well in whatever he does at the combine, so in this pitiful draft class he stands out to a degree that could result in a selection earlier than this, even with the league's and NFL media's ongoing hostility to running backs.

    I wish Love could run a little lower than he does – he runs rugged and unafraid but there are some times where his lean reminds me of someone like Darren McFadden – but his from-scrimmage production at Notre Dame is compelling. I'm assuming the Jets don't re-sign Breece Hall.

     

17. Detroit Lions – Spencer Fano, OT, Utah (6-6, 302)

    Perhaps it's foolish to project the Outland Trophy winner this low in the order. Fano is more often projected as a top-five pick than the 17th slot, so this might be the lowest projection for him you'll find.

    Fano looks like a really good prospect and even if he were to slip out of the top eight or so there's a good chance he would be targeted in a trade up before this point. Detroit might make sense as that team, though, with Taylor Decker seemingly on the way out. Decker has been an exceptional player for Detroit and for them to win without him requires a substantial replacement. That Fano mostly played right tackle in college would be less of an issue for Detroit than some teams, because they can just move Penei Sewell to the left side if Fano can't.

     

18. Minnesota Vikings – Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU (6-0, 190)

    I think it would really improve the Vikings defense to be able to move Byron Murphy into the slot to replace the Josh Metellus rover position that has otherwise lined up in the slot for most of the past couple years, and getting Delane on the boundary would give them that option.

     

19. Carolina Panthers – Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson (5-11, 180)

    This might be a little high for Avieon, who is a lot smaller and might not be as toolsy as his brother AJ, but the younger Terrell was arguably the leading contributor over three years on what was a very strong Clemson pass defense.

     

20. Dallas Cowboys (from GB) – Josiah Trotter, ILB, Missouri (6-2, 237)

    Jerry Jones is painfully familiar with Jeremiah Trotter, who Josiah is more similar to than Jeremiah Jr. was out of Clemson.

     

21. Pittsburgh Steelers – Makai Lemon, WR, USC (5-11, 195)

    Lemon will be a solid possession receiver in the NFL and should be at least an average starter in that capacity, though I'm concerned he'll only be average in that capacity. With that said, Lemon posted quality age-adjusted production at USC and at 195 he's dense enough to dive into traffic over the middle for tough catches. The downfield game or/and big-play ability in general might not be there, though.

     

22. Los Angeles Chargers – Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech (6-4, 330)

    Rutledge isn't often projected as a first-round pick at the moment but this class is not good and when you can identify an otherwise likely starter like Rutledge it's worth 'reaching' even if you suspect he lacks upside or whatever.

    I don't see why Rutledge would lack upside, though. He was great at Middle Tennessee State for two years before logging an All-American season his one year at Georgia Tech. If he tests well this is an easy Round 1 player for my rankings.

     

23. Philadelphia Eagles – Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama (6-7, 360)

    Proctor will face questions on rawness and his weight/discipline but in a downright awful draft I think his upside is interesting.

     

24. Cleveland Browns (from JAC) – Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia (6-7, 315)

    Dawand Jones is not totally proven and Jack Conklin's durability issues have been a problem for years.

     

25. Chicago Bears - C.J. Allen, ILB, Georgia (6-1, 235)

    The run defense has been an ongoing issue for the Bears and subpar linebacker personnel is one of the obvious reasons why.

     

26. Buffalo Bills – KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M (5-11, 190)

    Concepcion's true freshman year at North Carolina State was so dominant that in the moment he projected as something like an eventual top-10 pick, but unfortunately that would go down as the best of his three collegiate seasons. All of them were some level of good, though, including his junior year at Texas A&M.

    The problem with Concepcion is that while he clearly took the ACC by storm as a true freshman – drawing an outrageous 106 targets on just 562 snaps and with plus per-target efficiency – it sure looks like defenses figured out Concepcion for a YAC merchant and started to clamp down on his space when it became clear that Concepcion wouldn't burn them deep for it.

    As a result, Concepcion's true sophomore year turned out almost equally as bad as his freshman year was good. He finished that sophomore year with another excellent target rate (91 on 624 snaps) yet because those targets were so predictably spammed underneath defenses smothered Concepcion to an output of just 5.1 yards per target at a completion rate of 58.2 percent – absolutely miserable numbers.

    I'm concerned that Concepcion is basically just a supercharged gadget player – one who is extremely elusive but only underneath due to poor route running or/and tracking downfield, and with below-average hands.

     

27. San Francisco 49ers - Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana (6-2, 213)

    Sarratt's college career took an unconventional path, playing his freshman year at "St. Francis" before transferring to James Madison as a sophomore, then transferring to Indiana for his junior and senior seasons. His production all along the way was very good, so while some analysis/models will penalize Sarratt for being 'old' or/and not being an early declare, I'm more inclined to see Sarratt's age-adjusted production as quite solid.

    Sarratt presumably won't be a standout in combine testing but in terms of demonstrated ability to produce he's clearly one of the best receivers in this draft. As long as his testing isn't horrible I think Sarratt has a good basis to project as at least an average WR2 in the NFL.

     

28. Houston Texans – Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon (6-5, 318)

    The Texans simply cannot trot out the same trash interior offensive line for the third year in a row. Fix it.

     

29. Los Angeles Rams – Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia (5-11, 180)

    Branch is little like Concepcion in that he's fast and elusive underneath as a receiver and in general as a ballcarrier yet lacks any downfield game at all. It really bothers me when receivers have a low ADOT by necessity, because a player as blazing fast as Branch should be able to get open downfield at the college level. If he can't – and this applies to Concepcion as well – then it raises the serious concern that the guy just can't run routes. Still, Branch's speed should provide field-spacing utility and he showed just enough as a junior at Georgia to project for a low-ADOT, high-YAC sort of application as a WR3 type with a WR2 best-case scenario.

     

30. Denver Broncos – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon (6-3, 245)

    It's definitely possible that I'm just missing something, but I don't really understand why Sadiq is often projected as a top-20 lock. He's a small tight end whose production at Oregon is only solid, so I'll need to see Sadiq post uncommonly good workout numbers to agree with the upside projection that most of football media seems to attribute to Sadiq. In the meantime I'm not totally convinced he's better than Eli Stowers at Vanderbilt.

     

31. Seattle Seahawks - Denzel Boston, WR, Washington (6-4, 210)

    I'm skeptical of Boston – a lot of NFL draft media projects him as more like a top-20 pick whereas I only projected Boston here begrudgingly. I kind of hate Boston's production profile. His target rate only reached conventional NFL-starter viability as a fourth-year player who turned 22 in December, cheapening whatever value of his production, and his per-target efficiency in that sample is a red flag for me. Boston's per-target efficiency raises concern because his catch rate was well below the Washington baseline over the last two years, with Washington completing 70.5 percent of its passes while Boston caught only an alarming 61.9 percent of his targets. I can't remember the last time a receiver had a nearly 10-point discrepancy between his catch rate and that of the offense he played in and turned out to be anyone notable in the NFL.

    It's true that Boston's yards per target was solid otherwise (8.5) and above the Washington baseline (8.2 YPA), but a +0.3 difference is close to trivial whereas the catch rate discrepancy is just alarming. To me, Boston's target rate only slightly admits the possibility of an NFL starter, while the per-target efficiency is plainly below the team baseline.

    Boston's ostensible appeal is as big downfield/jumpball specialist who can block well on the boundary, but I don't see the targets or the yardage ranking notably in the NFL. I'm not sure I care where he gets drafted with numbers like these. Also, he's not related to David.

     

32. New England Patriots – Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt (6-4, 235)

    Stowers burned out as a quarterback recruit at Texas A&M for two years before transferring to New Mexico State and then Vanderbilt. Although Stowers broke out late his numbers are unambiguously excellent to the point that they withstand the age adjustment penalty, and if Bruce Feldman's Freak List reporting is to be believed (it usually is) then Stowers will test quite well at the combine.