The NFL Draft offers hope to fans of the 31 teams that didn’t win the Super Bowl.
Maybe your team will have the sort of draft the Ravens had in 1996, when they drafted future Hall of Famers Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis. Maybe your team will stuff the cupboards the way the Seahawks did in 2010, when they drafted Russell Okung, Earl Thomas, Golden Tate and Kam Chancellor.
The Class of 2026 isn’t regarded as a particularly good one. And yet, a bunch of the incoming rookies are going to brighten the outlook of the teams that draft them.
With the NFL Scouting Combine still a week away, here’s my best guess as to how the first round will play out with my first 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
- 2026 NFL Draft Guide
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2026 NFL Mock Draft: First-Round Picks
1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza (QB – Indiana)
This is the free square in any mock draft. Yes, Mendoza is the only quarterback in this class who clearly belongs in the first round. But this is not a default “we need a QB and he’s the only guy” pick for the Raiders. Mendoza is a better prospect than Cam Ward was last year. His processing, accuracy and toughness stand out. Mendoza should eventually become somewhere from a league-average starter to above average but non-elite. As a bonus, the Raiders won’t have to worry about this down-to-earth football nerd going off the rails in Las Vegas.
2. New York Jets: Arvell Reese (EDGE – Ohio State)
Note that I’m listing Reese as an EDGE and not as a linebacker, even though he toggled between those two roles at OSU. For a team as destitute as the Jets to draft an off-ball linebacker at No. 2, Reese had better turn out to be another Junior Seau or close to it. Because if the Jets draft Reese at No. 2 and he turns out to be another Quentin Coryatt (drafted No. 2 overall by the Colts in 1992), it would be a Chernobyl-level disaster for the franchise. The Jets can better justify this pick if they see Reese taking the Micah Parsons path and becoming a full-time EDGE. Parsons has set a high bar, becoming one of the NFL’s best pass rushers, but this is a worthwhile gamble for the Jets if they think Reese can be anything close to the sort of play-wrecker Parsons is.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Rueben Bain Jr. (EDGE – Miami-Fla.)
Every year there’s an early-first-round pick who prompts debate about the importance of arm length. Last year it was Will Campbell, drafted fourth overall by the Patriots. This year it will be Bain, a human wrecking ball with remarkable power and lethal first-step quickness. Sure, Bain has short arms, but so did Dwight Freeney, Jason Taylor, and Terrell Suggs. Freeney and Taylor have gold jackets, and Suggs will get his eventually. Bain would be a fine pick for a team that could use a defensive difference maker.
4. Tennessee Titans: David Bailey (EDGE – Texas Tech)
The Titans got 11 sacks from DT Jeffrey Simmons in 2025, but no one else had more than five. Bailey, the best pure pass rusher in the class, would give Tennessee needed help on the edge.
5. New York Giants: Caleb Downs (S – Ohio State)
The Giants have ample pass-rushing talent but need help on the back end. Downs can be the same sort of Swiss Army knife safety for John Harbaugh’s Giants that Kyle Hamilton has been for Harbaugh in Baltimore. Downs can be a box safety or a deep safety. He can cover tight ends or slot receivers. He’s a beast in run support. This is the defensive glue guy the Giants need.
6. Cleveland Browns: Spencer Fano (OT – Utah)
The Browns’ offensive line is a five-alarm fire, with every starter from 2025 about to become a free agent. The early consensus among the draft media is that Francis Mauigoa will be the first offensive tackle off the board, but some teams might prefer Fano, who has more experience at left tackle. Playing on the right side in 2025, Fano allowed zero sacks and only five pressures.
7. Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles (LB – Ohio State)
The Commanders would love to have at least one of Bain, Bailey, or Downs available here. However, with none of those players on the board, Washington takes Styles as a replacement for Bobby Wagner, who’s 35-years-old and about to hit free agency. This is early for an off-ball linebacker, but the Commanders need an infusion of young talent on defense, and the 21-year-old Styles has vast upside.
8. New Orleans Saints: Carnell Tate (WR – Ohio State)
The Saints need another receiver to pair with Chris Olave, who’s had health issues. There isn’t a unanimous WR1 in this class, with Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Makai Lemon all in the running. Tyson has had injury problems and Lemon is on the small side, so New Orleans opts for Tate, a 6-foot-3 big-play artist with sticky hands.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Jeremiyah Love (RB – KC)
Remember when Kansas City bypassed Jonathan Taylor in 2020 to draft Clyde Edwards-Helaire at the end of the first round? Chiefs GM Brett Veach surely hasn’t forgotten. He gets a chance to correct that mistake and give Patrick Mahomes much-needed help in the running game as the franchise QB comes back from a major knee injury.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: Peter Woods (DT – Clemson)
The version of Woods we saw at Clemson in 2024 would be a value at No. 10. The Woods we saw in 2025 is a marginal first-round prospect. Woods’ immense potential makes him a worthwhile gamble for a team that needs a young disruptor on the interior.
11. Miami Dolphins: Francis Mauigoa (OT – Miami-Fla.)
A Mauigoa mini-slide would be a gift for the Dolphins. Right tackle Austin Jackson has missed 20 games for the Dolphins over the last two seasons. Mauigoa could take over at right tackle, with Jackson sliding into a guard spot. Mauigoa is a powerful and athletic mauler who was a three-year starter for the Hurricanes. The Dolphins would be delighted to keep him in Miami.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Mansoor Delane (CB – LSU)
The Cowboys would love to see Sonny Styles available here, but fortifying the CB position is a fallback option. Delane’s speed and arm length will be turnoffs for some teams, but he’s a savvy cover man who allowed a 27.5 passer rating on throws into his coverage in 2025 while playing in the nation’s toughest conference.
13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta): Jermod McCoy (CB – Tennessee)
Cornerback and right tackle are the Rams’ most pressing draft needs. They’ll maximize value by grabbing a cornerback with the pick they acquired from the Falcons last year and waiting on a tackle. McCoy might have better tools than fellow CB prospect Mansoor Delane, but McCoy missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from a torn ACL.
14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane (OG – Penn State)
Sure, this is early for a guard, but the Ravens have a screaming need on the interior of their offensive line, and Ioane’s tape is jaw-droppingly good.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cashius Howell (EDGE – Texas A&M)
The Buccaneers ranked 25th in pressure rate last season despite blitzing at the fourth-highest rate in the league. Howell’s explosiveness off the snap helped him rack up 11.5 sacks in 13 games for the Aggies last fall.
16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis): Makai Lemon (WR – USC)
The Jets need another good receiver to pair with Garrett Wilson, and the pick they acquired from the Colts in the Sauce Gardner deal allows them to get one. As a prolific slot receiver coming out of USC, Lemon will inevitably be compared to Amon-Ra St. Brown. As good as St. Brown has been, that might be unfair to Lemon, but he’s an electric playmaker who makes that comp seem reasonable.
17. Detroit Lions: Keldric Faulk (EDGE – Auburn)
Detroit lightens Aidan Hutchinson‘s load by adding another quality pass rusher. Faulk is huge (6-6, 285), he’s a high-character guy, and at only 20 years old, he has plenty of room for development.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S – Toledo)
McNeil-Warren plays a non-premium position and spent his college career in a non-power conference. But, wow, his tape is intoxicating. McNeil-Warren is a big, hard-hitting playmaker who could helm the Vikings shore up a position of need.
19. Carolina Panthers: Akheem Messidor (EDGE – Miami-Fla.)
After recording the second-lowest pressure rate in the league in 2025, the Panthers bring in a big, productive defensive lineman with a motor that runs hot.
20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay): T.J. Parker (EDGE – Clemson)
After going cornerback earlier in the round, the Cowboys spend one of the first-round picks they acquired from Green Bay in the Micah Parsons trade on another pass rusher. Like Clemson teammate Peter Woods, Parker was much better in 2024 than he was in 2025. But the powerful Parker has immense potential. His arms are like vines, and he has a knack for stripping the ball.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jordyn Tyson (WR – Arizona State)
The Steelers would be delighted to get any of the top three receivers in this draft class. Tyson is wildly talented but comes with durability questions.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Lee Hunter (DL – Texas Tech)
It’s possible the Chargers take a badly needed interior lineman here. But they also need defensive line help, and the 6-3, 320-pound Hunter grabbed attention with a terrific week at the Senior Bowl.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Kenyon Sadiq (TE – Oregon)
Dallas Goedert is 31 years old and about to become an unrestricted free agent, so the Eagles capitalize on a chance to grab their tight end of the future. Sadiq is a good enough blocker to play in-line. He’s also an athletic freak with a 41.5-inch vertical jump and immense pass-catching potential.
24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville): Kadyn Proctor (OL – Alabama)
It’s possible the Browns take an offensive lineman with one of their two first-round picks and a receiver with the other. But if the Browns can’t re-sign at least two of their free-agency-bound offensive linemen, they might do an O-line double-tap. There aren’t many humans on the planet with the combination of size (6-7, 366) and athleticism that Proctor has. His pass blocking needs work, but Proctor’s potential is as immense as he is.
25. Chicago Bears: Caleb Banks (DL – Florida)
With their offense mostly set, the Bears can focus on their defense, which has needs at every level. It makes sense for the Bears to prioritize defensive tackle, since there aren’t a lot of attractive DT prospects in this class. Banks is a 6-6, 335-pound brute with remarkable athleticism for a big man.
26. Buffalo Bills: Denzel Boston (WR – Washington)
Bills Mafia will show up at team headquarters with torches and pitchforks if GM Brandon Beane doesn’t take a receiver in the first round. The 6-4, 209-pound Boston gives Josh Allen a true X-receiver and playmaker.
27. San Francisco 49ers: Caleb Lomu (OT – Utah)
The 49ers must find a successor to 37-year-old left tackle Trent Williams. Lomu held down the left side for Utah last year while Spencer Fano played on the right side. Lomu doesn’t have anything close to the sort of power that Williams has, but Lomu’s athleticism gives him intriguing potential.
28. Houston Texans: Monroe Freeling (OT – Georgia)
Offensive line help is far and away the Texans’ most pressing need. Freeling was only a one-year starter at Georgia, but his huge frame and athleticism suggest tantalizing upside.
29. Los Angeles Rams: Max Iheanachor (OT – Arizona State)
The run on offensive linemen continues with the Rams, who have to replace retiring right tackle Rob Havenstein. The Nigerian-born Iheanachor had never played organized football before enrolling at East Los Angeles College, but he’s been a fast learner. Iheanachor’s long arms and athleticism give him a bright future.
30. Denver Broncos: Kayden McDonald (DT – Ohio State)
A lot of mock drafts have the Broncos taking an off-ball linebacker here, but the defensive line could use reinforcements, too. McDonald is a run stuffer with extraordinary power.
31. New England Patriots: Zion Young (EDGE – Missouri)
The Patriots could go with an offensive lineman or a receiver with this pick, but their pass rush could use more juice. Young is a fast-rising prospect who had nine sacks for Mizzou last season, shines against the run, and had a stellar week at the Senior Bowl.
32. Seattle Seahawks: Colton Hood (CB – Tennessee)
The reigning champs don’t have many urgent needs, and Seahawks GM John Schneider has a habit of trading out of the first round. If the Seahawks do make this pick, there’s a decent chance they’ll spend it on a cornerback. Hood’s physicality and prowess in zone coverage would make him a good fit in Seattle.
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