2026 NFL Mock Draft: Teams Without First-Round Picks

Draft season is a lot of fun for football fans, offering a chance to fantasize about which players our favorite teams could add. However, for fans of teams without a first-round pick, mock drafts might understandably lose some of their charm. Therefore, let’s take a look at which players teams without first-round picks might select in this 2026 NFL mock draft.

I’ll be taking a deeper dive to identify possible fits who could potentially be on the board when each team’s first draft pick rolls around. As always, feel free to contact me on X @draftexaminer with any comments or suggestions. Enjoy.

2026 NFL Mock Draft: Teams Without First-Round Selections

47. Indianapolis Colts: Josiah Trotter (LB – Missouri)

The Colts will look pretty different in 2026, losing Michael Pittman Jr. and Braden Smith offensively and overhauling their defense pretty significantly. They replaced Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam with Arden Key and Micheal Clemons, Zaire Franklin with Akeem Davis-Gaither (albeit on a small one-year deal) and will be without Germaine Pratt and Nick Cross as well.

Long-term, they’re not too solid at defensive tackle, with DeForest Buckner coming off neck surgery and entering a contract year, and Grover Stewart being up there in age as well. Of the losses, EDGE rusher is probably the one they’re in the least trouble at (as long as JT Tuimoloau can step up opposite Laiatu Latu), so this pick might be something else. Josiah Trotter isn’t the fastest linebacker, but he is an excellent thumper between the tackles, which might fit Lou Anarumo’s scheme well.

Check out the full 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Josiah Trotter

48. Atlanta Falcons: Jake Golday (LB – Cincinnati)

Here’s another team fairly likely to go defense with their first pick, although they did lose Darnell Mooney to the Giants and probably need another receiver. Former first-round pick James Pearce Jr.‘s situation is sketchy, to say the least, although they do have some rotational types beyond Jalon Walker in case they want to wait and see what happens there.

Losing Kaden Elliss and Dee Alford without surefire replacements on the roster should make linebacker and cornerback priorities as well. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has emphasized the difficulty of replacing Elliss’ versatile skillset, but I wonder whether Jake Golday could potentially step into that role, as he has an impressive athletic profile and potential as a blitzer.

To some extent, Golday reminds me of players like Kyle Van Noy and Anthony Barr, which might fit with the different fronts Ulbrich likes to show. Golday recorded 3.5 sacks in 2025 and has the type of movement skills to be dangerous if schemed lanes to the passer.

Check out the full 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Jake Golday

52. Green Bay Packers: Treydan Stukes (CB – Arizona)

Here’s another likely defensive pick, as the Packers are currently overhauling their defense. Zaire Franklin was acquired to replace Quay Walker, and Benjamin St-Juste is a bargain-bin attempt to replace Nate Hobbs. They’re also down Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare up front, but could eventually be OK with Micah Parsons (once healthy) and Lukas Van Ness as their two starters there.

If this were to be an offensive pick, the Packers could add a high-end blocker up front, although Jordan Morgan and Sean Rhyan make sense as in-house replacements for Rasheed Walker and Elgton Jenkins; both also played significantly last year (Morgan at guard).

Green Bay has traditionally favored freakish athletes, but new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon has had success with thicker EDGE rushers, so that’s a tough position to project. Gannon prefers to play zone coverages, so maybe a highly athletic zone-heavy corner like Treydan Stukes would fit well here. He would have to transition from the slot to the outside due to the presence of Javon Bullard.

Check out the full 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Treydan Stukes

56. Jacksonville Jaguars: Connor Lew (OC – Auburn)

A trench-based pick could make sense here, on either side of the ball. If we’re talking offense, this is about the time you’d expect to start seeing a center or two come off the board. Incumbent Robert Hainsey is closer to adequate as a starting pivot.

From a personnel standpoint, you’d think this could be some sort of defensive lineman, but then again, the Jaguars ranked first in the league in run defense this past year. Still, they are relying on the aging Arik Armstead as their top guy on the interior, with DaVon Hamilton and Maason Smith as their other two tackles.

Losing Devin Lloyd hurts and should make linebacker a priority, but I didn’t love the value at linebacker here. Trevor Lawrence was sacked 41 times in 2025. It would be worth bringing in a powerful, mobile center to groom behind Hainsey, as the Buccaneers did with Graham Barton when Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was calling the offense there.

Check out the full 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Connor Lew

62. Denver Broncos: Gracen Halton (DL – Oklahoma)

Denver’s big free-agent loss was John Franklin-Myers on the defensive line, so they could look for a disruptive type to slot into their odd front with this pick. However, they do have a pretty deep stable of rotational players to complement Zach Allen, who’s a cornerstone of their roster.

Dre Greenlaw also left, but didn’t play too much this past season, and the Broncos fielded two unheralded but effective starters in Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. They could maybe look at a free safety after Brandon Jones got hurt in 2025, although he played pretty well before going down.

Fortunately for Sean Payton, the Broncos already have a roster that’s pretty loaded with talent, so this could easily be a luxury/surprise pick. Despite playing a lot of three-technique during the games reviewed, I like Gracen Halton as a fit here. He’s one of the most disruptive interior linemen in the class. Despite lacking the ideal bulk/length for a five-technique, he’s got a pretty similar size to Franklin-Myers, who he’d be replacing in this scenario.

Check out the full 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Gracen Halton