SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 11: Caleb Lomu #71 of the Utah Utes walks to the line against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first half of their game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on October 11, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Upper Deck) | Getty Images
Now that Super Bowl LX is over, the 2026 NFL Draft order is officially set and all 32 teams are in offseason mode. Let’s take a look at how the first 32 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft could potentially play out.
2026 First Round Mock Draft
1) Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, Quarterback, Indiana: Fernando Mendoza is the only first round worthy quarterback in this draft, and for that honor he will go first overall. He is far from a blue chip prospect, but the Raiders want a fresh start with a new coach and new signal caller.
2) New York Jets: Reuben Bain, Edge, Miami: While people go between Bain, Bailey, and Reese as the top edge rushing prospects, the Miami defender still stands out as the most polished, pro-ready of the three. The Jets get an instant impact defender here.
3) Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, Running Back, Notre Dame: The Cards need a lot of help on both sides of the ball and Jeremiyah Love is the most explosive player in the draft. He will give Mike LaFleur’s offense an instant shot in the arm.
4) Tennessee Titans: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech: Robert Saleh gets a dynamic edge rusher to juice a young, talent-hungry defense.
5) New York Giants: Caleb Downs, Safety, Ohio State: Caleb Downs is the best player in this draft. The NFL will struggle over how to value an elite safety prospect and some lucky team will capitalize. Feels like a Harbaugh move to make the obvious choice.
6) Cleveland Browns: Arvell Reese, Edge/Linebacker, Ohio State: The Browns probably won’t have a good offense next year no matter what, so might as well double down on a face melting defense. Arvell Reese playing across from Myles Garrett is a scary thought.
7) Washington Commanders: Mansoor Delane, Cornerback, LSU: The Commanders took a big step back this year due to their roster being mostly old guys. Now Dan Quinn can get some young defenders to hold down to the perimeters of the secondary.
8) New Orleans Saints: Jordan Tyson, Wide Receiver, ASU: The Tyler Shough project has been encouraging and now the Saints can get him a dynamic pass catcher to pair with Chris Olave.
9) Kansas City Chiefs: Makai Lemon, Wide Receiver, USC: The Chiefs need a true top receiver, something they’ve lacked since Tyreek Hill left. Makai Lemon might not be an elite athlete, but he is the “B+ at Everything” type of receiver that will thrive with Patrick Mahomes.
10) Cincinnati Bengals: Peter Woods, Defensive Line, Clemson: The Bengals need to upgrade their woeful defense. Peter Woods is a world destroying presence at defensive tackle.
11) Miami Dolphins: Carnell Tate. Wide Receiver, Ohio State: It’s possible that Tyreek Hill is out in Miami, leaving them with a gaping hole next to Jaylen Waddle. Carmell Tate will be a reliable pass catching machine from day one.
12) Dallas Cowboys: Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M: The Cowboys need to fill the huge hole left by the Micah Parsons trade. I expect them to go heavy on defense early and often this draft.
13) Los Angeles Rams (from ATL): Francis Mauigoa, Tackle, Miami: Anything less than a Super Bowl berth next season is probably a failure for the Rams. Here they get a day one ready tackle.
14) Baltimore Ravens: Caleb Banks, Defensive Line, Florida: The Ravens defense took a massive step back last year. Jesse Minter will look for impact players early in this class.
15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jerod McCoy, Cornerback, Tennessee: A bit of a gamble given his injury history, but Jerod McCoy would be a stud in Tampa Bay.
16) New York Jets (from IND): Denzel Boston, Wide Receiver, Washington: While its unclear who will be throwing the football for New York in 2026, they need more options besides Garrett Wilson. Denzel Boston is a big, physical player who would complement Wilson perfectly.
17) Detroit Lions: Spencer Fano, Tackle, Utah: The Lions have been successful in years past because of their offensive line. This year, the unit took a step back with age and injuries. Spencer Fano would be a great bookend to pair with Penei Sewell and get the Lions back to mashing.
18) Minnesota Vikings: Avieon Terrell, Cornerback, Clemson: The Vikings will probably be looking for answers on offense this offseason, but they also need some youth at defensive back. The younger Terrell brother would give Brian Flores another talented defender to play with.
19) Carolina Panthers: Sonny Styles, Linebacker, Ohio State: The Panthers could go in a lot of directions here, but Sonny Styles has fallen far enough in this draft. The dude will be a beast in Carolina.
20) Dallas Cowboys (from GB): TJ Parker, Edge, Clemson: Last year, the Falcons used two first round picks on edge defenders. This year, that’ll be the Cowboys. TJ Parker and Cashius Howell would immediately give Dallas a talented pass rushing duo.
21) Pittsburgh Steelers: Kadyn Proctor, Tackle, Alabama: Mike McCarthy is known for making boring, obvious choices. Kadyn Proctor is going to be a very good tackle if he lands with the right coaching staff.
22) Los Angeles Chargers: Olaivavega Ioane, Guard, Penn State: The Chargers have been snakebitten when it comes to offensive line health. They are never going to get the best out of Justin Herbert until they can protect him. Olaivavega Ioane would give them a steady presence inside.
23) Philadelphia Eagles: Caleb Lomu, Tackle, Utah: The Eagles’ offensive line is entering a period of uncertainty it hasn’t known since after the 2012 season. That year, injuries to Jason Peters spiraled the entire offense out of control and the Eagles lost 12 games. Then they hired Jeff Stoutland and drafted Lane Johnson before enjoying over a decade of elite offensive line play. Now, Soutland has left the building while
rumors swirl about Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson’s NFL futures. There is no doubt the Eagles front office needs to right the ship. Caleb Lomu is a young, talented tackle who has started 24 games in the last two seasons at left tackle. He is big, athletic, and a great pass protector. He has room to grow and will need to adjust to playing right tackle, most likely, but he is a great fit to fill Lane Johnson’s big shoes.
24) Cleveland Browns (from JAX): KC Conception, Wide Receiver, Texas A&M: The Browns desperately need some electricity on offense that KC Conception can deliver.
25) Chicago Bears: CJ Allen, Linebacker, Georgia: The Bears were a pleasant surprise in 2025 as one of the most exciting teams in the league. They can keep beefing up their opportunistic defense in 2026 with a solid, athletic linebacker.
26) Buffalo Bills: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn: Feels like almost a certainty that the Bills will trade up for a wide receiver in this draft. Here, they miss on all the top guys and instead address their aging defense.
27) San Francisco 49ers: Dillon Thieneman, Safety, Oregon: Here the Niners add a ballhawking safety to their defense.
28) Houston Texans: Kayden McDonald, Defensive Line, Ohio State: The Texans strength is their defensive line and they can make that unit even more deadly with a space eating defensive tackle.
29) Los Angeles Rams: Brandon Cisse, Cornerback, South Carolina: Chris Shula’s unit gets a long, athletic perimeter defender.
30) Denver Broncos: Kenyon Sadiq, Tight End, Oregon: The Broncos success on offense happened without really any big play threat. Kenyon Sadiq has the unique ability to stretch the field as a tight end. He will be a weapon for Sean Payton.
31) New England Patriots: Monroe Freeling, Tackle, Georgia: After taking a beating in the Super Bowl, it would not surprise me if the Patriots tried getting another first round offensive lineman to protect Drake Maye with.
32) Seattle Seahawks: Keith Abney II, Cornerback, ASU: The Seahawks are set to lose some of their starting cornerbacks in free agency. Here they can offset those losses with a cornerback who didn’t allow a touchdown in 2025
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