My One & Only 2026 NFL Mock Draft

The NFL Draft is officially here, and it’s time for my one and only mock draft of the year.

No trades, and yeah, there are definitely some unlikely scenarios, but this is just how it played out for me.

I looked at team needs, what they addressed in free agency, and even went through some draft history to get a sense of what positions certain teams tend to value. And overall, this isn’t necessarily what I would do if I were making the picks, but rather my prediction of what I think will happen on Thursday night.

Take a look and see who I’ve got your team selecting in the first round.

Picks 1-10:

1. Las Vegas Raiders - Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

2. New York Jets - David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

3. Arizona Cardinals - Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

4. Tennessee Titans - Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State

5. New York Giants - Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

6. Cleveland Browns - Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

7. Washington Commanders - Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

8. New Orleans Saints - Makai Lemon, WR, USC

9. Kansas City Chiefs - Reuben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami

10. New York Giants (via Cincinnati Bengals) - Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

At number one, we've known what the Raiders are going to do for months. They’re taking Fernando Mendoza to be their next quarterback. The draft really starts at number two, and I think the Jets make somewhat of a surprising pick, taking David Bailey over Arvell Reese to be the cornerstone of their defense. At number three, the Cardinals also make a surprising pick. This isn’t exactly the move I would make, but there’s a lot of smoke around them taking Jeremiyah Love, and we know the LaFleur offense is very run-heavy, so they get their bell cow to start this new era.

Then perhaps the best defensive player in the draft falls to Robert Saleh and the Tennessee Titans at number four, as they select Arvell Reese. The Giants, in again, a move I would not make, but there’s a lot of smoke around their interest in Jordyn Tyson and I think they take the Arizona State wide receiver to round out the top five.

At number six, we go back-to-back receivers as the Browns upgrade their wide receiver room by keeping Ohio State product Carnell Tate in the state of Ohio. The Commanders at seven go with another Ohio State product, taking Sonny Styles as Dan Quinn looks to shore up his defense.

The Saints need to upgrade their wide receiver core, as it can’t just be Chris Olave, and they take Makai Lemon out of USC.

Then the Chiefs, looking to rebound after a rough 2025 season, go out and get Reuben Bain Jr. to help shore up their pass rush as they try to get back into Super Bowl contention, and finally, the New York Giants, with the pick they got in the Dexter Lawrence trade from the Cincinnati Bengals, select Caleb Downs out of Ohio State to be their new safety and potentially the leader of their defense moving forward.

Picks 11-20:

11. Miami Dolphins - Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami

12. Dallas Cowboys - Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

13. Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons) - Spencer Fano, OT, Utah

14. Baltimore Ravens - Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami

16. New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts) - Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

17. Detroit Lions - Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

18. Minnesota Vikings - Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

19. Carolina Panthers - KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

20. Dallas Cowboys (via Green Bay Packers) - Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn

The Dolphins just have an absolutely brutal roster right now. I think they go with the safest pick available, and that would be Francis Mauigoa, the tackle out of Miami, to at least shore up one of their weaknesses. The Cowboys get perhaps the best corner in the draft at number 12, taking Mansoor Delane out of LSU to shore up that secondary. The Rams, with the pick they got from the Falcons, might be tempted to take a weapon here, and I wouldn’t be shocked if a tight end goes off the board, but I think they instead improve the offensive line with Spencer Fano to improve the tackle spot.

The Ravens go ahead and select Olaivavega Ioane, the guard out of Penn State to improve their interior offensive line. The Buccaneers are always looking to upgrade their pass rush, and they go take Akheem Mesidor out of Miami to keep him in-state. Then, the Jets, with the pick they got from the Indianapolis Colts in the Sauce Gardner trade, went defense with their first pick, so they go offense here and take Omar Cooper Jr., the wide receiver out of the national champion Indiana Hoosiers.

The Lions, in what feels like an obvious pick after some of the losses they’ve had on the offensive line, select Kadyn Proctor out of Alabama to help rebuild that group and the Vikings take Dillon Thieneman, the safety out of Oregon, to improve their secondary.

I don’t love the idea of the Panthers drafting a wide receiver for the third straight year in the first round, but it’s still a need and likely the best player available, so they go with KC Concepcion and with their second pick, the Cowboys once again improve their defense, taking Keldrick Faulk out of Auburn to boost their pass rush this time around.

Picks 21-32:

21. Pittsburgh Steelers - Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

22. Los Angeles Chargers - Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State

23. Philadelphia Eagles - Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

24. Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars) - Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

25. Chicago Bears - Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

26. Buffalo Bills - Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

27. San Francisco 49ers - Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

28. Houston Texans - Peter Woods, DL, Clemson

29. Kansas City Chiefs (via Los Angeles Rams) - Chris Bell, WR, Louisville

30. Miami Dolphins (via Denver Broncos) - Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

31. New England Patriots - Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M

32. Seattle Seahawks - Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

The Steelers could go a lot of different directions here, but I think Monroe Freeling is just the best player available. I could see them taking a quarterback like Ty Simpson, but I think they go with the safer pick in Freeling. If there’s anything we know about Jim Harbaugh, he loves big players from big-time schools. I think Harbaugh's Chargers take Kayden McDonald out of Ohio State to improve that front seven.

The Eagles have an offensive line that’s starting to age, so they go ahead and take Caleb Lomu, offensive tackle out of Utah to get younger. The Browns, with their second first-round pick (this one coming from the Jacksonville Jaguars), also go offensive tackle and take Blake Miller out of Clemson.

The Bears improve their secondary by taking Jermod McCoy. I know he has some injury risk, but the Bears are in a position where they can take a swing on a player who could end up being one of the best in the draft if healthy. The Bills continue trying to surround Josh Allen with more talent at wide receiver and take Denzel Boston out of Washington.

I don’t actually think this happens, but in this scenario it does. I don’t see Kenyon Sadiq falling this far, but if he’s on the board, I think Kyle Shanahan runs that pick in. With George Kittle’s future uncertain coming off a torn Achilles, Sadiq becomes the heir apparent.

The Texans improve a strength and take Peter Woods, defensive lineman out of Clemson. The Chiefs, with their second first-round pick, address wide receiver as well by taking Chris Bell out of Louisville.

The Dolphins, with their second first-round pick from the Denver Broncos in the Jaylen Waddle trade, take Colton Hood, cornerback out of Tennessee, to improve their secondary.

The Patriots go ahead and take Cashius Howell, the edge out of Texas A&M, to improve their pass rush and finally, the Seahawks close out the first round by addressing their secondary after some free agency losses, taking Avieon Terrell, the cornerback out of Clemson, to help get that unit back on track.