The 2026 NFL mock draft conversation has been dominated by hot takes that stop at pick five and call it analysis. I’m going all the way. Thirty-two picks, three trades I’m making myself on top of what’s already been agreed to, and one paragraph per selection explaining exactly why I pulled the trigger. No hedging, no “could go either way,” no disclaimers about how the draft is fluid. I sat down as the GM of all 32 teams and made the best decision I could with the information available the day before the draft kicks off here in Pittsburgh.
Some of these picks are locks. Some of them are going to piss people off. That’s the point.
Before we get into the picks, the confirmed pre-draft trades you need to know: the Bengals traded pick 10 to the Giants for Dexter Lawrence. Atlanta shipped pick 13 to the Rams. Green Bay sent pick 20 to Dallas for Micah Parsons. Indianapolis traded pick 16 to the Jets for Sauce Gardner. Jacksonville’s pick 24 landed in Cleveland. And the Chiefs somehow ended up with pick 29 via the Rams. Those are all confirmed. The three trades I’m adding are mine.
The 3 Trades I’m Making Before the Clock Starts
Trade 1: Kansas City sends pick 9 and a 2027 first-round pick to Arizona for pick 3. The Chiefs have needed a true edge rusher since Chris Jones started aging out of that role, and the guy they want is still on the board. Arizona gets a boatload of future capital and falls back six spots without losing a premium talent.
Trade 2: Detroit sends pick 17 and a 2027 third-round pick to Miami for pick 11. The Lions are one elite tackle away from having the scariest offensive line in the NFC. They are not sitting at 17 and hoping. They move up.
Trade 3: Philadelphia sends pick 23 and a 2027 second-round pick to the Jets for pick 16. The Eagles’ AJ Brown situation is a slow-moving fire and Howie Roseman is not the kind of GM who panics in public. He just quietly moves up six spots and fixes the problem before anyone notices.
2026 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 1 Through 8
Pick 1 | Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
No trade. No drama. Mendoza went 16-0 at Indiana, won the Heisman, threw 41 touchdowns against 6 interceptions, and posted a 79.2 adjusted completion percentage that ranked second in the country. He earned a 91.6 PFF grade and was an absolute menace in the red zone, throwing 27 touchdowns without a single interception inside the 20. The Raiders have Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty already in place. They have been building toward this pick for two years. Mendoza is not perfect, his completion percentage craters when he gets flushed out of the pocket, but he is the best quarterback in this class by a distance wide enough to end the conversation.
Pick 2 | New York Jets: Arvell Reese, LB/Edge, Ohio State
The Jets traded Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis, which tells you everything about how much this front office wanted to reset the roster. Reese is the best player in the draft class according to ESPN, The Athletic, and NFL.com big boards, a hybrid defender who can rush the passer, drop into coverage, and play physically against the run on the same series. He had 6.5 sacks and 112 tackles over his last two seasons at Ohio State. Peter Schrager has been reporting all week that Reese is the pick. I believe it.
Pick 3 | Kansas City Chiefs (via Trade 1 with Arizona): David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech
This is why Kansas City moved up. Bailey tied for the FBS lead with 14.5 sacks in 2025 and has the kind of first-step quickness and bend off the edge that teams try to replicate in three rounds of drafting and never actually find. After losing Trent McDuffie to the Rams this offseason and watching their pass rush age in real time, Andy Reid and the Chiefs front office are not sitting at nine and hoping Bailey is still there. He probably would have been. They are not taking that chance.
Pick 4 | Tennessee Titans: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Jeremiyah Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry in each of the last two seasons, totaled 3,476 scrimmage yards and 42 touchdowns at Notre Dame, and ran for 1,372 yards last season alone. Multiple mocks have had him going to Tennessee and it makes sense. The Titans are rebuilding their offense and Love is a legitimate weapon who is a nightmare in the passing game out of the backfield. Yes, running back is not a premium position. Love is not a regular running back. The tape speaks clearly enough.
Pick 5 | New York Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
The Giants have Jaxson Dart at quarterback and two first-round picks in this draft thanks to the Dexter Lawrence trade with Cincinnati. At five, they go straight to the best defensive player available. Downs is a generational safety, a consensus top-10 talent across every credible big board, and someone who anchors a secondary the same way a great linebacker once anchored a front seven. The Giants’ defense needs a centerpiece. Here it is.
Pick 6 | Cleveland Browns: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Cleveland has two first-round picks in this draft and a roster that needs to be rebuilt from the foundation. Proctor is one of the top tackle prospects in the class, a massive Alabama lineman who fits the physical profile teams are paying a hundred million dollars to find on the open market. The Browns have been burning through quarterbacks for twenty years. Protecting whoever lines up under center starts with getting the big guys right. Proctor is the right start.
Pick 7 | Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Sonny Styles is one of the more legitimately terrifying defensive prospects in this class. He tested as a freakish athlete at the combine, fits the versatile linebacker profile that modern defenses are built around, and brings legitimate instincts against both the run and the pass. Washington at five wins and twelve losses was a disaster in 2025, and rebuilding a defense with blue-chip talent is exactly what you do with a top-ten pick when you do not have a franchise quarterback waiting for you.
Pick 8 | New Orleans Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
The Saints have needed a legitimate receiving weapon outside for a long time. Carnell Tate is the consensus best receiver in the 2026 class and was a standout at Ohio State in a receiver room full of first-round talent. New Orleans has Chris Olave and a passing offense that has underachieved for years. Tate gives them the kind of contested-catch target on the outside that finally makes that offense something opposing coordinators have to game plan for from the jump.
Picks 9 Through 16
Pick 9 | Arizona Cardinals (via Trade 1 with Kansas City): Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Arizona trades down six spots, collects a 2027 first-round pick, and still lands a legitimate first-round talent. Delane is the top cornerback in the class, a physical press corner from LSU with elite ball skills and the kind of closing speed that gives quarterbacks pause. The Cardinals have secondary issues that have been chronic, and Delane at nine is actually a tremendous value given where he was projected before the trade shook up the board.
Pick 10 | New York Giants (via Bengals trade): Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
The Giants use their second first-round pick to give Jaxson Dart an offensive lineman. There were injury concerns flagged about Mauigoa’s back leading into the draft, but teams willing to take that risk at ten are betting on elite talent at a position they cannot easily find. Mauigoa has the guard/tackle flexibility that offensive line coaches dream about and the pedigree to be a cornerstone piece for a decade. The Giants in a single night give Dart a weapon and a protector.
Pick 11 | Detroit Lions (via Trade 2 with Miami): Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Detroit moved up for a reason. Monroe Freeling is going to be gone by the time they get back to 17, and the Lions need a tackle to eventually play alongside Penei Sewell at a genuinely elite level. Fano is the pick. He is a physical freak out of Utah who only gave up two sacks in 807 pass-blocking snaps over the past two seasons. The Lions are building an offensive line that nobody wants to play against. Fano is the next piece.
Pick 12 | Dallas Cowboys: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Dallas has Micah Parsons locked in from the Green Bay trade. Now they build the offense. Tyson is one of the best receivers in this class, a contested-catch threat with strong hands and enough separation ability at the top of his routes to get open against NFL corners. The Cowboys have multiple holes at receiver and Tyson fills the biggest one. Their second first-round pick later in the night will address the offensive line.
Pick 13 | Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta): Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
Faulk showed up on the invite list for Pittsburgh, which is the clearest signal a prospect is going in round one. The Rams, sitting on Atlanta’s pick after that offseason swap, add a developmental edge rusher with a first-round athletic profile. Sean McVay has consistently prioritized pass rush and Faulk gives the Rams a young, long-limbed edge defender to groom behind their veterans.
Pick 14 | Baltimore Ravens: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
Multiple sources flagged the Ravens as one of Sadiq’s most realistic landing spots, and John Harbaugh has never been shy about investing in the tight end position. Sadiq profiles as a George Kittle-style weapon, a blocker and a receiver who can play every role in the offense. Mark Andrews is not getting any younger. Sadiq is not a replacement right now, but he is the future, and this is exactly the kind of pick that Baltimore’s front office is built to make.
Pick 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Freeling was mocked to multiple teams with offensive line needs and Tampa Bay needed to get him before he disappeared. He is an athletic tackle with starter-level traits and only a season and a half of starting experience at Georgia, which means there is more room to grow than his college production alone shows. Tampa Bay protecting Baker Mayfield with a young tackle on a rookie deal is exactly the kind of organizational efficiency that keeps a window open without breaking the bank.
Pick 16 | Philadelphia Eagles (via Trade 3 with Jets): Makai Lemon, WR, USC
The Eagles moved up six spots specifically for this player. Lemon is a smooth route runner with exceptional yards-after-catch ability and the kind of separation skill on short and intermediate routes that works in any scheme. With AJ Brown’s future uncertain and Devonta Smith still the primary target, Lemon gives Philadelphia a third weapon at receiver who can function as the featured option if Brown walks. Howie Roseman did not give away a second-round pick by accident.
Picks 17 Through 24
Pick 17 | Miami Dolphins (via Trade 2 with Detroit): Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
Miami traded back from 11 to 17 and lands a top safety prospect who was on every first-round lock list heading into the draft. Thieneman was a first-team All-American at Oregon and totaled more than 300 career tackles and 8 interceptions across three Big Ten seasons. Miami’s secondary has been a problem for two years. With Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill both gone from the roster this offseason, the team needs contributors at multiple levels and Thieneman gives the back end something it has been missing.
Pick 18 | Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
Minnesota let Harrison Smith walk this offseason and addressed needs in free agency elsewhere, but the offensive line remains a long-term project. Lomu is a young, high-ceiling tackle from Utah who only has two seasons as a starter under his belt, which is both the risk and the upside. The Vikings are not a team that can afford to miss on foundational pieces. Lomu is raw enough to develop without pressure and talented enough to be worth the investment at 18.
Pick 19 | Carolina Panthers: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami
Bain fell to 19 in this mock because the top of the draft was loaded at edge, but there is no world where he is anything but a first-round talent. He is a local product staying in Miami in most projections, but Carolina needs pass rush badly and gets genuine value here. Bain is a versatile edge defender who projects well in multiple fronts. The Panthers are still building and landing a top-ten talent at 19 is a good night’s work.
Pick 20 | Dallas Cowboys (via Green Bay, the Micah Parsons trade): Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
Dallas uses both of their first-round picks wisely. Tyson at 12 for the offense in the skill positions, Miller at 20 to fortify the protection. Miller is a Clemson tackle who has drawn consistent first-round comparisons and has the size and athleticism to contribute immediately. The Cowboys offensive line has been a conversation point for years. Parsons gives them a pass rusher. Miller gives them a blocker. That is a good first round.
Pick 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Ohio State
Every mock on the internet has the Steelers taking Ty Simpson at 21. I am not doing that. Multiple reports flag the Cignetti family connection here: Cooper played for Curt Cignetti at Indiana, and Curt’s brother Frank Cignetti Jr. is now a senior offensive assistant on the Steelers under Mike McCarthy. That is a tight network, and Pittsburgh’s own pre-draft process suggests they have been looking hard at Cooper. He is a well-rounded receiver with size, athletic traits, and natural playmaking ability after the catch that fits exactly what Mike McCarthy’s offense wants from its slot receiver. Aaron Rodgers or not, DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. need a third option. Cooper is that option.
Pick 22 | Los Angeles Chargers: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
McNeil-Warren was on every first-round safety lock list from multiple sources heading into this draft. The Chargers have secondary concerns and safety is a position that Los Angeles has neglected in terms of elite investment. McNeil-Warren solves that and gives Jim Harbaugh a rangy presence in the back end that the defense has been missing.
Pick 23 | New York Jets (via Trade 3 with Philadelphia): Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
The Jets traded their second first-round pick to the Eagles earlier in the night, collected a 2027 second-rounder in return, and still come away from round one with the guy who matters most for their long-term future. Geno Smith is the bridge. Simpson is the franchise quarterback the Jets have been trying to find since Joe Namath. He is the consensus QB2 in the class, an Alabama product who carries himself like a starter and has the tools to develop into one. New York has three first-round picks in next year’s draft. They have capital. They have time. Grabbing Simpson at 23 is the smartest thing they could do.
Pick 24 | Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville): Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
The Browns get two first-round picks this year and use the second one to address the cornerback room. Hood attended the draft in Pittsburgh, which is always a meaningful signal for round-one consideration. Tennessee-trained corners with his physical profile project well at the next level and Cleveland’s secondary needs legitimate contributors at every level. This is the kind of pick that fills a roster hole without reaching.
Picks 25 Through 32
Pick 25 | Chicago Bears: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
Caleb Williams has playmakers but this team can always use more. Concepcion has a consensus ADP in the low twenties across the major mock drafts, which means Chicago is getting value here at 25. He is a fluid route runner with the athleticism to create separation at every level of the field and fits well into the Bears’ evolving offensive scheme.
Pick 26 | Buffalo Bills: Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
Buffalo acquired DJ Moore from Chicago this offseason and locked down their offensive weapons. Now they address the interior defensive line. McDonald is an Ohio State product who attended the draft in Pittsburgh and profiles as a first-round talent who may have slipped due to the depth of his own position group early in the night. The Bills run a physical defense and McDonald fits it perfectly.
Pick 27 | San Francisco 49ers: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt
Daniel Jeremiah specifically called Stowers out as a prospect he would not be surprised to see go in round one, comparing his athletic profile to past first-round tight ends Noah Fant and Evan Engram. San Francisco has George Kittle, but Kittle is not going to play forever, and the 49ers have the organizational discipline to draft succession at positions before the need becomes desperate. Stowers is the pick.
Pick 28 | Houston Texans: Zion Young, Edge, Missouri
The Texans are a 12-win team looking to stay dangerous and the defensive line needs youth off the edge. Young generated 6.5 sacks and 52 pressures at Missouri last season, has the length and motor teams covet, and fits the profile of a player who gets better as he learns an NFL system. CJ Stroud deserves a defense that can win a game on the nights his offense struggles. Young is part of building that.
Pick 29 | Kansas City Chiefs (via Rams): Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia
Travis Kelce is not going to play forever and Kansas City knows it. Delp is the second-best tight end in the class behind Sadiq, a Georgia product with the blocking ability and receiving chops to develop into a genuine contributor. The Patriots actually hosted Delp for a pre-draft visit and wanted him badly, but Kansas City grabs him one spot earlier. The Chiefs draft for the future here while keeping the most important skill position in their offensive structure stocked.
Pick 30 | Miami Dolphins (via Denver): Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
Avieon Terrell is the younger brother of Falcons cornerback AJ Terrell, a former first-round pick himself, but according to CBS Sports scouting reports he is a distinctly different type of corner, a physical, press-capable corner with excellent tackling instincts and the football IQ to diagnose quickly. Miami needs secondary help at every level after losing multiple contributors this offseason, with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both gone from the roster. Terrell gives them a starting-caliber corner on a rookie deal.
Pick 31 | New England Patriots: Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
Drake Maye is their franchise quarterback. He led the NFL in passer rating at 113.5 and finished second in MVP voting this season. The Patriots are not in a quarterback search. They need a pass rusher and multiple reports leading into draft week had Miami’s Akheem Mesidor trending hard toward New England. He has the first-step quickness and explosiveness to develop into a double-digit sack guy in a system built to get after the quarterback. Harold Landry is solid but not a guy you build a defense around. Mesidor is.
Pick 32 | Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame
Sam Darnold won a Super Bowl and is locked in for two more seasons. The Seahawks are not looking for a quarterback. They need a running back after Kenneth Walker left in free agency and Zach Charbonnet is recovering from a postseason ACL tear. John Schneider openly told reporters this week he wants to trade back from 32 and collect more picks, but no deal comes together at a price he likes, so Seattle stays put. Price shared a backfield at Notre Dame with Jeremiyah Love, which limited his carries, but his vision, burst, and hands out of the backfield project as legitimate NFL starter material. The defending champions walk away with a weapon.
This is my full 2026 NFL mock draft and I will not be taking questions at this time. Some of you are going to hate the Cooper pick for Pittsburgh. Some of you are going to lose your mind about Simpson going to the Jets instead of a team you think needs him more. But I watched the tape, read the reports, and made the calls I would make if I were sitting at those tables Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
The draft starts April 23. Every one of these picks is about to be wrong or right in real time. That is the whole reason this sport is worth watching.
