2026 NFL Mock Draft 3.0

The NFL Draft is almost here so it’s time for the final mock draft with the benefit of seeing how free agency has gone, trades, athletic testing, and actually getting to know all there is to know about these players. Let’s see how it goes…

2026 NFL Draft

Las Vegas Raiders – QB Fernando Mendoza
- It was always Mendoza and will be Mendoza. There is nothing the Jets, Cardinals, or any other QB needy team can offer the Raiders that would make them not pick this kid
New York Jets – EDGE Arvell Reese
- For some reason the odds shifted to David Bailey last week despite this being Reese’s spot since the season ended. The Jets might be a perennially stupid team, but not taking the all-everything Ohio State pass rusher seems even beyond them.
Arizona Cardinals – OT Francis Mauigoa
- The Cardinals need a QB desperately, but not enough to throw the whole draft for a loop by drafting Ty Simpson this high. Instead, they go with the next best thing, getting the best, most productive, most high floor lineman in the draft. He was the top offensive line recruit in college back in 2023 and has done nothing but play at a high level ever since. No need to over think.
Tennessee Titans – WR Carnell Tate
- Conventional thinking has Rueben Bain or David Bailey going to Nashville, but they have too much invested in Cam Ward to not give him a target to throw to this season.
TRADE – Kansas City Chiefs from the New York Giants – EDGE David Bailey
- With Tate off the board, the Giants are saved from themselves. The Chiefs come in and take their chance on maybe the best pass rusher in the draft after landing in a position they never thought they would be.
Cleveland Browns – OT Spencer Fano
- What do you get the team that has nothing? Protection. Who Fano will be protecting is still a question, but that’s for another time.
Washington Commanders – RB Jeremiyah Love
- I do not believe Washington is a smart team. I do believe they will want to make a splash though and that’s where the very talented Love comes in. He will make them good in the short term, but continue the Commanders theme of not getting the right building blocks for the future because they think they are a contender right now.
New Orleans Saints – EDGE Reuben Bain
- Bain is way too good a player to fall too far down draft boards for smaller arms. He joins Chase Young to form a great pass rush duo
TRADE – New York Giants from the Kansas City Chiefs – LB Sonny Styles
- The Giants are not a very smart team, but trading down yields them their most optimal scenario, taking Vega Ioane and Sonny Styles to stabilize both sides of the ball. Is it possible they screw this up by drafting a WR and a TE or something? That’s very possible.
New York Giants (from Bengals) – WR Makai Lemon
- I just couldn’t do it. The Giants, drafting the best and most stable guard in the class? Impossible. They will be very proud of themselves before they realize that their QB simply will not be able to get everyone the ball.
TRADE – Carolina Panthers from the Miami Dolphins – OT Monroe Freeling
- The Malik Willis signing is so perplexing. It is essentially a 1-year contract yet he was given one of the worst rosters in the NFL. What the hell is he supposed to do? Do they give him protection, targets, or just go a completely different way and take a defender? At least they have a new decision maker at the top with Jon-Eric Sullivan who came from the Packers. Being a Packers guy, that does not bode well for a WR. Instead, they get assets from the Panthers who fill a big need at OT.
Dallas Cowboys – CB Mansoor Delane
- New Cowboys DC Christian Parker knows the importance of CBs and gets the best one in the draft in Delane.
Los Angeles Rams (from Falcons) – TE Kenyon Sadiq
- This seems like the most zig instead of zag pick the Rams could make with their gift pick. I can see them trading up like I had the Chiefs doing earlier too. This would be the Rams feeling themselves pick.
Baltimore Ravens – OG Vega Ioane
- No player to team makes more sense than this. The most plug and play starter in the draft goes to the team that always makes the best picks without ever having to do anything. The main reason I could never see him with the Eagles is because the Ravens exist.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – EDGE Keldric Faulk
- Faulk is 20 years old and just played 3 years in the SEC. He is a great athlete with great size and only getting better.
New York Jets (from Colts) – S Caleb Downs
- The long slide of Downs stops with the Jets who reunite him with Reese. The Jets have a lot of needs on offense, but with no QB in place, it’s hard to make the investment in a WR this early. Instead, load up on defense and let the rest sort itself out next year.
Detroit Lions – OT Kadyn Proctor
- With Penai Sewell already in tow, this gives Proctor a chance to thrive with less pressure and gives the Lions an enormous line advantage, something that tends to disappear as the season usually goes on for them.
Minnesota Vikings – CB Jermod McCoy
- McCoy is all over the place right now. An injury wiped out his 2025 and while he claims full health, rumors of other health problems could possibly take him out of the first round entirely.
TRADE – Miami Dolphins from the Carolina Panthers – WR Jordyn Tyson
- The Dolphins still end up taking a WR, but I could easily see them trading down again. Tyson still being available is too much value to pass up though.
Dallas Cowboys (from Packers) – EDGE Akheem Mesidor
- Instead of seeing Mesidor as old, Jerry Jones sees him as ready to step in and help the Cowboys awful defense right away. I see both as old.
Pittsburgh Steelers – QB Ty Simpson
- Aaron Rodgers is doing the team no favors by keeping his decision on returning or retiring until after the draft. Regardless, the Steelers need to make a move for a new QB either way. It’s time. Their stop gap efforts these last few years have been agonizing to watch predictably fail.
Los Angeles Chargers – S Dillon Thieneman
- It’s easy to say that the Chargers big problem last year was protecting their QB. It wasn’t. Their big problem was keeping the guys that protect their QB healthy. They have the personnel. That’s why this pick is defense instead of offense. Look for them to go heavy on guards and backup tackles later in the draft though.
TRADE – Buffalo Bills from the Philadelphia Eagles – WR KC Concepcion
- At this point, the Eagles top targets are all gone. I wouldn’t call this the worst case scenario, but it means trading down has to be on the table. They wanted one of the top tackles, but it’s just the second tier of Max Iheanachor, Blake Miller, and Caleb Lomu left. The top 3 receivers are all gone too, leaving Cooper, Concepcion, and Boston, none of which need to be reached for now. The top EDGE defenders are no where to be found. The furthest I want to trade down would be to 28, but I’m looking at the Bills at 26 as an aggressive team in need of even more WR help despite trading for DJ Moore. They give up pick #91 in doing so.
Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars) – WR Omar Cooper
- The Browns already picked up their offensive lineman in Spencer Fano and now get the solid Cooper to help out their QB, whoever that may be.
Chicago Bears – DT Kayden McDonald
- The Bears are the one team late in the draft looking for defense instead of offense and have their choice of DTs. I’m just picking Ohio State over Clemson.
TRADE – Philadelphia Eagles from the Buffalo Bills – OT Max Iheanachor
- The Eagles find themselves again at a crossroads with their 3 OT targets still around but only Denzel Boston at WR. On deck is the 49ers who will happily take whoever the Eagles do not. Another trade back is possible, but I’m going with the project pick in Iheanachor as a good value.
San Francisco 49ers – OT Caleb Lomu
- Lomu is certainly on the table for the Eagles even at 23, but just as the Eagles ready for the departure of Lane Johnson so too do the 49ers need to start planning for life after Trent Williams and Lomu is a good start.
Houston Texans – OT Blake Miller
- Plain and simple, no team needs more offensive line help than the Texans
Kansas City Chiefs (from Rams) – CB Avieon Terrell
- While the Chiefs probably tried to get cute with offensive line help this late in the draft, replacing Trent McDuffie is on their priority list as well.
Miami Dolphins (from Broncos) – CB Colton Hood
- The Dolphins still need everything but a WR now, and having a good CB this late in the 1st round is just a solid move.
New England Patriots – LB CJ Allen
- With AJ Brown likely coming, the Pats will focus on defense. Allen is the best middle linebacker in the draft after Sonny Styles and will ascend to being their long-needed captain on defense.
Seattle Seahawks – EDGE Zion Young
- The champs keep it simple and effective by adding to their pass rush. I’ll never forget the Covid Draft when everyone praised defending champ Andy Reid for this luxury pick in RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. It was a bad pick the minute it happened when there were WRs, CBs, and Safeties all over the place ready to be picked. The Seahawks don’t make that mistake.