Here's our first mock draft of 2026 as we figure out what the Eagles will do at No. 23.
INDIANAPOLIS — The 2026 NFL Draft is just over two months away but the pre-draft process is about to kick into high gear at the NFL Combine. After a first-round playoff exit, the Eagles have the No. 23 overall pick in this year’s draft and are expected to have a total of eight draft picks throughout the seven rounds.
Things are going to change over the next couple months, but here’s my first crack at a 2026 first-round mock draft:This one seems pretty obvious. The Raiders have a new head coach in Klint Kubiak and they’re hitting restart on the franchise with a brand new franchise quarterback. After leading Indiana to a National Championship, Mendoza is expected to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.The Jets need a quarterback but it’s not wise to reach for one with the No. 2 pick. There are a couple of really good edge players available. The Jets opt for Bain, who led Miami into the National Championship Game against Indiana. He should help that Jets defense from Day 1.The Cardinals need a lot of help and maybe they’ll draft an offensive lineman here. But the value of an intriguing prospect like Reese might be too much to pass up. Reese was a versatile defensive player at Ohio State; he can play off-ball linebacker but can also rush the passer. Reese is going to draw a ton of Micah Parsons comps over the next couple months.The Titans drafted their quarterback Cam Ward last offseason so they have to give him some help. That could be an offensive lineman to shore up protection. But it could also be the top receiver in this draft class. Tate appears to be pro ready and would give the Titans a boost from Day 1.Sure, most mock drafts don’t have the Giants going with a receiver at No. 5 and I get that. But Tyson could be intriguing enough to select this high. He can play all three receiver positions and could grow into a top-tier X receiver and WR1 for the Giants, who already have Malik Nabers. Adding another weapon for Jaxson Dart is fun.The Browns have to answer plenty of questions on their offensive line this offseason so they add a piece of the puzzle in the draft. Fano was a three-year starter and can play either left or right tackle.This one feels like a great fit. The Commanders need some help off the edge and Bailey is a tad undersized but has great quickness and wins with it consistently. He’s one of the best pass rushers in this class and should be able to help the Commanders early.The Saints might have found something with Tyler Shough and they already have Chris Olave at receiver. But adding a player like Love to that Kellen Moore offense would be a lot of fun. Alvin Kamara is past his prime and Love is a dynamic running and receiving threat out of the backfield.No, drafting an offensive lineman isn’t the sexiest pick for the Chiefs but it would be a wise one for Andy Reid and Brett Veach. The Chiefs drafted Josh Simmons early last year and have a chance to find another bookend in Mauigoa in the top 10 this year to protect Patrick Mahomes as he comes back from an ACL tear.A third Ohio State player in the top 10. Downs is considered by many to be one of the best overall prospects in this class. With the top edge rushers off the board, Downs is a versatile piece to add to the Bengals’ secondary.Even if the Dolphins re-sign Rasul Douglas at cornerback, it’s still a position of need for them going into the draft. The Dolphins just hired Jeff Hafley as their head coach and Hafley comes from a history of coaching defensive backs. Delane is considered to be the top cornerback in the draft. He’s an elite prospect at a position of need.The Cowboys have the No. 12 pick for the second straight year. Last offseason, they nailed it by drafting Tyler Booker. This year, they go for the best player available in Styles, who will pair nicely with DeMarvion Overshown in Christian Parker’s defense. Vic Fangio clearly cares about linebackers so it would make sense if Parker does too.Could the Rams use this pick on Alabama’s Ty Simpson and find Matthew Stafford’s eventual replacement? Maybe. But Stafford will be back in 2026 and the Rams’ Super Bowl window is clearly open. Instead, the Rams look for some help at cornerback by selecting McCoy . McCoy missed the entire 2025 season as he recovered from an ACL tear but as long as his medical checks out, he has CB1 potential.The Cowboys crushed their first-round pick last year by taking Tyler Booker and here’s another guard going in that range. Ioane would be a big upgrade at either guard spot and a Day 1 starter to protect Lamar Jackson. This one just makes sense. The top round of edge rushers are off the board but the value seems to line up with Howell at 15 at an obvious position of need for the Buccaneers. It was obvious the Bucs weren’t able to get enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2025. Howell had 27 sacks in his college career and 22 1/2 in two seasons after transferring to Texas A&M. He’s not a super well-rounded prospect yet but he should help get some pressure on QBs.The Jets didn’t reach for a quarterback with the No. 2 pick, instead landing Rueben Bain from Miami. But if they’re on the clock at No. 16 and Simpson is still there, that could very well be the pick. Although, there might be teams eager to jump in front of them to draft Simpson. Simpson figures to be the second QB off the board behind Fernando Mendoza. In his one year as a starter for the Crimson Tide, Simpson completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.The Lions can use this pick to bolster their offensive line with a massive prospect. Proctor seems to fit the Lions’ identity and can play either tackle or guard at the NFL level. Proctor has been a player mocked to the Eagles a ton early in the pre-draft process but there’s a chance he’s off the board before they pick.It’s still unclear if Harrison Smith is going to return for the 2026 season. But either way, the Vikings have to figure out his replacement. And McNeil-Warren could be a great fit for defensive coordinator Brian Flores. McNeil-Warren has an aggressive downhill style that should fit a Flores defense.This would be a fun pick for the Panthers and quarterback Bryce Young. Carolina already found Tet McMillian as their top receiver and they got great play at running back from Rico Dowdle. But adding Sadiq would give them another great target at tight end.A double-dip for the Cowboys on defense. After taking Sonny Styles at 12, they come back with an edge player at No. 20. The Cowboys have some key edge rushers about to hit free agency and they need to build their edge rusher group. Faulk isn’t an undersized outside linebacker and will help complement a guy like Donovan Ezeiruaku, a second-round pick in 2025.We still have to figure out if Aaron Rodgers is coming back for the 2026 season. If he does, the Steelers can find him some help early by drafting the Biletnikoff Award winner. Lemon would be a nice complement to DK Metcalf in that offense. Lemon is going to play a ton in the slot but can play outside too. He could be a high-volume NFL target.The Chargers are expecting to get Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back from injury for the 2026 season. They could target an interior offensive lineman but the value here with Woods is too good to pass up. Woods is an explosive athlete, especially for his size. He has a ton of upside.Lane Johnson is returning for the 2026 season but the Eagles still need to start building for their future. The Eagles have drafted a couple offensive linemen — Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens — in the second round during Nick Sirianni’s tenure but haven’t drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since Andre Dillard in 2019. Lomu has mostly played left tackle during his college career but has some experience on the right side and also seems to have the potential to play some guard in the NFL too. So he could be a valuable backup as a rookie and transition into a starter by Year 2. Lomu figures to test very well at the combine.The Browns do an offensive double-dip. They got their tackle earlier in the first round, taking Spencer Fano. Now they come back and land a receiver with a big frame. Boston has a huge catch radius and impressive ball skills.The Bears look like they’re in pretty good shape on offense but they do need to add some more defensive talent. The Bears added a couple of defensive tackles in free agency last offseason but now it’s time to draft one for the future. Hunter will step in immediately and help in run support but he also has upside as a pass rusher from inside.Mesidor will be a 25-year-old rookie, which is not ideal. But he should be able to step in immediately and help a Bills’ defense that needs it. He’d be a great fit opposite Greg Rousseau.The 49ers could benefit from reloading at receiver, especially with Brandon Aiyuk’s time in San Francisco coming to an end. Concepcion spent just one season with the Aggies but was productive with 61/919/9. He also averaged 15.1 yards per catch. Concepcion has hands and YAC ability, which would be a great fit in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.The Texans could look for an opportunity to bolster their offensive line and move Tytus Howard inside. Freeling would pair nicely with Aireontae Ersery after the Texans drafted him last year.The Rams could fix their secondary by drafting two corners. They take Jermod McCoy earlier in the round and then find their new nickel corner by taking Ponds late in the first round. There aren’t many people who see Ponds as a first-round pick right now because he’s just 5-foot-9. But he as a big-time player at Indiana and would be considered one of the best corners the draft if he was two inches taller.Alex Singleton is set to become a free agent so the Broncos could look to find his replacement in this draft. Allen is a modern day, undersized linebacker. But he should be pro ready and could be a plug-and-play MIKE linebacker to take over that spot in Denver.Sure, the Patriots paid Milton Williams big bucks in free agency last year but drafting McDonald to pair with him could be wise. McDonald is a bigger body than Williams and would complement him as a run-stuffer with pass rush upside.The Super Bowl champs will still have some needs to fill in the draft. With Josh Jobe set to become a free agent, the Seahawks know how important their secondary is to their success. Hood has the potential to be a good starter in the NFL.
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