The Seattle Seahawks are the new Super Bowl champions, earning a title thanks in part to some shrewd drafting. Now the league enters the offseason mode, which means it’s NFL draft season.
What better time than now for the first edition of the 2026 NFL mock draft? The draft order is officially set, and there aren’t any projected trades in this edition.
Here’s one early look at how the first round could play out.
MORE: Way-too-early 2027 Super Bowl odds following NFL season
1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana.
The Heisman-winning Mendoza is an easy projection as the top overall pick for the QB-needy Raiders. Feels like the draft card could be turned in already.
2. New York Jets: Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami FL.
An impactful pass rusher who can help elevate the guys playing behind him, Bain’s high ceiling proves too tough for Jets coach Aaron Glenn to pass up. Too early for QB or WR here, though the Jets need both, too.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State.
Reese projects as a do-it-all type of linebacker, and he goes this high because of the pass-rushing potential he showed for the Buckeyes in 2025. Reese and Josh Sweat are a nice EDGE foundation to build around, if new coach Mike LaFleur opts to address defense early.
4. Tennessee Titans: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech.
An explosive edge presence with a refined barrage of pass-rush moves, Bailey would be a very useful tool for new DC Robert Saleh to bring his aggressive approach to a Titans defense that needs more sizzle.
5. New York Giants: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah.
Tough choice here for new Giants coach John Harbaugh with several appealing options. Here, the lean goes to the NFL-ready, high-floor Fano to stabilize the offensive line in front of Jaxson Dart.
6. Cleveland Browns: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami FL.
Mauigoa was a tone-setting tackle for Miami, and that tone should be something new Browns coach Todd Monken desires as Cleveland efforts a complete offensive overhaul. If length issues force Mauigoa inside, that suits the Browns, who might need to replace all three interior starters from 2025.
7. Washington Commanders: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State.
It might be a little too convenient to plug in the well-heeled Tate for aging vet, and fellow Buckeye alum, Terry McLaurin, but watching the Washington offense without an injured McLaurin proved the dire need for Tate’s skills.
8. New Orleans Saints: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame.
Love sure looks to be the next in line, along with Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs, of high-end, first-round running backs who can also make plays in the passing game. Adding Love makes life easier for promising QB Tyler Shough.
MORE: Ranking the last 10 NFL champions
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee.
Despite missing 2025 with a knee injury, McCoy still commands serious draft status for his fantastic play for the Volunteers before the injury. His ‘24 tape was better than Sauce Gardner’s or Derek Stingley’s at the same point. If healthy, McCoy could be a big answer to one of KC’s biggest questions this offseason.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU.
After transferring from Virginia Tech, Delane’s all-around play at cornerback rose to top-10 worthy. His instincts and quick reactions in coverage are in very short supply in Cincinnati, which must fix its leaky defense
11. Miami Dolphins: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State.
A converted safety, Styles didn’t lose that athleticism while making the move to off-ball backer. New head coach Jeff Hafley didn’t overlap with Styles at Ohio State, but he’s surely quite familiar with how impressive of a defensive catalyst Styles was for the Buckeyes.
12. Dallas Cowboys: T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson.
Parker’s draft range is uncertain, but he comes out of Senior Bowl week with upward momentum. His power-to-speed ability and higher-end 2024 game tape speak to the pass-rush-needy Cowboys here.
13. Los Angeles Rams (from ATL): Vega Ioane, IOL, Penn State.
A human snowplow in the run game, the hard-wired Ioane looks like one of the safest picks in the class. The Rams use the bonus pick from Atlanta and the James Pearce trade to revamp what’s already a solid offensive line.
MORE: Best Super Bowl defenses since 2000
14. Baltimore Ravens: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State.
He carries some real injury risk, but Tyson proved to be a difference-making weapon for the Sun Devils. His size and physicality would be welcome additions for Lamar Jackson’s receiving corps.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn.
A big, physical EDGE presence with more upside than actual stats to back it up at this point, Faulk is a difficult prospect to slot right now
16. New York Jets (from IND): Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State.
Downs fits in the mold of the playmaking, versatile chess piece that players like Kyle Hamilton, Nick Emmanwori and Brian Branch have become lately. He’s not an elite athlete, but there might not be a more elite football mind in this entire draft.
17. Detroit Lions: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah.
There are questions about Lomu’s strength, but his feet and hands are as good as any pass protector in this class. Detroit needs to address the reality that longtime LT Taylor Decker is near the end, if not already there, and Lomu has the physical tools to step right into Decker’s spot.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo.
This projection is banking on a post-Combine rise for the MAC standout, a dynamic missile of a downhill, playmaking safety. Vikings DC Brian Flores could use him how the Seawhaks deployed Nick Emmanwori as a rookie. McNeill-Warren boasts better ball skills, though he’s not as instantly fast.
19. Carolina Panthers: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon.
Sadiq can do it all as a tight end, from stretching the seam to pancaking a linebacker in the run game. Being smaller than ideal and flashing a couple of ugly drops on the 2025 Ducks film holds back his draft upside, but the crafty Sadiq would offer another premium weapon for Carolina to pair with reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan.
20. Dallas Cowboys (via GB): Caleb Banks, DT, Florida.
Banks came into 2025 highly touted, but struggled with injuries. His recent dominance at Senior Bowl week helps raise his ceiling as a prospect, and the Cowboys pounce on one of the draft’s biggest (no pun intended) boom-bust prospects.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Makai Lemon, WR, USC.
Lemon brings a similar athletic and stylistic profile to former Trojans WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, now an All-Pro in Detroit. Lemon is smaller and not a dynamic athlete, but he’s an outstanding football player who can help fire up a stale Steelers offensive attack.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami FL.
A physical edge who has proven he can win inside or outside, Mesidor offers an NFL-ready game for the Chargers defense. It’s easy to see head coach Jim Harbaugh taking a shine to Mesidor’s game.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington.
A big, reliable target from outside or in the slot, Boston is a sure-handed weapon who can add another power element to the Eagles’ receiving corps.
24. Cleveland Browns (from JAX): K.C. Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M.
Concepcion emerged as one of college football’s most dangerous weapons with the ball in his hands in his one year with the Aggies. Instantly open all the time. The Browns offense sorely needs someone like that, even if Concepcion lacks a little size and consistency with his hands.
25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon.
Thieneman proved at Oregon, and Purdue before that, to be a do-it-all safety capable of playing single-high or either role in a split safety look. Given Chicago’s current safety situation, he’s an easy projection. Chicago doesn’t currently have a single safety under contract on the active roster entering free agency.
26. Buffalo Bills: C.J. Allen, LB, Georgia.
With the way this board played out, WR isn’t a great option here. Bolstering an aging defense with a high-floor, rangy backer like Allen becomes an appealing option for new Bills head coach Joe Brady.
27. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina.
Cisse brings speed, twitch, and excellent ball awareness to the table as an outside cornerback who can also play some slot. His man skills down the field need polish, but Cisse offers some high-end coverage potential for a 49ers team that needs youthful promise at CB.
28. Houston Texans: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State.
An offensive tackle with outstanding athletic potential, Iheanachor is still learning how to play football. He took some big steps throughout 2025, enough that it’s easy to see a team like the Texans taking a chance on him in this range of the draft.
29. Los Angeles Rams: Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss.
This projection is contingent on Chambliss being in the draft; he lost his NCAA appeal for another college season, but a state lawsuit still remains. If he is in the class, the dual-threat Chambliss is a fun option as an eventual successor to 37-year-old MVP Matthew Stafford.
30. Denver Broncos: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama.
Proctor is a behemoth with light feet and good movement skills for a player who has weighed as much as 370. His weight and consistency of play are real questions that give Proctor a wide range of draft outcomes. Here, the Broncos hope they can mold him into a long-term starting force.
31. New England Patriots: Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech.
Trench reinforcements come to New England with the rising Hunter, one of the postseason circuit’s biggest winners. Hunter compares nicely to 2025 Lions first-rounder Tyleik Williams as a hybrid nose tackle/3-tech with upside.
32. Seattle Seahawks: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson.
Miller spiked upward with a stellar 2025 campaign, showing much more consistent play and technical prowess. He adds to the Super Bowl champions’ war chest of depth.
— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —
OLYMPICS: 2026 Winter Olympics TV schedule, list of Milan Cortino events on Tuesday, February 10
SUPER BOWL: Way-too-early 2027 Super Bowl odds following NFL season
NFL DRAFT: Updated 2026 NFL Draft order following Seahawks’ Super Bowl 60 win
CBB: 2026 college basketball rankings, updated AP Top 25 for Week 15
MLB: League advised teams to ‘tell players to carry their papers’ to avoid ICE detention
SPORTS MEDIA: Shocking details emerge from James Pearce Jr, Rickea Jackson domestic dispute
The post Post-Super Bowl NFL mock draft: Top pick is obvious, but room for surprises in first round appeared first on The Big Lead.
