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With the 2026 NFL Draft now just hours away, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. After weeks of tests, films and interviews, the scouts make their final evaluations.
So it’s time for me to do the same. The New York Giants’ recent acquisition of number 10 is shifting the landscape. Ohio State’s quartet of top prospects remain in the top 10, as predicted in my latest mock . Only now they have to go to different teams.
Let’s take a look at where everyone lands, from Fernando Mendoza to the Super Bowl champions pick at No. 32.
1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
The Heisman Trophy winner steps into the perfect system for his talents as a high-IQ playmaker. Mendoza’s accurate passing skills and understated mobility mesh well with the play-action-heavy scheme that new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak prefers to run.
2. New York Jets: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
Defensive-minded head coach Aaron Glenn could build his scheme around Bailey’s destructive talents as a pass rusher. A speed rusher with an explosive first step and a challenging signature move (dip-and-rip), the Texas Tech standout could create more turnovers with his consistent harassment off the rim.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State
The versatile defender would add something south to the Cardinals’ defense as a hybrid playmaker with disruptive potential.
4. Tennessee Titans: Jeremiah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Putting an All-Pro caliber back behind Cam Ward will not only help the franchise quarterback take his game to another level, but it will also allow the Titans to control the game with a diversified offensive approach. Love is a special playmaker with the potential to have a Christian McCaffrey-like impact on the offense.
Jeremiah Love rushed for 2,497 yards and scored 40 total touchdowns in his final two seasons at Notre Dame. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
5. New York Giants: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
The oft-injured playmaker is worth a gamble because of his spectacular receiving skills and route-running ability. If healthy, Tyson is an unstoppable force on the perimeter who will force defensive coordinators to change how they defend the Giants’ passing game.
6. Cleveland Browns: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
The acrobatic pass-catcher is a dynamic route runner and playmaker who flashes the “take over the game” potential of a WR1.
7. Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Adding a sideline-to-sideline playmaker would help the Commanders eliminate some of the explosive plays generated by their opponents. Styles’ quickness, quickness and burst not only show up on running plays, but it makes him a disruptive force on the blitz and in coverage.
8. New Orleans Saints: Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami
The high-motor defender is the perfect replacement for Cam Jordan on the wing. Bain’s heavy hands and violent approach would complement the rugged approach used by Chase Young on the opposite side.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
The ultra-athletic pass-catcher would upgrade the Chiefs’ passing game as a mismatch creator. Sadiq’s speed, quickness and athleticism would force opponents to run double coverage his way, leading to more one-on-one matchups for Travis Kelce and others on the edge.
10. New York Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
The high-IQ safety is the traffic cop every elite defense needs in the middle of the field. Downs’ instincts, awareness and diagnostic skills led to countless big plays by him and his Ohio State teammates.
11. Miami Dolphins: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
The talented cover corner gives new head coach Jeff Hafley a versatile technician to fit into his vision-and-break scheme. Delane’s instincts, awareness and diagnostic skills make him an ideal fit for a defense looking to use more zone-based concepts.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
The ball-hawking midfielder will eliminate some of the big plays that plagued the Dallas secondary a season ago. Also, Thieneman’s range and ball skills will help the Cowboys produce more takeaways in 2026.
13. Los Angeles Rams: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Adding a versatile front line blocker will give Sean McVay the flexibility to retool his offensive line to display the best front five on game day. Fano’s physicality and toughness will add a dimension to the Rams’ offensive line.
14. Baltimore Ravens: Vega Ioane, OG, Penn State
Adding a big bully to the front line should help the Ravens return to the gritty offensive approach that has helped them crush opponents for years. Ioane plays with the violence, physicality and nastiness the Ravens demand from their offensive line.
Vega Ioane’s physique fits the Ravens’ style of play on the offensive line. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
Todd Bowles needs a disruptive edge defender to elevate the Buccaneers’ defense in 2026. Mesidor is a plug-and-play prospect with the talent, tools and potential to be a double-digit sack producer in an aggressive scheme.
16. New York Jets: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
Adding a dynamic slot receiver to the lineup should ease some of the pressure on WR1 Garrett Wilson to carry the passing game. Lemon is a spectacular route runner with excellent hands and ball skills.
With sticky hands and a fearless approach that complements his spectacular route running skills, Makai Lemon is a first down waiting to happen. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
17. Detroit Lions: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
After moving on from left tackle Taylor Decker, the Lions are taking a talented developmental prospect to perform at the front-line tackle position. Although Freeling will need some time to grow into his role as a blindside defender, the Georgia standout has all the tools to play at an elite level early in his career.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
If healthy, McCoy is an elite cover corner with the tools to develop into a Pro Bowl-caliber defender on the island. As a featured playmaker in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ aggressive scheme, the ball-hawking cover corner will force quarterbacks into tighter window throws.
19. Carolina Panthers: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
A bouncy center with excellent ball skills and awareness, EMW will add some much-needed playmaking ability to a unit that should generate more turnovers in 2026.
20. Dallas Cowboys: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
The versatile cover corner is a pro-ready defender with the tools to flourish in a “see ball, get ball” system that prioritizes tackling and takeaways.
Avieon Terrell was a three-year starter at Clemson and led the ACC with five forced fumbles last season. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Chase Bisontis, OG, Texas A&M
Adding a stout interior blocker won’t endear general manager Omar Khan to the fan base, but the move could stabilize the Steelers’ offensive line for the next five years. The talented technician plays well in the phone booth and displays the nastiness and toughness the Steelers demand from their offensive linemen.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson
With Khalil Mack’s time coming to an end, the Chargers need a power rusher to fill the role. Parker’s strength, power and burst should make him an effective complementary pass rusher opposite a rising star.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
The super-sized edge blocker could crack the lineup immediately at guard before jumping out to right tackle when Lane Johnson retires.
24. Cleveland Browns: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
A natural left tackle with flawless footwork in pass protection, the Utah standout gives the Browns a blindside protector for the next decade. Lomu needs to improve as a run blocker, but his exceptional agility, balance and body control should enable him to effectively shadow box elite pass rushers on the edge.
25. Chicago Bears: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
The ultra-aggressive edge defender specializes in stopping the run, but possesses the tools to develop into an effective pass rusher off the edge.
26. Buffalo Bills: Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
The dynamic pass rusher brings the juice off the edge and gives new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard a high-energy pass rusher to build around.
27. San Francisco 49ers: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
Adding the big pass catcher to the cap space gives the 49ers a legacy following the eventual departure of Mike Evans. With Boston apprenticing a perennial Pro Bowler, the 49ers’ passing game should be in good hands with their future WR1.
Denzel Boston celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Husky Stadium last November. (Photo by Blake Dahlin/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
28. Houston Texans: Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
The run-stuffing defensive tackle will record more blocks at the point of attack to create more big-play opportunities for Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr.
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
The loss of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watkins forces the Chiefs to address the cornerback position with a top pick. Hood is the instinctive cover corner who typically thrives in Kansas City’s ultra-aggressive scheme.
30. Miami Dolphins: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
The pass-catching phenom is the dynamic playmaker new QB1 Malik Willis needs on the edge. Despite his struggles with drops, Concepcion terrorizes opponents between the hashes as a catch-and-run specialist, routinely registering his touches on crosses and square-in routes.
KC Concepcion could be a game-changing playmaker in the NFL as a receiver and punt returner. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
31. New England Patriots: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
The big edge blocker is a work in progress, but the Patriots can redshirt him for one season behind Morgan Moses before taking over for the veteran at right tackle.
32. Seattle Seahawks: Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF
The defending champs add a high-motor pass rusher to a rotation of edge defenders with complementary skills. Lawrence’s fanatical effort and relentless approach fit the Seahawks’ throwback culture.
