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Cam’s First NFL Mock Draft of 2026

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Fernando Mendoza participates in Indiana University's Pro Day at Mellencamp Pavilion on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

We’re now into April, and the NFL Draft is only a couple of weeks away. Over the past two decades, the NFL Draft has become a cottage industry for draft geeks and a very profitable one, at that. 

At heart, I believe every sports fan fancies themselves a general manager. We all believe we can do a better job than the GMs of our favorite teams. This is why we all play fantasy sports: to build our own teams. The draft is just an extension of that, predicting who will be the next great QB or WR, and who will be the next lock-down corner or defensive end.

I’ve thrown my hat in the ring over the last few years, to varying degrees of success. I’m proud of my QB picks…Drake Maye notwithstanding. I predicted he’d be a bust. After a Super Bowl appearance last season, I’ll just say the jury is still out. He had a horrible playoff run and had the best breaks to get into the big game, and was terrible against Seattle. We’ll see which way he is trending after season three.

With that in mind, here’s my first, first-round mock draft:

 

  1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana: Even though the Raiders grabbed Kirk Cousins, Mendoza is the obvious choice here for the Raiders. With one caveat: There is another QB who is a real NFL prospect, Ty Simpson…If the Raiders can get a Godfather-type offer and secure Simpson with one of those other picks, that is the only other option. Their current second pick is #36, and Simpson won’t be around by that point.
  2. New York Jets: David Bailey, DE, Texas Tech: What don’t the Jets need? They opt for        Bailey over other DE Ruben Bain.
  3. Arizona Cardinals: Sammy Styles, LB, Ohio St: The Cardinals got rid of Kyler Murray, but there is no obvious replacement in the draft. Getting Simpson here is a huge overreach, and unless they trade up for Mendoza, they have to look elsewhere. They settle for the dynamic linebacker out of Ohio St.
  4. Tennessee Titans: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio St: The Titans had one of the worst defenses in the league last season. They opt for one of the best players on one of the best defenses in college last season. With Styles gone, they snag fellow Ohio St LB Reese.
  5. New York Giants: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami: The Giants have an interesting and infuriating issue with their QB. He has the potential to be a top 10 QB. He can be dynamic and exciting. He can also be reckless and prone to injuries…and he needs to be protected. Mauigoa will fill that vacuum on the O-line for Jaxson Dart.
  6. Cleveland Browns: Jeremiah Love, RB, Notre Dame: The Browns have the reigning sack leader and defensive player of the year in Myles Garrett. This team is dying for a game-changer on offense. The settle on Notre Dame’s Love, the best RB in the draft.
  7. Washington Commanders: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah: Similar to the Giants needing to protect Jackson Dart, the Commanders need to protect Jayden Daniels. Fano will surely do that. At 6’6 and 320lb, he is not only huge but also agile.
  8. New Orleans Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio St: The Saints are offensively challenged, and in a weak division, any small improvement can tilt the balance. They have a potentially viable QB in Tyler Shough, and pairing him with a dynamic WR from a college program that constantly produces them is a match made in heaven.
  9. Kansas City Chiefs: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon: This is a no-brainer for HC Andy Reid. They have an aging TE in Travis Kelce coming back, but absolutely on the back nine. Truth be told, he’s on the 16th or 17th hole. Sadiq is the perfect replacement for the future Hall of Famer. 
  10. Cincinnati Bengals: Ruben Bain DE, Miami: This team cannot continue to rely on Joe Burrow scoring 35 pts per game. They desperately need improvement on the defensive side of the ball, and they need someone to accompany or replace Trey Hendrickson. Bain will do that.
  11. Miami Dolphins: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio St: The Dolphins are in complete rebuild mode. They decide to start on the defensive side of the ball. They look to Ohio St. Downs, who will be the third defensive player taken in the first 11 picks of the draft. Downs is arguably the most athletic defensive player and the best secondary player in this draft. 
  12. Dallas Cowboys: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU: Jerry Jones is psyched that Delane is still there for him to snag at #12. The 6ft, 190lb CB is lightning fast and a fantastic cover CB. He most resembles recently retired Stefon Gilmore. Jones will be ecstatic if Delane can be anywhere near the player that Gilmore was.
  13. Los Angeles Rams: Makai Lemon, WR, USC: With the recent off-field questions surrounding Puca Nacua and the regression of Davante Adams, the Rams take Lemon. He has decent size and speed. He is just under 6ft and runs a sub 4.50 40yd dash. And he has fantastic hands and route-running skills.
  14. Baltimore Ravens: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson: The Ravens backed out of their deal with the Raiders for Maxx  Crosby. They decided to fix some of their defensive woes in the draft with Woods. He is a tank, at 6’3 and 320lbs. He is extremely strong, able to bench 450lbs, and adds raw athleticism.
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington: Boston becomes the de facto replacement for future Hall of Famer Mike Evans. It puts a ton of pressure on the young Huskies WR. He has a huge catch radius and excels with 50-50 balls.
  16. New York Jets: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama: This is the most intriguing pick in this year’s draft. The question is, will the Jets take QB Ty Simpson here, or play chicken and wait for him with their #33 pick? There are no obvious landing spots for Simpson before #33, except at #21 when the Steelers pick. The Jets blink and aren’t willing to take the risk.
  17. Detroit Lions: Kayden Proctor, OT, Alabama: The Lions need to beef up the middle on their O-line, and Proctor fills the bill. He is 6’7 and 375lbs. He’ll make Jared Goff and Jayhmir Gibbs better.
  18. Minnesota Vikings: Zion Young DE, Missouri: At 6’5 and 260lbs, he has both quickness and explosiveness. In a division with Jordan Love, Jared Goff, and Caleb Williams, Young will create constant havoc and chaos.

     19: Carolina Panthers: Jordan Tyson WR, Arizona St. Bryce Young could use another weapon, and the team wants to do whatever they can to validate taking Young…enter, WR Jordan Tyson. Tyson will be the fourth WR to come off the board. At 6’2 and 200lbs he is the prototypical WR. Running a sub-4.50 40 yd dash, he possesses a solid combo of size and speed. Hopefully, Carolina is a good fit for him, because there is a chance his talents will be wasted there.

  1. Dallas Cowboys: KC Concepcion WR, Texas AM: Concepcion has been linked to the Eagles at #23, and the Patriots at #31, but the Cowboys snag him here at #20. With Concepcion taken here and Delane with their first pick, this is a fantastic draft for the Cowboys. 
  2. Pittsburgh Steelers: Drew Shelton, OT, Penn St: Whoever ultimately ends up being the QB for the Steelers will need an offensive lineman. With Penn St in their backyard, they saw a ton of Shelton, and they like what they saw.
  3. Los Angeles Chargers: Vega Loane G, Penn St: The Chargers desperately need help protecting Justin Herbert. It looked like he was getting killed in their playoff game last year against the Patriots. Loane is the second consecutive O-Lineman to go off the board. The interior lineman will help Herbert up the middle, as well as their rushing game, which is of utter importance to HC Jim Harbaugh.
  4. Philadelphia Eagles: Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama: Bernard wasn’t their first choice, but the Eagles need a WR because there doesn’t seem to be a scenario where AJ Brown will remain with the Eagles this year. He is a solid possession receiver who had 64 catches and seven TDs last season with the Tide. He has a decent size at 6’1 and 205lbs. He’s a good route runner and speedy, running a 4.48 40 yd dash at the combine.
  5. Cleveland Browns: Monroe Freeling OT, Georgia: With a young Shaddeur Sanders begins center and drafting RB Jeremiah Love with their first pick, it makes all the sense in the world for the Browns to snag Freeling here. The size profile for O-linemen is getting bigger and bigger. Freeling is 6’7, but his knock is that he may be too tall for his overall size. He is only 315lbs, and needs to gain 20-30 lbs to hold off NFL defenders.
  6. Chicago Bears: TJ Parker DE, Clemson: The Bears offense steadily improved throughout the course of the year, which makes sense since HC Ben Johnson is offensively minded. They need help on defense, and Parker is the perfect fit. Last season, he had 18 solo tackles with 10 for losses, as well as five sacks. At 6’4 and 260lbs he is a bullet coming off the edge.
  7. Buffalo Bills: Keldrick Faulk, DE, Auburn: The Bills added WR DJ Moore, which they feel is enough on that side of the ball. They supplement their defense with Auburn’s Faulk. The DE is impressive. He’s taller and bigger than Parker, who goes one pick ahead of him, although Faulk is more of a project. He’s 6’6 and 285lbs, so he could develop into an absolute monster. He regressed from his sophomore season in 2024 to last year, which is why he has fallen to #26.
  8. San Francisco 49ers: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida: The 49ers were hoping to snag one of the three WRs that all went right before this pick. Unless they trade up to snag one of them (which they could do), they will tank Banks here.
  9. Houston Texans: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah: The Texans need to protect CJ Stroud. After a record-breaking rookie season, he has had a regression since. Part of that is due to a lack of protection on their line. Lomu will help tremendously. He is 6’6 and 315lbs, and will be a wall for Stroud and will help the passing and running game.
  10. Kansas City Chiefs: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee: The Chiefs got their TE with their first pick and addressed their secondary with this pick. In a division where they are suddenly looking up at the Chargers and Broncos, this was a necessary move.
  11. Miami Dolphins: Akheem Mesidor DE, Miami: With Josh Allen and Drake Maye in the division, the Dolphins are going all-in on the defensive side of the ball in this first round. They addressed their secondary with their first pick, with Caleb Downs, and addressed their pass rush with Mesidor. Last season he had 12.5 sacks for the Hurricanes.
  12. New England Patriots: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee: There has been a ton of chatter that the Pats would take a WR here. But in a first round that has a ton of WR talent going early, the Pats decide to take a corner, to put some pressure on Christian Gonzalez. Their are potential contract issue between the two, and Hood may give the Pats some leverage as a replacement.
  13. Seattle Seahawks: Brandon Cissee, CB, South Carolina: With the last pick of the first round, teams typically draft from strength. As Super Bowl champs, teams tend to be deep and pick for depth. Cissee adds to their already solid secondary.

 

Takeaways…With only two QBs taken in the first round, this will be a throwback draft. And while there will be six WRs taken, only one RB and TE will come off the board. Seven offensive linemen will come off the board. And five players in the secondary will be snagged.

 

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