2026 NFL Mock Draft: Very early projections for next year’s first round

The 2025 NFL Draft is in the books. Now it is time to indulge in the time-honored tradition of a way too early mock draft for next year. While this activity will miss on players and draft positions, it is a great way to familiarize yourself with some of the top prospects next year.

1. New York Giants – Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama: Picking this high probably means a hard reset for the Giants. Maybe they give Jaxson Dart another try and go with a top OT prospect.
2. Cleveland Browns – Arch Manning, QB, Texas: Arch Manning is as unproven as he is talented. I’m willing to bet he puts himself in the first round conversation pretty early on.
3. Tennessee Titans – TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson: Tennessee invested a lot in rebooting their offense and now they can do the same of their defense.
4. New York Jets – Cade Clubnik, QB, Clemson: Picking here means the Justin Fields bet did not hit. Now New York can cash in on a top quarterback.
5. New Orleans Saints – LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina: I am so excited to see LaNorris Sellers’ growth next season. He’ll play himself into franchise quarterback conversations.
6. Carolina Panthers – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State: Right now, Caleb Downs is the best pure player in the country. The question is how high a safety can go.
7. Las Vegas Raiders – Jermond McCoy, CB, Tennessee: Pete Carroll will want to makeover the Raiders defense after spending this offseason retooling the offense.
8. Indianapolis Colts – Drew Allar, QB, Penn State: Drew Allar is a really talented player who keeps getting better. If Anthony Richardson can’t catch on in year three, the Colts could go in this direction.
9. Dallas Cowboys – Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame: The only first round running back at this stage in the conversation, Jeremiyah Love makes a ton of sense in Dallas.
10. Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars) – Spencer Fano, OT, Utah: Cleveland needs help everywhere and Spencer Fano is a great tackle prospect.
11. Seattle Seahawks – Peter Woods, DL, Clemson: Seattle keeps upgrading their trenches with a versatile lineman who can play base end and kick inside.
12. New England Patriots – Jordan Tyson, WR, ASU: The Patriots get perimeter weapon for Drake Maye.
13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) – Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU: The Rams will need to think about life after Matt Stafford. Garrett Nussmeier has the mental makeup of an NFL quarterback, even with average tools.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers – Sam Leavitt, QB, ASU: Who knows who will be throwing the ball for Pittsburgh this year. Next year, it could be the talented rookie out of Arizona State.
15. Miami Dolphins – Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson: Miami has to retool their secondary after losing a ton of talent on the back end this offseason.
16. Chicago Bears – LT Overton, EDGE, Alabama: The Bears have done an excellent job surrounding Caleb Williams with weapons. Now they can build out their defense.
17. Arizona Cardinals – Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami: Arizona has to get more talented in the trenches.
18. Minnesota Vikings – Reuben Bain Jr, EDGE, Miami: Another weapon for Brian Flores to terrorize offenses with.
19. Denver Broncos – Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn: The Broncos have such a good secondary right now and can add more talent up front.
20. Houston Texans – Jake Slaughter, C, Florida: Houston’s top priority has to be keeping CJ Stroud upright.
21. Green Bay Packers – Dillon Thieneman, S, Purdue: Green Bay goes back to adding premium defensive talent with one of the most gifted defensive backs in the country.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas: Tampa gets some more defensive talent after they’ve added quality players on offense this offseason.
23. Los Angeles Chargers – Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State: The Chargers had a great defense in 2024, but lost a big piece when they cut Joey Bosa. With Khalil Mack getting near retirement age, they’ll need a young, talented pass rusher.
24. Washington Commanders – Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama: More speed and physicality for Dan Quinn’s young defense.
25. Cincinnati Bengals – AJ Harris, CB, Penn State: The Bengals need defensive pieces wherever they can get them.
26. Los Angeles Rams – Eric Singleton Jr, WR, Georgia Tech: The Devante Adams thing will be a lot of fun next year but the Rams need a long term answer across from Puka Nacua.
27. Detroit Lions – Ar’maj Reed Adams, G, Texas A&M: Keeping with Detroit Philosophy on a big, physical offensive line.
28. Kansas City Chiefs – Tyreak Sapp, EDGE, Florida: Kansas City adds a talented edge rusher to keep their defensive line young.
29. San Francisco 49ers – Denzel Boston, WR, Washington: Does San Francisco miss Deebo Samuel? Does Brandon Aiyuk return to form? Big questions but maybe there’s an answer in Denzel Boston.
30. Baltimore Ravens – Zane Durant, DL, Penn State: Baltimore loves a big, athletic, versatile defensive lineman.
31. Buffalo Bills – Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana: Brandon Beane won’t have to yell at radio hosts after this.
32. Philadelphia Eagles – David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech: If the Eagles repeat as Super Bowl champions, it means their pass rush probably didn’t miss Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham all that much. Still, can’t have enough of these guys in the wings.