• The Rams could stack talent at wideout with Makai Lemon: Los Angeles had two of PFF’s 10 highest-graded wide receivers in 2025 and could add the FBS’ highest-graded wide receiver in the first round.

• The Seahawks may look to continue bolstering their secondary: The Super Bowl champs lost Tariq Woolen in free agency but could target Avieon Terrell to pair with Devon Witherspoon, PFF’s highest-graded cornerback in 2025.

• 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

We are now just a few short weeks away from the 2026 NFL Draft, at which point months of rumors, speculation and mock drafts will finally be put to rest.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the heavy favorite to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders after one of the most impressive seasons in recent memory, culminating in the Heisman Trophy and a national championship. 

This piece combines mock draft logic (giving prospects realistic landing spots) and current NFL player pairings, highlighting which fits would be worth getting excited about as a fan.

With that in mind, here are a few possibilities we would love to see.

WR Makai Lemon, USC and WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams

Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award — given to college football’s most outstanding receiver — and led the FBS with a 90.8 PFF overall grade in 2025. His 3.13 yards per route run clip ranked him among the top 10 wideouts in the nation, and he dropped just two passes on 109 targets for the season.

Puka Nacua was the NFL’s highest-graded wide receiver for the second straight year (96.1). He accounted for 2,047 receiving yards (including the playoffs), and his 3.57 yards per route run average was more than a full yard better than any receiver not named Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Davante Adams led the league with 15 receiving touchdowns despite missing the final three games of the season, and his 84.8 PFF overall grade was his highest since 2022.

The Rams have shown that they are once again going all-in in what could be NFL MVP Matthew Stafford’s final season in 2026. While Nacua is arguably the league’s top receiver, Adams is 33 years old. Los Angeles has no proven pass catcher beyond them on the depth chart, which is a problem for a team that runs more 11 personnel (three wide receivers) than any other team in the league. 

Drafting a player of Lemon’s caliber helps the Rams capitalize on their win-now mentality with Stafford while giving them a much-needed vertical threat in the offense. It also sets them up well for 2027 and beyond regarding the salary cap.

CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson and CB Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks

Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell, improved in each of his three seasons at Clemson. His 90.6 PFF overall grade over the past two seasons ranked fifth among Power Four cornerbacks. He has developed into a complete player, excelling in coverage while also establishing himself as a willing run defender (85.2 PFF run-defense grade in 2025).

Devon Witherspoon was PFF’s highest-graded cornerback in 2025, ranking in the top three at his position in PFF coverage grade (83.6), PFF run-defense grade (90.1) and PFF pass-rush grade (92.9) and earning a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro team in just his third season.

The Super Bowl champion Seahawks don’t have many glaring roster weaknesses and value a defense built around playmakers in the secondary. Tariq Woolen signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent, so it would not be a surprise to see the front office target a cornerback early in the draft, which could cement the secondary’s status as the league’s best heading into 2026.

EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami (FL) and EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions

Mesidor’s age (25 years old in April) may scare some teams off in the first round, but it’s hard to argue against his production in college. He was one of just two Power Four edge defenders to earn top-10 PFF grades as a pass rusher and a run defender in 2025. Sometimes overshadowed by projected top-10 pick Rueben Bain Jr., Mesidor was Miami’s best pass rusher (90.9 PFF pass-rush grade, two sacks) in the national championship game against Indiana.

The Lions could use an upgrade at the edge position opposite All-Pro Aidan Hutchinson, who led the NFL with 100 pressures in 2025 for the second time in the past three seasons. Al-Quadin Muhammad’s 53 pressures were the second most on the team, but he left for Tampa Bay as a free agent. And beyond him, no other player on the defense generated 25-plus pressures in 2025.

At 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds, Mesidor has the frame and production to step in from day one and be an immediate contributor for a team with a win-now mentality. 

S Caleb Downs, Ohio State and Safeties Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin, New York Giants

Downs is widely viewed as one of the best and safest prospects in the draft after garnering an elite 93.6 PFF overall grade for his college career. His draft outlook is intriguing, though. He is listed as a safety (which could hurt his stock) but has the versatility and skill set of a player like Derwin James Jr.

Dennard Wilson is the new defensive coordinator in New York and worked alongside Mike Macdonald and John Harbaugh with Baltimore in 2023. As we saw in the Super Bowl, Macdonald put on a coaching clinic on how to maximize three-safety looks. Downs would allow Harbaugh to replicate that defensive look with the Giants, similar to what the Ravens did when they selected Kyle Hamilton in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Holland is entering the second year of a three-year, $45.3 million contract he signed in March 2025. With Downs, Holland and 2024 second-round pick Tyler Nubin, the Giants would have some playmakers in the back end of the defense to complement their strong pass rush, which ranked in the top 12 in PFF grade last season.